#album of the year incoming 100%

[babyeilish]

Billie via Instagram: my album is mastered🧍‍♀️

[simply-ivanka]

If Taylor Swift Had Endorsed Donald Trump

Democrats would scorn her business savvy, cap her ticket prices, and fret over her huge carbon footprint.

Wall Street Journal

By Allysia Finley

Forbes estimates Taylor Swift’s net worth at $1.3 billion. Despite her liberal leanings, the singer-songwriter has amassed her wealth the old-fashioned way: through hard work, talent and business savvy. Her endorsement of Kamala Harris last week is rich considering she owes her success to the capitalist system the vice president wants to tear down.

“The way I see it, fans view music the way they view their relationships,” Ms. Swift wrote in a 2014 piece for the Journal. “Some music is just for fun, a passing fling. . . . Some songs and albums represent seasons of our lives, like relationships that we hold dear in our memories but had their time and place in the past. However, some artists will be like finding ‘the one.’ ” She has become “the one” for hundreds of millions of fans worldwide with lyrics that chronicle relationship woes women commonly experience.

Ms. Swift took advantage of her ardent fan base in 2014 by removing her catalog from Spotify in a bid for higher royalties. “Valuable things should be paid for. It’s my opinion that music should not be free,” she explained. “My hope for the future, not just in the music industry, but in every young girl I meet, . . . is that they all realize their worth and ask for it.”

She also criticized Apple Music for not paying artists during the streaming service’s free trial, prompting the company to change its policy. As she jeers in a hit song, “Who’s afraid of little old me?” Apparently, Big Tech companies.

Last year she reportedly raked in $200 million from streaming royalties on top of the estimated $15.8 million she grossed per performance during her recent “Eras” tour. Some fans have shelled out thousands of dollars on the resale market to see Ms. Swift perform. Americans have even traveled to Europe when they couldn’t get tickets in the U.S.

Her fan base may be more loyal and enthusiastic than Donald Trump’s. JD Vance scoffed at the idea that the star’s endorsement of Ms. Harris could influence the outcome of the election. The “billionaire celebrity,” he said, is “fundamentally disconnected from the interests and the problems of most Americans.” Maybe, but she certainly taps into the problems of young women.

Democrats hope to use Ms. Swift’s endorsement to drive them to the polls. But it isn’t difficult to imagine what the left would be saying about her had she endorsed the Republican antihero. It might go something like this:

The billionaire has gotten rich by ripping off fans, avoiding taxes and harming competitors. Time for the government to break her up. Unlike rival artists, Ms. Swift writes, performs and owns her compositions. This vertical integration allows her to charge exorbitant royalties and ticket prices.

Tickets for her “Eras” tour on average cost about $240. That’s merely the price for admission—not including food, drink or Swiftie swag. VIP passes that include memorabilia go for $899. How dare she make young women choose between paying for groceries or rent and going to a concert.

The Federal Trade Commission must cap Ms. Swift’s ticket prices at a reasonable price—say, $20—and ban her junk fees. Concertgoers shouldn’t have to pay $65 for an “I Love You It’s Ruining My Life” sweatshirt.

Her romance with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce also unfairly boosts their star power, letting them charge more for endorsements. As Ms. Swift writes in one song, “two is better than one.” Mr. Kelce reportedly signed a $100 million podcast deal with Amazon’s Wonderly. By breaking up the couple, the government could reduce their royalties and ticket prices.

Ms. Swift, the self-described “mastermind,” also dodges taxes on her “full income,” which includes some $125 million in real estate and a music catalog worth an estimated $600 million. “They said I was a cheat, I guess it must be true,” Ms. Swift acknowledges in her song “Florida!!!”

Under the Biden-Harris administration’s proposed billionaire’s tax, she would have to pay a 25% levy on the $1 billion increase in her fortune since 2017. But that isn’t enough. Ms. Swift should also have to pay taxes on the appreciating value of her “name, image and likeness,” which the Internal Revenue Service considers an asset.

How much is her brand worth? Easily billions. She might say, as she does in a song, that her “reputation has never been worse.” True, Miss Americana’s image took a hit after reports that her private-jet travel in 2022 emitted 576 times as much CO2 as the average American in a year. When Ms. Swift sings, “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me,” she’s correct. She and her fat-cat friends are what’s wrong with America.

Appeared in the September 16, 2024, print edition as 'If Taylor Swift Had Endorsed Donald Trump'.

[neocatharsis]

[EXCLUSIVE] "NCT Doyoung, Donates 100 Million Won to Underprivileged Children... Brilliantly Dazzling Good Deed"

"According to Sports Chosun's investigation, NCT's Doyoung recently donated 100 million won through UNICEF. The donated amount will be used to support children in vulnerable communities and marginalised neighbours around the world.

Doyoung's generous donation appears to be a way of expressing his gratitude to his fans. After successfully concluding the activities for his first solo album "YOUTH", he also recently wrapped up his first solo Asia tour with an encore concert.

In addition, with the upcoming UN World Children's Day on the 20th, it seems that Doyoung extended a helping hand to children in need. He has rolled up his sleeves to ensure they have a warm Christmas and year-end.

Notably, Doyoung's new song 'The Story' which will be released today (November 6), conveys a message of encouragement to all the youth striving to live their best lives. This makes his donation even more meaningful, as he not only offers a song of comfort to those in need of support but also spreads his positive influence through real-world donations.

Doyoung is known as the "Representative donation angel of K-Pop idols" who continuously practices sharing. He is particularly renowned for carefully identifying where help is needed and meticulously selecting appropriate donation organisations.

In 2022, he donated 30 million won to aid in the recovery of wildfire damage and support displaced residents in Uljin, Gyeongbuk, and Samcheok, Gangwon. In February last year, he donated 100 million KRW to the Community Chest of Korea to help with recovery efforts following the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

Last Christmas, he donated 50 million won to the Community Chest of Korea, becoming a special Santa for children. On February 1 this year, he donated 30 million won to the "The Direct Donation" platform on his birthday, supporting the donation of feminine hygiene products and daily necessities for girls from low-income families.

