Tom Petty was a key voice of my generation

I’m not young, but every time one of our icons passes, it serves to take me back in time to when the influence those icons bore on me were yet new, and simultaneously, bring me crashing back to the present.

When Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers first burst upon the scene, it was with “Breakdown”, a song that would indelibly etch his band’s style into the conciousness of the rock music world, and one he’d never surrender. As a freshman in high school, I was umbilically attached to our local AOR radio station, where Petty would follow up those inroads with “Refugee”, “Don’t Do Me Like That” and “Stop Dragging My Heart Around” with the magical Stevie Nicks. Like an indestructable tractor plodding through the corn fields of my youth, Petty’s music wore well-rutted paths in the dusty and impressionable roads of my youthful brain.

Top 6 Most Outrageous Music Laws From Around The World

Most people are told from an early age that you must follow the rules. When you get older, you are told to follow the laws in addition to the rules you have been following you’re whole life.

However, with so many rules, it’s almost like they are meant to be put to the test or at the very least, broken. Here are our top 5 most outrageous music laws from around the world.

With that said, here are our top 5 most outrageous music laws from around the world:

1. New Hampshire:  It is illegal to tap your feet or nod your head to the music in a tavern, restaurant, or cafe.
2. India: The music video for Paris Hilton’s song, “Stars Are Blind,” is banned in India.
3. Kansas: In Russel, Kansas, it is illegal to have a musical car horn.
4. Finland:Taxi drivers in Finland must pay a copyright fee for the music they play in their car while a customer is in the backseat.
5. South Carolina: Musical instruments may not be sold on Sunday.
6. Argentina: Argentine nightclubs must play the same amount of tango music as all other forms of music combined.

I don’t know about you but I always nod my head or at the very least move my feet to the beat of whatever music I happen to be listening to. In fact, sometimes I do so without even realizing it, New Hampshire. So get real.

It seems like India is on to something in regards to that crazy law – I understand why Paris Hilton’s song “Stars Are Blind” was banned. Sorry Paris.

Alright, Kansas, time to have a talk. I like my musical car horn, and I am going to keep it! Musical car horns are how I know it is time to chase after the ice cream truck. If they don’t have their musical car horn, how will I know to grab some change and head out for ice cream? (Shout out to all my fellow ice cream lovers out there!)

Really, Finland? That’s a ridiculous law don’t you think? I mean, if I was to go through the trouble of having to get music I want to play in the car when I have customers licensed, they would be listening to a whole lot of nothing.

South Carolina, I am calling you out! There is no bad time or day to listen to music, let alone sell a musical instrument so that one can play. By denying people the ability to buy a musical instrument just because it is a Sunday is downright wrong. Check yourself, South Carolina, check yourself.

Argentina, I get it, you’re passionate about your tango music, but not everyone is. The whole point of going to a nightclub is to jam out to the blaring music flowing from the surround sound speakers, and that the music is from a large variety of music genres. Time to take it down a notch with your “same amount of tango as all other forms of music combined” craziness!

What music laws did you find most outrageous and why? Comment below!

 

Taylor Swift the Copy Cat

As many know, Taylor Swift claims to write all of her songs herself. Recently, however, some copyright allegations have come out against her making all of us wonder, is her success due to the creative work of others?

Swift is a singer and songwriter loved and hated by many. In 2014, Swift released one of her hit songs “Shake It Off” and recently released another song that soared to number one on the charts, “Look What You Made Me Do”.

T-Swift has been quite successful in her career thus far, but are things about to change?

In 2015, Swift faced a whopping $42 million-dollar lawsuit following the allegations that her “Shake It Off” song lyrics were “unoriginal” and “copyrighted”. In November of 2015, a California judge dismissed the lawsuit.

Some other songs from Swift that are under fire on the subject of copyright are:

• Look What You Made Me Do
• Shake It Off (Again!)
• Ready For It

Being constantly in the spotlight and as high up in the music industry as Swift is, can also bring negative attention and cause some people to go after her fortune that she has earned over the course of her music career.

