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Music News: Simon and Garfunkel have a hit thanks to ‘Sad Affleck’ meme

by Staff

April 06, 2016

Simon and Garfunkel have broken into the top ten on Billboard's Hot Rock Songs chart thanks to "Sound of Silence" being included in a viral video that shows Ben Affleck looking existentially sad after being asked about the overwhelmingly negative reviews for his new movie Batman v Superman. The video now has over 20 million views on YouTube. (Billboard)

Another song helped by a meme-worthy video is Drake, whose "Jumpman" saw its sales suddenly quintuple after it was featured in a comical Taylor Swift ad for Apple Music. (Billboard)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BDqGp0JDvPa/

Will Aerosmith fans be "Cryin'"?

Aerosmith have plans to reconvene after Steven Tyler finishes promoting his solo country album this year — and now, Tyler says, the band might be saying hello only to say goodbye, permanently. "We're probably doing a farewell tour," said Tyler in an interview with Rolling Stone — but then he went on to say that the band might also (or alternately?) be recording a new album. "Whether we do a farewell tour or go into the studio and do another record, I'm just excited about it."

Janet taking time off for hypothetical baby

Janet Jackson has postponed the remainder of her Unbreakable World Tour, saying that she and her husband are "planning our family." Jackson, 49, called the development a "sudden change" and explained that "I have to rest up, doctor's orders." (Rolling Stone) Read Jay Gabler's review of the tour's November stop in Minneapolis.

Kesha vs. Dr. Luke: Today's developments

In the ongoing legal battle between pop star Kesha and superproducer Dr. Luke, a New York judge has dismissed most of Kesha's claims — most notably a charge that Dr. Luke violated New York's statues barring hate crimes. Kesha had argued that Dr. Luke's alleged assaults were motivated by a particular animus toward women, and thus qualified as hate crimes. (Billboard)

The OutKast/ATCQ collab that never was

André 3000 says that OutKast and A Tribe Called Quest were talking about making an album together, but "for our own personal reasons" the bands "let it go." André mentioned the project during remarks at a Tuesday night memorial gathering in honor of the late Phife Dawg. (Rolling Stone)

Courtney and Kevin honored at APRAs

On Tuesday night in Sydney, Kevin Parker won Song of the Year at the APRA Music Awards, for Tame Impala’s "Let It Happen." Courtney Barnett won Songwriter of the Year at the awards, presented by the Australian performance rights organization. (Billboard)

Rita says she helped write "Layla"

In a new memoir, singer-songwriter Rita Coolidge says that in 1970, she helped Jim Gordon write and record a demo that became the basis for the piano coda to the Derek & the Dominos hit "Layla." Coolidge says she was "infuriated" when the song was released with only Gordon and Eric Clapton credited as songwriters, but that she didn't have the resources to fight a legal battle for credit. "Also, the Layla album was not an especially big hit when it was released in 1971, and certainly nobody knew that 'Layla' was going to become Eric’s anthem." (Billboard)

Can you sell a "used" download?

Vinyl fans are used to buying and selling their Platters platters — could they do the same with digital downloads? The record industry is at legal loggerheads with a startup called ReDigi that launched in 2011 with the aim to create an online marketplace for the buying and selling of used downloads. Capitol Records sued, and in 2013 a judge ruled that ReDigi was out of line and potentially liable for damages. This week, Capitol and ReDigi reached a settlement that will prevent the damages case from going to a jury trial — but ReDigi is appealing its liability, so the question of resale legality may be revisited by a higher court. (Billboard)

Beyoncé sues Feyoncé

Beyoncé has sued Feyoncé, a company selling products featuring slogans like, "Feyoncé: He put a ring on it." According to the lawsuit, "Defendants adopted the Feyoncé mark to call to mind Beyoncé and her famous song. Defendants' conduct described herein is intentional, fraudulent, malicious, willful and wanton." Sounds like the soundalikes' differences are irreconcilable. (Rolling Stone)

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