Streaming
What’s Streaming on Amazon Prime in November 2020
Amazon Prime Video has unveiled its additions for November. The big event of the month is Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology film series, which consists of five films that will drop every week beginning November 15th. Already we’ve seen three of the five: Mangrove, Lovers Rock, and Red, White, and Blue. Outside of that, there’s not much but a handful of classics being dropped into the Bezos bunch. 28 Days Later is a nice go-to during the pandemic, Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile are a great Douglas double feature, and, hey, Silverado. Those in need of a healthy holiday binge watch can find solace in Community and Scrubs. Though, if you really wanna be on brand for the holidays, you can cue up Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz, which actually was filmed on Thanksgiving. Editors...
What’s Streaming on Disney+ in November 2020
Disney+ is looking to the stars across November. Whether they’re leaving our atmosphere with continuing episodes of The Right Stuff or absconding to a galaxy far, far away with The Mandalorian, The Mouse House clearly has no intentions of spending time in reality here on Earth. No kidding! Because if they’re not blasting off, they’re celebrating the art of imagination with docuseries such as Inside Pixar and Marvel’s 616 or putting up the holiday lights with the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special. There are no shortage of escapes here. Nostalgics can also find solace in revisiting classics such as Disney’s A Christmas Carol and Mr. Magoo. Sadly, there isn’t much else being added to the back catalogue — perhaps they’re saving some titles for Christmas come December? We’ll see. Editors’ Pi...
GWAR’s Livestream Concert Turns Scumdogs of the Universe into a Virtual Bloodbath: Review
Setting the Stage: Not even a global pandemic can stop the band, the myth, the legend that is GWAR. The intergalactic barbarians just released a remastered 30th anniversary edition of their seminal Scumdogs of the Universe album, and what better way to commemorate this momentous event than a streaming concert on Halloween eve? For those not keeping up with the GWAR universe, following the tragic death of Oderus Urungus (Dave Brockie) in 2014, Blöthar the Berserker (Michael Bishop) took over lead vocals. Many fans originally know Bishop as the man behind bassist Beefcake the Mighty from 1988-1994 but this time around he returned from Scumdoggia as Blöthar to keep the GWAR machine ticking. While there’s no denying Oderus’ iconic status as GWAR’s frontman, the metal act has always had a rotat...
What’s Streaming on Hulu in November 2020
Hulu is inviting James Bond to Thanksgiving dinner, so don’t forget the martinis. Only days after the world lost the Bond that started it all — the great and legendary Sir Sean Connery — the streaming tentpole is keeping America’s November tradition alive by adding the majority of 007’s missions to their catalogue. This includes From Russia with Love (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Live and Let Die (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), A View to a Kill (1985), The Living Daylights (1987), License to Kill (1989), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and The World is Not Enough (1999). Strangely enough, Hulu has also secured the first t...
Concert Review: Mr. Bungle’s Streaming Show Masterfully Blends Comedy and Thrash
Setting the Stage: The reunion of Mr. Bungle has been a journey for both the band and its fans. In what feels like another lifetime, founding members Mike Patton, Trey Spruance, and Trevor Dunn revived Mr. Bungle for a reunion tour in early 2020… with a catch: The band would only be playing material from its 1986 thrash metal demo The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny and hardcore cover songs from the era. Furthermore, they tabbed ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo and Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian to help execute the demo’s blazing tempos and thrash theatrics. The quasi-supergroup went on a brief tour and then entered the studio to record a new version of the demo. As we remarked in our review of the album, the re-recorded Easter Bunny is a modern thrash classic from an unexpected source. ...
Concert Review: Puscifer’s Streaming Show Features Eye-Popping Visuals and Crystal-Clear Sound
Setting the Stage: Under normal circumstances, fans would quite possibly be enjoying seeing Puscifer performing tunes off their latest album, Existential Reckoning, at a packed venue. But, of course, 2020 has thrown us countless curveballs — tops being the COVID-19 pandemic canceling all extensive tours and most in-person performances. Fortunately, some bands have become creative and found other ways to perform – whether it be drive-in outdoor concerts (where fans can watch from afar while in or around their car), or via professionally filmed livestreams. On October 30th (the same date that Existential Reckoning was released), Puscifer opted for the latter, offering a show from the middle of the Arizona desert for fans to view on their most convenient electronic device with the purcha...
