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GRAMMYs

BTS

Bauzen/GC Images via Getty Images

News
BTS Invite You To BANG BANG CON The Live bts-invite-you-their-online-live-concert-bang-bang-con-live-june-14

BTS Invite You To Their Online Live Concert BANG BANG CON The Live On June 14

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The global music stars are coming to you live in June from their room
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
May 14, 2020 - 11:06 am

 

BTS would like to formally invite you to their online live concert BANG BANG CON The Live on June 14. The performance will take fans into their room for a 90-minute experience. 

The announcement, made Thursday, May 14, revealed that the pay-to-watch concert will happen at 5 a.m. EST/ 2 a.m. PST. More details surrounding the event will be released soon, a press statement said.

https://twitter.com/weverseofficial/status/1260781942267695104

BANGBANGCON The Live' will be on #WeverseShop for pre-order starting 1 Jun, 1 PM (KST)!

Stay tuned for another exciting and lifelike BTS concert experience in your room with the brand-new multi-view feature!

🎵 Concert: 14 Jun, 6 PM (KST)

More info👉https://t.co/k86vmNE5xj pic.twitter.com/Hx1UCRyBwe

— Weverse (@weverseofficial) May 14, 2020

Recently, the "Boy With Luv" singers announced the cancelation of their Map of the Soul 2020 World Tour due to the pandemic and said new dates would come once it's safe to hold live concerts again.

While the pandemic may be making it impossible for BTS to perform for their fans, they are finding ways to entertain them, nonetheless. The group is also set to appear on YouTube's "Dear Class of 2020" on June 6 and perform at the after-party event. The commencement ceremony for high school and college graduates will also feature Barack and Michelle Obama, Malala Yousafzai, former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and CEO of Google and Alphabet Sundar Pichai. Before the tour cancelation, BTS made fans happy in mid-April with a broadcast of previous concerts.

According to Weverse, the concert will be available to order starting June 1 p.m. Korean time. More info at the Weverse website. 

WATCH LIST: Online Concerts From Prince To Kaskade To Catch During Coronavirus Quarantine

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GRAMMYs

Massive Attack 

Photo: Marco Prosch/Getty Images

News
Block By Blockwest Fest: Massive Attack & More minecrafts-block-blockwest-virtual-fest-feature-massive-attack-fever-333-pussy-riot

Minecraft's Block By Blockwest Virtual Fest To Feature Massive Attack, Fever 333, Pussy Riot & More

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The virtual event will raise money for the CDC Foundation's COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Apr 24, 2020 - 1:09 pm

Update: According to a representative of the festival, Block by Blockwest experienced an overload to their servers on the day of the event due to a larger-than-expected online turnout. The event has since been rescheduled to Saturday, May 16. According to a post on the event's website and the representative, the festival met its VIP donation goal of $5,000 in less than an hour, which has since been donated to COVID-19 relief initiatives.

Minecraft's virtual music festival Block by Blockwest will feature Massive Attack, Fever 333, Pussy Riot, IDLES, Cherry Glazerr and more on Saturday, April 25.

The acts will perform inside the Minecraft video game fest starting at 3 p.m. ET/ 12 p.m. PT. The event will raise money for the CDC Foundation's COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. 

The Wrecks, Oliver Francis, Phil Good, Citizen and Hunny are among the other acts. 

Organizers want festival attendees to experience a virtual music fest that brings them together through some of the ways they would at real-life music fests including three virtual stages. 

"Block by Blockwest aims to forge a hub of human connectivity in this time of social distancing through livestream acts, competitive mini games, a vast art gallery featuring rising fine artists as well as a handful of other features for the festival goer to explore," the fest said in a tutorial video explaining how the event will work. 

The tutorial said fest-goers will need to purchase the Minecraft Java Edition to join. 

Block by Blockwest is among the music livestream events deciding to take viewers into a virtual video game world. This week, Travis Scott premiered a song and launched a tour on another video game platform, Fortnite. 

To see the full lineup and stream Block by Blockwest, go to the event's website here. 