But since the 2015 lawsuit, every song Swift releases has been put under the microscope. Her claim of originality is now constantly under fire. Since the incident, she has actually lost some fans, but many still stand by Swift.

Keep it original Swift, keep it original.

Top 10 Karaoke Night Songs

It’s karaoke night and you’re ready to roll. You’ve got your crew, you’ve got a drink and your game face says “it’s time to sing.” The only problem? The fateful songbook that leaves you staring dumbfounded, wondering what in the world you are going to sing.

You don’t want to cave and sing that one song your friend’s DYING for you to join in on (because you know NONE OF THE WORDS). Don’t resort to standing in the back and hyping up the jam, we’ve got the top 10 songs for you to sing on karaoke night.

 

Sing ‘em at a karaoke party or out at the club, we’ve got your back:

1. I Want It That Way- The Backstreet Boys
2. Chicken Fried- Zac Brown Band
3. Heaven Is a Place on Earth- Belinda Carlisle
4. Collide- Howie Day
5. Sk8er Boi- Avril Lavigne
6. It’s My Life- No Doubt
7. No- Meghan Trainor
8. Geronimo- Sheppard
9. Trap Queen- Fetty Wap
10. Locked Away- R. City ftg Adam Levine

Diamond Rings & Old Barstools: A Family Affair

Tim McGraw recently came out with his fourth consecutive single, titled “Diamond Rings & Old Barstools”. The song features a duet with small town singer/songwriter Catherine Dunn. Many believe that this is the best releases in a number of years, enjoying the creative, modern new hit. McGraw and Dunn’s voices harmonize and play extremely well off of one another– which could be because they are actually cousins!

The song is simple in structure, letting Dunn’s voice ring out crystal-clear. Using diamond rings and old barstools as metaphors for the opposing lifestyles of traveling musicians (or just drunks) and married life, it mourns a relationship the narrator knew would never last, but was willing so hard for it to.

When listening to country music, I always enjoy a creative duet. I believe that the opposing sounds bring out the beauty in them, and think that this song does a great job in doing so.The song is already rising in the charts, and it could eventually be a top hit!

To check out this song, along with numerous other new hits, visit our website at http://www.karaokecloud.com or visit our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/thekaraokecloud/channels!

Sparks Ignite as Gomez and Zedd collaborate on “I Want You To Know”

Recently, Russian-German electronic music DJ and producer Anton Zaslavski, professionally known as Zedd, collaborated with his current girlfriend Selena Gomez to produce “I Want You To Know,” an ultimate hit. This is Zedd’s first single to be released since his debut album “Clarity,” which was released in 2012.

Selena Gomez and musician Zedd attend HBO’s Official Golden Globe Awards After Party at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California.

“I Want You to Know” combines the melodic part of his smash hit “Clarity“, using the strength of his latest global hit “Break Free” along Ariana Grande. The result entailed feel-good vibes, jubilant energy, and Gomez’s bubbly vocals. The track landed in the top 20 pop songs mere weeks after it was released, and the music video only made it more popular.

During an interview with New Zealand’s radio show The Edge Afternoons, the 22-year-old singer confirmed that she did date the DJ, 25, earlier this year. They never publicly declared the status of their relationship, but Gomez said, “they definitely had a thing.”

The relationship has since fizzled out, but the pair still seems to be on good terms. Nevertheless, they created an upbeat, club-infused track, which has gotten massive amount of publicity since the release.

To check out their hit, visit our website at https://www.karaokecloud.com/ or follow us on YouTube to enjoy various artists and tracks at https://www.youtube.com/user/thekaraokecloud

Will ‘Move On’ help Dunn move up?

Clare Dunn released her first major-label single ‘Move On’ last week, and is hoping that her influence on the completion of the song will make it a hit. Dunn calls the song a page out of her life. “Move On was just something I was going through. I was friends with his guy. I’m very shy when it comes to guys, a lot of the time. The way you’ll know if I really like someone is if I get shy. I was struggling with that, and he was kind of shy, too.” The video premiered at USA TODAY, and Dunn wowed fans and listeners alike with her music that has been governed by her Colorado roots.

