jason hirschhorn's @MusicREDEF: 10/26/2022 - Real-World Dropout, Spotify's Margins, Natalia Lafourcade, Dawn Richard, Will Sheff...

Traditional record label A&R is like cooking spaghetti: throw 10 pieces at the wall and hope one sticks. Those pieces of spaghetti are artists! It needs to change. Open in browser Wednesday October 26, 2022 Smino at the Smokin Grooves Festival, Los Angeles, March 19, 2022. "Luv 4 Rent" is out Friday on Zero Fatigue/EQT/Motown. (Scott Dudelson/Getty Images) quote of the day "Traditional record label A&R is like cooking spaghetti: throw 10 pieces at the wall and hope one sticks. Those pieces of spaghetti are artists! It needs to change." - Dominique Casimir, BMG chief content officer rantnrave:// All Falls Down You may or may not have noticed I've completely avoided any mention of a certain superstar producer/rapper/songwriter/etc over the past month. This has been intentional. I'm going to break my own rule today to briefly explain, and then I intend to return to ignoring him. (You'll also find more stories about him in today's mix than I normally think need to be shared/amplified, including a thoughtful essay from Variety's ANDREW WALLENSTEIN about his 14-year-old son's refusal to disavow the artist in question, and how it reminds him of his own teenage obsession with a controversial rap act in the face of his father's disapproval. The equivalence between the two acts may be overdrawn but the questions the essay raises still resonate.) I appreciate the people and institutions who've had specific reasons to speak up and who have done so, including CAA, UNIVERSAL MUSIC, ADIDAS and others who've cut longstanding ties with him. Good. They were put on the spot and they responded—some a bit slower than others, but most if not all have now had their say. I disagree with the notion that the rest of us have any obligation to condemn him, argue with him, push back on his ideas or anything of the sort. There aren't any ideas that need to be engaged with, not anymore. Just the ramblings of a toxic a**hole. A troll. He expects, and wants, to be called out, challenged and criticized. He thrives on that. It's his Red Bull. It's how his toxic ideas are amplified and continue to pollute our air. I can't think of anything healthier, for me or for anyone else, than to tune him out and walk on by. Don't cancel him. Ignore him. That, anyway, is my choice, here in my professional life but also on social media and in my day-to-day human interactions. I don't want to inhale the toxic energy and I don't want to spread it, even if only to condemn it. Let his music stay on the internet and the radio. Let him yap into the wilderness. Let the rest of us disengage. I'm aware he may have medical issues, but that's an entirely separate conversation. Let him seek treatment if needs it. But that just makes him an a**hole with medical issues. Do beat back and act against the toxicity if and when it spreads. That's where this probably starts getting more complicated than I'm making it out to be. And that's the beginning of a different conversation. Which won't be about him. It will be about the rest of us. Rest in Peace CHRISTINE FARNON was the Recording Academy's first full-time employee and rose to executive vice president in a 35-year career there. The Academy called her its "Guiding Light"... Cowboy singer and poet DON EDWARDS. - Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator shut up and drive Variety How a Jewish Teen's Kanye West Obsession Echoed His Dad's Own Hip-Hop History By Andrew Wallenstein Maybe my son's refusal to disavow Kanye West should shock me, but it didn't. Truth be told, what I felt wasn't outrage, but a distinct sense of deja vu. Rolling Stone Kanye Is Never Coming Back From This By Andre Gee Ye's knack for self-sabotage has gone too far, and his former allies are letting him know. Hollywood Reporter Spotify Hits 195 Million Paid Subscribers, Exceeds Monthly Active Users Expectations By Caitlin Huston CEO Daniel Ek said Spotify would 'consider raising prices' in light of hikes at Apple Music. Music Ally Will Apple Music subscription rise spur rivals to follow? By Stuart Dredge If Apple's move paves the way for its rivals to follow suit, this may be a significant moment. Can we quantify the impact? The New York Times Allow Natalia Lafourcade to Reintroduce Herself By Ed Morales After years of recording homages to Latin American greats, the Mexican singer-songwriter re-emerges with an LP that features new collaborators, including Marc Ribot. Okayplayer Dawn Richard's Journey From Bad Boy To Indie Pioneer Has Been A Creative Pilgrimage By Robyn Mowatt Since Dawn Richard left Bad Boy, her indie music career has been led by experimental self-expression. In conversation, she discusses being a musical chameleon, her latest album "Pigments," and her resilient spirit.  Streaming Machinery Brainstorming: 'Super Shazam' By G.C. Stein Wild ideas to tame the increasing fragmentation of the digital music experience affecting listeners and artists. The New Yorker Will Sheff's Lament for a Starry-Eyed Rock-and-Roll Dream By Amanda Petrusich On "Nothing Special," the artist, now forty-six, surveys the ecstasies and the devastations of getting older and giving up on some things. Los Angeles Times The Beatles at their 'peak': A new box set sheds light on the making of 'Revolver' By Dorian Lynskey The album's striking feature is that each of its songs is a distinct entity. Instead of settling on one new direction, the Beatles proposed 14 possibilities. Smithsonian Magazine What Pop Stars and Actual Stars Have in Common By Mike Errico A songwriter and an astrophysicist discuss the art and science of repetition. shut up and dance Music Business Worldwide 'We don't just promote records anymore -- we promote artist brands' By Tim Ingham Dominique Casimir, who oversees BMG's repertoire outside the US, explains what her early experiences in music taught her about treating artists and why she believes BMG has cracked the right way to do deal-making with artists – as she reveals an interesting theory for why the music industry continues to obsess over weekly charts. Trapital How Artists Can Win When Music Is The Loss Leader By Dan Runcie Who wins when content is most lucrative as content marketing? Norah Jones Is Playing Along: Norah Jones Is Playing Along: Mavis Staples By Norah Jones and Mavis Staples In this episode, Mavis treats us to many stories, from growing up in a big musical family, to staying strong through trying times, and how she spreads love through her music. She and Norah pay homage to Pops Staples with a rendition of "Friendship", take on a gospel classic, and even get into the Christmas spirit! SPIN Last Man Standing: Jimmy Cliff Is Still Making Beautiful Music By Bob Guccione Jr. The reggae icon on the soul of his music, his new record Refugees, discovering Bob Marley, and staying pure at 78. The New York Times She Knew the Cello. The Acting She Learned With Cate Blanchett By Brandon Yu Sophie Kauer was a cellist studying for a degree when a friend urged her to audition for "Tár." She watched Michael Caine videos on acting and dove right in. Toronto Star 'Final nail in the coffin': Why SiriusXM dropping CBC Radio 3 is 'potentially catastrophic' for Canadian artists By Richie Assaly SiriusXM's decision to drop the eclectic digital station threatens one last viable sources of income for many independent artists and record labels. A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs: 'I Was Made to Love Her' by Stevie Wonder By Andrew Hickey Episode 156 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at "I Was Made to Love Her", the early career of Stevie Wonder, and the Detroit riots of 1967.  Billboard Christine Farnon, a 'Guiding Light' at Recording Academy for Decades, Dies at 97 By Paul Grein Farnon started as an unpaid volunteer in May 1957 - when the Academy was just in its formative stages - and rose to become executive vice president. Variety Should Kanye West's Music Be Banned? By Jem Aswad Challenging moral—and legal—questions, and a slippery slope. what we're into Music of the day "Look Both Ways" Nosaj Thing ft. Pink Siifu From "Continua," out Friday on LuckyMe. Video of the day "How They Got Over" Robert Clem Director Robert Clem's documentary on the gospel quartets who influenced the development of rock and roll. Streaming at Amazon and Apple+. 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