Now, to support children in vulnerable communities, Doyoung has donated 100 million won to UNICEF, once again impressing many. In just the past two years, Doyoung has donated a total of 310 million won. Thanks to his continuous charitable efforts, he was inducted as member number 3112 of the Honor Society, a group for large donors, under the Community Chest of Korea last year.

Translated by NCTDAOYlNG

[lola-babylon]

Running the numbers on Brendon, Ryan, and owning the Panic! at the Disco legacy

Some people are a bit upset that Brendon Urie continued performing as PATD after Jon & Ryan left, or after Spencer & Dallon left. One of the primary criticisms you see floating around is that, by using the Panic name for his solo career from 2015-2023. Brendon was profiting off of Ryan's legacy as the main songwriter on the early albums.

Let's dig into that, especially the "profit" bit.

I've seen jokes about Ryan Ross working retail now cause he's broke. We don't know what Ryan does with his days and it's none of our business unless he chooses to share that information publicly, but AFYCSO alone has been certified 4x Platinum in the US, having sold 4 million copies. Ryan, being the main songwriter on the album, would one hopes receive a decent income stream for the royalties and has no need to work a job he doesn't want to pay the bills (recording contracts are usually a Kafkaesque nightmare, but hopefully they had a decent contract where the artists get a fair share of royalties, that it isn't all chewed up by record companies).

But if you look at the album sales over time, this is where it gets interesting.

(well, interesting to a stats and facts wonk)

Here's the Recording Industry of America's certification record for AFYCSO - you can check for yourself here

The album went platinum, meaning sales of a million copies, in 2006, a year after it was released. It took another 9 years for the album to double that figure, selling 2 million copies by 2015 and achieving 2x platinum. But then things took off, with AFYCSO reaching 4 million sales by June 2023 and the resulting 4x platinum certification.

But what stands out here is this - AFYCSO was released in 2005. And fully half of all sales of AFYCSO took place after 2015.

2015 was the year that Panic became a solo project of Brendon Urie's. It also marked the start of the period of some of the band's highest sales since the early days, including their first number one charting album, a second number one album, and (Jebus, please save us from) the single "High Hopes". And Brendon toured extensively - musicians used to tour to encourage people to buy their albums; now that most music is digital musicians rely touring as their largest source of income, which is one of the reasons why a ticket to see Led Zeppelin on their 1975 U.S. tour cost $31 adjusted for inflation to 2023 dollars, but seeing any decently sized musical act in concert these days will set you back well over $100 and that's just for starters.

(I told you I was a stats wonk).

Anyway, through all that work, Brendon was using the Panic name, sure. Was he entitled to? That's not my point here. What he was doing was keeping the Panic name in the public mind, entertaining old fans and winning new ones (not my thing, but again that's not my point) and in those years, those fans purchased 2 million copies of AFYCSO, and as the main songwriter on the album Ryan has received the largest share of the royalties from those sales. Ryan earned and was entitled to that money, of course, but would AFYCSO have sold two million copies between 2015 and 2023 if Brendon had retired the Panic name and continued as a solo artist?

Let's be realistic. No.

When people heard High Hopes or any of the other post split music, they were hearing a Panic at the Disco song. If they liked it, they'd look up the artist Panic at the Disco, find the band's earlier work, and buy/stream it. If they'd heard High Hopes as a Brendon Urie song, and looked up the artist Brendon Urie, is it likely they'd have followed the bread crumb trail, learned about this now defunct band called Panic at the Disco Brendon used to be in, and bought that band's stuff too?

We could go back to 2004/2005 and debate whether Panic would have made it as big as they did back then without Ryan's songwriting skills and determined online hustling of the band. Or without Brendon's vocals and stage presence, or Spencer's creative vision for their image and live performances. Or without that they were all so young, they were just crazy brave enough to put their all into the band when if they'd been only a few years older, they might have been worried about the future enough to stay in or go to college, or train as a hairdresser or whatever. Or for that matter whether they had all that, and the right sound at the right time, and made the right connections, oh and they weren't exactly bad looking. There's so many reasons bands do or don't make it. Just talent is never enough. Trying to work out which parts of Panic's early success were due to the respective talents of Ryan, Spencer, and/or Brendon nearly 20 years on is like trying to unscramble an egg (even Brent paid a role, through the loans his parents provided to help pay for the band's practice space and van for the early tours). But it's unrealistic to say Panic was a success solely because of Ryan or that Brendon trampled all over that to get to the top solo. Either way....

Brendon Urie continuing as Panic has been, financially, very benefical for Ryan. Brendon continuing with the Panic name has meant AFYCSO was from 2015-2023 the first album of a very successful currently touring act, and not a footnote to Brendon Urie's career from his now defunct first band (I don't see it that way at all - this post is about album sales and money, not artistic integrity). And Ryan has received the royalties from albums that would never have been sold if PATD officially disbanded in 2009 or 2013 or whatever.

And whilst Ryan has been at home restoring antique cuckoo clocks or whatever he chooses to do, Brendon's been missing his family, home, and dogs, getting up at 4am to catch flights, living out of suitacses, answering inane interview questions, sleeping on tour buses and wondering what country he's in today - and, indirectly, making Ryan money. If Ryan only cared about money he probably would have continued on with Panic past 2009, but I'm sure the royalties he's received since 2015 haven't been a burden either. I'm not saying Ryan owes Brendon anything, he doesn't, and Brendon only lived that life because he loved it, or thought the performing bit made it all worth it (along with making a bunch of money for himself).

This post has focused on AFYCSO, though of course Ryan also gets royalties from Pretty. Odd, which has had a long overdue reappraisal from audiences who realise it's really fucking good. (I'll use the correct punctuation this once, but there was no way I was going to add an exclamation point every time I typed the word panic). Anyway, crunching the numbers on one album was enough. But Brendon didn't profit off of Ryan's legacy by continuing as Panic. It's been very profitable for them both.

