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Young musician dies weeks after writing final song

<p>Cat Janice has died aged 31 with her family by her side.</p> <p>The young musician, who had a large following on TikTok, had been battling cancer since January 2022 when doctors diagnosed her with sarcoma, a rare malignant tumour. </p> <p>She was declared cancer-free on July 22 that same year, following extensive surgery, chemo and radiation therapy. </p> <p>The mum-of-one was sadly re-diagnosed with cancer in June last year and despite fighting hard in the second round of her treatments, Janice told fans in January that her cancer "won" and that she "fought hard but sarcomas are too tough".</p> <p>Janice's family have announced her passing in a statement shared to her Instagram. </p> <p>"From her childhood home and surrounded by her loving family, Catherine peacefully entered the light and love of her heavenly creator," they said. </p> <p>"We are eternally thankful for the outpouring of love that Catherine and our family have received over the past few months."</p> <p>Before she died, Janice publicly announced that all her music would be signed over to her 7-year-old son, Loren, to support him in the future. </p> <p>Just weeks before her death, she released her final song <em>Dance You Outta My Head </em> in the hope it would spread "joy and fun". </p> <p>"My last joy would be if you pre saved my song 'Dance You Outta My Head' and streamed it because all proceeds go straight to my 7-year-old boy I'm leaving behind," she said, before the song was released. </p> <p>The song went viral, and took he number one spot in several countries and the number five spot on the Apple Itunes globally.</p> <p>Her family have said that the love she received for her final song, was unbelievable parting gift she could have ever received.</p> <p>"Cat saw her music go places she never expected and rests in the peace of knowing that she will continue to provide for her son through her music. This would not have been possible without all of you."</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

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Fleetwood Mac legend’s eye-watering fortune revealed

<p dir="ltr">Fleetwood Mac star Christine McVie left behind a $135 million fortune, probate documents revealed.</p> <p dir="ltr">The singer and keyboardist <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/there-are-no-words-fleetwood-mac-star-dies-aged-79" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed away aged 79</a> in November last year following a short illness. McVie, who was living in London at the time, had suffered a <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/fleetwood-mac-star-s-cause-of-death-revealed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stroke and had cancer</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">A year before her death, she secured a massive deal and sold the rights to her entire back catalogue of 115 songs.</p> <p dir="ltr">McVie played in several bands before joining Fleetwood Mac in 1970, just two years after she married the band’s bassist John McVie.</p> <p dir="ltr">She left the band in 1998 and returned to tour in 2014.</p> <p dir="ltr">Following her death, her former bandmates Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks said: “She was truly one of a kind, special and talented beyond measure.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We were so lucky to have a life with her. Individually and together, we cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She will be so very missed.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In February this year, Fleetwood admitted that the band was most likely “done” for good following McVie’s death.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I think right now, I truly think the line in the sand has been drawn with the loss of Chris," he told the<em> Los Angeles Times</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I'd say we're done, but then we've all said that before. It's sort of unthinkable right now."</p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Bizarre reasons these musicians were sued by their own fans

<p>Musicians aren’t exactly strangers to the law. From copyright lawsuits and contract breaches to brawls and bad behaviour, it’s not all that uncommon for a rock or pop star to spend a few nights behind bars. What is rare, however, is fans being responsible for landing their idol on the stand. Here are four examples of fans suing their favourite musicians for some simply bizarre reasons.</p> <p><strong>1. Rod Stewart</strong></p> <p>The 72-year-old crooner has been a lifelong super fan of Celtic F.C., and has been known to kick a ball into the crowd at his concerts from time to time. However, this seemingly harmless act has left more than one fan worse for wear. In 1990, <a href="http://ultimateclassicrock.com/rod-stewart-soccer-ball-lawsuit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">a Michigan resident was awarded US$17,000</span></strong></a> after suing Stewart for kicking a ball the ruptured a tendon in her finger, which she said affected her sex life and led to the ruin of her marriage. Then, in 2012, a Californian man copped a football in the face, fracturing his naval cavity and <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11119759/Rod-Stewart-sued-by-fan-who-claims-he-broke-his-nose-on-a-flying-football.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">claiming US$10,000</span></strong></a> to fix it.</p> <p><strong>2. Prince</strong></p> <p>Back in 2004, the late Prince rented out a mansion belonging to NBA star basketballer Carlos Boozer, and made <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/ct-carlos-boozer-prince-house-20160421-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">some serious changes</span></strong></a> to the place in order to make himself feel at home. These changes included repainting the exterior of the house in purple stripes, installing black carpet in a guest room and purple monogrammed carpet in the master suite. Naturally, Boozer wasn’t thrilled. He sued Prince for over US$25,000, but later dropped the charges after the singer amended the changes. Nevertheless, Boozer remains a fan to this day.</p> <p><strong>3. Michael Jackson</strong></p> <p>Three songs from the King of Pop’s posthumous album (Michael)became the focus of <a href="http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2016/07/01/sony-music-tricked-michael-jackson-fans-buy-fake-cds/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">a bizarre lawsuit</span></strong></a> between fan Vera Serova and Sony Music Entertainment. In 2014, Serova became convinced that “Breaking News”, “Monster” and “Keep Your Head Up” were not in fact sung by Jackson, regardless of the credits in the track listings. Serova’s case – a class action which continues to be fought today – cited consumer rights violation – namely that she was misled into purchasing the CD based on the belief all songs would feature the vocals of Jackson.</p> <p><strong>4. Sia</strong></p> <p>The Aussie pop star has fans all over the world, but her follower count took a dive after a 2016 performance in Tel Aviv, Israel for a very odd reason – a lack of banter. Angry fans have <a href="http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Culture/Sia-target-of-class-action-suit-by-disappointed-Tel-Aviv-concert-goers-464152" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">reportedly</span></strong></a> filed a class action suit against the “Chandelier” singer, complaining that the set lasted just 65 minutes and there was no stage banter between songs. Concertgoers who were unable to see Sia on stage were also disappointed that the screens on the side of the stage were not showing the performance as it happened, but rather a pre-recorded video of the singer and Kristen Wiig. Tickets for the show cost approximately US$91, so we can see why they’re less than thrilled.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty</em></p>

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Trailblazing musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto dies at 71

