The Daily Chord Weekly Recap – Friday, August 9

In the music news this week, we learned that radio payola never went away, NF's no. 1 album surprised Chance The Rapper, and the 'like' button on Instagram is crucial to some artists. The Daily Chord compiled links to these and a handful of stories to make your surfing time efficient. Bookmark our web page and subscribe to the email newsletter for the fresh headlines.

Monday, August 5

• Ed Sheeran breaks U2's tour record
  Item from BBC News
• Female artists account for just 21% of songs on Billboard's country airplay chart, study finds
  Post from Billboard
• Remember rock stars? With Bob Dylan and 'Don't Look Back,' D.A. Pennebaker invented the ideal
  Appreciation from LA Times
• Cassettes are back, and it's not about the music
  Post from Bloomberg
• 'For artists, work ethic and intelligence are just as important as talent' - Mike Caren
  Interview from Music Business Worldwide
• Joan Baez on three days of pregnancy and priggishness at Woodstock
  Interview from NY Times

Tuesday, August 6

• NF upsets Chance The Rapper with a no. 1 debut for 'The Search'
  Post from NY Times
• China's Tencent in talks for 10% stake in Universal Music Group
  Post from Deadline
• Factory Records celebrates 40th anniversary with box-sets and major exhibitions
  Post from NME
• Ticket marketplace TickPick raises $40M in its first institutional funding
  Item from TechCrunch
• Treasure Island music festival canceled with no plans to return
  Post from SF Chronicle
• Khalid planning benefit concert in wake of El Paso mass shooting
  Item from Pollstar

Wednesday, August 7

• Want to get on the radio? Have $50,000?
  Story from Rolling Stone
• No-deal Brexit: 'Big unanswered questions' for UK music
  Post from BBC News
• How TikTok could fail
  Post from The Verge
• Why do nice guys always finish last in hip-hop?
  Post from Uproxx
• 25 Atlanta indie rock bands you need to know in 2019
  List from Paste
• Rhiannon Giddens, Francis Johnson to get Americana award
  Item from AP News

Thursday, August 8

• Apple unveils 'Digital Masters' catalog as the future of 'Mastered For iTunes'
  Post from 9to5Mac
• While She Sleeps launch t-shirt based on Spotify royalties
  Item from Music Ally
• David Berman, Silver Jews leader and indie rock poet, dies at 52
  Obituary from NY Times
• Earbuds lets audiences stream the playlists of athletes, entertainers and each other
  Post from TechCrunch
• beabadoobee gives nostalgic 90's alt-rock a cinematic sheen
  Profile from The Fader
• From R. Kelly to As I Lay Dying, music industry grapples with problematic artists
  Story from Pollstar

Friday, August 9

• How hidden likes on Instagram could change the music industry
  Post from Complex
• Portia Sabin to succeed Jim Donio as Music Business Association president
  Post from Variety
• Jeremy Deller on raving: 'Stormzy and Dave give me hope'
  Story from The Guardian
• Polyvinyl Records co-founder picks 10 important albums from their catalog
  List from Vice
• Outside Lands becomes first major US festival to offer on-site cannabis sale and consumption
  Post from Pitchfork
• Does the 'greatest rappers of all time' debate even matter?
  Post from The Ringer