This issue: FACTOR’s Stream 2 Support for Live Concerts Program now open, TikTok may not be where your audience lives, YouTube stats you should know in 2021 and beyond, and Spotify re-creates the Spice Bus. But first…

album re-issues RCS Music News Weekly

Mondo Album Re-Releases This Fall

  • Super Deluxe Michael Bublé’s Christmas

Warner Records celebrates the 10th anniversary of Michael Bublé’s Christmas with a Super Deluxe Limited Edition Box Set. Available November 12th in Canada, the box set will include a seven-track bonus CD (including a “Winter Wonderland” duet with Rod Stewart and a new studio version of “Let It Snow”). A 48-page hardbound book, an individually numbered lithograph, and an exclusive green vinyl version of the album. (Pre-order here.)

  • KISS – Destroyer 45th Anniversary Edition

UMe celebrates the 45th anniversary of their all-time best-selling KISS studio album Destroyer with a Super Deluxe Anniversary Edition. Originally released in 1976, the re-release comes as a 4-CD + Blu-ray Audio box set, as well as on standard black vinyl and limited edition yellow and red double-colored vinyl. (Watch the unboxing video, or pre-order here.)

  • U2 “Gloria” on Limited Edition Yellow Vinyl

To celebrate Record Store Black Friday, UMe and Island records have announced a 40th-anniversary re-release of U2 “Gloria” on limited edition 12” yellow vinyl. Available Nov. 26th, 2021, mini-album the re-release includes two previously unreleased live recordings of “Gloria,” a full-color gatefold outer sleeve, and a poster with a montage of the band from various shows throughout their career.

  • Zappa Records Re-Releases 200 Motels

Fifty years after Frank Zappa released the soundtrack to the film 200 Motels (hailed by the Los Angeles Times as a “stunning achievement” and praised by Daily Variety as the “zaniest piece of filmusical fantasy-comedy since the Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night), Zappa Records and UMe are re-releasing 200 Motels as a Super Deluxe six-disc box set.

Newly remastered by Bernie Grundman, the re-release brings together the original soundtrack and a staggering amount of unreleased and rare material unearthed from the Frank Zappa vault.

The remastered 200 Motels will also be re-issued on vinyl as a 2LP black vinyl set and a limited-edition red vinyl pressing, only available at Zappa.com, uDiscoverMusic.com, or SoundofVinyl.com.

  • Nevermind – 30th Anniversary Edition

Commemorating the 30th anniversary of Nirvana’s Nevermind, Universal Music Enterprises will reissue the culture-changing album ranging from Super Deluxe Editions to standard digital/CD and single-disc vinyl. Exclusive to various versions of the Nevermind 30th anniversary edition are four complete live shows that document Nirvana’s ascension on the concert stage.

For pre-orders, full track listings and release dates for all configurations, visit here.

Queen’s Roger Taylor to Release a New Solo Album

With live concerts in the crapper because of COVID, Queen drummer Roger Taylor (like many musicians) had a lot of time on his hands during lockdowns and other pandemic restrictions. So, what did he do? He spent much of lockdown writing and recording new material for Outsider, his first solo album in eight years.

Described by UMe as “a sumptuous widescreen tapestry of ruminative, exquisitely arranged pieces that case a philosophical eye over human fragility and our brief time on Earth” (meaning someone at UMe was definitely dipping into the thesaurus), Outsider is now available at RogerTaylorOfficial.com.

Spotify Celebrates 25 Years of the Spice Girls by Re-Creating the Spice Bus

How do you celebrate 25 years of the Spice Girls’ popularity? When you’re the biggest music streaming service in the known universe, you re-create the famous Spice Bus, hire Drag Race contestants to be all Sporty and Posh, and take Spice Girls superfans on the journey of a lifetime to famous Spice Girls locations across London.

Hosted by RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season one queen Baga Chipz, the bus tour kicked off last weekend at the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel London, where the Spice Girls shot their iconic video for “Wannabe.”

Spice Stats:

  • The Spice Girls’ debut studio album Spice (released September 1996) has racked up more Spotify streams than Taylor Swift’s self-titled album Taylor Swift, Britney Spears’ …Baby One More Time, and Little Mix’s DNA.
  • “Wannabe” has been viewed over 538-million times on YouTube.
  • Gen Z predominantly stream the Spice Girls.

YouTube Stats to Know in 2021 and Beyond

Sure, the Taylor Swifts of the world can drop a video onto YouTube and get a bazillion views overnight, but for musicians who don’t have the same fan base, YouTube recently collected some stats to (hopefully) nudge your viewership dial:

  • The most popular YouTube search term is “song,” which means you may want to include this keyword in your channel description, tags, and video titles. (Hootsuite)
  • 86% of U.S. viewers say they often use YouTube to learn new things (Think With Google), which may explain why some artists drive viewership with how-to videos about songwriting and music production.
  • In addition to news and product review videos, Millennials prefer watching quick and fun content (The Shelf). How does this translate to engaging music videos? As a case study, check out Shred Kelly’s fun and entertaining music video for “Roman Candle Eyes” (74,000+ views since last June).

China Still Leading in TikTok Usage

TikTok may have blown up during COVID as the cool new kid on the social block, but for musicians, TikTok may not be where your audience hangs out.

According to Statista, China is by far the country with the most people regularly using TikTok. Lagging behind at second and third are Brazil and Mexico. The U.S. placed sixth and Canada came in last.

FACTOR’s Stream 2 Support for Live Concerts Program Now Open

The help Canadian musicians, venues, and live-music promoters survive COVID and foster more live concerts in the coming months, FACTOR recently launched its $20 million Stream 2 program, broken into three support streams:

  • Element 1: Infrastructure improvements to adjust health and safety standards for in-person concerts
  • Element 2: Support for in-person and hybrid concerts
  • Element 3: The presentation and promotion of live performances by Canadian artists to help rebuild their audiences

Deadline for applications is Oct. 21st, 2021 (5 p.m. ET).

For more info and how to apply, visit FACTOR’s Support for Live Concerts page.

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RCS Music News Weekly was created during COVID in the spirit of “we’re all in this together.” And we’re certainly hoping to continue this spirit post-COVID to keep everyone in the loop about what’s happening at RCS and locally, as well as national and international music news stories of interest.