[thelaurenshippen]

this is a genuine question not at all meant as a rude gotcha, but I feel like I've seen lots of people cite the relatively low barrier of entry as a huge advantage of podcasts as a medium, "if you have access to decent audio tech you can make a podcast" etc etc. So where does the need to sell a script come in? Is it a financial thing, and IP thing, something else?

this doesn't read like a rude gotcha at all, it's a really good question! there is a much lower barrier to entry when it comes to podcasts compared to tv, film, theater, etc. (though not as low as writing a book if we're talking about hard resources - you can technically write a book with just a laptop and a dream and then self publish! though as a writer who has written a lot of scripts and four books (3 published) writing a book is a much bigger psychological burden imo lol).

the need to sell a script, for me, is entirely a financial thing. if I had the money to produce podcasts at the level I want to entirely independently, I would! I know how to do it! but, unfortunately, I really only have the funds to produce something like @breakerwhiskey - a single narrator daily podcast that I make entirely on my own.

and that show is actually a great example of just how low the barrier is: I actually record the whole thing on a CB radio I got off of ebay for 30 bucks, my editing software is $50/month (I do a lot of editing, so this is an expense that isn't just for that show) and there are no hosting costs for it. the only thing it truly costs me is time and effort.

not every show I want to make is single narrator. a lot of the shows I've made involve large casts, full sound design, other writers, studio recording, scoring, and sometimes full cast albums (my first show, The Bright Sessions had all of those). I've worked on shows that have had budgets of 100 dollars and worked on shows that cost nearly half a million dollars. if anyone is curious about the nitty gritty of budgets, I made a huge amount of public, free resources about making audio drama earlier this year that has example budgets in these ranges!

back in the beginning of my career, I asked actors to work for free or sound designers to work for a tiny fee, because I was doing it all for free and we were all starting out. I don't like doing that anymore. so even if I'm making a show with only a few actors and a single sound designer...well, if you want an experienced sound designer and to pay everyone fairly (which I do!), it's going to cost you at least a few thousand dollars. when you're already writing something for free, it can be hard to justify spending that kind of money. I've sound designed in the past - and will be doing so again in the near future for another indie show of mine - but I'm not very good at it. that's usually the biggest expense that I want to have covered by an outside budget.

but if I'm being really honest, I want to be paid to write! while I do a lot of things - direct, produce, act, consult, etc. - writing is my main love and I want it to be the majority of my income. I'm really fortunate to be a full-time creative and I still do a lot of work independently for no money, but when I have a show that would be too expensive to produce on my own, ideally I want someone else footing the bill and paying me to write the scripts.

I love that audio fiction has the low barrier to entry it does, because I think hobbyists are incredible - it is a beautiful and generous thing to provide your labor freely to something creative and then share it with the world - but the barrier to being a professional audio drama writer is certainly higher. I'm very lucky to already be there, but, as every creative will tell you, even after you've had several successes and established yourself in the field, it can still be hard to make a living!

anyway, I hope this answers your question! I love talking about this stuff, so if anyone else is curious about this kind of thing, please ask away.

[fromtenthousandfeet]

HYBE Financials and Media Play Part 2

Dang it! Why did so much have to happen with HYBE before I had a chance to write this installment? At least I have plenty of material to continue this series.

Let's start where I left off, with some examples of actual media play with stories and tweets hyping up HYBE's 2nd quarter revenue while completely ignoring the always falling net income.

Start here if you're interested in this ongoing thread:

Here's a post from Kpop Charts celebrating HYBE's incredible second quarter. Notice there's no mention of the $12 million net profit or of their ever-dropping profit margin to 2.28%. This post had over 600,000 views.

There were loads of posts and articles just like the one above on the day HYBE released their 2Q24 financials. It's worth noting these media outlets get a press release from HYBE and just regurgitate the information rather than vetting it. This is how the company continues to fool the general public.

I found one article that actually mentioned the declining net income, but it's still reads like a press release from the company. Check it out to see the excuses they make for low net income despite the record-breaking revenue.

When it comes to media play and outright lies, nothing comes close to how HYBE has pinned all their problems on Min Hee Jin. The last 48 hours have been media play on steroids, but let's focus on the message HYBE has been broadcasting for months now. Article after article has blamed HYBE's falling stock price on their difficulties with MHJ. It's really quite smart strategy to pin their falling stock price on her rather than facing the fact that K-pop isn't the long-term cash cow the company claims it to be. The reality is, financial analysts have been sounding the alarm for months that the K-pop industry is a financial house of cards. They rely too heavily on record sales (we've all seen the stacks of CDs abandoned on the street). I guess the Chinese government has cracked down on mass buying, which hurts the K-pop industry, but so does the inflation that's hitting so many across the globe hard. When fans are given the choice between buying tons of the same album or paying rent, I'm pretty sure most would choose food and shelter over 100 copies of the latest Seventeen album.

Blaming MHJ for the falling stock sends the message to investors that all of HYBE's problems will be fixed once they get rid of that pesky woman, when in reality, she and her label are good for HYBE's bottom line. They can (and I guess did) fire her, but that won't change the waning interest in K-pop on a global scale.

All the K-pop music labels are seeing huge drops in their stock prices. Do they also have a Min Hee Jin problem???

Year to date, these stock prices are down approximately -

JYP -50%

YG -28%

SM -32%

It's almost like there's a problem in the industry, right?!

I'm going to go into the HYBE?MHJ situation more deeply in my next post, but I want to end this post with another example of how HYBE manipulates public perception. This article is from CNBC, a major US media outlet, and it's straight lies.

Originally, the article claimed MHJ resigned as CEO, but we now know that was a falsehood coming directly from HYBE. The article was updated a day later to clear up that whopper. But the huge lie staring everyone in the face is the gains in the market cap/increase in stock price. The article completely fails to mention that on the same day HYBE canned MHJ, they also quietly announced a stock buy back worth 26.6 billion won with the express purpose of boosting the stock price.

The company is buying up common stock and converting it to restricted stock. Once the common stock is converted to restricted stock, the fewer shares of common stock will mean the EPS increases (earnings per share). Earnings per share is calculated by dividing net income (see previous post) by the number of outstanding common stock shares. I can talk about this more if anyone is interested. But suffice it to say, this is a way to make the company's share price increase while making the company appear more financially sound.

