| It’s really beautiful to think back to 2016 when Mitski brought Jay Som and me on tour. At the time, she was the only Asian-American at the top. The 'It Girl.' She could’ve coveted that position. [But instead] she paid it forward and brought other Asian-American artists on tour. I owe so much of my career to her. It makes me want to do that for other Asian-Americans and other marginalized artists. That’s how you break in. |
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Jorja Smith at Made in America, Philadelphia, Aug. 31, 2019.
(Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
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“It’s really beautiful to think back to 2016 when Mitski brought Jay Som and me on tour. At the time, she was the only Asian-American at the top. The 'It Girl.' She could’ve coveted that position. [But instead] she paid it forward and brought other Asian-American artists on tour. I owe so much of my career to her. It makes me want to do that for other Asian-Americans and other marginalized artists. That’s how you break in.”
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Now Hear This
As a longtime APPLE everything user who loves LOGIC, misses my circa-2005 ITUNES app and takes it for granted that if Apple had control over the electrical grid then the TV I bought it 2019 would no longer be compatible with the outlets in my apartment, I can't say I'm surprised that Apple Music's new hi-res streaming option isn't compatible with Apple's own high-end earbuds. I LOL'd when I read this and moved on with my day. The real electrical shocker in Apple's Monday morning announcement was the sticker price: zero dollars and zero cents, as in, Apple will begin offering streaming music in a variety of hi-res formats (as well as in DOLBY's "immersive" Dolby Atmos format) for not a penny more than its subscribers are already paying. The quality's going up; your monthly $9.99 bill is not. Less than an hour after Apple's announcement, AMAZON, which already offers hi-res streaming as a $5 premium add-on to its regular subscription, matched Apple by scrapping that add-on. Henceforth, hi-res streaming will be $9.99/month at Amazon, too.
This is great news for subscribers, or, at least, for subscribers with an external digital audio converter, the right earbuds (or speakers) and discriminating ears, which isn't everybody, but that's a different rantnrave for another day. Let's just stipulate for now that music sounds better when music *sounds* better, and that the equipment can be as confusing for some people as the nomenclature, in which "lossless" music and "hi-res" music are two different things and lossless is a matter of opinion, and hopefully the streaming services will lead the way in educating all of us.
But what kind of news is this for artists, who want listeners to be able to hear their music the way they intended it, as the cliché goes, but who also want them to pay for it? Those premiums, whether it's the $14.99 QOBUZ charges for its hi-res offering or the $19.99 TIDAL asks for its hi-fi tier, represent one of the most concrete ways out of the fractions-of-a-penny royalty system that artists have been complaining about louder and louder in recent months. More money in the subscription pool means more money in the royalty pool. Streaming providers have steadfastly resisted raising prices for their standard services (though Spotify, in recent months, has been experimenting with small increases). Hi-res streaming has long been viewed as one of the ways they could justify higher prices.
Is this the end of that particular dream for artists (and songwriters), or just a detour as services try to lure new users in? Is the bet that a low-priced hi-res tier will grow their subscriber bases enough to offset the discount? Are there enough users who care about hi-res in the first place to make that bet pay off? Or is the bet that the real profits, in the long run, will come from the hardware that Apple and Amazon, for example, are both invested in, as Music Business Worldwide's TIM INGHAM suggests? Is lossless music just another loss leader? Can labels and publishers claim some of *that* money? Is there a lossless music/lossless royalties ad campaign in our future? Would *you* pay more for better quality? Or is $9.99 an inviolable double yellow line, never to be crossed, even for a chance to hear that one percussion detail you never heard before?
Also, what would it sound like in this room?
Preyers
The Washington Post's investigation into PETER, PAUL AND MARY member PETER YARROW's long-ago conviction for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and his quiet, barely-noticed-at-the-time pardon by PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER—it turns out there were other allegations from other girls—is a horrifying reminder of what was happening in the shadows of music and other industries long before the #MeToo movement helped bring it into the light. As a reminder of how much more light is still needed, here's an accounting of headlines from the past three or four days: T.I. and his wife, TAMEKA "TINY" HARRIS, are under investigation by Los Angeles police after two women formally accused them of sexual assault and drugging; T.I. and Tiny have denied the charges... SAVES THE DAY singer CHRIS CONLEY has publicly confessed to abusing and sexually harassing a fan who was 12 when they first met (but Conley denies "grooming" the fan). He is "truly ashamed and embarrassed by my abhorrent behavior"... MINISTRY guitarist SIN QUIRIN has left the band to "focus on my health," a year after two women said he had sexual relationships with them when they were underage. He has denied the allegations... The Australian music industry is responding to a research report that sexual harassment and assault are widespread in the business there and in New Zealand.
Rest in Peace
Country songwriter PATSY BRUCE, best known for co-writing "MAMMAS DON'T LET YOUR BABIES GROW UP TO BE COWBOYS." Her then-husband and co-writer, ED BRUCE, who had the first hit with the song, died in January.
