Stories about Music from January, 2011
Malawi: Meet Malawi's studio wizard
Gregory Gondwe writes about Malawi's studio wizard: “Tapiwa Bandawe is a producer who can lionise a musician none of us have ever heard of and how he does this is a subject of conjecture.”
Namibia: I am an African goddess
Big Ear Records, Production label and new management from South Africa is releasing the much anticipated new super dance album, I am an African goddess, of the Namibian Superstar LadyMay.
China: P2P service down for copyright compliance
When leading Chinese P2P website VeryCD was shut down in 2009, it was back online the next day. This time, it appears the network won't be back up until all copyrighted materials are removed: ‘The days of “free” movie downloads for Chinese users,’ writes [zh] tech blogger William Long, ‘are...
Malawi: Connecting tourism and music industry
Gregory discusses the need to connect tourism and music industry in Malawi: “Taking advantage of the fact that music pulls and attracts people and their world the tourism industry which sells our places out there would intensify promotion of the varieties at their places.”
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: New Art Mag
Antilles and Repeating Islands blog about the launch of a new magazine “focusing on works by contemporary artists practicing in the Caribbean and its diaspora.”
Arab World: Congratulations to Arabs Got Talents!
Arabs Got Talents debut on television drew enthusiasm and criticism from the crowd on Twitter, quickly becoming a trending topic. Here are some mixed reactions.
Costa Rica: A Sample of Costa Rican Music
Michael from El blog de Mike [es] titles his post “National music, Who says that there is no talent here?” and then shares with his readers a wide sample of YouTube videos showing what he considers the best of Costa Rican music.
Trinidad & Tobago: The Piano Man?
After all the brouhaha surrounding a missing grand piano (which has subsequently been found) at the Prime Minister's residence, the fake former PM has his say.
Jamaica, T&T, U.S.A.: Buju's Mobile Concert
mediascape says that “this weekend promises to be an exciting one for reggae lovers”, as reggae icon Buju Banton, who is due to head back to court soon to face drug trafficking charges, will have his Miami concert broadcast via mobile phone, so that “thousands of subscribers will be able...
Trinidad & Tobago: Missing Piano
“It is indeed a sad indictment on our country that the top story emanating from the Parliament and making its way to the front page of a national daily newspaper was the apparent disappearance of a grand piano…”: Plain Talk examines the sheet music surrounding the latest political fiasco.
Cuba: Forbidden Programs
Generation Y blogs about the upsurge in sales of pirated DVDs and music, commenting: “Absent from the public catalogs are the documentaries — so often watched in Cuban homes — that approach our national history through a different lens from the official.”
Jamaica: Skin Bleaching
“All of a sudden the problem of skin bleaching is in the spotlight and we have top DJ Vybz Kartel to thank for it”: Active Voice explains.
Chile: 10 Albums to Watch for in 2011
Music blogger Roberto Carreño [es] recommends 10 albums by Chilean artists to watch for in 2011.
Argentina: Writer and Musician María Elena Walsh Dies
Argentinian writer and musician María Elena Walsh died at age 80 on January 10, 2011. Argentinians remember her children's books and songs; in the blog Botica Cultural [es] Guadalupe Sánchez posted pictures of two cassettes by María Elena Walsh she listened to as a child.
Poland: Microblog Reactions to the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity
More than 800 concerts, 1,300 artists performing for free today, 120,000 volunteers, an endless amount of charity activities across the whole of Poland and so far almost $12.3 million: these are the results of the grand finale of the 19th Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity. As we slowly approach the end of the day, we are also looking at online reactions to the event.
Trinidad & Tobago: Carnival Coverage
KnowTnT.com has some suggestions for the National Carnival Commission when it comes to the international broadcast of the national festival.
Jamaica: New Court Date for Banton
YardFlex.com notes that a February court date has been set for reggae icon Buju Banton.
Sri Lanka: First Ever Guiter Fest
Natalie Soysa informs that Sri Lanka’s first ever Guitar Fest brought musicians of three generations in one stage.
Japan: Ryuichi Sakamoto Experiments with Social Music Experiences
Ryuichi Sakamoto, one of Japan's most respected musicians, is experimenting with new ways for fans to enjoy his music with skmtSocialproject. His piano concert held in Seoul today was broadcast on Ustream and 410 venues around the world voluntarily held ‘live viewing’ events. Other big name artists to have used...
Malawi: MAM's Digital Recording Studio
The Musicians association of Malawi (MAM), announced that it has established its Digital Music Recording Studio, Gregory Gondwe reports: “This is a courtesy of the Royal Norwegian Embassy that is assisting Malawi’s Support Scheme through the Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA).”
Jamaica: New Date for Banton?
Jamaican bloggers are waiting to see what happens with reggae icon Buju Banton's new trial date.