<p dir="ltr">Composer and activist Ryuichi Sakamoto, the creative force behind <em>The Last Emperor</em>’s award-winning score and trailblazing member of Yellow Magic Orchestra, has passed away at the age of 71 following a second cancer diagnosis. </p> <p dir="ltr">Sakamoto died on March 28, as a statement released by his management team to his official website confirmed. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of artist and musician, Ryuichi Sakamoto,” it read.</p> <p dir="ltr">"While undergoing treatment for cancer discovered in June 2020, Sakamoto continued to create works in his home studio whenever his health would allow.</p> <p dir="ltr">"He lived with music until the very end.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to his fans and all those who have supported his activities, as well as the medical professionals in Japan and the US who did everything in their power to cure him,” it continued, before going on to explain that his funeral service was “held among close family members” as per his wishes, and that they would be unable to accept “calls of condolences, offerings of incense or flowers, and the like.” </p> <p dir="ltr">To conclude the statement, the team shared one of Sakamoto’s favourite quotes, “‘Ars longa, vita brevis’. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Art is long, life is short.” </p> <p dir="ltr">Sakamoto’s art is perhaps what he will be remembered best for - by many, for his widely-renowned soundtracks, including those for Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, the same film in which he starred alongside his friend, David Bowie. </p> <p dir="ltr">The team managing the late Bowie’s official Twitter account posted a tribute to Sakamoto in the wake of the news, writing, “REST IN PEACE RYUICHI SAKAMOTO … ‘Here am I, a lifetime away from you’” alongside a picture of the two, taken in Japan in 1983.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">REST IN PEACE RYUICHI SAKAMOTO</p> <p>“Here am I, a lifetime away from you...”</p> <p>Sad to learn of the passing of actor, composer, and producer <a href="https://twitter.com/ryuichisakamoto?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ryuichisakamoto</a>. The renowned Japanese artist passed on Tuesday 28th March aged 71.</p> <p>He won awards - including an Oscar, a Grammy and Bafta -… <a href="https://t.co/OZdRVnQyYW">pic.twitter.com/OZdRVnQyYW</a></p> <p>— David Bowie Official (@DavidBowieReal) <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidBowieReal/status/1642598977785741318?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Sakamoto’s contribution to numerous music genres - including the likes of synth-pop, house music, and hip-hop - won’t be forgotten either. In the 1970s, he rose to fame as a member of the Japanese group Yellow Magic Orchestra, helping to lay the foundations for generations to come with their innovative electronic approach. </p> <p dir="ltr">In the 1980s, Sakamoto even joined forces with Iggy Pop for the 1987 hit ‘Risky’. </p> <p dir="ltr">“One of the greatest, most influential composers of our times,” tweeted one fan of his music mastery. “And I mean like really truly foundational levels of influence. Do you like electro? Hip hop? Video game music? Modern film scores? Jpop? Jrock? "Experimental music"? He was a pioneer of it all!"</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">RIP to Ryuichi Sakamoto, one of the greatest, most influential composers of our times. And I mean like really truly foundational levels of influence. Do you like electro? Hip hop? Videogame music? Modern film scores? Jpop? Jrock? "Experimental music"? He was a pioneer of it all! <a href="https://t.co/IoFlJwL9OL">https://t.co/IoFlJwL9OL</a> <a href="https://t.co/HP1Jdfltkg">pic.twitter.com/HP1Jdfltkg</a></p> <p>— Art-Eater ➡️⬇️↘️🐲👊 (@Richmond_Lee) <a href="https://twitter.com/Richmond_Lee/status/1642537126834339840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">And his success from 1987 wasn’t to stop there, with Sakamoto taking home the Academy Award for his score on the period epic <em>The Last Emperor</em>. While the award was presented at the 1988 ceremony, the film - directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, and telling the story of China’s last emperor, Puyi - was released the previous year. The score also saw him take home a Grammy and a Golden Globe for his work.</p> <p dir="ltr">As the Japan Film Society wrote on Twitter, Sakamoto was “a singular artist whose contributions to music and film remain unparalleled.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">R.I.P. Ryuichi Sakamoto (1952-2023), a singular artist whose contributions to music and film remain unparalleled. <a href="https://t.co/FUKyvHWRf9">pic.twitter.com/FUKyvHWRf9</a></p> <p>— Japan Society Film (@js_film_nyc) <a href="https://twitter.com/js_film_nyc/status/1642515647388176385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">In 2007, Sakamoto branched out again, founding a conservation organisation known as More Trees, with the goal of promoting sustainable forestry in Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Reportedly, Sakamoto even contacted the Tokyo governor shortly before his passing, continuing his mission to protect Japan’s tree cover. </p> <p dir="ltr">And in 2011, Sakamoto turned his influence into activism yet again in the wake of the Fukushima meltdown when he organised a concert against nuclear power.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="zxx"><a href="https://t.co/mYLMEN6HrZ">pic.twitter.com/mYLMEN6HrZ</a></p> <p>— ryuichi sakamoto (@ryuichisakamoto) <a href="https://twitter.com/ryuichisakamoto/status/1642507238467309568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

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Why do musicians like Elton John find retirement so tough? A music psychology expert explains

<p>With his <a href="https://www.eltonjohn.com/stories/farewell-yellow-brick-road">Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour</a>, Elton John confirmed his latest plans for retirement. The final show of the tour in July 2023 will be his last. However, deja vu suggests this might not be the last we see of Elton.</p> <p>The singer has announced plans to retire <a href="https://www.musictimes.com/articles/8902/20140817/elton-john-career-false-retirements-brief-chronological-look.htm">at least five times</a> since 1984 but is still going strong. By the end of his current tour, Elton John will have performed in over 300 concerts in the UK, the US and Europe and he shows no sign of slowing down. He’ll perform a <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/elton-john-final-uk-show-glastonbury-festival-1235180982/">headline slot at Glastonbury</a> in 2023.</p> <p>Elton is not the only performer with a history of retiring and unretiring. He is in good company with <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=113477&amp;page=1">Barbra Streisand</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/justinbieber/status/415683404462436352?lang=en">Justin Bieber</a>, <a href="https://www.revolt.tv/article/2022-07-14/180311/jay-z-explains-2003-retirement-i-thought-i-was-burned-out/">Jay-Z</a>, <a href="https://www.nme.com/news/music/lily-allen-hints-she-may-not-retire-just-yet-after-olivia-rodrigo-glastonbury-performance-3258600">Lily Allen</a> and <a href="https://ultimateclassicrock.com/phil-collins-retired/">Phil Collins</a>. </p> <p>Hip-hop star <a href="https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2022/02/04/Nicki-Minaj-returns-music-new-single-Do-We-Have-Problem/9811643982091/">Nicki Minaj’s</a> retirement lasted for only 22 days, while heavy metal singer <a href="https://ultimateclassicrock.com/ozzy-osbourne-retirement-1992/">Ozzy Osbourne’s</a> valedictory No More Tours tour in 1992 preceded a further 30 years of performance.</p> <p>In contrast with handsomely rewarded performances on the global stage, retirement can be an intermittent pipe dream for many musicians. Long, unsociable hours in the music industry often offer modest remuneration and few of the perks available in other sectors. </p> <p>There is <a href="https://www.gov.uk/working-retirement-pension-age">no compulsory retirement age</a> in the UK, which can be a godsend for lower paid professional performers who find that saving for an adequate pension is beyond their means. In these cases, working <a href="https://theconversation.com/ageing-activism-why-we-need-to-give-voice-to-the-new-third-age-50305">beyond the third age</a> is a necessity.</p> <p>For Elton and his internationally acclaimed peers, however, the incentive to return to performing is less likely to be financial. So why do some successful musicians find it so hard to stick to retirement?</p> <h2>The motivation of the stage</h2> <p>The key to understanding this lies in motivation. </p> <p>For many musicians, the motivation to perform is intrinsic rather than extrinsic. Extrinsically motivated performers are interested in tangible rewards such as money. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0305735617721637">Intrinsic motivation</a> meanwhile, is present when a musician performs mainly because of a strong inner desire to make music.</p> <p>For intrinsically motivated performers, making music is inherently pleasurable and a means unto itself. This partly explains why the music profession remains attractive even if it does not always bring the financial security of other careers. It also explains why some celebrated performers find it difficult to stay out of the public arena.</p> <p>Among those with a passion for music, the rewards of performance often exceed the financial benefits. The status and accolades derived from a celebrated performance career provide a source of affirmation which can become difficult to obtain elsewhere. </p> <p>Once human beings have fulfilled their basic needs of food, water, shelter and relationships, <a href="http://eznow7jgmenpjz.pic3.eznetonline.com/upload/MASLOW_YQfG.pdf">self-actualisation</a> becomes a significant driving force. For dedicated performers, achievement in the musical sphere can become an irreplaceable vehicle for attaining self esteem, personal growth and the satisfaction of fulfilling their potential.</p> <h2>You’re only as good as your last performance</h2> <p>Identity is also a central component in the motivation to perform. Continuing to perform professionally <a href="https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/download/fbc3b0a7fd80bcb648344f9d298414ece784f56ff9018d267fd77a7fce70a980/519636/Gross%20%26%20Musgrave%20%282017%29%20Can%20Muic%20Make%20You%20Sick%20Pt2.pdf">can provide validation</a> for musicians, regardless of the level of income and recognition.</p> <p>For many, being a musician is inextricably linked with their sense of self. Their self worth is then strongly affected by their capacity to perform. This is especially true for singers, as voice is an integral part of <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jane-Oakland/publication/258173213_Re-defining_'Me'_Exploring_career_transition_and_the_experience_of_loss_in_the_context_of_redundancy_for_professional_opera_choristers/links/00b7d52d6675946763000000/Re-defining-Me-Exploring-career-transition-and-the-experience-of-loss-in-the-context-of-redundancy-for-professional-opera-choristers.pdf">identity formation and expression</a>.</p> <p>There is some truth in the old saying; “You’re only as good as your last performance.” If you’re not performing at all, how good can you be? </p> <p>For retired musicians, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jane-Oakland/publication/280067238_AGEING_AND_RETIREMENT_TOWARDS_AN_UNDERSTANDING_OF_THE_EXPERIENCES_OF_SYMPHONY_MUSICIANS_AS_THEY_APPROACH_RETIREMENT/links/55a640e008aee8aaa765644b/AGEING-AND-RETIREMENT-TOWARDS-AN-UNDERSTANDING-OF-THE-EXPERIENCES-OF-SYMPHONY-MUSICIANS-AS-THEY-APPROACH-RETIREMENT.pdf">it can be challenging</a> to find a comparable way to channel the energy they once dedicated to performance.</p> <p>Musicians, like other professional groups, are diverse in many ways, but there are some personality traits different types of musicians tend to share. </p> <p>For example, classical musicians typically score highly on introversion, which partly accounts for <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/03057356810090010201">their ability to focus</a> on the solitary practice necessary for developing technique before engaging in ensemble playing.</p> <p>In contrast, rock and pop musicians tend to <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epdf/10.1177/0305735694222006">score highly</a> on extroversion, often learning and rehearsing more informally in collaboration with their peers. Extroverted performers often derive their energy from audience interaction so it can be difficult to achieve that “buzz” once the music stops.</p> <h2>Don’t stop me now</h2> <p>Performing music is <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00906/full">widely recognised</a> as a way of achieving the highly desired state of “flow”, otherwise known as “peak performance” or being “in the zone”.</p> <p>Providing that the challenge of performing closely matches the skill level of the performer, <a href="https://nuovoeutile.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/2002-Flow.pdf">music can become an all-absorbing activity</a>, which is so immersive that it distorts our sense of time and distracts us from our everyday concerns. During live concerts, the audience and performers can experience a sense of <a href="https://sociologicalscience.com/download/vol-6/january/SocSci_v6_27to42.pdf">“collective effervescence”</a> rarely achieved elsewhere.</p> <p>Add in the emotional high derived from the adrenaline released in public performance and we can begin to understand why the rewards of performance can be difficult to replace in retirement.</p> <p>Rihanna’s <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd8jh9QYfEs">Don’t Stop the Music</a></em>, Queen’s <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgzGwKwLmgM">Don’t Stop Me Now</a></em> and Elton’s <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHwVBirqD2s">I’m Still Standing</a></em> are these musicians ways of telling us that they want to be in the limelight, just as much as their audiences want them to stay there.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-musicians-like-elton-john-find-retirement-so-tough-a-music-psychology-expert-explains-197362" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Music

