The LEFSETZ LETTER: Bob Dylan Starter Kit

Bob Dylan Starter Kit

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The LEFSETZ LETTER

Bob Dylan Starter Kit
Posted: May 26, 2016
I'm hearing people complain that Bob Dylan is not of the stature of the other Oldchella acts. This is patently untrue. The only star of his caliber is Paul McCartney, maybe in the history of rock and roll (extending Paul's fame and talent to the rest of the Beatles). Don't equate grosses with talent. Don't equate accessibility with talent. Don't equate airplay with talent. Years from now, it might be Dylan's material that maintains, certainly not that of the Stones, who have a soulful, blues-influenced sound and were great performers but were rarely groundbreaking. Waters had his moment, but it's hermetically sealed, it doesn't translate to modern times, you're looking back through binoculars. The Who is maximum rock and roll, but despite breaking ground with "Tommy," it was Bobby who was constantly testing limits. As did Neil Young, test limits and listen to his own heart, Young is Dylan-like, but I think even if you asked Neil he'd put Dylan atop the heap.

Not that this is about bringing the rest of the Oldchella acts down, they're all great. It's just that Dylan is on a higher plane, and too many people don't know it. Forget today's standards album, forget the ragged voice, forget the endless tour, let's go back to the music.

Spotify playlist: https://goo.gl/r3gvVK 

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Adele Reportedly Signs $130 Million Contract With Sony

Adele Reportedly Signs $130 Million Contract With Sony

Posted: May 23, 2016
LONDON (CelebrityAccess) -- The Guardian is reporting that British singer Adele has signed a record-breaking multi-album contract with Sony Music, worth a staggering £90m ($130.3m USD). If paid in full, it would be the largest recording contract in history.

The Guardian said that Adele was signed in a deal brokered by her manager Jonathan Watkins some months ago, just before Christmas after her contract with British independent label XL expired. However, Neither Sony Music, XL Recordings or Adele’s management would comment on the the story.

The deal eclipses previous record-holders, including Robbie Williams' £80m contract with EMI in 2002 and Whitney Houston's $100m Arista contract in 2001.

Adele's last album, 25, which was released last year, is credited with single-handedly helping to revive album sales after it shipped more than 19 million copies to date, worldwide. The album proved to be the top single-week seller since the metric began to be collected in 1991. - Staff Writers

The Daily Snapshot. February 24th, 2016

Copyright © 2016 Digital Music News.

Top Stories

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Kanye West’s Album Didn’t Even Make the Charts

Last week, DMN reported that Kanye West’s album, ‘The Life Of Pablo’, would only be available on Tidal.  Now, we’re seeing the consequences of that decision.

As part of a flashy launch, West publicly proclaimed that his album ‘The Life of Pablo’ would ”never never never be on Apple, and it will never be for sale… You can only get it on Tidal.”  Shortly after that proclamation, illegal swaps of ‘Pablo’ surged on torrent channels.  ”Over a half million people have downloaded a pirated copy of The Life of Pablo a day after its release,” torrent authority Torrentfreak reported.

Article continues here.



Why Dating As a Musician Is So Hard…

The dating world for musicians is often a complex one.

I’ll be writing this article based on my personal experience as a single male musician.  I’m also based in New York City, which makes dating even harder.  But whether you’re a male or female in the music industry, there are various complexities that can make romance extremely challenging.

Before I even get into it, let me properly preface this with some important context.  Pay attention to the next line.

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Dr. Luke: “I Didn’t Rape Kesha and I Never Had Sex With Her”

Music producer Dr. Luke (Lukasz Gottwald) has already been judged guilty of rape and sexual assault by a merciless media.  He’s been vilified by millions of Kesha fans, A-list celebrities, and women, despite the absence of an actual court ruling.

Just yesterday, Taylor Swift donated $250,000 to assist Kesha’s legal defense, a move that further cemented Luke’s image as a monster.

But what if he’s innocent?

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SoundCloud’s Pulse App Finally Arrives on iOS

Today, SoundCloud announced via their blog that their Pulse app will be available on iOS.

Unlike other apps, SoundCloud launched their Pulse app via Android first. The app was first launched back in November, so it comes as no surprise that the app has now been launched on iOS.

Pulse makes it easier for music creators to upload their music, either publicly or privately, and manage their accounts from their phones whilst on the go.

Article continues here.



Most Read: I’m David Lowery’s Attorney. And This Is What I Really Told Spotify…

What exactly did David Lowery’s attorney tell Spotify last year?  That is now a critical question in a $150 million lawsuit that could expose retaliatory behavior on the part of Spotify.

Over the weekend, DMN reported that Spotify had removed David Lowery’s catalog to comply with specific legal demands.  That suggested careful compliance, and nothing close to the retaliatory takedown accusations leveled against Spotify in recent months. But according to information shared by David Lowery’s attorney to Digital Music News on Monday, that assessment may have been erroneous.

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An Exclusive Interview with Chuck Leavell

An Exclusive Interview with Chuck Leavell

• Written by  CY

Chuck Leavell has played piano, keyboards and sang background vocals with The Rolling Stones since 1982. He's also worked with The Allman Brothers Band, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Black Crowes, Blues Traveler, Train, John Mayer and many others. His latest album is a tribute to blues piano players entitled “Back To The Woods”. Read our exclusive interview to learn more about his life, influences, and what he loves about Yamaha keyboards. Comments and questions are welcome in the discussion forum post here.

yamahasynth.com: When did you start playing keyboards/piano?

