Patreon Is Thinking About Giving Its Artists Loans and Health Care

Patreon is looking into a new range of services for its crowdfunding creators. CEO Jack Conte confirmed the news at a tech panel coordinated by Variety in Los Angeles. He says Patreon is considering new ways to provide capital funding and other financi…

Alibaba Buys NetEase E-Commerce Platform Kaola for $2 Billion — And Drops $700 Million on NetEase Cloud Music

Alibaba has purchased NetEase’s Kaola e-commerce platform in a deal worth $2 billion. The deal also includes a massive investment in NetEase’s music streaming service. Alibaba is now control of the biggest Chinese online marketplace for foreign brands….

Record Store in Seattle Finds Kurt Cobain Royalty Check From 25 Years Ago

Easy Street Records in Seattle has found a royalty check made out to Kurt Cobain. Store owner Matt Vaughn says that he ran across the check after tidying up in the basement. The check was made out to Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain and was for a whoppi…

A$AP Rocky’s Swedish Lawyer Brutally Attacked; Shot Multiple Times at Close Range

The Swedish lawyer who represented A$AP Rocky in his assault case was shot multiple times Friday morning in Stockholm. The secretary-general of the Swedish Bar Association confirmed that the victim is Henrik Olsson Lilja.  Stockholm police are not conf…

MGM Plans to Convert the Route 91 Shooting Site Into a Community Center and Parking Lot for the Las Vegas Raiders

MGM has announced plans to convert its Las Vegas festival grounds into a community athletic center and Vegas Raiders stadium parking lot. The festival grounds were the site of the deadly Route 91 mass shooting in 2017.  Part of the conversion plan incl…

Samsung Builds a Vertical Concert Stage So Fans Can Take Better Instagram Shots

Samsung has created the world’s first vertical stage to help fans take the perfect Instagram shots. The stage at the grand opening of Samsung KX in London features an unexpected design. The new space features a stacked, three-story stage over 30 feet h…

Facebook, Instagram Dramatically Expand Music Features Across Latin America

Facebook has launched music on both Facebook and Instagram Stories across 15 Latin American countries. The company announced the arrival of music stickers, lyrics, and Lip Sync Live, while also adding songs to Facebook profiles. Starting today, users f…

Switzerland Is Officially Ending FM Broadcasts by 2024

Switzerland has officially announced that FM broadcasts will end by 2024. Bernard Maissen—deputy director for Switzerland’s Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM)—made the announcement today. The OFCOM release stated that Maissen based his decision o…

Criminal Charges Filed Against Mac Miller’s Drug Dealer

Authorities have arrested a 28-year-old Los Angeles man in connection with the overdose death of Mac Miller. Federal court documents reveal that Cameron James Pettit provided Mac Miller with counterfeit oxycodone pills. The pills were laced with a leth…

After a Massive Backlash From Android Users, Spotify Re-Adds the Widget

Spotify is bringing back the Android home screen widget after an outpouring of protest. Back in August, Spotify removed support for the Android home screen playback widget. The justification for the removal was that Spotify wanted to “pour resources in…