A restricted stock unit (RSU) is stock-based compensation issued by an employer. A vesting period exists before the RSU converts to actual common stock. Until then, it has no monetary worth. Once the RSU converts to stock, the stockholder may pay taxes on its value.

The stock price increase had absolutely nothing to do with MHJ "resigning" and had everything to do with the buy back. If anything, giving the boot to the executive whose business line contributes 14% to the bottom line should scare the shit out of investors. Those sneaky bastards!

Whatever you think about Min Hee Jin or NewJeans, please keep in mind that the members of BTS seem to be stuck in that crappy, poorly run corporation. It seems Bang Si Hyuk and his goons have no problem destroying reputations and careers of individuals who commit the sin of being successful. Does that sound familiar?

[shinestarhwaa]

I voted for the Idol! Au, I really love those, I actually prefer Yunho Or Seonghwa for this AU!!! I don't really know why but Yunho gives such idolbf! Vibes-

Don't You Worry || J. YH.

Idol boyfriend Yunho incoming!!!

Genre: Fluff

Pairing: Idol bf!yunho x fem reader

Word count: 646

Warnings/tags:

@anyamaris @a-soft-hornytiny @veronicasawyerschainsaw @whatudowhennooneseesyou @star1117-archives @wooyoungmybelovedhusband

Let me know if you wanna be on my taglist❣️

ENJOY!

''Don't you worry, darling, it's all gonna be okay!'' Yunho said cheerfully as he dried your tears.

You hadn't mastered the choreo to your comeback yet, while you were supposed to start filming your music video in two weeks.

You were a big KPOP solo star, breaking records and selling millions of albums around the world. You debuted just two years ago, but the industry had started to love you for your talent and silly moments that your fans made compilations of.

Your debut hit 100 million view in the first month alone, which made your entertainment realize how much potential you actually had, preparing for a comeback right after your first promotions.

Now you were going to release your fourth mini album, and you prepared for it a lot. But after a performance on a festival you had hurt your ankle and knee after you fell from a step while getting off the stage. You were still recovering and getting therapy, but you were practicing hard to get the choreo to your new song right.

That's why Yunho, your boyfriend of six months offered to help you out. He was an amazing performer himself and he usually knew just how to motivatie you.

Today, the two of you were sat on the cold floor of the practice room, trying to get the footwork just right. But your ankle was acting up a lot today, and you sat down, tears filling your eyes.

''Don't cry honey,'' he said as he saw tears roll down your cheeks. ''There's nothing to be afraid of... or sad about... You can do this! We'll make it work. Even if it doesn't work, maybe we can postpone your comeback, hm?''

''My fans are waiting, Yunie, I can't let them down, I have to do this,'' you sobbed. He dried your cheeks gently.

''Don't you worry, darling, it's all gonna be okay!'' Yunho said cheerfully as he dried your tears. He helped you get up again and held your hands. ''We'll do it together,'' he smiled.

No one but the members and the KQ boss and managers knew about your relationship. It hadn't been that long yet, and you didn't want a dating scandal so soon in your relationship. You and Yunho were good at hiding so far, only being together whenever you were inside your dorms or practice rooms.

You and the Ateez members always had a close bond, and when you and Yunho got trapped in an elevator one night, things started happening between you two.

It was impossible for you to imagine a life without him, as he was your light, the sun to your moon. You wish you could scream it from the rooftops, that he was your one and only love. You wished you could tell your fans all about his kindness.

But it wasn't time yet, and it might be a while before you are ready to share the world. You tried being careful, not be too close to him in public when you stood with Ateez. You made sure to stand between different members so if anyone created rumors, it could be denied that it wasn't them.

The media loved speculating on you though, as the only female artist under KQ entertainment you've had dating rumors with nearly every artist and trainee, constantly getting slutshamed while you've never been with anyone other than your Yunho.

It was tiring sometimes, but Yunho always knew how to help you back up, make you gain confidence.

For your new album you even wrote a love song about him. You love singing it to him over the phone before you two go to bed.

Yunho made sure to come to your shoots and performances when he could, either wearing disguise or coming with several Ateez members.

He was incredibly supportive of you and you couldn't thank him enough for being the best person in your life. You loved him dearly.

''Now come on, let's get movin'!''

[taylortruther]

Asking off anon cause I have complicated feelings and I think it may be useful to have my name attached

One thing I wish people drew attention to is that album sales, noteritety, and legacy are tied together. Taylor wants the sales, not the money. Album variations are not about Making More, it's about Selling More. Those are different concepts. Should selling more also be critiqued? Yeah, probably... But as its own thing distinct from Making More.

But also, and Jaime pointed this out a few days ago, but part of it is the value of her catalog has grown. This money isn't liquid. A great deal of it is in the value of her catalog. That's why it jumps with every Taylor's Version. We knew it was going to jump with 1989 TV substantially, because that's been her most valuable album. It's not helpful to treat her like another billionaire because her money is complicated.

That said, I think that this speaks to the idea that percentage wise, there is always more she could do. Her efforts in helping her drivers and crew with bonuses are great, her efforts in supporting the strikes are great, but there's the age old question here... In terms of percentages of income, how much has she helped?

I have long moved on past my days of being hypercritical to her financial doings and I think she has grown significantly in the past 9 years since her shitty take "valuable things should be paid for." I think she still stands by this, but her focus is less on goods and services, and more true as for employees and labor. Valuable things (ie: labor) should be paid for (ie: wages and benefits). Which is a very capitalist way to arrive at worker's rights...But at the end of the day, it's better than nothing.

