| I didn't really plan to talk about climate change in interviews because honestly, it's very scary. But it did feel necessary. If it turns out that this is what I wind up talking about in Pitchfork or something, that's good, because anytime you're bringing the conversation into media where it's not being discussed, you’re doing something right. |
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Sister With Transistors: Suzanne Ciani at Sónar 2017, Barcelona, June 16, 2017.
(Xavi Torrent/WireImage/Getty Images)
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“I didn't really plan to talk about climate change in interviews because honestly, it's very scary. But it did feel necessary. If it turns out that this is what I wind up talking about in Pitchfork or something, that's good, because anytime you're bringing the conversation into media where it's not being discussed, you’re doing something right.”
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Where Have All the Syncs Gone?
Buried in this story about classic TV series showing up on HULU, NETFLIX and other streaming services without their classic soundtracks—because licensing—is this bit of news about PAULA COLE, whose DAWSON'S CREEK theme song, "I DON'T WANT TO WAIT," has been missing from the streaming version of the series. The show's fans have been vocal in their displeasure, and after a prolonged outcry, SONY PICTURES is giving in. The studio has negotiated a new deal with Cole and her publisher to bring her song back, with a TAYLOR SWIFT-ian twist. It will be a new recording. A new master that Cole owns. "I feel like it's not just vindication for me, but for the fans, and for all artists," Cole told the New York Times. It's also one more piece of vindication for Swift, the new queen of re-recording (not that she needs it). Not only can you have the biggest-selling album of the year (so far) with a re-recording, you can also have A-list syncs. Which is one of the reasons why, lest anyone forget, Swift went back into the studio with her classic catalog in the first place. It isn't always about the original recording. Sometimes it's just about the original song. We may be on the verge, CHRIS WILLMAN wrote recently in Variety, of giving up "the idea held pretty much since the dawn of the counterculture that the original recording is strict canon, not a blueprint." Why *would* we hang onto the idea that the original recording holds a unique, nonfungible appeal in a pop world where multiple remixes of hits come out nearly simultaneously, and where albums released this week are replaced with deluxe versions next week? Editing and revising, in the digital age, isn't merely acceptable; it's expected. Should it matter if the editing and revising is done 10 or 20 years later? Do we need version control anymore? Or do we just need version?
But here's one more twist: a BBC story about how digital technology is allowing film studios and advertisers to add product placements after the fact and change them as often as they want. "Advertisers could put new labels on the champagne bottles in Rick's Cafe in CASABLANCA, add different background neon advertising signs to OCEAN'S 11, or get CHARLIE CHAPLIN to promote a fizzy drink," JONTY BLOOM reports. Colombian pop singer GIOVANNY AYALA is using the technology to sell advertising within his videos. Film critics are raising understandable questions about the integrity of classic, or even not-so-classic, films. My concern is different, and hypothetical. What if, instead of paying artists like Paula Cole for a sync, a TV or film producer decided to charge them for the space? Maybe OLIVIA RODRIGO wouldn't mind having that "Dawson's Creek" slot for, say, a year, and maybe her label or publisher is willing to pay for it. Maybe LONDON GRAMMAR's label wants to pay for the same slot for the European market, as a short-term rental. Maybe music supervisors can start flipping budget problems into opportunities for profit. I'm sure there are 50 reasons why this won't happen, but what are they? What's stopping a producer from trying to flip that script?
Dot Dot Dot
CASEY WASSERMAN has completed his acquisition of PARADIGM's music division and launched WASSERMAN MUSIC. The instant powerhouse agency's roster includes BILLIE EILISH, COLDPLAY, JANELLE MONÁE, KACEY MUSGRAVES and DIPLO... BEATPORT will start accepting Bitcoin in June and says it's "the first major digital music retailer" to do so. Music Ally's STUART DREDGE fact checks that... The BRIT AWARDS will take place in London's O2 ARENA next month in front of a live audience of 4,000 people who won't be masked or socially distanced. They *will* be required to show proof of a negative Covid test. It's part of a government study aimed at bringing live indoor events back to the UK... The growing landscape of classical music podcasts... Fat-shaming in the METROPOLITAN OPERA CHILDREN'S CHORUS.
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| Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator |
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Bloomberg Businessweek |
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| Music Executives Like Kevin Liles Are Dominating the Industry Again |
| by Devin Leonard |
| Kevin Liles of 300 Entertainment is CEO, adviser, therapist, and life coach. It pays. |
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Variety |
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| How Questlove and Oscars Producer Jesse Collins Are Changing Music at the 2021 Academy Awards |
| by Jem Aswad |
| Can a DJ replace an entire orchestra? Will there be hip-hop Easter eggs? Will anyone hear the Best Original Song nominees? |
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Billboard |
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| What a Tease: Why Song Previews Became Crucial In Modern Music |
| by Jason Lipshutz |
| Success stories like Polo G's “Rapstar” have demonstrated the power of song teasers in the modern music industry. |
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The New York Times |
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| Amplifying the Women Who Pushed Synthesizers Into the Future |
| by Lindsay Zoladz |
| Lisa Rovner’s “Sisters With Transistors: Electronic Music’s Unsung Heroines” spotlights the pioneers who harnessed technology to do more than “push around dead white men’s notes.” |
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Los Angeles Times |
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| L.A. club owners confront fresh new hell: a crashed government website and puzzling reopening rules |
| by August Brown |
| There's $16 billion in federal stimulus money awaiting club owners if the Small Business Administration can ever fix its website. |
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NPR Music |
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| Open Up And Say... 'Huh?': Nashville Venues Grapple With City's Lack Of Reopening Plan |
| by Paige Pfleger |
| WPLN News reports on Nashville's long-suffering live music scene and the city's lack of a cohesive plan. |
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Slate |
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| Hit Parade: Turn Around, Bright Eyes Edition |
| by Chris Molanphy |
| How Jim Steinman brought pomp, thunder and a whole lot of Meat Loaf to the top of the charts. |
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i-D Magazine |
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| Digicore captures the angst of coming of age during a global pandemic |
| by Billy Bugara |
| The hyperpop offshoot is a scene of teen musicians mining their upbringings for inspiration. |
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The Forty-Five |
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| Bebe Rexha: 'Songwriters, producers, engineers and executives -- where are all the females?' |
| by Jacqui Swift |
| With close to 11 million Instagram followers and songwriting credits on some of the biggest pop hits in recent history, Bebe Rexha talks about new beginnings, managing her mental health and the power of female solidarity. |
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Stereogum |
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| 45 Lost Albums We Want To Hear |
| by Ryan Leas |
| This list is a collection of projects that at least supposedly existed in something approaching completion, that are formed enough that artists or other personnel have discussed their existence or their plausible release somewhere down the line. Some of them had even been in the process of being rolled out before getting pulled back into the shadows. |
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The New York Times |
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| Why Don’t Some TV Shows Sound the Way They Used To? |
| by Calum Marsh |
| Licensing issues have gutted the soundtracks of many beloved series on streaming services, resulting in bewildering music cues and missing theme songs. |
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Guitar World |
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| How TikTok is changing the face of guitar music |
| by Chris Schwarten |
| Short songs, new structures, and an emphasis on ‘vibes’ have all played a part in reshaping the role of the six-string. |
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Resident Advisor |
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| What Twitch Means For Dance Music |
| by Tom Faber |
| From Disclosure to Addison Groove, Amazon's livestream platform has offered artists a way to build audiences and make money during the pandemic. But will it last? |
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Variety |
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| Call Her By Her Name: Tanu Muino Is the Music Video Director of the Moment, Thanks to Lil Nas X’s ‘Montero’ |
| by Chris Willman |
| Going to hell has been a heaven-sent mission for Tanu Muino. She co-directed the year's - and maybe the young decade's - most talked about music video, "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)," with its controversial star Lil Nas X. |
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48 hills |
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| How To Reopen Nightlife: Enough with the boys' club, make room for women |
| by Marke Bieschke |
| DJ femmelectric and promoter Alex McGeagh speak about equity, access, and safety for women and nonbinary folks. |
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Song Exploder |
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| Song Exploder: Porter Robinson – 'Get Your Wish' |
| by Hrishikesh Hirway and Porter Robinson |
| Porter Robinson's first album hit #1 on Billboard’s Dance chart in 2014. He was named MTVU’s Artist of the Year, and one of the top DJs in the world — but then, he got stuck. He didn’t release his second album for seven years. In this episode, he talks about what he was grappling with in those intervening years and how it became part of his song "Get Your Wish." |
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The Guardian |
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| How Annie Mac’s enthusiasm shaped a generation of pop fans |
| by Laura Snapes |
| After 17 years, the DJ is leaving BBC Radio 1. With her compassion, zeal and musical knowledge, she has made the station essential listening. |
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Penny Fractions |
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| Musicians Deserve a Better Music Modernization Act |
| by David Turner |
| Large gaps in payments remain. |
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WIRED |
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| What Is Hi-Fi Audio, and Should You Pay More for It? |
| by Tyler Hayes |
| A number of streaming services offer "high-quality" options, from Amazon Music to Spotify's upcoming tier. Here's how to demystify them. |
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Attack Magazine |
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| Is It Time For A DJ Union? |
| by Harold Heath |
| We all hoped the pandemic would be a time for club culture to 're-set' but this seems unlikely, so is it time for a DJ union? |
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| Music | Media | Sports | Fashion | Tech |
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“REDEF is dedicated to my mother, who nurtured and encouraged my interest in
everything and slightly regrets the day she taught me to always ask ‘why?’” |
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| Jason Hirschhorn |
| CEO & Chief Curator |
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