music – Media Matters

February 13, 2019March 13, 2019

Fyre Festival Torch Job

I once knew an old fire chief and he used to describe arson as, “a New York torch job”…no matter where it happened. Arson, as you well know, is a crime committed to defraud an insurance company and make off with the cash. Of course insurance companies and law enforcement are pretty good at sniffing out circumstances when arson is likely to have occurred, and when they do the guy playing with fire is the one who gets burned.

According to Wikipedia, the Fyre Festival was “a failed ‘luxury music festival’ founded by Billy McFarland, CEO of Fyre Media Inc, and rapper Ja Rule. It was created with the intent of promoting the company’s Fyre app for booking music talent.”

Here’s the promo video…

Slick promotional video

Two documentaries (one from Hulu and the other from Netflix) were released a couple of weeks ago. According to The New Republic website, “Both documentaries purport to tell the ‘real’ story behind the Fyre Festival debacle of 2017, in which the charlatan Billy McFarland ripped off customers who had bought into an Instagram-fueled dream of partying with supermodels in the Bahamas. The dream never materialized—instead of champagne and concerts and luxury villas, ticket-holders encountered FEMA tents, empty beaches, and a transportation crisis. McFarland left behind a trail of unpaid debts, notably to the residents of Great Exuma itself, and ended up in jail for wire fraud.”

But this is where things really get interesting. According to The New Republic, the Netflix version of the story may be an attempt to rehabilitate the reputation of the festival’s much maligned promoter. The full article is worth the read and contains fascinating information about how this scam materialized. For example, Kendall Jenner was paid $250,000 for one Instagram tweet promoting the festival. As MCCNM student Monique Cousin observed, “it was Instagram that created the buzz for the festival, and one tweet of a cheese sandwich that brought it down.”

The article concludes with this caution…”Fyre Festival is a story about insidious digital marketing, corporate irresponsibility, and the misdeeds of a handful of men who control the images that appear on your social media and shape your opinions.”

The event billed as “the cultural experience of the decade” turns out to be just another warning of eminent danger ahead for those who can’t read the signs of the times.

February 7, 2019March 13, 2019

Grammy Time

The 2019 Grammy Awards will air this Sunday, Feb 10, on CBS. The three and one-half hour program will host a range of live performers including: Cardi B, Monáe, Camila Cabello, Brandi Carlile, Miley Cyrus, Dan + Shay, H.E.R., Little Big Town, Post Malone, Ricky Martin, Shawn Mendes, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Diana Ross, Chloe x Halle, Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Travis Scott, Dua Lipa and St. Vincent, and Yolanda Adams, Fantasia and Andra Day. Alicia Keys will have the honor of hosting the show so don’t expect as many laugh-lines as we got from James Corden last year.

The four biggest award categories: album of the year, song of the year, record of the year and best new artist, each have 8 nominees so the list of nominees is long and fairly diverse.

Winners are determined by an online vote by members of the recording academy. According to Vox, there are four ways to become eligible to vote for Grammy winners:

Have been credited with 12 physical or digital tracks released online only and currently available for purchase, with at least one track in the past five years
Have six credits on commercially released tracks currently available for sale and distributed through physical distribution outlets (such as record stores), with at least one track in the past five years
Have won a Grammy before
Get an endorsement from a current voting member

You can find out more about the voting process here. According to the Academy, the awards honor “artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position.”

UPDATE: Just discovered that Grammy Awards have a connection to Colorado. Check it out!

January 25, 2019March 13, 2019

Documentaries Target Music Greats

Leaving Neverland, a new documentary about to premiere at Sundance Film Festival, is shining a light on allegations of child molestation by the late Michael Jackson. But Jackson is not the only musician to be the center of attention by documentary filmmakers. Fans of R&B artist R. Kelly are well aware that last month’s Lifetime documentary series Surviving R. Kelly has focused intense scrutiny on Kelly and his alleged abusive relationships with underage women. Several news outlets have reported that RCA Records has dropped Kelly in light of these revelations.

Everyone has flaws, and for musicians at the pinnacle of success, those flaws become tragedies waiting to be exposed by the unblinking eye of the camera. Managers and fans wish that documentary filmmakers would stick to promotional content and not uncover the unsavory parts of the story; but that would be seen by critics and victims as a denial of the truth .

I recently watched the 2018 documentary Whitney and was reminded that any honest documentary about any superstar will contain dark and terrible episodes along with the moments of greatness. Whitney Houston’s incredible talent and musical success were clouded by her toxic relationship with Bobby Brown and the drug addiction that took her life.

Today in Park City, Utah, police are on high alert because of anticipated protests by fans of Michael Jackson. The estate of Michael Jackson is also pushing back, claiming that the two accusers who are at the center of the film earlier testified on behalf of Jackson. The estate is calling this film, “yet another lurid production…to exploit and cash in on Michael Jackson.”

That may be true, but it may also be true that victims will finally be heard. Perhaps truth will be the ultimate survivor.

February 1, 2008

U23D

This is a quick post to let you know that I plan to go see the U23D Imax 3-D spectacle at the Cinemark Imax theater in CS this weekend. I’ll post a review after I’ve seen it, but for now, this is what the website says…

The first digital, 3D, multi-camera, real-time production, the film was brought to life by 3ality Digital, who shot over 100 hours of footage with the largest collection of 3D camera technology every used on a single project.

According to reviews, the technical achievements alone are stunning. Apparently this is the first film ever to use ALL of the world’s 3D cameras for a single project.

Stay tuned…

Okay…here’s my review: WOW! It is difficult to describe the visual impact of the 3D effects in this film. From the opening titles to the final credits, this film pulls you in and doesn’t let you go. At times you’re flying above the stage, standing next to Bono, and jumping along with the crowd. And all the while the music is pure U2…with all the energy of a live stadium crowd for extra punch. Front row seats can’t offer this kind of visual intimacy. This really is a film that any student of media should see. Of course it doesn’t hurt if you are a fan of U2. Don’t miss this one…it’s at the Cinemark IMAX theater on the northeast side of Colorado Springs.