Spotify Driving Donations

The music world is one of the many places COVID-19 has destabilized, removing live venues as a key source of revenue for creators of all sizes. Spotify has begun partnering with organizations the provide relief for musicians, matching donations dollar-for-dollar up to $10 million. Learn more about those efforts here.

Instagram Live DJ Parties Are Amazing

Musicians are still finding a way to connect with their audience as countries around the world shelter in place. DJs have begun hosting streaming parties, and Saturday's marathon DJ set from DJ D-Nice was a moment in time. At one point he racked up over 100,000 concurrent viewers (including yours truly after a Questlove tweet tipped me off), with an endless list of celebrity viewers hanging out in his live chat. 

Dr. Dre's The Chronic Immortalized

It's fitting to call Dr. Dre's The Chronic one of the foundational albums of hip-hop, so news that the iconic record is set to be immortalized in the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry is both unsurprising and overdue. 25 records were selected to enter the archive this year, so here's a full list for the class of 2020

Every week we take to Google Trends to see what people are searching for. Are people looking for WD-40 or E-40? What about Lil Yachty vs. Boat Rentals? Are people yawning, or looking up Yanni's discography? What's more popular; NASCAR or Coachella?  

Justin Timberlake's transition from Mouseketeer, to boy band star, to one of the biggest solo acts in pop was a meteoric rise. That last part may not have happened without the production talents of Timbaland, which leads me to JT's opponent this week: Timberland boots. An always-in-style look made famous largely by the East Coast rap scene, they remain a staple decades later. So this week we ask: Timberlake or Timberland?

It's a tight margin this week, but the numbers give the nod to Timberland. Shouts to Wu-Tang. 

We want to share pictures from our growing community of music lovers! Let's see your favorite live concert shots, band tees you cherish, trademark hoodies, collection of instruments, posters, and everything you love about music!   

Metallica's self-titled album (or, as we call it, the black album) is an all-time classic. This week we get to take a look at Trul's commemorative platinum record, one of the coolest pieces of music memorabilia we've seen yet! Thank you for sharing with us.\

If you've got any awesome collectibles we wanna' see em! Keep the awesome pictures coming, it's always a blast checking out the emails we get from our community!

Looking through throwback pictures is one of my weekly treats, and this week a shot of Jimi Hendrix made me do a double-take as I scrolled by. At a time of great darkness, seeing that lone beam illuminating one of the greatest artists in history was a reminder of the beacon of light that music has always been.  

Singing In Italy

Music brings people together, which is something we believe at the very core of who we are at Merchbar. Seeing the people of Italy singing communally across their rooftops and out of their windows in the midst of their Covid-19 quarantine is the kind of thing that inspires hope at a time of uncertainty for many. The human spirit is a wonderful thing. 

 Jay Electronica Finally Dropped His Album

Against all odds and probabilities, Jay Electronica finally dropped his debut album A Written Testimony. If you're unfamiliar with Jay Electra, he burst onto the scene around 2007, then became one of the most lauded emcees with 2009's "Exhibit C." Since then the hip hop world has been waiting for a true debut album, and last week, it finally happened in the form of a collab project with Jay-Z. Check out The Ringer's review of the finally-released album. 

Every week we take to Google Trends to see what people are searching for. Are people looking for WD-40 or E-40? What about Lil Yachty vs. Boat Rentals? Are people yawning, or looking up Yanni's discography? What's more popular; NASCAR or Coachella?  

 Lupe Fiasco is one of the greatest technical lyricists in hip-hop history, an emcee's emcee, if you will. His debut studio album, Food & Liquor is one of my favorite rap albums of the last few decades, so I've got a soft spot for Lu. Froot Loops are a staple of every cereal aisle, led by the adventures of Toucan Sam following his tropical nose. Today we find out who has the loopiest clout: Lupe Fiasco or Froot Loops?

Lupe Fiasco comes out on top, though Froot Loops put up a valiant effort. Time to kick, push on outta' here for the week.

We want to share pictures from our growing community of music lovers! Let's see your favorite live concert shots, band tees you cherish, trademark hoodies, collection of instruments, posters, and everything you love about music!   

Digging through live shots fans have sent us, this moment catching Halestorm's "Lzzy" Hale shredding on stage with a big 'ole smile was a standout. A big thank you to Christine, who sent this in along with a few extra pictures from what was surely an awesome show. 

In other news, is anyone else spending more time playing with their instruments lately? We want to see your guitars, drum sets, keyboards, studios... whatever! Send 'em in if you got something to share, folks!

Jay-Z has made plenty of hits with plenty of producers, but his chemistry with Timbaland always made their work together top notch. On the strength of "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" alone, these two are an iconic duo. 

I'm particularly fond of this picture of the two because of Jay's outfit; rocking the oversized denim shorts with a Shaq Lakers jersey is truly a sign of the throwback times we're looking at here.