Beck announces ‘Hyperspace,’ shares Pharrell-produced new track

Surprise! Beck has a brand new album coming out later this year. On Monday (April 15), the musician unveiled plans to release his 14th studio effort. Titled Hyperspace, the new record will be released through Capitol Records, but there’s one catch; the release date is a secret.

According to a press statement, the record will be out “at an as yet undetermined point in the space time continuum.” With a name like “Hyperspace,” the musician’s statement makes sense.

Hyperspace is the follow-up to Beck’s 2017, Grammy Award-winning album, Colors.

While the release date is a mystery, it may be safe to assume that it will see a summertime release date. Last month, Beck announced plans to embark on a co-headlining summer tour with Cage the Elephant, so what better time than then to release some new tunes.

In conjunction with the new album announcement, the musician also released the album’s lead single, “Saw Lightning.” The new track finds Beck teaming up with Pharrell Williams for the funky new cut. Williams co-wrote, co-produced, and contributed “drums, keyboards, and mumbles” for the new song.

Listen to “Saw Lightning” above.

Beck has been quite stealthy this year when it comes to new music. Earlier this year, he released “Tarantula” from the Music Inspired by the Film ROMA album, “Super Cool” with Robyn and the Lonely Island which was featured on The Lego Movie 2 soundtrack, and most recently his collaboration with soon-to-be tour mates Cage the Elephant for “Night Running.”

In support of Hyperspace, Beck will hit the road with Cage the Elephant for their joint summer tour. The “Night Running” tour begins on July 11 at the Sunlight Supply Amphitheater in Ridgefield, Washington and concludes about a month and a half later on Aug. 30 at the Coral Sky Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The full list of tour dates can be found here.

YouTube Faces $1 Billion Lawsuit from Musicians

YouTube are in a little bit of a legal bind which can cost them up to $1 billion.

Yesterday afternoon, it was reported that Pharrell, The Eagles, and other musicians had filed a lawsuit against the popular music streaming site which can result in a major pay out. Lawyers for the artists have demanded that YouTube take down over 20,000 videos from the streaming site which they reportedly have no rights to.

According to Irving Azoff, the founder of a new legal group named the Global Music Rights, YouTube does not have the performance right to thousands of songs from his clients which include the previous named musicians as well as Chris Cornell, John Lennon, and Smokey Robinson, and more.

Azoff also claims that even though YouTube negotiated with the respected record labels for the rights to the music, they did not reach out to negotiate with the artists themselves. Azoff also says that his clients want to pursue YouTube first because they are the least cooperative of the companies and that their clients feel they are the worst offenders.

Google, who will be launching their own subscription music service next year in a partnership with YouTube, claim that the site does in fact have the performance rights from previous deals that had been made.

Global Music Rights’ lawyer Howard King says that has yet to be seen.

“Without providing a shred of documentation, you blithely proffer that YouTube can ignore the Notices because it operates under blanket licenses from performing rights organizations other than Global,” reads the letter King sent to YouTube earlier this month.

“However, you refuse to provide the details of any such license agreements, presumably because no such agreements exist for YouTube’s present uses of the songs in any service, but certainly with respect to its recently added Music Key service.”

But this streaming site vs artist battle is nothing new and has been escalating more a more over the past few months. The major hit came when Taylor Swift decided to pull her entire catalog off of Spotify which resulted in the music streaming giant trying to coax her back with “cutesy” letters. That did not work as we all know.

Listen to the First 2014 Pop Music Mashup

In less than two weeks, we say good-bye to the year that was 2014 and to think, it feels like it was just yesterday that we were bringing in the new year with so much hope.

Band reunions, anniversary tours, new albums, random music news, and much more have kept us busily writing for you guys (old and new followers) and we would like to thank you for taking a couple of seconds of your day to read a post, like it and even reblog it if you have this year.

As the year comes to an end, we are surely going to begin to see many mash-ups of the year’s most infectiously catchy (and most often than not, annoying) songs of the year.

