It's kind of like a clash, I think, between, like, the music industry and reality sometimes. | | | | Nilüfer Yanya in Berlin, Oct. 27, 2019. Her EP "Feeling Lucky?" is out Friday on ATO.
(Jana Legler/Redferns/Getty Images) | | | | | |  | “It's kind of like a clash, I think, between, like, the music industry and reality sometimes.”
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What would you do with a $15,000 advance or, say, a $15,000 bank loan if you were a little-known Australian rapper trying to get the world's attention? Studio time? Equipment? Expenses to live on while writing your first mixtape? A trip to LA? INSTAGRAM memes? Duh. It's the memes, and it isn't as easy as it sounds, as rapper YNG MARTYR explains to Rolling Stone's ELIAS LEIGHT. That initial spend was preceded by a year and a half of research during which Martyr reached out to Instagram meme accounts, figured out how much he'd have to spend and experimented with memes of his own. One of the payoffs, according to BLACK 17 MEDIA's TYLER BLATCHLEY, who signed Martyr as those debt-funded memes were turning into tens of millions of SPOTIFY streams: "We're not spending any money on advertising"... What would you do if you were a major label trying to drum up renewed interest for the world's reigning deceased pop star? A remix album? Movie syncs? Holograms? Just let nature take its course? Something something TIKTOK influencers? Duh. May I direct your attention to the first several clips under the #EPICRECORDSPARTNER hashtag on TIKTOK? H/T this story by Motherboard's GITA JACKSON on the newest hotspot for heritage artist promo and marketing. Man in the mirror dreaming of having the next DREAMS, it would appear. (Helpfully, TikTok remains legal in the US and hasn't been sold and, judging from recent court rulings, is going to stay that way even if the US government remembers that just a few months ago TikTok was one of America's greatest national security threats)... The RECORDING ACADEMY is far from the first TV or event producer to ask the hosts of its shows to work for free, but those other producers aren't the Recording Academy and they aren't public advocates for better pay for creators. This is a terrible look for the Academy. If radio stations and streaming services need to pay music creators better than they're currently paying, then doesn't the Recording Academy need to pay actors better than nothing at all for the work of hosting a three-hour livestreamed event where nearly all of next month's GRAMMY AWARDS will be given out?... NINES, MAHALIA and HEADIE ONE were among the winners at England's MOBO AWARDS, which returned Wednesday after a two-year hiatus... "DAVE GROHL (who is not Jewish) and FOO FIGHTERS producer GREG KURSTIN (who is Jewish)"—credit/blame SPIN for that introduction—will celebrate the eight nights of Hanukkah, which starts tonight, by releasing one cover per night of songs by artists who are Jewish... Long-running Hanukkah celebrant YO LA TENGO, which consists of one member who is Jewish and two members who are not Jewish, is stripping down its annual eight-night run of Hanukkah shows to a single show to be livestreamed from the GREENE SPACE in New York on Dec. 18. As usual, there'll be a surprise opening act, a surprise comedy set and, if all goes according to a tradition, a Jewish-themed encore. The ticketed livestream will benefit the NATIONAL INDEPENDENT VENUE ASSOCIATION... RIP JASON SLATER, MARGARET WRIGHT and SEAN MALONE. | | | - Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator | | | |  | Los Angeles Times | | Business is brisk for the archival company as movies, TV and recording industries dig deeper into their past. | | | |  | The New York Times | | Our chief classical music critic writes in praise of going to a shelf, pulling out a recording and sitting down to listen. | | | |  | VICE | | Music is a huge part of TikTok, and now the music industry wants their share of the fun and profit. | | | |  | Pitchfork | | In a time marked by a series of collective and personal tragedies, Megan turned “protect Black women” into a rallying cry and stood for something bigger than herself. | | | | | VICE | | 2020 may have taken away live music, but it couldn't stop artists from putting out great albums. Here are the best records this year had to offer, handpicked by the Noisey staff. | | | |  | Pushing Ahead of the Dame | | "Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year" is Michaelangelo Matos' massively-researched, history of one of pop music’s biggest years, the year of "Purple Rain," "Private Dancer," and "Born in the USA"; of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Duran Duran, Madonna, Van Halen, Culture Club, Cyndi Lauper and the towering presence of Michael Jackson. | | | |  | CNBC | | Joe Berchtold, president of Live Nation, says there's been strong growth of events in Asia and almost full capacity in New Zealand. He expects U.S. shows to be back by summer of 2021. | | | | | Los Angeles Times | | The Puerto Rican hitmaker, fresh off the release of his history-making new album "El Último Tour del Mundo," is nominated for two Grammys in 2021. | | | |  | The Ringer | | Netflix’s show about the iconic Tejena singer hardly seems to be about her. That may be because it’s trying to capture a little-explored side of her. | | | |  | Touré Show | | Dionne Warwick. The legendary singer. "Do You Know The Way To San Jose." "Walk On By." "That’s What Friends Are For." I want to know what a true singing legend thinks about singing. | | | |  | The Conversation | | Gen Z have been collaboratively writing "Ratatouille the Musical" on TikTok -- but what do the terms of service say about who owns the art? | | | |  | Penny Fractions | | The defining characteristic of the last six years is that rather than a burst of innovative new features or clever experiments from the billion-dollar platforms, there’s been a convergence. Spotify continues to set the tone for all other streaming platforms. | | | |  | Sound Field | | Bomba is an ancient genre of resistance from Puerto Rico created by enslaved people on the island over 400 years ago. Recently, bomba music has been a staple of Black Lives Matter protests calling back to its roots as a music of resilience. Together, hosts Linda Diaz and LA Buckner break down the musical and cultural elements that make bomba, bomba. | | | |  | Twenty Thousand Hertz | | Alan Lomax believed that the culture of poor Americans was important and worthy of saving. So he spent decades traveling the American South and recording obscure musicians on their front porches, in churches, even in prisons. Today, he's considered an American icon, but the road to becoming a legend wasn't an easy one. | | | |  | Rolling Stone | | Here are the must-read music books of the year - from revealing memoirs to historical deep dives, from boy bands to the blues and beyond. | | | |  | Billboard | | The year 2020 was unforgettable for many reasons, including its pop music. Here are the 100 songs we most hope to remember it by. | | | |  | The Independent | | The recent furore over the lack of rock category at the Mobos highlighted how Black Brits with guitars get overlooked. Stephanie Phillips speaks to Nova Twins, Babeheaven and more about making space for alternative artists. | | | |  | SPIN | | From producing Bad Bunny’s latest album to making music for 'SpongeBob,' it’s been a busy year for the Puerto Rican phenom. | | | |  | The Guardian | | Now 89, one-time refugee Chris Strachwitz presides over one of the greatest US labels, having removed the stigma from working-class music like blues and zydeco to give a voice to the ignored. | | | |  | DJ Mag | | Earlier this year, Erick Morillo was arrested and charged with sexual battery. Kristen Knight, the woman who brought the charges against him, has decided to speak out, bravely waving her right to anonymity. In this interview with Ellie Flynn, she shares her experiences in the hope it will create a safer space for survivors of sexual assault to come forward. | | | | |  | | YouTube | | | | | | | | The Comet Is Coming ft. Joshua Idehen | | | | "This Black praise is dance / This Black sorrow is dance / This Black pain is dance / This Black struggle is dance." Single out now on Impulse! | | | | | | | | © Copyright 2020, The REDEF Group | | |
