And the Grammy goes to... Apple!
So, this past Sunday, we all watched the 60th Annual Grammy Awards because, obviously, what else would we be doing? With James Corden hosting, this night was bound to be a cute, wholesome, chuckle-filled night. On top of all that excitement, it seemed to be the year of R&B and Hip/Hop, with 4 of the 5 nominations for Album of the Year and Song of the Year categorized in those genres. Bruno Mars basically cleared house, winning Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Album o
A Song For All Seasons
(Listen while you read, it's quite enjoyable) Got to write the article. My Mise en place is complete. With everything in its place, Ice Tea on a yogurt cup top, my inspiration and muse, streaming in the background “Almost Famous” (2000). This semi-autobiographical film works on so many levels for any writer covering popular music, artists, and the business of music as well as for any fan. My phone is recharging and updating its software (no phone interruptions) as my thought
Apple/Spotify vs. Neither: I Don't Stream
I’m a believer in evolution. Specifically, my evolution in how I relate to music. Growing up in the ‘70’s it started with records, which were great when you were at home. Then came the 8 track, which was portable and we could listen to them in our car. They sounded good, although you sometimes got 8 tracks with different track listings from the LP(if you’re lucky) or else, sometimes in the middle of a song it would end abruptly as it switched tracks only to then resume mid tr
Spotify vs. Apple
We just ran an article espousing the benefits of Apple Music over Spotify and I get where a lot of people would prefer Apple Music for the ease of integration across Apple products. But that’s not me. Let me explain. Musically I come from a time before streaming, I used to ride my bike to the mall to buy LP’s, and it really is difficult carrying albums while riding a Sting Ray. I also liked video games. From Pong to Donkey Kong to Asteroids and on up to Assassins Creed, Call
Apple Music vs. Spotify: The Battle Rages On
Imagine a large field... On one side, Apple Music fans are dressed in all white with a splash of an accent color (purple, pink, or cyan of course – very aesthetically pleasing). On the other side, separated by the wire-exposed necks of iPhone chargers and the remains of exploded Galaxy Note 7’s, are the Spotify fans. Dressed in all black with the bright Spotify logo splattered upon every shirt, the Spotify fans face the Apple Music fans, ready for battle. High above them, amo
{"items":["5fda8d39cc263c0017f511b5","5fda8d39cc263c0017f511be","5fda8d39cc263c0017f511ba","5fda8d39cc263c0017f511b6","5fda8d39cc263c0017f511b7"],"styles":{"galleryType":"Columns","groupSize":1,"showArrows":true,"cubeImages":true,"cubeType":"max","cubeRatio":1.7777777777777777,"isVertical":true,"gallerySize":30,"collageAmount":0,"collageDensity":0,"groupTypes":"1","oneRow":false,"imageMargin":32,"galleryMargin":0,"scatter":0,"rotatingScatter":"","chooseBestGroup":true,"smartCrop":false,"hasThumbnails":false,"enableScroll":true,"isGrid":true,"isSlider":false,"isColumns":false,"isSlideshow":false,"cropOnlyFill":false,"fixedColumns":0,"enableInfiniteScroll":true,"isRTL":false,"minItemSize":50,"rotatingGroupTypes":"","rotatingCropRatios":"","columnWidths":"","gallerySliderImageRatio":1.7777777777777777,"numberOfImagesPerRow":3,"numberOfImagesPerCol":1,"groupsPerStrip":0,"borderRadius":0,"boxShadow":0,"gridStyle":0,"mobilePanorama":false,"placeGroupsLtr":true,"viewMode":"preview","thumbnailSpacings":4,"galleryThumbnailsAlignment":"bottom","isMasonry":false,"isAutoSlideshow":false,"slideshowLoop":false,"autoSlideshowInterval":4,"bottomInfoHeight":0,"titlePlacement":"SHOW_BELOW","galleryTextAlign":"center","scrollSnap":false,"itemClick":"nothing","fullscreen":true,"videoPlay":"hover","scrollAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","slideAnimation":"SCROLL","scrollDirection":0,"scrollDuration":400,"overlayAnimation":"FADE_IN","arrowsPosition":0,"arrowsSize":23,"watermarkOpacity":40,"watermarkSize":40,"useWatermark":true,"watermarkDock":{"top":"auto","left":"auto","right":0,"bottom":0,"transform":"translate3d(0,0,0)"},"loadMoreAmount":"all","defaultShowInfoExpand":1,"allowLinkExpand":true,"expandInfoPosition":0,"allowFullscreenExpand":true,"fullscreenLoop":false,"galleryAlignExpand":"left","addToCartBorderWidth":1,"addToCartButtonText":"","slideshowInfoSize":200,"playButtonForAutoSlideShow":false,"allowSlideshowCounter":false,"hoveringBehaviour":"NEVER_SHOW","thumbnailSize":120,"magicLayoutSeed":1,"imageHoverAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imagePlacementAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","calculateTextBoxWidthMode":"PERCENT","textBoxHeight":226,"textBoxWidth":200,"textBoxWidthPercent":50,"textImageSpace":10,"textBoxBorderRadius":0,"textBoxBorderWidth":0,"loadMoreButtonText":"","loadMoreButtonBorderWidth":1,"loadMoreButtonBorderRadius":0,"imageInfoType":"ATTACHED_BACKGROUND","itemBorderWidth":0,"itemBorderRadius":0,"itemEnableShadow":false,"itemShadowBlur":20,"itemShadowDirection":135,"itemShadowSize":10,"imageLoadingMode":"BLUR","expandAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imageQuality":90,"usmToggle":false,"usm_a":0,"usm_r":0,"usm_t":0,"videoSound":false,"videoSpeed":"1","videoLoop":true,"jsonStyleParams":"","gallerySizeType":"px","gallerySizePx":1000,"allowTitle":true,"allowContextMenu":true,"textsHorizontalPadding":-30,"itemBorderColor":{"themeName":"color_32","value":"rgba(0,157,41,0)"},"showVideoPlayButton":true,"galleryLayout":2,"calculateTextBoxHeightMode":"MANUAL","textsVerticalPadding":-15,"targetItemSize":1000,"selectedLayout":"2|bottom|1|max|true|0|true","layoutsVersion":2,"selectedLayoutV2":2,"isSlideshowFont":true,"externalInfoHeight":226,"externalInfoWidth":0},"container":{"width":833,"galleryWidth":865,"galleryHeight":0,"scrollBase":0,"height":null}}