Chuck Leavell: I learned from my mother. She was not a professional or a teacher, but she could play and would sometimes entertain our family playing pop and standard tunes. I was the youngest of three kids, and when I was six, seven years old, often times it would be just me and mom in the house. My Dad would be out working and my older brother and sister either in school longer than I was in the daylight hours, or out doing extra curricular activities. I loved to listen to her play…loved watching her hands glide up and down the keyboard…loved hearing the melodies and rhythms. Sometimes she would show me some simple chords or melodies and encourage me to fool around while she went about her housework. Eventually I got the hang of it and just kept pursuing the instrument. One thing she did that I am forever grateful for is that she would say things like…”Chuck…what would it sound like if there was a big storm outside?”….I would bang around the low end for thunder, do some lightning strikes on the upper end. Or she might say….”Chuck, what would it sound like if you hit a home run?….if you had a fight with your friend?”….those kinds of things made me approach music in terms of feelings, colors, images and not just notes and chords. Thanks, mom!

ys.com: Who are your influences?

CL: Mom was my first…but eventually players like Nicky Hopkins, Elton John, Leon Russell, and the biggie was Ray Charles. I got to play with him once in Rome, Italy. He is still my hero! But along the line there have been many others….the last record I did was called “Back To The Woods: A Tribute to the Pioneers of Blues Piano”. I covered guys like Otis Spann, Little Brother Montgomery, Leroy Carr and many others. While I would never call myself a jazz player, I love listening and learning from players like Bill Evans, Dave McKenna, Art Tatum, Chick Corea, Herbie Handcock, Keith Jarrett….so many great players out there!

ys.com: What was the first Yamaha keyboard you wanted?

CL: Well, in the “Synth Days” it would be the DX7. I fooled around with synths for a few years and sometimes still do…but I’ve always gravitated back to the piano and organ and sometimes vintage keys. What really got my attention was Yamaha’s digital pianos…going back to the P-series and eventually the CP-series and now the new CP4. They had the most realistic reproduction of the acoustic and grands.

ys.com What was your first Yamaha keyboard?

CL: DX7…it was the Flagship of its time for sure.

ys.com Which Yamaha keyboards (or other Yamaha equipment) do you currently use?

CL: I’m so impressed with the CP4, and that is what I m using as my main instrument with the Stones and other artists…and on my solo gigs with my band. Great, great piano sounds and some other bonus sounds like vintage tone and reed instruments, strings…love it! But I also love the CP series…especially the CP300…again, great piano sounds and the built in speakers are really useful. I have a few of them scattered around…in my office next to my desk, in our second home in Savannah, GA., in our guest house in our main residence in Bullard, GA. They take up little space and it is so cool to just swing around from my office chair and put my hands on the keys when inspiration strikes…and I’ve also used all of the above some some recordings when a grand is not available. And in some instances when the studio grand is not quite up to speed…

ys.com What is your favorite thing about your Yamaha keyboards?

CL: Certainly as I’ve already stated….the realistic sounds. But also the feel and action are excellent, especially given the challenge of getting it into such a small package. The versatility of the different piano, vintage keys and other sounds and the way you can combine them are great features. On some of them, the built in recording option is also very cool and helpful.

ys.com What is a unique feature of your Yamaha keyboard?

CL: Hey…I love all the features!! Today’s technology is just amazing, and Yamaha is always in the forefront. But I’ll say again that the realistic piano sounds are what really turn me on. Being able to get a great piano sound directly into the house and monitor consoles in a rock ’n roll setting gives me the ability to get into the mix easily and comfortably. As we know, micing a grand with a loud rock band can be a real challenge. With the CP series, it’s a piece of cake and the engineers love it.

ys.com: How much programming do you do on your Yamaha keyboards?

CL: I have to admit that I’m not much of a programmer. I do from time to time tweak the EQ or go into the settings to tweak the parameters, but my love is more in the playing than the programming. I usually leave that to the Techs that are so much more capable in that department than I am! But I do always give them guidance as to what I’m looking for…whether it may be a particular sound, a combination of sounds, an effect, whatever. It truly amazes me how far we have come in the digital age….I love it! 

Being Ringo: A Beatle's All-Starr Life

Being Ringo: A Beatle's All-Starr Life

After five decades, the happy-go-lucky sidekick in the greatest band of all time is finally getting his solo moment in the sun

By Stephen Rodrick April 15, 2015

SONOS PLAY:1 Compact Wireless Speaker for Streaming Music (Black)

PLAY:1 | Deep, crystal clear HiFi sound. Compact and surprisingly powerful. One mid-woofer and one tweeter, each with a dedicated amp No other wireless speaker packs so much deep, crystal clear HiFi sound into such a compact design. PLAY:1's sleek, versatile design easily fits anywhere your home needs music, for surprisingly big sound no matter how tight the spot. The PLAY:1 is humidity resistant to operate flawlessly in high-humidity environments, such as in a bathroom with a running shower, so you can truly play music in any room in your home. Start with any Sonos speaker and start streaming your favorite music. Continue to add as many Sonos speakers as you want throughout your home, wirelessly.

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