#music album merch set bundle

[bublinko]

Lana Del Rey - Chemtrails Over the Country Club art prints poster A4, music album merch set bundle

[dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram]

Totally disagree that Fine Line's success was modest for Harry, wasn't a significant step, and didn't indicate growth. Its sales figures on debut in the US were more than double that of his first album, with almost triple the streaming numbers (I know you disregard the US sales, but Harry, his team, and the record industry certainly do not! 😆) Given the abrupt shift in how music is consumed between 2017-2019, for him to double sales showed a significant growth and expansion of his audience

This was backed up by the exceptional demand for his tour, by Adore You's radio success and build in December/Jan/Feb, and by the positive album reviews and coverage worldwide. All showing a shift in how Harry was perceived as an artist by audiences outside his initial core fandom, and a significant growth in audience attention.

Your metric - judging Fine Line's initial success against his later work which went on to be even more successful- isn't a meaningful metric for judging how its success was seen at the time by Harry or his team (or audiences). Harry's House hadn't happened yet. Fine Line was hugely successful at debut. Harry's House blew the roof off.

I was super happy to see this anon because it means I can talk true chart nerdery.

Just for clarity - I'm comparing Fine Line's initial release not with what came later, but with HS1. I'm arguing that the data we have about Fine Line indicated that in first couple of months Harry had roughly the same number of people spending money on him and roughly the same number of people paying him attention as he did during HS1.

It's impossible to understand this, without understanding the relationship between 'fans who are spending money' to any metrics - including album sales - is not fixed. The 'album as merch' strategy which is going very strong at the moment greatly increases the number of album sales an artist can get out of one fan who is willing to spend money. If there was a clampdown on the rules for this (for example limiting the number of versions that could be put out) then the numbers for TS11 would be way down from either Midnights or TTPD (unless they came up with somehting new). But that wouldn't mean the number of people who are willing to spend money on Taylor will have changed.

I think UK, while there was a move to streaming over this period, there wasn't a lot of change in record label practices around album sales between 2017 and 2019, so the similarity in the two releases is a straight forward argument to make. Fine Line sold roughly 10,000 fewer copies than HS1 in the first week. I don't think that necessarily suggests a 20% drop in people spending money on him. As you say charts were changing rapidly (although UK official charts was always much stricter than Billboard so there was less inflation) - and Stormzy's sales fell by a similar amount so it could just be the changes in how people listen to music and where they spend their money. And even if there had been a change it wouldn't have been that significant.

But in order to understand what was happening in the US - in order to understand if it's true that "given the abrupt shift in how music is consumed between 2017-2019, for him to double sales showed a significant growth and expansion of his audience". We need to look at what was going on with Billboard rules and how record labels were jacking numbers in the late 2010s.

This was the era of bundling. Billboard allowed both merch and ticket bundling. This meant that artists could set it up so that everyone who bought a ticket to a concert also bought an album (although they did have to actually download the album). Artists could also do exclusive merch bundles . Both of these were at their absolute peak when Fine Line was released. Billboard disallowed merch bundles in January 2020 and ruled out ticket bundling in late 2020 (not that they'd been that pertinent for the last six months). The popcast episode about bundling - is a great summary.

Just a quick sidebar bundling was a really shit way of jacking the charts and I'm really glad it's gone - it meant that artists were giving record labels a piece of revenue streams that should be theirs (album and merch sales) and giving them to record labels - just to increase their chart positions. It also put significant extra financial stress on artists with the pandemic. I think these rules changes ended an exploitative practice by labels (there's some good discussion of this on The Road Taken podcast, but I cannot remember which episode).

Both these practices exploded between HS1 and Fine Line - and Fine Line's very high physical sales were greatly increased by both merch and ticket bundling. Harry had roughly 450,000 tickets on sale in the US at the time, they didn't all sell in the first week and they won't all have included the digital download. But combined with the merch bundling - Harry was getting far more album sales per person who wants to spend money on him during the Fine Line release than he had for HS1. He had a new merch bundle the second week of sales, that helped secure him his second number one.Harry had bundled tour tickets for HS1 - but only the small venue leg. There were only 35,000-40,000 tour tickets sold bundled for HS1 and merch bundling was much less advanced.

I'd be surprised if Harry sold less than 250,000 tickets with an album bundled in - that's the difference between HS1's first week and Fine Line's first week - let alone merch bundling. People bought merch when HS1 was released and tickets to the arena legs of Live on Tour, but this didn't count as an album sale. The fact that album sales were higher when these purchases did count as an album sale is not evidence that more people were spending money on Harry.

Ultimately we can't know for sure there's heaps of uncertainty. We don't know the redemption rate. We have no idea of merch sales. There may have been some growth there may not have been. Ultimately I think the increase in sales in the US is probably understood in the same way as the decrease in the UK. Hard to make exact comparisons - but evidence his career remains in a comparable place.

Your point about streaming tripling is worth investigating - but I strongly suspect it reflects the general growth in streaming at this point. 2017 was still very much part of the transition and there was substantial general streaming growth between 2017 and 2019 (there's a better chart out there - but this captures the basic idea). I quickly compared Reputation and Lover - and Taylor had similar growth in streaming numbers over that time. Would love to consider other examples.

You make a number of other claims about Harry's career at the end of 2019/2020 that I think are exaggeration. The demand for his tour was not exceptional - it sold well, but it was easy to get tickets. I bought my ticket to Love on Tour a month or so after the album came out - a really good seat at a really good price. There were some good reviews, but also some very mixed reviews. Adore You did grow on radio, but very slowly. It wasn't in the radio play top 10 by the end of February 2020 and it peaked at 7 on the Billboard 100 in late March 2020. Again this was a success (even if it happened outside the time I was talking about), but it was not an improvement on SoTT on HS1 (which Watermelon Sugar was). You've based your claim that his image and audience claim on these exaggerations. There's no evidence that his image had changed - or that his audience had increased significantly.

None of this is an insult or a criticism. I think there's a lot of evidence that his team were taking a slow build approach - they didn't try to rush and they kept investing in Adore You as a single (which shows their faith in him). This all started because I said that if HS4 saw the same level of success as Fine Line did initially that would be OK.

[music-industry-updates]

Sell Your Music and Merch: A Complete Solution from Deliver My Tune

At Deliver My Tune, we are dedicated to empowering artists by offering a comprehensive range of services focused on music distribution, promotion, and digital marketing. Our platform is designed to simplify the journey for independent musicians, enabling them to reach their audience and maximize their revenue from their music. However, it is important to clarify that Deliver My Tune does not assist with any form of merchandise setup or sales. Our primary focus is on music-related services that help artists grow their careers in the digital space.

What Deliver My Tune Does Offer:

Music Distribution Across Global Platforms: We specialize in distributing your music to major streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, JioSaavn, and more. Our goal is to ensure that your music is accessible to a worldwide audience, increasing your chances of gaining listeners and generating revenue from streams.

Social Media Management for Musicians: Deliver My Tune offers social media management services to artists, helping them build and engage their audience on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Through strategic content planning, scheduling, and targeted campaigns, we ensure your music gets the attention it deserves, leading to increased visibility and fan engagement.

Artist Branding and Portfolio Management: Our portfolio management service enhances an artist’s brand, making them more appealing to audiences and industry professionals alike. From creating an engaging online presence to showcasing your releases and achievements, we ensure your brand stands out in the competitive music industry.

Affiliate and Bundle Programs: Deliver My Tune offers various bundle packages and an affiliate program to encourage collaborations and support between artists and promoters. This includes music distribution bundles and commission-based incentives for affiliates who promote your music, providing an additional avenue for growth and revenue generation.

Merchandise Sales and Management:

While our services provide substantial support in building an artist’s brand and growing their digital presence, Deliver My Tune does not offer any assistance in merchandise setup or sales. Our expertise lies within the realm of digital music services, and we do not manage the production, distribution, or sale of physical merchandise such as t-shirts, albums, or other branded items.

If you are an artist looking to venture into merchandise sales, we recommend exploring third-party platforms or providers that specialize in e-commerce for musicians. These platforms can help you design, produce, and sell merchandise directly to your fans. By handling merchandise independently, artists have full control over their product line, pricing, and inventory, allowing them to create personalized experiences for their audience.

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We encourage artists interested in merchandise to explore independent platforms that specialize in merchandise sales, while we focus on what we do best — helping you grow and succeed in the music industry. Let Deliver My Tune guide you on your music journey today!

[cruel-nature-records]

BANDCAMP FRIDAY

Hello

It’s Bandcamp Friday so here’s a reminder of the exciting things we have on offer.

> PRE-ORDERS

The following are all out for pre-order, tapes landing later this month:

1) SHITNOISE “I Cocked My Gun And Shot My Best Friend” - Scuzzy noise-punk from Monte Carlo, described as ‘throwing in riffs that would make late period Sonic Youth fans cream themselves and songs that Mudhoney would kick themselves for not writing’

2) SALISMAN “Of The Desert EP” - Ahead of their fifth album, the Chicago / Newcastle band tease us with a 4-track EP.

3) TWILE “Hunger Moon” - Dark folktronica from Finland.

4) DEEP FADE “Further” - Neil Young meets Einstruzende Neubauten inspired set of songs. Slow disintegration, dislocations, loss, heartache, distance.

5) KITCHEN CYNICS & MARGERY DAW “As Those Gone Before” - Kitchen Cynics & Margery Daw are celebrated for their evocative and experimental folk music. Their collaborative works feature poetic lyrics rich in nature, folklore, and myth.

6) DEPTH CHARMS “Ver Sessions” - 3 albums (90 minutes) of immersive atmospheric soundscapes, from Mike Vest and NIck Raybould. Blending experimental noise-rock psychedelia with raw, live energy.

Check them out at https://cruelnaturerecordings.bandcamp.com/

> BUNDLES

Tape bundles are available with 2 or 3 albums by the following artists:

DDROME

PLAN PONY / OMNIBADGER

SUMMER NIGHT AIR

DANIEL McCLENNAN

TODESKINO

TIBSHELF

SCORE

THE LAST SOUND / WHIRLING HALL OF KNIVES

MaBH

SALISMAN

All at a 40% discount when compared to buying individually. Very limited stock.

