| It annoys me when people think [that] because it’s commercial, it’s bad. It’s completely opposite: If it’s commercial, people like it, and that’s what it’s all supposed to be about. |
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| Olivia Newton-John in April 1972. |
| (Roger Allston/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) |
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| quote of the day |
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“It annoys me when people think [that] because it’s commercial, it’s bad. It’s completely opposite: If it’s commercial, people like it, and that’s what it’s all supposed to be about.”
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- Olivia Newton-John, 1948 – 2022
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| rantnrave:// |
Redef Jam
Popular music, as a general rule, is good. As is lots and lots of less popular music.
I’d like to think this is blindingly obvious to most people who care about music and musicians. But I’ve learned over the years to never take anything for granted, and so I offer it here, as MusicREDEF continues to work our way back from our summer break, as a reminder of one of the fundamental principles behind what we’re trying to do here.
Our aim, at heart, is to share stories worth reading (and watching and listening) and music worth hearing. Stories about music, musicians and the business, technology and culture that shapes their world and supports their art. We aren’t a news service, though we share plenty of news stories. Our assumption is that if you’re reading this, you’re already seeing plenty of headlines over the course of your day and you’re coming here for something more, a deeper read. One of the boss's mantras is "not THAT it happened, but WHY it happened and what it MEANS." (The boss also loves capital letters, in case that hasn't been made clear over the eight years we've been producing this particular newsletter.) So we start from there, and look for reported stories with good, verifiable sourcing, essays and thinkpieces with ideas worth engaging and features that make us want to sing and dance. Our aim every day is a curated playlist of good information.
We look for a diversity of voices, of sources, of subjects, of music, of points of view. We’re a generalist pop newsletter but also a jazz newsletter, a hip-hop newsletter, a rock newsletter, a dance newsletter, a K-pop newsletter and a classical newsletter. We're not a tech newsletter but we're interested in technology that helps artists produce, distribute, promote or make a living from their art. We're not a business newsletter but we're curious about the businesses that enable artists to do what they do. We're not a gossip newsletter and, actually, that’s the end of that sentence. We don’t care who’s dating who, who’s investing in which restaurant and who’s collecting whose sneakers. We do care who’s using their art to build better communities and better worlds.
All of the above is subjective and malleable. A good read or a great single will trump everything else.
We sometimes use "we" and "I" interchangeably, because the nature of what we do is collaborative, and/or maybe that’s just an old habit of ours.
We love provocative ideas. We hate provocation for provocation’s sake.
And, yes, we really do believe that popular music, as a general rule, is good. Popular music is popular for a reason. There no doubt have been occasional lapses in public taste over the years, and the risk of payola, chart manipulation and other nefarious practices is ever present, but even then, it’s hard to make a song last for any length of time in the public consciousness if people aren’t genuinely responding to it. We like to start not by questioning how someone could possibly like a given piece of music, but by trying to understand why they do. Because otherwise, why even bother?
Etc Etc Etc (Royal Version)
The American jazz giant who wrote, recorded and pressed a 20-minute suite for an audience of one—QUEEN ELIZABETH... The court composers who served during Elizabeth’s reign... The non-court pop composers who sang about her... A very unofficial, and well thought out, Elizabethan playlist... The history of music at royal funerals... A fond farewell from the artist formerly known as JOHNNY ROTTEN.
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| - Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator |
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DownBeat |
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| Jazz Is Dead: Long Live Jazz! |
| By John Murph |
| Adrian Younge describes Jazz Is Dead as a "romance," its macabre-sounding trademark notwithstanding. He's a co-founder of the Los Angeles-based record label, a buzzworthy outfit that has been turning heads with eye-catching album artwork and a roster of luminary jazz veterans for the past two years. |
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interdependence.fm |
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| Co-creating new music economies with Tim Exile (Endlesss) |
| By Holly Herndon, Mat Dryhurst and Tim Exile |
| Virtuosic musician and instrument builder Tim Exile discusses his collaborative online musical ecosystem Endlesss, the uneasy state of contemporary music, new folk traditions and what piqued his interest in web 3. |
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DJ Mag |
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| Sudan Archives' radical honesty |
| By Christine Ochefu |
| A violinist, beat maker and vocalist with a talent for humorous yet heartfelt lyricism, Sudan Archives new album ‘Natural Brown Prom Queen’ is out now on Stones Throw. She speaks to Christine Ochefu about her open-book writing style and her determination to follow her own path. |
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Trapital |
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| Investing $200 Million In Music with Matt Pincus |
| By Dan Runcie and Matt Pincus |
| At his independent music publishing company, Songs, Matt Pincus was able to spot and develop up-and-coming songwriters, inking early deals with the likes of Diplo, Lorde, and The Weeknd. He’ll be tasked with finding similar success at the music holdings company he co-founded, Music. |
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The New York Times |
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| How Music Loops Help Me Feel More Present |
| By Miguel Otárola |
| Loops open a dimension where, although time is ticking forward at its usual pace, I’m moving at my own speed, appreciating my body and the world around me. |
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| what we're into |
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| Music of the day |
| “Magic” |
| Olivia Newton-John |
| "I'll be guiding you..." |
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| Video of the day |
| “Sympathy for the Devil” |
| Jean-Luc Godard |
| Originally released in 1968 under the title "1 + 1." RIP Jean-Luc Godard. |
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| Music | Media |
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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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