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My blogging training

By: Omar Akira Carrillo Konno

My experience with blogging has been very satisfying, although it hasn't been as easy as everyone thinks it is. Anyone can create their own blog page, but now I understand that you have to really be consistent and to inform yourself as much as possible to create something worth seen. It takes time and dedication.

Blogging is very versatile. You can write about anything: personal thoughts on a specific topic, to inform, to capture your conclusions on a research or an experience, and anyway, there are many ways to reach out to different preferences and likings.

First, through blogging I could do an exercise of introspection regarding my connection on a topic that I really have a big appreciation for and that everyone interprets in a unique way, music. 

Then, for my second post, I wrote about a song that I really like, “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica. I knew how big it was, but doing some research on it I learned something interesting about it: that it’s actually a love song. Link: 

Being a big music fanatic, I’m constantly listening to the music that I like, and I also try to keep myself informed on what’s going on in the industry. So, for my third publication, I talked about the top 5 sources where I get information and listen to my favorite music.

For my fourth post, I wrote about one of my favorite artists, Miguel. I admire him not just for his great talent, but, also, for the positivity with which he conducts himself and inspires his fans.

The Internet or Social Media specifically, have changed the ways in which the music industry operates nowadays, and I wrote about it in my fifth post. 

Lastly, for my last post, I wrote about a work of music that turned the whole world on their heads, “This Is America” by Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino. 

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This Is America

By: Omar Akira Carrillo Konno

Donald Glover, or as people know him in the hip-hop scene, Childish Gambino, is a multifaceted artist that has been giving a lot to talk about lately. He not only did star as the mythical Lando Clarissian in the latest Star Wars franchise movie, Gambino released a music video recently, “This Is America”, that landed as a punch in the gut to the current American administration.

Sensibilities in the United States are high. Cases of police brutality against black Americans; mass shootings; and the incapability or lack of condescension, of the administration to regulate the possession of fire arms and to implement more rigorous background checks on people willing to buy one.

Childish Gambino, through his lyrics and the staging of the video, points his finger in a fairly harsh way to all of these matters, assuming his role as an opinion leader, and raising his voice for everyone that have feelings of indignation and impotence.

The first sequence of the video shows Gambino alone in a spacious warehouse dressed with similar clothes to the uniforms used by the Confederacy back in the American Civil War in 1860. Childish Gambino starts dancing in a crooked way to the music, mimicking Jim Crow, a pejorative depiction of Afro-American people that used to be interpreted by white people with their faces tainted in black back then. The laws of racial segregation, abolished in 1964 with the Civil Rights Law, were called “The Jim Crow Laws”.

Gambino, then, pulls out a gun and shoots a black person interpreting Trayvon Martin’s father (Trayvon Martin was the black teenager shot to death in Florida in 2012 by George Zimmerman.) playing the guitar. After shooting the man, Gambino handles the gun to a young man that treats the gun in a more delicate way than the way that Trayvon Martin’s father’s corpse is treated. This represents how the American administration gives more importance in maintaining the Second Amendment Laws as they are than the importance given to the cases of police brutality against black citizens.

The shot changes to a gospel choir dancing and singing, Gambino enters the room and starts dancing and singing with them. After a few seconds he is tosed an assault rifle and executes the people in the gospel choir, then, handling the weapon to the same young man that receives it in the same delicate manner. It´s ludicrous how easy it is for civilians to acquire assault rifles. Maybe the right to carry a gun for self-defense is reasonable, but who needs an assault rifle? Gambino captures that in the video, in honour to the gospel choir that was massacred in Charleston in 2015 by Dylann Roof, a 21 year old white man hoping to start a racial war.

The end of the video shows Gambino being persecuted, while he runs with a face expressing panic and fear. Although the laws of racial segregation were declared anticonstitutional more than 50 years ago, American society is still divided. Black Americans still face challenges that undermine their right of liberty. Childish Gambino’s new proposal evokes the purpose of the protest music of the 60s.

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My first blogging experience

By: Cristina Garbayo

Just like my partners, for the past few weeks i’ve been uploading new posts weekly to this blog as part of a project for university. Overall, it’s been an interesting experience as I have learned a lot about how to share content online, but it’s not always been easy. 