> MYSTERY BOXES

We have 3 and 6 tape ‘mystery boxes’, with tapes picked at random from our available back catalogue.

50% discount when compared to buying individually.

Specify in the order notes your preferred styles of music and we will try to match where possible.

Find the bundles and boxes on the Merch page https://cruelnaturerecordings.bandcamp.com/merch

Big thanks for the support!

[blackhouseltd]

GUTTR "Everything Is.." Merch Bundle (CD or CS options)

Ras Kass x Havoc (Mobb Deep) x RJ Payne

PRE-ORDER HERE: lI.STEN.TO/GUTTR

All merch items come with a full-length copy of the album on CD or Cassette format:

CD limited to 300 copies

CS limited to 120 copies (60 teal / 60 crystal clear)

GUTTR is a mindset, a fraternity of Hip Hop connoisseurs. GUTTR is a collective and in a sense, Raps first Unionization. But first and foremost GUTTR is the powerhouse project spearheaded by Norman "Storm" Bell; exclusively produced by Havoc (founding member and 50% of rap royalty Mobb Deep), with west coast lyrical goat himself, Ras Kass, and Philly-by-way-of-Brooklyn battle rapper RJ "The Reign Man" Payne leading the Barwork on the debut album.

To quote Ras Kass:

"We all miss Prodigy, and that classic Mobb Deep Energy, there is No Replacing that or him! Period. But I did want to pay homage to them and channel that vibe. Havoc being on board to set the musical canvas on an entire album for brothers to paint these bars has been the opportunity of a lifetime."

The project "Everything Is.." (GUTTR) also features Twista, Raekwon the Chef, Kid Capri, Kurupt (Dogg Pound), and many more. Coming in hot with 11 tracks of straight up BARS, this album marks a once-in-a-lifetime collab that has been years in the works. Clothing bundle options come with either the CD or Cassette option. CD is limited to 300 copies, with cassettes limited to 120 copies (60 of each version).

ORDER HERE: lI.STEN.TO/GUTTR

#raskass #havoc #rjpayne #mobbdeep #wutang #methodman #raekwon #hiphop #rap #bars #emcee #lyricist #boombap #oldschool #preorder #rapper #underground #culture #college #kurupt #icet #cd #cassette #hoodie #usa #europe #canada #japan #australia

[trafficsitespeed]

Trippie redd lifes a trip youtube

Let us know if you'll be tuning in to Life's A Trip down in the comments. Following its premiere, a new episode will launch every other day. Produced by Trooper Entertainment, the eight-episode Snap Original series is set to premiere on June 5th. He then reflects on each of the aforementioned social issues before adding, “I want to listen to understand what’s wrong with the world and become part of the solution.”Ĭheck out the full trailer for the new series above. We can’t afford to look the other way anymore.” “I lost a friend to the opioid crisis and even more to gun violence. “I’ve lived through wildfires and pandemics,” explains the "Excitement" singer. The trailer for the upcoming show pans through visuals of Black Lives Matter protests, wildfires, and Los Angeles residents before Trippie eventually chimes in. After months of teasing, Trippie Redd has dropped his new album, Life’s A Trip.The 14-track LP is lead by his Travis Scott collaboration Dark Knight Dummo. It will also highlight charitable organizations like Without Shelter, CA Innocence Project, and Ghetto Gastro.

Questions of how Gibb connected with the rapper and his team will have to go unanswered for now Gibb hasn. Based in Los Angeles, the docuseries will additionally feature several other names in music as guests including Miguel, Machine Gun Kelly, and G-Eazy. The cover art to Trippie Redd’s 2018 debut album, Life’s a Trip, released Aug. He also added collaborations with everyone from Travis Barker to Clean Bandit to Lil Baby.As Hype Beast reports, the multi-platinum artist will focus on different topics surrounding race and policing through conversations with the LAPD, the homeless crisis through conversations with residents of LA's Skid Row, wrongful incarceration, mental health, drug addiction, and food insecurity. Trippie Redd to me prior to this was just some meme soundcloud rapper who looked like a zombie but after a few listens I realized how much I liked it.

Iann released a two-track bundle, Still Here, which includes his second collaboration with Trippie Redd, "shots in the dark" that currently has over 30 million streams and video views worldwide. I almost turned it off, but I didnt and thankfully, im glad I didnt, cause while LIFES A TRIP is by no amazing, but its highs are unbelievably high and made me a fan. 1400 Life’s A Trip Limited Merch Trippie Redd ×. It’s safe to say that before Friday’s release of Life’s A Trip, 19-year-old Ohio rapper Trippie Redd was quite simply one of the. Shop our selection of Trippie Redd today. OneThousand Projects, LLC / Uproxx Studios. You can also upload and share your favorite Trippie Redd desktop Life Is A Trip wallpapers. Rapper and singer Iann Dior joins, Trip At Knight Tour following his biggest year to date, he earned a number 1 Billboard Hot 100 for his feature on the single "Mood" with 24KGoldn, which spent 10 weeks inside the Top 10 and is now 4x Platinum. Searching for 1400 Life’s A Trip Limited Merch We’ve got Trippie Redd tops starting at 67 and plenty of other tops. Tons of awesome Trippie Redd desktop Life Is A Trip wallpapers to download for free. This album serves as the sequel to his 2018 debut studio album, LIFE’S A TRIP. TRIP AT KNIGHT, is Trippie Redd’s fifth studio album and his second project of 2021, following the February 2021 release of the rock themed deluxe edition of his album, Pegasus. Sign In Listen Now Browse Radio Search Sign In LIFES A TRIP Trippie Redd. Stream songs including Together, Taking a Walk and more. His debut studio album, Life's a Trip, from 2018 and second album, !, in 2019 both reached the top five of the Billboard 200, while his fourth mixtape, A Love Letter to You 4, in 2019, topped the Billboard 200 chart, and his third studio album Pegasus in 2020 reached number two spot on the Billboard 200. Listen to LIFES A TRIP by Trippie Redd on Apple Music. Michael Lamar White IV, aka Trippie Redd first broke into mainstream rap with his debut mixtape, A Love Letter to You, in 2017, which turned gold in 2019, and its lead single "Love Scars," the mix came in at number 64 on the Billboard 200 and 32 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.

[daisiesonafield-blog]

HS3 IS COMING

A timeline gathering all the information we have about HS3 coming soon:

October 4 2021 - girl tweets that a worker at MSG said Harry is coming back there in February 2022.

October 28 2021 - Deuxmoi reports that Harry has booked a US stadium tour for summer 2023.

November 3 2021 - Deuxmoi reports again that Harry has booked a US stadium tour for summer 2023, with a July 2023 date in Philly.

November 8 2021 - HDD tweets that a Harry drop is expected in the next 60-90 days, putting it between January/February 2022.

November 15 2021 - Deuxmoi reports that Harry was filming an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music. AND Deuxmoi reports that HS3 is coming out close to Valentine's Day 2022 (Monday, February 14 2022).

November 19 2021 - HDD says that HS3 is close, and has a probable release in Q1 2022.

November 28 2021 - Harry says in his last Love on Tour show in Long Island that “After tonight, we’re gonna go away for a little bit and we will work on some stuff and we will come back soon”. He also said “I’m not sure when I’ll see you again. Maybe soon… but maybe not. But maybe soon. Maybe.”

December 17 2021 - HDD reports that Rob Stringer said HS3 is coming in the fiscal Q4 (January-March 2022). HDD later retracts those comments, claiming they "were not based on info from the label" - likely because they spoke on the news too soon and were asked to remove it.

December 31 2021 - Harry's website is being worked on and a few empty categories appear, including ‘Livestream Promotions’ and ‘Bundles’.

January 3 2022 - Harry's old merch and tour merch is restocked on his website, likely clearing dead stock to make room for new merch coming. AND Molly Hawkins, Harry's creative director, posted that she will be in the UK for the next month - most likely working on something for Harry.

January 12 2022 - Harry is announced to be headlining Coachella on April 15 & 22, with Variety saying that he's rumored to release new music before the festival.

January 27 2022 - Deuxmoi replies to someone on twitter saying she's not 100% sure about a new album/single in February, but that she's trying to get info, but nobody knows. She then posts a message saying vaguely that Harry is set for Q4, which could mean end of 2022 (Oct-Dec). More comments from Deuxmoi here.

February 3 2022 - A possible casting call for a Harry music video is spread through the fandom. A tiktoker who allegedly works in the music industry hints that Harry's lead single is called Late Night. Articles circulate in the press seemingly confirming that Harry is filming a music video next week.

February 9 2022 - The website for a company that books luxury packages for Wembley Stadium says that Harry’s upcoming leg of Love on Tour will be in support of HS3, which will be released soon.

February 12 2022 - Harry is papped filming a music video in London, wearing polka dot pajamas on a moving bed with 2 musicians on the bed with him. The whole call sheet for the video is released. He allegedly filmed in 3 locations that day, one of which was also a cafe.

February 17 2022 - Deuxmoi posts a message saying that Harry has “Press appearances and performances” scheduled for the 2nd week of March, with musicians having been asked to clear their schedule for the whole week.

February 18 2022 - Deuxmoi posts a message that says Harry has filmed 2 music videos in the UK. One which had details leaked (Late Night/Duvet) and one that didn't. This 2nd mv allegedly has a home and comfort theme. They are expected to drop in late April - early May. ALSO, Harry is photographed leaving Abbey Road Studios with a Gucci bag, Spotify box and his phone screen visible, showing a new Tiktok profile. Photos spread in HD by an account called Meg Oreganos. AND fans who were on a conference call with one of Harry’s agents reported that he said that HS3 will be announced at any moment now.

February 22 2022 - Harry is seen leaving the Sony UK London offices. AND Deuxmoi posts a message that says that Harry’s next drop is a lead single collab with an unexpected up and coming female star.

