Weird Al Yankovic in 2017

"Weird Al" Yankovic

Photo: Jason LaVeris/Getty Images

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"Weird Al" Yankovic Announces "Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour"

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The comedy singer has a surprising new concept planned for his 2018 U.S. tour
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
Oct 12, 2017 - 11:35 am

4-time GRAMMY winner "Weird Al" Yankovic's live shows are well-known for their high production value.

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The comedy singer and purveyor of parodies often employs huge props and carefully-timed theatrical gags. However, just today, when Yankovic announced his new tour on Facebook, he revealed that all of that will change when he hits the road in 2018.

"If you’ve really got your heart set on seeing fat suits and Segways and hearing all your favorite parodies… this probably isn’t the tour for you," Yankovic explains in the post. "I know that there’s a small but enthusiastic subset of fans that literally have been waiting decades for this kind of a show, so… this tour is for them."

The full list of show dates for what Yankovic is calling "The Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour" will be announced tomorrow, Oct. 13 on Yankovic's website.

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'2018 GRAMMY Nominees' Album: Pre-Order Now

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24th edition of the best-selling series to feature music by top nominees from the 60th GRAMMY Awards; pre-order the album to enter a chance to attend Music's Biggest Night
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
Nov 20, 2017 - 6:30 am

The 2018 GRAMMY Nominees Album commemorating the 60th GRAMMY Awards is officially set for release on Jan. 12, 2018.

Featuring music from the nominees in consideration for the 60th GRAMMY Awards, the album will be compiled by the Recording Academy in partnership with RCA Records.

The album will be available for pre-order starting on Black Friday, Nov. 24, during the Recording Academy’s "GRAMMYs Greatest Stories: A 60th Anniversary Special" on CBS, starting at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Music fans can log on to 2018grammyalbum.com to secure their pre-order, and also enter for a chance to win a trip for two to the 60th GRAMMY Awards on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Proceed from the album sales with benefit the charitable efforts of the GRAMMY Museum and MusiCares.

"We are pleased to partner with RCA Records to showcase a unique collection of GRAMMY-nominated tracks on one album," said Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow in a statement. "This is always a rewarding project for the Academy, as we not only offer one lucky winner a chance to attend the 60th GRAMMY Awards in New York City, but we also donate a portion of album sales to music education programs and music people in need through MusiCares and the GRAMMY Museum.”

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Facebook For Creators, 2017

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Facebook Unveils New Creators Tools For Independent Brand Development

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The new tools expand the functionality of Facebook Live and position Facebook Stories to better compete with Snapchat
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
Nov 17, 2017 - 12:41 pm

Bands, lifestyle brands, and other independent creators may soon get a leg up in the world, thanks to a new suite of tools unveiled on Facebook today: the Facebook Creators app.

Aimed at servicing content creators and rising movers-and-shakers in creative industries, the new app provides a host of expanded plugins for Facebook users' Brand or Public Person pages, all of which can be used directly from their phone or mobile device.

Perhaps the most exciting addition is the introduction of the Live Creative Kit, which provides exclusive tools for users to tailor the brand experience of their Facebook Live broadcasts by adding custom intro/outro bumpers, graphic frames that can be displayed during the livestream, and custom live stickers that users can select to interact with the broadcast in unique and brand-specific manner.

All Live Creative Kit features will be easily accessible directly from the user's smartphone or mobile device, and will integrate with a newly added suite of camera and frames to expand the functionality of  Facebook Stories to align more closely (read: better compete with) rival apps like Snapchat.

On the back-end of the site, creators and brand/community managers will be able to enjoy a new Community Tab, which features a unified inbox capable of centralizing all Facebook/Instagram comments and direct messages from Messenger into a single communications portal, as well as expanded Insights data for tracking and building fan engagement.

Alongside the new tools, Facebook has also rolled out a new learning resource they're calling Facebook For Creators, which will field new users Frequently Asked Questions and host articles and videos aimed at providing "tips on how to create great videos, connect with fans, and grow on Facebook."

In a statement about their new services, reps for Facebook said, "We are just getting started, and look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with creators to make their experience on Facebook even better."

Facebook Creators app is currently only available on iOS devices, but the company plans to roll out Android support as well in the coming months.

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Listen Better: Sonos Announces New Music Advocacy Initiative

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The new initiative will see grants totaling $1.5 million awarded to organizations that work to fight music censorship and defend artists' digital rights
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
Oct 27, 2017 - 4:25 pm

Sonos CEO Patrick Spence posted an open letter on the company's website yesterday, announcing Sonos would be undertaking a new $1.5 million initiative aimed at supporting advocacy efforts to enforce and protect the rights of musicians.

The announcement comes on the heels of the first release of Sonos' new smart speaker, which notably included a more artist-centered approach to branding and promotional rollout than Google and Amazon took with their competing devices.

The first recipients of grants from Sonos under the Listen Better initiative include groups supporting the fight against music censorship, public arts nonprofits and pro-artist lobbying groups. Sonos will accept grant applications from any interested companies anywhere in the world.

Speaking on the impetus for the new initiative, Spence commented, "Too many artists face barriers to free expression and others can be jailed or even killed for merely sharing their songs over the internet. Communities lack space and resources to ensure all musicians can be heard."

Representatives from the first companies to receive Sonos grants praised the new initiative, with David Heinemann, head of fellowship at Index on Censorship applauding, "We stand proudly alongside Sonos in supporting those who strive to be heard."

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What's Google Doing About Piracy Sites?

Phot: NurPhoto/Getty Images

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Google Removes 3 Billion-Plus Piracy Links From Search Results

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See what Google is doing to help support the ongoing fight against copyright infringement and music piracy
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
Oct 19, 2017 - 2:43 pm

Part of the ongoing battle against web-based digital music piracy hubs is making sure that it's as difficult as possible for people looking to download music illegally to find and access websites known for committing blatant acts of copyright infringement.

Earlier this month, the RIAA released its annual list of "notorious" sites, which lays out the targets it believes to be the biggest offenders. These include stream-ripping sites, mp3 search/download sites, BitTorrent indexes, cyberlockers, and unlicensed pay-for-download sites.

However, the added scrutiny on these sites does little to lessen their ability to disseminate copyrighted material illegally as long as they remain easily accessible.

However, reporting organizations such as Rivendell and BPI work on behalf of record labels and music creators to closely monitor the chief offenders and submit takedown requests to Google on behalf of license holders. Thanks largely to their efforts, Google has now removed more 3 billion infringing links from its search results.

Obviously, the infringing sites themselves remain accessible if users know which URLs to follow, but the first step in stemming their widespread use is to limit their visibility.

But what's the next step? BPI CEO Geoff Taylor laid out his thoughts in a statement reported on by Digital Music News: "Other intermediaries should follow this lead and take more responsibility to work with creators to reduce the proliferation of illegal links and disrupt the ability of illegal sites to capture consumers and build black market businesses that take money away from creators."

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