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Musician divides audiences over controversial Margaret Court slating

<p>Phoebe Bridgers has been both praised and condemned for her brutal slating of Margaret Court. </p> <p>The American musician was performing to a sold out crowd in Melbourne's Margaret Court Arena, when she took aim at the venue's namesake. </p> <p>The 28-year-old Los Angeles native condemned the 80-year-old tennis champion-turned-Christian pastor, who has in recent years become a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage and transgender rights. </p> <p>Turning to the crowd during the concert on Wednesday , Bridgers declared: “So, Margaret Court. F*** that stupid***, dumb*** b****. F*** that stupid c***. Change your name!”</p> <p>She then encouraged the riled-up crowd to chant “F*** Margaret Court!” before continuing, “I think hate is undervalued. I think it’s like a f***ing weird, white supremacist idea that hate is bad, or something?"</p> <p>“You know what I mean? It’s like hate is like what moves things throughout history. I hate that stupid b****!"</p> <p>“Hate is like how you protect yourself. What, are you never supposed to be angry, ever?”</p> <p>Phoebe's full rant was posted to Twitter and can be viewed <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrystalChristi/status/1623323236800036864" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. </p> <p>The expletive-ridden tirade quickly went viral online, with Bridgers' fans and Court's critics hailing the move as "iconic".</p> <p>“It was the most beautiful moment of my life” one concertgoer raved, while another social media user posted: “Now I’m a fan!” as others called for the venue to be renamed Phoebe Bridgers Arena.</p> <p>While the reaction to the musician's protest was mostly supportive, a small group of Margaret Court sympathisers online slammed her on-stage chants. </p> <p>One person wrote, "Any clue why she’s saying f*** Margaret Court: a world famous tennis player who’s home was actually broken into this week?….. very vile."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Music

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"I’m the problem, it’s me": Why do musicians revisit their pain and doubt in their art?

<p>Taylor Swift’s latest album <em>Midnights</em> launched with the single <em><a href="https://youtu.be/b1kbLwvqugk">Anti-Hero</a>.</em> Anti-heroes in fiction are dark, complex characters who may question their moral compass but are ultimately trying to be led by their good intentions. Perhaps most humans feel like we are all anti-heroes lacking the right amount of courage, idealism, and morality – wanting to be heroic but struggling through familiar dark places. </p> <p>In <em>Anti-Hero</em>, Taylor shares emotional rawness and sings “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me … everybody agrees.”</p> <p>“I don’t think I’ve delved this far into my insecurities in this detail before,” Swift said about the song in a video <a href="https://ew.com/music/taylor-swift-midnights-anti-hero-meaning/">on Instagram</a>. “I struggle a lot with the idea that my life has become unmanageably sized and, not to sound too dark, I struggle with the idea of not feeling like a person.”</p> <p>Taylor’s album reveals her struggle with her own insecurities and maybe common universal human emotions that everyone struggles to face. In <em>Labyrinth</em>, for example, she sings about heartbreak, and more specifically, the fear of falling in love again: "It only feels this raw right now Lost in the labyrinth of my mind Break up, break free, break through, break down."</p> <p>Much of the new album, and Swift’s discography in general, often revisits past heartbreaks, disappointments, and insecurities. Swift has talked about how <em>Midnights</em> is an album devoted to the kinds of soul-searching thoughts we have in the middle of the night.</p> <p>“This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams,” Swift wrote. “The floors we pace and the demons we face. For all of us who have tossed and turned and decided to keep the lanterns lit and go searching — hoping that just maybe, when the clock strikes twelve… we’ll meet ourselves.”</p> <h2>Music and pain</h2> <p>Music has the potential to change our experience of intrusive thoughts and how we deal with pain. At an extreme level, when we revisit past traumatic experiences, we are often in danger of triggering a <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/the-four-fear-responses-fight-flight-freeze-and-fawn-5205083">feared response</a>, that manifests as either fight/flight/freeeze or fawn, that can often re-traumatise individuals. </p> <p>When we identify with a song that expresses similar struggles to what we are experiencing we feel understood and not judged. Clinical psychologist <a href="https://janinafisher.com/pdfs/trauma.pdf">Dr Janina Fisher</a> has proposed that distancing ourselves from pain helps humans survive, yet an ongoing “self-alientation” of parts of ourselves that carries fear or shame lead to a disowning of self – the bad parts that Taylor relates to as being the things she hates about herself which causes a further suppression of feelings that can create further psychological distress.</p> <p>Expression is central to releasing emotion and connecting to music may be the key that allows the disowned parts of self to be re-integrated by expressing them in a new way. Music provides a creative outlet to re-script a new story of survival of the fear of the past with a renewed ability to see to the good things again in life. </p> <p>Musicians often imbue grief and trauma in their lyrics and melodies as autobiographical reflections into their art as a way of working through complex emotions and feelings - and by doing so, enlighten the listener to work through their own pain.</p> <h2>Music and connection</h2> <p>Music seems to be a way for music lovers to connect with artists stories of tragedy, which allows their own traumatic or painful memories to become more comfortably <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4899-1280-0_2">integrated</a> and accepted. </p> <p>Durham University studied 2,436 people within the United Kingdom and Finland to explore the reasons why we listen to sad music. Research suggested that music is a way that people regulate their mood, pleasure and pain. Professor Tuomas Eerola, Professor of Music Cognition in the Department of Music said “<a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160614155914.htm">previous research</a> in music psychology and film studies has emphasised the puzzling pleasure that people experience when engaging with tragic art.” </p> <p>The depth of loathing that Taylor taps into in <em>Anti-Hero</em> also affirms our own experience.</p> <p>It’s self confirming. Engaging with trauma in art allows us to rewrite the outcome from being victims of our circumstances to victors. We are either consumers or creators. </p> <h2>Mental health and music</h2> <p>As the <a href="https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/major-themes/health-and-well-being">World Health Organisation</a> states “there is no health without mental health”. </p> <p>A musician’s writing about trauma is a way of increasing mental health - of searching for understanding of themselves through self-reflection, it changes old thinking patterns and provides a new perspective and ways of thinking about themselves and others that can often <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2804629/">heal emotional wounds</a>.</p> <p>Like telling your story through a <a href="https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/treatments/narrative-exposure-therapy">trauma narrative</a>, music can help reduce its emotional impact. Music is a universal language that gives you the chance to be a protagonist in your life story, to see yourself as living through it heroically. </p> <p>Psychologists understand that the quickest way to understanding someone is through their wounds, and musicians too understand this power of music to comfort, console, encourage and exhort themselves and other broken hearts. </p> <p>Humans need to feel safe and in connection with others for survival, and music is the language that activates <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.191355898">pleasure centres in the brain</a> and communicates <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2003-99991-007">powerful emotions</a>. </p> <p>If trauma causes distress to the brain and body and <a href="https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/treatments/narrative-exposure-therapy">music enhances</a> psychological wellbeing, improves mood, emotions, reduces pain, anxiety, depression, and chronic stress, music has the potential to alleviate chronic disease and pain. </p> <p>Music is a vehicle that gathers strength from distress, and helps you grow brave by reflections and maybe the anti-hero’s and insecurities recreated through music may be the treasures found in darkness that we may not have seen in the light.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/im-the-problem-its-me-why-do-musicians-revisit-their-pain-and-doubt-in-their-art-193528" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Music

