This Week In Music: 28th April 2022

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

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: CLAIRE ROUSAY

Now might be the perfect time to settle into this artist's music. Claire Rousay is based in San Antonio, Texas. Her music zeroes in on personal emotions and the minutiae of everyday life -- voicemails, haptics, environmental recordings, stopwatches, whispers, and conversations -- and interweaves them into soft, spacious neo-classical music. The best description of her music might be emo-ambient. ?Everything Perfect is Already Here is her fourth album. Her work, at its core, is an experiment in using commonplace environmental sounds to tug at the heartstrings directly.?A sped-up tape recording and traffic sounds step over the track, though it’s hard to be sure whether they're coming or going. On her latest record, A Kind of Promise, Rousay welcomes melodic elements into her compositions and that is perhaps why the music has started to expand beyond its niche audience. Run a bath, dim the lights and immerse yourself into a truly original world.

https://clairerousay.com/ @clairerousay #clairerousay #shelterpress #anafternoonwhine #asofterfocus #both #ecstatic #americandreams #secondeditions

AD OF THE WEEK: JAMES SQUIRE BEER | ORDINARY BE DAMNED

Who doesn't love an epic, multi-million dollar budget ad? Ordinary Be Damned is the new brand platform for James Squire, an Aussie beer. The film tells the extraordinary real-life tale of James Squire, a man who possessed a chancer’s spirit that?carried him from the bowels of a convict ship to the splendor of his own brewery - Australia’s first. While the brooding voiceover of Rory McCann, best known for his portrayal of The Hound in Game of Thrones, describes the undistinguished life of a common man of the 18th Century, the visuals on screen depict a very different story, highlighting many of Squire’s audacious adventures. A shout-out to the music composer Lance Gurisik who delivers a very effective score, combining traditional movie techniques with modern sounds. James Squire must be selling a lot of beer these days to be able to afford such an extravagant shoot! Good work from Australian ad agency Milk + Honey United.

BARACK AND MICHELLE OBAMA’S COMPANY TO END SPOTIFY PODCAST DEAL

Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama’s media company Higher Ground is ending its?exclusive podcast deal?with Spotify,?Bloomberg ?reports and Pitchfork has learned. The Obamas are reportedly shopping around for a different podcasting partner to replace Spotify when the agreement ends in October 2022. Spotify declined to make a new offer to the Obamas as they reportedly pursue deals with companies including Amazon and iHeartMedia. The multi-year deal was originally signed back in 2019.

The Obamas’ podcasts for Spotify included?Renegades: Born in the USA, a series of conversations between the former president and Bruce Springsteen, and?The Michelle Obama Podcast, a series of deep conversations between the former First Lady and loved ones.

TYLER, THE CREATOR BREAKS RECORD FOR LARGEST VINYL SALES WEEK FOR A RAP ALBUM

Tyler, the Creator has broken the record for the biggest vinyl sales week for a rap album in over 30 years.

His Grammy-winning sixth studio LP 'Call Me If You Get Lost'?shot to Number one on the Billboard 200 around the time of its release in June 2021, but huge vinyl sales have pushed it back up to the top of the chart. The vinyl version of 'Call Me If You Get Lost' was sold exclusively through the US star's website.

According to?Billboard , he sold 49,500 physical copies via his official web store, which marks the largest sales week for a?hip-hop?album on vinyl, or for a solo male album on vinyl, since music sales tracker Luminate (formerly MRC Data)?launched in 1991. Kid Cudi‘s?2009 debut LP ‘Man on the Moon: The End of Day’ was the previous record-holder.

In January, vinyl sales in 2021 topped CDs in the US for the first time in 30 years.?38% of all album sales in the country last year were in vinyl format, accounting for over 50% of all physical album sales.?

TEENAGE ENGINEERING INTRODUCES ITS COMPACT TX-6 STEREO PRO-MIXER

Teenage Engineering?has now unveiled its ultra-portable TX-6 stereo mixer. Building on the success and popularity of its previous offerings, the innovative Swedish tech company has now created yet another device with a minimalistic, retro-styled six-channel mixer that fits in the palm of your hand.

The entire device is clad in a?Braun-like CNC-machined aluminum case sitting under a customizable knob layout and also doubles as a synthesizer and sequencer. Eight built-in effects give you more to play with while a DJ mode also lets you turn the TX-6 into a DJ mixer, crossfading between channels five and six. Other features include sleek, super slimline cables, wireless connectivity, and both 6.3mm and 3.5mm outputs.

For those interested, Teenage Engineering’s TX-6 stereo mixer is now available over on the?company’s website ?for $1,120 USD.

Written by?Anthony Vanger

Additional research and reporting by?Adam "Badger" Woolf

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