From the Bandcamp acquisition to The Weeknd’s massive stadium tour, we’ve gathered all the news that is fit to print.
March is here, and with it comes a fresh wave of game-changing industry headlines. The last seven days are riddled with stories that point to a bright future for the music community, albeit one that may come with some growing pains. Our industry is resilient above all else, and I believe you are as well.
We cannot ease your workload or give you more hours in the day, but we can help you stay informed. That is why we are thrilled to introduce This Week In Music, a brand new weekly column highlighting the best and most talked-about stories throughout the music industry. Each Friday, we will post links to various need-to-know articles and information.
But let’s be honest. There is no way we can hope to cover everything that happens. If you see a headline we missed that people need to know, please do not hesitate to send james@haulix.com an email. We’ll include your links in the next update.
The Biggest Stories In Music This Week
The biggest acquisition of the week has everything to do with artists’ catalogs, but not in the way you might think. Epic Games has acquired Bandcamp, as in bandcamp.com, for an undisclosed sum. The digital music retail site and media platform announced the news today (March 2) in a statement on its website. “Bandcamp will keep operating as a standalone marketplace and music community, and I will continue to lead our team,” Bandcamp co-founder and CEO Ethan Diamond wrote in the announcement.
The Weeknd is (finally) going on tour, and his show will be bigger than ever
The COVID-19 pandemic upended touring for everyone, but slowly, artists are returning to the road. Perhaps no artist is more in demand now than The Weeknd, who has released two platinum-certified albums since the start of the pandemic. The Canadian singer was scheduled to embark on an arena tour last year, but fan demand was so high that the vocalist chose to cancel that tour to perform in bigger venues. The new dates are now out, and they include stops at some of the biggest stadiums on Earth.
Dolly Parton is taking fans to the Dollyverse with a new Web3 offering
Everyone except Jolene is invited to join music icon Dolly Parton in the Dollyverse, a new Web3 offering that gives fans the chance to claim exclusive NFTs from the living legend.
Parton will make her first-ever appearance at SXSW on March 18, when she and Patterson speak about the project at Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater. Immediately afterward, she will give a live performance featuring songs from Run, Rose, Run, along with a few of her hits. The entire event will be streamed live for free on “Dollyverse” by Eluvio, which also will power the “Dollyverse’s” NFT sales.
Live Nation refuses to do Business with Russia
The escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine has drawn international attention and criticism from all entertainment corners. Live Nation has announced that it will no longer promote concerts or conduct any business in Russia, NPR reports. “Live Nation joins the world in strongly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” reads the company’s statement. “We will not promote shows in Russia, and we will not do business with Russia. We’re in the process of reviewing our vendors so we can cease work with any and all Russian-based suppliers.”
NBC introduces the American Song Contest
NBC’s American Song Contest, aka the US’s version of Eurovision Song Contest, has unveiled 56 artists who will perform on the program. The list includes a mix of established — Jewel, the Crystal Method, Michael Bolton, Sisqó, Macy Gray, and Allen Stone — and lesser-known names. They will all compete for their home states (Jewel will rep Alaska, Macy Gray Ohio, etc). You can find a full list of performers on People.
American Song Contest premieres 3/21 at 8pm ET on NBC.
Rolling Stone partners with Meta for event series (including VR concerts)
Rolling Stone inked a partnership with Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — for an initiative to host creator experiences at festivals and custom events throughout 2022. The brands will join forces to host “Creator Houses” at some of the biggest music and cultural festivals, beginning with an installation at SXSW.
Variety and Rolling Stone are both owned by P-MRC, a joint venture between Penske Media Corp. and MRC. In April 2021, P-MRC announced a deal to become a partner and shareholder in SXSW.
Rolling Stone and Meta will develop “unique and engaging experiences” for festival attendees to “explore the creative products and tools that support creators’ storytelling ambitions,” including Reels, Meta Quest 2 VR headsets and Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses. The partners will bring together creators, artists, journalists and industry leaders at the creator spaces to participate in conversations about the future of content creation and the creator economy.
BONUS: Our friends in Jinjer need your help.
Today, Ukrainian progressive metal band JINJER released new merch designs to help raise funds to support their country. You can read the full statement here:
“Thank you all for your concerned messages and prayers sent to us over the last week, we may not answer but we are reading them and they mean the world to us. As you know, there is war raging through the streets and cities of Ukraine right now. Many people have little or no food or water and are very afraid of what tomorrow may bring. Together with Napalm Records, we’re releasing two new T-Shirt designs to raise funds to be donated to various charities throughout Ukraine to help with medical and food supplies, water and so on. If you cannot donate then please share this or any news related to what’s really happening here. Each sale may save somebody’s life in Ukraine. Thank you.“
– Eugene Abdukhanov
100% of proceeds earned from these T-Shirts will be distributed directly to charity organizations of JINJER‘s choosing and the band will update you on social media.
You can get both T-Shirts HERE.