February 24 2022 - Deuxmoi posts a message saying Harry has been filming another music video for a song called 'Nostalgia' and that he's in his underwear in parts of it. AND Harry is papped filming a music video in a red coat

February 25 2022 - A new Tiktok account by the username Suemonella posts a video showing Harry's 1B Watermelon Sugar plaque. In the video a paper that reads "HS3 announcement video: Shoot date: 24/02/22" can be seen. Snippets of songs play in the background. The tiktok also has several videos that seem to parody Harry's life/public persona.

March 6 2022 - The Sun publishes article saying Harry is releasing the lead single for HS3 in the coming weeks. They say there's an out-of-this-world segment for the promo. AND Harry flies from London to LA, according to tiktok girl.

March 7 2022 - Deuxmoi posts message saying that Harry is releasing something very soon, by the end of this week (before 3/12).

March 8 2022 - Deuxmoi posts message saying HS3 is dropping in May, then says she heard April from someone else. She also says that a stadium tour will be announced soon. She also posts a message saying Harry has "stuff happening" and that he's "a sneaky man". AND an anon says HS3 will be released on May 13th, national frog jumping day. AND HLD says that according to different sources, Harry has 2 female collaborations on HS3, one allegedly with a rapper.

----

I will edit and add to this post as we get more info. If you think I missed anything, please send it to me with links!

----

** Also, I want to point out that since we're likely entering a new HS era and album promo time:

EVERYTHING WE'RE SEEING NOW IS SETTING UP HS3!

IT'S MEANT TO BUILD ON THE NARRATIVE THEY'LL MARKET HS3 WITH.

It's about selling a story about the album, so what we saw on tour and what we see now will all be used to build on that story that will then be sold during the already recorded and planned narrative for the album publicity and promotion. Including all of the Holivia narrative over the course of 2021.

Here's a good recap post about marketing of his albums. Read my tags on that post for some thoughts on HS3 storyline and my tags on this post for marketing and how they're changing Harry's image.

Remember: a large portion of the album was recorded in 2020 during quarantine, before DWD. And a small portion was recorded in July and maybe August 2021 in LA, with the Zane Lowe interview recorded in mid November 2021. Songs were written likely in 2020 and 2021. Also likely that some older material could be used too (vault songs).

[which-star]

okay HOW would you promote Luna Snow music-wise? what direction would you take her in?

okay OKAY so this is very disjointed because I'm not fully awake but hopefully you follow my logic. THIS TURNED OUT SO LONG. I'M SORRY!! Thank you for asking 🥺

The first thing I would do immediately if I had executive control is establish a voice for her instead of changing the singer every time. That already creates consistency and if the voice of Luna Snow is another idol/singer, we already gain a built-in fanbase. I know they're working with Busters, kind of, but I wouldn't have chosen them particularly tbh with their many lineup changes, etc. I would like someone with more experience, like someone from GWSN tbh, or Dreamcatcher, or WJSN if we had the budget lol. Someone not totally new, but is here for the long term.

Second thing is the actual music. It's like. Fine. The lyrics are a bit on the nose and for the most part it kind of sounds like what people think kpop sounds like instead of actual kpop LMAOO. I do like some of her songs, but not all. You can literally buy songs and lyrics from producers, so I frankly don't know why they're not utilizing the market/industry Luna Snow is supposed to be a part of. Her songs rn could be a lot better... fuller? I don't know enough about music to critique it, but I would change it.

Put some effort in the music videos instead of putting in game playthroughs!!!! Album cover (which they do) and some promotional posters at MINIMUM, if you aren't gonna animate extra stuff for the mv, you know? They should animate the mv tho. Music videos are such a big chance for her to go viral and for fans to promote her. Especially with art and animation, you can do sets/camerawork/transitions you never could do in real life. Commission artists like you do with variants to do "concept photos," and actually build up to the release. People need a reason to follow you and look forward to your music, so give them that reason!

Do I even have to mention the social media accounts? It's so frustrating that there's not an actual "person" running the account. Like, if she appears on a comic (i.e. SILK 2022 issue #2), post a selfie of her and the character with a caption inviting people to read it. If she's supposedly on tour during that comic, why not post a few "candids" of her preparing and performing at the concert? Whenever Agents of Atlas meets again, get a group photo to post! Even when she's not currently in a comic, post occasional pictures as if it's an actual personal account. People rt/share art all the time, so this is a great way of spreading her name.

What I would do if I had control over marketing is utilize the other members of 4L1T. The songs/mvs we post will follow Luna Snow's solo career and we'll just allude to her group whenever possible. Like if there's a feature in the song that needs a rapper, we'll say (ft. Jinsoo) or something, and it'll be like Luna's member is featured on the song. Luna can post a selfie with one member or another and talk about how they're working hard or hanging out. We won't shy away from mentioning 4L1T, just won't directly show their music videos or performances or anything of the sort. That adds a layer of realism for people who know who 4L1T is and, plus, it's cute! It fleshes out 4L1T's characters a lot more than one comic issue. Plus, if the 4L1T members in the background gain enough traction then they can use their cameos to build up to an actual 4L1T release.

Merchandise! If they're not going to push the 4L1T angle and instead keep them as the background, they can make like "4L1T merch" with only Luna's things. Like member standees, for example, but we only sell Luna's version. We can be a bit more unique with it too, like photocard/postcard bundles, posters, and photobooks. Those are usually things that come in a kpop album so it's like she's an actual idol.

The photobooks would have two sections and come out with every song/release. One shows the behind the scenes of designing and preparing for the release. Like, thumbnail sketches, work in progress screenshots, beginning stages etc. The other part is styled like an actual kpop photobook which has the concept photos and extra photos from the shoot. I'd push this product the most and (if we can) have it come with a randomized photocard to emulate an actual album. It gives fans a cool look behind the scenes AND exclusive pictures. It's a great idea, I'm a genius, actually.

Those are my current thoughts while writing this. Marvel can really take a page out of League's book and be a bit more creative. If you made it this far into the ramble, thanks for reading haha. What are you thoughts? Do you agree? Either way, in conclusion, Marvel is really approaching the market wrong and I can fix her❤

[official-wonho]

[INTERVIEW] K-Pop Heartthrob Wonho Sets Date for Livestream Concert in Support of New Album

The virtual concert streams live from Seoul and will feature the singer performing songs from his new mini album, along with vlog-style footage taking fans behind the scenes of his ever-growing career

K-pop superstar Wonho has set a March 27th date for his second-ever global livestream concert with the online music and entertainment platform, LiveXLive.

The “Wonho Special Live” concert streams live from Seoul on March 27th at 11pm EST / 9pm PST (that’s March 28th at 12pm Korean time). The pay-per-view event will feature Wonho performing songs from his latest solo album, stylized as WONHO 1ST MINI ALBUM Part2. <Love Synonym #2 : Right for Us>. The album, released last month, is the R&B singer’s second release since leaving the K-pop group, Monsta X, and follows his successful solo debut with Part. 1 Love Synonym #1: Right for Me, last September.

Tickets for the Wonho concert are available now on LiveXLive.com. A one-time code to view the show online costs $19.99, while a $29.99 ticket gets you access to the livestream plus unlimited repeat viewings for two months. LiveXLive is also offering special merch bundles that feature everything from T-shirts and posters, to a limited number of virtual meet-and-greets with Wonho himself.

“I’m really excited to meet my fans WENEE once again through my livestream concert, since we still can’t meet in person right now,” Wonho tells Rolling Stone. “They’re the inspiration behind my new album and I hope they’ll come sing along with me. I’ve worked hard to create a lot of new performances and I hope my fans enjoy it. There are a lot of surprises planned so stay tuned.”

A creative chameleon in both music and style, Wonho was a fan favorite in Monsta X before departing the group in 2019. His latest album showcases his range both as a singer and songwriter, with upbeat party tracks and seductive come-ons, interwoven with more personal, introspective tracks and lyrics. The newly-turned 28-year-old (Wonho celebrated his birthday on March 1st) also helped to produce a handful of tracks on Love Synonym #2, while continuing to explore songs in both Korean and English.

Expect to see Wonho perform a number of his new songs at the livestream concert, in addition to songs from his first album, like the achingly beautiful all-English ballad, “Losing You.” Fans are also hoping their K-pop idol will once again perform a couple of songs from other artists during the show; the singer covered Justin Bieber’s “Intentions” and Billie Eilish’s “I Love You’ during his first LiveXLive concert last fall.

The online show is also expected to include “day in the life”-style clips of Wonho, as he takes his fans (known as “WENEE”) behind the scenes of his rehearsals, styling sessions and workouts. Purchase tickets to “Wonho Special Live” now on LiveXLive.com and head back to the LiveXLive site on March 27th to see the show.

Via: rollingstone.com

[itsnsfwalways]

Canyon Moon

FIC MASTERLIST

WARNINGS FOR CHP. 2: swearing, mild drug & alcohol use, brief mentions of death

CHAPTER TWO: wish i could get to know you

The two of you pull up to your buddy Mike’s place, a small, hole-in-the-wall studio.

Harry parks the car and gets out to open your door, although he waits for you outside to tie your boots.

“How’d you meet this guy?”

“Oh, Mike? We can’t really remember the first time, I’ll tell you the story with him when we’re inside.”

You hop out of the car and grab his hand, swinging it back and forth as you walk up to the front, hearing soft music playing already.

The two of you reach the door and Y/N swings it open, yelling out,

“I hope you’re ready because mama wants a tattoo.”

Harry shakes his head and tries to hide his grin as he turns around to shut the door all the way.

“You’re fucking stupid,” A male voice laughs out, looking up from his sketchbook. His feet are propped up on the counter, and of course, he is littered with tattoos.

“Mike, this is Mr. Ferrari, Ferrari, Mike,” you introduce, waving your hands between the two.

“I saw that fuckin car, I was like ‘who the fuck is coming to me in that?’” Mike exclaimed, snapping his fingers.

“Hey, mate, I’m Harry,” Harry says, leaning forward to shake Mike’s hand while giving you a look that makes your head drop to the floor and your heart skip a beat.

“Nice to meet you, dude. I’m Mike, Like your tats,” Mike says, getting up from the chair behind the counter.

