This Week In Music: 14th October 2021

A weekly update on all things music, advertising, and technology coming straight to you from Anthony Vanger at MassiveMusic. #TWIM

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: BRANDI CARLILE "RIGHT ON TIME"

What a pleasure to hear a full-bodied, rich-like-wine voice blasting out of the rafters. Carlile can sing, anyone who has been following her knows that, but in this song, she really hits her stride. Shades of k.d.lang for sure, even in terms of her sexuality and activism, but she is her own woman. Carlile has released seven studio albums and earned thirteen Grammy Award nominations and this one could be the winner. She has navigated through many genres - pop, rock, indie - but as she herself explains "no matter what I do, I just can't get the country and western out of my voice." This track, "Right On Time" is majestic in its scope and themes, but there is always the hint of country. The storytelling, the inflection of her voice, and the structure of the material. Most importantly, it allows Carlile to do what she does best: hit and hold the high note. Carlile is an artist who has flirted with and even dated the mainstream. Perhaps now is the time to get properly acquainted.

#brandicarlile #thefirewatchersdaughter #bythewayiforgiveyou #tanyatucker #columbioarecords #thestory #tboneburnett #inthesesilentdays #bearcreek #giveuptheghost #grammy

AD OF THE WEEK: JOHN LEWIS

This ad is a case of you're not sure if it is brilliant or if it falls flat on its face. But anything with Stevie Nick's iconic hit "Edge of Seventeen" as the soundtrack has my vote. With people spending more time at home during the Covid-19 pandemic, British retailer John Lewis?turns a house into a platform for one boy’s playful self-expression. The idea that your child, left to his own devices, will dress up into a house-destroying diva could be a parent's worst nightmare. But don't worry, John Lewis has got your back. Really? Does an insurance company forgive bad parenting and badly behaved children? Apparently so...I would add a note of caution. Just itemizing every single piece of damage and finding out how much it costs to repair/replace would take about a month. Makes me shudder to think.

The campaign, created by Adam&Eve/DDB, promotes John Lewis’ home insurance.

ELON MUSK THROWS 9000-PERSON RAVE TO OPEN BERLIN TESLA FACTORY

Elon Musk?threw a 9000 person launch party to open the new Gigafactory in Berlin.

The party took the form of a festival as it had live music from techno DJs, dance and impressive large scale stage design. The spectacle had impressive lighting fixtures, giant balloon robot figures, arcade games, vegetarian food stands, Tesla ?accelerator ride-alongs and a ferris wheel.

As the company geared up for the one-day festival,?videos ?uploaded on?Twitter ?revealed large stages with flashing lights, speakers blasting out electronic music, and gadgets that ignited tiny lightning bolts.

68% OF BLACK MUSICIANS IN THE UK HAVE EXPERIENCED RACISM, NEW SURVEY REVEALS

68% of Black musicians experiencing racism and 86% say that there was a barrier in their career because of their race, according to a new study by Black Lives in Music.

In addition figures revealed, they make ￡299 less each month on average than their white counterparts.

The data for the research came from the UK's largest-ever survey of Black artists and music industry professionals. A total of 1,718 individuals replied, describing a variety of discriminatory behaviours as well as "sometimes hostile work environments."

From those surveyed, the majority (55%) lived in London, and 17% had a longstanding physical or mental impairment, condition, illness or disability.

31% of Black music creators believed their mental wellbeing had worsened since starting their music career. This figure rises to 42% of Black women in music.

The findings come despite the music industry's growing diversity. According to recent research by UK Music, Black, Asian, and other ethnically diverse persons aged 16-24 were represented at 30.6%, up from 25.9% in 2018.

BOWERS & WILKINS UNVEILS ITS ALL-NEW ZEPPELIN WIRELESS SPEAKER

British audio brand?Bowers & Wilkins ?has launched its all-new Zeppelin wireless speaker which has been reimagined for the modern streaming age.

Arriving in two iterations — one “Midnight Grey” the other “Pearl Grey” — each version comes equipped with switchable and dimmable lighting which creates a halo effect on its metal stand.

The Zeppelin is available to buy now from?the Bowers & Wilkins webstore , retailing at ￡699 (approximately $950 USD).

Written by?Anthony Vanger

Additional research and reporting by?Adam "Badger" Woolf

Artwork by?Badger

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