#music industry blog

[gibsonmusicart]

Getting over stage fright

Stage fright is an intense fear of performing in front of an audience, and it can be incredibly debilitating. Whether you’re a musician, actor, or public speaker, stage fright can prevent you from being the best version of yourself. Thankfully, with a few simple tips, you can get over your stage fright and perform with confidence.

Prepare Thoroughly – The best way to tackle stage fright is to be prepared. Research the topic you’re presenting on, practice your lines or songs, and get familiar with the venue. If you know your material inside and out, you’ll be more confident in your performance.

Visualize Success – Visualization is a powerful tool for overcoming stage fright. Before you go on stage, take a few moments to visualize a successful performance. Imagine yourself being confident and in control, and how great you’ll feel after your performance.

Take Deep Breaths – Taking deep breaths is a great way to relax your body and ease your nerves. When you start to feel nervous, take a few slow, deep breaths and focus on your breath. This will help to calm your racing thoughts and help you feel more grounded.

Talk to Someone – If you’re feeling really anxious, talking to someone can be a great way to get over your stage fright. Find a friend or family member who you trust and talk to them about your worries. They may be able to give you some helpful advice or simply reassure you that you’ll do great.

Accept Your Nerves – Accepting your nerves can be difficult, but it’s important if you want to get over your stage fright. Remind yourself that it’s okay to be nervous and that everyone else in the audience is feeling the same way. This will help to put things in perspective and make it easier to focus on your performance.

Getting over stage fright can be a difficult process, but with the right tips and strategies, it can be done. Focus on preparing thoroughly, visualizing success, taking deep breaths, talking to someone, and accepting your nerves. With a bit of practice and patience, you’ll be able to get over your stage fright and have the confidence to perform your best.

[krazetv]

Emergence Audio Flute Textures REVIEW & PLAYTHROUGH

[restingcorpse]

What's cooler than being cool?

Being Trent Reznor probably

[nanshe-of-nina]

Ministry — Just One Fix (1992)

[mickules]

Trick or treat! 👻 Neon J (from No Straight Roads, if you need the clarification!)

✨TREAT✨

no.29 Odds Neon J- No Straight Roads

Like every rhythm game I’ve ever seen the lore goes places

[psychedeliclush]

( INFORMATION AND EXAMPLES OF EACH GENRE UNDER CUT )

ART ROCK !

Artists: David Bowie, Kate Bush, Talking Heads, Pink Floyd, Radiohead

Most popular Era: 70s

Basic definition: Art rock is a loose sub-genre that refers to a style of rock that takes a more avant-garde approach. Using thought-provoking lyrics and experimental techniques, art rock blends multiple genres, including classical music, jazz, and electronic music into their palette, creating a rich and diverse sound. With a focus on artistic expression and pushing the limits of creativity, art rock became popular when artists such as Kate Bush rose to prominence.

Song examples:

INDUSTRIAL ROCK !

Artists: Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Powerman 5000, Mindless Self Indulgence

Most popular Era: late 80s - 90s

Basic definition: Industrial rock is a genre of music that combines the aggression and instrumentation of rock with the mechanical and electronic sounds of industrial music. With its roots in the late 1980s, industrial rock often features distorted guitars, heavy percussion, and synthesizers to create a harsh, gritty sound. Artists in this genre frequently incorporate samples, loops, and other electronic elements into their music to enhance its industrial feel. Lyrics in industrial rock often touch on themes of dystopia, technological dependence, and societal decay,

Song examples:

[loverboywambles]

If you let me send you songs and listen to them almost immediately and give me detailed reviews on what exactly you think about them and why I love you

[dreamings-free]

IQ Magazine November 30th 2023

Usually, when an act completes a world tour, they come off the road for an extended period to rest, record new material, and then typically two or three years later the wheels are set in motion for an album release, promo, and tour dates. Louis Tomlinson did not get that memo.

His first solo tour ran late due to the pandemic restrictions, meaning that by the time it concluded in September 2022, his second album, Faith in the Future, was scheduled to drop and tickets for the associated tour were ready to go on sale.

“This tour went on sale last October or November – basically a year in advance,” explains agent Holly Rowland, who represents Tomlinson alongside Alex Hardee, internationally, while Wasserman Music colleagues Marty Diamond and Ash Mowry-Lewis do likewise for North America.

Despite that quick turnaround between tours, Rowland reports that ticket sales for the current tour are going very well indeed. “The first leg went through Scandinavia before doing the Baltics and Eastern Europe – Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece – places that most people, especially arena-level acts, don’t really go. And the second leg, which is more mainland Europe, started on 2 October.”

The tour is big. Very big for just a second outing in his own name. Between May and July this year, Tomlinson played 39 dates in the US and Canada across a mix of amphitheatres, arenas, pavilions, and stadiums. In August, he returned to Europe, where he is currently is in the midst of another 39 dates in arenas across the continent and the UK, which will take him to 18 November. Then, in early 2024, the Faith in the Future tour goes to Australia for two outdoor dates in Melbourne and Brisbane, before he takes the show to the country’s biggest indoor venue, the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.

“The tour before obviously was a Covid tour where the dates had to be chopped and changed. The positive aspect of that was that we were able to upgrade venues where that made sense”

And, as IQ went to press, Tomlinson released dates for a return to Latin America in May 2024 for a mix of indoor and outdoor shows, including stadia, across Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, and Uruguay.

“We’re going to Australia and part of Asia early next year,” states artist manager Matt Vines of London-based Seven 7 Management. “We then go into Latin America in May and June. And then we’ll handpick a selection of festivals next summer, before we draw the line on the campaign at the end of the summer.”

