92-Year-Old has 1st Song Recorded
A 92-year-old previously unpublished songwriter has finally landed her big break, thanks to Willie Nelson. Nelson’s latest album is produced by Buddy Cannon, who emailed a song written by his mother, Lyndel Rhodes, to Willie, who simply sent back, “I love it.” Rhodes was born into a musical family in Perry County, Tennessee in 1924. As she describes it, her father had a banjo hanging on a wall that he regularly played, sometimes alone but more often with other musical folks who frequently stopped by with their own instruments, keeping their home filled with music all through her childhood. The song “Little House on the Hill” is an affectionate tribute to that home and appears on Willie’s upcoming album Peasant Tasting Christmas Dinner. (NPR)
BitTorrent Cancels Streaming Service and other Shady Things
Back in June, torrent client and software company BitTorrent announced they were launching a free, ad-supported streaming service called BitTorrent Now. This announcement came just two months after BitTorrent hired two new co-CEO’s as part of their initiative to place heavy emphasis on producing and distributing media. Now, just three months after its launching, BitTorrent has suddenly fired numerous employees including both CEO’s, closed it Los Angeles production studio, and announced that it’s shutting down the streaming service. BitTorrent has yet to state why any of this is happening, but it seems BitTorrent is backing away from their declaration for a more media production-centered company. (The Verge)
-Taylor Wallace
