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The Future of Concerts

For many music fans, concerts are the epitome of the listening experience. They are a chance to hear and see their favorite artists live, all while feeding off the high-energy the artist and the other fans bring. And for the artists, concerts are an integral part of making music. Concerts provide them with a live, exciting platform to perform their music, as well as an essential revenue stream. According to an article from TorrentFreak, live performances typically account for 28% of a musician’s income stream. 

Given the current global situation, many concerts that were meant to happen this year have been either postponed or canceled. With the guidelines we need to follow to ensure everyone’s safety, the typical concert experience does not seem very feasible. So what does the future of concerts look like? 

On May 18, the first socially distanced concert in the US occurred in Arkansas. Travis McCready performed a set at Temple Live in Fort Smith. The venue has a usual capacity of 1,100 people, but it was reduced down to 229 people. Additionally, the concert attendees had to wear face masks during the show and they had their temperature taken before they could enter the premise. Once inside, the separate groups were arranged in clusters with a safe distance between them and other groups. 

Another option for hosting concerts during the current pandemic is drive-in concerts. These concerts have the same premise as drive-in movie theaters, which have been seeing a resurgence in popularity recently. Essentially, concertgoers would drive into the venue and watch the performance from inside their cars. One musician, Marc Rebillet, has already announced a drive-in concert tour for this summer. 

It’s going to be a while before concerts go back to the sweaty, mosh-pit experiences we are all accustomed to, but for now, we can at least try and support our favorite artists in other ways and enjoy the alternative concert experiences everyone is working so hard to create. 

Make sure to listen to your favorite artists right here on Dash Radio! 

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How To Support Your Favorite Artists Right Now

Times are tough for everyone right now, but one group being hit especially hard is musicians. The majority of their revenue (one source mentions the average figure to be 28%) comes from live performances and merch sales made at those live events. Given the current pandemic, this revenue stream has turned virtually non-existent.

While there are creative concert alternatives popping up, they are not proving to be lucrative enough to make up for the revenue that is being lost right now. So how can you help our favorite artists during this time?

The first thing you can do is listen to your favorite artist’s music. The most direct method of support is actually buying their music, but if you don’t want to do that, streaming also helps immensely. While at first it might seem counterintuitive, streaming figures have actually decreased during the quarantine. This is due to the loss of daily commutes, multiple people in a home streaming the same things, and more time spent consuming other media forms such as news or television.

You should also take advantage of social media and make sure to follow and interact with your favorite artist’s social media accounts. You can also share your favorite musicians and songs with your followers and try to spread awareness of their music to get them more listens.

There are also funds being set up to help struggling artists that you can donate to. One charity, Help Musicians UK, which has over £2.5 million, is set to run out of money in just five days. This dire fact shows just how much need there is for assistance right now. Some other funds supporting musicians include the Sweet Relief Fund, the Musicares Fund set up by the Grammys, and the Artist Relief Fund.

And make sure to listen to and support your favorite artists right here on Dash Radio!

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The Grammys Announce Major Changes To Rap & R&B Categories

The Grammy Awards is a presentation ceremony held by the Recording Academy that recognizes musical achievements. The first Grammy Awards was held in 1959, and twenty-eight awards were presented. In the past sixty-one years of the award ceremony, many changes have been made in terms of the actual ceremony, the number of awards presented, and the categories. 

In light of the murder of George Floyd, the nationwide protests, and the recent increased prominence of the Black Lives Matters movement in the media, many people have been calling for companies to take actions in support of the movement. The Grammys have unfortunately previously come under fire before for snubbing black artists and not adapting to the current times. 

Most notably, in 2017 Drake’s song “Hotline Bling” was nominated for Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Performance even though it is not a rap song. In response to this and “One Dance” not being nominated for Record of the Year, Drake did not attend the awards ceremony. Additionally, in the same year, Adele’s 25 won Album of the Year over Beyoncé’s Lemonade. In her acceptance speech, Adele even mentioned how monumental Lemonade was, and said that Beyoncé’s album should have won over hers.  

Well, in response to all of this, the Recording Academy released a press release on Wednesday, June 10 announcing changes that will “go into effect immediately” for the future Grammy Awards. These changes include the renaming of the Best Urban Contemporary Album award to Best Progressive R&B Album, the renaming of the Best Rap/Sung Performance category into Best Melodic Rap Performance, and more. 

The emphasis of the changes was mainly on the usage of the word “urban,” which Tyler, The Creator has previously commented as being “just [a] politically correct way to say the N-word” and place all “the guys that look like me” into the same category while almost ignoring and simplifying his “genre-bending” work. Last week, Republic Records announced that it would stop using the term “urban” to “not adhere to the outdated structures of the past” and urged the rest of the music industry to follow suit. 

To learn more and support the movement, listen to Dash Radio’s Fight The Power Radio here, we will continue to organize benefit streams to raise awareness and funds.

