music | Westminster World

Mar82021 by Editor2No Comments

Could robots replace human creativity in music?

Audio, Explainer, Explainers, Explainers, Technology, trends

Artificial intelligence systems perform time-consuming tasks quickly and accurately, making it the perfect tool in most situations. But can it make good music? https://youtu.be/uo8IrBsFpnw Is AI the future of music? Can it replace human creativity? Creative industries such as art and music are often thought to be inherently human, connected with emotive expressions of individual personalities. With music- in the words of Billy Joel-being an “explosive expression of humanity,” can robots really compose music that connects with people? Will the music even be good? Abhilash Hareendranathan, Research Associate, University of Alberta, believes AI is capable of making music that is completely indistinguishable as computerised to a human listener. He said: " Would every singl

Nov302020 by Editor2No Comments

Buskers banned from top London hotspots

Art, Covid-19, Music

After London Lockdown, buskers were forced to change their professional life. But the effect is not satisfactory. Agustin Kafka was singing at Piccadilly Circus. Photo by: Agustin Kafka From 5 November, new national restrictions were introduced in the UK to curb the dramatic increase in confirmed cases of COVID-19. This means that artists who rely on busking have to change their venues. However, their difficulties go beyond that. Agustin Kafka is a London busker who is very good at singing pop songs. "Busking is my main income and I sing four times a week," he said. Before London Lockdown, he sang in the streets three times. But sometimes he has to communicate with the police. “My favourite venue is Piccadilly Circus. I love it very much." However, for the sake of public

How are musicians making ends meet during the pandemic?

Business, Covid-19, Music, musicians

(Photo: Ellie East) Many people within the creative industry have been affected by financial hardship due to the Coronavirus pandemic. As a result of this, people are looking for new and creative ways to support themselves. With the introduction of the furlough scheme in March, the government has made an effort to ensure workers do not go without. This however, has been a far cry from the the harsh realities faced by people working within the music industry. With little hope and not much to rely on, music professional Ellie East, 21, and her partner started a small music business - Tracks from Scratch. The business aims to produce affordable live instrumentals made from scratch for singers who aren’t able to use or pay for expensive beats from YouTube. For Ellie, the lockdown ha

Dec102018 by Anoushka PintoNo Comments

Grammy nomination for BTS sets a precedent for the future of Korean pop culture

Art, Band, Celebrity, Culture, Entertainment, International, LifeStyle, Media, Music, ReportingWeek2, Social media, Video

The music industry is gearing up for the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, with the nominees having been officially announced just last week. There have been ecstatic responses from fans and supporters the world over, but the one nomination that seems to be fishing in more reactions than any other is that of Korean based pop-group, BTS. The first K-pop group to have received worldwide recognition and embark on an international tour, BTS have made history by bagging this Grammy nomination for the art and visuals of their famed album, ‘Love Yourself: Tear’. It is not only a massive breakthrough moment for the Bangtan septet, but for the Korean music scene as a whole. The album that was placed at No.1 on the 'Billboard 200' in May earlier this year, is nominated for best recording package - a

Dec112017 by Madison Pearce No Comments

Lost music and film history – Where has the memorabilia gone?

Art, Audio, Blogs, Entertainment, Fashion, Film, Music, musicians, Watch, What's Hot

Silently sitting in Mariah Carey’s penthouse, Marilyn Monroe’s white piano is locked away from the world. Sold at a private Christie’s auction in 1999, it is unclear if the public will ever be able to view it again. Is the sale of personal memorabilia threatening the loss of parts of music and film history? However, It’s positive news for auction houses. The popularity of film and music memorabilia has steadily increased over the last decade. Christina Moriame from Ewbank Auction house believes its due to “more activities and awareness of sales in this specialism, marketing and being able to be pushed by valuers” another significant point is that “items are becoming older thus more collectible” she added. Auction houses are now cashing in, generating profits b