I wish there was room both in this fandom, specifically, and on the internet at large to leave room for the fact that perfection isn't real and "good" and "bad" are not simple concepts. I will always be frustrated Taylor is a billionaire and I, who works for my state government, do not make enough to survive. I will always think she should be taxed 100% past lets say 500 million or so and that her money should be reallocated. I will always be frustrsted at the disconnect between the good she does with her aid and the tiny percentage of her wealth she gives away. I also recognize it's not all liquid and some of it is simply her legacy. And thus, it is unavoidable. I also recognize she's incredibly pro-worker and labor and I recognize she got there through capitalist logic. I recognize all of this in this discussion, and thus remain completely conflicted.

thank you for sharing, zoe! i think you articulated yourself really well. that conflict is hard for people to sit with because unfortunately it doesn't go away: taylor will continue to taylor, and we will continue to see (from our perspective as non-1%ers) that the system is completely unfair.

[gxbtx]

Who is C418?

☇ Press PLAY before reading

Let me paint you a picture. It’s 2013, two years since Minecraft’s official release date. The game has taken the world by storm, beloved by kids and adults alike. Finally, you have succumbed to giving it a try, leading you to log onto a single-player game. You spawn into a green world, trees surrounding you and a mountain far in the distance. Slightly confused, you begin to walk around. Arriving at a tree, you start to punch it until a block pops out. You look in your inventory and see that the wood can now be crafted into other materials. You begin to realize this game is unlike any game you’ve ever played. Done away with the repetitive task lists, tutorials, and concrete gameplay, you know you have the entire creative freedom in your hands. About an hour has gone by, and you begin building a house to protect yourself from what’s to come in the night. Suddenly, a Piano chord sound strikes the ear, and the track “Minecraft” begins. Arguably, this enhances your experience in a way no other game has replicated previously, making any feeling of mundaneness vanish into relaxation. This, of course, is by design.

Let’s take it back to the beginning.  The man responsible for Minecraft’s soundtrack is a German composer by the name of Danial Rosenfield. By the screen name C418, which is a cryptic yet almost meaningless take on his brother’s creative name ‘C818’, he began his music journey from humble beginnings while working at an assembly line in Germany. He would utilize the skills taught by his brother to make music as a hobby, releasing random music to his blog almost every week. At first, he was comically bad at it, doing it for just the pure fun of it. With time, however, he began to focus in on a signature style that he liked, sparking a passion from within.  His instrumentals exuded simplicity, minimalism, and ambiance; the perfect combination for video game soundtracks.

By 2009, a Swedish man named Markus “Notch” Persson approached Rosenfield on an online indie development forum called TIG Source; This forum is where C418 would start to become more comfortable with English. Notch, building indie games for the pure enjoyment of it, had an idea for something new that he believed C418 could complement.  He asked C418 to produce the music for his latest game, Minecraft, and the rest is history. The unique part about this relationship between the two creators is that Notch allowed Rosenfield to have 100% rights to his music, as he was an indie developer who wasn’t too interested in owning the entirety of the game for monetary reasons.

Rosenfield's approach to creating the soundtrack was a direct contrast to the gameplay found in Minecraft. In its core concept of sprouted chaos ensuing unpredictable elements of the world, C418 decided to create a calming musicscape for the game. His tracks often portrayed the quality of ‘less is more,’ as a few notes were responsible for producing entire songs. He avoided too much structure and percussive beats, as they were too aligned with what was happening in the game. In 2011, when he released his first studio album, Minecraft: Volume Alpha, it was clear what direction his life would take him after that. He managed to accomplish a solid income from this work with the instant success of the game, which allowed him to rid of his mundane day job and start composing music full-time.

☇ Press PLAY once again

In 2013, he released a follow-up album to his first, Minecraft: Volume Beta. This album contained rejected tracks that would eventually become the sound of the “creative” gamemode, as well as new tracks for different biomes in the game (such as the in-game interpretation of hell, the Nether). He also included a few more dark pieces, introducing a sense of fear and diving into new emotional landscapes with his music. Furthermore, some tracks exceeded 10 minutes, including the track “Alpha,” which combined several previous elements of the first soundtrack into a celebrative piece of what the game represented. He experimented with some beats here and there, such as in the track “Aria Math,” a creative mode song that was later remixed by Protostar from Monstercat. This development on his sequel album represented the expansion on his original work, which parallels the game's development when it was released while progressively improving until the official release. 

Since then, C418 has produced soundtracks for several different games, some big and some small. He has maintained the rights to most of his music, which is an applaudable achievement that few can do at his level of popularity. He created three more tracks for Minecraft back in 2018, teasing the release of his final volume in the installment of Minecraft albums. However, Minecraft has since shifted in terms of ownership, with some implied complications with the larger company Microsoft now owning Minecraft. Nonetheless, Minecraft: Volume Alpha still remains a masterpiece to this day, used in many contexts other than the pixelated game. Whether it’s for sleep, study, or leisure, the album has served as a soundtrack that goes beyond the game and into real life. C418’s role in creating Minecraft served as a crucial one, as he enhanced the gaming experience by utilizing music as a medium; thus, C418 cemented the nostalgia for an entire generation of kids continuing the game’s popularity to this day. 

If you’d like to find the first-hand experience and motives behind why he made specific songs and projects, you can visit C418.org.

[theywontletmebeprincipal]

Can you PLEASE let us know the story of why you thought Macklemore was assassinated in a thrift shop? I can't stop thinking about your tags

the honest answer is that I have no idea why or how I actually started believing this, but I do distinctly remember that nobody had ever told me — there was no prank involved, thinking macklemore got shot to death in a thrift shop was something that was 100% all me. for context, this was something I thought from around 2013-2018. if you’re familiar with macklemore you’ll know this was after he dropped thrift shop (song), and also during an active album release (gemini, in 2017). as I said before, I don’t know what prompted me to end up thinking he was dead. but I do remember exactly what I thought happened, which I will now present as follows

1. macklemore is fatally shot in a thrift shop some time in late 2013

2. it’s all over the news (????????) and, thanks to his 2012 song thrift shop, is regarded as some sort of grand ironic shakespearean tragedy

3. a conspiracy begins to grow that this wasn’t a robbery gone wrong but, in fact, a targeted assassination of macklemore specifically

4. fuel is added to the fire when in 2016, from supposedly beyond the grave, macklemore drops his song drug dealer, which is about how reagan and the cia pushed drugs into low income communities, a tradition which is now being carried on by big pharma. obviously this has to mean something