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Excelling as a musician takes practice and requires opportunities – not just lucky genes

<p>What makes talented musicians so good at what they do?</p> <p>There’s plenty of evidence that people can be born that way. Research findings suggest that about <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/jmg.2007.056366">half of musical ability is inherited</a>. Even if that’s true, it doesn’t mean you must have musical talent in your genes to excel on the bass, oboe or drums. </p> <p>And even if you’re fortunate enough to belong to a family that includes musicians, you would still need to study, practice and get expert guidance to play well. </p> <p>As a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=34DZlUIAAAAJ&amp;hl=en&amp;oi=ao">music professor and conductor</a>, I’ve seen the role that practice and experience play in propelling musicians toward mastery and success. There are some factors that help a musician get started – and heredity could be one of them. But musical skill is ultimately a complex interplay between <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0022429416680096">lots of practice and high-quality instruction</a>.</p> <h2>The role genes can play</h2> <p>Of course many great musicians, including some who are world famous, are related to other musical stars.</p> <p>Liza Minnelli, the famed actress, singer and dancer, is one of the late entertainer <a href="https://hollywoodlife.com/feature/judy-garland-kids-4728886/">Judy Garland’s three children</a>. <a href="https://people.com/music/jon-batiste-everything-to-know">Jon Batiste</a> – “The Late Show” bandleader, pianist and composer who has won Emmy, Oscar and Golden Globe awards – has at least 25 musicians in his family. Saxophonist Branford, trumpeter Wynton, trombonist Delfeayo and drummer Jason Marsalis are the <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/02/825717204/ellis-marsalis-patriarch-of-new-orleans-most-famous-musical-family-has-died">sons of pianist Ellis Marsalis</a>.</p> <p>Singer and pianist <a href="https://www.notablebiographies.com/news/Ge-La/Jones-Norah.html">Norah Jones</a> is the daughter of Indian sitar player <a href="https://www.vogue.in/culture-and-living/content/norah-jones-on-her-relationship-with-pandit-ravi-shankar-september-2020-cover-interview-hope">Ravi Shankar</a>, though Jones had little contact with her renowned father while growing up.</p> <p>Absolute pitch, also known as perfect pitch, is the ability to recognize and name any note you hear anywhere. Researchers have found that it <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/301704">may be hereditary</a>. But do you need it to be a great musician? Not really.</p> <h2>Most people are born with some musical ability</h2> <p>I define musical ability as the possession of talent or potential – the means to achieve something musical.</p> <p>Then there’s skill, which I define as what you attain by working at it.</p> <p>You need at least some basic musical ability to acquire musical skills. Unless you can hear and discern pitches and rhythms, you can’t reproduce them.</p> <p>But people may overestimate the role of genetics because, with very rare exceptions, <a href="https://www.apa.org/monitor/feb05/absolute">almost everyone can perceive pitches</a> and rhythms.</p> <p>My research regarding children’s musicality suggests measures of singing skills are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429416666054">normally distributed</a> in the population. That is, pitch ability follows a <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/bell-curve.asp">bell curve</a>: Most people are average singers. Not many are way below average or excellent. </p> <p>My team’s most recent research suggests that this distribution is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/00224294211032160">true for rhythm</a> in addition to pitch. </p> <p>Not surprisingly, some musical skills are correlated.</p> <p>The more training you have on specific musical skills, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/00224294211011962">better you’ll test on certain others</a>. This is probably because musical experience enhances other musical abilities.</p> <p>To sum it up, an emerging body of research indicates that practice doesn’t make perfect. But for most people, it helps a lot.</p> <h2>Lessons and practice are essential</h2> <p>What about people who say they they can’t keep a beat? It turns out that they almost always can track a steady beat to music. They just haven’t done it enough.</p> <p>Indeed, the last time I gave a nonbeliever our lab’s test for rhythm perception, she performed excellently. For that and for singing, some people just need <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/21/magazine/how-to-sing-in-tune.html">a little help</a> to move past assumptions they lack talent: You can’t say you’re incapable of something if you haven’t spent time trying. </p> <p>Some researchers and <a href="https://strategiesforinfluence.com/malcolm-gladwell-10000-hour-rule/">journalists have promoted</a> the idea it takes <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.100.3.363">10,000 hours of practice or training to master</a> a new skill. </p> <p>Innate ability puts people at different starting lines toward musical mastery. But once you’ve started to study an instrument or singing style, skill development depends on many other factors. Getting lessons, practicing often and being in a musical family may make those more likely.</p> <p>For example, Lizzo, a hip-hop superstar and classically trained flute player, had the luck to <a href="https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/lizzo-44986.php">grow up in family of music lovers</a>. They all had their own taste in music. Her success is a microcosm of why a well-rounded musical education for young people matters.</p> <p>The singers in the choir I lead at Penn State have a range of experience, from a little to a lot. Yet soon after they join it, they develop the ability to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/87551233211040726">pick a good key and starting pitch</a> as they get to know their own voices. </p> <p>Practicing more doesn’t change your baseline potential, it just changes what you can presently do. That is, if you practice a specific song over and over again, eventually you’re going to get better at it.</p> <p>Jonathon Heyward, the Baltimore Symphony’s new conductor, who has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/21/arts/music/jonathon-heyward-baltimore-symphony-orchestra.html">no musicians in his family</a>, has worked really hard to excel. He started taking cello lessons at age 10 and hasn’t stopped since, playing and practicing and studying.</p> <h2>Privilege can play a role</h2> <p>Socioeconomic factors can also enter the equation. While conducting research, I’ve seen high-income college students from high-income families, with more years of musical experience, perform better than their classmates who have lower-income backgrounds and had fewer opportunities.</p> <p>Genes can give someone a head start. At the same time, having a quiet space where you can practice on an acoustic instrument or a digital workstation might make a more decisive difference for the musical prospects of most children. The same goes for having money for private lessons or access to free classes.</p> <p>Even so, many of the best musicians, including jazz greats <a href="https://www.louisarmstronghouse.org/biography/">Louis Armstrong</a> and <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/billie-holiday-about-the-singer/68/">Billie Holiday</a>, grew up facing many hardships.</p> <p>With the right conditions for practice and gaining experience, who knows where the next Liza or Lizzo will come from.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/excelling-as-a-musician-takes-practice-and-requires-opportunities-not-just-lucky-genes-186693" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Music

