Are music videos a lost art in 2015? With MTV and VH1 airing more reality television programs than actual music videos, it is no surprise that a lot of artists have abandoned the music video route of promotion. Fortunately not all artists subscribe to such logic. Many superstar artists still know that fans crave visuals, even if they are streaming it from their phone or tablet.And a lot of emerging artists know that creating some dope visuals are a great way to gain exposure and put your name on the map. Check out our favorite music videos from this past year and see who got our number one spot.
Ever since Judd Apatow’s “40 Year Old Virgin”, where Paul Rudd’s character told Seth Rogen’s, “you know how I know you’re gay? You like Coldplay”, it has been uncool to be a Coldplay fan. And as crazy as it sounds, and while no one should every denial the cultural influence that the comedic genius Judd Apatow has on society, that small joke has almost single handedly made it lame to like Coldplay. As a result, given today’s reports that Chris Martin and company will be headlining the NFL’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, everyone on your Twitter and Facebook feed has gone nuts! Year-by-year, the Superbowl is criticized for it’s relatively safe and underwhelming choices for the Halftime Show, and while fans this year are probably more upset than ever, they are wrong.
On the surface, given the unwarranted hate that they get, Coldplay seems like another bust for what could be an epic performance on America’s most watched event. Hell, the highlight of Katy Perry’s performance last year was a meme that came from a guy in a Shark suit who couldn’t dance along to Perry’s colorful performance. Why no Drake? Why no Kanye West? Why no Adele, even? Those are valid questions, but don’t sleep on Coldplay!
A few years ago, I was offered a free ticket to see Coldplay at the United Center in Chicago. Because I had no other plans, because the ticket was free, because I wasn’t driving, I decided to go (note that I was not a Coldplay fan). To me, when I heard “Coldplay” I instantly thought of that hilarious one liner from “40 Year Old Virgin”, I didn’t think, “great entertainers”. Going into the performance, for no rational reasons at all, I expected not to enjoy myself.
Boy was I wrong! In the past year alone, having the opportunity to see some great live performers up close and personal in the photo pit, I’ve seen amazing sets from Kanye West, Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Future, Neil Young and many many more. Not knowing the exact number, I’ve probably seen 200+ concerts in the past couple years alone. However, still Coldplay’s performance from the 300 level of the UC stands out as one of the best concerts I have ever seen. The performance had unmatched energy from everyone on stage and an entertaining set-up and light show that has been replicated by many since. At this time especially, artists did not put a lot of money back into their performances, and for this reason Coldplay’s performance that night was well ahead of its time. I could write 1,000 words on what made that performance stand out, but I will spare you too many spoilers from what you will see in 2016.
Reminder, I am not a Coldplay fan, not then and still not now. That is no disrespect to Chris Martin, rather there are just so many artists and bands I can regularly listen to and their sound generally isn’t my go-to sound. But I can’t deny their stage presence, their live performances, the energy they put into those live performances, and in general their ability to craft a more than memorable show.
Hit me up if I am wrong, but I bet Coldplay’s performance at this year’s Super Bowl will leave a ton of people surprised and will gain them a whole new fan base. You heard it here first…
iHeartRadio and 103.5 Kiss FM‘s “Jingle Ball” is only a couple weeks away but we are already excited! With performances from Selena Gomez, Nick Jonas, 5 Seconds of Summer, Tove Lo, Shawn Mendes, 5th Harmony, Hailee Steinfeld, DNCE and many more, Chicago’s Allstate Arena in Rosement is the place to be next month. The stacked lineup will take place on Wednesday, December 16th and even if you aren’t in the Chicago area, there is a good chance that iHeartRadio is bringing one of their Jingle Balls to a city near you.
Hit the jump and check out our list of the 10 songs that we need to hear at this year’s Jingle Ball, and if you haven’t yet, get your tickets now while you still can!
Tonight Chicago was treated to a special Thanksgiving Eve performance from it’s very own, rapper Lupe Fiasco, as Fiasco performed a headlining set at Chicago’s Concord Music Hall. This performance wasn’t like most Lupe Fiasco concerts however, as Lupe dubbed the show as Food & Liquor vs. The Cool, which of course are Lupe’s first two albums.
Performing tracks from each of the critically acclaimed LPs, fans could finally put to rest the debate of which Lupe Fiasco album is better. The only problem is, after tonight’s great performances of each, it is only harder to decide which project is more of a classic. Whether you prefer The Cool or Food & Liquor though, you can’t go wrong listening to either and you definitely had a blast if you stopped by the Concord Music Hall tonight to hear them live.
