jason hirschhorn's @MusicREDEF: 07/27/2022 - A Win for the Majors, Fundraising Songs, Algorithmic Anxiety, Wynonna Judd, Sylvester...

We have to stop taking art for granted. Many of the people who fill our lives with joy and creativity are also struggling to get by, and that's in large part because of how corporations have stacked the deck to enrich themselves at the expense of the people creating that art. Open in browser Wednesday July 27, 2022 Turnstile jumper: Singer Brendan Yates of Baltimore hardcore band Turnstile at the Slottsfjell fest, Tønsberg, Norway, July 14, 2022. (Per Ole Hagen/Redferns/Getty Images) quote of the day "We have to stop taking art for granted. Many of the people who fill our lives with joy and creativity are also struggling to get by, and that's in large part because of how corporations have stacked the deck to enrich themselves at the expense of the people creating that art." - Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., author of a Congressional resolution asking the federal government to establish a new statutory streaming royalty for musicians rantnrave:// English Beat UK newsflash: As the music streaming market becomes more and more saturated, a million streams per month will now earn an artist around £12,000 a year. It's hard out here for a middle class artist. But it's easier than ever for the consumers doing all that streaming, according to the UK's competition watchdog, the COMPETITION & MARKETS AUTHORITY, which released a preliminary report Tuesday after six months of study into the economics of the country's streaming music market. In a win for major labels and streaming services and a blow to artist and songwriter advocates and indie labels, the authority rejected calls for a full-blown investigation into the market. Although the market is dominated by three major labels and financial success is concentrated among a small group of artists "while the majority made no substantial earnings," the authority suggested the industry is broadly healthy, no tougher for artists than it ever has been, and consumers—the main focus of the authority's work—are being well served. Government interventions "are unlikely to drive significant improvements to artist and consumer outcomes" the report said, and, at best, "may help some types of artists, but in doing so, may risk the unintended consequence of redistributing revenues from one group of artists to another." The BBC's SHIONA MCCALLUM does a good job summing up the report's findings and implications while noting the many objections to its conclusions from artists, songwriters and other stakeholders, and STUART DREDGE at Music Ally has highlighted a bunch of stats and other points of interest within. The Twitter feed of musician/activist TOM GRAY, founder of the #BrokenRecord campaign, one of the groups that pushed the authority to go further, is also worth a read. A final report isn't due until next January and Gray promised to keep pushing between now and then. But any hopes for a different outcome may have been doomed from the start by the nature of the authority's work, which was to assure "competition is working well for consumers by delivering high-quality, innovative services for low prices." "Rhapsody, the first streaming service, cost $9.99 in 2001," Gray told the BBC. "Streaming costs the same 21 years later. Obviously, that is a good deal for consumers—but is it destructive to the value of music itself? The answer ought to be, 'Yes.'" The report doesn't suggest the answer is anything else. It suggests that wasn't the question. American Pie Meanwhile in the US: Congresswoman RASHIBA TLAIB, a Michigan Democrat, is proposing a resolution that would call on the federal government to create a statutory streaming royalty for musicians. It's the government's job, she says, to make sure musicians receive "reasonable remuneration through a royalty payment earned on a per-stream basis." Summer Awards Season Atoning, perhaps, for sister network BET's snub of LIL NAS X at this year's BET AWARDS, MTV has showered him with seven nominations for the VMAs. Lil Nas X is tied with his "INDUSTRY BABY" collaborator JACK HARLOW and KENDRICK LAMAR atop the nominations list for the Aug. 28 awards show. DOJA CAT and HARRY STYLES are also up for their share of Moon People... Styles can also be found on the shortlist for the prestigious MERCURY PRIZE, for the best album by a British or Irish artist. Other finalists for the prize, to be awarded Sept. 8, include WET LEG, LITTLE SIMZ, KOJEY RADICAL and YARD ACT... BILLY STRINGS, MOLLY TUTTLE, SISTER SADIE, the PO RAMBLIN' BOYS and DEL MCCOURY will compete for Entertainer of the Year at the IBMA BLUEGRASS MUSIC AWARDS on Sept. 29. Strings won the honor in 2021. Etc Etc Etc The euphoria of stumbling upon weird cover songs on