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Beloved US musician and his wife found dead on desert road

<p>A beloved US musician and his wife have been found dead near California under mysterious circumstances. </p> <p>Larry Petree and his wife Betty, who had been married for more than 60 years, were found dead on a desert road in a bizarre tragedy, leaving family members wondering what happened.</p> <p>“When deputies arrived, they found the bodies of an adult male sitting in the driver’s seat and adult female leaning against the rear tire,” the Kern County Sheriff’s Office said.</p> <p>Criminal activity is not suspected in the case, so homicide detectives didn‘t respond to the scene, while investigators added that it appeared the couple had run out of petrol. </p> <p>It is unclear where the couple were heading, and an official cause of death has yet to be revealed. </p> <p>Larry was known for his musical talents and played the pedal steel guitar, contributing to the iconic Bakersfield Sound era.</p> <p>He was playing shows in the area up until his passing, with Larry‘s final show being with a band called The Soda Crackers.</p> <p>“We had the honour of having Larry as our steel guitarist at our first ever show in Bakersfield and had the even greater honour of playing with him for his last show a few weeks ago,” the band wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.</p> <p>“We send our condolences to the Petree family and the greater Bakersfield Sound community.”</p> <p>Larry’s cousin, Laurie Sanders, told The Californian that Larry had been disoriented recently and got lost when attending his own gig. </p> <p>He failed to show up for the performance, and a family friend had to pick him up and take him to the concert. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Facebook</em></p>

News

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Adored Australian musician Archie Roach dead at 66

<p dir="ltr">Tributes are flowing for beloved Aboriginal musician Archie Roach.</p> <p dir="ltr">He will be remembered as someone whose powerful songs were a source of healing and somebody who was dedicated to the truth.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 66-year-old Gunditjmara-Bundjalung elder died surrounded by family and loved ones at Warrnambool Base Hospital in Victoria after fighting a long illness, according to his sons Amos and Eban Roach.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We are so proud of everything our dad achieved in his remarkable life,” the pair said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He was a healer and unifying force. His music brought people together.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Roach rose to prominence with the release of his debut single “Took the Children Away” in 1990 and was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2020.</p> <p dir="ltr">The song reflected his experience as a member of the Stolen Generation and earned him ARIA nominations for breakthrough artist and an award for best new talent at the 1991 awards, and was further added to the National Film and Sound Archive in 2013.</p> <p dir="ltr">His family have requested privacy, with a lowkey ceremony planned but have given permission for his name, image and music to continue to be used so his legacy can inspire others.</p> <p dir="ltr">Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney described him as a giant of the industry.</p> <p dir="ltr">“For many Australians, Archie was their first exposure to the horrors of the Stolen Generations,” she said in a statement.</p> <p dir="ltr">“His voice, his music and his story came out of trauma and pain.</p> <p dir="ltr">“His powerful songs also brought people together. They provided strength and still serve as a source of healing - putting into words what was unspeakable.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Reconciliation Australia said Roach shone a light on history, the present and future, while Olympic gold medal winner Cathy Freeman passed on her condolences.</p> <p dir="ltr">“(He was) such a champion for First Nations people and all humanity,” she wrote on Twitter.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">So saddened to hear the passing of such a champion for First Nations people and all humanity. I will remember (Uncle) Archie Roach as such a courageous story teller and remarkable musician! You’ll never be forgotten. Rest in Peace. Sincerest condolences to all the family. <a href="https://t.co/7OVBfvRldw">pic.twitter.com/7OVBfvRldw</a></p> <p>— Cathy Freeman (@CathyFreeman) <a href="https://twitter.com/CathyFreeman/status/1553369443023331328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia had lost a “brilliant talent, a powerful and prolific national truth teller”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Archie’s music drew from a well of trauma and pain, but it flowed with a beauty and a resonance that moved us all,” Mr Albanese said in a social media post.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We grieve for his death, we honour his life and we hold to the hope that his words, his music and his indomitable spirit will live on to guide us and inspire us.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

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Musician sells artworks she created live on stage

<p dir="ltr">Grammy-nominated pop star Halsey is doing her bit to support reproductive rights in the US, as she enters the world of fine arts. </p> <p dir="ltr">Currently on tour around America, Halsey has created five artworks while performing live on stage, with the pieces now for sale at Sotheby’s. </p> <p dir="ltr">All proceeds from the sales will benefit the National Network of Abortion Funds. </p> <p dir="ltr">The drawings are included in the <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/contemporary-discoveries-4?locale=en">Contemporary Discoveries</a> exhibition, which features artists such as David Hockney, Andy Warhol, and Os Gêmeos. </p> <p dir="ltr">Halsey’s works are expected to fetch around $7,000 each, with bids currently ranging </p> <p dir="ltr">between $5,500 and $6,500.</p> <p dir="ltr">She created each piece on different nights of her Love and Power Tour, while singing an untitled three-minute song. </p> <p dir="ltr">Hand moving in tandem with the melody, Halsey swiftly brought to life on white canvas androgynous faces punctuated by primary colours. </p> <p dir="ltr">According to the artist, the paintings are meant to symbolise the individual energies of each audience.</p> <p dir="ltr">Halsey has long been an outspoken advocate for women's rights and reproductive healthcare access. </p> <p dir="ltr">After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade in July, she <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/my-abortion-saved-my-life-roe-v-wade-halsey">shared her personal experience</a> with a life-saving abortion procedure in an essay for Vogue. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I miscarried three times before my 24th birthday,” She wrote. “One of my miscarriages required ‘aftercare,’ a gentle way of saying that I would need an abortion, because my body could not terminate the pregnancy completely on its own and I would risk going into sepsis without medical intervention.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Many people have asked me if, since carrying a child to term after years of struggling to do so, I have reconsidered my stance on abortion,” Halsey continued. “The answer is firmly no. In fact, I have never felt more strongly about it.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images / Sotheby’s</em></p>

Art

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Australia is one of few countries that doesn’t pay session musicians ongoing royalties. Our music industry suffers as a result

