Latest Stories from Charlie
Drive-in concerts helping to keep live music afloat
Australia is beginning to trial drive-in concerts in a first attempt to give the live entertainment industry some much needed revenue. When Pixar released its 2006 film ‘Cars’, it depicted a world in which anthropomorphic vehicles attended live events together, formed giant crowds at stadiums, and lived fully fleshed out lives not unlike our own. Back then this was a world of pure fiction, a bizarre and cartoonish existence...
Carbon emissions down to 2006 levels due to coronavirus
Carbon dioxide levels fell 17 percent in April of this year compared to 2019, though the sudden drop isn’t expected to last. It turns out that coronavirus is having more widespread effects that many of us probably imagined when early headlines started spilling from China in January. The international lockdown and social distancing measures that are currently still in place have caused many businesses to shut down or temporarily pause...
KSI’s Dissimulation brings YouTube trap to the mainstream
Being a YouTuber before turning to music used to be a career choice that was ripe for ridicule. Thanks to new wave industry acts such as KSI, Joji, and Quadeca, the rules are finally changing. It wasn’t all that long ago when Olajide Olatunji, better known as KSI, was making a name for himself opening FIFA packs and playing horror games on YouTube. Known for his comedic energy and bubbling charisma,...
Mental Health Awareness week: ex-footballer discusses media bullying
Luke Chadwick's retrospective candidness on the effects of bullying has drawn attention to how our times have changed. If you don’t know who Luke Chadwick is then I can hardly blame you. If you weren’t a big fan of football or born before 1995 (neither of which I was) then you’ll likely not have heard of him. But Chadwick has been making headlines this week for opening up about his...
Investors bet on permanence of lockdown gaming habits
Lockdown restrictions have meant that many of us are flocking to online video games to distract ourselves, and investors are hoping the trend continues well beyond the pandemic. I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that I’ve chucked more than a few extra hours into playing video games since lockdown began over three months ago. While nearly every other industry has struggled to cope with the unpredictable changes surrounding the...
Meet ‘The Twenty Minute VC’ that has shaped the industry since his teens
Harry Stebbings has managed to crack into the world of venture capital and create the field’s biggest podcast, ‘The Twenty Minute VC’, at just 23-years-old. You may not have heard of Harry Stebbings, but he’s a big deal in the world of venture capital. At 18 years old he set up his own podcast titled ‘The Twenty Minute VC’, a short form interview series with leading venture capital figures and CEOs....
#DrawFor: the new charity helping artists and key workers
Spun out of the coronavirus pandemic, DrawFor is a new non-profit organisation that’s giving back to NHS key workers through artist donations, and anyone can get involved. Do you fancy yourself as a bit of an up-and-coming artist? Have some work you’d like to share on social media? Would you also like to help the NHS in the process? If you’ve answered yes to all my tedious questions, then DrawFor...
Coronavirus ticket refund policy sparks outrage
Paul McCartney has deemed Italy’s refusal to give ticket goers refunds ‘outrageous’ as coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on the music industry. Unless you’ve been in a coma for the last three months, you’ll have noticed how disruptive the coronavirus pandemic has been on normal life for nearly all of us since February. Large events have been cancelled or indefinitely postponed across the globe for the foreseeable future, including music...
Music labels to stop using ‘urban’ category
Republic Records has announced it will no longer be using the word urban. It’s a much-needed revision to a term that should have been retired decades ago. George Floyd’s death on May 25th and the subsequent protests across the globe have pushed industries everywhere to assess their behaviour and attitudes toward black people, culture, and equality. The music industry is no exception. On June 2nd many record labels and publications...
Why Ditto makes distributing your music easier than ever
Music distributors such as Ditto are making it simpler than ever to get your music out to the masses, and it might be the best place to start if you’re a Gen Z artist. If, like me, you often find yourself going down odd Spotify rabbit holes, you've probably stumbled upon many great artists that only have a small number of listeners. Often these EPs or singles are hidden...