I started out willing to work very hard, but to be honest, my motivation slowly faded along the way. I liked the topic and i think that doing this exercise is essential to get started in the field. I found it exhausting to look for information every time I had to write a post and I sometimes really struggled with my English as I hadn’t used in a long time. However, the experience has paid off.

My first post was about my personal connection to the topic. It’s amazing how music can get to everyone!

https://iconicsongss.tumblr.com/post/178461853060/more-than-just-a-combination-of-sounds 

My second post was about a song i find particularly iconic: You don’t own me, by Lesley Gore, which marked a generation and still is relevant today.

https://iconicsongss.tumblr.com/post/178473285285/you-dont-own-me

In my 3rd post, I wrote about some sources I use to learn more about song, specially about their lyrics.

https://iconicsongss.tumblr.com/post/178633391290/my-sources

Sia is the protagonist of my 4th post, in which I wrote about an important personality in the music landscape. I picked her because she is an amazing singer that has done really well commercially with her own songs and has also written hits for other artists.

https://iconicsongss.tumblr.com/post/179414149900/social-media-a-new-world-of-opportunity

Post number 5 was a tough one to write. I had to do research on how social media have affected the music industry and I found so much information that I had to carefully choose the best.

https://iconicsongss.tumblr.com/post/179414149900/social-media-a-new-world-of-opportunity

Last but not least, in my 6th post I had to cover the topic of “The best material posted on your topic in the past 12 months”. To do so, I found it convenient to write about the best songs, so I selected a few according to how good they were, how well they had done in the charts and whether I liked them or not.

https://iconicsongss.tumblr.com/post/179490599730/the-best-songs-in-the-past-12-months

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The best songs in the past 12 months

By: Cristina Garbayo

2017 and 2018 have been two great years for music. New great artists such as Billie Eilish have emerged in the music landscape, and well-known musicians have released amazing songs and albums. Today, I’ll focus on the best songs from the past 12 months, including some that topped the charts and my personal picks.

Sufjan Steven’s Mystery of love: This song, released in December 2017 is part of the Soundtrack of the equally good movie Call me by your name. Written and performed by American singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens especially for the movie, it exploded when this came out. The song was released independently and as it usually happens with indie songs, it didn’t do extremely well in the charts even if it went viral on youtube. I have selected this song because of its simplicity and how much it conveys. The beautifully written lyrics and the delicate arpegios really compliment Sufjan’s ethereal voice, perfectly emulating the intoxicating feeling of a first love.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WTt69YO2VI

Another song i’ve chosen as one of the best of 2018 is Lovely, by Billie Eilish and Khalid. This slow ballad has a sad, melancholic Melody that helps convey the message of the lyrics, that talk about mental illness. The way 16 year old Billie sings about suffering seems really honest and heartfelt. In addition to that, musically the song is brilliant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1Pl8CzNzCw

A chart topper that deserves a spot in this post also comes from a movie, the Greatest Showman. This is Me, performed by Keala Settle along side the rest of the cast. It’s the 1st best selling, 6th most streamed and 4th biggest song of 2018. It was also nominated to the Oscar for the best original song. Its positive message about loving oneself, the score, the incredible harmonies and its success make it deserving of being considered one of the best songs of 2018.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjxugyZCfuw 

Finally, another long-running Number 1 is Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa's One Kiss. It spent eight weeks at the summit of the charts and has combined sales of 1.39m. It’s also the 2nd most streamed song of 2018, and the 2nd best selling. It’s catchy, it gives off a cool 90′s vibe and it is cool both to listen at home and to dance to at a party.

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Blogging

By: María José Pérez

For the past weeks, I have been posting about music and iconic songs that have marked different eras. This is the first time I have done something like this, and to be completely honest, at the beginning I was afraid I wasn´t doing it right (truthfully, I´m still not sure if my posts are the right amount of exciting or intriguing to lure readers). It has been interesting to do this much research on a topic I´m genuinely interested about, and to give the readers links to sites where they can inform themselves better has certainly been a ride, since you have to make sure the information given is true and the source reliable – you can´t mess around when it comes to informing the public. I have also become aware, since writing this blog, of how cautious you have to be as to not plagiarize someone else´s idea or content – the content you produce needs to be informative and original to both capture the attention of the reader and not steal something that has already been written!

However, even though it has been in a way difficult, it has also been quite compelling, and I´ve indeed enjoyed writing about iconic songs, which in my opinion, is a topic of interest to the general public, and that can appeal to almost everyone´s lives.

