iTunes Archive

Kanye West and Jay-z create a spectacle with Watch The Throne store and the Otis video Maybach

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Kanye West and Jay-z create a spectacle with Watch The Throne store and the Otis video Maybach

It came as no surprise to me when I found out that iTunes sales for the Watch The Throne album had surpassed Coldplay’s previous record for first week digital sales. Two of the biggest and most influential icons in Hip-Hop teamed up and created a buzz around their album, in many ways. First by making the album available as a digital download only on the official release date and having the physical release cover designed by Riccardo Tisci creative director of Givenchy.

For the Otis video, which was directed by Spike Jonze, Kanye and Jay-z are shown walking with torches towards a Maybach that they completely restructured into a demolition car. This same car from the video was put on display at the “Watch The Throne store” in SoHo. The two setup a pop up shop for the weekend for viewers to see as well as an opportunity to buy the deluxe physical album with 4 bonus songs. Several projectors were setup throughout showing the Otis video as well as the artwork from the album. Security was very tight but I was able to snag this photo of the Maybach. Spotted in the back of the photo is painter Gordon Skinner. The car is to be up for auction with the proceeds going to aid the East African Drought Disaster.

Watch The Throne store setup in SoHo for the weekend of release



Scarlett Johansson photos

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Harpist Brandee Younger releases debut EP with Trio

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Harpist Brandee Younger releases debut EP with Trio

Last summer I had the pleasure to record, on video, a performance by harpist Brandee Younger with her quartet at an outdoor jazz festival in Hartford, CT. As a musician, Brandee is known to defy genres giving a new view to the perception and use of the harp in modern music. Having worked in the field of jazz with the likes of Ravi Coltrane and Charlie Haden and on the other spectrum in the realm of Hip-Hop with Common and producer Ryan Leslie, is enough to show the diversity.

With the debut EP entitled simply “Prelude”, the melding of genres and blurring of musical boundaries continues in the four track opus. From her take on the Wayne Shorter composition “Oriental Folk Song” which features the soothing vocals of Niia, to the reggae inspired “Hortense”. Makes you ponder the questions asked by the late Gil Scott-Heron in his song Is That Jazz?

The album is available on iTunes and features Dezron Douglas on bass, E.J. Strickland on drums, guest vocals by Niia and of course Brandee Younger on harp. The link to download on iTunes is below.

So Alive

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John Lennon – The Rolling Stone Interviews released for Free on iTunes

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John Lennon – The Rolling Stone Interviews released for Free on iTunes

Just on the heels of  iTunes releasing several songs albums by The Beatles available for download, Rolling Stone releases a historic interview with John Lennon. The interview took place in December of 1970 after the break up of The Beatles and the start of the Plastic Ono Band.  In the interview he speaks very candidly about the songs and the differences between his earlier writings. Yoko Ono sits in with Lennon during the interview.

The interview can be downloaded from iTunes here:  John Lennon: The Rolling Stone Interviews

Also available on iTunes, a link to the entire Beatles catalog available:

iTunes & App Store

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The Making of D’angelo’s Voodoo – 10 Year Anniversary

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The Making of D’angelo’s Voodoo – 10 Year Anniversary

Coming up on the 10 year anniversary since the release of D’angelo’s Voodoo album, here is a glimpse into the making of a modern day soul classic. The video was released as an electronic press kit and follows D’angelo as he explains some of his influences that contributed to the making of the album. Complete with footage from some of the sessions at Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios where the album was recorded. You’ll see some of the folks who stopped by the studio sessions just to get a glimpse of the making of Voodoo.

Another great find is the April 2000 cover story on D’angelo and the Voodoo album by writer dream hampton in Vibe Magazine. In the article, D’angelo touches on everything from growing up the son of a preacher, his family’s experiences with actual Haitian Voodoo, the transitions made from Brown Sugar to Voodoo and an interesting account of D’s spiritual and haunting connection to Marvin Gaye. There’s also a great Q&A between D’angelo and ?uestlove of The Roots, who was a major contributing factor to the making of Voodoo. You can read the article in it’s entirety here:

D’angelo cover story – Vibe Magazine April 2000

And if that wasn’t enough, you can always check out the wikipedia page for the Voodoo album. By far the most in depth description of an album I’ve seen on wikipedia at a whopping 27 pages!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voodoo_%28D%27Angelo_album%29

d'angelo voodoo cover

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Independent Artists and iTunes in a digital world

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Independent Artists and iTunes in a digital world

Many recording artists have still been living by the age old formula of the recording industry. This formula consists of recording an albums worth of music, complete with a few handpicked songs that the radio MIGHT play.  After said album is completed, the process then begins to “get discovered”. Perhaps a close relative is a somehow affiliated with some important figure at a record label or radio station. The problem with this scenario is, often times no matter how good your music is, you end up looking for validation of your own talent. Solution: Create your own buzz. Now with the help of technology, artists have the same means and resources that the most sophisticated major record label has to expose an artist to a worldwide audience.

What does this mean?

It means that as an independent artist with the help of companies like Tunecore you have the ability to sell your music through iTunes and other online music stores. Right along the likes of the likes of the Kanye West’s, U2′s and Beyonce’s of the world, your music can be made available.


Tunecore offers you to keep your 100% of your royalties for your music through sales through such sources as iTunes, Amazon.com, Napster, Rhapsody and more. One of many resources for independent artists to spread their music to the world.

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