All the music that ever was and ever will be is here now. It exists in a cloud just above our heads and when we play, we pluck it out of the ether for a lil while before sending it back up. Open in browser Tuesday September 13, 2022 jaimie branch. (Dawid Laskowski/International Anthem) quote of the day “All the music that ever was and ever will be is here now. It exists in a cloud just above our heads and when we play, we pluck it out of the ether for a lil while before sending it back up.” - jaimie branch, 1983 – 2022 rantnrave:// Back in the Saddle Hello again. Were back from our extended August break, a little refreshed, a little jazzed, more than a little sad, a little confused, a little angry and otherwise trying to catch up to a world where songwriters are getting a raise, where the golden road to unlimited acquisition of classic music catalogs is sprouting potholes (paywall), where pop stars can fix their questionable lyrics in real time and where 12- and 16-year-old drummers are stealing the show at all-star rock concerts. August is supposed to be a slow month. This was not one of those Augusts. The story mixes this week will be sprinkled with some of the more noteworthy stories from the past six weeks, and there may be some looking back and reflecting in the rants and raves, along with some looking back and reflecting on what exactly we do here at MusicREDEF. Rest in Peace The photos atop this week’s newsletters will honor music greats we’ve lost in the past month and a half, of which there have been far too many, including Motown songwriting/producing giant LAMONT DOZIER; ‘70s and ‘80s pop queen OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN; transformative record exec MO OSTIN; jazz musicians JOEY DEFRANCESCO, RAMSEY LEWIS, ABDUL WADUD and MONNETTE SUDLER; jazz producer and label founder CREED TAYLOR; Fisk Jubilee Singers music director DR. PAUL T. KWAMI; cult country singer/songwriter LUKE BELL; Argentine rock icon MARCIANO CANTERO; Indigenous Australian singer/songwriter/activist ARCHIE ROACH; Crickets drummer JERRY ALLISON; and, on Monday afternoon, “Selfish” rapper PNB ROCK, who became at least the 19th rapper murdered in the US in 2022 (eight more hip-hop artists, by my count, have been murdered worldwide). And then there was the unexpected, devastating death of JAIMIE BRANCH, one of the most unique and vital voices in 21st century jazz, whose passing at age 39 leaves a gaping hole far beyond the confines of a single genre (and a deep, personal wound in the music communities of Chicago, where she grew up, and New York, where she lived). She was a virtuosic, soulful player whose trumpet was a hurricane of possibilities. And she was so much more than that trumpet, and so much more than many people’s notions of what jazz is, or should be. In her numerous guises, including her band Fly or Die and her partnership with drummer Jason Nazary in the electronic-centered Anteloper, branch seemed to improvise not only on songs and chords but on the very idea of musical space. She loved her electronics and she loved to tinker, and she was never far from a looper pedal and a table full of instruments and toys to run through it. She frequently sang and chanted, too, with a kind of punk-rock accent (her “Love Song” was addressed to “a**holes and clowns”). branch’s concerts were unpredictable, generous, welcoming, mesmerizing. She had a loose, decidedly casual stage presence that, as Natalie Weiner wrote, “allowed her work to be felt within the community rather than above it.” The word “community” comes up a lot in discussions of branch’s life and music. It was essential to her work. She was fond of asking her audiences to “take care of each other.” I saw her every chance I got, which wasn’t enough, and she was the obvious choice for my first proper concert in the Covid era, after 15 months of nothing but livestreams. “It’s yesterday’s tomorrow,” the trumpeter/vocalist/composer/tinkerer began chanting at one point. I was overcome by a swirl of emotions suggested by those three simple words, but the community around me, in that moment, seemed to push me toward the more optimistic ones. The words still ring true today, and the emotions continue to swirl. RIP. - Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator fly or die Culture Notes of an Honest Broker The Buying Mania for Old Songs Has Come to a Sudden and Ugly End By Ted Gioia The rock stars who sold their catalogs at the top appear to have outwitted the bankers. Courage News FOIA'd FBI Files on Aretha Franklin Show Repeated Suspicion of the Famed Black Singer, Her Work, and Activists Around Her By Jen Dize It took 4 years to get these documents. The New Yorker The Good Spirits of 'Drink Champs' By Hua Hsu Using warmth, candor, and more than a little alcohol, the show creates some of the best interviews in hip-hop. The Walrus What I Learned as a Teenage Hip Hop Critic for Pitchfork By Rollie Pemberton At seventeen, I spread the gospel of underground rap