Indie

Twitter Is Facing A Massive Lawsuit From A Group Of Music Publishers Over Alleged Copyright Infringement

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Ever since Elon Musk took over at Twitter, things have been going… not awesome. Now, there’s another wrinkle: The social media platform is being sued for $250 million by a group of 17 music publishers, The New York Times reports.

The lawsuit was filed in Federal District Court in Nashville yesterday (June 14) and it alleges that Twitter is in violation of copyright law due to users posting music on the platform without permission.

David Israelite, the president of the trade group National Music Publishers’ Association, said in a statement, “Twitter stands alone as the largest social media platform that has completely refused to license the millions of songs on its service.”

Twitter was previously in negotiations with the music industry for licensing agreements, but negotiations broke down months ago.

The suit asks for statutory damages of up to $150,000 each for around 1,700 infringed works, which adds up to about $250 million.

A tweet cited in the suit is a popular post that uses two minutes of Rihanna’s “Umbrella” video. The lawsuit also makes note of “music publishers’ attempts to notify Twitter about infringement through the protocol outlined in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act” (DMCA), but how Twitter regularly either delayed or failed to act on the notices.

The suit makes mention of specific Musk tweets from 2022 about copyright and the DMCA, in which he wrote, “Current copyright law in general goes absurdly far beyond protecting the original creator,” and, “Overzealous DMCA is a plague on humanity.”

Pharrell Reminisces About His Mystical First Meetings With Daft Punk In A New Mini-Documentary

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Daft Punk hung up their robot helmets and officially broke up years ago, but they’ve been in the news lately as they celebrate the tenth anniversary of their final album, Random Access Memories. The campaign has included a scavenger hunt and previously unreleased songs, and now they’re rolling out a series of mini-documentaries, focused on the collaborators who helped bring the album to life.

The duo started sharing installments, which run from 7 to 12 minutes in length, last week and have posted new videos daily since. There are seven episodes as of this post, and in a recent one, Pharrell reminisces about what it was like to first meet and work with the duo.

As DMY notes, the interview clips were originally recorded in 2013, during the making of the album. In the video, Pharrell explained that he first saw the duo (“the robots,” as he refers to them throughout) at a Madonna party, where Pharrell expressed a keen interest in working with the pair. Eventually, they met up in Paris, where Pharrell noted that he was in a Nile Rodgers phase at the moment. Daft Punk then played Pharrell a song they were working on, which had guitar from Rodgers. (The song? “Get Lucky.”)

Pharrel then noted that the duo gave him a tablet dissolved in water, which gave him a burst of energy. By the time he got back on the plane, though, Pharrell had “forgotten everything,” which had him wondering if the pair pulled a Men In Black memory erasure on him.

Watch the Pharrell video above and find the other mini-doc installments on the Daft Punk YouTube channel.

Here Is The Bonnaroo Festival Weather Forecast For 2023

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Things are heating up in Manchester, Tennessee, as the Bonnaroo Festival 2023 sets down its roots. The musical portion of the festival officially kicks off on Thursday, June 15, and will run until Sunday, June 18. Last week, due to the Canadian wildfires, Governors Ball 2023 ticket holders grew concerned with the weather conditions. Although there haven’t been any freak incidents in nature looming over the Volunteer State, as Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters, Odesza, Zeds Dead, and Liquid Stranger are scheduled to headline, festivalgoers want to know the weather forecast for Bonnaroo 2023.

Other notable names slated to perform at the festival include Lil Nas X, Paramore, JID, Baby Keem, Vulfpeck, Three 6 Mafia, Korn, Fleet Foxes, Sylvan Esso, Rina Sawayama, Alex G, Muna, Black MIDI, 070 Shake, Big Freedia, Yung Gravy, and The Beths.

Here’s a day-by-day forecast of the area, courtesy of the Tennessean. For the most up-to-date forecast for Manchester, check weather.com or your preferred weather platform.

Thursday, June 15

On the festival’s opening day (Thursday, June 15), headlined by Zeds Dead and Liquid Stranger is estimated to reach a high of 85 but fall to 62 later in the evening. There is a possibility of scattered thunderstorms (a 30 percent chance of rain during the day and a 20 percent chance in the evening).

Friday, June 16

The second day (June 16), headlined by Kendrick Lamar, mirrors the previous day, with a high of 85 and a low of 64, with a constant 30 percent chance of rain throughout the day.

Saturday, June 17

On Saturday (June 17), headlined by Odesza, the temperatures will rise. The high will come at about 86, with a low of 65. However, the likelihood of rain is at its highest. The chance of rain on Saturday is measured at 60 percent during the day and 50 percent at night.