Post 1: In my first post I talked about my connection to music, in which I explained why I think music is of everyone´s interest, being so diverse in their different genres and artists. Link: https://iconicsongss.tumblr.com/post/178475481420/music-is-of-everyones-interest

Post 2: I talked about a relevant song, and I chose Queen´s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, since I consider it not only a Britain´s jewel, but a jewel to Rock music instead. Link: https://iconicsongss.tumblr.com/post/178483601660/bohemian-rhapsody-one-of-britains-jewels

Post 3: I talked about the top 5 sources I consider best to inform yourself about music, I chose them based on the public´s reception of it, the quality, and the actual information they include. Link: https://iconicsongss.tumblr.com/post/178614746895/good-sources-tu-music

Post 4: On my 4thpost I talked about a prominent figure on the music industry, for which I chose Anthony Fantano, who has a youtube channel (The Needle Drop), which he dedicated entirely to music. I chose him because I consider his content is very diverse and useful, and he informs himself well before reviewing a song, an artist or an album. Link: https://iconicsongss.tumblr.com/post/178929285345/the-needle-drop

Post 5: In this post I talked about how social media covers music, for which I chose to talk about how Instagram specifically covers music, for its influential nature in young audiences. Link: https://iconicsongss.tumblr.com/post/179173230850/instagram-keeping-music-alive

Post 6: In this post I talked about the most important work on the topic in 2016, for which I chose Twenty One Pilot´s “Heathens”, because I consider it has become the theme for the iconic characters of the DC Universe. Link: https://iconicsongss.tumblr.com/post/179445497200/twenty-one-pilots-approach-to-dc

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Twenty one pilots´approach to DC

By: María José Pérez

2016 was a great year for the music industry, and now some of the songs that came out that year have for sure become iconic for the years to come. This was the case of American band´s hit single “Heathens”, which hit #1 on Billbord´s Hot Rock Songs. The single was made to be part of DC´s feature film Suicide Squad´s soundtrack. Though the movie didn’t have a good reception among the public, and definitely didn´t gain the people´s affection –with just a 27% rating out of 100% in Rotten Tomatoes – the movie soundtrack has done a lot better than the film they it was meant for.

The song´s theme is a bit dark, much to match the music anti-hero genre, and it´s lyrics – to some interpretations – talk about the outsiders, how we are all on the inside, that we all have our problems and are a little messed up, even mentioning psychopaths (these being the main characteristics of the film´s protagonists, that are all jailed criminals and heroes´ villains) with the final line of the song being “it looks like you might be one of us”.

About writing the song, Tyles Joseph, one of the two members of the band, said that the director of Suicide Squad showed him a few scenes of the movie he could get inspiration from, but even though that was the main purpose, on an interview Joseph said he wanted it to be a “Twenty one pilots song first” that would adjust with them and their fans, (You can see the whole interview here: https://twitter.com/21pilotsvids/status/749810541032419328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E749810541032419328&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.popbuzz.com%2Fmusic%2Fartists%2Ftwenty-one-pilots%2Fnews%2Ftwenty-one-pilots-heathens-lyrics-meaning%2F)So in the end, it ended up being a mixture of the band´s personal beat and the song´s theme, which turned out to be a great success among the audience.

The song has ended up the theme of one of the most iconic characters in all of the DC Universe, Harley Quinn and Deadshot, that will certainly stick with DC for a long time, and go down in history as one of 2016´s most iconic songs.

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Social media: a new world of opportunity

By: Cristina Garbayo

Social media have changed not only the way we communicate with our peers but how brands and artists get to us. Of course, these have to adapt in order to survive in a world that gets more and more competitive as time gose by, and the music industry is no exception to this. Here are X ways social media has changed the music industry:

1. Streaming and discovery: Platforms such as Spotify, SoundCloud or Bandcamp have changed the way we approach music, streaming for free or for very cheap. Every day thousands of songs, podcasts and radio programs are uploaded on the internet, continuously increasing the amount of content the users have access to. Over the course of the year 2016, over 20 billion hours of music were listened on Spotify alone.

This gives the user access to all sorts of great albums from a single, compact device such as their tablet or smartphone. As a result of the amount of contetn available and of the personal recommendations, listeners now have more choice than ever before and can get to discover content that they otherwise might have missed. 