Above: Clare Dunn poses for her debut album cover.

These lines in the chorus summed up the song best:

You’re on the sidelines wasting time when you could be winning with me
All them days are over, all them red lights are green
So move on, move on, move on
Make your move on me

In its first week out, Move On was the second most-added song at country radio, barely behind the new one from Miranda Lambert, Smokin’ and Drinkin’. “It’s already looking like a hit on The Highway,” says SiriusXM’s director of country programming, John Marks. “Hopefully, terrestrial radio will give this song and artist a chance. If so, more country music fans will be able to see for themselves why she deserves a prominent place in country music.”

Dunn stands out as a new artist, as she has been involved in every aspect of her new single’s debut. She has dreamed of becoming a singer since a young age, and got the chance to hit the big stage while singing backup in Luke Bryan’s 2011 hit Country Girl.

For more information, visit our youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/KaraokeOnVEVO/videos or like us on Facebook!

KaraoQ Partners with DigiTrax Entertainment to Innovate the Karaoke Experience

Nashville-based music tech company, KaraoQ, signs deal with DigiTrax Entertainment to provide a better karaoke experience from your mobile device. This partnership integrates the mobile application experience with a legally sourced karaoke catalog: it’s social, mobile and all legal.

Sam Smith and John Legend duet for a good cause

This year for Comic Relief Charity’s Red Nose Day, Sam Smith and John Legend recorded their own version of Smith’s single “Lay Me Down,” which won a Grammy earlier this year. Red Nose Day rolls around every two years and calls on people across the UK to put on red clown noses and donate to charity. All profits from the newly recorded track will go towards the charity, which is built from a vision of a just world, free from poverty.

Above: John Legend and Sam Smith dress up in their red noses to support Comic Relief Charity’s red nose day.

Comic Relief Charity is an avid supporter of the LGBT community around the world, which makes the cause even more so endearing to Smith, who recently visited them in London. Smith said, “I’m extremely proud that my single will help raise money for projects like this and many others in the U.K. and across Africa,” when asked about the charity.

When performing the emotionally stricken song, the duo seamlessly executed the live show, with soulful artists John Legend at the baby grand piano and Sam at the mic. During the performance, a video of the children who were aided by the charity’s contributions played in the background. Both John and Sam were thrilled to be a part of this philanthropy, as they can be the voice for the other 7 billion people on earth.

To listen to the artists’ duet or browse through other songs, visit our website at https://www.youtube.com/user/KaraokeOnVEVO/videos or like us on Facebook!

Twitter War Swiftly Ends

Three days ago, Nicki Minaj posted numerous tweets to express her disappointment that “Anaconda” was not put up as a nomination for Best Choreography and Video of the Years at the VMAs this year. Minaj tweeted, “If I were a different ‘kind’ of artist, Anaconda would be nominated for best choreo and vid of the year as well.” Both Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift became jumbled in a war of words in the cyber world.

Above: Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj stop for a photo.

One tweet seemed to be particularly directed at award winner Taylor Swift, that read, “If your video celebrates women with very slim bodies, you will be nominated for vid of the year.” Swift replied to the tweet, saying, “@NICKIMINAJ I’ve done nothing but love & support you. It’s unlike you to pit women against each other. Maybe one of the men took your slot..” Minaj afterwords claimed that the tweets were not directed to Swift in any way, and retweeted fans’ posts that were supporting her statements– although the only other artist that was nominated was Nick’s friend Beyoncé.

To try to clear up the twitter catastrophe, Swift tweeted posted an apology tweet claiming that she thought she was being called out and misspoke. Minaj accepted the apology, so the war seems to have ceased for the time being. Minaj said,”I spoke to Taylor Swift yesterday on the phone. She was super, super sweet and she apologized. She said, ‘Look, you know I didn’t understand the big picture of what you were saying, but now I get it, so we’re all good,'” she explained on Good Morning America.

It seems that there were no losers in this war, maybe just the misinterpretation that surrounds cyber communication this day in age.