<p>Most of the music we listen to is made by session musicians. These guns for hire are experts in their field, much sought after and often bring a unique sound – that extra thing that helps to make the recording what it is.</p> <p>Whether we’re at home or in our cars, at the gym, the shops, a cafe or a pub, recorded performances form the soundtrack to our lives. This soundtrack includes music made by hired freelance instrumentalists and singers whose contributions are vital to the appeal and quality of those recordings.</p> <p>While we get to enjoy the end product seemingly free of charge, all music that is broadcast or communicated to a listener is licensed by the owner of that recording and a fee is paid for that licence. Collection agencies such as <a href="https://www.ppca.com.au/music-licensing/">PPCA</a> collect these licences and disperse royalties to the rights holders of the registered recordings.</p> <h2>Does Australia value musicians?</h2> <p>Historically, Australian session musicians have had no economic claim to their recorded performances beyond a basic session fee – an unregulated fee that in real terms, has been going backwards for decades.</p> <p>While many other countries support the rights of performers to ongoing royalties, Australia is one of a handful of developed economies that does not. This has denied our musicians access to important income streams at home and abroad, placed a limit on our trade with other countries and positioned us as an outlier.</p> <p>We are seen as a country that does not value musicians the way they are valued elsewhere in the world, a perception that needs to change if we want to provide some incentive for the next generation to keep making music.</p> <p>So, how did it get to this?</p> <p>In 1996 the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) drafted the <a href="https://wipolex.wipo.int/en/text/295578">WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty</a>, which granted performers economic rights for their recorded performances and “equitable remuneration” when these performances were monetised.</p> <p>Since then, free trade agreements, such as the one between Australia and the United States in 2004, have required that parties sign up to the treaty, which our government did in 2007. Unfortunately, then Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer <a href="https://www.wipo.int/treaties/en/notifications/wppt/treaty_wppt_67.html">deliberately excluded Article 15.1</a> from the agreement, leaving Australian musicians without the same rights as those enjoyed by musicians in other parts of the world.</p> <p>For example, in the UK, US, most of Europe, as well as Mexico, Brazil, Canada and Japan, performers are assigned a percentage of the licence revenue.</p> <p>According to Peter Thoms, board member of the UK collection agency PPL "[…] in the UK, PPL royalties are split 50/50 with the labels and performers. A featured artist, who will be contracted to the label, gets a bigger performer share but session players also share in this revenue. Players who have been active on many recordings receive significant amounts annually. This helps make session playing as a vocation more viable and is a fair recognition of their contribution."</p> <p>However, when the same recordings are then broadcast in Australia, these musicians are not entitled to any performance royalties. This has led to countries like the UK reciprocating our approach and no longer paying session musicians or artists on Australian recordings when they are broadcast in the UK.</p> <h2>The Australian musician brain drain</h2> <p>The extra twist is that Australian artists with international appeal are now frequently recording outside Australia to enable them to qualify for European royalties, which are paid on a <a href="https://www.ppluk.com/international-collections/international-agreements/">qualifying territory</a> basis.</p> <p>As Australia is no longer a qualifying territory there is motivation for Australian artists to record in the UK and elsewhere to ensure they can claim equitable remuneration in the big overseas markets.</p> <p>The WIPO Treaty aimed to “provide adequate solutions to the questions raised by economic, social, cultural and technological developments”, all of which have evolved enormously since 1996. If Australia is to keep up with these changes, it must stop lagging behind and adopt Article 15.1.</p> <p>This has the potential to increase productivity in the recording economy, including revenue derived from export, and expand a sector that is currently heavily reliant on live music. Increasing passive income streams would also help to grow and sustain the careers of young musicians and support performers through future crises.</p> <h2>What can we do to fix this problem?</h2> <p>The current <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-australia-fta-chapter-15-intellectual-property/chapter-15-intellectual-property-web-version">free trade agreement</a> between Australia and the UK provides us with a political opening for this conversation. The agreement calls for a discussion about measures to ensure “adequate” remuneration for performers and producers of recordings. If we truly value our musicians, adequate must be equitable.</p> <p>All performers, classical and contemporary, as well as record producers should be having this conversation right now, engaging with other stakeholders and raising awareness.</p> <p>If the Australian government and recording industry will acknowledge the prevailing conditions for musicians globally and adopt the principle of equitable remuneration, we can begin rebuilding the structures that support payments to performers at home and overseas.</p> <p>By valuing our musicians more we will add value to the sector, with better economic regulation and new systems connecting all Australian musicians to the larger markets.</p> <p>So next time you hear music playing, think of the session musicians and producers whose skills helped to make that song a hit - the drummer on X, the trombone player on Y, or the vocalist on that annoying advertisement that’s been running for 20 years – and ask someone close by, why is it that Australian musicians are denied equitable remuneration that exists in so many other parts of the world?</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-is-one-of-few-countries-that-doesnt-pay-session-musicians-ongoing-royalties-our-music-industry-suffers-as-a-result-185022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Music

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Daniel Johns facing jail time

<p dir="ltr">Former Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns risks being thrown into jail following a horrific head-on collision while drink-driving.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 42-year-old, who is in a rehabilitation centre, entered a guilty plea to high-range drink driving through his lawyer Bryan Wrench. </p> <p dir="ltr">Wrench told the court that his client wanted the matter dealt with immediately because it was causing him anxiety during his three month stint in rehab. </p> <p dir="ltr">Magistrate Ian Cheetham rejected the premise saying the matter was too serious and that Johns could face jail time.</p> <p dir="ltr">The case was adjourned to June 22 for sentencing with Johns ordered to contact Corrective Services NSW officers to complete an assessment report.</p> <p dir="ltr">Wrench previously submitted documents to the courts to avoid his client being interviewed by Corrective Services.</p> <p dir="ltr">He noted that Johns knew the serious nature of the offence was suffering from mental health issues. </p> <p dir="ltr">The lawyer told the court that Johns was also prepared to stop drinking alcohol as part of an intensive corrections order if it would help him avoid jail. </p> <p dir="ltr">Police allege that Johns was three times over the legal alcohol limit when his car merged onto the other side of the road and crashed into a van in the NSW Hunter region about 10.30pm on Wednesday, March 23.</p> <p dir="ltr">The van driver, 51, and his female passenger, 55, were treated at the scene and the woman was taken to hospital.</p> <p dir="ltr">Johns was breathalysed and returned a shocking blood alcohol level of 0.157.</p> <p dir="ltr">He admitted himself to a rehabilitation facility telling his followers on Instagram that he was focusing on his mental health. </p> <p dir="ltr">“As you know, my mental health is a work in progress. I have good days and bad days but it’s something I always have to manage,” Johns wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Over the last week I began to experience panic attacks. Last night I got lost while driving and I was in an accident. I am OK, everyone is OK.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I have to step back now as I’m self-admitting to a rehabilitation centre and I don’t know how long I’ll be there. Appreciate your love and support as always.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Legal

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David Byrne believes Spotify is making musicians “uncomfortable”

<p dir="ltr">David Byrne has spoken out against Spotify, saying the platform is making artists feel “uncomfortable”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The former Talking Heads performer, who removed most of his music catalogue from the streaming service in 2013, claims the publishing of “questionable or controversial content” and “misinformation” is making musicians look for other ways to showcase their music. </p> <p dir="ltr">He said, "There’s been all these things about platforms having … let’s say questionable or controversial content [and] putting out misinformation or outright lies or … not exactly hate speech, but things that are making a lot of artists uncomfortable.” </p> <p dir="ltr">“And it’s pretty tough to do anything to help ameliorate that unless you’re a Drake or Taylor Swift, or those kinds of artists. It’s pretty hard for the rest of us to have influence."</p> <p dir="ltr">He told The Guardian newspaper, "A handful of mega, mega artists are doing really well, and many of the others – especially emerging artists – are having a tough time with it. There was definitely a period where I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to be tough for a lot of artists’, especially with Spotify’s ‘freemium’ layer.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Byrne went on to cite when Taylor Swift withheld one of her albums from Apple Music over their decision to not pay artists, and noted that only a "handful" of stars are "doing really well" out of putting the music on Spotify, which is thought to pay artists an average of $0.004 per stream.</p> <p dir="ltr">He said, “I watched as Taylor Swift went to Apple and said, ‘You can’t do this; you can’t have a freemium layer that will last forever.’ And she – I mean, bless her heart – she managed to get them to [change their policy]. Which I think was brave for her and good for a lot of the rest of us."</p> <p dir="ltr">Byrne’s comments come after several artists, including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, decided to pull their music from Spotify due to the platform continuing to post controversial material from podcaster Joe Rogan.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Music

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Guy Sebastian reveals heartbreaking truth behind his Australian Idol audition

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>Guy Sebastian has revealed his lack of self-confidence almost stopped him from chasing his Idol dreams back in 2003.</p> <p>He opened up about<span> </span><em>Australian Idol<span> </span></em>on the latest episode on<span> </span><em>Anh's Brush With Fame,<span> </span></em>explaining that he didn't think music would be a career option for him to host Anh Do.</p> <p>“I wasn’t sure music was an option for me,” he told Do.</p> <p>Sebastian recalled a particularly disheartening trip, where he was repeatedly told by music industry figures that they loved his voice but not his look.</p> <p>“I was a weird-looking chubby, half-Asian kid who didn’t have the pop star look. I got on the train with all these rejection letters, tail between my legs and thought, I can’t change how I look, but I can still be a musician,” he recalled.</p> <p>“I’ll just write songs for other beautiful-looking people; that was my mindset.”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/COIOhCojTEG/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/COIOhCojTEG/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by guysebastian (@guysebastian)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Sebastian noticed an audition sign for the first season of<span> </span><em>Australian Idol</em>, but wasn't confident about his chances.</p> <p>“I thought, ‘As if I’m going to win a TV show, let alone get a record deal’. I’m going to go on TV with all these beautiful pop star-looking people? I’ll never win.”</p> <p>Luckily, Sebastian nailed the audition that left judge Marcia Hines visibly moved. Judge Ian "Dicko" Dickson wasn't impressed and said that Sebastian looked "crap, so we're going to have to work on that".</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/COKzwCUDCWf/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/COKzwCUDCWf/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by guysebastian (@guysebastian)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Dickson's comments are still in Sebastian's mind 18 years later as he remembers that moment vividly.</p> <p>“That insecurity that was starting to dissipate came back. I thought, ‘Maybe I do look like crap, I’m not cut out for this.’”</p> <p>However, he kept pushing on and has carved out a career in the Australian music scene.</p> <p>“I knew I was lucky, so I knew that would be frustrating for a lot of people who have really slogged it out trying to get into the scene. I’ve been given this opportunity through<span> </span><em>Idol<span> </span></em>— people voted for me. Kids went into debt voting for me! I’m forever in debt,” he said.</p> <p>“That’s why I keep going, because I was gifted this amazing opportunity. It’s a weird way to enter the industry, but it’s given me a fire that’ll never die out, because people believed in me.”</p> </div> </div> </div>