SPOTIFY... Love letters to bands rescued by a janitor at the PAGEANT in St. Louis... What's with all the '90s alt-rock t-shirts in JORDAN PEELE's NOPE? - Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator i'll dance to that BBC News Music industry as tough as it has always been, watchdog says By Shiona McCallum The UK's competition watchdog has found streaming has made the music industry challenging for many artists. But it rejected calls for a full market investigation because "our initial findings have not identified any significant concerns in terms of consumer outcomes relating to music streaming". Competition & Markets Authority Music and Streaming: Market Study Update [PDF] Our study assesses the impact streaming has had on the music sector and whether competition is working well for consumers by delivering high-quality, innovative services for low prices. We have also considered the position of songwriters and artists, to consider concerns raised by some stakeholders that the market is not serving creators' interests sufficiently. The New York Times The Case of the $5,000 Springsteen Tickets By Ron Lieber Triumphant fans showed up in Ticketmaster's queue with special codes, only to encounter its "dynamic pricing" system. Was the Boss OK with that? Rolling Stone After Roe's Fall, They Turned Their Songs Into Abortion Fund Donations By Cheyenne Roundtree Artists like Halsey, Paramore, Gracie Abrams, quinnie and Margo Price are continuing to fundraise and advocate for abortion rights. VICE How the Music Industry Silences Women and Nonbinary People By Nana Baah, Hannah Ewens, Nilu Haidari... Eight industry insiders in the UK reveal the toxic behaviour and patterns that run rife in music. Los Angeles Times 'I was ugly-crying most of the time': Wynonna Judd on being part of Joni Mitchell's comeback concert By Mikael Wood Musicians Wynonna Judd and Blake Mills, and a Newport Folk Festival producer, recount the lead up to, and miracle of, Mitchell's surprise performance. The New Yorker The Age of Algorithmic Anxiety By Kyle Chayka Interacting online today means being besieged by system-generated recommendations. Do we want what the machines tell us we want? The Ringer Meet the Man Trying to Move Emo Beyond Its 'Hair Metal' Past By Justin Sayles Think emo only refers to the four years you were in high school? Think again. We sat down with the person behind IsThisBandEmo.com and the 'Washed Up Emo' podcast to talk about the genre's long history and bright future. Orbiting Punk Punks from the Sunshine State By Dalton Spangler Why Florida is a punk-producing, emo-ecosystem. God's Music Is My Life Sylvester and the Gospel Impulse By Tim Dillinger Remembering 3 of the soul and disco icon's gospel-inspired moments. he'll understand Loudwire A Brief History of More Than 30 Formats Music Has Officially Been Released On By Chris Wheatley From the initial wax cylinder to USB sticks in gummy skulls. Music Business Worldwide Managers of Bad Bunny, The Killers join $3 million fundraising for 'the LegalZoom for the music business' New York-based Creative Intell, which describes itself as an artificial intelligence-powered dealmaking platform for the music industry, has raised USD $3 million in its seed funding round. gal-dem Where the music and media industries have failed, whisper networks have provided solace and community By ​Jumi Akinfenwa Jumi Akinfenwa explores how whisper networks have long operated under the radar – and the consequences once they've been thrown into the spotlight. Egyptian Streets Shik Shak Shok: The Song That Empowers Young Egyptian Women By Salma Hamed A wedding, a henna (bachelorette party), a birthday party, a bedroom, or even during lunch breaks in abandoned middle-school classrooms: these are all places where the infamous sound of Shik Shak Shok rings as girls and women of all ages dance freely, unabashedly. The New York Times Teodor Currentzis and MusicAeterna Face Scrutiny Over Russian Ties By Javier C. Hernández Teodor Currentzis and the ensemble MusicAeterna have faced backlash in the West over their partnership with a state-owned bank in Russia. Gawker The Euphoria of Stumbling Upon Weird Spotify Cover Songs By Luke Winkie It's like scrolling through the trenches of Limewire all over again. theLAnd Welcome to the Jungles By Harley Geffner In just one year, the Baby Stone Gorillas have gone from Section 8 housing to L.A.'s biggest new rap group. Catapult Shakira's Crossover into American Music Taught Me to Reject My Latinx Roots--Then Reclaim Them By Tasha Sandoval The arc of my journey with Shakira traces a path from veneration to rejection to reembrace. what we're into Music of the day "Take It Like a Man (live)" Amanda Shires Title song from album out Friday on ATO. 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