5. I am young. I am stupid. I have the entire internet (????????) on my side. macklemore. was assassinated by the cia

6. in 2017, macklemore drops an entire album. instead of jumping to the logical conclusion that I must have imagined his death and the subsequent controversy, I go “wow. it’s really cool how macklemore’s good friends are putting out his unreleased work even though the cia might tried to silence him. I hope they’re safe from the vengeful spirit of ronald reagan”

7. sometime in 2018, I finally actually see livestreamed video of macklemore on tv in what is clearly the present year, and I am snapped out of my admittedly very funny delusion

as of now I have two leading theories about why/how this whole thing happened

theory #1 is that it was a recurring dream that progressed in real time. I have another dream that’s like this (term search “fuck park”, I think I’ve talked about it before), but the setting is unrealistic enough that I could always easily classify it as Not Real. the macklemore thing was, I guess, just too plausible for a tweenage me to dismiss as a dream

theory #2 is that it was a legitimate full on delusion. this is also a thing that I have experience with. I thought I was an experimental killer robot for four years straight once. but I know why I had that delusion — this one makes no sense whatsoever. I have no idea why I would have such a detailed delusion about something so unrelated to me, let alone something as random as macklemore

for a while in late 2018-2019 I thought it might be a mandela effect thing, but the more people I brought it up to, the more I realized I was maybe the only person on planet earth who held this belief, which makes no fucking sense to me because I distinctly remember it being talked about on the news and later theorized about online. there was a televised macklemore funeral that I to this day can recall specific details from

so who knows. at this point it could be that maybe I’m from another dimension where the only significant change is that macklemore was assassinated in a thrift shop in late 2013. it’s kind of just an unsolved mystery at this point because like how the fuck would you ever even begin to prove that

that being said, I’m making this a public call to action. of any of you reading this remember anything even remotely similar PLEASE let me know

[captainrayzizuniverse]

Yes! Thank youuuu @goldcrumble for this I truly need it now. I’m sitting in Kelowna waiting for the worst year of my life to be over in the most unremarkable way (binging on paw patrol with my nephew) and what better way to do it than this? Beware, long ass essay incoming. 

When did you become a Louie? (This is about to get loooong)

I love talking about this because it’s such an interesting journey for me compared to other artists I love. I used to watch British reality tv with my grandma every year and that of course includes x-factor and strictly come dancing (and the GBBO, sewing bee, BGT etc..it was unhealthy) which usually start around the same time. We started with x-factor when leona lewis won until the last season with Louis as judge. So yes of course I watched the one with 1D and I was rooting for them during the show (and Louis was my LEAST fav only because I’d watch the xtra factor and the video diaries and he was SO loud and obnoxious and basiclly everything I find annoying in a person. Sorry it was what it was. Anyway after that season I never paid them any attention but we continued watching x-factor year after year. I've mentioned this before but when Louis was announced as the judge in 2018 I remember telling my grandma that it’s probably to draw in the 1D fans because the show was so bad at that point. Obviously I said it with eyes rolled and thinking ‘they really think they’re gonna save this shit with a kid from a boyband?’. Little did I know this guy will ruin me. Anyway as a non fan and someone who really didn’t know anything about the guy I absolutely loved him as a judge..so like a couple of weeks in I read his entire wikipedia and was 100% drinking the ‘reconnected and in love with his long term gf and has a kid with a one night stand from LA’ koolaid. And I listened to his singles at the time, loved them, added them to one of my Anghami playlist and it was chill for a while.

I have never been in a music fandom before..I’ve been in the football fandom (esp livejournal) for ages and also several movies/tv shows and books. I think most of the music I listen to are either from bands who are dead or there just isn’t a fandom big enough to exist…or I haven’t found it. Dunno..just never got into one. SO on a flight from oslo in 2019 I was reading a fic from another fandom and in the author’s note there was something about being inspired by a Larry fic and I vaguely remembered who the Larry ship is about. So when I clicked it and saw that it was THE Louis T, I went into my second rabbit hole and saw all these news singles he has out and an album that was about to come out and a show in Toronto and wow so much excitement all at once. Booked the tickets for the show which were later cancelled due to covid and then never got to see the ltwt live (rip hearing defenceless live). After that I didn’t follow up with him, I didn’t even know lthq was a thing ffs. When people say that they need to promote things on his personal IG, it’s for people like ME! Anyhoo! I still never searched him up on Tumblr until one day by chance I saw a clip from a livestream on instagram of one of his earlier shows in Texas. I didn’t even know concert livestreams were a thing tbh. So I kept on monitoring to find the source until I got to finally watch an entire show (I think it was the 4th American one, a few before the chicken nugget incident) and then somehow that led me to Tumblr and slowly I started following very very few blogs. So when did I become a Louie really? Was it 2018 when I was like ok the dude is cool I like the couple of songs he has out? Or 2019 when I booked my first concert ticket? Or in 2022 when I found the fandom on Tumblr? Also I got into 1D when I read that wiki page and it said something about him having the most writing credits. It intrigued me and was like ‘fine! I’ll give them a go I guess!’

your favourite song? (one off walls and one off fitf)

We Made It. All this time (if you ask tomorrow it might jump between Saturdays or holding onto heartache or she is beauty)

your favourite music video?

Miss you! The hair, the song.

your favourite gig?

Toronto one because I was anticipating it for sooooo long and it fully lived up to it. Esp after spending the entire 2022 watching livestreams and being jealous af. The new york one was good too but my home show will always be my fav

your favourite louis hair?

X-factor hair. 

your favourite louis interview?

Oof man this is hard! They all kinda get mixed together so either a Zach lang one (probably the first one because it sticks in my memory more since I saw it right when it came out) or one of the buzzfeed ones like the snack wars or the one he did with the yellow background (man I’m lazy as shit, I can literally YouTube this).

suit louis or tanktop louis?

Suit Louis. Literally anything but tank top louis. I know I’m the only one in this boat but I just don’t dig tank tops. I think it’s also the fact that he almost always wears hideous shoes with them that kinda kill the look. If I had to be specific, I’d say tracksuit Louis. 

favourite louis tattoo?