He leads the two of you over to his station, getting all his supplies laid out as you hop into the leather chair.

“So what are you getting, Y/N?” Harry asks, sitting in a chair near you.

“This extremely intricate design that’s going to take lots of mental power, and, of course, only gives me a few hours notice,” Mike teases, kicking the bottom of your chair.

“It’s just this geometrical thing I saw on a Tarot card a little while ago, it really stuck out to me.” You explain, pulling the card from your purse.

“Oh, cool.” Harry nods, picking up the card, only after looking at you for permission, of course. He holds it lightly by the edges, being sure to be gentle with it.

“‘S not gonna bite you, baby,” you giggle, knocking your knee against his, biting back a smile at the way his head shoots up.

He grins at you, knocking his knee back while setting down the card carefully on the table.

“I know, but I know these cards are special to some people, want to be gentle with em,” he says softly, twirling his pointer finger ring.

“Some decks are, but these are very relaxed. You don’t have to treat em like glass.”

He nods and blushes slightly, looking away for a second to hide his smile.

“You done flirting so I can start?” Mike asks, removing the transfer paper from your inner right forearm.

“You’ve had sex on my living room floor, I’m allowed to do whatever the fuck I want after that,” you say, shuddering slightly at the memory.

“Fair point.” Mike nods, beginning the design.

“So, um, Y/N said that you guys can’t remember how you met? I’d love to hear the story.” Harry jumps in, eyebrows raised at your last statement.

“Oh, fuck,” Mike laughs, dipping the needle in more ink. “I think it needs to come with a warning that I spent pretty much the entire year of 2015 drunk. She says we met at a Tame Impala gig but I have no such memory of this happening.”

“It did happen! You gave me your number because I kept bugging you about your tattoos but it was to this random mom in Philadelphia, who did not appreciate me calling her at 3 am.”

“Anyways,” Mike cuts in, rolling his eyes, “We officially met at a New Year’s Eve party later that year that my wife, Maggie, hosted. Y/N and her ex came and proceeded to break up right before the ball dropped, and she made out with my sister instead just to piss him off.”

You let out a laugh and cover your quickly turning red face with your hand, peeking through your fingers to gauge Harry’s reaction.

“Wow.” He acknowledges, eyebrows raised and fingers pinching his bottom lip, glancing back at you. His lips quiver slightly as he tries to hold back his laughter.

“Alright, haha, very funny. The ending to this, BEAUTIFUL, story, I must say, is he gave me this tattoo the next week and the rest is history.” You gesture to the sunflower bundle inked on your thigh, before puckering up your lips at Mike, who, without even looking up, shoves your face with his other hand.

“Honestly, Harry, I’d run while you can. There’s never a dull moment with this one, that’s for fucking sure.” Mike advises, rolling his eyes when you smile widely.

“I’m starting to learn that,” Harry laughs, eyes trained on you.

The three of you go into a comfortable silence, the only sound being the tattoo gun whirring and your occasional whimper at a sensitive spot.

A thin line of sweat has slowly covered your body, and Mike notices, scoffing.

“We’re gonna take a quick break. I’m gonna go get a cig when you get calm, back in 20,” He says, stopping the machine and leaving the room quickly.

“So, uh, you guys have quite a fun dynamic,” Harry comments.

You take a deep breath and look to him, your mouth closing at how he’s positioned. It’s been about an hour at this point, and he’s shifted in his seat to a more comfortable position. Leaned back against the chair, legs spread open, arms resting behind his back, it wasn’t helping your situation.

“Yeah, he’s like my older brother. His sister is great too,” You mindlessly say.

“I’ll bet,” Harry smirks, nodding slowly.

“Hey, quit it. You get to have fun with pretty girls and so do I.”

Harry clears his throat at your boldness and adjusts his positioning, changing to lean forward on his knees.

You get up to grab two water bottles from the mini-fridge under the counter, offering one to Harry when you sit back down.

Drinking about half the bottle, you let out a sigh, trying to get your shaking legs under control.

“What’s your shirt say?” You ask, still having not figured out the small black text.

“Oh, it says ‘Treat People With Kindness’. It’s kind of my motto, or slogan, I guess. Most of my merch says either this or the abbreviation for it.” He tells you, hands going down to pull the shirt away from his chest.

“That’s really nice, Harry.” He glances up at you with a small smile on his face, nodding slightly.

“Bit egotistical wearing your own merch, but hey, who am I to judge?”

He rolls his eyes and bumps the bottom of your chair with his foot.

“Why’d he stop? You don’t seem to be freaking out to me. Maybe a little sweaty,” he teases, not realizing what he’s asking.

Groaning, you lean your head backwards towards the ceiling, hating yourself for what you’re about to say.

“Got a bit of a pain kink so I’m... overwhelmed, let’s say, and Mike hates that about me.”

Harry lets out a breath of air at this and you turn your head to look at him.

Your slight leg tremors are now starting to click, the blown out pupils, and swollen red lips from how much you were biting them.

“If it makes you feel better, I had to get a tattoo on live television and to this day, I still see zoomed in photos of my eyes from it online. At least they make the process fun.”

Your jaw drops and you lift your head up.

“Alright, Harry, shit,” you mutter, wiping the sweat off your brow. “Always got to one up me.”

He looks shocked at this and mockingly puts a hand to his chest.

“Says you! From the minute I met you, you’ve continued to surprise me with everything you say.”

“Okay, Mr. ‘I sang with Stevie Nicks and cruise around Malibu in a beautiful car’.” You say, blushing slightly from his words.

“You sang with Stevie Nicks?” Mike asks, walking through the door.

“Yes! He’s a musician, let’s play his album. What’s it called?” You jump up, slapping your hands on your thighs.

“Harry Styles, it’s a self-titled album. You can listen to it later if you want, I mean, we don’t have to-“

You shut off his rambling quickly.

“I wanna hear your voice! Also self-titled, we love a man with a big ego,” You tease, getting up to get the iPad that controls the music.

Typing in his name, you raise your eyes at the number of streams he has, clicking on the album and playing the first song, ‘Meet Me In The Hallway’.

“You’re quite pretty, Harry. That’s some gorgeous cover art.” You comment, pretending to examine it further.

“Oh god,” he laughs, tucking his chin down to hide his face a little bit.

“Okay, Y/N, shut up, sit your ass down, so I can finish this and you can listen to the song properly.” Mike points, making you put the iPad down and come over.

The song hypnotizes you for a second, trying to zone out and listen to it.

“Shit, Harry, you are fucking good.” You mutter, hand going to your mouth at his talent.

“Thank you,” he whispers, looking almost nervous at your reaction.

Your jaw stays open pretty much the entire song, each note making your eyes go wider or glance at Harry, trying to figure out how he is this perfect.

“Is it too soon to propose?” You ask, his voice slowly fading in the background as it changes to the next song.

He laughs and scrunches his nose slightly before telling you, “Just a tad.”

The next song starts playing, and you’d be lying if tears didn’t fall.

Trying to play it off, you look away and wipe your eyes. Mike glances up at you and stops for a minute, rubbing your arm slightly and giving you a squeeze. You tap back on the table and he nods, feeling better that you gave him an okay.

“Fuck, sorry, this is a lot. Crying on the second song, phew. Hope you’re doing good upstairs, Harry,” You laugh, sniffling a little.

“Don’t apologize, please. Music brings up a lot of emotions, I feel so honored that you’re reacting to it so strongly.” He says, rubbing your knee slightly,

“Should I cry a little more then?” You tease, smiling at him with damp eyes.

“Boost my ego a bit, maybe,” he smiles back.

All of a sudden, the song climaxes, and your jaw drops once more.

“Holy shit, Harry! Do you have anything wrong with you? My god.” You shake your head, in disbelief over him.

“I mean, I am always traveling, so there’s that. But other than that, I’m pretty much awesome,” he pretends to boast, fake popping his collar.

The song shifts to Carolina, which Harry tells you after you ask as soon as it starts playing.

“She’s such a good girl, she feels so good. Am I hearing that right? Just wanna check,” you recite the lyrics slowly back to him, moving your free arm around.

Harry looks away, pretending to check out the pictures on the wall behind him.

“Are you gonna be like this for every song?” Mike asks, and you nod happily, bumping your head to the beat.

Almost the entire album plays while Mike is tattooing you, all with varying reactions of either, ‘Harry!’, ‘Is this real?’, ‘I’m gonna start crying’, or ‘this is the sexiest shit I’ve ever heard’. Without fail, you ask him the song name when the first few notes start playing and he tells you it, sitting quietly and smiling at you getting so happy over his music.

Mike finishes wrapping you up and goes to the back to find some healing products for you as the final notes of Woman play, and you swivel in your chair to face Harry, knocking your knees against his.

“What’s the next one called?” You ask, so in awe of the man sitting in front of you.

“From the Dining Table. ‘S the last one. Quite an emotional one.” He says back, smiling sadly at you while playing with his rings.

You nod in understanding as it starts, coming to sit next to him and leaning your head on his shoulder, so drained from the last few hours. He wraps his arm around you, tucking his head over yours.

The song goes by without a noise from either of you, sans a few sniffles that made Harry squeeze you a little tighter.

After it ends and the two of you sit there in silence for a while, you say quietly,

“I like how at the end the music swelled when you wanted them to call you, and then it cut out. That was pretty powerful.”

He nods, the movement moving your head slightly.

“I like that part too.”

You pull away from him and look at his face close up for a second, trying to read him.

“Thank you for sharing this with me. I mean, obviously not with me, but that you let me freak out over you. You’re really special, Mr. Ferrari,” you whisper, brushing his hair out of his face.

“So are you, Y/N,” he mumbles, eyes flickering to your lips for a second.

“You paying cash or card?” Mike’s voice cuts through the air and the two of you jump apart, feeling like teenagers.

“Um, card,” You say, standing up with your purse and heading to the counter to pay.

Mike rings you up and you grab a hundred from your wallet to tip him with.

“Ah, I remembered why I like you,” Mike smirks, grabbing the bill from you.