Rowland comments, “The tour before obviously was a Covid tour where the dates had to be chopped and changed. The positive aspect of that was that we were able to upgrade venues where that made sense. But it was really nice to start from scratch on this tour to make sure the routing was all going in the right direction.” She reports, “We’ve done nearly 16,000 tickets in Amsterdam, and 14,000 in Paris, which I think just underlines his credibility as an artist and his growing reputation among fans.”

Back to You Playing a major role in shifting that ticketing inventory is a network of promoters also enjoying Tomlinson’s rising star.

“On this tour, it’s mainly Live Nation – we use a lot of the One Direction promoter,” explains Rowland. “But for Greece, we used Honeycomb Live, Charmenko did Romania, 8 Days A Week promoted the three shows in the Baltics, All Things Live did Finland, Fource are doing Prague, it’s Gadget in Switzerland, Atelier in Luxembourg, and when we get to the UK, it’s SJM, and MCD in Ireland.”

With a total of 39 European dates, Rowland split the outing into separate legs, scheduling a break after Scandinavia, the Balkans, Baltics and Athens, Greece and another after mainland Europe ending in Zurich, Switzerland.

“Louis has a real desire to perform to fans in markets that are often overlooked”

“It’s a perfect ratio, if I do say so myself,” she laughs. “It was right to split it up – 39 dates is a long, long tour, especially with the American tour throughout the summer being 11 weeks! We made sure to schedule days off, for everyone to recharge their batteries.”

In Spain, Nacho Córdoba at Live Nation promoted Tomlinson’s shows in Bilbao, Madrid, and Barcelona and reports sell-outs at each of the arenas involved.

“When Louis was last here, it was three days before the pandemic shut everything down in Spain. In fact, I think he played the final show before the market closed because of Covid,” says Córdoba.

“Last year, Louis organised his Away From Home festival in Fuengirola, and that also sold out, so we know he has a big following in Spain, and we also know that Spanish fans are super loyal. So, on this tour we sold out 7,000 tickets at Bilbao Arena Miribilla, 13,600 tickets at WiZink in Madrid, and 11,200 at Palau St Jordi in Barcelona.”

Already looking forward to Tomlinson “and his fantastic team” returning on the next tour, Córdoba believes it will be important to see what happens with the next album – and Tomlinson’s expectations – before making any plans.

“The most important thing is to keep the fans happy and keep the momentum building with Louis,” he states. “I am a big fan of the arenas, because the atmosphere at his shows was incredible. So, rather than look at going bigger, it might be a case of looking at other arenas in other markets. Whatever he does, we cannot wait to have Louis back in Spain.”

“He’s kept the ticket prices reasonable – and he never wants to do any gold circle or VIP tickets. I think that’s why he’s so close to his fans, because it’s not about maximising profits”

Stefan Wyss at Gadget abc Entertainment in Switzerland promoted Tomlinson when he visited Zurich’s Hallenstadion on 23 October and explains that he previously played the city’s Halle 622 venue on the first tour.

Recalling that debut solo outing, Wyss tells IQ, “At first, we announced a mid-size theatre club show, 1,800-capacity, but it sold out instantly. Then we moved it to Halle 62, which is 3,500-cap, and that also sold out immediately, so it was a really big success.

“They’ve invested a lot in the production of this current tour, and it’s doing really strong numbers, so that’s why we decided to go to the arena this time around, where we set a mid-size capacity of 7,000, which is good for a small market like Switzerland, especially because he’s coming back just one year later and playing a much bigger show.”

Wyss adds, “He’s kept the ticket prices reasonable – and he never wants to do any gold circle or VIP tickets. I think that’s why he’s so close to his fans, because it’s not about maximising profits. Another reason for his success is that in addition to attracting a mainstream audience, he’s also getting the music lovers because he’s just a very good songwriter and has brilliant songs.”

Wyss also notes that with many young fans typically arriving the day before the concert, the responsibility to look after them is extended.

“We set up toilets, we have security overnight, we give water away. It’s part of the organisation that we will take care of the fans.”

Fresh from announcing 12 dates across Argentina, Brazil (x 3), Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Paraguay, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Uruguay, promoter Fabiano Lima De Queiroz at Move Concerts reports that Tomlinson will visit a mix of arenas, as well as stadiums in Santiago, São Paolo, and Buenos Aires during his May tour.

“Louis really looks after his fans. On the last tour they did a deal with Greggs [bakery chain] to give free food to the people waiting in line, as some of them camped out for days in advance”

“Our first tour with Louis was supposed to be in 2020 and we’d booked half arenas everywhere – 5,000-6,000 capacities,” he informs IQ. “Louis was one of those acts who connected very well with the fans during the pandemic, so when we shifted the dates, first to 2021, and then to 2022, we ended up selling out and having to upgrade in certain metropolitan markets.

“In Santiago, for instance, we’d sold out two full arenas of 13,000 cap, but then the government declared that for mass gatherings the numbers needed to be limited to 10,000 people.”

Rather than let fans down, Move added a third date, which again ended up selling out. “I remember being on a night plane from Miami, while Matt Vines was flying in from Dallas, and we were both using the aircraft wi-fi to negotiate via text for that third show,” says Queiroz. “It was an interesting way to confirm putting the third date on sale, just three days before the actual show!”

He adds, “We’re taking a big bet on this tour when it comes to the number of cities and the capacities of the venues, but we’re hoping for the best, and we’ve gone out strong. We feel that the artist is in a good moment and that the latest album has just created more interest, so we’re looking forward to when he arrives in May.”

Further north, Ocesa will promote three dates in Mexico, including a stadium show at the F1 circuit, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, deepening Tomlinson’s footprint in that crucial North American market.

