HOT: He’s Never Heard of You, Either
During a fan Q&A last month, Paul McCartney was asked if he ever imagined he would one day be in history books. McCartney said when he actually found out he was in one of his kid’s history books, he said, “What?! Unbelievable, man!” It seems as if a few kids skipped that page because after Kanye West released a single with McCartney called “Only One,” several social media users wondered who this McCartney kid was and predicted big things for the unknown now that he had Kanye’s seal of approval. At least that’s how it appeared — scrolling through the steady stream of “Who’s Paul McCartney?” tweets, it’s clear that many of the “confused” people were just joking. That didn’t stop numerous news outlets from running a story about how we as a society are doomed because a few people might not know who The Beatles are.
WARM: Dial-A-Song 2.0
They Might Be Giants first came to the public’s attention in the ’80s with a concept called “Dial-A-Song,” whereby anyone could call a certain phone number and hear a new TMBG song on an answering machine. Though the twosome disconnected the number in 2006, Rolling Stone reports that TMBG is bringing Dial-A-Song back with a modern twist. There is still a number to call to hear the new tracks (844-387-6962), but the band is also using technology to distribute the new tunes. The Dial-A-Songs will also be accessible through dialasong.com, email, YouTube and about 100 radio stations worldwide. Yes, there are still at least 100 non-corporate radio stations on the planet willing to do something like this! The stations — which will air short segments with each song weekly — include college and underground channels.
COLD: Car Wars
It seems fair that if a recording of an artist’s music is played in public, that artist should be compensated. But a Swedish organization that collects money for writers and publishers wants to stretch the definition of “public.” The company, STIM, says that car rental company Fleetmanager should have to pay licensing fees because the rental cars have stereos and renters do not own the cars and are therefore members of the public, in a public place. So, STIM argues, Fleetmanager should be required to purchase public performance licenses. The collection agency notes that other Swedish rental car companies have complied, as have several hotel chains. Note to those visiting Sweden soon — be careful what you whistle when walking down the street. Unless you have the proper license, of course.
This article appears in Jan 7-14, 2015.