Netflix Raises Price of Its Most Popular Plan To $14, Premium Tier Now $18
Source: SOPA Images / Getty Netflix & chilling and binging just got a tad bit more expensive after the streaming service just raised the price of its most popular plan. Thursday (Oct.29), Netflix announced the price hikes for US subscribers bumping the price of its standard plan from $13 to $14, a $1 increase. Those who enjoy the premium tier also saw an increase, with their monthly subscriptions jumping from $16 to $18. If you happen to enjoy using Netflix’s basic plan, your fee remains $8, so you can breathe a sigh of relief. New subscribers will be the first to experience the new pricing while current customer’s subscriptions will be adjusted over the next few weeks. Netflix’s decision comes as no surprise to industry insiders, being that there are so many more options for customers...
YouTube Reports Revenue Up 32%, Paid Music & Premium Subscribers Top 30M
CFO Ruth Porat acknowledged the increase in advertiser spend for Alphabet’s Search and YouTube groups in a statement. Alphabet does not break out YouTube’s non-advertising revenue, which comes from subscriptions and other entertainment transactions, like movie rentals. Those revenues are reported as part of the “Google other revenues” line item, which contributed $5.5 billion during the period. Alphabet began disclosing YouTube revenue in February of this year when it announced that the world’s largest ad-supported video platform had brought in $15 billion in advertising in 2019. The company also shared updated subscriber figures for its music and premium services, now topping 30 million paying customers and 35 including those on free trials. A version of this...
iHeartMedia to Acquire Voxnest, Its Latest Bet on Podcasting
Like Spotify’s two-pronged approach to podcasting, a mix of acquisitions and original content, iHeartMedia has actively improved its stature in the format. Among the U.S. audience, as of September, iHeartMedia narrowly ranked second behind NPR, 26.05 million to 25.98 million, according to podcast analytics company Podtrac. iHeartMedia produces such popular podcasts as Stuff You Should Know, Crime Stories With Nancy Grace, Paper Ghosts and Dead Ass With Khadeen and Devale Ellis. iHeartMedia certainly needs a boost in 2020. Digital advertising accounted for about one-fifth of iHeartMedia’s second quarter revenue, from April to June. Broadcast radio sales, half of total revenues, fell 56.5% compared to the same period last year from $561.1 million to $244 million. But podcasting revenue grew ...
SiriusXM Revenue Up Slightly to $2 Billion, Pandora Recovers in Virus-Impacted Q3
SiriusXM’s satellite service had steady improvements from the third quarter in 2019.• Satellite subscriber revenue improved 1% to $1.6 billion.• Satellite gross profit grew 7% to $596 billion Pandora had mixed results that showed the business has recovered from a pandemic-related crash in the second quarter. The following are the third-quarter year-over-year results: • Pandora’s advertising revenue dropped 3% to $306 million, a big turnaround from the 31 percent decline in the second quarter.• Pandora’s self-pay net subscribers grew by 105,000. Pandora has two subscription services: a $9.99 premium service and a $4.99 radio tier with limited interactive features.• Pandora’s September advertising increased year-over-year, said Meyer — but didn’t give the number. Three full-year guidan...
The Kid LAROI Tunes up For Spotify’s RADAR Program
Also, Spotify will get behind a mini-documentary on the youngster, set to premiere next month. In recent months, the Kid (real name Charlton Howard) has matured into a fully-grown international chart star. In the U.S., his debut F*ck Love opened at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, with 40,000 combined units (including 33,000 in SEA units and 7,000 sales). F*ck Love bowed at No. 12 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, just one place behind the debut of two-time Grammy-winning U.S. hip-hop star Logic’s final album, No Pressure. In his homeland, LAROI impacted both main ARIA charts as his debut mixtape started at No. 3 on the albums survey, behind recordings by Taylor Swift and Cub Sport. A protégé of the late Juice WRLD, the 17-year-old bagged three nominations heading into the 20...
UK Government Launches Investigation of Streaming Platforms’ Economic Impact on the Music Industry
The world’s music streaming platforms have often been a source of controversy and debate in the music industry. While many love the convenience they offer to listeners and the ability to reach markets easier than ever, many artists are facing economic and financial strife due to the low payout per stream. The United Kingdom’s Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Committee (DCMS) is aware of these issues and is now getting involved in a new investigation into streaming platforms’ economic impact on the music industry as a whole. On the DCMS Committee’s website, officials shared a statement highlighting the large revenue brought in by the companies and emphasized how small the portion actually paid to artists is. “With streaming currently accounting for more than ...