I’d also go with the x&o’s 

favourite louis bodypart? (c'mon we all have one!)

I immediately thought his eye crinkles but realized that’s not a body part. Maybe hands or the veiny neck??I love a neck with passionate veins (what even am I saying??)

—-

I think my small Louis loving mutuals have either already done this or have been tagged, so it ends with ME!

And with that I shall wish everyone a genocide free 2024! A free Palestine! And an end to this fucking massacre!

Back to watching Marshall and Skye on PP. 

[dearweirdme]

I hope it's ok If I vent here a little lol...

I honestly thought this year would be different, but hybe just continues to show how incompetent they are... you're telling me we had all of January and February free of content, but they decided to drop an album + docu series AND Taehyung's single in march??...

I'm not saying this is sabotage. But it is 100% poor planning, and again, Taehyung will be the one to get the short end of the stick. The fandom is ot7 but they will def put their focus on hobi because it's a proper album vs a single. Tae gets hate from antis due to his lack of longevity and its going to happen again because they will drop the song after 2 weeks for hobi. Idc how people try to make it seem, but army sucks at multitasking. The majority of the fandom can't even stream multiple songs off an album so I don't see how they'll be able to support both Tae and Hobi. I'm just so tired of this.. I can't even imagine how the rest of the year will look like now

Hi anon!

You’re always welcome to vent here :).

I don’t think it’s sabotage, BTS is Hybe’s main source of income (still, I believe) and it’s in their own interest to make sure army stays engaged while all members are gone. I think what they’re doing is aimed at that and not necessarily on scoring numbers in the hitlists. Tae and Hobi have different audiences, so I think they won’t be in each other’s way but rather that Hybe will have a wider part of fandom engagement during this period because of how they do this. (Seriously the takes I’ve already seen going around about fans bragging (yes bragging) about not going to stream Hobi’s songs is insane).

I know it seems odd, but I think in a situation like this we can expect things to be odd. To me it looks like they (members and Hybe) are mostly trying to maintain a certain level of engagement but releasing all sorts of content. Suchwita is done, so now we get something new. I suspect the whole year will be going something like this.

[lboogie1906]

Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is a singer, actress, and fashion designer. She gained recognition as the first woman of African-American descent to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America in 1984. A scandal arose the following year when, a few weeks before the end of her reign, she learned that Penthouse magazine would be publishing now "iconic" unauthorized nude photographs of her in an upcoming issue. She resigned as Miss America in July 1984 and was replaced by the first runner-up Miss New Jersey Suzette Charles. Thirty-two years later, Miss America CEO Sam Haskell offered her a public apology. She rebounded from the scandal with a successful career as a singer and actress. She released her debut studio album The Right Stuff whose title single saw moderate success before "Dreamin'" peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the US. With her second and third studio albums, The Comfort Zone and The Sweetest Days, she saw continued commercial success and received multiple Grammy Award nominations—this included her number-one hit and signature song, "Save the Best for Last". Her later studio albums include Everlasting Love and The Real Thing. She enjoyed success on both stage and screen, receiving an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her portrayal of Teri Joseph in Soul Food. Her best-known television roles are that of Wilhelmina Slater on Ugly Betty, for which she was nominated three times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and Renee Perry on Desperate Housewives. She is involved with several humanitarian causes. She is a supporter of LGBT rights and same-sex marriage, and in 2011 she participated in a Human Rights Campaign entitled "New Yorkers for Marriage Equality". She is partnered with Dress For Success, an organization that provides professional attire for low-income women to help support their job search and interview process. She is involved with The San Miquel Academy of Newburgh, a school for boys at risk. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #womenhistorymonth #womenhistorymonth https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp7fErprG2m/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[andyislistening]

since the latest developments of argentinian politics, besides being grieving the future of our country these past few days, I've been thinking of how many great live music I've managed to experience this year and how grateful I am for that.

this list of my favorite ones is not exhaustive and not in any particular order. there are many indie acts i can't remember the name of, but here's a few:

Barbi Recanati in #1, i saw her 4 times this year and was in the top 5 people in my soundtrack this year.

Marilina Bertoldi

Los Besos

Lucy Patané (solo this time, want to see her with the full band)

Mujer Cebra

Barullo (duet)

Tototomás

Gala (with band)

Fraxu

Mora y los Metegoles

Feik Taxi

Viktoria Jáuregui

Marina Fages

Burdas

💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫

also, a moment of silence for those artists I couldn't see this year and I probably won't be able to see in the future (international who probably won't be back in latam soon, or just expensive at that time):

Rosalía (I saw her during the El Mal Querer tour, and it was incredible, but I really wanted to see her during the Motomami era)

Tove Lo (her latest album made me a fan)

100 Gecs

Kali Uchis (I can't stress enough how important this woman was in my life during the Isolation era, she never misses in her releases)

Fred Again.. (well technically didn't know the guy when he played here, but I wish I would've stumbled upon him there)

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Nenagenix (def will try to see them next year if I'm not completely broke)

Paramore (I especially regret not going to this one, but I was too broke at the time, and getting in debt to see them wasn't the best idea)

Black Midi

Dorian Electra

Weyes Blood

Domi and JD Beck

Lesbian Drama

Miranda! (this one pisses me off bc I bought a ticket for the end of the year months in advance, but I had another event come up that was impossible to cancel, so I sold it. later I found out that the other event is probably going to be rescheduled !!! and now I feel like dying)

💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔

I wish in the future there are smaller festivals for international artists because megafestivals like Lollapalooza or Primavera Sound are incredibly expensive for people who like only a few bands that won't play in other venues. I know it's pretty impossible bc of monopoly and capitalism and our economy being so fragile, also it's a huge risk for artists to go on tour anywhere.

for the time being, I'm very happy I took one of my friends' advice and went to see more local music. if you are a music fan, I'm sure you'll enjoy going to local venues and finding out some new music. always support local artists!