“Stupid,” you mutter, giving him a hug goodbye.

“Oh, before you leave, I’m throwing a party this Saturday, Harry, you’re welcome to come as well,” Mike adds, gesturing him over.

He moves from his spot against the wall to stand next to you, a hand resting on your lower back for a second before dropping to his side.

“Thank you, I’ll have to check and see but I’d love to come. It was great meeting you mate, might have to set an appointment up in the future,” He smiles, shaking Mike’s hand once more.

“Hell yes, brother, I’d love to. Great album, by the way. Can see why Y/N brought you by.” Mike crosses his arms over his chest and looks at you while he says this.

“Alright, shut it down,” You snap your fingers at him, glaring slightly. “I’ll text you later, loser.”

“Get out!” He yells, making you laugh as you drag Harry away.

“Need help with your bag?” Harry asks as you exit the shop, the cold air biting your bare legs.

“I’m good, thank you though.” You swing the bag so it hits his butt just to see the way he jumps and runs away from you for a second.

“Hey! No hitting the driver!” He scolds, wagging a finger pointedly.

“We haven’t even gotten in the car yet!” You argue, coming to a stop in front of his car.

“Doesn’t matter.” He shakes his head and grins at you when he unlocks the door, immediately reaching for yours to open it for you.

“Thank you.” Your voice came out as a meek whisper and you cleared your throat after he shut the door, trying to shake out your butterflies.

He plops himself down next to you and pats his hands on the steering wheel for a second.

“Do you want me to drop you off at your van or your apartment?” He asks, turning to face you.

“Trying to kick me out?” You questioned, laughing at his expression.

“Van’s fine. I’m probably just going to write, I’ve got some stuff to do for a friend.”

“Is there a name for the beach? I’m not sure I remember how to get there,” Harry admits, opening up Google Maps on his phone.

“Not really but I can just find it on the map real quick, I’ve been in this position way too many times.”

He hands his phone over and you find the cove in less than twenty seconds, handing it back over.

“So where are you from? I’m realizing you tricked me into spilling my guts without telling me too much about yourself.” Harry questions, hand going up to scratch his chin.

“I grew up kind of all around California, my family was always traveling so I was homeschooled for all my life. Only child, because we were pretty broke and I was a ‘happy accident’,” You quote, laughing at your mom’s phrasing.

“Aren’t we all really?” Harry grins, shrugging slightly.

“I think so. Anyways, my parents died when I was 15 and that really made me get my shit together. I moved in with my best friend, Laura. Graduated high school early and just worked my ass off for a couple years. Bought Miss Sunflower and renovated her, traveled through America for about a year and a half before moving here with Laura. She and I got an apartment together and just have kind of figured life out since then. She works at a record label and I’ve been working as a part-time songwriter since I was 16, mostly just helping out whenever an extra person is needed or they need some extra little sad sprinkles in a song.” You explain, taking a breath after you finish your little rant.

“I’m so sorry for your loss. I know your parents would be very proud of you staying true to your roots.” Harry sadly smiles, rolling up to a red light at the perfect time. He leans over to give you a quick hug and you graciously accept, whispering a little ‘thank you’ in his ear.

“It’s been a rough grieving process but I’d like to think they are. Please don’t pity me though, it sucks, yes, but life could be so much worse. I’m lucky to have the people in my life that I do,” you explained, picking your nails nervously.

“I completely understand. I lost my stepdad last year and being there for my mum was the only thing that kind of kept me going,” Harry sympathizes, twisting one of his rings around his hands.

“I’m sorry as well,” you murmur, taking his hand and holding it.

“Yeah,” Harry exhales harshly. “Life’s a bitch.”

You giggle lightly, nodding. “That she is.”

The two of you sit in silence for the remainder of the drive back, listening to the ocean waves and the sounds of your breathing.

Harry parks his car next to your van and puts it in park, leaving the headlights on.

“Thank you for coming with me and sharing all of this, you really know how to make a girl feel special,” you blush, tucking a loose curl behind your ear.

“Thank you, Y/N. I feel like my whole view on the world has shifted so much in the last few hours,” Harry gushes, and you have to turn away to smile for a second.

“Come on,” you mumble, hiding your mouth with your hand.

“I’m serious! I know we just met but I really like you, I’d love to continue this. And I need to listen to you play still, not fair I only got to hear from far away for a few seconds.”

“I’d definitely like to see you again, but it’s a harsh maybe on the playing,” You nod, biting your lip to stop the smile from plastering itself on your face.

“I can give you my number if that works, but, like I said, I’m always here.” You offered, gesturing to your car.

“Number works great. And I’ll let you have your spot, I don’t want to take it away from you,” Harry pulls out his phone to give you his contacts.

“No, please come join me, with friends too! I need to share this little bundle of joy,” You hope to pursuade him into visiting this spot, but his expression is unreadable.

“How about this, I’ll text you before I come?” He suggests, taking his phone back from your hands.

“Perfect. Thank you again, Harry,” you emphasize, leaning over to give him another hug.

“Of course, love. Thank you for a wonderful night.”

You wave goodbye after getting out of his car and head into your van, taking note he doesn’t leave til you’ve gotten yourself inside and shut the door.

You plop yourself down on the bed and sigh, looking up at the ceiling.

“Holy shit,” you sigh, getting up to get into the driver’s seat.

You FaceTime Mike on your way back to the apartment, unable to wait to talk to Laura when you get home.

He answers a few seconds later, beer in hand.

“‘Sup loser,” he greets you with a head nod, “You get home okay?”

“Yes, oh my god. What the fuck was tonight? What do you think of Harry?”

He sighs and moves to lean his phone against something.

“If I’m being honest, the man is unreal. I don’t know how the fuck you found him but, wow. I can’t think of anyone who is down to not only drive someone they just met to get a tattoo, but to then sit through the entire thing while having them fangirl over their album.”

“I was not fangirling!” You try and defend, but one look from Mike shuts you up.

“Okay, maybe I was, but I’m just so in awe. I gave him my number because I thought he might feel weird giving me his. He had almost a billion streams on his first fucking album. That’s insane.” You explain, biting your thumb.

“Quit biting. And yeah, I’m not going to lie I looked him up after you left. Mans is a proper superstar, used to date Kendall Jenner allegedly.”

“Bleh,” you shake. “I don’t want to know about his life from the internet, that’s so weird. Also, when Alex and I were together he was dating some new model every other week, all those magazines are bullshit.”

“True. But Alex also was dating a model,” Mike retorts, trying to pick your buttons.

“Haha, very funny,” you deadpann, rolling your eyes.

“I’m just saying, as your brother, be careful. He really does seem like an amazing guy.”

“Yeah. He really is. Say hi to Maggie for me when you get home! I’m rolling up to my place right now so I gotta go.”

“I will. I know you already know how to take care of your tattoo so I’m not gonna waste my time. Later, loser.”

“Bye, dumbass.” You hang up, pulling into the driveway.

Practically dancing up the steps and through the front door, you’re met with the cozy atmosphere the two of you have created for yourself. You can tell your favorite vanilla candle is burning somewhere in the house and you slip off your shoes, practically running into Laura’s room and leaping onto her bed.

“Hello, my love,” she smiles, hugging you tightly. Her perfume envelopes you and you squeeze her back, lying your head in her lap.

“I thought you were staying at the beach today?” She wonders, playing with your hair.

You sit up at this, resting on your elbows.

“I met a boy,” you smile, putting your hands to your cheeks.

“Shut up!” Her voice raises a few octaves and she scrambles upright, hitting your thigh with her hand.

“Ow!”

“Who is he? Where? Oh my god!” Laura rattles off, bouncing up and down on the bed.

“His name’s Harry, we met at the spot. He came with me to get the Tarot card tattoo at Mike’s.” You gesture to the bandage around your forearm.

“Shit, man. What’s he look like?”

“Fucking hot. He’s British, for one. Tall, curly brown hair, green eyes, lots of tattoos. Also, he’s got the voice of a goddamn angel.”

“You’re not talking about Harry Styles, are you?” Laura asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, you know him?” You wonder, surprised she knows his name.

Her jaw drops and she fully shoves ou off the bed, emitting a ‘hey!’ from you.

“Of course I know Harry fucking Styles. Are you serious?”

You blow your hair out of your face and lean up on your elbows, one leg still on the edge of the bed.

“No, I’m not joking, what the hell?” You laugh, pulling yourself back onto the comforter.

“How the- who- what?!” She stutters, looking at you expectantly for a story.

“He came up to me on the beach asking for a lighter, we smoked a j and just kind of started talking. I asked if he wanted to go to Mike’s with me and he drove me over, and I’m me, so I tried to pick apart his brain a little. We listened to his album, which, by the way, have you heard it? That shit’s incredible.”

“Of course I’ve heard it! The entire world has heard it! Keep going!”

“Jesus,” you laugh, shocked by her reaction. “He drove me back and we got a little deep, I gave him my number before I left. I think we kind of had a moment though, he looked like he wanted to kiss me for a second.”

You pull your knees to your chest and rest your chin on them, thinking back to that moment.

“Holy shit, Y/N,” Laura sighs, falling back dramatically on her pillow.

“I know. I feel kind of weird though, he seems very closed in. I mean, I get it, I saw that he has quite a bit of fame, but I don’t want to have to pry him open, y’know?”

“I mean, yeah, but he’s really fucking famous. His fans are some of the most die-hard people out there. And there’s a hell of a lot of people who would do unspeakable things to be in your position. Myself included,” she mumbles at the end, and you swat her with a pillow.

“Gah,” you moan, lying down next to her. “I don’t know how to navigate my way around that kind of fame. What if he sees that, or still thinks that I’m lying about not knowing who he is? That’d be a bit egotistical, though, so maybe I’d be dodging a bullet.”

“Nope! You are not missing out on an opportunity to fuck Harry Styles.”

You laugh, scrunching your nose.

“I don’t want to think of him like that. Just Harry, the dude who I’ve been relentlessly teasing all night.” You turn onto your stomach suddenly.

“Shit. What if I was being too much?”

You groan again, pushing your face in her pillow.