2. Interactivity: sites like Facebook or Instagram allow artists to interact directly with their fans. Artists are now able to share moments of their daily life, becoming more relatable to their fans. This has closed the gap between regular people and their idols and has lead to a boost in music sales.

3. Access to the industry: Many artists, such as Justin Bieber, posted their music online before they rose to stardom. In fact, many were discovered through social media. As my partner Omar said, the internet has replaced traditional music labels. 

Aspiring artists don’t need a middleman anymore in order to get people to know them. Before social media, big record labels had a big amount of power in regard to new music. Artists had to be found by professionals of the industry, who would listen to their demo. However, the internet has put the power back into the hands of artists. They are now in control of their fate. They can promote their own music through social media and create their own niche and unique fan-base. 

“Tribes” small groups of people that support an artist. They enable the artist to live off their music by always being loyal and supportive.

To conclude, the increasing importance of social media has heavily influenced the music industry, it has changed the way we consume, the way we interact with artists and it has a forced a change in marketing. Now many elements of the marketing strategies have to do with social interaction, and sponsorships are not uncommon. However, it has had bad consequences such as the closure of record stores and decline of sales.

Also, It takes a lot of time and effort to maintain a good presence online and artists can often feel the pressure to please fans by being perceived as constantly available online. They may feel compelled to listen and reply to fans all the time, turning social media into another stressful job rather than a sociable bit of fun. Artists have to be realy careful about always being politically correct, as they could also upset fans.

Nonetheless, the rise of social media has led to a series of really important changes that have benefitted both musicians and fans.

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Social media: the new record labels

By: Omar Akira Carrillo Konno

The business model in the music industry has changed. As opposed to the current mechanism by which music is distributed, before the internet, things were much easier for the big labels. The traditional model was pretty straightforward: the artist/musician recorded a song, the record label distributed the song, and both the artist and the record label made money. Now, record labels and artists don’t get the big slices of the pie.

Nowadays, musicians don’t have the need to sign with record labels to sell. They can opt to produce their music independently and rely on online streaming platforms and social media to build a fanbase. Social media has given accessibility to these indie artists to distribute their content digitally, and hence, allowing them to build their careers in their own terms.

Yes, a record label can provide better features on renowned magazines and traditional media outlets, but public attention has shifted from print to social media. People don’t reach out to magazines to find out about relevant events and artists in the music industry, they reach out to Twitter or Instagram.

Social media platforms and streaming services (Youtube, Instagram, Soundcloud, Spotify, etc.) have democratized the music industry; they have given anyone the opportunity to release content and, at the same time, allowed the public to have a wider range of musical options at their disposal, not just the releases from the large corporate conglomerates such as Atlantic or Sony.

It is well known that artists like Justin Bieber or Shawn Mendes started out on Youtube, and then got signed by major recording labels. Other big names like Chance the Rapper or Macklemore have attained success in the music industry through word of mouth on social media and online streaming platforms.

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Instagram: keeping music alive

BY: María José Pérez

Instagram has made its way to the at least top 5 social media source for music coverage. Artists, bands and songwriters of all genres have turned to Instagram to share their music, upcoming content, and even personal matters and topics. Though many artists do have profiles in other social media platforms, like an official Facebook page for example, Instagram seems to be more personal and frequent regarding the posting of content. Instagram is a very helpful tool for musicians to approach their aimed public and fans, announcing being much easier and quicker, causing excitement within the music community. It is more likely that users follow music accounts on Instagram than in any other social platform. For example, the most followed Instagram accounts are mostly musicians, or music-related. Selena Gomez, a singer, being the most followed person in Instagram. The most liked Instagram picture is Beyonce´s, a renowned figure in the music industry, picture announcing her pregnancy, with over 11 million likes.

Even deceased artists – which iconic songs and lives have made their way into the public´s hearts –  and bands that existed before Instagram was created, and that no longer make music, have verified Instagram accounts, run and followed by those who wish to keep their legacy and music alive. These accounts post facts, trivia, and special features of the artists.  Even though these iconic artists are no longer with us, there is still a way to still be connected to their music and achievements, apart from listening their songs, by following these accounts.

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Sia

By: Cristina Garbayo

Sia Kate Isobelle Furler, known simply as Sia is an Australian singer, songwriter and producer. She is well know for her strong voice, the unique touch she gives to her songs and the iconic wig that she usually wears to cover her face when performing.

