Bon Iver, Dashboard Confessional, Patty Griffin Sign Onto the Anti-Trump ’46 for 46′ Tour

The ’46 for 46′ concert tour has a singular goal: get a Democratic candidate into the White House. Activists Kyle Frenette and Christopher Moon recently unveiled plans to hold 46 concerts in 46 states in an effort to promote and support the Democratic …

Melania Trump Gets Involved In A$AP Rocky’s Case: “We’re Working With the State Department”

Melania Trump is now intervening on A$AP Rocky’s behalf. Looks like A$AP Rocky has an unexpected supporter in the White House.  After more than two weeks of detainment in Sweden on flimsy charges, Melania Trump stepped up pressure on Sweden to ‘send hi…

Following Two Years of Failure, Senate Judiciary Committee Votes to Advance 2019 CASE Act

On October 4th, 2017, two lawmakers proposed a new small claims court for music artists and other content creators. Representatives Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Tom Marino (R-PA) introduced the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (CASE) Act…

To Combat Rampant Piracy, a U.N. Organization Launches a Global Anti-Piracy Database

So far this year, multiple piracy websites have gone down as part of a large-scale crackdown from the music industry. Thanks to aggressive subpoenas from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), YouTubNow, a self-described “powerful” YouTu…

Japanese Pop Group KAT-TUN Cancels Performance Over Violent Hong Kong Protests

In February, the Hong Kong government planned to enact a controversial measure. Following the murder of a local couple in Taiwan, the government proposed amendments to its extradition treaties.  Officials would modify two existing laws – the Fugitive O…

“Detained and Deported,” Iranian Officials Place Joss Stone on a Blacklist

As part of her global tour, Joss Stone touched down in Iran. There was just one problem – she wasn’t scheduled to perform in the country. The English singer and songwriter had aimed to perform in every country.  Stone had previously held gigs in Syria,…

Following a Record $5.7 Million Fine In America, TikTok’s Faces a British Investigation Over Child Privacy Violations

TikTok hasn’t exactly had the best year. Near the end of 2018, the ByteDance-owned company beat YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram in total mobile downloads.  In the U.S. alone, the short-form video sharing app grew 25%. It seemed things would get better…

Vladimir Putin Defends Russia’s Homophobic Censorship of Elton John’s ‘Rocketman’

Several weeks ago, ahead of Rocketman’s release in the country, Russian distributors removed scenes depicting homosexual sex and drug use in the Elton John biopic. At the Moscow premiere, for example, critics found that distributors had cut five minute…

Is Music Capable Of Healing Our National Divisions?

As more artists enter the political fray, often hard-lining one side or the other, it’s important to remember music’s incredible ability to also bridge division and bring people and communities together. ___________________________ By Michael Alan Anderson. This first appeared in The Washington Post On Friday, Taylor Swift, formerly reticent about…

Lawmakers Unveil the ‘Boss Act’ of 2019 — “Americans Have Been Gouged and Gouged and Then Gouged Some More.”

Three lawmakers in Washington have ‘resurrected’ the BOSS Act. If passed, the bill (Better Oversight of Secondary Sales and Accountability in Concert Ticketing) would force organizers and promoters to provide “transparency and regulation to the badly c…