Meanwhile, in Tomlinson’s homeland, Jack Dowling at SJM is promoting seven UK dates in November at arenas in Sheffield, Manchester, Glasgow, Brighton, Cardiff, London, and Birmingham, which will round out the European leg of the tour.

“We have a responsibility to look after [the fans]. Coming to a show should be a safe space, it’s where they find joy, and we have a responsibility to protect that”

“SJM has done every show Louis has been involved with, including all the One Direction arena and stadium shows,” notes Dowling, adding that on the first tour, the London show was originally pencilled in as a Roundhouse, then two Roundhouse shows, before finally being upgraded to Wembley Arena.

“This time, The O2 arena show in London will be sold out, while all the others have passed the expectations of where we wanted to be on this tour. In fact, when the UK dates were announced, it ranked as the fourth most engaged tour on social media in SJM’s history – his fans are just nuts.”

But Dowling also reports that the fanbase for Tomlinson is expanding. “The demographics are pulling not just from pop but also from indie rock now.”

Dowling adds, “Louis really looks after his fans. On the last tour they did a deal with Greggs [bakery chain] to give free food to the people waiting in line, as some of them camped out for days in advance.”

Out of my System Ensuring his fans are looked after properly is the number one priority in Tomlinson’s live career.

Noting that Tomlinson’s audience comprises mainly young women and girls, Rowland reveals that, at the artist’s insistence, a safety team has been added to the tour to ensure everyone that attends his shows is looked after. “They manage all the safety within the shows for the fans,” she explains. “They came in for the Wembley show last year and have been with us ever since – they’ve been beneficial to the running of the tour.

“When he played in South America, some of his fans were camping outside for a month. So we have a responsibility to look after them. Coming to a show should be a safe space, it’s where they find joy, and we have a responsibility to protect that.”

Manager Vines comments, “One issue that we came up against almost all last year was crushing and fans passing out. We adopted a system where we could communicate with fans, who could hold up a mobile phone with a flashing red-and-white sign if they were in trouble but then we’d see them all popping up.

“I don’t know whether some of that was a hangover of the pandemic where fans just weren’t used to being in venues. But we experienced a number of situations where hydration and temperatures in venues became an issue. I know Billie Eilish went through similar issues.”

“I get detailed incident reports after each show… So far on this tour, we haven’t had any issues with crushing or hydration, which is fantastic”

With Tomlinson determined to meet a duty of care toward his fans, Vines says that the team now sends a “considerable advance package” to promoters ahead of their tour dates. “Our safety team goes into venues in the morning and basically ensures that a number of different things are in place – making sure that water is given to the fans, where the water comes from, and at what points in the show it happens.”

And on the crushing phenomena, he reports, “We’ve worked out how many fans it’s safe to have without a secondary barrier. So we instruct promoters to have certain barriers in place to relieve that pressure and avoid crushing.”

He adds, “I get detailed incident reports after each show, which lets myself and my management team know exactly what happened, and so far on this tour, we haven’t had any issues with crushing or hydration, which is fantastic.”

Production manager Craig Sherwood is impressed by the way the tour has pivoted to protect the ‘Louies.’ “The welfare officers are vital for the young girls who are aged from, I guess, 14 upwards. They can get dehydrated and malnourished pretty quickly if they are camping out for days, so it’s important that we look out for their wellbeing,” says Sherwood.

Citing the extremes that the Louies will put themselves through in an effort to secure themselves prime positions at the front of the stage, Sherwood recalls, “The first show on our US tour was in February, and it was freezing, but we found out that girls had been camping out on the pavement for five days. It’s crazy, as we know these young girls are coming from all over the world to see Louis.”

However, Tomlinson’s connection with those fans is evident in the level of merchandise sales at each show. “It’s a huge part of our business,” says Vines. “In America, we averaged about $36 a head, and it’s not much shy of that in Europe – we’ve set a few national records in terms of spend per head. But we spend a lot of time on merch plans, and we do venue-specific drops and give it a lot of care and attention, as it’s a really important element of Louis’ business.”

“We don’t do dynamic pricing, we don’t do platinum ticketing, we don’t do paid VIPs, we don’t increase ticket prices on aisle seats – all those tricks that everyone does that most fans don’t know about: we don’t do any of those”

We Made It Making sure that the Faith in the Future tour delivers Tomlinson to his growing legion of fans, PM Sherwood’s long association with artist manager Vines made him the obvious choice when the artist first began his solo career.

“I remember doing a lot of promo dates around the UK and US before we started touring properly,” says Sherwood of his work with Tomlinson. “In fact, one of the first shows I remember doing with Louis was in Madrid when he played in a stadium, and I could see it was a taste of things to come.”

The partnership between Sherwood and Vines is crucial. “In terms of the show growing, our biggest challenge is keeping costs down, because we’re extremely cautious on ticket pricing,” says Vines. “We don’t do dynamic pricing, we don’t do platinum ticketing, we don’t do paid VIPs, we don’t increase ticket prices on aisle seats – all those tricks that everyone does that most fans don’t know about: we don’t do any of those.

“So, when it comes to the production side of things, we need to be incredibly careful. But I’ve been working with Craig for a decade, and he knows the importance of trying to keep costs as low as possible. For instance, we’ll run the show virtually a number of times so Louis can watch it with the show designer, Tom Taylor, make comments and tweak things. Then we’ll go into pre-production. But we try to do as much in virtual reality as possible before we take it into the physical world.”

Sherwood states, “Basically, we started out with two or three trucks, but now we’re up to nine, and things seem to be getting bigger day by day.”

