jason hirschhorn's @MusicREDEF: 09/22/2022 - WMG's Musical Chairs, Las Vegas Five Years Later, Bad Bunny, Blxst, Fletcher...

If you're a classical musician, you'll say groove is a rhythm that repeats itself, but that is completely untrue—the perspective changes each time you do it. Open in browser Thursday September 22, 2022 Rosalía at Radio City Music Hall, New York, Sept. 18, 2022. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) quote of the day "If you're a classical musician, you'll say groove is a rhythm that repeats itself, but that is completely untrue—the perspective changes each time you do it." - Abel Selaocoe, South African cellist rantnrave:// Musical Chairs Caption contest: What are new YOUTUBE hire LYOR COHEN and veteran YouTube business chief ROBERT KYNCL laughing about in the photo atop this 2017 Billboard analysis of what, at the time, was a startling hire of a music biz lifer by one of the music industry's biggest big-tech pests? Was Kyncl showing Cohen around his new digs? Was he asking Cohen about his old ones? Some years earlier, Cohen had left his job running recorded music for WARNER MUSIC GROUP, at least partly, if we can believe the reporting, because he didn't get along with the company's new CEO, an industry outsider named STEVE COOPER. Now he would be the music business's unlikely emissary behind enemy lines. And he'd be working for the man who, as no one could have known, would eventually replace Cooper at WMG, the one walking in through the other's out door, and walking in not as an industry pest but as "one of its most valued partners." Funny what $6 billion can do for a frosty relationship. Wednesday's not-unexpected announcement that Kyncl will become WMG's CEO early next year (after a transitional month in which he and Cooper will share the role) was met with high hopes and generally positive vibes. The YouTube strategist, according to the thinking, is the right guy to deal with the music biz's new high-tech antagonists at companies like TIKTOK and to light the way for one of music's big three through a Web3 world. Warner's two bigger rivals, UMG and SONY, are still run by music men, as others have noted. Warner appears to have a different taste in résumés. Kyncl arrives with headwinds in the form of an extended period of growth for both the company and the business. Can he turn the TikToks and FORTNITEs and METAs of the world into high earners for the music biz, like his old company? (Or you might ask, if you're so inclined, can he help WMG finally see things *their* way?) Can he persuade SPOTIFY and other music streamers to raise their prices the way his old employer, NETFLIX, hasn't been afraid to do? Does he believe, like Cooper, that they should? Can he figure out a way to get a little bit more of that money to his artists and songwriters? Is he a LIZZO guy, a FLEETWOOD MAC guy, or both? Will they see him as theirs? Rest in Peace Zimbabwean percussionist LANCELOT MAPFUMO, a long-running member of his brother Thomas's pioneering chimurenga band, the Blacks Unlimited... Montreal rapper YOUNG A STUNNIN, who was shot to death in his home city Tuesday night. He was at least the 32nd musician murdered worldwide in 2022. - Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator record company man Rolling Stone Five Years Since the Route 91 Massacre No One Knows a Damn Thing By Jonathan Bernstein In 2017, a gunman opened fire on a Las Vegas country music festival. Today, traumatized survivors and victims' loved ones still lack answers -- even the official death toll is up for debate. The New York Times Warner Music Finds a New Chief at a Former Frenemy: YouTube By Ben Sisario Robert Kyncl, the chief business officer of the video giant, will become chief executive of the conglomerate that includes Atlantic, Warner Records and Nonesuch. CNN Opinion: Bad Bunny's politically charged reggaetón is making waves By Ed Morales Through his edgy, exuberant and irresistible rhythmic songs, Bad Bunny is using his musical platform to display both Puerto Rico's longstanding problems and the island's perseverance. Los Angeles Times With an assist from Kendrick Lamar, Blxst has become the sound of L.A. hip-hop By Kenan Draughorne At 30, rapper-singer Blxst has carved out a unique place in L.A. hip-hop, with a sound that vibes with established superstars and up-and-comers alike. RIAA Mid-Year 2002 RIAA Revenue Statistics [PDF] By Joshua P. Friedlander and Matthew Bass U.S. recorded music