“Than he’s dumb for not realizing how funny you are.”

Your phone pings suddenly, and you grab it from your back pocket, not recognizing the number on your home screen.

“Shit, he just texted me.” You shout, standing up onto the ground while you read the message aloud.

Hey, Y/N, it’s Harry. Hope you’re enjoying the rest of your night, I just wanted to give you my number and thank you again. Tonight was probably the most fun I’ve had in a while, if I’m being honest, and I was wondering if you wanted to do lunch tomorrow?

“Oh, fuck ME, he just asked me out to lunch.” Your hand goes up to your mouth as you look wide-eyed at Laura, who’s expression matches yours.

“Bitch, say yes!”

“Okay!” you yell back, pacing back and forth.

hey harry ! i’m glad you had fun tonight, i was worried i might’ve scared you off haha. i’d love to do lunch, what time were you thinking ?

“Does that sound okay?” You hand your phone off to Laura, getting her stamp of approval before sending it.

“Ah! Okay, shit fuck, it’s sent.” You throw your phone onto her bed and lean against her door, waiting for his reply.

Your phone lights up not even two minutes later, a text from Harry reading,

Haha, definitely didn’t scare me off. If anything, the opposite. How does noon sound? I can pick you up if you’d like?

“A gentleman,” Laura sighs, fanning herself as you read it together.

“Shut up,” you mumble, blushing slightly as you type back,

well, good, i’m glad :). noon works great, here’s my address. sleep well, harry.

I’ll be counting down the minutes. Goodnight, love.

You scream as you read his last text, shoving your face in your hands.

“Oh my god, okay, Y/N, take a chill pill,” you tell yourself, taking a deep breath in. “Ugh, why am I getting so worked up over a guy?”

“Because he’s funny, cute, talented, and rich, bitch.”

You give Laura a look and she laughs,

“Okay, money, fame, and any prior knowledge I have aside, he seems like a great dude. And if he’s not, well, my dreams will be absolutely crushed.” She shrugs, going back to scrolling through Instagram.

“Oh, wow, thanks.” You roll your eyes, standing up. “I’m gonna make some tea, you want any?”

“I’m good, thanks though.”

You nod and shut her door behind you, going into the kitchen to turn the kettle on.

Hopping up on the counter while you wait, you decide to do a little bit of Instagram stalking, just to see what he posts.

You click on his most recent one, smiling at his caption.

“Kissy,” you mutter, shaking your head lightly.

Scrolling through a few more of his photos, you bite your lip at his outfits, incredibly jealous of his stylist. His feed is better than yours, if you’re being honest, and you smile at the thought of him making sure all the black bars line up.

Hearing the whistle of the kettle, you hop off the counter and pour yourself a cup of chamomile. Closing out the app, you take your mug into your room, turning on your lights that make your room look like you’re floating in the galaxy.

Placing it on your nightstand, you get yourself ready for bed, spending a little extra time washing your face and doing your skin care routine.

You slide into bed and open up your latest book find of the week, this one being Misery by Steven King.

You find your eyes drooping after a while and set your things on your nightstand, snuggling deeper into your blankets.

With a smile on your face, you drift off to sleep, excited for tomorrow.

[sincerelymarinette]

A Recorded Life (39/50) - Miraculous Ladybug

Words: 1502 Chapter Summary: Jagged Stone has an announcement! Marinette has a lot going on soon, and it's the first video of Adrien vs. Jobs where Adrien gets to work in the Dupain-Cheng Bakery! Author's Note: suuuuper late update (it's still Sunday in California!!) oh look another busy week but i love this story I'm determined to update! I wanted to make an edit of how Marinette's end screen would look but I didn't get to it, so maybe next update :) hope everyone is doing well and staying safe!

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Adrien vs. Jobs 1: The Bakery

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Nine days until the gala.

JAGGED @JaggedStone I'm excited to finally announce the release date of my new album, Greener Grass! We released Lift Up a few weeks ago, and I'll admit it was a little premature of a release, but I was so excited to share new music!

JAGGED @JaggedStone That being said, get ready to rock out next Friday! Since I made you all wait so long since the single, we pushed it as close as I could get it!

JAGGED @JaggedStone Pre-order merch bundles and album cover posters here: jaggedstonestore.com Don't forget to get your favorite @MarinetteDC cover in stores and collect them all in poster and merch form! I can't wait for you all to see them in person, they're AMAZING!

Every time Jagged Stone tweeted about Marinette, her follower count spiked. It was crazy that it happened every time he said something about her, but he does have a lot of fans, so it makes sense. She was also astonished at how fast he wanted to release the album, but ever since Marinette got all the covers finished, he was itching to just drop it all right away. His fans would surely be excited, just as she was.

It just so happened that Jagged's release date was the same day as the Agreste Gala, so that would be a busy day for sure. She sat at the lunch table with her headphones in as she waited for her friends, scrolling through Twitter and retweeting Jagged Stone's tweets. He also said to look out for another single drop at midnight to bring back the hype of the album, and she was excited.

Marinette may have heard the album already, or at least the demos, but she was still excited for the formal release of the songs. She heard her email ding, and switched tabs to see an email from Jagged (and Penny).

Hey Marinette!

I hope you've seen the announcements I made on social media today. If not, the album is set to be out next Friday! We're all excited to show off the music and your artwork, and Penny and I had an idea about how to push marketing over the edge.

You know sometimes artists do an explanation of their songs? I've done one once but it was a while ago, maybe my second album, so I'm not sure if you've heard it. But I think it would be awesome if we could do one for this album! I explain the song process, and you talk about your process for the designs. A lot of fans really love you and your artwork, that I think it would be amazing.

We could record them for both an album and videos you could post on your channel if you'd like. Reminds me of like a podcast, which sounds like a lot of fun. Are you in? I'm thinking we record it Monday or Tuesday next week because it would have to be a pretty quick turn around.

Penny will send you more details if you're interested! Hope to see you soon.

Rock on, Jagged Stone

"Hey, Mari," Adrien smiled wide as he sat across from Marinette at the table. She took her headphones out and smiled back before starting to type as fast as possible to respond.

"You guys see Jagged Stone's tweets?" Nino asked as he took a seat next to Adrien. "I'm sure Marinette has, but I'm so excited! His album comes out in like a week!" Nino said.

Both Marinette and Adrien nodded. "I'm sure it's gonna be amazing. And I can't wait to buy all the Marinette and Jagged merch!"

"What are you so interested in?" Alya asked, sneaking up behind Marinette and unknowingly cutting off Adrien.

Marinette took a break from typing and sat back. "An email from Jagged Stone. He wants to do one of those explaining the album podcasts, which would be so cool," Marinette explained. "So I'm replying. Hey, are you busy Monday or Tuesday after school?"

"Nope, you need me to come with you to run the camera?" Alya winked.

"You know it!" Marinette said and turned to the boys. "Sorry guys, I don't know if you'll be able to come with," She apologized.

Adrien and Nino looked at each other and back to Marinette. "I guess we'll just have to have guy time then," Nino shrugged and took a bite of his food. "But I expect we all get together and listen to it as soon as it comes out!" He smiled wide.

"Maybe the day after," Adrien added. "We have the gala on Friday, so if our investigation comes up dry, we'll listen on Saturday!"

Marinette pressed send on the email and shut her laptop to eat lunch with friends. After a little bit of conversation, she was finally allowed to get into YouTube talk. "So, Adrien, are you excited to run the register at the bakery today?" She winked.

"Oh, it's going to be the best. Your parents are excited, too," Adrien smiled.

"Bleh," Alya chuckled. "You guys have been dating for like four days, tone it down."

Nino didn't say much, only laughed at the situation as the three went back and forth. "Oh yeah!" Marinette said. "I need your opinion on a video idea, you know, to confirm things to the fans."

---

The middle of the week meant that the bakery could be bustling, or only steady, which was perfect for the video. Marinette had introduced the video, and Sabine was teaching Adrien the basics already.

"So, I think we have officially decided to call this Adrien vs. Jobs, and my mother is getting ahead of schedule and already teaching Adrien! Marinette hinted for Sabine to wait, but she didn't listen.

"Oh yeah, disclaimer, most of this will be in French, but I will subtitle it in English," Marinette said, in English, and walked over to the register to show the camera how it looked.

Sabine was explaining the different buttons to Adrien, in French, and how to ring people up. "Most times, customers will tell you exactly what they want because they read the signs, but other times it's a guessing game. So if you need help, don't be afraid to ask."

"But don't forget this is a challenge, and I will be judging you," Marinette winked.

In response, Adrien stuck his tongue out jokingly. "I think I can do this; thank you. At least a little bit."

Luckily, it wasn't too busy in the bakery. There were just enough people to keep Adrien on his toes, but he wasn't overwhelmed, and it gave him a chance to figure out how to do everything. In the beginning, he had to ask Sabine for help, but with more patient and straightforward customers, it was much easier to understand, and he was able to figure it out.

He even made a few tips (which he gave right back to Sabine) and was having a lot of fun. He got to talk to Parisians, which he didn't get to do as a regular person as much, and wear an apron with fun pockets, and smell the delicious baked goods for a few hours. Tom was making the last of the goodies in the back, and it smelled as beautiful as they looked, and they could barely keep the goods on the shelves!

Adrien loved learning all the different names od the food they carried and getting to box or bag it up for the customer, who was always happy with what the Dupain-Cheng bakery delivered.

He was quite surprised by how he was able to pick up on all the different things the bakery did. It probably helped that he was having fun talking to all customers and bantering with Marinette, as well as watching how much Sabine and Tom love their job.

They helped close up the shop, and Adrien got a celebratory macaroon. After heading upstairs, Marinette was able to finish up the video.

"Well, I definitely think that Adrien could get a job at the bakery if he needs it. My mom clearly loved having the extra hands, and she loves Adrien anyways. What do you think, Adrien?" Marinette asked.

"It was a lot of fun! I would say it was a successful beginning to the series. Which is good, because there will probably be some fails," He chuckled. "Do you want a rematch at Mario Kart?"

