• 'Time' Magazine's Short List for 'Person of the Year' Candidates Is Raising Some Eyebrows

    On Wednesday, Dec. 10, "Time" magazine will announce its 2014 Person of the Year, and after learning who landed on the short list of candidates, we are more than a little confused. Some of the names on the list are not too shocking.There is Tim Cook, who introduced a bunch of new Apple products this year and then decided to come out of the closet, making him the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company. There is Taylor Swift, who, as a top-selling artist, decided to pull her music from Spotify this past fall because she believes the streaming service is not compensating artists nearly enough.But some of the other contenders are a bit baffling.Like Vladimir Putin, the Russian president who guided his country through hosting the Sochi Olympics in February under subpar conditions. He has also been one of the ringleaders in the ongoing strife between Russia and eastern Ukraine. Then there is NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who has spent the last six months living under a microscope because it seems the majority of even NFL fans believe he purposely set out to cover up several domestic violence cases within the league, including the now-infamous knockout punch by Ray Rice that was caught on surveillance tape and then shown to the world.The Ferguson protesters have also made the list, but wouldn't it have made more sense for the peaceful protesters in New York City's chokehold case to have made it instead? By pointing to Ferguson, sadly the first thing that comes to mind for many people is either the rioting and destruction of local businesses after Darren Wilson was not indicted, or else the video of Michael Brown's grieving and angry stepfather directing the crowd to burn things down.
  • Taylor Swift Among TIME Person of the Year 2014 Finalists for Stand Against Spotify

    What do Apple CEO Tim Cook, the protestors in Ferguson, Vladimir Putin and Taylor Swift have in common? While it may seem like "nothing" from the outside, the answer is they're all on the shortlist to become TIME magazine's Person of the Year for 2014. Yes, the "Blank Space" singer joins world leaders and controversial figures in the annual recognition's nominations.
  • Credit Card Companies Taking Over as Biggest Corporate Sponsors for Musicians According to Report; American Express and Citi Buy Up

    There was a time, only a few years ago, when beverage companies were the industry that musicians aimed to get a hold on. Pepsi's role as the Super Bowl halftime show sponsor still reflects the role of soda and beer in music advertising. According to a great new report from Billboard, credit card companies and the banks they affiliate with may have taken the advantage.
  • GRAMMYs 2015 Nominations: Sam Smith, Taylor Swift, Pharrell Williams Among Early Nominees

    The biggest night in music is just around the corner, even if it's hard to believe that yet another year has passed. Today (Dec. 5), the nominations for the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards are being rolled out via Twitter and various television appearances. Early on, predicted favorites lead the nominations with Sam Smith, Iggy Azalea, Sia, Taylor Swift and Pharrell Williams all racking up multiple nods.
  • DJ Earworm Releases "United State of Pop 2014" Featuring Taylor Swift, Hozier, Ariana Grande, Iggy Azalea & More [LISTEN]

    2014 is coming to a close, and you know what that means...year-end music wrap ups! In the world of mashups, there is no better summation of any given year than DJ Earworm's "United State of Pop" series. Yesterday (Dec. 3), Earworm released "United State of Pop 2014," featuring 25 of this year's biggest hits from the likes of Taylor Swift, Maroon 5, Iggy Azalea and Ariana Grande in one four-minute extravaganza.
  • Taylor Swift "Blank Space" Crowns Hot 100: Selena Gomez "The Heart Wants What It Wants" & Mark Ronson "Uptown Funk" Crack Top 10

    Be assured, there is no "Blank Space" available at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. For the third week in a row, Taylor Swift's new single from 1989 tops the charts. While she sits snuggly atop the U.S. music radar, two new songs have cracked the top 10, with Selena Gomez's "The Heart Wants What It Wants" and Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk" (feat. Bruno Mars) vaulting up the charts.