NEWS
The Eminem-produced docuseries How Music Got Free has finally received a release date from Paramount+.
The docuseries, which also has LeBron James as an executive producer, will debut in the United States and Canada on the streaming giant on June 11. Fans everywhere else in the world will get to see it the next day.
How Music Got Free was first dropped at SXSW this year, and it “details the fascinating, and often funny, inside story of the technology-driven disruption that changed music during the late-’90s and early-2000s. File sharing technology, combined with the insatiable demand for new music, created both the means and the motive for millions of young people to participate in outright theft — and be celebrated for it,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Notably, Em was not a fan of the music piracy discussed in the series when it was happening, as HipHopDX reported back in 2002.
As part of a campaign against it that year, Em said: “I’m sorry; when I worked 9-to-5, I expected to get a paycheck every week. It’s the same with music; if I’m putting my heart and all my time into music, I expect to get rewarded for that. I work hard and anybody can just throw a computer up and download my music for free. It could kill the whole purpose of making music.”
Check out the first trailer for the series below.
Back in February, Variety reported that the 51-year-old MC was preparing to co-produce a documentary titled Stans, which is a reference to his fictional song about a devotee of his music who ends up killing himself and his girlfriend after Em doesn’t respond to his letters.
“Stan” has since become a recognized term (both noun and verb) used to convey obsession, typically for artists and celebrities.
Directed by Steven Leckart and set to be released later this year via Shady Films, the film’s synopsis describes it as a “revealing, edgy, and disarmingly personal journey into the world of superfandom, told through the lens of one of the world’s most iconic and enduring artists, Eminem, and the fans that worship him.”
The “Lose Yourself” hitmaker’s manager Paul Rosenberg said that the upcoming movie “will be the opportunity for us to turn the camera around and ask the audience about being fans — and in some cases, fanatics.”
Last month, the Detroit native issued an open call to his social-media followers by sharing a link to a questionnaire that will presumably be used to shortlist participants for Stans.
The form consists of questions such as “What are some things in your life that you’ve accomplished thanks to Eminem/his music?” and “Do you remember when Eminem took a break from touring/releasing albums circa 2005? If so, how did that impact you?”
Fontaines D.C. have teamed up with Rosalía for their new collaboration, Where Is Gone?.
The song features on the Irish rock band's forthcoming album, Dopamine Chamber, which arrives on Friday (16.10.26). For guitarist Carlos O’Connell, working with the Spanish superstar is particularly special because of his own Spanish roots.
He explained: “I’ve admired Rosalía ever since her debut album, which I thought was absolutely beautiful.
“What excited me most was the way she continued to preserve Spain's musical traditions, something that felt spiritually connected to what we've been trying to achieve with Irish music. Having roots in both countries, it's been really special to witness. "She's an artist who has continued to amaze me at every point in her career.”
Frontman Grian Chatten has also described the collaboration with Rosalía as one of the most memorable achievements of his career.
He revealed that he felt "humbled" when she agreed to lend her voice to the band's album.
Speaking to NPR, Grian said: “I've always felt there's something almost like a single big idea that I'm personally trying to communicate to the world before I get old and die, if that makes sense. There's one thing I think I'll spend my life trying to express. I have a feeling she has a similar outlook. … I mean, she's an amazing arranger, composer and lyricist. It means so much that she wanted to sing on something we'd put together. It's definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Rosalía's links to Irish rock music extend beyond Fontaines D.C. She also offered inspiration and helped develop the Spanish lyrics for U2's The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), a track from their forthcoming album, Carnaval de Luz.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week, she spoke about frontman Bono, saying: “I don't know him personally, but he sent me a text explaining that he was working on a new project and had written a song called The Mirror Maker."
Rosalía joked that Bono had invented a few words of his own.
She recalled telling him: “I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I told him he could create his own language if he wanted to.”
She described the opportunity to collaborate with the 66 year old music veteran as a real privilege.
She added: “Bono is a legend.
“It's amazing.”
Bono recently revealed that he was worried about seeming like a stalker when he reached out to Rosalía to ask whether he could name the song after her.