Marinette nodded, and Adrien ran to the TV to set it up. "Well, I guess that means I should end the video. Leave a comment on what job you think Adrien should try next! And don't forget to follow us on social media and subscribe to never miss a video!" Marinette said. "Thank you so much for watching, and I will see you next time!" And she set the camera down.

"Okay, I'm ready to beat your butt at Mario Kart...again!" Marinette grabbed the controller and sat down next to Adrien.

"That's what you think."

---

@lady-of-the-roses-and-lilies @bookishserendipity03 @avatheexceed @gkz10 @coccinellegirl @kat-thatoneweirdo @strawberryblondish @snow-swordswoman @lilgaga98 @evufries      

[sagehaleyofficial]

HERE’S WHAT YOU MISSED THIS WEEK (4.1-4.7.20):

NEW MUSIC:

Machine Gun Kelly dropped a new song, “Smoke and Drive,” which was recorded while smoking a blunt and hotboxing his car. The song shares a title with Blackbear‘s track with Yung Pinch and P-Lo.

YouTuber CrankThatFrank dropped a surprise EP he made with Makeout guitarist Tyler Young after posting a tweet aiming for 500 retweets to release it. The EP features six songs with comedic titles.

Hayley Williams released another new track from her upcoming solo debut, Petals for Armor. The new song, “Over Yet,” was written with Paramore bassist Joey Howard and producer Steph Marziano last summer, according to a recent post.

Craft Recordings announced an expanded edition of the Plain White T’s album All That We Needed, which features unreleased recordings. Reissued digitally across all major streaming and digital platforms, the album will drop on April 10th.

The 1975 released the recording of “Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America,” which they debuted live in Australia back in February. The band originally premiered the track on a radio show last year.

Green Day released a surprise EP consisting of new remixes of songs from their 2012 albums, ¡Uno! and ¡Dos!. The EP is titled the Otis Big Guitar Mix, and features remixes of the songs “Oh Love,” “Lazy Bones” and “Wild One.”

Machine Gun Kelly and YUNGBLUD partnered up again for an intimate cover of the Oasis song “Champagne Supernova.” Both artists contributed their vocals and musical talents from the comfort of their own homes.

After the release of their latest album Wake Up, Sunshine, All Time Low gave fans a new lyric video for their song “Monsters,” on which they collaborated with Blackbear. The band also announced frontman Alex Gaskarth will be making an appearance on Good Morning America next week.

My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way took to Instagram to reveal four unreleased solo tracks. Along with the songs, he shared a photo of his vocal cords, which was taken prior to the band’s reunion.

TOUR ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Ozzy Osbourne was forced to cancel his medical trip to Europe due to the coronavirus pandemic. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, he is responding very well to stem cell treatment according to his daughter, Kelly.

Billie Eilish and her brother FINNEAS performed during James Corden’s “Homefest.” The online event saw Dua Lipa, BTS and more all performing during the coronavirus quarantine.

Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic, The Pretty Reckless announced their upcoming tour was postponed. The rescheduled dates are set for September and October.

Slam Dunk Festival revealed an updated lineup after being forced to postpone the event due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The festival gave a lengthy statement updating fans on the changes.

Likewise, the Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival announced it would officially be postponing its event. The festival will honor passes and tickets for this year’s event for the new dates, slated for May 28th-31st, 2021 in Las Vegas.

In addition, Bunbury Festival made the announcement yesterday that they are cancelling the 2020 event over the coronavirus. This year’s festival would’ve featured Twenty One Pilots, Melanie Martinez, Angels and Airwaves, and more.

OTHER NEWS:

Beartooth put together “stay at home” merch bundles, through which the proceeds will benefit the Grammy Awards’ MusicCares COVID-19 Relief Fund. The kits consist of a hoodie, fleece blanket, deck of cards, bottle opener and tote bag.

Jeff Grosso, legendary skateboarder, father, commentator and host of the Vans’ Loveletters to Skateboarding series, passed away last Wednesday. The sports icon was only 51 years old.

Live Nation launched the Crew Nation initiative, a $10 million benefit fund to help tour crew members during the coronavirus pandemic. Their goal is to ensure the crew members are taken care of in this tough time.

Hayley Williams’ hair dye line, Good Dye Young, added a line of pastel colors called “Lighter Daze” to their website. Afterwards, a Twitter user posted a screenshot of two of the colors, “Pink Puff” and “Wondermint.”

Fountains of Wayne bassist Adam Schlesinger passed away at the age of 52 from complications related to his coronavirus diagnosis. His attorney, Josh Grier, told Variety more about his condition after a fan account tweeted out he was in a coma due to the coronavirus.

Vans partnered with BILLY’s TOKYO again to release three new OG Sk8-Hi LX’s. The new line comes with different pairings of three colors: red, blue and orange; yellow, brown and blue; and black, navy and tan.

30 Seconds to Mars’ Jared Leto released a new shirt that will see 100% of proceeds going towards Partners in Health. Additionally, Leto will be matching all money made from the shirt’s sales.

___

Check in next Tuesday for more “Posi Talk with Sage Haley,” only at @sagehaleyofficial!

[fyexo]

191014 SuperM Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart With 'The 1st Mini Album'

K-pop supergroup SuperM debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as the act’s first effort, SuperM: The 1st Mini Album, enters atop the tally. The set, which was released via SM/Capitol Records on Oct. 4, launches with 168,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 10, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 164,000 were in album sales.

Elsewhere in the top 10, R&B singer Summer Walker bows at No. 2 with her debut studio album, Over It, and country singer Brantley Gilbert starts at No. 9 with Fire & Brimstone.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units are comprised of traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new Oct. 19-dated chart (where SuperM debuts at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard's websites on Oct. 15.

SuperM’s existence was announced on Aug. 7, and the act comprises seven members from established pop acts that have had some success already on Billboard’s various charts: one from SHINee, and two each from EXO, NCT 127 and WayV. None of those groups have claimed a top 10 effort on the all-genre Billboard 200, though. (The highest charting album from any of the non-SuperM acts is NCT 127’s NCT #127 We Are Superhuman: The 4th Mini Album, which debuted and peaked at No. 11 earlier this year.)

SuperM’s The 1st Mini Album starts with 168,000 units, and of that sum, 164,000 were in album sales. The rest of the album’s first-week comprised less than 1,000 TEA units, and a little over 3,000 SEA units. The latter sum equates to 4.9 million on-demand audio streams during the tracking week for the seven tracks on the album. (The album has seven tracks in total, but only five distinct songs. The additional two tracks are instrumental versions of songs on the album.)

SuperM’s handsome start was encouraged mightily by an array of permutations in which to purchase the album, which was likely very appealing to the group’s fans, since K-pop fans are often passionate about buying collectible physical packages of an album. The 1st Mini Album had more than 60 merchandise/album bundles available to purchase through their official web stores, a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer with their upcoming arena tour and eight different CD variants of the album (seven with a different cover for each member, along with a group edition). The act also staged a week-long pop-up shop in Los Angeles during street week, where fans could buy the CD (as well as oodles of individual merch items).

At No. 2 on the new Billboard 200, Summer Walker’s debut studio effort, Over It, launches with 134,000 equivalent album units earned — the biggest week for an R&B album by a female artist in over three years. The last R&B album by a woman to notch a bigger week was Beyoncé with Lemonade, which tallied 202,000 units in its third week on the list (May 28, 2016; at No. 2) after previously bowing at No. 1.

Over It’s starting sum of 134,000 units was largely powered by streaming activity, as the set garnered 14,000 album sales, 1,000 TEA units and 119,000 SEA units. The latter figure translates to a big 154.7 million on-demand audio streams for the album’s songs — marking the largest streaming week ever for an R&B album by a woman in terms of on-demand audio streams (surpassing the debut week of Beyoncé’s Lemonade, with 115.2 million). It also scores the second-largest streaming week for an R&B album among all acts (trailing only the debut week of The Weeknd’s Starboy, with 175.2 million).

Previous to the debut of Over It, Walker earned four top 25-charting hits on the Hot R&B Songs chart, including the top five hit “Playing Games.”

A quintet of former No. 1s are next on Billboard 200, as Post Malone’s Hollywood’s Bleeding slips 2-3 (108,000 units; down 13%), DaBaby’s Kirk falls 1-4 in its second week (75,000 units; down 49%), Taylor Swift’s Lover is steady at No. 5 (51,000 units; down 11%), Chris Brown’s Indigo bolts 13-6 (39,000 units; up 24% after the album was reissued with bonus tracks) and Billie Eilish’s When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? is a non-mover at No. 7 (38,000 units; down 4%).

Kevin Gates’ I’m Him falls 4-8 in its second week, tallying just over 36,000 equivalent album units (down 52%).

Brantley Gilbert earns his fourth top 10 effort, as Fire & Brimstone debuts at No. 9 with 36,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, 28,000 were in album sales. He previously visited the top 10 with The Devil Don’t Sleep (No. 2 in 2017), Just As I Am (No. 2, 2014) and Halfway to Heaven (No. 4, 2011).

Rounding out the new top 10 is Young Thug’s So Much Fun, at No. 10. The former No. 1 dips 8-10 in its eighth week on the list, with 35,000 units (down 10%).

source: Keith Caulfield @ Billboard

[independentartistbuzz]

Good News, Good Music 1.0

Here we are at the end of 2020. We don’t need to tell you that this has been a very hard year. We are feeling beaten down by the bad news and music is the one thing that lifted our spirits again and again and saw us through. We have partnered with our friends at Cyber PR Music to bring you a series of GOOD News from artists who carried on making music in spite of all of the insanity that was happening and continues to grip us.  We have cried listening to some of the tracks, felt deeply inspired and yes we laughed as well.  What we have seen is the Cyber PR artist community is rich and varied - there are artists from all across the USA included as well as Jamaica, Australia, South Africa, France, Sweden, The UK,  Germany and Scotland.

So - we bring you part 1 of our 4 part series GOOD NEWS, GOOD MUSIC.

Please Follow the Spotify Playlist below to hear all of these amazing tracks.

Thanks to all of the artists who shared their music AND their good news.