Sunday, June 18

The weather on the festival’s final day, Sunday, June 18, headlined by Foo Fighters, should reach a high of 86 and a low of 61 at night. Unfortunately, the chance of rain remains at 50 percent throughout the day.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

How To Buy Tickets For Coachella 2024

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It feels like this year’s Coachella festival just ended: It’s been less than two months, as the second weekend wrapped up on April 23. The 2023 festival is indeed still fresh in many attendees’ minds, but Goldenvoice is already looking ahead: Today (June 12), they revealed the dates for next year’s festival (April 12 to 14 and 19 to 21) and shared ticketing info.

So, here’s how to buy tickets for Coachella 2023: Starting June 16 (this Friday) at 11 a.m. PT, the 2024 Advance Sale will launch on the Coachella website. Interested parties can register for this sale right now.

While it’ll be a minute before you can secure actual festival passes, there are other logistics to consider that can be taken care of ahead of then. Most notably, hotel packages, shuttle services, and safari camping are currently available to book via Coachella and Valley Music Travel. There are plenty of options: La Quinta Hotel Packages, Indio Hotel Packages, Indian Wells Hotel Packages, Palm Desert Hotel Packages, and Palm Springs/Rancho Mirage Hotel Packages. The bad-but-expected news is that none of them are cheap, with prices ranging from range from $3,099 to $10,999 (and neither of those figures include additional fees).

The good news, at least in terms of festival passes, is that payment plans are available.

When Will Tickets For Coachella 2024 Go On Sale?

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“Largely, Coachella has become the place to put on the best show of your life,” Uproxx’s Philip Cosores surmised after attending Coachella 2023.

Excitement for this April’s edition of the annual festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California began in earnest when Coachella revealed the lineup in January, and the anticipatory cycle for Coachella 2024 started over again today, June 12.

“Wherever you are, the desert isn’t far,” Coachella tweeted. “Coachella returns April 12-14 and April 19-21.”

The tweet includes a video of a magical, mirror-like door appearing in several recognizable metropolises worldwide to transport music fans back to Coachella. It announces that registration is now open for access to the 2024 Advance Sale, which is scheduled to begin this Friday, June 16, at 11 a.m. PT.

It just takes one click to Coachella’s official website to arrive at the “Register Now” portal, and while there, fans can go ahead and purchase hotel packages and Safari Campground reservations here. Accompanying shuttle passes will become available this Friday, June 16, and registration for access to those is available now.

There are several hotel package options: La Quinta Hotel Packages, Indio Hotel Packages, Indian Wells Hotel Packages, Palm Desert Hotel Packages, and Palm Springs/Rancho Mirage Hotel Packages. Prices range from $3,099 (plus fees) to $10,999 (plus fees).

Information about payment plan options is also available here.

What Are The Coachella Festival Dates For 2024?

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Coachella was a rousing success in April, Frank Ocean’s unfortunate ankle injury and subsequent canceled Weekend 2 headlining set that reportedly cost the iconic annual festival millions of dollars notwithstanding.

Coachella 2023 made history with headliners Bad Bunny and Blackpink, and the Coachella powers that be are surely already brainstorming how to one-up itself in 2024. We won’t know who next year’s headliners for a while still, but today (June 12), we at least learned the dates to circle on the calendar.

“Wherever you are, the desert isn’t far,” Coachella tweeted. “Coachella returns April 12-14 and April 19-21. Register now to access the 2024 Advance Sale beginning Friday, June 16 at 11 am PT at coachella.com.”

The official website provides loads of ticketing information, including the chosen platform (AXS). “Festival passes are valid for the full weekend (and only the weekend) you purchased,” it reads, additionally noting a payment plan option of $99 down at the initial checkout this week while the remaining balance can be paid off over six equally divided payments through this December.

There are also hotel packages and Safari Campground available to reserve now here. The accompanying shuttle passes will go on sale beginning this Friday, June 16 at 10 a.m. PT, but registration for access is available now.

Will Governors Ball Be Canceled Due To The Wildfire Smoke From Canada?

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New York City Smoke Air Canada Wildfire 2023
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The 2023 Governors Ball festival is currently set to go down this weekend, at New York City’s Flushing Meadows Corona Park from June 9 to 11. That sounds like a fun time, but at the moment, there’s a major problem: Smoke from an ongoing Canadian wildfire has made its way down to NYC, creating an eerie and dangerous environment. The skies are currently a hazy orange color and the city’s air quality has officially been deemed “hazardous.”

So, with that in mind: Has Gov Ball been canceled due to the wildfire smoke from Canada?

As of this afternoon (June 7), the festival has not been canceled or postponed and is set to proceed as scheduled. In a statement shared today, festival organizers said, “We’re closely monitoring the air quality with weather experts and are in close contact with city officials. As always, the health and safety of New Yorkers is our top priority. At this time, the festival is continuing as planned. We are hopeful that conditions will improve in the coming days and are looking forward to a great weekend!”