Thankfully, Sherwood has amassed a vastly experienced crew over the years, allowing them to handle even the most unexpected scenarios. “I’ve been touring since the dawn of time, but the core crew I work with now have been together since about 2010, and I trust them implicitly, so I leave it up to them who they hire, as long as they think I’m going to like them, and they’ll get along with everyone. So far, it has worked well,” Sherwood reports.

And that veteran crew has dealt with some terrifying weather extremes on the current tour, including a show at Red Rocks in Colorado where the audience were subjected to a freak storm with golf ball-sized hail stones injuring dozens of people.

“We need to tweak the rigging on a daily basis, as we move to different venues”

Elsewhere, the crew has had to act quickly when the threat of high winds in Nashville caused problems on that outdoor run. “We didn’t want the video screens blowing about above the heads of the band, so it must have been amusing for the audience to see us taking them down,” Sherwood reports.

Indoors in Europe, the environment has been more controllable. The production itself involves an A-stage set 180 degrees across the barricades, although Sherwood says that on occasion a catwalk is also used by the performers.

“It’s a great lighting show and fantastic for audio, as we have a phenomenal front-of-house sound engineer – John Delf from Edge Studios – who makes life very easy for the rest of us,” says Sherwood. He also namechecks Barrie Pitt (monitor engineer), Oli Crump (audio system designer), Tom Taylor (lighting designer), Sam Kenyon (lighting technical director), and Torin Arnold (stage manager), while he praises Solo-Tech for supplying the sound, and Colour Sound Experiment (CSE) for taking charge of lighting, video, and rigging equipment.

Indeed, CSE has ten personnel out with the Faith in the Future tour. “We have eight screens on the road – six on stage plus two IMAGS that we use wherever appropriate,” the company’s Haydn Cruickshank tells IQ.

“We need to tweak the rigging on a daily basis, as we move to different venues, but other than that it’s a fairly smooth process thanks to Craig Sherwood. He is old-school and planned and worked on the production very far in advance, which is a great scenario for all involved. Craig is definitely one of our favourite production managers to work with.”

“Post-pandemic, the number of long-haul flights still aren’t as frequent as they were. As a result, the production is being reverse-engineered”

Garry Lewis at bussing contractors Beat The Street is also a fan of PM Sherwood. “Craig split the European tour into different runs. So, from Hamburg to Zurich, we had two super high-decker 12-berth buses for the tour party and two 16-berth double-deckers for the crew,” says Lewis. “After the show in Athens, we still have the two super high-deckers, as Louis loves them – he prefers to spend time on the bus, rather than in hotels – but we also have two 12-berth super high-deckers for the crew, as well as another crew 16-berth double-decker.”

Lewis continues, “We’ve worked with Craig for a good few years, and we have a great relationship with him. He plans everything way in advance, so it means it’s all very straightforward for us with no issues. So, we use single drivers for each bus, except on the longer runs or when our drivers are scheduled for prolonged breaks, and then we’ll fly in extra drivers as needed.”

If I Could Fly With the production travelling to Australia in early 2024, before shifting to Latin America, Andy Lovell at Freight Minds is gearing up to become involved with Tomlinson once again.

“We’ve never failed anywhere to open the doors on time, so we know we’re capable of getting things done, even if we have a late start at mid-day”

“We did the Central and South America dates on the tour last year, and onto Mexico,” says Lovell. “It was very challenging back then as we were still coming back from Covid, and various systems and infrastructure were in pieces. But it all went well in the end, as we kept an eye on things and worked on it every day to make sure we had solutions to everything that was thrown our way.”

Lovell continues, “Things on this tour kick in early next year for us. Historically, Australian services were quite reliable, as we could use any number of airlines. But post-pandemic, the number of long-haul flights still aren’t as frequent as they were. As a result, the production is being reverse-engineered with the budget being worked out before we can see what we can afford to take as freight, and then we try to plan accordingly.

“Similarly, in Central and South America there are still just a fraction of the flights operating, compared to pre-Covid, so that makes it very challenging. If there aren’t the flights to handle the gear, then you have to start looking at chartering aircraft, or alter your schedule, and that can become very expensive, very fast.”

With everyone working on the artist’s behalf to make sure the tour remains on track, being able to call on such experienced production experts is paying off on a daily basis.

Sherwood notes, “There are a few back-to-back shows over long distances that occasionally mean we don’t arrive at the next venue until 11am, rather than 6am. But we’ve never failed anywhere to open the doors on time, so we know we’re capable of getting things done, even if we have a late start at mid-day.”

Such dilemmas are not lost on agent Rowland. “It’s not so much the routing, it’s more like the timings, because Louis does have two support acts, so the show starts at 7 o’clock, and then when we’re done, we need to load out to get to the next show in good time for loading in the next morning and soundchecks, etc.”

Nonetheless, Sherwood admits that he loves the trickier venues and schedules. “Because I’m a dinosaur, I relish anything that makes things difficult or awkward for us on the production side of things,” he says. “I think everyone on the crew looks forward to challenges and finding the solutions to problems.”

“We have this amazing platform where we can put these bands in front of these audiences as a showcase that allows them to build these authentic new audiences”

Common People Having amassed millions of fans through his association with One Direction, Tomlinson very much has a ‘pay it forward’ attitude to music and is building a reputation as a champion for emerging talent, wherever he performs.

“He’s a great advocate for alternative music,” says manager Vines. “Louis realises that he’s in an incredibly privileged position in terms of what he can create in terms of awareness. He loves alternative music and indie music, and he understands how hard it is for that music to be heard. But we have this amazing platform where we can put these bands in front of these audiences as a showcase that allows them to build these authentic new audiences. It’s a huge part of his love of music, wanting to help younger bands.”

