No Popcaan For RedBull Culture Clash In Atlanta, GA
Due to issues securing travel documents, the artist will not join his team.
The Redbull Culture Clash in Atlanta will be missed one of it’s notable competitors. Popcaan and his team released a statement announcing that due to issues securing the proper travel documents for Popcaan, he will not be allowed to enter the United States to perform. He was part of the winning team at last year’s Red Bull Culture Clash.
“Due to complications with his travel documents, Popcaan will not be performing at tonight’s Red Bull Culture Clash,” wrote Red Bull in a statement. “The Unruly crew will be performing as planned. Please see the statement from Unruly for more information”
You can read Popcaan’s full statement above.
A representative for Popcaan did not immediately return a request for come.
SoundCloud’s investors just approved a life-saving $170 million emergency fund. Here are all the details.
SoundCloud just bought a few more months of life. But existing CEO Alex Ljung will no longer be running the show.
The emergency funding was given the green light this morning, according to details confirmed by company investors to Digital Music News. As reported on Thursday, incoming investors The Raine Group and Temesek led the emergency round, though they demanded preferential terms.
This is a risky bailout, so special demands are in order. Specifically, Raine and Temesek will receive first dibs on cash if SoundCloud gets sold, liquidates, or implodes. Those are all very real possibilities.
Leading up the vote, CEO Alex Ljung was urging former investors to vote ‘yes’. They did that — but they also voted ‘no’ on Ljung.
Accordingly, Ljung is being slotted into a ‘Chairman of the Board’ role. Sounds like a soft transition out of power, which raises a range of additional questions. At this stage, it’s unclear if Ljung will play an active role in the future direction of the company.
Either way, Ljung is playing along, while heralding the successful round and a bright future. But many point to Ljung as the culprit.
Indeed, as SoundCloud burned, Ljung has been blasted for wasting money and partying like a rock star. That included lavish offices, outrageous perks and scant strategies for monetization. Meanwhile, more focused companies like Spotify, YouTube, and Apple have been eating SoundCloud’s lunch.
Perhaps it’s time for some adults to assume control. And, determine a tangible, effective plan of action. Accordingly, replacing Ljung will be former Vimeo CEO Kerry Trainor. Mike Weissman will become COO.
CTO Eric Wahlforss is also moving.
Instead of CTO, Wahlforss will become ‘Chief Product Officer’. But that just creates another elephant in the room. After all, why weren’t Ljung and Wahlforss flat-out removed? Especially given the massive issues plaguing SoundCloud under their leadership?
Even worse, SoundCloud’s bailout package seems to be rewarding Ljung and Wahlforss with ongoing salaries.
Here’s a statement issued by SoundCloud to Digital Music News this morning.
“SoundCloud, the world’s largest music and audio platform, announced today it has reached an agreement on a significant investment from global merchant bank The Raine Group and Singapore-headquartered investment company Temasek. In connection with the investment, veteran digital media operators Kerry Trainor and Michael Weissman will join the SoundCloud team respectively as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer.”
On Friday, SoundCloud’s existing investors will determine if the company lives or dies. So you might want to back up your catalog.
Updated, Friday AM: SoundCloud’s investors have just approved a $170 million funding round — but the CEO has been replaced. Here are all the details.
And here’s our original story from Thursday:
The walls are caving in on SoundCloud. And its entire future is now hinging upon one vote.
Earlier, Digital Music News reported that the beleaguered streaming service was entertaining rescue investment from two groups. But according to a just-published report, those newer investors need to be approved by a bunch of older investors. And that’s not guaranteed.
The vote to rescue (or not) comes on Friday, August 11th, according to Axios writer Dan Primack. Citing a memo leaked to Axios, Primak notes that the incoming ‘rescue’ investors Raine Group and Temasek would receive preferential treatment. Which basically means that other investors would be de-prioritized, receive worsened terms, and have a harder time recovering their cash.
Ljung has warned that if the rescue package isn’t approved, the company won’t have enough money to survive. It would introduce a dangerous tailspin as employees jumped ship and the money dwindled to zero.
So essentially, a ‘no’ vote terminates the company. Or at least drastically reduces its chances of survival.
Existing investors would face some raw deal terms. In the case of an eventual fire-sale or liquidation, Raine and Temasek would get to recover their funds first, along with any other investors participating in this ‘Series F’. Sounds like a bad deal, except that the alternative is destroying SoundCloud forever.
SoundCloud is asking for an additional $170 million. The Series F sharply plunges SoundCloud’s pre-money valuation to $150 million.
One option for existing investors is to keep the company afloat and accept the bad terms. Then, work like hell to either liquidate or sell the company, a move that Ljung has previously resisted.
Others investors participating in this ‘Series F’ round include Union Square Ventures, Doughty Hanson and Atlantic Technology. So that complicates the analysis and decision matrix a bit.
Existing SoundCloud CEO Alex Ljung is obviously urging investors to vote yes. But here’s the kicker: ReCode has just reported that if the rescue round is approved, Ljung will probably be fired. In fact, a massive leadership shakeup is almost a certainty.