Music

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Jimmy Barnes reveals heartbreaking loss

<p>Aussie rocker Jimmy Barnes is known for being as tough as nails but has let down his walls in his new book <em>Killing Time</em>.</p> <p>He has shared a moving personal account after he lost his beloved dogs within months of each other, which is something that Barnes says is heartbreaking.</p> <p>"It’s the first time in two days that I’ve been able to face the world for more than ten minutes. It’s the saddest time of my life, and everything hurts," he writes in <em>Killing Time</em>.</p> <p>"You see, two days ago I helped my darling little schnauzer, Oliver, leave this world. My best mate, Oliver was nearly sixteen years old and he was suffering.</p> <p>"I had been through this eight months earlier with his brother, Snoop Dog, and it had nearly killed me then too. The only thing that had kept me going was that Oliver was still there and needed me."</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0nJjPBnyn_/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0nJjPBnyn_/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Jimmy Barnes (@jimmybarnesofficial)</a> on Jul 31, 2019 at 11:42pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Barnes recounts just how loyal the dogs have been for the last 16 years.</p> <p>"We all loved the boys and they became irreplaceable members of the Barnes family. They went everywhere with us. They came on tour and travelled in the car. The boys even came to rehab with me, and if they hadn’t I don’t think I would have made it through," he said.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B1paIfRn-Ck/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B1paIfRn-Ck/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Today is International Dog Day. I miss these guys so much it hurts.</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/jimmybarnesofficial/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Jimmy Barnes</a> (@jimmybarnesofficial) on Aug 26, 2019 at 5:17pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Barnes even recalled when the dogs stood by his side as he recovered from open-heart surgery.</p> <p>"When I had open-heart surgery, Oliver sat on my bed with me the whole time I was recovering. He knew I was in pain and he was guarding me."</p> <p>Barnes made sure to repay the favour as his dog Snoopy suffered from brain cancer and tried everything to keep him safe.</p> <p>“Well, he can have chemo,” I spluttered. “It works for humans. It’s got to work for him.” Later, I cried and held on to Jane as we lay in bed.</p> <p>Snoopy fought on for weeks, but he got steadily worse.</p> <p>He wasn’t eating and he became slower by the day. Finally, Karina, our vet, said, “Jimmy, it’s time. If you wait too long, he will start having fits and it will be too much for him or you to take.”</p> <p>Tragedy for the Barnes family struck again after the family went away on holidays after Snoopy had passed and Oliver was sick from multiple organ failure.</p> <p>‘There’s not a lot we can do except keep him comfortable,” Karina continued. ‘I think all his organs are shutting down, poor little guy.”</p> <p>I didn’t want to hear that. “Surely we can do something. He’s looking better already,” I said desperately.</p> <p>“Let’s keep him comfortable and on the drip until we decide. You don’t have to rush anything,” Karina advised.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0UPh0qn0u9/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0UPh0qn0u9/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">On the swing shift last night watching over my buddy Oliver going through the wars, he’s watched over me many a night.</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/jimmybarnesofficial/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Jimmy Barnes</a> (@jimmybarnesofficial) on Jul 24, 2019 at 3:29pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Barnes and his family took shifts to make sure Oliver was safe, and he hung on for three days.</p> <p>I sat at the foot of the bed and held Oliver’s face close to mine. He never took his eyes off me. “I’m here, son. Don’t worry, I will never leave you.” My nose was touching his and we stared into each other’s eyes.</p> <p>“I’m going to administer the last shot now, Jimmy. Don’t worry, he won’t feel any pain. He’ll just close his eyes and drift off.’ Karina moved towards the drip.</p> <p>“I’m here, my darling boy,” I said. “I’m here.”</p> <p>He never even blinked. He just kept looking at me. I held his face and looked straight back into his eyes. They never closed.</p> <p><em>KILLING TIME BY JIMMY BARNES, PUBLISHED BY HARPERCOLLINS AUSTRALIA, ON SALE FROM OCT 7. PRE-ORDER NOW AT BOOKTOPIA.</em></p>

Family & Pets

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A long way to the top: Australian musicians balance multiple roles to make their careers work

<p>Over the past three years, our <a href="https://makingmusicwork.com.au/">Making Music Work</a> project has mapped the creative, social, cultural, and economic realities of a music career in Australia.</p> <p>We surveyed nearly 600 musicians to understand their working lives, creative goals, career paths and economic circumstances. We also conducted interviews with 11 diverse musicians to explore their careers in more depth.</p> <p>Our study shows the vast majority of Australian musicians undertake a portfolio career which encompasses concurrent and often impermanent roles. This is not a new phenomenon but in recent decades there have been <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2019.1598348">major shifts</a> in how music is made, paid for and consumed.</p> <p>Now, the impact of COVID-19 on the funding and policy landscape has dramatically affected how musicians develop and sustain their careers – or not.</p> <p><strong>Balancing acts</strong></p> <p>Musicians told us they stay in the music industry because of their love and passion for music, which is central to their identity. Far from the “starving artist” myth, they combine music and non-music work in highly entrepreneurial ways. Surveyed before the current crisis, almost half (49%) the musicians in our study held two or more concurrent paid roles.</p> <p>We found 560 different job titles, the most common being instrumental musician (25%) and private music teacher (10%). Musicians worked in music-related jobs as disparate as composers, sound technicians and community arts workers, and non-music jobs including sales assistants, journalists and librarians.</p> <p>We spoke to musicians from 18 years old to 65 and above. Almost 70% had worked in music for more than 10 years, with nearly one in three of them practising as professional musicians for more than 20 years. This gives an indication of how committed Australian musicians are to the industry and sustaining their music careers and creative practice over time.</p> <p>Russell Morris on career longevity.</p> <p>While most musicians we studied are committed to the profession, 12% said that they were thinking about leaving.</p> <p>The most common reasons for leaving the music industry were financial stress, lack of income and caring responsibilities – all of which have since been exacerbated by the pandemic.</p> <p><strong>A live industry</strong></p> <p>Performance is the most common paid activity for musicians, with two-thirds of musicians deriving at least some of their income from performance fees.</p> <p>Live performances are also crucial for peer networking and career development. Peer networks are mostly built and maintained through events, and are key to musicians’ building and renewing skills, developing new creative collaborations and securing jobs.</p> <p>Given live music was <a href="https://theconversation.com/there-is-no-easy-path-out-of-coronavirus-for-live-classical-music-138207">immediately</a> impacted by the COVID-19 restrictions and will be slow to return, the capacity of musicians to maintain their careers has been severely limited.</p> <p>Rob Nassif on the importance of live performance.</p> <p>Federal, state and local governments have initiated a range of targeted grants and subsidies to help support the sector and its workforce. However, lobby groups and representative bodies have called for significantly more funding.</p> <p>On 10 June, music rights organisation APRA AMCOS published an <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AtT3Gdy8aHkhP_MZmDJcg3YW7sujyj5veF8qX8MYk2w/edit">open letter</a> with more than 1,000 industry signatories imploring the Australian government to consider <a href="https://liveperformance.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/LPA-MR-345-million-plan-to-restart-and-rebuild-live-performance-industry-4-June-2020-1.pdf">a suite of proposals</a>.</p> <p>In making their case, the signatories assert:</p> <p><em>[w]e contribute $16 billion to the economy and we are an asset that is a lynchpin for the tourism and hospitality sectors and a powerful driver of metropolitan and regional economies and export to the world.</em></p> <p><strong>The employment puzzle</strong></p> <p>Musicians are predominantly self-employed or are employed on temporary contracts, leaving them ineligible for the current JobKeeper scheme.</p> <p>Only half of musicians receive all of their income from music-related work, and the most common sources of music-related income are performance fees, music teaching and grants. The average income from all work was $41,257, with a median income of $30,576.</p> <p>While the Australian government has permitted <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/apr/23/early-release-super-coronavirus-when-access-superannuation-how-impact-your-money">early release</a> of superannuation in response to COVID-19, our study has shown that musicians have limited access to this and other employment-related benefits.</p> <p>Less than one-third of our survey participants reported employer-based superannuation contributions, and only 7% had access to a health plan or private health insurance scheme.</p> <p>In spite of the challenges, Australian musicians have shown tremendous creativity and resilience in adapting their work to online environments during the pandemic.</p> <p>Emily Smart on how the internet affords opportunities to collaborate.</p> <p>Musicians’ resilience is unsurprising given how creatively and financially nimble they have to be when negotiating music and non-music roles. To successfully engage across a variety of markets, genres and performance sites, musicians deploy diverse and agile skill sets. If they were to receive similar support as other sectors of the economy in this current crisis, they would be well placed to survive and thrive into the future.</p> <p>Throughout our research, Australian musicians generously shared their expertise. They recognise the crucial role of peer networks to develop creative practices, sustain livelihoods and nurture the sector. This creative generosity will be central to the industry’s recovery from COVID-19.</p> <p><em>Written by Brydie-Leigh Bartleet, Ben Green, Christina Ballico, Dawn Bennett and Ruth Bridgstock. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-long-way-to-the-top-australian-musicians-balance-multiple-roles-to-make-their-careers-work-140840">The Conversation.</a></em></p> <p><em>Scott Harrison, Vanessa Tomlinson and Paul Draper also contributed to this research.</em></p>