Lizzo Talks Creative Process, Standing Out In The Music Industry & More With GRAMMY U | Up Close & Personal

BTS

BTS

Photo: Jason LaVeris /Getty Images

News
BTS Announce 2020 At-Home Concert Streaming Series bts-announce-2020-online-home-concert-streaming-series-bang-bang-con

BTS Announce At-Home Concert Streaming Series, "BANG BANG CON"

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The international K-pop icons will stream a series of previous concerts across two days on April 18 and 19
Onaje McDowelle
GRAMMYs
Apr 9, 2020 - 3:38 pm

International pop stars BTS have officially announced an upcoming at-home concert series, "BANG BANG CON." Beginning at 12 p.m. Korean Standard Time on Saturday, April 18, the series of concerts dating back as far as 2014, will be available to stream for fans around the world who are stuck at home under mass quarantining and social distancing mandates.

On the streaming event’s opening night next Saturday, the beloved Map of the Soul: 7 singers will show performances including ‘BTS 2014 Live Trilogy: Episode II The Red Bullet (2014 Memories)’, ‘2015 BTS Live On Stage’ and ‘2016 BTS Live On Stage: Epilogue’. The following day, (Sunday, April 19) will host four additional shows to round out the marathon, including ‘2017 BTS Live Trilogy Episode III The Wings Tour in Seoul’, ‘BTS World Tour ‘Love Yourself’ Seoul’ and others.

With the online concert experience, BTS encourages viewers to “spend a couple of spring days, comfy at home with BANG BANG CON.”

The full concert lineup is listed below:

https://twitter.com/bts_bighit/status/1248265665623908352

BTS Concert At Home
🔍BANG.BANG.CON🔎

Coming Soon! #BANGBANGCON #BTS_concert_at_home pic.twitter.com/C95Ba0eGBK

— BTS_official (@bts_bighit) April 9, 2020

Fans can catch concerts streaming on YouTube here.

WATCH LIST: Livestreaming Concerts From SOFI TUKKER To Neil Young To Catch During Coronavirus Quarantine

Bandcamp

Bandcamp

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Musicians Earn $4.3 Million From Bandcamp musicians-earn-43-million-bandcamp-nearly-800000-items-sold-friday

Musicians Earn $4.3 Million From Bandcamp With Nearly 800,000 Items Sold On Friday

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"On a typical Friday, fans buy about 47,000 items on Bandcamp, but this past Friday, fans bought nearly 800,000, or $4.3 million worth of music and merch"
Rachel Brodsky
GRAMMYs
Mar 23, 2020 - 12:34 pm

Last Friday, March 20, in an effort to help artists impacted by coronavirus-related concert cancelations, music discovery and streaming platform Bandcamp waived its revenue shares for 24 hours, with a number of independent record labels following suit. 

Now, according to a statement from Bandcamp co-founder Ethan Diamond, the streaming platform has reportedly had its biggest sales day ever, with nearly 800,000 items sold. 

Last Friday, fans spent $4.3 million—15x a normal day of sales—in support of artists on Bandcamp https://t.co/ElpCIN3s4f

— bandcamp (@Bandcamp) March 23, 2020

"The numbers tell a remarkable story," Diamond wrote today (Monday, March 23). "On a typical Friday, fans buy about 47,000 items on Bandcamp, but this past Friday, fans bought nearly 800,000, or $4.3 million worth of music and merch. That’s more than 15 times our normal Friday, and at the peak, fans were buying 11 items per second.

"We don’t yet know the long-term impact of Covid-19, but we know that we all need music—to uplift and inspire us, to heal us, and to give us hope,” the message continues. “We’ll continue working to make Bandcamp the best place for fans and artists to come together and sustain each other in the challenging times ahead. Thank you again, and we wish you all good health!”

In support of keeping the music community alive and thriving, you can also donate to the MusiCares COVID-19 relief fund here.