Accordingly, Vimeo CEO Kerry Trainor would assume the CEO helm, according to the Recode report. Whether Ljung would fight to remain CEO is another question.
Earlier, we’d heard that investors loved Ljung. But love has a funny way of turning into hate.
Over its multi-year history, SoundCloud has burned through more than $230 million. That doesn’t even include an additional $70 million in loans, undoubtedly accruing massive interest.
Meanwhile, attempts to launch a premium tier have floundered. SoundCloud Go has largely underwhelmed and failed to amass any subscribers. Spotify, meanwhile, has 60 million paying subscribers.
Incidentally, Spotify apparently passed on a deal to acquire SoundCloud. That could play into the current decision, especially the analysis of whether SoundCloud is actually sellable or not.
Ed Lover’s C’Mon Son Podcast: The Pras Episode Talks Fugees Break Up & More!
Ed Lover sat down with Pras from the legendary multi-platinum group “Fugees” to have a intimate conversation discussing topics such as the groups demise, the process of making such great records, the leak of the unreleased track, new album and also the question the fans have been anticipating to know will there be a reunion.
BATTERING DOWN THE FLU – Fort Lauderdale/Atlanta Concerts Rescheduled Late Summer!
To My Fort Lauderdale and Atlanta Fans, I have been unable to fulfill the last two dates of my 40th Anniversary Blackheart Man Tour in your area yesterday/Ft. Lauderdale, and tomorrow/Atlanta due to a viral flu that has been affecting my band since we hit Austin Texas.
I give thanks and utmost praise unto my musicians who despite the uphill battle and toll that this challenged us that we were able to deliver one of my most successful tours until yesterday when I was told under routine consultations that we have been having that it would be harmful for me to continue under these conditions.
The Solomonic Reggaestra are all at various stages of recuperation and I have advised my agents that these shows should be rescheduled for the latter part of the Summer when I will be performing at several Festivals in the USA.
I thank my many old and new fans from Las Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland Oregon, Austin Texas, Alberquerque NM, Denver Colorado, New Orleans, Washington DC, Connectictut, Boston, New York, North Carolina & Pensacola for the warm and lively reception that you gave us. And I look forward to returning later this summer to many of your area Festivals.
Bunny Wailer (foreground) leads a group of Rastafarians on a peaceful humanitarian march in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the April 21, 1966 visit of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I. The group, which marched from Mandela Park to Jamaica House in St Andrew, also met with Prime Minister Andrew Holness and urged the Government to sign on to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Members of the Rastafari, Kumina, Revivalist and Maroon communities in Jamaica yesterday conducted a peaceful, humanitarian march from Mandela Park in Half-Way Tree to Jamaica House in St Andrew, seeking to have the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) ratified by Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
The march was also held in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Ethiopian Emperor His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I’s visit to Jamaica on April 21, 1966.
The UNDRIP, which was brought before the UN’s General Assembly on September 13, 2007, sets out the rights of indigenous peoples and encourages countries to work alongside them to resolve global issues.
Specific groups from Jamaica, including Rastafari, are recognised by the treaty.
Attorney representing the group involved in the march, Empress Nannah Harris-Barrington, and a delegation including reggae legend Bunny Wailer and consultant from the Rastafari Millennium Council, Maxine Stowe, were given an audience with Holness and Culture Minister Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange.
“We were very well received by the prime minister and his delegation,” Harris-Barrington told The Gleaner after the meeting.
“The culture that we have is an indigenous category recognised by the United Nations. The Rastafari that carry on their African tradition, the Maroons, the Kumina and the Revivalists – they are the four groups recognised by the United Nations as indigenous cultures being carried on in Jamaica.”
She added: “We had a very successful meeting with the prime minister and his delegation, who have agreed to ratify the treaty. There are many areas that will have to be looked into – intellectual property and the (general) rights of Rastafari worldwide. This is about increasing the rights that are available under Jamaican statutes and to bring it under the umbrella of the international treaty,” she said.
The Yo Gotti signee was briefly detained outside a Wells Fargo bank last week.
Wells Fargo released a statement Monday (January 11) regarding Blac Youngsta’s run-in with police Friday January 8, 2016 outside one of its banks in Atlanta, NBC 11Alive reports. Blac Youngsta’s real name is Sam Benson.
“Mr. Benson is not an account holder with us,” the statement from Wells Fargo Southest Communication Manger Crystal Drake says. “He did not enter our store nor did he make any withdrawals.
“A fraudulent incident did occur in the store so in the best interest of our customer, we reported it to law enforcement right away and as a result, a suspect was apprehended and the customer was not the victim of fraud. Mr. Benson was not a party to the fraudulent incident.
“We’re confident that our description of the suspect was appropriate. It is documented in the police report. We encourage you to review it.”
The Yo Gotti signee was confronted by police while holding a large amount of cash outside a Peachtree location. Law enforcement was called by the bank when a man tried to cash a forged check for $24,000. The rapper was not arrested or charged with a crime when police realized he was not the person they were looking for. Blac Youngsta told news outlets afterwards that he withdrew money from his own account.
