By Ian Liberman
STREAMING SERVICES FOR ROCKERS (PART 2)
It’s puzzling that streaming services in the U.S. and Canada do not create content for rock listeners, given that sales of rock music strongly outpaces sales of pop and hip-hop (according to 2015 Nielsen and Statista year-end numbers).
iHeartMedia is getting ready to launch two paid streaming services that tie their radio stations together on a free app. Currently, most of their radio stations, which range from Adult Pop to Pop/Rap and from Hip-Hop and Soft Rock, are being used to formulate an on-demand, paid format. Hard Rock and Metal are clearly not their favorite genres. The company, which was previously known as Clear Channel, has outlined their new business model to include two paid tiers – $5/month (ad-free) and $10/month (on-demand music catalog). Rock fans would be wise to save their money and pass on paying for iHeartMedia offerings.
Amazon Unlimited is now a reality. It features a catalog of over 10 million songs. If you are a member of Amazon Prime, you can pay $7.99 instead of $9.99 for unlimited listening. Subscriptions to play music on the Echo (Amazon`s speaker system) costs $3.99 per month. Echo is a wireless audio speaker that is amazing at creating and simulating musical melodies that smack of a virtual reality experience. You can also give directions via a Siri like system called Alexa. Unlike iHeartMedia, Amazon offers massive rock and metal catalogs.
Finally, Pandora`s new subscription streaming system is available. This service also knows where it`s bread is buttered. Not only does it have a good selection and assortment of excellent rock and metal (including an exclusive Metallica concert), it now offers a colossal number of songs and albums as a major streaming service with premium advantages. Pandora is constantly updated with new rock and metal.
THE MICE WHO SING FOR SEX
From the book entitled, The Mice Who Sing For Sex by Dr. Jack Lewis, researchers discovered that sharks like metal and rock. It seems that sharks are attracted to the low-frequency, pulsing sounds of metal. The 20-60 cycles per second that appeals to sharks is a prominent auditory cycle in many metal tunes. Sharks were exposed to metal tunes during the experiment, including AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “If You Want Blood.” These song caused the sharks to become more tranquil – the opposite of what the neuroscientist predicted the outcome would have been.
ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME???
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees for 2017 were (not surprisingly) another disappointment. The nominees range from good to horrendous. The rock and metal omissions were plentiful as usual. How can any institution call itself the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and not include the likes of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden?
ENCYLCOPAEDIAS OF ROCK
Back in the day, families like mine would buy a set of encyclopaedias. Thanks to the internet, you no longer have to buy these books, and you can find ones that cater specifically to the rock music fan. Here are a few of the better ones…
Gibraltar World of Progressive Rock has a link to every major Progressive Rock group, past and present in the world today. Progressive World and Axiom of Choice are two examples of major links connecting you to reviews and concerts.
Encyclopaedia Metallum features over 100,000 metal bands, which demonstrates that metal music is a global phenomenon. The site, which has been around for 14 years, features thousands of reviews.
INFERNO OF ROCK TRIVIA QUESTIONS:
If trivia is up your alley, make sure to check out the Inferno of Rock Trivia Card Game available on Amazon or worldwide from Rock From Hell.
NOVEMBER 2016 TRIVIA QUESTIONS
Which record company started the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame awards?
Which band has a female and male vocalist? A. Halestorm B. The Runaways C. White Stripes
Which band is using a puppet play for their new single and it has become a huge success on the Internet?
OCTOBER 2016 TRIVIA QUESTIONS
- Who bought out the rights for usage of the movie entitled School of Rock to be used for a play that will open in London`s famed West End starting October 24th? [A] Tim Rice [B] Andrew Lloyd Webber [C] Bono
- What is the present name of Richard Christy`s metal band, and why do we know his name even though his band is unsigned? Charred Walls of the Damned / The Howard Stern Show
- Which artist does not have a direct relationship with horror movies? [A] Rob Zombie [B] Thousand Foot Krutch [C] Kiss
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