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| Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator |
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The Washington Post |
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| A famed folk singer won a presidential pardon after molesting a child. Did he prey on others? |
| by Gillian Brockell |
| No one from the government notified Barbara Winter about the pardon. Not the White House, not the prosecutor who handled her case. She found out from her mother, who read in the newspaper that one of the country’s most famous folk singers, who had admitted to molesting her when she was barely 14, had been pardoned by President Jimmy Carter on his final full day in office. |
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Cocaine & Rhinestones |
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| The Nashville A Team |
| by Tyler Mahan Coe |
| CR017/PH03: Now that we've established Owen Bradley as the single most important producer in the history of Nashville, let's take it further and acknowledge he's one of the most important figures in the history of all recorded music. |
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Music Business Worldwide |
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| The music industry just took a backwards step on streaming pricing… in glorious HD |
| by Tim Ingham |
| Amazon and Apple's latest announcements bear the hallmarks of an own goal for music rightsholders. |
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Pollstar |
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| Transcending Confines: Lance 'KC' Jackson and Bill Reeves, Co-Founders, Roadies of Color United |
| by Bill Reeves and Lance "K.C." Jackson |
| The two veteran touring professionals behind Roadies of Color United International interview each other to help explain how this crucial cause and organization came into being, and what lies ahead. |
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Decider |
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| Tina Turner and The Go-Go’s Enlisted A Secret Weapon To Finally Gain Entrance To The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame: The Music Documentary |
| by Stephen Thomas Erlewine |
| What could be considered a golden ticket to guarantee an artist's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? If the Class of 2021 is any indication, the answer could be the release of a brand-new, feature-length documentary that paints the act's career in a glowing light. |
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NME |
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| Olivia Rodrigo: 'It's important for me to be taken seriously as a songwriter' |
| by Hannah Mylrea |
| Beep-beep yeah! How eclectic debut album ‘Sour’ proves the ‘Drivers License’ hitmaker is in it for the long haul. |
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Billboard |
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| Coming Subtractions: Film Composers Face Delayed Pandemic Impact |
| by Kristin Robinson |
| For the creatives scoring films, screen time is money - and they're getting less of both. |
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The New York Times |
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| Old Songs in the Public Domain Get Makeovers With a Purpose |
| by Olivia Horn |
| The producer Ray Angry and the visual artist Katherine McMahon lead a project that reimagines songs freely available for public use for the current moment. |
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Pitchfork |
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| Bizzy Banks Is at the Forefront of Brooklyn Drill’s Next Wave |
| by Alphonse Pierre |
| A day in the life of the budding rap star as he travels around his home borough, from the corner store to the barbershop to the studio. |
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JazzTimes |
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| María Grand Moves her Music Closer to Nature |
| by Natalie Weiner |
| Spurred on by both her recent pregnancy and the coronavirus pandemic, the tenor saxophonist is tying her practice regimen to the cycles of the natural world. |
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| soft sounds from another planet |
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protocol |
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| Ticketed events, label partnerships and beat battles: How Discord wants to conquer music |
| by Janko Roettgers |
| Discord will start testing paid tickets for live events on its platform. |
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Billboard |
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| Identity, Awareness & Representation: An AAPI Heritage Month Conversation With Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast |
| by Mia Nazareno |
| In stark contrast to her bestselling culinary memoir, "Crying in H Mart," Michelle Zauner takes on joy in her latest collection of songs. In a candid conversation, she talks about the book, the value of cultivating a community of Asian-American artists, and the joy-bringing powers of soft white bread. |
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Backseat Freestyle |
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| Where Hip-Hop Seeks Validation |
| by Jayson Rodriguez |
| This past week, Jay-Z and LL Cool J were announced at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, marking the first time two rap acts would enter as a part of the same class. However, a closer look at how the two men will join the pop institution brings up questions over who is handing out recognition and what it means to accept it. |
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VICE |
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| Big Rube Is Still Your Favorite Rapper’s Favorite Narrator |
| by Ashwin Rodrigues |
| VICE checked in with the Outkast and Offset-approved legend to talk about poetry, hip-hop, and how he chooses his collaborators. |
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The Guardian |
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| Post-punk band Au Pairs: ‘The Thatcher years gave us plenty of material’ |
| by Paul Walsh |
| Forty years ago, the Birmingham band released their debut album, and its frank, forthright songs about sex and equality are still pertinent. They explain how music gave their anger a voice. |
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Clash Magazine |
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| 'It Feels Like A Privilege!' Sean Ono Lennon On Assisting With His Father's Legacy |
| by Robin Murray |
| "I think the world needs to remember my dad..." |
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Chicago Reader |
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| Chicago music venues lean on grassroots fundraisers as they wait for federal aid |
| by Kendall Polidori |
| COVID relief grants are taking their time arriving, but the compilation Situation Chicago 2 benefits CIVL’s SAVE Emergency Relief Fund right now. |
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Tidal |
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| Tapeheads: The History and Legacy of Musique Concrète |
| by Simon Reynolds |
| From Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry to J Dilla, collage-based sound art has compelled us to hear our world anew. |
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Bandcamp Daily |
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| Deeper Listening: An Introduction to Drone Composition |
| by Vanessa Ague |
| Drone composition asks us to reconsider the role of sound in our day-to-day lives. |
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The Daily Beast |
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| T.I. and Tiny Under Investigation for Sexual Assault and Drugging |
| by Cheyenne Roundtree |
| Two women recently filed police reports in California and Nevada claiming they were drugged and sexually assaulted by the famous couple, according to their lawyer. |
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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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