Rowland agrees. “He took an act called Andrew Cushin – a very new artist – on the road in America with him as his support, and he’s doing the same for Europe. Louis is a fan and is championing his career.

Indeed, Tomlinson’s A&R skills have knock-on effects for his agent, too. “He asked me to confirm the Australian band Pacific Avenue as support for his Australian tour last year. The music was great and they didn’t have an agent, so now I’m representing them!” says Rowland.

Perfect Now As the European tour speeds toward its conclusion, agent Rowland is enjoying every minute of it. “It’s incredible – they’ve really stepped things up,” she says, fresh from seeing the show in Athens and Paris. “They’ve got 6 hanging LED screens on the stage, and the whole production just looks polished and professional.”

And Rowland is especially excited about next year’s Latin American dates, which will deliver her first stadium shows as an agent. “The return to Latin America is going to be huge – Louis is playing arenas and stadiums in South America and Mexico: 15 shows across 11 countries,” she says.

“He loves his fans, and he loves performing for them, it’s as simple as that. He just loves being on the road and seeing how the songs connect live”

Vines is similarly enthused. Harking back to the Covid situation, when a show would go on sale, sell out, be postponed, and then rescheduled in a bigger venue, Vines says, “For example, in Chile, originally the show was scheduled at a 5,000-cap, half-capacity arena in Santiago. And what we ended up doing was three nights at 10,000-cap in that same venue.”

Vines contends that Tomlinson’s work ethic is outstanding. “He loves his fans, and he loves performing for them, it’s as simple as that,” he says. “He just loves being on the road and seeing how the songs connect live. In fact, the second album was very much written with the tour and live shows in mind – ‘This song could work live,’ ‘This one will open the set,’ ‘This is the one we can do for the encore.’”

Fearless Another element to Tomlinson’s psyche has been his decision to visit places off the usual tour circuit. “Louis has a real desire to perform to fans in markets that are often overlooked,” says Rowland.

Manager Vines explains that while the Covid-delayed first tour allowed them to upgrade venues pretty much everywhere, “On this tour, we’re a bit more competent on venue sizes, but we still speculate a little bit in different territories. In Europe, for example, we’ve gone into the Baltics and a number of different places to test the markets there, while in America, we are looking at A and B markets but also tertiary markets as well – we go to places where people just don’t tour in America, just to see what the reaction is. That was something that very much interested Louis – to play in front of people who don’t normally have gigs in their town. So there’s been a lot of experimentation on this tour in terms of where we go and what room to play.”

“Louis also is extremely fan-focused in everything that he does. He comes at it from a perspective of ‘I want to take the show to them'”

That concept is something that Vines has employed before. “I manage a band called Hurts who were pretty much overlooked by the British radio system and we have spent 15 years building a business outside of the UK. And that was built on going to play at those places where people didn’t normally go. They built to multiple arena level in Russia, for instance.

“If you can build fanbases in lots of different places, you have festivals that you can play every summer, as well as touring those places. It allows you to have more consistency over a number of years, by having more opportunities.”

Such a strategy found a convert in Tomlinson. Vines tells IQ, “Louis also is extremely fan-focused in everything that he does. He comes at it from a perspective of ‘I want to take the show to them,’ meaning he’s always more willing to take the risky option to try something out.”

And the results? “It’s a combination,” concludes Vines. “There have been a couple of places where we now understand why tours don’t go there. But there’s are more places where it’s worked incredibly well. For example, we enjoyed incredibly good sales in Budapest. And overall, it’s allowing us to get a clearer idea, globally, of where the demand is, which will help us when we go into the next tour cycle.”

30/11/23

IQ is the leading global news platform for the live music business. IQ’s news, features, information and analysis are read by 100,000 professionals worldwide each month. IQ publishes a regular magazine, several annual reports, and a daily news digest, IQ Index. The IQ family also includes ILMC, the live music industry’s top international conference, and the International Festival Forum (IFF).

[istoleludwigsbaumkuchen]

I have gotta figure out a way to smash my interests together but that's kinda difficult when it's fucking saw and the stupid 80s band that's cursed me for more than a year (read: devo.)

Uhhhh, I kinda think Lawrence might've (very casually) liked some of nutra, but like, that's all I got

[gibsonmusicart]

9 Questions About Learning Music You'd Want Answers For

By Ced Yong

1. Do I Need to Read Music in Order to Play an Instrument?

There are many stories of legendary musicians never learning to read music throughout their careers. While this is very encouraging for beginners apprehensive about the challenge of mastering musical notation, the following must be considered: a. Learning to read music allows you to easily communicate with other musicians. Bluntly put, unless you are a celebrity or a matchless genius, most other players are going to find you a nuisance to collaborate with, because there is no quick way to communicate with you. Many tutors will find you a pain too. b. The ability to read notations opens up a world of useful resources. Such resources, particularly professional ones, inevitably require you to understand musical notation. c. Being able to read music means you can notate music too, with notation itself a systematic and reliable way of examining your technique. For example, while penning a score, you might notice your tendency to over-extend notes or clip them, or end on weird beats. In summary, when you bother to learn how to read and notate, you equip yourself with a most useful tool for the long run.

2. Is Learning Music Theory a Must?

Before all else, music theory is different from reading music. The latter is the ability to understand notations i.e. read a score. In contrast, music theory studies concepts such as scales, triads, harmonization, and so on.

As for the question itself, it is highly debatable whether one must possess extensive musical knowledge to be an accomplished player. Much of this is tangent on the genre you prefer to play, and the level of expertise you are aiming for.

That said, it is undeniable that some degree of musical knowledge will improve your learning journey. To give an example, knowledge of chord progressions vastly enhances your ability to play by ear. You wouldn’t need to experiment or guess. You already know what comes next.