MORE RESOURCES FOR MUSIC CREATORS & PROFESSIONALS:

Resources For Music Creators & Professionals Affected By COVID-19: West Region
Resources For Music Creators & Professionals Affected By COVID-19: East Region
Resources For Music Creators & Professionals Affected By COVID-19: South Region

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"Hamilton"-themed "I Voted" stickers

Photo: Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

News
Election 2020: The Issues Affecting Musicians election-2020-artists-speak-out-issues-impacting-musicians-voting-season

Election 2020: Artists Speak Out On The Importance Of Copyright, Musicians' Rights And Relief Efforts This Voting Season

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GRAMMY.com spoke to a number of artists and musicians about some of the most pressing issues impacting the music community this election cycle
Crystal A. Frost
GRAMMYs
Nov 2, 2020 - 9:53 pm

This week, Americans will decide on the next president of the United States, and musicians across the country are among the hundreds of millions of lives that will be impacted by the outcome. In a recent article, which cited industry executives on both sides of the aisle, Billboard broke down what's at stake for musicians in this upcoming election cycle, underscoring copyright as the most important policy issue in the music business right now. Since the copyright industries collectively contribute more than $1 trillion dollars annually to the Gross Domestic Product, many members of the music community might therefore assume this to be the big-ticket issue that could help them decide between candidates. Unfortunately, though, it's not that simple. 

"While there is no shortage of issues that differentiate Trump and Biden, music is generally not one of them," Daryl Friedman, the Recording Academy's Chief Advocacy Officer, told Billboard. The fact is, both Joe Biden and Donald Trump share very similar views on copyright and have pro-music policies on their records, making it very difficult for undecided voters in the music community to choose a candidate based on copyright policy alone. 

Ahead of the 2020 Election, GRAMMY.com spoke to a number of artists and musicians about some of the most pressing issues impacting the music community this voting season.

https://twitter.com/GRAMMYAdvocacy/status/1308478685503258624

🗓 Early voting?
📬 Mail-in ballots?
📍Polling locations?

📲 Register, get your ballot, and learn more about #MusicVotes: https://t.co/NyyQsII7qD #VoteReady pic.twitter.com/amp0dhxCD5

— GRAMMY Advocacy (@GRAMMYAdvocacy) September 22, 2020

Pandemic Music Rights

Many musicians and industry professionals show tremendous concern over the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has directly impacted the music industry in drastic ways. In fact, when Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris took to Instagram Live with artists Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish and Selena Gomez in October, the pandemic was central to their conversations. The inability to tour has proven particularly devastating for the careers of indie musicians, and the same goes for indie music venues, which are struggling to survive

Read: Sacred Spaces: Rufus Wainwright, YUNGBLUD, Keb' Mo' And Others Reflect On The Independent Venues And Clubs That Changed Their Lives

"The lack of a national strategy has not just meant live music venues across the country being shut down, but many having to shut their doors permanently," one Los Angeles music venue manager tells GRAMMY.com. "Many big venues will be fine, but what does that mean for small businesses?"

Tour Stop(ped): Honest Talk With Touring Artists

The Recording Academy has worked closely with lawmakers and policy makers, including in the Trump Administration, on relief efforts to support the music ecosystem, and it continues to advocate for a substantial relief package—inclusive of funding for musicians, venues, studios and other music small businesses affected by the pandemic.

According to Ruth Vitale, CEO of CreativeFuture, piracy has also worsened since the pandemic, as Americans find it increasingly more difficult to pay for streaming services. "In a time when few can work, piracy cuts into the already reduced legitimate revenue streams from our creations, exacerbating our economic challenges," she explains in a letter to Joe Biden last month.

Indie pop duo Flora Cash expresses similar concerns for the music industry amid the pandemic. "The music industry as a whole is in a really tough spot right now due to the situation around COVID-19, and some real help is going to be needed, especially for live music venues that have not been able to open for almost the entirety of 2020," they told GRAMMY.com in a joint statement. 

Music Rights

When asked what issues matter most to her this voting season, GRAMMY-nominated songwriter and R&B artist Victoria Monét addressed musicians' rights. "There are [policies in place] that don't reflect the way today's music is consumed or accurately accommodate creatives in general," she tells GRAMMY.com. "Among many other political issues, fair and equal pay for songwriters is very important to me." 