DJ Daniel Kim who puts out his yearly “Pop Danthology” out around this time is at it again with his mash-up of 66 of the biggest songs of the year.

Check out his 2014 year in review which features songs such as Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass,” Pharrell’s “Happy,” Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off,” Maroon 5’s “Animals,” and many more clocking in at over six minutes.

2014 American Music Award Nominees Unveiled

The 2014 American Music Award nominees are here and like many of the other music-centric awards shows that are upcoming, many of the nominees include those that have taken over the radio.

Coming in with the most nomination is Australian rapper, Iggy Azalea with a total of six. With a total of five each, we have a tie between John Legend, Katy Perry, and Pharrell Williams.

Check out the full list of nominations below.

2014 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARD NOMINATIONS:

ARTIST OF THE YEAR:
Iggy Azalea
Beyoncé
Luke Bryan
Eminem
Imagine Dragons
John Legend
Lorde
One Direction
Katy Perry
Pharrell Williams

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY KOHL’S:
5 Seconds of Summer
Iggy Azalea
Bastille
Sam Smith
Meghan Trainor

SINGLE OF THE YEAR:
“Fancy”- Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli XCX
“All of Me” – John Legend
“Rude” – MAGIC!
“Dark Horse” – Katy Perry Featuring Juicy J
“Happy” – Pharrell Williams

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK:
John Legend
Sam Smith
Pharrell Williams

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK:
Iggy Azalea
Lorde
Katy Perry

FAVORITE BAND, DUO OR GROUP – POP/ROCK:
Imagine Dragons
One Direction
OneRepublic

FAVORITE ALBUM – POP/ROCK:
Pure Heroine – Lorde
Midnight Memories – One Direction
Prism – Katy Perry

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – COUNTRY:
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Blake Shelton

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – COUNTRY:
Miranda Lambert
Kacey Musgraves
Carrie Underwood

FAVORITE BAND, DUO OR GROUP – COUNTRY:
Eli Young Band
Florida Georgia Line
Lady Antebellum

FAVORITE ALBUM – COUNTRY:
Blame It On My Roots: Five Decades of Influences – Garth Brooks
The Outsiders – Eric Church
Just As I Am – Brantley Gilbert

FAVORITE ARTIST – RAP/HIP-HOP:
Iggy Azalea
Drake
Eminem

FAVORITE ALBUM – RAP/HIP-HOP:
The New Classic – Iggy Azalea
Nothing Was The Same – Drake
The Marshall Mathers LP 2 – Eminem

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B:
Chris Brown
John Legend
Pharrell Williams

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B:
Jhene Aiko
Beyoncé
Mary J. Blige

FAVORITE ALBUM – SOUL/R&B:
Beyoncé – Beyoncé
Love in the Future – John Legend
G I R L – Pharrell Williams

FAVORITE ARTIST – ALTERNATIVE ROCK:
Bastille
Imagine Dragons
Lorde

FAVORITE ARTIST – ADULT CONTEMPORARY:
Sara Bareilles
OneRepublic
Katy Perry

FAVORITE ARTIST – LATIN:
Marc Anthony
Enrique Iglesias
Romeo Santos

FAVORITE ARTIST – CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL:
Casting Crowns
Hillsong United
Newsboys

FAVORITE ARTIST – ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC (EDM):
Avicii
Calvin Harris
Zedd

TOP SOUNDTRACK:
Frozen
The Fault In Our Stars
Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix, Vol. 1

The AMAs will take place on Sunday, Nov. 23 at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theater and will air on ABC. Newcomer and nominee, Charli XCX has already been confirmed as the first performer of the award show.

Voting for all categories, except for “New Artist of the Year” are currently up on the AMA’s website. The New Artists category will open on Nov. 1 and will close during the first hour of the telecast.

First Two 2014 Jingle Ball Line-Ups Revealed

UPDATE:

Looks like Miami’s Y100 Jingle Ball line-up is almost exactly like the L.A.’s and Minneapolis.