Consider it this way too. Music is in essence, no more than an extremely elaborate system of rules and structures. The more you know about the system, the easier it is for you to master control. Correspondingly, the easier for you to excel too.

3. Am I Ever Too Old to Pick Up an Instrument?

The simple answer to this is that no one is too old to learn anything. It is a question of whether you want to, and whether you can put in the necessary effort.

Realistically though, we shoulder more burdens as we age. Burdens that include health concerns. The answer to whether you are too old to have a go at learning music thus varies from person to person. And it is dependent on: a. Can you afford the time? No one can truly master an instrument by just practising one hour every week. b. Can you afford the financial burden? Music is seldom cheap to learn. Neither is it a cheap hobby. c. Can you sustain your interest? d. Do you have the energy for endless drills and practices? e. Would learning that particular instrument, somehow, worsen whatever existing physical ailment you have? (See next question) f. What is your objective for learning a particular instrument? Are you merely seeking to entertain family and friends? Or are you hoping to someday perform professionally? The latter is, of course, far more difficult for older folks.

However discouraging the above areas might be, know this too. Adult learners aren’t necessarily handicapped, they can enjoy significant advantages over children. These include greater capacity for intelligent/systematic learning, knowledge of where to hunt for resources, greater communication skills, and of course, more financial resources.

4. What Are the Factors to Consider When Deciding Which Music Instrument to Learn?

Different instruments require different skillsets. Some instruments also exert substantial strain on certain parts of the human body. When deciding which instrument to learn, the very first step is to be utterly honest with yourself. The next step is to do thorough research.

a. Instruments such as the organ and drums require complex hand-leg coordination. Wind instruments such as the trumpet demand extensive training on embouchure. While such skills could be honed over the long-run, if you are exceptionally bad with them to begin with, your learning journey will be triply frustrating. b. Naturally, if you are suffering from some sort of hand/wrist injury, you shouldn’t be starting a piano course. A couple of hours each week practicing the violin is also not going to do wonders for your neck injury. Remember, under all circumstances, your physical well-being takes precedence. Don’t pick up any lesson that will worsen your health. c. Many, many instruments require you to practice with other musicians to fully master. The opportunities for such “jamming” should thus be a major consideration. d. If you opt for formal lessons, be sure to inquire about the student repertoire beforehand. While versatility in style and genre is beneficial to learning, you don’t want to be bored silly, because 90 percent of the time you are playing songs that puts you to sleep. e. The cost of learning certain instruments is far higher than for others, typically because some instruments are significantly more expensive. Financial consideration is therefore a must, however unpleasant the process is.

5. Must I Own an Instrument to Learn It?

Even if you are not exceptionally talented, as long as you make the effort to diligently go to practice sessions, you will eventually master the instrument.

Eventually. After a good amount of inconvenience, work/study disruptions, time sacrifices, etc.

Personally, I think nothing beats having your own “gear.” You can practice as and when you like to or need to. If you are considering renting equipment, do note that such costs could easily accumulate to substantial amounts in the long run, too. You might actually be better off buying the instrument right at the start.

1. Do I Need to Read Music in Order to Play an Instrument?

There are many stories of legendary musicians never learning to read music throughout their careers. While this is very encouraging for beginners apprehensive about the challenge of mastering musical notation, the following must be considered: a. Learning to read music allows you to easily communicate with other musicians. Bluntly put, unless you are a celebrity or a matchless genius, most other players are going to find you a nuisance to collaborate with, because there is no quick way to communicate with you. Many tutors will find you a pain too. b. The ability to read notations opens up a world of useful resources. Such resources, particularly professional ones, inevitably require you to understand musical notation. c. Being able to read music means you can notate music too, with notation itself a systematic and reliable way of examining your technique. For example, while penning a score, you might notice your tendency to over-extend notes or clip them, or end on weird beats. In summary, when you bother to learn how to read and notate, you equip yourself with a most useful tool for the long run.

2. Is Learning Music Theory a Must?

Before all else, music theory is different from reading music. The latter is the ability to understand notations i.e. read a score. In contrast, music theory studies concepts such as scales, triads, harmonization, and so on.

As for the question itself, it is highly debatable whether one must possess extensive musical knowledge to be an accomplished player. Much of this is tangent on the genre you prefer to play, and the level of expertise you are aiming for.

That said, it is undeniable that some degree of musical knowledge will improve your learning journey. To give an example, knowledge of chord progressions vastly enhances your ability to play by ear. You wouldn’t need to experiment or guess. You already know what comes next.

Consider it this way too. Music is in essence, no more than an extremely elaborate system of rules and structures. The more you know about the system, the easier it is for you to master control. Correspondingly, the easier for you to excel too.

3. Am I Ever Too Old to Pick Up an Instrument?

The simple answer to this is that no one is too old to learn anything. It is a question of whether you want to, and whether you can put in the necessary effort.

Realistically though, we shoulder more burdens as we age. Burdens that include health concerns. The answer to whether you are too old to have a go at learning music thus varies from person to person. And it is dependent on: a. Can you afford the time? No one can truly master an instrument by just practising one hour every week. b. Can you afford the financial burden? Music is seldom cheap to learn. Neither is it a cheap hobby. c. Can you sustain your interest? d. Do you have the energy for endless drills and practices? e. Would learning that particular instrument, somehow, worsen whatever existing physical ailment you have? (See next question) f. What is your objective for learning a particular instrument? Are you merely seeking to entertain family and friends? Or are you hoping to someday perform professionally? The latter is, of course, far more difficult for older folks.

However discouraging the above areas might be, know this too. Adult learners aren’t necessarily handicapped, they can enjoy significant advantages over children. These include greater capacity for intelligent/systematic learning, knowledge of where to hunt for resources, greater communication skills, and of course, more financial resources.

