Xiami Music

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China Gets MQA Studio-Quality Audio Streaming With Alibaba's Xiami Music

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Xiami will be the first streaming service in China to adopt MQA, a technology already in use by Tidal to stream hi-res music
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jul 18, 2019 - 12:33 pm

In the latest high-res audio victory heard 'round the world, Alibaba Group's Xiami Music announced plans to become the first music streaming service in China to adopt MQA studio-quality audio. Implementation of this pioneering technology will make Xiami the audio quality leader in China.

True to its name, MQA delivers "master quality authenticated" music in a file small enough to stream, and is already in use by Tidal. MQA decoders can be found in high-end equipment the world over; its technology enables the highest quality playback of the original recording on all devices, from smartphones to high-end home audio systems.

Long Yang, Director of Xiami Music said in a statement, "We are very proud to be the first music service in China to offer MQA, as we continue to push the technological boundaries in pursuit of improved sound quality to benefit our music fans and all musicians on our platform."

MQA will be introduced into the SVIP tier of Xiami Music iOS and Android apps, and all users will be offered a free trial for a limited period to kick the tires before subscribing. Even before this high-quality audio streaming becomes an option, China had already become the fourth largest market for sales of MQA devices. Plus, Xiami has attracted over 40,000 independent musicians, and its library contains over 500 million playlists and 20 million songs the platform's new offering will have immediate impact.

Mike Jbara, MQA’s CEO, added, "MQA is a consumer-centric technology company, driven by a commitment to deliver the master recording all the way through to the music fan, wherever and however they choose to listen – and it was clear from our first meeting that the Xiami team shared our vision."

China's revitalized recorded revenue market currently ranks seventh in revenue internationally, due in part to the efforts of streaming services like Xiami. The country also ranks fourth in terms of music streaming income, behind only the U.S., the U.K. and Germany. Now, with high-quality streaming options becoming available to Chinese consumers, the digital revolution will sound better than ever for millions of music fans.

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Kim Shattuck

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Kim Shattuck, Singer/Songwriter & Co-Founder Of The Muffs, Dies At 56

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As a member of the Muffs, The Pandoras, The Coolies and Pixies, Shattuck was an influential figure in punk-rock and alternative music
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 3, 2019 - 10:58 am

Singer/songeriter and guitarist Kim Shattuck passed away Wednesday after a two-year battle with ALS disease (Also known as Lou Gehrig's disease). Over the past three decades, Shattuck made waves in the punk and indie rock scenes as co-founder of the Muffs and a member of the Pandoras, The Coolies and Pixies. Shattuck was 56.

"Besides being a brilliant songwriter, rocking guitarist and singer/screamer extrordinaire, Kim was a true force of nature," Roy McDonald & Ronnie Barnett of The Muffs said in a statement. "While battling ALS, Kim produced our last album, overseeing every part of the record from tracking to artwork. She was our best friend and playing her songs was an honor. Goodbye Kimba. We love you more than we could ever say." 

Heavily influenced by the Beatles, the Kinks and the Bangles' Sussanah Huff, Shattuck arrived on the L.A. punk scene as part of the Pandoras in the late '80s. She went on to fully realized her dreams and influences when she co-founded the Muffs, who released their self-titled debut in 1993, crafting powerful and catchy songs and delivering them with edge and earnesty that made her an underground indie icon. 

A prolific and unstoppable musical force, Shattuck also briefly joined Pixies, formed the supergroup The Beards, collaborated with White Flag, Bowling For Soup and NoFX, and even started a new group recenlty, The Coolies, who released a brand-new EP earlier this year called Uh Oh! It's... The Coolies.

The Muffs final album, No Holiday, is due out Oct. 18 on Omnivore Records. The label also issued a statement on Shattuck's remarkable life and tragic death. 

"All of us at Omnivore Recordings are devastated by the loss of our friend Kim Shattuck of The Muffs," the statement reads. "We’re thinking about all her friends and fans, especially her family and bandmates. Her creative fire will endure and inspire artists of tomorrow. We’re so grateful to have been in the audience and to have played a small part in getting more of her music out into the world." 

