Women share music industry horror stories, EMI declares sampling amnesty, Kraftwerk’s Ralf Hütter speaks to Rolling Stone and nobody watches We Are Your Friends.
Nobody Watches We Are Your Friends. Zac Efron’s new movie about a 23-year-old wannabe EDM DJ has flopped at the US box office, reportedly having one of the worst opening weekends on record. The Warner Bros film, shown in 2,333 cinemas, brought in only $1.8 million and many reviewers weren’t impressed. The Awl examines why the film didn’t sit well with the EDM crowd in an insightful article here.
Women Share Music Industry Horror Stories. Pitchfork‘s Senior Editor Jessica Hopper asked Twitter: “Gals/other marginalised folks: what was your 1st brush (in music industry, journalism, scene) w/ idea that you didn’t ‘count’?” She received hundreds of responses, painting a disturbing portrait of an industry rife with misogyny, endless scrutiny, harassment and assault. Read The Daily Beast‘s full feature on the discussion here.
Kraftwerk’s Ralf Hütter discusses ‘spiritual connection’ to Detroit, new album and cycling. The sole remaining original member of Kraftwerk, Ralf Hütter takes a break from preparing an ambitious “3D tour” of North America, to give a rare interview discussing new album and reissue projects, cycling, and the group’s longtime love of Detroit. Read the Rolling Stone interview in full here.
Universal Audio ‘Build Your Own Bundle’ Sale. Until September 30th, you can build a custom UAD plugin bundle and save money on every plugin: 20% off any 2 plugins, 30% off any 3, and 40% off any 4 – including UAD‘s new AKG BX20 spring reverb plugin. Check it out here.
EMI Declares Sampling Amnesty. For the next six months, EMI Production Music have declared an amnesty on sample declarations from its back catalogue, allowing producers who have used EMI samples in the past to declare their use “without the fear of a royalty back claim.” The company says it hopes to encourage new sample requests and ensure existing samples are properly licensed. Full terms and conditions can be found here.
Leeds Festival Detains Evian Christ in a Cage. UK producer Evian Christ was recently detained inside a “weird area with a cage” by Leeds Festival security guards, after they accused him of trying to enter the festival without a ticket, and confiscated his artist ID. The artist posted a video of the cage online while imprisoned, cancelled his performance at Leeds’s sister festival, Reading, and made this Facebook post about the situation. There has been no official response from Leeds Festival organisers.