Super Bowl XLVIII will stream for free on Fox Sports Go
With billions of dollars in generated revenue, the Super Bowl is consistently the largest televised event of the year. With the rise of streaming and declining necessity for a large screen TV, the NFL has been exploring streaming options for past Super Bowls to huge success. Not one to skip the bandwagon, Fox Sports will also be offering a streaming option for Super Bowl XLVIII.
Select TV subscribers will be able to stream both the Super Bowl and all NFC playoff games through Fox Sports' own Fox Sports Go for free depending on your cable or satellite provider. However, the options are limited, as only AT&T U-Verse, Midcontinent Connections, Optimum, SuddenLink, WOW!, and Xfinity subscribers are the only ones currently eligible for this offer - sorry DirecTV users.
[via Engadget]
Rick Ross Sues LMFAO
William Leonard Roberts II, also known as "Rick Ross," has found himself in the news quite a bit as of late. Most recently, a lawsuit has been filed in Florida in both his name and Jermaine "Mayne Zayne" Jackson, one half of the production duo The Runners, alleging Copyright Infringement against the pop duo LMFAO for their 2010 song "Party Rock Anthem". In the song the phrase "Everyday I'm shufflin'" is sung, which is similar to the chorus of Roberts' 2006 song "Hustlin". Interestingly, LMFAO's publisher, Kobalt Music Group was joined as a defendant on the lawsuit by Kia Motors America, who licensed "Party Rock Anthem" for commercials.
The lawsuit reads, according to The Hollywood Reporter, "The use of 'Hustlin' ' in 'Party Rock Anthem' is readily apparent, despite the slight change from 'Everyday I’m hustlin' …' to 'Everyday I'm shufflin' …' and constitutes, [among other things], the creation of an unauthorized derivative work..." And that the lyric is, "performed in a manner to sound like" Ross. They also call it "[...]an obvious attempt to capitalize on the fame and success of 'Hustlin''... The phrase is so important to the success of 'Party Rock Anthem,' that LMFAO launched a highly successful clothing line, Party Rock Clothing, that features the phrase on T-shirts and other clothing items."
Roberts also ended his ongoing civil trial with former drug kingpin "Freeway" Ricky Ross, who had been suing him for appropriating his image and life story into a successful rap career. A judge found Roberts not guilty on that charge earlier this week, just after releasing a verse on Kanye West's "Bound 2".
[via The Hollywood Reporter]
[LP] Del The Funky Homosapien: "Iller Than Most"
Del The Funky Homosapien has been making a resurgence of sorts over the past year. With his Deltron 3030 release, Event 2, and a tour that featured a 16 piece orchestra, complete with conductor, Del decided to roll things over into the new year with a spontaneous online release, Iller Than Most. Of the eleven song project, dropped at midnight yesterday, Del had this to say: "Lyrically ill but fun to listen to, nothing super heavy. I did the production on it as well." It's easy to tell he took care of the production, with a familiar funk-ified, otherworldly aesthetic that oozes Del through and through, and which is especially pronounced on the opening track when he chants "Take me to your leader!" Stream the latest from Del The Funky Homosapien below.
[EP] Donnie Trumpet: "Loopie"
Former Kids These Days trumpet player Nico Segal has been building a following under his moniker Donnie Trumpet for some time now. Having dropped the somewhat, self-titled Donnie Trumpet late last Summer, the multi-talented young artist is back with his latest five track EP, Loopie. The name derives from the loop-based sensibility of the track. Instructions for Donnie himself accompany the track on his Soundcloud, informing listeners "click repeat 1 on iTunes and the beats will loop in time. Producers go ahead and make songs. Rappers rap raps." Donnie/Nico is a truly resilient artist who has begun carving out an interesting niche with creative ideas and a horn. Busy on the road with Frank Ocean all of last year, following the break up of KTD, Segal has been moving around the country working for what should be a prosperous 2014. Check out his latest streaming here below.
Mike Golden & Friends: "Hey Jane"
Later this month, Mike Golden & Friends will release their latest project, Utopia. Today, we get the lead single from the project, released today via the Internet. Featuring fellow Chicagoans Vic Mensa and Donnie Trumpet, "Hey Jane" is an emphatic play on dealing with the relationship with "Jane". Golden offers up an inspired, soulful chorus as Mensa continues to slaughter a wide variety of beats with his frenetic, changing rhyme scheme and easily relatable lyrics. Donnie adds his pieces in the background, helping to build the overall aesthetic of the track. If nothing else, "Hey Jane" should get you up out of bed to face the winter weather. Check out the track below, along with an exclusive behind the scenes video at Classick Studios from Davy Greenberg at Elephilms.
Netflix considering new pricing, streaming plans
Netflix has faced subscribers' shared account shenanigans for a few years now, but hasn't done anything to combat it. In fact, just a few months ago, they introduced multiple profiles under single accounts so that family/household members would have their own dedicated queues, recommendations, etc. Netflix knows that users will share their accounts with others, and rather than setting restrictions to it, let alone dedicating time, money, and energy to fight it, they've embraced it.
However, Netflix is still a business, and businesses need to make money. To greet the new year, Netflix is testing new pricing and streaming plans for users. The cheapest of the plans is $6.99/month that allows SD streaming on one screen. This is for users who don't care about standard or high-definition video quality and don't share their accounts. The next proposed tier is $7.99/month that allows HD streaming on two screens. $9.99/month would allow HD streaming on three screens, and $11.99/month would offer HD streaming on four screens.
Which option sounds like the best for you?
[via /Film]
[Video] Jay Dot Rain: "How I Do"
We've been following the musing of young Alabama hip-hop artist Jay Dot Rain for a minute now, since getting to know him earlier this year as part of the RH First Look series. Newly graduated and with a degree, Jay Dot Rain has been on his grind, traveling the country and building his name outside of his native 'Bama. His latest, "How I Do" is a furtherance of that building, as the video follows Jay Dot and co. around the streets of New York City, an ode to that critical next step in any artist's career. Check out the latest from Jay Dot Rain, streaming here below.
[vimeo id="82318400"]
SBTRKT: "Runaway"
SBTRKT rang in the new year with a rousing performance at the Yung Turks party in Mexico City, alongside the likes of the xx, Grimes and more, and dropped the final track from his live set as a special memento from the show. "Runaway" was released the day after the New Year's Eve set by SBTRKT via his Soundcloud and features the likes of Jessie Ware and Sampha on the track, along with Tic. The track is comfortably upbeat and in the mold of tracks from SBTRKT's last self-titled project. SBTRKT on his latest: "The last track from my set last night. collab with friends Jessie Ware, tic and a sprinkle of Sampha from 2 years back! happy 2014." Check out the full stream for "Runaway" here below.