The Pop Corporation

YMO: YUKIHIRO TAKAHASHI, RIP

Yukihiro Takahashi from the trailblazing Yellow Magic Orchestra has passed away, so we’re taking the opportunity to remind you how great people can be. Takahashi sang and played drums with the legendary Japanese group, widely regarded to be the Japanese Kraftwerk (a bit lazy as comparisons go, but will do to encourage the casual listener).…
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SONY WALKMAN IS BACK (MODERNISED)

Sony Walkmans are an evocative thing, making oldheads and retro lovers hark back to a time when you could carry your tunes around on dedicated machinery. Well, phones replaced the need for that, as we saw the passing of various iPods and Zunes and whatnot and everything went to one device. Is there a need…
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IS SKY FERREIRA BEING TOO DIFFICULT?

It’s becoming increasingly loud in the pop world – pop stars being unhappy with their record companies pushing them in certain directions, unsure of what to do with their talents, and delaying releases due to some arbitrary bigger picture. The latest is Sky Ferreira, who is frustrated about the lack of action. Once upon a…
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25 YEARS OF MOON SAFARI

Britpop was slowly being tipped into the landfill and the UK pop-loving populace were looking for something else. Something a little less brass and more cosmopolitan. While a lot of the lads traded their shell-toes for Airwalks and air-scratched their way through Big Beat, the flip was ushered in by two Frenchmen who went by…
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FOGERTY GETS CREEDENCE BACK (AND THIS IS MORE INTERESTING THAN YOU THINK)

He’s spent half a century fighting of ownership of his songs and finally, at long long last, John Fogerty now has the rights to the Creedence Clearwater Revival discog. Fogerty has bought a majority interest in the global publishing rights from Concord Records who got them after buying out Fantasy Records. The whole thing has…
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SPOTIFY DOESN’T WORK FOR MUSICIANS – WILL THIS GUY FIX IT?

Streaming is broken. If you’re a small or independent musician, then Spotify isn’t going to give you a career any time soon. And that’s on purpose. That’s Spotify’s business model. That’s why Spotify are worth more than Paul McCartney, and he’s actually written some of the most enduring songs the world has ever seen, and…
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GWEN STEFANI IS JAPANESE APPARENTLY

Ah, the thorny topic of cultural appropriation eh? Where oldheads go ‘WHY CAN’T I JUST LIKE A LOAD OF STUFF IN WHATEVER WAY I WANT?!‘ and youngheads yell ‘YOU’RE USING OTHER RACES AS FANCY DRESS AND WE’VE HISTORICALLY BEEN MEAN TO THOSE PEOPLE SO IT IS GIVING US THE ICK!!‘ Of course, the majority of…
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RIHANNA SUPERBOWL TEASER

She’s back. Well, coming back. Rihanna – perhaps the coolest popstar we’ve ever had – hasn’t released any proper music for roughly a million years, since ‘ANTI’ made everyone’s jaws drop. When it was announced that she was going to be the SuperBowl halftime show, everyone got very excited because that possibly means new music!…
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WANT ‘ELECTRONIC MUSIC PRODUCER’ DOLL, THEN?

Meet Kavi Sharma. Kavi is a doll that makes bangers, and that’s very obviously a fun thing. See, where music production used to be the playground of old lads with hairy ears and stoners, technology has opened it up to everyone, and now, very young people can do it themselves and actual children can aspire…
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BRIT AWARDS NOT KEEN ON WOMEN MAKING MUSIC

The Brit Awards (remember those?) is coming in for some justifiable stick this week, as they’ve completely failed to recognise any women in their Best British Artist category. So, what we’ll do is try our best to give them the benefit of the doubt while simultaneously rinsing them and pointing out the women that absolutely…
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