Monét's point is supported by many musicians who argue that the payout to artists, songwriters and producers from streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music is too low, especially given the significant role the copyright industry plays in our economy. 

"The core copyright industries are an important economic driver for our country, employing 5.7 million Americans and contributing more than $1.3 trillion to the Gross Domestic Product," CreativeFuture's Vitale shares in her October letter to Biden. "[This is] more than aerospace, agriculture, or pharmaceuticals."

Read: How ONE Musicfest Is Engaging Voters In 2020: "The Underlying Message Is To Get Folks To The Polls"

Musicians' rights are a hallmark of the Recording Academy's advocacy efforts. Just recently, Academy Trustee Yolanda Adams testified in front of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and earlier in 2020, the Academy's Chair and Interim President/CEO Harvey Mason jr. spoke to the same committee about the importance of establishing a terrestrial radio performance right for artists. The Academy will continue to advocate for fair pay for artists and creators in a more inclusive and modern copyright system.

Fortunately, both candidates have expressed similarly strong views on the issue of copyright. In 2018, President Trump signed into law the Music Modernization Act (MMA)—the most significant update to music licensing in a generation, with significant support from the Recording Academy and its members. President Trump also recently signed the USMCA, which included a number of substantial pro-copyright modifications.  

And as Billboard recently reported, Vice President Biden has a long and verifiable track record in supporting pro-copyright policies, citing his eight years as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "Look, piracy is outright theft," Biden said in 2011. "People are out there blatantly stealing from Americans - stealing their ideas and robbing us of America's creative energies. There's no reason why we should treat intellectual property any different than tangible property." (The Recording Academy honored Biden at the 2011 GRAMMYs on the Hill Awards in Washington, D.C.)

Delving further into the candidate's track records reveals that Joe Biden was behind the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, which was responsible for millions of dollars going back into the pockets of musicians and arts organizations that were impacted by the economic crash of 2009. "ARRA supplemented my income so that I could continue Chorus America," GRAMMY-winning choral conductor Peter Rutenberg tells GRAMMY.com. 

Despite widespread criticism of the Trump Administration's handling of the pandemic, they haven't left musicians completely empty-handed either. At the urging of the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 , which was signed by President Trump, took steps to help musicians combat the economic challenges spurred by the pandemic by temporarily allowing gig workers to apply for unemployment assistance.

Funding The Arts

As for the classical community, one of the primary concerns for voters is the funding of the arts. "I am deeply concerned for the arts in America," Stephen Williamson, principal clarinetist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, tells GRAMMY.com. "We are usually the first genre to be cut from schools and/or underfunded by the government."  "I sincerely hope that our country sees the need for the arts in the enrichment of the human spirit ... something that all people are truly craving in light of this pandemic." 

The Recording Academy annually submits testimony to the House of Representatives and Senate in support of additional funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). As part of Congress' response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Academy successfully advocated for the establishment of a $75 million supplemental fund for the NEA to help struggling creators as part of the CARES Act.

Your Voice Matters

From Black Lives Matter to the environment, the list of issues that matter to the music community is vast. Ultimately, Americans must decide for themselves what issues matter most and why. No matter who you support, musicians and music-lovers alike are encouraged to get to the polls on Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 3) if you haven't yet cast your ballot via the #MusicVotes campaign. You can visit the Recording Academy's election page for voting resources and additional information to make your vote matter.

"It's important for everyone, not just musicians, to get out and vote," GRAMMY-nominated film composer Bruce Broughton tells GRAMMY.com. Broughton, who is known for such film scores as Tombstone, Young Sherlock Holmes and Moonwalker, believes there is more at stake in this election than ever before. "This year, the choice is big, and the repercussions of that choice will be bigger. I don't see anyone not being [affected] by whichever side wins this year."

Are You Ready To Vote? Design Your Voting Plan With #MusicVotes Campaign

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Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.