JVMIE & Lionel Cohen | “We Will Rise Again”

Started A Collaboration From A Quarantine Hotel Room and Got Nominated For A Major Award

We had a crazy year but some great things came out of it! I was forced to leave LA and head back to Australia until things ‘calmed down’ but started a remote collaboration with LA based film composer Lionel Cohen - we received a grant from HOTA (Home Of The Arts Gold Coast) to create an album and we were just nominated for a HMMA Hollywood Music In Media Award :) The whole process of collaborating and talking every day was what helped me keep my sanity throughout this crazy year!

Perle Vybz | “Electric Dancefloor”

Almost Lost Her Partner To COVID And Took The Leap Of Faith To Release Music 

My debut single 'Electric Dancefloor' was released on Dec 8th, against the odds. A few months ago , my partner almost lost his life (to COVID). He was hooked up on a ventilator and had a really rough time. At the same time, I lost my main source of income and so, during the pandemic lockdown I had more time on my hands to focus on my music. So I'm glad that in spite of what was happening around me I was able to take that leap of faith and get my music out there.

Arielle Silver | “What Really Matters”

Became Music Connection's Hot 100 Live Unsigned Artists and Bands and Top Prospects 2020 lists in their year-end issue

As COVID shut everything down in April, I leaned into my commitment to authentic connection and inspiring creative expression with the creation of two weekly livestreams: Tomes & Tunes, a weekly show where I interview songwriters about books, and Arielle's Acoustic Happy Hour, both of which are going strong. In June, I released a new album, A THOUSAND TINY TORCHES, along with two official music videos (one shot entirely during quarantine), which have been featured in American Songwriter, Music Connection, and more.And in September, in the wake of closing studios, my sweetheart and I launched a new online yoga studio, Bhavana Flow Yoga, with online classes, workshops, and retail. 

Alongside my own sorrow at the pandemic, I have been living a year of creative expansion, and was recently featured in Music Connection's year-end issue on both their Hot 100 Live Unsigned Artists and Bands and Top Prospects 2020 lists.

Hannah Judson | “Deep Sea Diver”

Launched The Backwards Record Release Concept  And It Worked!

The 2020 lockdown was an exploration of new ways of doing and connecting. Everything became an experiment as new processes were developed to replace the no longer actionable old ones. I launched the Backwards Record Release for "Stingray," a rock/folk collection of songs. The 8 week campaign started with a socially distanced concert in a chateau courtyard, was fueled by my new podcast the Hannah Judson Beat, conversations with women in music, and concluded with a capstone edition of MUSEfest Online, a music festival I normally produce in major cities that promotes women in music, film, art and culture. I stayed connected with colleagues and fans, envisioned future projects, and maintained momentum and enthusiasm for creative projects, present and future. 

Evan Mazunik | “Comfort and Joy”

Funded, Recorded & Released A New Holiday Album

I’m grateful that I was able to successfully fund, record, release, and sell my new holiday album this year.

Eli Lev | “Anywhere We Can Go”

Released A Touching Global Fan Driven Music Video 

I had a powerful experience this year when my music community from all across the world helped me create the music video for 'Anywhere We Can Go.' I was in happy tears editing it and seeing all these wonderful faces come together and make something truly special. Here it is and I hope it brings some joy to folks.

Jeff Oster | “Five Great Mountains”

Found Solace (And Music) In Mother Nature

I was lucky to spend three months in the fall of 2020 up in Vermont. In the midst of all of the turmoil, Mother Nature just kept on shining. I was able to create this video on my iPhone, in an attempt to capture her beauty.

Beca Dreams | “Calm Before the Storm”

Had A Creative Burst That Resulted In Ad Campaigns & New Singles

It’s been a very challenging year, and yet I’ve somehow managed to have some awesome wins I am super grateful for. 

Partnered with Bounty to write/perform Quicker Picker Upper, currently streaming on all major platforms and has gotten over 7M views on Tik Tok and 150K streams on Spotify so far. Composed/performed song for an ad campaign for fashion designer Asher Levine on launching his new groundbreaking LED outerwear line (who’s recently worked with Doja Cat, Lil Nas, Lady Gaga). I also released 2 singles “Calm Before The Storm” and “Taking Time For Myself” and  most recently was featured on “Dance Party In The Living Room” by UK producer Fritz von Runte, about making the most of the quarantine.

I feel so lucky to be making music and doing what I love, which has been a huge silver lining during these dark times.

AfriCali | “The Struggle”

Turned An Eviction Into A Special Retreat & Healing Place 

Our landlord lost her pilates practice and couldn’t afford her Oakland home so

Our family of four with a baby due any month now had to figure it out and find the humanity in moving out before the lease was up. In the magic of mother earth and without knowing we were blessed with a beautiful place to be away and seven thousand feet above the mountains where we could have this beautiful bundle of joy. Which would turn into a special retreat healing place after our departure this past October.

Akira AK | “Pearl”

Completed His New Release Remotely Over Zoom

My "good news, good music" story is simply how I was able to release 2 major projects this year despite everything that is going on: putting out my second EP and my first music video.  The EP in particular had been in the works for 3 years and was SO CLOSE to being done when everything started to shut down, so with the work of my engineer, we set up remote sessions via zoom that helped put the last song over the line and get the release out there! From there I was able to promote it with it's adjacent merch.

As far as my first music video is concerned; I was able to safely show up in person in NYC and film it with the help of a great videographer. The conceptualizing of the video is very special and I think speaks to the experiences some of us have had about going to that special place inside your head where you feel most powerful/comfortable/fierce to deal with whatever is going on externally. The promo for the video was also a success in terms of being able to schedule it on time and put it out there to hype the video itself. And once it was out it was really (unexpectedly) well received!

Those are just my personal success stories and I'm excited to see others' as well!

Monsterboy | “Ain’t Worth the Dime”

Played 60 Livestreams That Reached 7,000 Households

When my husband and I found ourselves without gigs and our small business closed, we decided to go live with our music and stay in touch with our fans. We cobbled together equipment from our home studio and gigging rig, going live in that first week. We really didn't know what to expect. The messages we got from people were so heartwarming, we built a little community for them night after night, reconnecting with existing fans and finding new.  In total, we did over 60 live streams during the shutdown and reached over 7k households on some streams. Entertaining and interacting with people was our way to do our part for our community. A podcast found us via the streams and started hiring us to produce music for their shows from it.

Artist: Crotona P., Producer: Pablo Brownbeats | “Silk”

Forged An International Collaboration South Africa and the USA via A Chance Facebook Meeting

I'm Pablo Brownbeats, a producer  who has been producing  since my youth and creating music for the last 12 years. I just released my new Ep with Crotona P from Rochester New York featuring Street Da Villain, Dj Shawn Touch, KING Flamez all from Rochester New York and SOLO MAJITA from Free State South Africa. The African Ep is available on digital stores and Bandcamp.  I enjoyed making this project and it will be an honor to share the leading single Titled Silk.

This project was recorded during the  early days of Covid19. Me and Crotona met over Facebook and exchanged some few words and he agreed to do the single (silk) then African EP was born.

Scott Whitfield | “A Bi-Coastal Christmas, Vol. 1, by Scott Whitfield & Friends”

Released A Christmas Album That Features Artists Who Have Passed That Started Recording in 2004.

Despite the challenges, I was able to release a Christmas album on Bandcamp!  It's available as a digital download OR a physical CD.  This is the culmination of MANY years of work (some tracks date back to 2004, and, sadly, a few of the artists who played on them are no longer with us).

John Maksym | “Drinkin’ & Thinkin’”

Worked With 22 Collaborators Spanning 7 Countries and 16 Cities

I kicked off this year as a solo recording artist for the first time in my life and had an ambitious goal of releasing music every 5 weeks. When the pandemic struck, I had just started recording my 4th single in the studio and everything got shut down. Within a couple of weeks I was able to pivot and invest money into building my own little home studio, to continue to create. With every musician in the world stuck at home, I was able to connect with a dream team of collaborators who helped me finish the song that I had started and go on to record 8 more songs through remote session recording from their own home studios. All in all I worked with 22 collaborators, spanning 7 countries and 16 cities, which I would never have thought of doing had the world not been in lockdown. It also allowed me time to revise my original release plan and build a more robust plan to release a number of singles and eventually an album throughout 2021.

Stay tuned ...There’s more Good News Coming!

[dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram]

For people interested in charts - there are two big sets of changes to the US album charts happening from this week.

The first, which has been known about since mid-November is that the ability to increase sales through merch bundles has been cut off.  Now merch will need to be available without an album, in order for a bundle with an album to be counted as a sale.

The second, which was announced on the 16th of December, is that youtube plays of official content will now count towards the chart.  

What these changes means for Louis’ album is still up in the air.  Tour bundling (which he is doing) is still valid.  I expect that the medium term affect of youtube videos counting for the album charts will be more videos of non single tracks (which further breaks down the difference between a single and an album track). 

There wasn’t much notice of this change, so I think its impact won’t necessarily be felt straight away.  I’m guessing that albums that are being released at the end of the month already have their budget and marketing plan set. So while it might be adjusted for changing times, unless someone’s team has a great idea for virality, then I don’t think the full impact of this change will be felt in the chart positions at the end of January.

[megfloresprotectionsquad]

Cloutie vs Reality

When I first watched Skam Austin and saw Shay, Marlon, and Tyler were in a band I was "meh" about it. Thought it was fun and realistic for some music loving high schoolers.

But then season two came and was like "this random high school band is super popular and everyone wants to date Marlon" I was like HOLD UP.

Like a good ha ha that can't be realistic now can it? Why would anyone fawn over a random band some randos in your school decided to make?

I was so wrong.

Because around this time a boy in my own school, a popular senior boy, decided to make and record an album, advertise it throughout the school, and sell merch and physical CDs.

Many students and teachers alike bought the CD and merch from this student. People were singing his songs around school. You can find his album on spotify and soundcloud. People were treating him like a real artist worth giving $15 to for the bundle set!

This phenomenon I will now never underestimate again. Clout from grandma's closest deserves all my respect.