She began her career in the mid 90s in her native Adelaide and in 1997 she moved to England in search of a better future. She released several albums during the 00s: OnlySee (1997), Healing Is Difficult (2001), Colour the Small One (2004), Some People Have Real Problems (2008) and We Are Born (2010). None of these was a huge commercial success so she took a hiatus and dedicated her time to writing songs for other artists.

During this time, successful collaborations were born, such as Wild ones, with Flo Rida and Titanium, with David Guetta. These helped her make a name for herself in the music industry.

However, she reached stardom as a solo artist when her single Chandelier exploded in 2014. The album it belonged to, 1000 forms of fear was nº1 in the billboard 200 and her videos, starred by the dancer Maddie Ziegler, went viral. 

As a singer, she has collabed with artists such as David Guetta, Sean Paul, Kendrick Lamar, Zayn Malik or The Weeknd and her singles have topped the charts worldwide in several ocasions. Among her most famous songs we can find the greatest, elastic heart and cheap thrills. A notable collab is Dusk till dawn, with Zayn Malik. She has also made versions of iconic songs such as unforgettable or california dreamin.

As a songwriter she has written hits for Beyoncé, Rihanna, Kanye, Christina aguilera or Kelly Clarkson. She has also made music for films including Annie (2014) or Wonder Woman (2017).

Sia is a person of incredible talent who has contributed greatly to the music industry and has helped defining some of ther current trends in music.

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The needle drop

By: María José Pérez

Anthony Fantano is an American journalist and music critic, creator of the youtube channel The Needle Drop, which has over 1,6 million subscribers on youtube. On it, he reviews albums, music videos and music content in general. Needless to say, Fantano has become pretty relevant in the music community, and his reviews and opinions are pretty influential on the rock, pop, electronic, metal, hip hop, and experimental music genre, and his humorous approach to reviews have gained him popularity in the youtube community.

His reviews often reflect his journalist degree, which inspires trust in the audience. Apart from this professional side, The Needle Drop is a very good way for people to easily approach music genres and turn to him for advice when looking for great albums, or his opinion in controversial videos and such... However, Fantano knows his opinions aren't always going to match those of his viewers, which is why he claims from the start, in the info section of his youtube channel, that he understands that opinions differ and that he is alright with it, and is aware people sometimes don't share his taste or opinions in the music he reviews.

In 2011, The Needle Drop won the “Beyond the Blog” award.

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Miguel

By: Omar Akira Carrillo Konno

Miguel Jontel Pimentel (born October 23rd, 1985), aka Miguel, is an American singer, song-writer and producer. With African and Mexican descent, he is the living representation of today’s diverse American culture, weighing, according to many critics in music, Prince’s legacy on his shoulders.

Growing up, being under the care of his divorced mother, he wasn’t the “extravagant guy” he is today. “My mother was really into her religion, and I was, too, to be honest with you. But at the same time I was torn, because as a kid you want to do things. And my mom was very keen on keeping me away from temptation. I was not a part of the social scene in high school. I wasn’t going to parties, I wasn’t drinking, I wasn’t smoking, I definitely wasn’t smoking weed, I wasn’t having sex. Late bloomer. Really late bloomer.” He confessed in an interview posted by The Guardian.

Instead, he leaned on music. With influences such as Prince, Marvin Gaye, The Doors, The Clash, Queen and The Rolling Stones, his aspiration to become a musician began to grow. And this influences made up a huge part of what he is today; his music combines elements of R&B, funk, soul, hip hop and rock.

With four albums, he has established himself on the top of urban music alongside musicians such as Pharrell Williams, Frank Ocean and Kendrick Lamar. He’s also a huge collaborator, having created hit songs with top notch artists. Mariah Carey (“#Beautiful”), Kendrick Lamar (“How Many Drinks?”), J. Cole (“Power Trip”) and Dua Lipa (“Lost In Your Light”) are some of them.