4. What Are the Factors to Consider When Deciding Which Music Instrument to Learn?

Different instruments require different skillsets. Some instruments also exert substantial strain on certain parts of the human body. When deciding which instrument to learn, the very first step is to be utterly honest with yourself. The next step is to do thorough research.

a. Instruments such as the organ and drums require complex hand-leg coordination. Wind instruments such as the trumpet demand extensive training on embouchure. While such skills could be honed over the long-run, if you are exceptionally bad with them to begin with, your learning journey will be triply frustrating. b. Naturally, if you are suffering from some sort of hand/wrist injury, you shouldn’t be starting a piano course. A couple of hours each week practicing the violin is also not going to do wonders for your neck injury. Remember, under all circumstances, your physical well-being takes precedence. Don’t pick up any lesson that will worsen your health. c. Many, many instruments require you to practice with other musicians to fully master. The opportunities for such “jamming” should thus be a major consideration. d. If you opt for formal lessons, be sure to inquire about the student repertoire beforehand. While versatility in style and genre is beneficial to learning, you don’t want to be bored silly, because 90 percent of the time you are playing songs that puts you to sleep. e. The cost of learning certain instruments is far higher than for others, typically because some instruments are significantly more expensive. Financial consideration is therefore a must, however unpleasant the process is.

5. Must I Own an Instrument to Learn It?

Even if you are not exceptionally talented, as long as you make the effort to diligently go to practice sessions, you will eventually master the instrument.

Eventually. After a good amount of inconvenience, work/study disruptions, time sacrifices, etc.

Personally, I think nothing beats having your own “gear.” You can practice as and when you like to or need to. If you are considering renting equipment, do note that such costs could easily accumulate to substantial amounts in the long run too. You might actually be better off buying the instrument right at the start.

Source: Amazines.com

[krazetv]

Zero G Elements KEPLER - Review & Playthrough

[crystalstunes]

crystal's tunes #2: WORRY. by Jeff Rosenstock (2016)

i was going to wait a while before talking about this album, but i mean come on, it's literally got a track called June 21st. if i was gonna do it any day it'd be today.

WORRY. is an album that's very special to me. i originally discovered it via James Acaster's book Perfect Sound Whatever (named after the closing track of the album), and in the years since it's become one of my most listened to albums of all time. i'm not going to link any specific songs here, because i feel like the album is meant to be listened to in its entirety.

this was the second studio album Jeff released after the end of his previous project, ska-punk collective Bomb the Music Industry!, which in itself was born out of the end of his previous-previous project The Arrogant Sons of Bitches. this album really feels like a culmination of all of his work leading up to this, refined to a T and bursting with energy.

"We're not stupid people but this financial oppression has got everyone believing all that we can do is nothing/'Cause we organise through avenues they lace with advertisements so the ones we rage against are still lining their pockets" - Festival Song (Track 3)

thematically, the album discusses a variety of issues with modern-day America, such as landlords/gentrification, the coroprate sponsors of festivals and culture, social media mining your data, police brutality, and how the world just keeps getting worse due to capitalism in general. this is especially evident on tracks such as Festival Song, Staring Out The Window at Your Old Apartment, Blast Damage Days, HELLLLHOOOOLE, and The Fuzz, but is present throughout the album. he also touches on some more personal issues, such as alcoholism and the struggles of being a DIY musician.

the production here is absolutely top-notch, every single element is balanced perfectly, guitars are clear and crushing when they need to be, drums are punchy, vocals cut through well and instruments such as saxophones, glockenspiels and synths are used in certain songs to offer various different sonic textures. its not just the instruments that are varied here though, he also travels across a number of styles such as his classic ska-punk on the 91 second track Rainbow, to more hardcore punk on 30 second track Planet Luxury.

the A-side of this album is fantastic, with tracks like We Begged 2 Explode, Pash Rash and Festival Song becoming fan favourites and staples of his live sets, but i think this album really comes into its own during it's B-side. every track from Blast Damage Days through to the final track Perfect Sound Whatever perfectly transition into each other, creating a medley of different punk subgenres that is absolutely incredible. it's cathartic and danceable all in one, and its one of my favourite things he's done on an album.

"Whenever we feel ashamed, being alive and awake in such an era of hate and military police/These are the mass murder days, we are the blast damage age, where we can't love anything, because they keep us afraid/Oh, I will be there, kicking, fighting, beating, screaming 'There's no fucking way I'm ever letting go of you!'" - Blast Damage Days (Track 9)

the album builds up in energy until its final anthemic, gang vocal repetitions of "Perfect always takes so long, because it don't exist/It doesn't exist!", which is one of Jeff's main mission statements creatively. the first Bomb the Music Industry! album Album Minus Band has anti-piracy hiss throughout from various plugins he used the demo versions of instead of buying, and a track that's project files corrupted so he couldnt mix it properly, but all of that just adds to the artistry of it all. nothing can ever truly be perfect, so just be honest and authentic and do what you want, because in both art and people, our imperfections are what make us whole. i'm not a perfect person, and that's alright. i may have my own anti-piracy demo plugin hiss in my brain, but that's just part of what makes me myself - i wouldn't truly be me without it, and that's beautiful.

i think this album is truly great because despite the overwhelmingly negative topics being discussed, in the end its hopeful, even if the world or your life seem like theyre fucked, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel. the penultimate track ...While You're Alive, ends with the verse "And it's not like the love that they show us on TV/It's a home that can burn, it's a limb to freeze/It's worry/Love is worry". this can just be taken at face value as the fact that when you love someone you worry about them, but i interpret it a different way, especially with the context of the rest of the album.

when the government and systems are against you, you're fighting your own brain, and you're overwhelmed with worry, that worry is coming from a place of love, because you wouldnt worry about something you dont care about. you love yourself, you love the world, and in a way, your anxieties are really just a form of expressing your care and love even if it feels like fear, and anger, and sadness. and, for me at least, that's one of the most reassuring messages i've ever been given from an album. thanks, jeff.

