From Usher’s Tiny Desk Concert to Frank Zappa’s eye-popping catalog sale, it’s been another wild and unpredictable week for music news.
Welcome to July! 2022 is half over, and the industry is moving faster than it has in years. If you are feeling the heat, you’re not alone. Take the holiday weekend and recover. You’re going to need your strength for everything that the months ahead have in store.
We cannot ease your workload or give you more hours in the day, but we can help you stay informed. Below you’ll find the biggest stories of the week, all covered by the best outlets in tech and entertainment. Click around, learn what’s happening, and use the weekend to prepare for the end of the month.
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 Music News Stories Of The Week
Usher stops by NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert
“We celebrate Black Music Month. This has been Black magic.” Truer words may have never been spoken behind the Tiny Desk as R&B goliath Usher caps off our month-long celebration of Black music, highlighting a catalog chock-full of hits spanning 25 years. It’s been over two years since NPR headquarters was abuzz with chatter of a legend in the building. After an early morning rehearsal for his set at the Something in the Water Festival in Washington, D.C., he made his way over to deliver an unforgettable performance.
A Radio Station Played Rage Against The Machine For Hours On End
A radio station in Vancouver, Canada played Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” for hours on end beginning on Tuesday. The 1992 track was played on loop until at least Wednesday – but it is unclear who is behind the mysterious music marathon. The radio station has since announced it was “saying goodbye.”
R. Kelly Sentenced To 30 Years For Sex-Related Crimes
R. Kelly has been placed on suicide watch at the federal detention facility in New York where he is being held after he was sentenced this week to 30 years in prison on racketeering and sex trafficking charges, his lawyer said Friday.
But the disgraced R&B singer is not suicidal, attorney Jennifer Bonjean told CNN she believes, adding Kelly had been fearful of being put on suicide watch.
“The irony of putting someone on suicide watch when they’re not suicidal is it actually causes more harm,” Bonjean said.
Spotify Delivers A Karaoke Feature
Finally, something good: Spotify is launching a karaoke mode. The announcement comes exactly two Gregorian calendar years too late, after the karaoke-deprived erected rogue living room setups using this Amazon microphone and YouTube dot com during the lockdown wave.
Anyone whose ever tried to do karaoke at home without the use of a karaoke machine will tell you there isn’t a good karaoke app. The best karaoke app is actually YouTube, where saintly people have done the work of removing vocals and creating lyric videos so you can poorly belt basically any song that has ever existed. Tech companies are famously good at filling unnecessary voids in the market, and it’s shocking that Spotify didn’t fill the karaoke app void years ago, especially because the app already displays lyrics or music videos alongside songs.
Universal Buys Frank Zappa’s Catalog
UMG has acquired Frank Zappa’s recordings, publishing catalog, film archive, and the complete contents of The Vault, the storage facility that houses the late Zappa’s life’s work.
The acquisition also includes Frank Zappa’s name and likeness. UMG hasn’t disclosed the price of the deal.