Within his awards and nominations, the most important one was his Grammy for the best R&B song in 2013, “Adorn”. The song also got nominated for the Grammy to the best song of the year and obtained the distinction of being the first to top Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop chart for 20 weeks. Here is a small taste of his work:

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My sources

By: Cristina Garbayo

AllMusic: This site allows you to discover new releases worldwide. Music is sorted into different categories according to its genre. It features news about artists, critics to songs that provide insight into what is beind the song and interviews with the artists. It has an advanced search option in case you are looking for a specific song and if you sign up, it gives you personalized recommendations according to your preferences.

https://www.allmusic.com/

Rolling Stone: A magazine that focuses on pop culture and has a very important music section. It mainly features news about artists but you can also find music videos, pictures, reviews and playlists. There are special sections for Latin and Country music.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/

SongMeanings: A site that provides the lyrics to thousands of popular songs. Users interpret them and have the option to comment and explain what they understand and what can be implied for them. An interesting site if you want to understand the meaning behind a song.

https://songmeanings.com/

Song Facts: This site provides facts about a certain song, its artist and its lyrics, which is interesting if you want to understand a song more in-Depth. It has a link to the music sheet and to the music video on youtube

https://www.songfacts.com/

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Good sources tu music

by: María José Pérez

Musicmap : This site allows you to go into the evolution of music through time with an interactive map. This is both useful, practical and easy and it includes all genres. It is mainly aimed at those looking for information about specific areas of music. Link: https://musicmap.info

Billboard: Billboard is a music magazine that provides information, videos, interviews and top charts of every music genre. It is a very trustworthy source, since they come with the information and interviews first-hand. They have a page and a youtube channel in which they publish both text and multimedia content. It is a very useful site to stay updated about current music and learn about music history. Link: https://www.billboard.com , https://www.youtube.com/user/BillboardMagazine

Let's talk about music: Let´s talk about music is a talk show in which they interview bands and artists, discuss genres and topics, and mainly share experiences with music. They also focus in controversial topics that concern songs that cause different opinions on the general public. This specific page is useful particularly for those interested in discussions about different songs and artists, within a humorous environment. Link: http://letstalkaboutthemusic.com

MTV: MTV is a television network dedicated to music. Songs, artists, bands from our time or of the past. As Billboard, it also creates weekly and monthly charts. MTV also hosts the VMA´s, I which they annually award the best music videos of the year. On their page, the user can find lots of multimedia content to be updated on artists and music, while on their TV program, they put iconic and current music videos. They have been streaming since the 80´s. Link: http://www.mtv.com/music , https://www.youtube.com/user/MTV

Music Business Worldwide: This site offers you an insight of the music industry. They post about music news, interviews, blogs and analysis. The creator, Tim Inghan, before creating Music Business Worldwide, wrote about the music industry in The Guardian Independent, The Observer and The Daily Mail. Link: https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com

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My top sources

By: Omar Akira Carrillo Konno

1.- SoundCloud (https://soundcloud.com)

A platform that has become famous in the worldwide music community for allowing new artists to share their music and start building up a fanbase. Also, well-known artists put their music on SoundCloud before releasing it on the official streaming sites, such as Apple Music and Spotify. A unique feature of this platform is that you can comment on a specific part or segment of a track (timed comments).

2.- BBC Radio 1 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1)

BBC Radio 1 was, initially, just a radio station but throughout the years it has become much more. The program expanded to the online world, launching a web page and a Youtube channel where they constantly release exclusive videos and interviews. What first hooked me about this platform was the video content they release with their music guests, having them play their favourite tunes from their favourite artists.

3.- Genius (https://genius.com)

Genius is a lyrics platform. They have the most extense lyrics database online, offering the official lyrics to the newest tunes. They also have exclusive videos with artists commenting on how their hit songs came to be. The best feature about this webpage is that you can see the backstory of the lyrics of any song in their database.

4.- Billboard (https://www.billboard.com)

One of the oldest and highest recognized magazines worldwide, they offer a wide range of musical lists of different categories. Their most famous list, the “Billboard Hot 100”, classifies the first 100 songs, of any genre, based on physical and digital sales, and streaming and radio broadcast plays. On their webpage you can access all their lists, and you can listen to segments of the songs listed for free.

5.- NPR Music (https://www.npr.org/music)

NPR Music offers current and archival podcasts, reviews, music lists, news, studio sessions and interviews. My favourite feature of this webpage is that they record and post acoustic gigs with great music guests (tiny desk concerts).

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Sources...