Check out our photos of Lupe Fiasco’s hometown show below.
2015 saw a lot of great concert tours, from J. Cole’s Forest Hills Drive Tour with Big Sean, YG and Jeremih to Taylor Swift’s huge 1989 World Tour. Some tours sold out stadiums and arenas, selling out the entire tour before it even begun, and some tours were in small intimate venues, either strategically or because simple supply and demand. Some had stacked lineups top to bottom and some introduced us to a lot of great new artists. Festivals like Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo and Coachella were bigger than ever this year, but that didn’t stop your favorite artists from building up some great shows of their own.
Hit the jump and check out our list of our 20 Favorite Concert Tours of 2015!
Last night, rapper Mac Miller brought his GO:OD AM Tour to Emo’s in Austin, TX. Joined by his GO:OD AM tourmate Tory Lanez, Mac killed it! We sent our photographer Mason Power to watch Miller perform a number of his hits, including his hit single and college favorite, ‘Donald Trump’, as well as number of tracks from his new LP, GO:OD AM, of which his 2015 tour get its name. Miller has a stage presence like none other, and with every new tour of his, he brings something new to his performances.
Check out our photos below (and our photos from Mac’s Chicago tour stop here) and make sure you get your tickets for The GO:OD AM tour before they are all sold out!
Last night Chicago was welcome by German rockers, AudioDamn!. With opening performances from We Or Me and Minor Characters, the Windy City’s Schuba’s Tavern saw a number of great sets. While many were first introduced to AudioDamn! last night, the Epic Records signees have gathered a couple big wins in the past month alone. Last week the guys made their U.S. television debut on NBC’s “Today Show”, performing their new single ‘Radar’. AudioDamn! was also named Elvis Duran’s “Artist of the Month”, just days ago. Another group who used the internet to gather attention from a major label, AudioDamn! is definitely one of groups to watch in 2016.
Comprised of Oli Wimmer, Daniel Mudrack (“Mudi”) and Ali Grumeth, the guys have a very likeable appeal. Last night the guys drew an intimate crowd of about 50 fans. Despite being new on the scene and on their first U.S. tour, there were certainly some very dedicated fans in the building. A crowd that can only be described as “hipstery” (for lack of better words), some of the best “Movember” beards in Chicago, complemented by a plethora of boots and beanies, were in attendance. No matter the attire, everyone came to have fun.
Although with a sound of their own, AudioDamn!’s sound will resonate well with any Maroon 5 fan. Oli can hit the high notes like only Adam Levine can, but with the energy of Dave Grohl and as likeable as Justin Timberlake. The group’s stage presence wasn’t shadowed by their sound or anything else though. AudioDamn! had a lot of interaction with their audience, as well as a good banter between members. The guys are funny and light hearted, and you could tell that they were more than excited to be on their tour.
Currently you’ll only be able to find a few AudioDamn! tracks online, until the release of their forthcoming self-titled EP on January 8th (via Epic), but that doesn’t mean their setlist is anything but full. The German rockers of course played their singles ‘Lights Out’ and ‘Radar’, but they also payed homage to Jimi Hendrix with their rendition of ‘Fire’, and around six other tracks, some which we will hear on their upcoming 4-track EP.
They didn’t care about putting on a “polished” or “perfect” performance, but that’s not to their fault. The guys came to Chicago to rock out, and that’s just what they did, and they did that perfectly. Everyone at Schubas (Oli, Mudi and Ali included) had a great time. The intimate performance can best be compared to your local rock band, inviting their friends to their garage and just messing around and rocking out. The only thing is, AudioDamn! is doing things on a much bigger scale. They have the appeal of being just a few average guys, but they are touring the country, appearing on network TV, have a sound that will succeed in the mainstream, and are less than two months away from their major label debut.
If you get a chance, definitely catch these guys on tour. AudioDamn! is stopping in St. Paul, MN tonight and will have stops in Davenport, IA and Kansas City when the tour concludes this month. While no additional dates have been announced, after the 2016 release of AudioDamn!, don’t be surprised if a huge tour soon follows.
Stay up to date on all things AudioDamn! at their official website and download their single ‘Lights Out’now on iTunes.