As the festival approaches, interested parties should keep an eye on the Governors Ball social media pages for the latest status updates (here’s their Twitter and Instagram).

Assuming Gov Ball does go on this weekend, find the set times here.

Governors Ball Organizers Are Monitoring New York City’s Dangerous Air Quality, But They Haven’t Canceled The Festival Yet

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New Yorkers and most of the Northeast are facing some seriously orange skies today as smoke from some Canadian fires filters down the coast. While most have been encouraged to stay inside and the city’s mayor calling it a “very unhealthy” air quality, it seems one NYC music festival is still hoping to run as scheduled this weekend.

The annual Governors Ball Music Festival is currently set for June 9 to 11 and have confirmed that they’re still hoping to welcome a bunch of fans to the festival grounds to see their favorite artists.

“We’re closely monitoring the air quality with weather experts and are in close contact with city officials,” a Governors Ball representative told Pitchfork. “As always, the health and safety of New Yorkers is our top priority. At this time, the festival is continuing as planned. We are hopeful that conditions will improve in the coming days and are looking forward to a great weekend!”

For reference, here’s a video taken in NYC today (June 7):

This is part of the festival’s pretty rough track record with battling the city’s weather throughout the years. In 2019, the festival had to be evacuated on the final day due to flooding from a storm. Three years prior in 2016, the fest’s Sunday run was outright canceled for a similar storm issue.

While they haven’t encountered poor weather in a few years, here’s hoping the smoke can clear up by then.

Gen-Z Is Drinking Less At Concerts And Venues Are Feeling The Hangover

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Gen-Z Is Drinking Less At Concerts And Venues Are Feeling The Hangover
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Millennials have been blamed for killing more than their fair share of legacy industries, but it’s the Zoomers’ turn to take the blame. According to a 2020 study reported by Billboard, gen-Z is drinking so much less at concerts that live venue owners are worried the hangover from the 2020 shutdown is going to keep giving them headaches, three years later.

According to Texas State University psychology professor Ty Schepis, who co-authored the 2020 study, alcohol consumption “has been declining in adolescents and in young adults for the past decade and a half, maybe even two decades.” Additionally, “the amount that people [in this cohort] drink when they do drink tends to be lower than it was in older generations. This is most obvious in Gen Z, but this is a continuation of a trend.”

The result has been a big drop in alcohol sales at clubs like Tucson’s Club Congress, whose owner David Slutes is quoted in Billboard‘s report. According to him, shows aimed at Gen Z brought in as much as 25% less than shows targeting older generations — which is wild when you consider some of the antics that have gone down at shows in the past year. Promoter Dayna Frank reported similar findings, saying, “One of the big trends we’re seeing is that Gen Z doesn’t drink as much. They’re either eating edibles before they come or there’s more of a sober, mental health [focus]… Most of the ticket price goes on to the band, so really what [venues] subsist on is beverages. That’s not going to be a sustainable revenue stream.”

Meanwhile, other owners or promoters cited by Billboard reported that alcohol sales, in general, have been down, regardless of age, and seemingly owing as much to the shows’ genres as anything else. Meanwhile, there may be a simpler explanation: Concertgoers, on the whole, have much less disposable income as prices for just about everything else — including (especially) tickets — go up and wages remain stagnant. There’s no doubt it’s a problem that doesn’t have an obvious or immediate situation. But it’s one that venues will need to solve if they want to remain solvent.

Leon Bridges And Miranda Lambert’s ‘If You Were Mine’ Video Contains A Mystical Veil Of Texas Magic

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Everything’s bigger in Texas, including the musicial collaborations. Miranda Lambert’s new single “If You Were Mine” featuring Leon Bridges is the latest example. On the track, the two Texas natives create magic as they blend together elements of country and R&B. Lambert hailing from Longview and Bridges from Fort Worth, the pair pay homage to the Lone Star State.

The Grammy Award-winning songwriter draws metaphors from across the country side, including the Frio River, as heard in the line, “I’d make sure your stars are shining / Sure as the Frio’s winding / I’d bottle you up like lightning / I’d rope the moon for you / A million times / That’s what I’d do / If you were mine.”

In a statement, Lambert gushed about her collaborator, saying, “I have been a big fan of Leon for a while because he is very authentic as an artist and I love his music.”

Later, the singer spoke about the hometown tribute throughout the lyrics, saying, “Since we are both from Texas, we threw in a few Texas references, of course – the Frio River being one. When we finished this song, we sent it to Leon in hopes that he would want to collaborate and we were so glad that he said yes. I have really enjoyed getting to know him and I’m happy to have him as a new friend.”

Watch the video above.