Ariana Grande
Calvin Harris
Iggy Azalea
Pharrell
Charlie XCX
Jason Derulo
Meghan Trainor
Magic!
Jessie J
Jake Miller
Kiesza
Rixton
Becky G
Mary Lambert
Shawn Mendes

Special Guest Host: Nick Jonas

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It may be only October and we might not even have our Halloween costumes planned yet, but Clear Channel is already getting fans of the radio stations owned by the mega media company ready for their annual Christmas shows.

Today, KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and KDWB in Minneapolis have unveiled the performers to be gracing the stage at the respect Jingle Ball installments.

On Friday, Dec. 5. Jingle Ball will invade Los Angeles and the artists taking the stage that evening will include: Taylor Swift, Pharrell, 5 seconds of Summer, Ariana Grande, Sam smith, Iggy Azalea, Meghan Trainor, Charli XCX, Jessie J, Rita Ora, Becky G., Rixton, Shawn Mendes, and Kiesza.

Like Los Angeles, many of the same artist will appear at the Minneapolis date, though some new artists will be traded for others. KDWB’s line-up will include: Ariana Grande, Iggy Azalea, Demi Lovato, Onerepublic, Meghan Trainor, Rita Ora, Jessie J., Kiesza, Nico & Vinz, Shawn Mendes, and Becky G.

As if the pop music phenoms slated to take the stage wasn’t enough, Nick Jonas has been tapped to host both days of Jingle Ball. Tickets for the annual mini music fests will go on sale on Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster.

Jingle Ball line-ups which are still missing include Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington D.C., and Miami which will reportedly be revealed at 5 p.m. today.

iTunes Festival to Return to London for Eighth Year

The iTunes Festival will be returning home this September and taking a few American artists with them back to the United Kingdom. The festival announced that they will be returning to London for the 30 days of live performances. 

The iTunes Festival will celebrate its 8th year with acts such as Maroon 5, Pharrell, Kylie Minogue, Calvin Harris, 5 Seconds of Summer and many more, though those are just some that have been announced.

The popularity of the event was so big that earlier this year, the event made its American debut. At the end, there should be a grand total of 60 acts taking the stage at the end of September. 

Fans who are interested in winning tickets to see any of the performers, have the chance to do so by entering official ballots which can be accessed through the iTunes store. Winners will be chosen via lottery system. 

And like every year if you are not from the U.K., then don’t plan on entering because this is strictly for those who live across the pond. (Sorry.) But, like previous years, the concerts will be filmed and streamed online by Apple with fans getting a chance to watch the performances from their computers, iPhones, iPads and iPod touch device or through Apple TV. Apple is attempting to broadcast the shows, live, to more than 100 countries. 

The legendary Blondie, Robert Plant, Beck, Kasabian have all been confirmed to be headlining at some point during the month-long event. 

Jay-Z’s Made in America Reveal Philly Line-up

Jay-Z announced last month that his 3rd annual Budweiser Made in America Festival would be making its third year big by holding not one, but two events back-to-back. The show will once again be returning to its home of Philadelphia, but 2014 will mark the first time that the festival will call Los Angeles their second home.

Earlier today, festival organizers revealed its Philadelphia line-up the only way that 21st century citizens would; through Twitter. In intervals, the social media account was updating their account with videos, announcing the newest additions to the 2014 Philly line-up.

This year’s line up will include Kanye West, The National, Girl Talk, Pharrell Williams, Kings of Leon, Steve Aoki, Tiesto, Chromeo, City and Colour, Grimes, AWOLNATION, J. Cole, De La Soul, Spoon, Kongos, and many more. Check out the line-up flyer below and the full list, in case you can’t read the fine print.