#BlackLivesMatter

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Kanye West Is Officially A Billionaire, Highest Paid Musician

Kanye West is now officially both the world’s highest-paid musician and a billionaire, according to Forbes. 

Earlier this month, Forbes released the 2020 edition of one of its infamous lists, “The World’s Highest-Paid Celebrities.” West comes in at number two on the list, right behind his sister-in-law Kylie Jenner, with yearly earnings of $170 million. Most of this money comes from West’s sneaker contract with Adidas, which is in total worth approximately $1.26 billion, granting him the title of billionaire. 

Of course, giving West the title of “World’s Highest-Paid Musician” might be a bit controversial, given most of his money comes from his Yeezy sneaker line with Adidas. The next musician on the list is Elton John, who comes in at number fourteen, with $81 million in yearly earnings. John’s very successful Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour grossed $212 million in 2019. 

The following two musical artists on the list are also there as a result of their tours. Ariana Grande comes in at number seventeen on the list with yearly earnings of $72 million, and the Jonas Brothers are three places behind at number 20 with combined yearly earnings of $68.5 million. 

But regardless of how West finally reached billionaire verification by Forbes, a title he has been publicly vying for, it is clear that he has a significant amount of wealth. While the final estimates by Forbes were one-third of what West was initially boasting to the magazine publication, that still leaves him with an estimated worth of $1.26 billion. There is no question that West has been extremely successful, both in his musical career and other ventures. 

Listen to all your favorite Kanye West tracks and more of the Hip-Hop you love on Dash Hip-Hop X! 

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Anderson .Paak Releases Powerful Visual For New Single “Lockdown”

Aftermath’s very own Anderson .Paak returned with a new single last week “Lockdown” the release was accompanied by a moving music video.

The video was directed by Dave Meyers who started his career shooting videos for E-40 & others as early as 1997. More recently Dave Meyers has directed Kendrick Lamars award-winning “Humble” music video. “Lockdown” fits in that same vein of being a powerful music video filled with strong imagery.

The new single finds Anderson singing and rapping about the current protests and everything we’re seeing on the news. He begins the song/chorus singing “You should’ve been Downtown, The people are rising”. This sentiment is expressed throughout the entire song. While painting the picture of the harsh realities we are facing today .Paak is able to bring light to one beautiful aspect of the situation exclaiming that “The people are rising.”

Not only is “Lockdown” incredibly catchy but the lyrics are extremely raw and honest. The verses are rapped from the perspective of a protestor. By the end of the song, Anderson addresses the rubber bullets, tear gas, looting, and everything else we’re seeing on the news.

The R&B crooner never fails to deliver and he went above & beyond on “Lockdown” embodying the voice of the frustrated youth behind a soothing jazzy instrumental. The visuals amplify the message and feature cameo’s from Jay Rock, SiR, Syd the Kid & more.

The music video features a guest verse from Jay Rock which is delivered in poetic fashion. The interesting part about this verse is it’s not featured on the song rather only in the music video.

As the protests continue we will continue to empower those protesting through our Fight The Power Radio station. We have organized 3 benefit streams and have more coming soon.

Hear “Lockdown” and all the best protest songs on Fight The Power Radio powered by Dash Radio.

 

 

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The Philando Castile Fight The Power Benefit Stream

Today beginning at 4 PM PST on our Twitch channel we are airing our Philando Castile Fight The Power Benefit Stream.

Over the last few weeks, we have organized benefit streams in honor of George Floyd & Breonna Taylor, opening discussions on the protests, systematic racism, the trauma of being Black in America, and we dove into the healing process.

Hosted by Zo Williams alongside guest hosts we intend to open up discussions that will guide us towards a better tomorrow. With the inclusion of poetry, DJs, and artists we intent to create a special that will live on forever in honor of those we have lost over the years to senseless violence and abuse of power.

This week we are tackling the issues of policing the Black community & we want to dive into the #DefundThePolice debate. Zo will be joined by the Honorable Judge Hanif Johnson. Hanif at the age of 28 is the youngest judge elected in Pennsylvania history.

Joining our hosts will be a set of speakers including Philando’s mother Valerie Castile, John Rose, attorney to Rick Ross & Kanye West, civil rights attorney Ludlow Creary, and others.

All proceeds from the benefit stream will go the Philando Castile Relief Foundation.

Please join us from 4 PM  – 8 PM PT.

Artists joining include:

DJ Inspire, Yasmin Williams, Louie Tha Profit, Prince Riley, & more!

To watch go to our Twitch channel.

https://www.twitch.tv/dashradio

To hear the audio stream join us on Fight The Power Radio.

https://dashradio.com/ftp

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Marcellus releases hype new single “Tha Gritz”

Houston has been a melting pot for hip-hop culture for decades, with groups like UGK and Facemob to artist movements like Travis Scott, Mike Jones, Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Megan Thee Stallion, and more. Following in that lineage is Marcellus Juvann, a multi-talented artist from North Houston who is both a producer and songwriter.

