Latest news with #indieartists
New York Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
They Led the 2000s Indie-Rock Boom. Now They're Vying for Oscars.
When Daniel Blumberg ascended the stage at the Oscars this year to accept his best original score trophy for 'The Brutalist,' the bald, mild-mannered Englishman in the all-black suit read nervously from notes. 'I've been an artist for 20 years now, since I was a teenager,' he said, perhaps jogging some music fans' memories: This was the once curly-mopped singer and guitarist from the 2010s indie-rock band Yuck. His Academy Award put him in good company. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails have won the category twice, while Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood is a two-time nominee. And bubbling up beside Blumberg are a crop of artists from New York's early 2000s indie boom, when idiosyncratic and ambitious bands made their careers on blog love, critically acclaimed albums, relentless touring schedules and the occasional lucrative sync deal. Two decades later, entering their midlife years, an increasing number of their members are turning to film scoring as a new creative outlet — one they can pursue from home studios — rather than rely on the millennial nostalgia industry. David Longstreth, the central figure of Dirty Projectors, created the imaginative and sprawling score for the fantasy journey 'The Legend of Ochi,' which A24 released in theaters this year. Paul Banks, Interpol's frontman, recorded propulsive music for Magnolia Pictures' deadpan satire 'Sister Midnight,' which opened in New York in May and will soon expand nationally. Various permutations of Animal Collective have provided haunting sounds for small-budget projects, including the stripped-down sci-fi tale 'Obex,' which Oscilloscope Laboratories will distribute later this year. 'The creative conversations I find really interesting,' said Christopher Bear of Grizzly Bear, who is now a prolific film and TV composer. 'You're not necessarily talking about music references. Often it's more interesting if you're not, because then it's about story and picture and just more aesthetic questions. I find myself doing creative things that I probably wouldn't if I was just left to my own devices in my studio.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Verge
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
TikTok users can now save songs directly to SoundCloud
TikTok users will now be able to save tracks they discover straight to their SoundCloud app. On Wednesday, the two companies announced they're partnering to expand an existing TikTok feature that was previously available to users of music streaming platforms like Apple Music and Spotify. The 'add to music app' button appears when a TikTok user clicks on an audio track added to a video. Saved songs are automatically added to a TikTok playlist on users' default music streaming service. The integration streamlines a process many TikTok users do organically: find new music on the video app. The 'add to music app' feature is an easy way for listeners to take their discoveries off the app (and for artists, especially indie musicians, to grow their fanbase beyond just passive TikTok listeners). Over the past five or so years, TikTok has proved to be a powerful driver of pop music — not just for emerging artists but also for household names. Artists plan and unveil TikTok-specific marketing to hype up their new music and older songs get a second wind as a new audience on social media discovers their work. Even Taylor Swift recognizes she needs her music on the platform: last year, as TikTok's licensing deal with Universal Music Group expired and spiraled into a nasty back and forth, UMG artists' music was pulled from the video platform. Swift's music reappeared before a deal was publicly announced (and just in time to promote her upcoming album). There was even a Billboard TikTok chart ranking the app's hits, though it was short-lived; the chart was discontinued earlier this year. TikTok says that since rolling out the 'add to music app' feature last year, songs have been saved more than a billion times. The SoundCloud integration begins rolling out today to all users.