Kanye West
Pharrell Williams
Kings of Leon
Steve Aoki
The National
Tiesto
R3hab
J. Cole
Girl Talk
AWOLNATION
Spoon
Chromeo
Gareth Amery
De La Soul
City & Colour
Grimes
Baauer
Mayer Hawthorne
Tommy Trash
Kongos
3 LAU
The Neighbourhood
Danny Brown
YG
Holy Ghost
Penguin Prison (DJ set with vocals)
Destructo
Bleachers
DJ Cassidy
Cherub
Will Sparks
Young & Sick
Vacationer
Cut Snake
Kaneholler

Made in America is set to take place during Labor Day weekend, August 30 and 31. Tickets are currently on sale on their site and keep an eye out because the Los Angeles line-up was also just revealed.

Meet Ed Sheeran the Puppet in “Sing”

Ed Sheeran might be referred to as a teddy bear by fans and himself alike (just check his Instagram user name), but did you think you’d see the day when the British singer would be turned into a puppet?

That’s exactly what we got with the official music video for his current single, “Sing.” In the video the Ginger singer hangs out with super-producer Pharrell as well the Ed Sheeran puppet which kind of looks more like Rupert Grint than Ed Sheeran.

Considering that one time that girl at a show screamed, “I love you Rupert Grint,” it should come as no surprise. Mix the creepy puppet with some strippers, alcohol and some Koreans singing karaoke and this is what you get. Keep an eye out for Ed and Pharrell’s faces when puppet Ed busts through the video shoot.

His new album X is scheduled to be released on June 23, just in time to add to your Summer playlist.

Pharrell and Gwen Stefani Make Their ‘Voice’ Debut

The Voice have been changing judges every season lately with only Maroon 5’s Adam Levine and country singer Blake Shelton holding onto their bright red spinning chairs.

In the upcoming seventh season of the hit NBC singing competition, it was already announced that mega-producer and “Happy” singer Pharrell Williams will be taking the seat that was once occupied by former judge, Cee Lo Green (or Usher).

Last week, talk began that No Doubt frontwoman Gwen Stefani would be taking the place of Christina Aguilera for the upcoming season since she would, reportedly, be eight months pregnant by the time the show begins to air. After a few days of hushed negotiations, Stefani was confirmed to be rounding out the judges’ panel when she posted a picture of her hand on Instagram with a microphone and the peace sign/ “V” symbol.

During last night’s episode of the show, the people behind the show decided that there was no time like the present to start introducing the rookie judges to the large audience watching from both the taping location and from the comfort of their homes.

Stefani made her entrance by performing “Hollaback Girl” which was produced by who else, Pharrell, rocking his new hat. Pharrell then went on to perform his latest single, “Come Get it Bae” which he collaborate with Miley Cyrus on, hence the ridiculous pattern outfits the dancers were sporting.

Watch “Hollaback Girl” below.

 

Pharrell’s ‘Happy’ Was Originally Recorded By Someone Else

We all know at this point you either love of hate Pharrell’s infectious song, “Happy.” The Despicable Me 2 Soundtrack song and lead single from his new solo album Girl, has had a long ride on the charts and on the radio, but could you have imagined it being sung by let’s say, Cee Lo Green?

Well, it turns out that the song was originally recorded by the former The Voice coach.

“Cee Lo Green wanted to do it and he did do it,” Pharrell revealed to Howard Stern in a recent interview when the DJ asked if he would have ever given the song to certain musicians to perform.

“He sounded amazing on it,” the producer continues blaming the vetoed decision on those higher people who make the choices. “He burns my version! But, how do I say this diplomatically? The powers that be, at the time, did not see it fit for him. Some folks on his team just felt that the priority should be on Cee Lo’s album at the time [2012’s Magic Moment ], so they elected not to do that song.”

But don’t count on there being any bad blood between them over the issue.

“There was a much bigger agenda for Cee Lo, he had an album to put out,” Pharrell says. “It’s not his fault; he was totally down with it. He was one of the most gracious people about it when “Happy” came out.”

Now, is there anyway we can hear this version in the near future, Pharrell?