if you want to share some of your favorite music shows this year, add them in the replies, I'm always open to new recommendations

finally, a huge hug to my fellow argies out there. dark times are incoming for us, community is more important than ever, and culture and art are a huge part of it. we'll be out on the streets to defend our access to education and culture (and many many other rights which are about to be chopped). if for any reason you can't go out, remember we can always chat, and I'll be out there with my friends for all of us.

talk to you soon! - Andy ＼(^^)／

[dojae-huh]

LSM is a greedy old man, shady with his business and his side company (Like Planning) - trying to take 1/3 of SM's overall income until 2092. But he has the vision, the will to conduct his plans. The shareholders and CEOs were on board of removing him as the income being stolen is too big, for this I'm with them. They were not right neither for not telling that old man about him being kicked-out of his producer seat. It is said that on March 26th both current CEOs will end their CEO terms +

+ hence they (LSS + TYJ) proceed with the plan they had talked with other shareholders. The plan has been ongoing since 2019, with final decision being made on Oct 2022, hence the news of SM no longer work with LP (LSM's side company) starting from Dec 31st of 2022. The shareholders have been fed up with LSM's shady stealing for awhile, hence they feel the need to end things with him. After ending things with LSM and his own company, the CEOs and employees might have had a talk abt the future +

of the company as well, hence the announcement of SM 3.0 and Kakao's acquirement of SM's share. But other directors (including Kim Young Min and Yoo Young Jin) told they are not on board (because they might have been a part of LSM's shady business) and will not move forward without LSM. Then LSM proceed to sell a huge amount of his shares to H*** (which is f*cking worse to me) and we now have this mess. It is also said that H*** wants to acquire around 40% of SM's share in order to gain +

the power to appoint new CEOs in the shareholders meeting which will be held this March. It is also said that Kakao just recently received funding from Arab (which is around 1,200 billion won), and for God knows what that amount of money will be spent on. All source isplus (/article/view/isp202302070037) etoday (news/view/2220860) joongang (/article/25139610) (don't know why the links can't be posted - so sorry!)

+ Here's my take on the situation: LSM is way too greedy (well notorious for this since JYJ's lawsuit). Even other SM's artists, I think it was Kangta who once said that he doesn't receive that much money from copyrights (he wrote Hope and that song is like just the anthem of SM), but that he's satisfied because he still has other incomes. There was also a post/picture circulating on twitter and said that for activities in Korea the artists only receive 10 out of 100, and we alr know that +

+ we already know that it takes years for SM's artists to buy their own houses... I mean if LSS and TYJ could proceed well with SM 3.0 it would mean more freedom for artists, but like they announced it without telling LSM and now we got this freaking mess 💀 The coming days will be stormy, I just hope everything is all and well for artists we love/like. I still can't get over the news of H*** acquiring SM's stock 😩

----------------------------

I think, Korean business is just a super shady place in general. Sincere and law-abiding people don't survive among sharks. We can start from Samsung owning 1/3 of the country... the rules are different there.

LSM might love his money, but he also loves his artists. He produced albums that didn't bring money and supported artists who left the company. LSM is not white and not black, he is just a person with shades of grey. 6% royalties is a normal thing. Where did you get 1/3 of income? He probably took too long to decide to whom to sell his shares, so the minor shareholders became nervous and easily swayed.

I don't possess enough information and knowledge to have an educated opinion on the matter, to judge whether Kakao or Hybe is worse, who is the real problem - LSM, co-CEOs or Align. It is evident, however, that SM needs restucturing and fresh blood (from stylists to album designers and A&R people). It is also evident that music and production wise the company makes the right things. GOT, aespa's quick success with hit songs taking gp by storm, solo artists getting more freedom and experimenting with artistic expression, etc. So someone in the company is capable. The house is on fire but 127's comeback continues to run smoothly for now. There should be some margin of safety.

I was really surprised about Hybe, but I guess no other company free of Kakao or Samsung has the money. A lot of the time entertainment companies are sold to foreign investors (like Chinese companies), and it's worse than domestic ones.

Yes, Army will have a field day and try to live the life of rich enterpreneurs taking the laurels they didn't earn, but ignore them. Dem Jointz and other producers write for both companies, same with MV makers, and some idols from two labels are friends.

Lol, if NCT comebacks to Vlive I will even rejoice over this new development.

[scarletswalking]

I posted 5,799 times in 2022

That's 4,363 more posts than 2021!

26 posts created (0%)

5,773 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@radwolf76

@jennenen

@riptide168

@wilwheaton

@whyareveelikethis

I tagged 36 of my posts in 2022

#0 - 1 post

#youtube - 4 posts

#coheed and cambria - 3 posts

#columbo - 2 posts

#cotf - 2 posts

#phlox for sure - 1 post

#geothermal heating - 1 post

#heated floors - 1 post

#im shocked - 1 post

#star trek - 1 post

Longest Tag: 63 characters

#being a doctor was always hus priority and making people better

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Mustang likes Colombo too.

1 note - Posted February 2, 2022

#4

@cycle, I think @wilwheaton and @neil-gaiman should get 6 blue check marks because they are the the celebrities. Or like, really big check marks.

Everyone else gets to buy them, but these guys get like, official crab shaped check marks.

2 notes - Posted November 17, 2022

#3

I literally live you so much <3

LOL Thank you! Isn't it nice when you can find someone who speaks the same language you do without saying much?

xooxx

2 notes - Posted April 7, 2022

#2

Ok this is cracking me up. I've had about 8 blazed posts on my dash of nothing more than "I love my kids" and "listen to my albums".

Twitter refugees are not understanding that using blaze does not make you viral. There is no such thing on Tumblr. People don't go viral on Tumblr through blazed posts. We color the sky, help @wereralph with whatever he's up to, and so on.

By all means, please boost Tumblrs because that's income, but don't expect anything to come from it except spite and getting blocked.

We love that you're here, but you have to play by our rules.

4 notes - Posted November 18, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

If you are a fan of Columbo, this is a great little video about how it is different than other detective shows and what makes it special. This is a really wonderful glimpse into the complexities of how the characters interplay.

45 notes - Posted July 28, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →