After a summer of every festival is the same and/or every festival is a scam and/or every festival is a bubble about to burst, it's sweet relief this weekend to be in BROOKLYN, where AFROPUNK sets up shop for its annual two-day run at the edge of FORT GREENE. The 12-year-old fest, which puts the multi in multicultural, is a growing commercial force that doesn't feel like one. It feels more like a community block party, and that's clearly one of the driving factors behind the unique (and pretty much best-in-field) curation. This year: SOLANGE, ANDERSON .PAAK, RAPHAEL SAADIQ, KAYTRANADA, DIZZEE RASCAL, SZA, GARY CLARK JR., lots more. Also, the style on display in the crowd is 10 times better than at COACHELLA or almost any other major music event... WARNER MUSIC has re-upped its SPOTIFY deal, which means Spotify has deals with all three majors, which means get out your wallet and get ready for that IPO... KATY PERRY hosts the MTV VMAs Sunday night, starting exactly one hour before the GAME OF THRONES season finale, which seems like not a very good idea, unless PINK brings a dragon... Twenty years after releasing "THAT DON'T IMPRESS ME MUCH," SHANIA TWAIN finally explains why BRAD PITT is one of the things that doesn't impress her much, and it may be the best two-decades-later explanation of a song ever... It's FRIDAY and that means new music from THE WAR ON DRUGS, FIFTH HARMONY, XXXTENTACION, LIL UZI VERT, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, A$AP MOB, SUSANNE SUNDFØR, EMA, IRON & WINE, ACTION BRONSON, JACK TEMPCHIN, LILLY HIATT, FILTHY FRIENDS, OH SEES, MADEINTYO, GOGOL BORDELLO, LUKAS NELSON & PROMISE OF THE REAL, LIARS, BROCKHAMPTON, DAN ZANES & FRIENDS, CADILLAC THREE and GRIEVES... And, nbd, a TAYLOR SWIFT single. Taylor does not like your tilted stage, according to "LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO." Anyone know anyone who's toured with a tilted stage recently? Asking for a friend... RIP BEA WAIN and CHRIS WHORF.