If the above photo looks familiar, it may be for one of many different reasons. First, you may have seen it used on my website here, at The Early Registration. Although I have took photos of Chance The Rapper more times than I can count, including his headlining set at Lollapalooza in 2014 and his Milwaukee stop on the Family Matters Tour, this photo from the Revelry Music and Arts Festival in Madison, WI is one of my favorites. Second, you may have seen this photo used by a website with more web traffic than my own, illRoots for example, which was nice enough to credit my work. Third, and least likely, you may have seen this photo used by Elevator Mag, a small-scale Chicago based website that used my image, without my permission, on multiple occasions and without crediting my name or my publication.
Ask any photographer, at least those lucky enough to have their work shared by others, a huge pet peeve is to have your work taken from you without your permission, without compensation, and without even being credited. It is no mystery that many photographers do a lot of work which they are no compensated for. Being that I take photos for my own publication, I receive compensation in other forms (ad revenue), but unless I’m also working for an artist or record label, no one is paying me to take photos in the pit at a particular concert. I have the luxury of being my own boss, which has endless benefits, but just because you see one of my photos of Chance The Rapper, or even my shots from Coachella, Bonnaroo or Lollapalooza, it does not mean I’m making money off it.
In the same breath, I understand that it is often unrealistic to ask for compensation. Why would anyone pay to use my picture of Chance The Rapper, which they aren’t directly profiting from, when they can go on Google and pick one of the thousand other photos of Chance? It just isn’t going to happen, whether my photos of Chance and other artists are worth the money or not.
It is also unrealistic, in many circumstances, to expect that those who want to use my photos ask me for permission. Recently rapper Travis Scott used one of my photos. While it would be awesome for him to call me up and say “Hey Dan, this photo you took is fire, can I use it on my Instagram?”, that’s just not going to happen. Also, I probably would have since no, since I don’t really like the photo I took of him, as it was shot from the sound board in low lighting and reshared by Travis in a much poorer quality. But before he posted it, he was likely hanging out on the tour bus, Googled “Travis Scott Chicago”, then stumbled upon my website and picked out his favorite photo I took of him at the United Center when he was opening for The Weeknd. People and artists alike post so many pictures on Instagram, many of which are not theirs, so should we expect them to track down the owner for something so small like a blog post or an IG photo? No, hell no.
Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early Registration
Crediting can also be a problem at times. If it isn’t obvious who took a photo, then how much work is someone reasonably expected to do to find the true owner/photographer so that they can properly credit someone? My photos get used without credit on Tumblr all the time, and by the time someone uses my photo it may have been shared around multiple times before I see it used without credits. It just takes one of those persons to not credit me, for my name to get lost in the system. A lot of photographers will certainly disagree with all the above, as there are many that believe you should always get permission, always provide compensation, and always credit. I get that, but it’s just not my opinion.
However, there is one thing that I will always take issue with. If you are contacted by a photographer whose photo you used (whether on social media or your inbox), and they want you to credit them, especially after you used their photo without permission and compensation… Do it, just give them the proper credit, apologize even, and move on.
From time to time I will reverse image search my photos to see who used my shots. This is especially fun because when I have my work shared by big outlets like Complex and MTV, it makes me proud of my work. However, occasionally I will notice when a website saves my photo, uploads it on their own, and then posts it in an article and without crediting my name or publication. When this happens, I find the correct email address or contact and I ask that my work be credited. It’s not a huge deal, but it happens a lot and it is something I’m used to. Still though, I would like my name to be credited.
Earlier this month, after noting my photo of Chance The Rapper went uncredited on Elevator Mag, I reached out to their general inquiries email address. I kept it short and simple, as to not waste anyone’s time,
“Please properly credit my photo of Chance the Rapper that you used for the below article. (Dan Garcia/The Early Registration). Thank you.”
Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early Registration
I soon found out that such a request, politely asking for a proper credit, was a huge burden. Despite the fact that their publication had stolen my work, not compensated me for my work, and used it without crediting me, giving me a credit now was an issue.
“Could we? yes. your welcome.”
If you can’t read into their tone and sarcasm, than look again. In this person’s mind, I should have asked for them to credit me, instead of just saying please and telling them to credit me. Although I was not rude in my initial message, this Elevator Mag representative felt that I owed them a huge thank you for granting them a free license to use my photo for the low cost of a simple photo credit. After I reminded them, that they were not doing me a huge favor by crediting me for the photo they took without my permission, things elevated to a new level.
“And you wont be invited to any show, production, event or any of those of our partners to take your photos. So congrats to you for making the no fly list. You’ve been marked as spam,” Elevator Mag wrote.
Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early Registration
Now before you start to feel bad for me, because asking for a photo credit led to the eventual end of my career, by being placed on the “no fly list”, don’t you worry. While I don’t doubt that this person has a connection here or a connection there, there is no person (short of President Obama) that could have the pull to stop me from getting credentials to shoot at the concerts that I want to shoot at. While this is not unlike a lot of my peers, I have established many strong relationships with publicists, managers, and other persons in the music industry that allow me to take photos at the nation’s biggest concerts and festivals, while in return I provide their artists with some great shots and a little added press and exposure. It is a relationship that benefits all parties.
My likelihood of getting into shows, is no different today than it was a month ago. In fact, because of the catalog of shows I shot this past month and because of my recent interview with the great people at Green Label, my likelihood of getting into big concerts is greater than it has ever been.
So why am I writing this? Not to put someone on blast for being rude and trying to threaten the career of a photographer who was simply trying to get credit for his work, but to tell the next guy, if someone asks you politely to credit their work, just do it. Because you aren’t doing them a favor, and in fact you should be happy that they aren’t making a bigger deal or even pursuing legal action. If you ask 1,000 different photographers what other’s should do when using their work, you will get 1,000 different answers. But at the lowest floor of all those answers, at the very least you should always credit a photographer’s work when you are asked to do so.
If you would like to ever use and credit some of my shots, you can find my best photos of some of your favorite artists (Kanye West, Drake, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, Eminem, Outkast, Kings of Leon, Ed Sheeran, Foo Fighters, Billy Joal, Metallica and many more) at DanGarciaPhotography.com.
Chicago felt the madness tonight at the United Center. Kicking off the U.S. leg of The Madness Tour, after two sold out nights at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre earlier this week, The Weeknd performed for yet another sold out crowd, this time for the Windy City in the house that Michael Jordan built. He didn’t do it alone though, as the entire lineup was stacked and provided a great deal of variety. Fans who arrived on time were treated to great sets from ‘Beggin for Thread’ singer Banks, as well as G.O.O.D. Music‘s and Grand Hustle’s always energetic, rapper Travis Scott.
While the opening performances only consisted of a few songs each, both Banks and Scott set the tone for the night, both with completely different sounds and moods. Banks performed a handful of records from her latest LP, Goddess, including her big 2014 single, ‘Begin for Thread’. After her beautiful collection of songs, Travis Scott turned up the volume and energy to an entirely different level.
Instantly Scott made sure that everyone in the arena was ready to rage. He may have been playing the largest venue in Chicago, but the energy felt like a club performance. A few hundred feet separated the ‘Antidote’ rapper and the 300 level of the UC, but his energy reached the rafters. Travis choose to perform some of his most turned up records, including his Days Before Rodeo and Owl Pharaoh bangers like ‘Don’t Play’ and ‘Quintana’, and of course his tracks in support of his new and debut LP, Rodeo.
While Scott’s and even Bank’s fans showed up in numbers, the man behind the madness, and whose music is the reason the entire tour sold out even before it began, was set to headline the show. And to open his set, The Weeknd kicked things off with the same record that kicked off his latest LP, ‘Real Life’. After ‘Real Life’ and throughout the night, The Weeknd performed his entire Beauty Behind the Madness album.
Weeknd did not limit things to his latest and most successful album though, performing a number of records from his discography, including a variety of tracks from his critically acclaimed series, The Trilogy. But despite providing ample entertainment for his day one fan base, the crowd was most alive as The Weeknd performed his singles, like ‘The Hills’, ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ and ‘Often’, that have been dominating the airwaves and clubs in the past half year. The tour may have opened up in The Weeknd’s hometown, but it is hard to imagine an energy that could be matched when compared to tonight’s performance at the United Center.
Check out our photos of The Weeknd’s sold out show with Banks and Travis Scott below.
Tonight TDE’s Kendrick Lamar brought his series of intimate venue performances, the “Kunta’s Groove Sessions”, to Chicago, IL. Selling out Chicago’s Riviera Theatre, King Kendrick absolutely killed it! Lamar performed his critically acclaimed To Pimp a Butterfly album, as well as a number of records from his previous projects for his day one fans. Kendrick and his labelmate and opening act, rapper Jay Rock, grooved out all night with the sold out crowd and gave Chi-town a night that it won’t soon forget.
Check out our photos below of Kendrick Lamar’s sold out performance for the Windy City.
The Early Registration 