Bad news for Billy, but Taylor triumphs

Two of music's biggest acts are making headlines this week, but for two very different reasons. IA's music maestro David Kowalski brings you the latest.

Billy Joel cancels dates amid health concerns

The legendary piano man, Billy Joel, has recently come out of retirement to do a tour of the USA. However, he has had to cancel dates as he has been diagnosed with a rare condition that is making his stage appearances extremely difficult. He has been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a condition where fluid builds up at the base of the brain atop the spinal cord, causing issues with cognitive function and bodily movements.

The official statement from Joel’s management has said that recent performances have caused issues with his sight, hearing and balance related to the disease.

Since 2013, Joel has performed a regular concert schedule of one performance per month at Madison Square Garden in New York. The shows routinely sold out and the schedule was regularly extended. The final show in the run was performed in July 2024, and Joel has been planning a large-scale international tour with Stevie Nicks, Rod Stewart and Sting. This has now been put on hold while he undergoes intensive physical therapy to overcome the disease.

I wish him every success in his recovery.

Taylor wins her rights back

After missing out twice on sales of her life’s work that she was excluded from bidding on, Taylor Swift has reclaimed the rights to her original six albums she recorded for Big Machine Records. These albums were the first six she ever recorded professionally and she built her career on these releases. She has very publicly bemoaned the fact that she has been denied access to purchasing these recordings back from the unscrupulous managers and private equity firms that had held them in the past.

It is not a given that an artist will own the rights to their recordings from the outset of their career. Young artists are given a recording deal and the opportunity to record their music for a label in exchange for the company to hold onto the master tapes, in order to capitalise on them to recoup their investment. Those who hold the rights can then determine if the music can be used in films, video games, advertising and the like, and the original creator has limited, if any, say in the decision.

Swift’s case was a little different, in as much as she was in a solid position to buy back the rights to the tapes on the two occasions they were previously sold (when the original label Big Machine was sold to Kayne West’s manager Scooter Braun, then when he sold it on to private equity firm Shamrock Capital) and allegedly her requests to buy them back were denied.

Swift then embarked on a very clever process to reclaim her past legacy by re-recording all her albums and releasing them as “Taylor’s Version”, with bonus material. These were a huge sales boon and she effectively devalued the original versions of those albums, tanking their sales as fans flocked to buy the new versions that stayed closer to the artist’s true vision.

After raking in billions from her world-busting “Eras” tour, Swift was in a better position to buy the rights back. Now, the price she paid has not been disclosed, however, previous sales have been in the ballpark of US$360 million (AU$554 million).

This may not seem like a big deal, however, it is a victory for artists wanting to control their image, music and legacy, considering the heart and soul they pour into it. Taylor deserves this win.

**Alf Clausen of Simpsons fame, dies at age 84**

Oftentimes, the unsung heroes of popular culture are the ones who write the music that soundtracks the films and television shows we enjoy. We all know the name John Williams, who was responsible for iconic music for films such as Star Wars, Jaws and Indiana Jones. If I were to mention the name Alf Clausen, could you hum one of his famous pieces?

Probably not, but if you’ve ever watched The Simpsons in the last 30 years or so, I am sure you could recall some of his most famous songs, such as ‘We Put The Spring in Springfield’ (for which he won an Emmy), ‘The Monorail Song’ or ‘Who Needs the Kwik-E-Mart?’

Clausen’s music was a key feature of the Simpsons from their second season until 2017, when he was fired from the show in a cost-cutting measure. His other work includes music for shows such as Moonlighting and the space alien sitcom ALF. His greatest legacy, however, has to be The Simpsons, where his songs have illuminated the plot and have embedded themselves into the psyche of generations of people. He passed away at the age of 84 at his home in Los Angeles.

Thank you for your legendary music, Mr Clausen. Vale.

New Music from Nick Vulture

Having gotten his start in the Adelaide punk scene, in the band the Molting Vultures, singer-songwriter Nick Vulture has taken a sharp left turn into an inward-looking acoustic troubadour. His latest single, ‘The Times Aren’t Changing Anytime Soon’ is a 21st-century update of the 1963 Bob Dylan classic, ‘The Times They Are a-Changin’’, given a more pessimistic and existential spin.

The song has a familiar folk swing complete with Dylan-esque harmonica and it is a fascinating state-of-the-nation take on life in 2025, where everything moves fast and yet feels like nothing changes at all.

The video, produced by Nick himself, features a fascinating leather jacket and hoodie-clad kangaroo protagonist, along with some candid, fly-on-the-wall recording studio footage. Definitely recommended.

Until next time...

LISTEN TO THIS WEEK'S SPECIALLY CURATED PLAYLIST BELOW:

David Kowalski is a writer, musician, educator, sound engineer and podcaster. His podcasts 'The Sound and the Fury Podcast' and 'Audio Cumulus' can be heard exclusively here. You can follow David on Twitter @sound_fury_pod.