Gearing up for his upcoming EP campaign due out this summer, Marcellus releases a hype single separate from that project titled “Tha Grtiz.” This self-produced track is his ode to the southern culture, particularly Houston, that he was raised in. When speaking on “Tha Gritz,” Marcellus states, “I grew up in the peak of southern hip-hop, where its identity was about being as flashy as you can. But that doesn’t define me, I want to be a new face of Houston hip-hop and shift that narrative.”

Hoping to forge his own path through the culture, Marcellus has been on the right path. Four projects into his short-spanned career, Marcellus has already received high praise from outlets like Pigeons & Planes, Lyrical Lemonade, Earmilk, and more. Pigeons & Planes stated, “Marcellus’ music is the chronicle of a young man making his way to reach the masses, meeting all the unavoidable vicissitudes along the way, and Page 1 of 2 addressing them in his music.” This was in their Daily Discovery feature that highlights newly discovered artists that they’re excited about. Being smooth and gritty with the sounds he’s creating, Marcellus’ music is definitely a breath of fresh air needed right now.

Stay tuned for more releases from the Houston upstart releasing throughout the coming months.

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Why You Should Be Listening To More Music

We are living in high-stress times. It feels like there is always something to be worried about and there is so much uncertainty looming in the air. But, there is something you can do to feel better – listen to more music! Listening to music has been scientifically proven to have many benefits. Read on to learn more about them! 

According to a study by McGill University, when you listen to music that you like your brain releases dopamine, otherwise known as the “happy hormone.” In addition to making you happier, listening to music also decreases your cortisol levels, also known as the “stress hormone.” This phenomenon improves your immune system and helps your body stay healthier, as stress significantly weakens the immune system. To maximize these positive immune system benefits, you should also try other methods to decrease your stress levels, such as meditation. 

And, if all the current events are making it harder for you to have a good night’s sleep, listening to classical music an hour before bedtime has been proven to significantly improve sleep quality! Dash even has a classical music radio station, featuring pieces performed by the best orchestras in the world. 

Another positive benefit of listening to music is that it strengthens your learning and memory. If you’ve taken up a new hobby during quarantine, listening to music while doing it could help you retain the new information and skills better! 

Lastly, not only does listening to more music make you feel better, but it also helps provide income to musicians that have lost their main sources of income (live performances) due to the global pandemic. 

Get happier, destress, improve your immune system, and strengthen your learning and memory by listening to your favorite Dash Radio stations!

| Hip Hop | Pop | R&B | Latin | Dance | Country | Rock |

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Elton John Living Room Concert Raises $8 Million

Elton John hosted a “Living Room Concert For America” on Sunday featuring Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, and has already raised nearly $8 million.

The event aired on Fox & iHeartMedia radio stations and was listened to by millions. You can still catch the special on iHeartRadio’s YouTube channel for the time being. Viewers have been directed to two charities, Feeding America and First Responders Children’s Foundation.

Other performers included Backstreet Boys (each member tuned in remotely), Billie Joel Armstrong (Greenday), Dave Grohl, Camila Cabello, H.E.R., Sam Smith & Tim McGraw. Many videos of Backstreet Boys performing went viral.

Incredible messages were delivered by the likes of Ryan Seacrest, Russell Wilson, Lady Gaga & plenty of others. During these solemn times, it was great to see some familiar faces uplift us. The benefit paid special tribute to the frontline health professionals, first responders, and local heroes who are putting their lives in harm’s way to help their neighbors and fight the spread of the virus.

Also according to the announcement, in addition to streaming the benefit special, YouTube is making a donation in support of the cause.

For more information regarding the COVID-19 outbreak please listen to our Coronavirus Information Station.

| Hip Hop | Pop | R&B | Latin | Dance | Country | Rock |

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A nation is hurting…

A nation is hurting, tensions are high, and Dash Radio stands in solidarity with those protesting injustice all across the country.

It’s not enough to post about it – We have to show up for our Black brothers and sisters. We took time to connect with leaders to discuss how we could make an impact long term. We felt compelled to use our platform to bring awareness to these injustices by raising money for charities that are helping communities directly affected and providing resources & shows that are informative and necessary for our communities.

Dash has launched our Fight The Power pop-up station alongside author and community leader, Zo Williams. Fight The Power empowers those protesting injustice with music, interviews, and performances to push change.

Join our livestream this Wednesday on Twitch, where we will have special guests: Attorney Benjamin Crump who is representing George Floyd’s family, Activist Rizza Islam, NBA Champion Trevor Ariza and more.

Dash will also be participating in Music Industry Blackout Tuesday as a day to disconnect from work and reconnect with our community.

This is just the beginning of our plans and we hope to do as much as possible to help amplify community voices and help institute systematic changes