I don't think there will ever be one music that's going to tell the full story, the full American story, again. The culture is too fractured right now. But I believe it's the artist's duty to proceed as if that above statement is untrue. | | | | Vote (Lil) Baby Vote: Lil Baby performs at a Juneteenth voter registration concert and rally in Atlanta, June 19, 2020.
(Paras Griffin/Getty Images) | | | | | |  | "I don't think there will ever be one music that's going to tell the full story, the full American story, again. The culture is too fractured right now. But I believe it's the artist's duty to proceed as if that above statement is untrue."
| | | | | | rantnrave:// At least as much as any other genre of popular music, country values the live, unfiltered, in-the-flesh experience above all else. Tours, radio meet-and-greets, fan meet-and-greets, acoustic guitars, etc. So no surprise that country artists are showing up in force as early adopters in the drive-in concert space. Anything to get away from laptops and phones and into some semblance of a public arena. One of the first significant music-for-cars series this spring was a run of country and country-rock shows sponsored by baseball's TEXAS RANGERS in the parking lot of their new stadium. LIVE NATION's first significant foray into parking lots is a BRAD PAISLEY-headlined short tour in July. GARTH BROOKS will be on the big screen at 300 drive-in theaters across the US this Saturday. But I'm not sure I agree with DAN RUNCIE, publisher of the insightful hip-hop newsletter TRAPITAL, when he predicts the country fanbase will be the first to return to big venues for regular, old-fashioned concerts—because, in his words, "popular in regions with more open space." Country is also popular in big cities that are going to be difficult to impossible to route a tour through for some time. And as the rush to get into, and stay in, their cars suggests, country fans are a sane demographic who value their health. But can I put in a vote for hard rock and metal, based on two news items that came across the transom Tuesday? Item 1: The "HERD IMMUNITY FEST," which sounds like the beginning of an ONION headline but appears to be an actual thing, currently scheduled for July in Ringle, Wis., with bands including STATIC-X, NONPOINT and DOPE. It's outdoors, which is better than indoors, and maybe possibly the name is meant to be a joke, but nothing in the fest announcement suggests humor is part of the package. Item 2: SAMMY HAGAR tells ROLLING STONE he's "comfortable" with the idea of returning to the stage before there's a vaccine if the coronavirus is "declining and seems to be going away." Which sounds reasonable until he adds, "truthfully, I'd rather personally get sick and even die, if that's what it takes." I get it, we can't all drive 55, but the question for any early adopter in this particular space is: What about your fans? Would you rather *they* get sick and even die, if that's what it takes? Because there are other options besides being bored at home and dying. Really. I loved this STEVIE NICKS answer from the same Rolling Stone article: "All we have right now, if you're home in quarantine, is time, unless you're taking care of kids. So, really, you could do anything that you've been wanting to do your whole life. That's how I'm trying to look at it." Or this thought from MARIAN GOODELL, CEO of the BURNING MAN PROJECT, who's encouraging a virtual Burning Man experience this year, but in the original meaning of the word virtual, which "doesn't necessarily mean online. It means, it's a different kind of reality." Which might mean, for example, "community service, bringing food to the homeless, helping healthcare workers get access to resources." That sounds better than getting sick and even dying, doesn't it? It's, um, virtually the opposite. Today is day 101 for me. And there are options. There are always options... A view of the subscription music market beyond "mainstream options" SPOTIFY and APPLE: YOUTUBE MUSIC is for Gen Z and millennials. AMAZON MUSIC is for olds. DEEZER is making dent in Brazil and other emerging markets... But ooh that mainstream: Spotify's market cap has doubled in three months... RIP STEVE BING. | | | - Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator | | | | | | | you make me feel (mighty real) | |  | The Atlantic | | "I don't know if our democracy could stand another four years of his custodianship." | | | |  | ZORA | | Canons have historically been reserved for the works of white men. This list is meant to go beyond that — to give proper due to Black American women whose monumental influence not only shapes music but is foundational to its past, present, and future. | | | |  | Rolling Stone | | For more than 30 years, the maverick composer has been splicing genres and unifying disparate scenes. Zorn and collaborators from Mike Patton to Bill Frisell reflect on why music has never been the same. | | | |  | The Daily Beast | | In recent weeks, Simmons has been treated to cushy appearances on platforms run by Jay-Z and Diddy. Two of his victims, Sil Lai Abrams and Drew Dixon, say enough is enough. | | | |  | Lefsetz Letter | | Why artists need an agent. | | | |  | Chicago Reader | | How three gay bars-La Mere Vipere, O'Banion's, and Oz-became the cradle of the city's punk scene. | | | |  | Amazon Music | | In partnership with filmmaker Lauren Tabak and writer/consulting producer Barry Walters, we dive into the music career of Sylvester, starting from church choir in South Central LA to his early years in San Francisco. | | | |  | Music Business Worldwide | | Streaming company is now worth more than Universal Music Group parent Vivendi. | | | |  | Fast Company | | Insiders at Burning Man, Broadway, Meow Wolf, and more describe how the live events industry, hit hard by the pandemic, will emerge onto a new stage. | | | |  | The Independent | | From Black Midi to Squid, a musical movement has formed of great alternative bands who sound nothing alike. So what unites them? A south London label called Speedy Wunderground and a sense of wild genre abandon, says Kieran Read. | | | | | Rolling Stone | | Without recording studios, topline songwriters - who are responsible for many hit pop songs' lyrics and melodies - are learning to be producers in their own right. | | | |  | Magnetic Magazine | | The shady practice of black hat ghost production has ruined our industry for both professionals and fans. | | | |  | Billboard | | The news that the BET Awards, now in their 20th year, will make their "national broadcast premiere" on CBS on Sunday (June 28) was most welcome -- if long overdue. | | | |  | Broken Record | | It's been nearly 35 years since the Beastie Boys released their classic debut album, "Licensed To Ill." In this candid conversation, Rick Rubin, who started out as the Beastie's DJ, reconnects with Mike D and Ad-Rock. Spike Jonze, who directed the new Beastie Boys documentary, "Beastie Boys Story," also sits in and plays moderator. | | | |  | The Guardian | | Their music may sound like the internet melting but the US duo have found a cult of fevered fans, including fellow pop futurist Charli XCX. | | | |  | Toronto Star | | Despite the doom and gloom associated with the COVID-19 pandemic when it concerns the live music scene, there is one thing that self-isolation has allowed musicians to do. Breathe. | | | |  | The Ringer | | The singer-songwriter once called the project "the missing link between 'Harvest,' 'Comes a Time,' 'Old Ways,' and 'Harvest Moon,'" but how does it register 45 years after it was recorded? | | | |  | Resident Advisor | | The pandemic has devastated nightlife across the globe but as the sector recovers in parts of East Asia, a healthier ecosystem is poised to emerge. | | | |  | AdHoc | | Reflections of a Tour Manager during COVID-19. | | | |  | The New York Times | | The record company was formed in 1973 with the goals of telling queer women's stories and putting profits in the pockets of gay artists working outside the mainstream music industry. | | | | |  | | YouTube | | | | | | | | | | | "Ain't nothing gonna keep us silent." From "Untitled (Black Is)," out now on Forever Living Originals. | | | | | | | | © Copyright 2020, The REDEF Group | | |
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