Art

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Adele shows off stunning weight loss after losing 20kgs

<p>A TV star has called Adele unrecognisable after her shocking weight loss of 20kgs.</p> <p>The 31-year-old looked stunning in a high-neck long-sleeved leopard print dress as she partied at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7834519/adele-weight-loss.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/abdcb559d18b46698faed91abc97bb79" /></p> <p>Adele attended Jay Z and Beyonce’s Oscar’s party when she bumped into Polish TV presenter Kinga Rusin, who posted a photo of their encounter on Instagram.</p> <p>According to Rusin, Adele struck up a conversation after she noticed that Rusin wasn’t wearing the slippers provided at the door as she preferred to keep her heels on instead.</p> <p>“Honestly, I didn’t recognise her because she is so thin now,” Rusin wrote.</p> <p>There were reportedly 200 people at the party and despite the photo ban, Rusin snagged a photo with Adele.</p> <p>Adele’s weight loss has been a hot topic as of late as the singer split from her husband Simon Konecki. She has found a “new lease of life” after starting reformer pilates.</p> <p>“Adele has been out enjoying herself and she sees that as her priority at the moment, along with being a mum to Angelo.” The source told<span> </span><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/9324836/adele-reformer-pilates-ayda-field-loses-stone-marriage-split/" target="_blank">The Sun</a>.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B6bUG27gnWs/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B6bUG27gnWs/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Adele (@adele)</a> on Dec 23, 2019 at 11:32am PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>“It’s a bonus that she has shifted some weight. Her mates are glad she’s letting loose and there’s nothing but good feelings towards her. She’s got a new lease of life.”</p> <p>Farnham Pilates owner, Hannah Louise Epps, explains how her reformer classes work: “It works in a slow, precise way, focusing on the core muscles and helping to build up heat and sweat to help you lose weight. It streamlines and tones muscles and helps align imbalances in posture.”</p> </div> </div> </div>

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"Never again": Why Michael Bublé has sworn off social media

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>Canadian singer Michael Bublé has revealed why he no longer uses social media in an interview with<span> </span><em>The Daily Telegraph</em>.</p> <p>Bublé is now touring a sold out tour in Australia as he cancelled a tour in 2016 after his son Noah was diagnosed with liver cancer hepatoblastoma. Buble made the decision to be with his family and stay by his son’s side as Noah underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy.</p> <p>Bublé made the decision to no longer post photos of his personal life and live in the moment for his three children, Noah, seven, Elias, four and Vida, one, who he shares with wife Luisana Lopilato after Noah’s diagnosis.</p> <p>“There is a reason why I am a different human being,” he said to<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/canadian-singer-michael-buble-explains-why-he-has-dumped-social-media/news-story/2487ea5da433806bc6732cd85ba0a910" target="_blank">The Daily Telegraph</a></em>. “I am grateful. I genuinely appreciate people so much. I am completely liberated as a human, as an artist, as an entertainer.</p> <p>“I have been through the worst thing that could happen to you and now I sing karaoke for money and I am out there laughing and crying and dancing and I love every second.”</p> <p>After being by his son’s side after cancer treatment, Bublé has since sworn off social media for life as he vows to be more present.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJnSoWmjUrz/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJnSoWmjUrz/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Michael Bublé (@michaelbuble)</a> on Aug 27, 2016 at 6:31am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“A lot of it was a philosophical change of really trying to choose to just be in the moment and to like wake up in the morning and to check myself and go, ‘hey dude, you are a lucky man, go out there and show your kids with your actions’ because most of my life was spent being a narcissistic d**k.”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLoIek9jPFg/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLoIek9jPFg/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Michael Bublé (@michaelbuble)</a> on Oct 16, 2016 at 7:25am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>He still has active Twitter and Instagram accounts, but doesn’t check them personally as his team takes care of them for him.</p> <p>“Never again,” he said of social media. “I just think for me I let my insecurity get the best of me because I wasn’t the guy that could read a review and be okay with it. I would end up calling the person. It is just better for me, more healthy.”</p> </div> </div> </div>

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"Nasty and ungracious”: Elton John exposes feud with Madonna in new book

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pop legends Elton John and Madonna have had an ongoing feud for years as they battled against each other in the music charts.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, things have come to a head as John has revealed in his latest autobiography, as he said that Madonna is “nasty and ungracious”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> After Madonna said that one of Lady Gaga’s hits </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Born This Way</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> was “reductive”, John went in to defend his close friend.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He said: “Her tour is a disaster and it couldn’t happen to a bigger ****.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If Madonna had any common sense, she would have made a record like Ray of Light, stayed away from the dance stuff and just been a great pop singer and made pop records, which she does brilliantly.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But no, she had to prove that she was like…</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“And she looks like a f****** fairground stripper.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He revealed what really happened in his autobiography ‘</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Me: Elton John’</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B2zX0BQjDfE/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B2zX0BQjDfE/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Elton John (@eltonjohn)</a> on Sep 24, 2019 at 10:44am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He said: “I got that Gaga’s single ‘Born This Way’ definitely sounded similar to ‘Express Yourself’, but I couldn’t see why she was so ungracious and nasty about it, rather than taking it as a compliment when a new generation of artists was influenced by her, particularly when she claims to be a champion for women.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He also said that due to his years-long friendship with interviewer Molly Meldrum, he did not expect the footage to be aired.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Still, I shouldn’t have said it. I apologised afterwards when I bumped into her in a restaurant in France and she was very gracious about it.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, John ran his mouth later on, calling out Madonna for lip-syncing.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Madonna, best live act? F*** off. Since when has lip-syncing been live?” John said in 2004 after accepting an award for classic songwriter at the 2004 Q Awards.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Sorry about that, but I think everyone who lip-syncs on stage in public when you pay like 75 quid to see them should be shot. Thank you very much. That’s me off her Christmas card list, but do I give a toss? No.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Madonna addressed the matter in 2012 backstage at the Golden Globes, after she won Best Original Song.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She said: “I hope he speaks to me for the next couple of years. He’s known to get mad at me… He’ll win another award. I don’t feel bad.”</span></p>

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