Legendary Opera Singer Jessye Norman Dies At 74

 

Serj Tankian of System Of A Down

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System Of A Down Plot 2020 European Tour

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On the heels of a few overseas festival appearance announcements, the GRAMMY-winning band has revealed plans to tour Europe next June and July
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 1, 2019 - 5:51 pm

System Of A Down's gradual return continues, as the band has announced a string of 2020 European tour dates. The run will kickoff June 3 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and touch down in 12 countries in all, wrapping at VOA Heavy Rock Festival in Lisbon, Portugal one month later.

The new European trek comes just after the GRAMMY-winning band revealed they will make several major festival appearances overseas, including Download Festival in England and Nova Rock Festival in Austria.

In May of this year, the band reunited for Sonic Temple in Colombus, Ohio, and while it's been 14 years since their most recent album, the double-LP Mesmerize/Hypnotize, the band has reportedly been working on new music off and on since 2011.

SOAD earned their first GRAMMY nomination in 2001 for "Chop Suey!" for Best Metal Performance. Four years later, they took home their first GRAMMY win for "B.Y.O.B." from Mezmerize for Best Hard Rock Performance. Their most recent nomination came one year later for Best Hard Rock Performance for "Lonely Day" from Hypnotize.

Tickets for the newly announced shows go on-sale Friday, Oct. 4 at 10 a.m. local time. For more info visit the band's website.

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Huey Lewis

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Huey Lewis And The News Drop First New Single In A Decade With "Her Love Is Killing Me"

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The '80s pop-rock icons are back with the first new song from their forthcoming LP, due out in 2020
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Sep 26, 2019 - 10:23 am

Few voices or sounds in rock and roll can transport you back in time as fast as Huey Lewis And The News. Now the GRAMMY-winning group have returned with a new single, "Her Love Is Killing Me," their first new song in 10 years.

The snappy song harkens back to the signature pop-rock sonics of the band's '80s megahits, adding a coat of soul to their catchy sound with touches of of their most recent recording effort, 2010's Stax Records tribute album Soulsville.

"Her Love Is Killing Me" is also the first song off Huey Lewis And The News' forthcoming album. The LP title has not been revealed, but its release is expected in 2020 and will mark the band' first album of original songs since 2001's Plan B.

“We were in no hurry with these songs,” Lewis said in a statement. “The more we road-tested them the tighter they got, and I think we ended up with some of our best work.”

Just last year, Lewis was forced to cancel the band's 40-date tour due to hearing loss and subsequent diagnosis of Meniere’s disease. 

After five career GRAMMY nominations, Huey Lewis And The News won their first career GRAMMY in 1985 for Best Music Video, Long Form for "Heart Of Rock 'n' Roll at the 28th GRAMMY Awards.

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Christopher Rouse

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Christopher Rouse, GRAMMY And Pulitzer Prize-Winning Composer And Teacher, Dies At 70

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During his celebrated career, Rouse was commissioned by the New York and Los Angeles philharmonics, the London Symphony Orchestra, his hometown Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and many more
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Sep 23, 2019 - 11:38 am

Christopher Rouse, a GRAMMY and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and educator, died Saturday due to complications from kidney cancer. He was 70.

Born Feb. 15, 1949, in Baltimore, Rouse began composing at age 7 and honed his craft studying at Oberlin Conservatory and Cornell University. He earned a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1976 and began teaching composition at University of Michigan.

Rouse's went on to have his work was performed by every major orchestra in the U.S. and many more abroad, and he was commissioned by the New York and Los Angeles philharmonics, the London Symphony Orchestra, his hometown his hometown Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and many more.

In 1993, he won the Pulitzer Prize in music for his Trombone Concerto, dedicated to the late GRAMMY-winning composer Leonard Bernstein. He also eaned the GRAMMY for Best Classical Contemporary Composition for Rouse: Concert De Gaudí For Guitar & Orchestra at 2001's 44th GRAMMY Awards.

Boosey & Hawkes, Rouse's publisher, called him “one of America’s greatest orchestral voices," pointing to the, “Extreme emotional depth and colorful orchestration" in his work, which "reflected his insatiable curiosity for music from across Western music history to popular rock.”

A beloved educator and mentor, Rouse shared his talents and insight with an entire generation of young composers, teaching composition for over 20 years at The Juilliard School and at the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University. His final composition, Symphony No. 6, is scheduled to premiere Oct. 18-19 with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Louis Langrée.

Rouse is survived by his wife, two children,,and three grandchildren. His musical legacy looms large in the compositions he created and the composer he taught and mentored in his lifetime.

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