Police reported after the incident that the bank provided the wrong identification of the suspect upon calling 911.
Authorities, with the help of a witness, later identified Charles Darnell Edward as the suspect and he was arrested and charged with first-degree forgery.
Wu-Tang Clan’s ambitious, one-of-a-kind secret album “Once Upon A Time in Shaolin” — of which only a single copy was produced — has been sold to an American buyer for an undisclosed figure that was in the millions, private auction house Paddle8 announced on Tuesday.
Earlier this year, the group announced that the 31-track double album, recorded in secret over a six-year period, would be sold privately rather than through an auction, as widely reported.
Paddle8 discretely vetted offers for the album, and over the past six months worked with representatives of the group to evaluate them. The buyer and sellers agreed to the sale in May and spent months finalizing contracts and devising new legal protections for the work, whose value depends on its singularity.
When the album was first announced more than a year ago, Wu-Tang’s de facto leader, RZA, said the vision for “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” was a simple one: crafting a singular music experience.
Intrigue and speculation around the project (at one point RZA said the group received a $5-million offer for the work) overshadowed the release of the band’s anniversary album, “A Better Tomorrow,” which was surrounded with internal discord.
Stored in a vault at the Royal Mansour hotel in Marrakech, Morocco, since its completion in 2013, the album has been shrouded in secrecy since its inception.
RZA confirmed that the album features the group’s surviving members, and a guest appearance from Cher, but little else is known about the music.
The sole copy is housed in an engraved silver-and-nickel box crafted by British Moroccan artist Yahya. It is accompanied by a 174-page manuscript containing lyrics, credits and anecdotes on the production of each song, printed on gilded Fedrigoni Marina parchment and encased in leather by a master bookbinder.
The goal behind the unique approach in releasing “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,” RZA maintained, was to spark a debate about how music is appreciated in the era of mass production and market saturation.
Even the buyer, despite spending millions to purchase the work, is contractually bound to a great deal of secrecy.
When Paddle8 announced that it would be overseeing the sale, it was revealed that the purchaser would have to agree not to release it commercially for 88 years.
The condition of the sale means Wu-Tang will never release any of the content in any form to the public, and neither can the buyer — at least not commercially.
Wu-Tang’s extensive contractual restriction voids previously reported plans for the album, which would have allowed the highest bidder to do whatever he or she wanted with the album.
“When I think of who will come to own ‘Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,’ I want them to recognize the historical value of what they’re collecting,” RZA wrote on the Paddle8 website.
“I’m not one for hoping as a rule, but I really hope its guardian is the kind of person who finds appreciation and value in every artistic expression,” RZA continued. “Because this work was made to be appreciated.”
So why 88 years?
The time frame is, naturally, derived from Wu-Tang’s love of numbers. There were eight original members of the collective, for instance, and the auctioneer has the number in its name. Eight turned sideways is also the infinity symbol.
“For us it also addresses the issue of music’s longevity in a time of mass production and short attention spans,” RZA said on the site. “Nothing about this record revolves around short-term gains, but rather around the legacy of the music and the statement we’re making.”
Originally RZA said he hoped the buyer would display the album at museums and galleries, or take it on a “tour” where listeners pay a premium to hear the project.
Considering that the artwork is sold without copyright, broadcast rights, performers’ consents and other reproduction rights, one workaround for any buyer could be to release the project to the public for free.
“When you buy a painting or a sculpture, you’re buying that piece rather than the right to replicate it. Owning a Picasso doesn’t mean you can sell prints or reproductions, but that you’re the sole owner of a unique original. And that’s what ‘Once Upon a Time in Shaolin’ is. It’s a unique original rather than a master copy of an album,” RZA added.
Over 60 leading Black and Palestinian artists and activists affirm Black-Palestinian solidarity in our new video. Featuring Ms. Lauryn Hill, Danny Glover, DAM, Omar Barghouti, Alice Walker, Angela Davis, Yousef Erakat, Annemarie Jacir, Boots Riley, Dr. Cornel West, and many others.
Angela Davis on the project: “Mutual expressions of solidarity have helped to generate a vigorous political kinship linking black organizers, scholars, cultural workers and political prisoners in the U.S. with Palestinian activists, academics, political prisoners, and artists.”
Organizations working in collaboration: The Dream Defenders, Black Youth Project 100, the DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival, the Institute for Middle East Understanding, Jewish Voice for Peace, and the Arab Studies Institute-Quilting Point Productions.
“Due to complications with his travel documents, Popcaan will not be performing at tonight’s Red Bull Culture Clash,” wrote Red Bull in a statement. “The Unruly crew will be performing as planned. Please see the statement from Unruly for more information”
Ed Lover sat down with Pras from the legendary multi-platinum group “Fugees” to have a intimate conversation discussing topics such as the groups demise, the process of making such great records, the leak of the unreleased track, new album and also the question the fans have been anticipating to know will there be a reunion.