to a wider audience. But BIPOC music journalists are no longer afforded opportunities like mine. (Excerpted from "Bedroom Rapper: Cadence Weapon on Hip-Hop, Resistance, and Surviving the Music Industry" by Rollie Pemberton.) Tidal jaimie branch: 1983 – 2022 By Natalie Weiner In music, words and movement, the trumpeter urged her audience toward community. The Washington Post Maren Morris, Jason Aldean and the very rare country music public feud By Emily Yahr In a genre that does its best to avoid bombshells, Aldean’s PR team’s dumping him after 17 years was shocking news. And it shows that Nashville’s “one happy family” image is getting tougher to uphold. Rolling Stone Live Music's Latest Battle Isn't Onstage. It's at the Merch Booth By Ethan Millman “I was seething, livid,” one merch vendor says of a employer taking some of their tip earnings from a recent concert. Music Industry Blog C.R.E.A.T.E. An entertainment manifesto By Mark Mulligan The coming years will reshape the entertainment landscape. These are the principles that will shape success. Los Angeles Times 'Rosalía is the truth': How a Spanish flamenco singer defied convention and rewired pop By Suzy Exposito In a year in which Spanish-language artists have increasingly dominated the charts, Rosalía's 'Motomami' may be a blueprint for all of pop moving forward. Gawker The Baffling World of MAGA Rap By Drew Millard Artists like Bezz Believe and Forgiato Blow have found a niche sort of fame among the Trump faithful. anteloper The Washington Post How a Phoenix record store owner set the audiophile world on fire By Geoff Edgers MoFi Records claimed its expensive reissues were purely analog reproductions. It had been deceiving its customer base for years. CNN Opinion: I called out Lizzo and Beyonce for song lyrics. They actually heard me By Hannah Diviney Disability advocate Hannah Diviney reached out separately to Lizzo and Beyonce over ableist slurs in their music and was pleased when both pop divas removed the offending language. The empowering interaction showed what can happen when a music superstar hears you, she writes. KEXP Wake Up, Win Butler: A Roundtable By Rachel Stevens, Alexandra Brodsky, Jill Krajewski... Four people have accused Arcade Fire's frontman, Win Butler, of sexual misconduct. A team of badass women joins host Rachel Stevens to find hope for the future. Music Business Worldwide Kobalt Music Group sold to US-based private equity firm Francisco Partners By Tim Ingham Kobalt Music Group just became a ‘unicorn’ – but you’d have to know your recent music industry history to understand why. Bloomberg Beyonce, Nas Producers Will Make Music for Bored Ape Rock Band By Lucas Shaw A rock band made up of virtual apes, created last year at the height of crypto mania, now has actual musicians putting together its sound -- a pair of sought-after producers who have worked with Beyonce and Rihanna. The New York Times Nick Cave Lost Two Sons. His Fans Then Saved His Life By David Marchese “People say, How can you go on tour?,” says the musician and co-author of a new book, “For me it’s the other way around. How could I not?” The Guardian In the streaming era, Substack helps indie rockers pay the bills. Can it last? By Jael Goldfine The email subscription platform has been a source of inspiration and financial freedom for Pitchfork favourites struggling in the streaming economy. VICE Former Beatport Employees Allege a Toxic Workplace Where Fear Ruled By Annabel Ross The powerhouse dance music retailer preached inclusivity and diversity, but ex-staffers say bullying, sexism, and casual racism was pervasive. Billboard Minimal Oversight and Few Obvious Repercussions Leave YouTube’s Royalty System Ripe for Abuse By Elias Leight Some execs say Create Music Group games the system. Create says it doesn’t. They agree the platform’s back end for rights management is full of errors. NPR Does Ticketmaster Have A Monopoly On Live Events? By Jenn White, Diana Moss, Gary Witt... Is Live Nation a monopoly? Who would that hurt? And what's being done to address the lack of competition? American Antitrust Institute president Diana Moss, Pabst Theater Group CEO Gary Witt, New York State Sen. James Skoufis, and president and CFO of Live Nation Joe Berchtold join us for the conversation. Rolling Stone The Ticket Marketplace is Broken. Here’s How to Fix It By Andy Greene and Ethan Millman Eye-popping ticket prices have generated furious op-eds and social media posts in recent weeks. A group of experts weigh in on what’s wrong with the system alongside various solutions. what we're into Music of the day “prayer for amerikkka pt. 1 & 2” jaimie branch Video of the day “Excerpts from concerts at Moods (Zürich, Switzerland)” jaimie branch Music | Media SUBSCRIBE Suggest a link “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?’” Jason Hirschhorn CEO & Chief Curator HOME | ABOUT | SETS | PRESS Redef Group Inc. LA - NY - Everywhere Copyright ©2021 UNSUBSCRIBE or MANAGE MY SUBSCRIPTION