HOT: Swift Tix Scam
The machine behind Taylor Swift’s forthcoming album, Reputation, officially revved up with the release of a new single, and it appears that machine is set to “maximum monetary exploitation” and aimed directly at her fans. Swift’s partnership with Ticketmaster is raising eyebrows. Sold as a part of the ticket seller’s fight against scalpers, fans that enter the “Taylor Swift Tix” program receive priority for future concert tickets by helping Swift sell her album. You can earn some "boosts" by doing free things like promote the album on social media or, for many more boosts and much higher priority, you can purchase Reputation up to 13 times. Draining your bank account doesn’t even guarantee tickets, merely a spot in line.
WARM: Hate Music Takes Another Hit
After Spotify announced it would step up its game to prohibit “hate music” with messages of white supremacy, white-power Rock was dealt another blow when the police chief of a small town in Oklahoma was outed for allegedly operating neo-Nazi websites. One site was for “ISD Records,” the label home of albums like The Klansmen’s Hitler was Right. When local news exposed the sites, they disappeared. The chief denied any involvement, saying he was framed or someone stole his identity, but he resigned as chief, although the town was more than happy to keep him on the force because he's "qualified."
COLD: Allah-Las Attract Threat
In an effort to not offend, a handful of Indie bands changed their names in the past year or so, including Viet Cong and Andrew Jackson Jihad, which said it didn’t want to be disrespectful to Muslims. Members of L.A.’s Allah-Las, who just last year told The Guardian they were surprised to get emails from Muslims offended by their name, might be rethinking their moniker after a show in the Netherlands was canceled as a result of a terror threat. The band continued its tour and police arrested a man in relation to the threat after getting a tip from authorities in Spain (which had just suffered its own terror attack), but details are still vague.