Aisling Quinn, the woman behind a popstar’s success

Celebrity, Entertainment, Experience, Music, musicians

Behind every pop star, in the shadows, is a large crew who work around the clock. Their jobs are critical to ensuring the success and smooth operation of everything from press tours to world tours. Aisling Quinn is one of the very few female tour managers in the famously male-dominated industry. Working with Mumford and Sons, Jess Glynne. Aisling is now tour manager for International singer and songwriter Bebe Rexha. It comes at a price though, there has to be an understanding there is no such thing as a personal life. “It's so time consuming and your social life becomes non-existent,” she adds. In fact, her job is so time-consuming that our correspondence is limited to emails, as she travels through the USA managing Bebe’s appearances on the award and chat show circuit including an ap

Dec112017 by Caroline PaulNo Comments

Apple in talks to buy London-based app Shazam

DontUse

Apple is in talks to buy music recognition app Shazam in a deal that is likely to be announced before the end of this week. If the acquisition goes ahead, it will allow Apple to incorporate Shazam's technology into its iOS operating system. Currently Shazam has partnerships with Snapchat, Spotify as well as Apple and makes much of its revenue from commissions paid to it for referrals to Apple's iTunes Store. As Apple faces increasing competition from Amazon and Spotify, a takeover of Shazam would make business sense - thus cutting out the need to pay Shazam as an intermediary. If the deal goes through Shazam would no longer refer users to Apple Music competitor Spotify Image: Wikimedia Commons Shazam has evolved considerably since it was set up by four US expats in 1999. P

Nov132017 by Nikki OnafuyeNo Comments

‘This is London!’ Top Moments At The MTV EMAs

Culture, DontUse, Entertainment, Music

Eminem was performing in a pub, stage invaders took over French Montana and Swae Lee's set and Stormzy got stuck in the ladies toilets. The MTV European Awards was last night, Sunday night Nov. 12, held at the Wembley Arena, London. Hostess with the mostess, West London bred Rita Ora, 26, bought the London vibes to the music awards. https://twitter.com/OhSoLaurs/status/929887308840660993 Her 13 eye-catching outfits and tragic hair changes made the show. There were many other moments that took the spotlight away from the singer's hosting skills. Check out the top 10 moments from music's biggest night celebrating London. 1. Stormzy sending an SOS snap after being trapped in the ladies toilets. 2. Rita Ora came to the red carpet in her dressing robe and a head towel

Nov132017 by Caroline Paul No Comments

Spotify to sell more than music

Breaking News, DontUse, LifeStyle, Music, Social media, Tech startups

From today Spotify sells more than just music and related official merchandise. Users who visit the service to stream tracks by US singer songwriter Maggie Lindemann, will now be offered the chance to buy the same make-up she wears. Cosmetics company Pat McGrath Labs teamed up with the music streaming app in what Spotify plans to be the first of many e-commerce collaborations. Details for the products will appear in the same area where music lovers can buy gig tickets and band T-shirts. Lindemann has 7.5m monthly listeners on Spotify and 2.4m Instagram followers. The launch of this new commercial venture coincides with the release of her new single, Obsessed. SHOP #LiquiLUST007 Singles EARLY on @MaggieLindemann @Spotify now!! See the full video on https://t.co/YbyGE7Ocgf!???https

Oct302017 by Madison PearceNo Comments

Lost music and film history- Where has the memorabilia gone?

Art, Audio, Blogs, Culture, LifeStyle, Media, Opinion, trends, TV, What's Hot

Silently sitting in Mariah Carey’s penthouse, Marilyn Monroe’s white piano is locked away from the world. Sold at a private Christie’s auction in 1999, it is unclear if the public will ever be able to view it again. Is the sale of personal memorabilia threatening the loss of parts of music and film history? However, It’s positive news for auction houses. The popularity of film and music memorabilia have steadily increased over the last decade. Christina Moriame from Ewbank Auction house believes its due to “more activities and awareness of sales in this specialism, marketing and being able to be pushed by valuers” another significant point is that “items are becoming older thus more collectible” she added. Auction houses are now cashing in, generating profits boasting far h