By: Maria Fernanda Valenzuela

1. Coldplay: how can something so banal be so powerful?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/dec/26/coldplay-bataclan-chris-martin

This article talks about how as a whole band they have a gift for melody and a knack of evoking emotions that allow them to produce songs that are almost irresistible for their fans. They also mention how every time they think of a new song they try to capture something fundamental to contemporary living that they know would cause a connection between them, the song and the audience. With this they makes us see that in every song there is something more than just the moldy and the lyrics combined, there is history and a lesson that has to be discovered by finding the true meaning of the whole song. This article allows you to think of that hidden meaning in the songs they have produced, which in this case is Viva la Vida. It is very important not just to focus on the song in order to find that, but also what was going on with the band at that time.

2. 'We're about to be fed to the lions'

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/jun/01/popandrock.coldplay

This source talks about what Martin was going through when he decided to write this song. His band was going through different things, touring all over the world, and that is why they decided to call one of the songs Viva la Vida, even when they Album is called Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. They also mention how Coldplay is a band known for their simplistic love songs but with this new album they have pushed it more as Martin sings of death, salvation and defiance. They wanted to cause an impact and for people to listen the songs and feel warm and embracing; to connect. They wanted the audience to perceive each song differently, some would listen the song and find it miserable, but others would find it different. The band wanted to let them think for their own, as they said “ If you find it depressing you can call it Death and All His Friends. And if you find it uplifting, Viva La Vida. “

3. Song Facts

  https://www.songfacts.com/facts/coldplay/viva-la-vida

When you analyze a song is very important to look at many different aspects. Yo have to look for background information about the band, the singer and why they decided to write about a certain topic, but you can also look for some specific song facts. This source talks about certain lines of the song and the meaning behind it. Moreover, it talks about the record and how they reached top 10 on the Billboard hot 100, and how it broke the record on downloads on iTunes.   Also it has many parts of an interview where they ask Martin, the singer about those lines. In this website I was able to understand more the lyrics and the whole album from which this song is. This album tries to make the public remember what is important in life rather than be carried away by the trappings of other things. By reading this information you can also find important messages that the artists says as it provides parts of an interview where he opened about the song "I think everything we're trying to do at the moment is about not starting again so much as breaking down what we've built up before and trying to build something different and hopefully better, or worse in a good way. And this song is one of our favorites, because none of us are doing anything on it that we've ever done before. But we really enjoy playing it. The longer you go on as a band, the harder it is to surprise yourself."

4. Pop Culture

 http://mentalfloss.com/article/29606/25-most-powerful-songs-past-25-years

In order to say, yes this is the perfecto song, you first have to know what it has to have in order to be one. This source is very useful and relevant as it allows you to learn more about Iconic songs that really caused an impact in the past along with how they have been changing for years and the meaning is more hidden over the years. In this article you can find songs from 25 years ago but also from 3 years ago. It is very interesting to see how the lyrics of many songs are not as direct and straight to the point as they were before. It makes you want to pay attention to every song as it is true that the more times you listen to a certain song you find new things that the last time you heard it.

5. The People History 

 http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/music.html

Music has also been evolving throughout the years and musical styles have reflected the society of the time.  Music does not only changes with society advances but with many other things. This site allows you to learn more about the history of music and how its interpretation has been chaining though time. This article also talks about Musical meaning and the interpretation behind it. By reading this you learn to explore more the expressive motivations behind musical structures and the ways in which listeners and performers interpret musical works and practices.

[iconicsongss-blog]

Bohemian Rhapsody, one of Britain's jewels.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” is, perhaps, the most known and representative song of the British band Queen. The song lasts 6 minutes and was written and composed by Freddy Mercury, Queen´s lead singer and pianist, who raised some eyebrows when he decided to write a song that consisted in 6 different parts.

Even if you are not into rock music, you probably have at least heard the iconic “Galileo” verses that got Queen the Guinness World Record for “The best British single of all time” and that catapulted them into global success. Brian May, the band´s ex-guitarist, even says it literally saved their career, since they were pretty much bankrupt at the moment the song was written.

The song has had such impact, that it has been featured in many films and television shows: Wayne´s World, Suicide Squad and even the Muppets are some examples that have featured the song on their movies.

It is not entirely confirmed, but May and many on the media think that some of the lyrics are a reference to Freddy Mercury´s, past and traumas, since he was the writer and composer of the song, and even establishes that a lot of Mercury´s self is represented on the tune. Though, these are only suppositions of course, since Freddy denied anything that tied him to the lyrics of the song.