"Because it's June 21st, and this winter was the worst we've ever seen, but we made it through the freeze/And now it's June 21st, and this winter was the worst we've ever seen, now it's 84 degrees forever." - June 21st (Track 14)

[cyb3r-g0thic]

⁺‧₊˚ ꒰ა INTRODUCTION TO MY ACCOUNT ໒꒱ ˚₊‧⁺

————————— ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚. —————————

ABOUT ME:

Hi, my name is Sascha. I’m a 15 y/o trans guy (possibly nonbinary? idk) who likes art, video games, music and toys, especially from the 2000s. I’m also very fond of fashion and aesthetics, particularly gothic and alternative styles.

————————— ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚. —————————

MEDIA I LIKE:

Psychonauts/Splatoon/Zenless Zone Zero/Genshin Impact/Team Fortress 2/Various anime shows that I never watch (-w-“)

MUSIC I LIKE:

KMFDM/Type O Negative/Korn/Rammstein/Rob Zombie/Tool/Slipknot/Gorillaz/Limp Bizkit

————————— ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚. —————————

DO NOT INTERACT!!!:

- basic DNI criteria

- proshippers/lolicons/shotacons

- TERFs/radfems/gender criticals

- columbiners and other serial killer dickriders

(TL;DR: anyone who’s a bigot and/or weirdo)

BEFORE YOU FOLLOW:

- I don't post very often (and especially my art) due to lack of motivation

- using tone indicators is very appreciated!

- I block very freely and liberally. So don’t be a dick, be dude!

————————— ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚. —————————

[torturedpoetsapartmentcomplex]

This has me thinking…

I know how much Taylor loves keeping it fresh, switching things up, exploring new genres…

but I also know how much country as a genre (and she as a artist) has changed and developed in 14-18 years. so idk…

Do y’all think Taylor will ever circle back around to country?

[ctrlgrlblog]

𝐈𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐬𝐬.

Ice Spice tries to play this mysterious game with her persona, It's like playing tug-of-war with your personality in a way with people that want to know more about you but instead she's the only one yanking the rope. Ice spice became huge from TikTok with her drill inspired song "Munch", And you know how TikTok has the power to inspire the billboards and music charts. TikTok became notorious for making 5 seconds of a song sound good but the rest of the 3-4 minute song kinda bland. With her first song blowing up on TikTok she soon became the newest hot topic but not in music or bars but really for her sex appeal. With people blowing her song up and sharing it she started to take off from there and got to do a corny barbie girl drill remix with nicki minaj who rarely gives out collabs with female rappers and only did it with Ice Spice to eat off of the momentum and push that ice spice was getting in the industry. And of course Ice Spice being hispanic and mixed with a light complexion she got all the attention on her because all industries and most of the world is colorist and because she has a fat ass because that's what she had to offer really. She can't rap or sing but she can twerk and look hot.

Ice Spice is really just a TikTok rapper who got out of the Bronx luckily off of her looks and age. Watching her performances are just bland and dry as fuck because she doesn't do any moving around just her usual combo moves of bending over, twerking, touching her ass/boobs, and flicking her dry tongue. Ice Spice does not have any talent or real music that comes from the heart, She's just a cheap industry plant like Cardi B that the music industry have put infront of us to distract us. Her and Cardi B both believe that they were hand plucked from the Bronx and chosen to represent their city out of the masses but really they aren't doing enough for the city they came from. They're really just stealing their originality and personality and raunchy-ness from the Bronx. You would've thought that Ice Spice would've done a song with Cardi B, but instead she did it with Nicki Minaj and the song was just kinda trash because it sounded so rushed and there were no memorable bars or anything that showed that she had some talent.

When Apple Music asked her to describe her music she vaguely described it as a vibe. I couldn't vibe to her song even if it was being played in Walgreens. She then went on to say

"It's for the Baddies that get it, for the confident people, for the people that get money. It's just music to feel good too, to get ready to, to work out to"

I can see the workout aspect of her music but not really the other bs she must've said high on her confusion. Ice Spice went on to release her 6 track debut EP Like...? (Her favorite catchphrase in between bars that she says when because she can't rap and gets confused.) The way Ice Spice raps is equivalent to a 6th grader rapping, She did a really weird song with Taylor Swift called karma that really flopped. because without her regular producer giving her an impromptu drill beat to rap on she sounds kinda like a really big joke. Her and Taylor Swift's song was just really bad timing for them to have a song together, Especially after Matty Healy made a very racist and insensitive joke about her and her looks while he was fucking Taylor Swift and pretending to be a good posh buy when really he is a ciggarette smoking bum with nice hair.

Overall, Ice Spice is an industry plant. A cleaner and kidz bop version of Sexy Redd that kids sing in the car and their parents won't get mad because hey she doesn't rap about sucking dick & hasn't had a sex tape exposed yet so she's safe for now. Ice Spice hasn't released any real music, Just another girl trying to do drill rap and get money off of mediocre music is what the world and the black community see.

[glass--beach]

many reputable music publications have crunched the numbers and determined that the amount of adblock-free eyeballs glass beach could bring to them with one courtesy retweet is worth whatever meager sum they’re paying some poor freelancer to paraphrase our press release. i think thats beautiful and reflects positively upon my value as a human being