Hit South Korean boyband Bangtan Boys, better known as BTS, has a new addition to their 2018 list of achievements, as the group became the most-streamed act in Taiwan, according to online music giant Spotify. Taiwanese pop diva Chang Hui-mei, better known as A-mei, took the second spot, while Singaporean singer J.J. Lin came third.
With more than 8.2 billion streams on Spotify last year, Drake took the crown as the world’s most-streamed artist. The Canadian rapper’s album Scorpion was the most-streamed album, and his single God’s Plan was the most-streamed song. BTS was the world’s second most-streamed group only next to US band Imagine Dragons.
Meanwhile, as music streaming continues to boom, China’s Tencent Music Entertainment launched its US initial public offering (IPO) last month so as to compete with Spotify, and the IPO valued the company at US$21.3 billion. Under this trend, however, the nearly century-old music retail chain HMV has filed for bankruptcy again two weeks ago, putting its 125 stores and 2,200 jobs in danger.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者陳逸寬
(Eddy Chang, Taipei Times)
南韓天團防彈少年團(BTS)在二○一八年的成績單再添一筆!根據線上音樂龍頭Spotify,該團榮登台灣的最佳串流藝人,亞軍是台灣的流行天后張惠妹(阿妹),季軍則是新加坡的歌王林俊傑。
憑著去年在Spotify高達八十二億的播放次數,Drake勇奪全球最佳串流藝人寶座。這位加拿大饒舌歌手還以專輯「Scorpion」及單曲「God’s Plan」,席捲了全球最佳串流專輯及單曲冠軍。而BTS亦衝上全球最佳串流團體的亞軍,僅次於美國搖滾天團謎幻樂團。
同時,隨著音樂串流持續蓬勃發展,為了和Spotify一較高下,中國的騰訊音樂於上月赴美首次公開募股(IPO),市值高達兩百一十三億美元。在這股潮流衝擊之下,成立將近一世紀的唱片零售連鎖店HMV兩週前又再度聲請破產,旗下一百二十五家分店和兩千兩百名員工均岌岌可危。
(台北時報張聖恩〉
A: I want to go to Neihu to see the cherry blossoms. B: Do you want to go by YouBike? A: Well, how much does it cost? B: The Taipei City Government just announced that riders can use the bicycles for free for the first 30 minutes! A: Great! Riding bikes is also more eco-friendly than driving. A: 我想去內湖賞櫻花耶。 B: 那要不要騎YouBike微笑單車去? A: 車費怎麼算? B: 台北市政府最近宣布︰前30分鐘免費! A: 太棒了,而且也比開車更環保。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
One of us is a murderer. The terrifying thought fills your head. There’s a corpse in the next room, and one of your fellow diners put it there. As the evening progresses, you learn disturbing secrets about everyone, and you’re forced to confess to a few yourself. You all have motives for the crime, but who committed it? Fortunately, it’s just a game. Murder mystery games are multiplayer role-playing games designed to be played over the course of an evening. The concept likely originated with “wink murder,” an amusing pastime that became popular in the early 1900s. In this game, a “murderer” kills
A: How does Taipei’s YouBike service charge after the free ride for the first 30 minutes? B: It’s NT$10 every 30 minutes within four hours. A: What a bargain. No wonder Taipei is listed by Britain’s “Time Out” magazine as one of the best 50 cities in the world. B: But I spotted a few English mistakes on YouBike’s Web site. A: I guess that aspect of it still has room for improvement. A: 台北市YouBike前30分鐘免費,之後怎麼算? B: 4小時內每30分鐘10元。 A: 真劃算,難怪台北市會入選英國《Time Out》雜誌全球最佳的50座城市。 B: 不過我在YouBike的網站上看到了好幾個英文錯誤。 A: 看來這個部分還有改善的空間。(By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/ 台北時報張聖恩)
Mullet roe is a highly-priced delicacy typically served during special occasions like wedding banquets or Chinese New Year’s dinners, where families come together in celebration. The mullet roe can be prepared in various ways. It is usually pan-fried but can also be roasted or torched. To cook a pan-fried mullet roe, soak it in liquor or wine and peel off its membrane. Then, it is browned over a low fire and turned several times. Finally, the fried mullet roe is cut diagonally and is ready to be served. This dish is usually served with garlic scapes and daikon slices, but