revenues in the first half of 2022 rose 9% to $7.7 billion at estimated retail value, building on the strong growth experienced the prior year. The number of paid subscriptions grew to a record high of 90 million, with revenues up 10% to $5.0 billion and comprising almost two-thirds of the first half total. Billboard Streaming Is Growing — Just Not Like It Used To: 5 Takeaways From the RIAA Mid-Year Report By Glenn Peoples Synch revenue is way up, CD sales are slipping, ARPU is down a bit and subscriber growth is slowing down. The Guardian Fragile UK music industry calls for support amid slow recovery By Mark Sweney Brexit, inflation and pandemic have taken toll on sector that is almost a third smaller than in 2019 ABC News Pop star Fletcher is making waves in the music industry by being unapologetically herself By Taylor Dunn, Jessica Hopper, Ashan Singh... When Fletcher returned to Webster Hall in New York City for the final show of her North American tour, it was a full-circle moment for the rising pop star. DJ Mag Bump up the volume: this New York bumper car soundsystem is a priceless artefact of DJ culture By Vivian Host Vivian Host catches up with sound engineer Dan Prosseda about the magical speaker stacks of the Eldorado Auto Skooter bumper cars. Music Business Worldwide Guy Moot on the the globalization of music and the 'new songwriter economy' By Murray Stassen Warner Chappell Music's Co-Chair and Chief Executive Officer delivered a keynote speech at this week's All About Music conference in India. i won't be coming to dinner Billboard Benny the Butcher Wants to Become the Best Rapper & Executive By Mark Elibert The Def Jam signee looks to take the next step as an executive for his Black Soprano Family imprint. Trapital The Music Industry's Oversaturation Problem By Dan Runcie and Tatiana Cirisano It's never been easier for artists to release music and find an audience in any corner of the world. Likewise, it's never been more difficult for artists to break through the noise. The Internet and streaming services have created a double-edged sword for rising artists. To discuss this, Tatiano Cirisano joined me on the show. Black Music and Black Muses Like it is, Like it Was By Harmony Holiday On a song by James Brown and when my father was James Brown and Home. Indy Week 'Deep in the South: A Music Maker Songbook' Taps into the Aquifer of America By Nick McGregor Out September 20, the 89-page book showcases 27 different songs, combining guitar tablature and lyrics with riveting biographies, musicological footnotes, and evocative photos. The New York Times How a Sooty Old Piano Helped Beth Orton Reach a New Creative Peak By Jon Pareles With a vintage upright and painstakingly assembled songs, the English folk-pop-electronic songwriter's eighth studio album, "Weather Alive," is her best. The Guardian Gris-gris enigma: can a new posthumous release shed light on the elusive genius of Dr John? By Garth Cartwright How did a middle-class white kid break into New Orleans' feverish 1950s R&B scene and enjoy a wildly eclectic six-decade career? As a new release puts it: things happen that way. No Such Thing As Was 737 comin' out of the sky By Joe Bonomo There's a moment in the new Netflix documentary "Travelin' Band: Credence Clearwater Revival" at the Royal Albert Hall when drummer Doug Clifford's on a balcony in Paris, knocked out that he's spending his 25th birthday in the City of Lights, gushing about having visited the Louvre and Lois XIV's "playground" like a wide-eyed tourist. Which he was. Variety 'The Story of Anvil': Underdog Band's Doc, Universally Hailed but Shunned by Oscar Entry Gatekeepers, Gets a Theatrical Re-release By Katherine Turman The poignant 2008 rock doc " Anvil! The Story of Anvil" - which dramatically altered the fates of the band and may have changed the game for music docs at the Oscars - returns to theaters 13 years after its initial release. Chicago Reader Boogie-woogie 2, pandemic 0 By Steve Krakow Pianist Erwin Helfer has survived more than a virus to carry forward the legacy of the progenitors of blues and jazz. what we're into Music of the day "Zawose (for Hukwe Zawose)" Abel Selaocoe From "Where Is Home (Hae Ke Kae)," out Friday on Warner Classics. Video of the day "How Rosalía Prepared for the Concert of the Year" Red Bull Music Mini-doc about Rosalía's preparations for the first show of her 2018 "El Mar Querer" tour in Madrid. 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