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Ryan Book

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Geico's Music Guest Stars: Salt-N-Pepa, Little Richard, Kenny Rogers and More

The latest commercial from Progressive Insurance features Carnie Wilson of the '90s pop standouts Wilson Phillips. One company has spent the last decade atop the wacky insurance commercial game is, of course, Geico. We went back and found all of their oddball entries that feature musical guests (the aforementioned Hammer went with Nationwide).
Study Suggests 60 Percent of Touring Musicians Suffer Mental Health Issues

A frightening study has come from Help Musicians UK, a charity dedicated to supporting up-and-coming musicians as well as aging ones, which claims that more than 60 percent of musicians it surveyed suffered from a mental health disorder of some sort. A huge majority of those suffering struggled with depression but that's still nothing to ignore.
Chicago 'Cloud Tax' Adding 9 Percent Charge to Audio and Video Streaming

Residents of Chicago are already well familiar with the city's taxes on various forms of entertainment, and now those taxes will be passed along to streaming services such as Spotify for music and Netflix for video. The "cloud tax" will be 9 percent.
Coffee Brewed With Sound Waves? We Audiophiles Will Try Anything

Music and sound aren't necessarily correlated subjects, but we at Music Times were still excited to hear about a new technology that brews coffee using only sound waves. Elixir Specialty Coffee, a company based on Sydney, has developed a line of products that require coffee and water like a regular machine, but claim to offer a much more nuanced drinking experience.
Apple Music Might Destroy Your iTunes Catalogue; Fix Available

Apple Music is the hot new thing in music streaming, especially if you're hopelessly devoted to products marketed by the computer company or if you really need to stream Taylor Swift's '1989' because you just won't buy it. Unfortunately for many converts to Apple Music, especially those who have preexisting iTunes accounts with the company, a multitude of problems have emerged surrounding the service.
Grateful Dead Set Soldier Field Attendance Record From U2 at 'Fare Thee Well'

Everyone knew that the Grateful Dead's "Fare Thee Well" concert series at Soldier Field in Chicago was going to be a historic event, but now the record books also confirm that the shows are the most attended event in the stadium's history. Obviously Deadheads (and live music fans in general) are looking forward to tonight's grand finale, but the totals were reported Saturday from the night before, revealing that 70,764 fans had shown up for the night. Considering that every night sold out, the attendance should be similar for the following two shows as well.
Jessie J Declares on Instagram She'll Be at Wireless after Surgery Scare

Jessie J seems to be back on her feet a few weeks after surgery and reporting that she was "not OK," as the performer confirmed to the world at the last moment that she will be moving forward with her set at the Wireless Festival in London on July 5.
Ranking '1776' Track-by-Track for July 4th: John Adams, Ben Franklin...America!

The July 4th weekend approaches and that means your correspondent will engage in his yearly tradition of putting on the soundtrack to the Broadway musical 1776, nothing singing along and thanking the Lord that someone saw fit to give John Adams some credit for his significant role within the creation of this nation. The musical, composed by Sherman Edwards, revolves largely around Adams and Benjamin Franklin as they pressure Thomas Jefferson into writing the Declaration of Independence and the rest of the Continental Congress to sign it. Join as as we count down the tracks from the original Broadway cast, ranking them from least to most excellent.
Ghostface Killah and Adrian Lounge grab Raekwon for 'Twelve Reasons To Die II'

If you're a fan of concept records, then have Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge got a album for you. The pair has teamed of for a second time, offering '12 Reasons To Die II' as a sequel to the first version of the title. The record is due to be released on July 10 but hip-hop fans can check out the entirety of the album at the website of The New York Times (marking a shift in the music culture, for sure).
Nielsen Reports Album Sales Down...Unless You're Taylor Swift or Drake

Nielsen has released its midyear music sales report and things are looking about how you'd expect: Streaming is way up, overall album sales are down, and the vinyl trend continues. Taylor Swift and Drake are among the few performers that can feel good about moving entire albums at this point.
Back of The Billboards: 'ZABA' by Glass Animals

Society always celebrates the records that top the Billboard 200 album chart. Back of The Billboards is a Music Times weekly segment that looks at the opposite end: the new record that finished closest to the back of the Billboard 200 for the previous week. We hope to give a fighting chance to the bands you haven't heard of. This week we look at 'ZABA,' the debut album from psychedelic R&B upstarts Glass Animals.
Foo Fighters Photo Contract Called Out for "Exploitation" by Newspaper

The Foo Fighters is about to celebrate its 20th birthday with a star-studded Washington D.C. performance on July 4th, but a publication in the city has given the band a black eye regarding its photography contract, which the Washington City Paper labels as "exploitation...pure and simple."
Diddy Not Facing Felony Charges from Attack on Son's UCLA Football Coach

Sean "Diddy" Combs, the head of Bad Boy Entertainment, won't face felony charges stemming from his attack on a UCLA football coach two weeks ago. The Los Angeles County District Attorney has rejected the case. The former emcee was charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of making terrorist threats and one count of battery.
Rod Stewart Lawsuit Focuses on "Copying" Blues Standard "Corrine, Corrina"

Rod Stewart is facing a lawsuit for a song more than a century old, as the estate of Bo Carter (legal name: Armenter Chatmon) is suing over a version of the song "Corrine, Corrina" that the former Faces vocalist included on his 2013 album Time. The song, a blues standard, has been covered numerous times over the years—from artists including Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and Willie Nelson—so why is Stewart the one in legal limbo?
Meghan Trainor Cancels Tour Dates Due to Vocal Hemorrhage; How Long Is She Out?

Meghan Trainor is the most recent young pop star to withdrawal from the road because of a vocal hemorrhage. The performer announced online that she'll be canceling two dates for the immediate future but didn't shy away from the fact that if recent history is any indicator, it will be months before the "All About That Bass" vocalist will be able to appear live.