jason hirschhorn's @MusicREDEF: 03/14/2023 - The Cure for Scalping, Streams v. Memories, 'Naatu Naatu,' Ice Spice, Hybe Steps Back...

When you're listening to club music, there's no reward. The reward isn't, 'Oh, here's the chorus, here's the lyric that makes sense.' You have to enjoy what it is. You have to enjoy that there's no conclusion... Time stops, and I don't even think about where I am when I hear music like that. Open in browser Tuesday March 14, 2023 Robyn in Berlin, March 6, 2009. (Jakubaszek/Getty Images) quote of the day "When you're listening to club music, there's no reward. The reward isn't, 'Oh, here's the chorus, here's the lyric that makes sense.' You have to enjoy what it is. You have to enjoy that there's no conclusion... Time stops, and I don't even think about where I am when I hear music like that." - Robyn rantnrave:// The Cure for Crazy Prices They told you a few months ago those first-day ticket prices were justified because that's the market rate, as set by scalpers. And now they're telling you that you can easily find those tickets for a little less, or a lot less, which means everything has evened out and the ticket market is working and you should stop complaining and Congress should lay off the world's biggest ticketing company because nothing is broken. It's a strange argument. If you can easily find those tickets at the last minute for $10 or $200, then maybe $10 or $200 is exactly what they were worth six months ago and exactly what they should have been sold for if we're going to use the market rate to set prices. Maybe that's the real market rate. Maybe the higher—much higher—prices charged in August 2022 for tickets that were going to be easily available in February and March 2023 were based on an artificial market rate created by extremely short-term demand and the knowledge that scalpers can break into the system and get pretty much all the tickets they want. Maybe those prices were a little, or a lot, predatory. Maybe the victims of that predation are the super-fans ("verified" fans, if you will) who can't bear the thought of missing out on a show six months down the road and who can't afford to wait even though waiting, it turns out, is often cheaper. And maybe, just maybe—ROBERT SMITH and I are just spitballing here so bear with us—you could stage an arena tour with no VIP/platinum tickets, and no dynamically priced tickets, and restrictions on resales that make it hard, if not impossible, to sell a ticket for anything over face value. We'll see how the CURE's upcoming North American tour actually plays out. But can we agree upfront that there will probably be hiccups, and there will probably be some disappointed fans, but that the band and its team is doing its best to do right by most of its fans? Can other major artists get on board with this? Can they just plain copy this? Show them show them show them how you do that trick, Mr. Smith! Turn Down for Everything Everywhere No complaints, absolutely none, about M.M. KEERAVANI and CHANDRABOSE's glorious "NAATU NAATU," from the film RRR, winning the ACADEMY AWARD for Best Original Song. No complaints either with the excellent (and varied) performances of all the nominated songs Sunday night. But is it possible the Academy is getting the very idea of "Best Original Song" entirely wrong? A compelling argument from NPR Music's ANN POWERS... Directors DANIEL KWAN and DANIEL SCHEINERT, whose EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE was the night's big winner, got their start as music video directors. They were hella good, and a little bonkers, at that too... The fine art of playing people off at award shows... The WEEKND, who wasn't in the house, and AVRIL LAVIGNE, who had to tell a protestor to "get the f*** off" the stage, were among the top winners at Canada's JUNO AWARDS. The awards were given out over two days in Edmonton. Rest in Peace LEWIS LARGENT, who helped shaped the sound of the airwaves on both TV and radio in the '80s and '90. Largent was best known for his three years as host of MTV's alt-rock showcase "120 Minutes" (he was also a music programming VP at the network), but before that he was music director (and a DJ) at LA rock giant KROQ, and he later went into A&R at Island Def Jam, where he worked with acts including Sum 41, Andrew WK and Everlast... Latin radio DJ POLITO VEGA, who was on the air for more than 50 years in New York City. He's believed to be one of the first DJs to play salsa on the radio, and remained one of the country's most influential Spanish-language music DJs throughout his career... South African rapper/amapiano star COSTA TITCH, who died shortly after collapsing onstage at the Ultra Music Festival outside Johannesburg Saturday... JIM DURKIN, guitarist for Southern California thrash metal band Dark Angel... JOSUA MADSEN, drummer for Danish thrash metal band Artillery... South African jazz pianist SAMMY HARTMAN. - Matty Karas, curator fascination street The Guardian Streams are made of this: will digital platforms change our musical memories? By Jude Rogers So many of our most precious memories are anchored in particular songs. But does the easy availability of every song spell the end of that? Jude Rogers and her young son compare music notes. Public Knowledge Streaming in the Dark: Where Music Listeners' Money Goes -- and Doesn't By Meredith Filak Rose New paper shines a light on the dysfunction of the music streaming ecosystem while proposing solutions to ensure a more equitable future. NPR The Oscar for 'Naatu Naatu' fans the impossible dreams of India's musicians By Kamala Thiagarajan A song from the blockbuster Indian film RRR won the Oscar for best song and is now the talk of India's music biz. But will it lift other musicians to - well, not fame but at least financial security? The New York Times Composers Find Transcendence, and Inspiration, at Berghain in Berlin By Jeffrey Arlo Brown The storied Berlin techno club Berghain has changed the way some composers think about and make music. Reuters Explainer: How Kakao won a takeover battle against HYBE for K-pop pioneer SM Entertainment By Hyunsu Yim South Korean K-pop pioneer SM Entertainment Co Ltd is poised to fall under the grip of social media giant Kakao Corp after HYBE Co Ltd , the agency representing boy band BTS, on Sunday dropped a bid to take control. Billboard We Asked the Experts Why Jamie Lee Curtis Can't See Coldplay at Noon By Gil Kaufman Since she asked, Billboard reached out to some prominent venue owners and promoters to ask them why JLC can't sing a "Hymn For the Weekend" and still be home in time for the evening news. Dazed Digital Ice Spice: The people's princess By Matthew Trammell Born on the January 1, 2000 with a superstar's sense of immaculate timing, Ice Spice is the new people's princess twerking the pain away with her fluorescent spin on the Bronx drill scene. Austin Chronicle Your Field Guide to 80 Essential Acts at SXSW Music By Clara Wang, Rachel Rascoe, Derek Udensi... Highlighting the best and buzziest at this year's festival. NPR Mississippi is home of the blues and key to civil rights past. Locals tell the story By Kirk Siegler and Debbie Elliott With pandemic restrictions lifted, tourists are returning to Mississippi's famous Blues Trail. Civil rights leaders are noticing some are now hungry for more context about the music's origins. Manchester Evening News Panic! at the Disco turn arena into house of memories for the final time By Luke Beardsworth Brendan Urie, who has evolved so much over 18 years as part of Panic! at the Disco, says farewell for now with last ever show. charlotte sometimes The Guardian RETRO READ: How Robyn transformed pop By Laura Snapes Her absence only underlined her importance. Rolling Stone The Haunted Life of Lisa Marie Presley By David Browne She was the closest thing America had to royalty. But living in Elvis' shadow was an unimaginable struggle. Friends and collaborators recall Lisa Marie's rebel spirit and the mix of hope and heaviness that marked her final days. Music Business Worldwide Spotify's mission statement is preposterous. Its latest announcements prove it By Tim Ingham Drilling behind the numbers released by Spotify last week, via its Loud & Clear update, to discover the harsh mathematical truth. Complex Lyor Cohen on Canada's New 'Streaming Bill': "It Will Clip the Wings of Emerging Artists" By Erik Leijon Famed music mogul Lyor Cohen is in Edmonton at the Juno Awards on a mission, but will the Canadian music industry listen? Los Angeles Times Why you've probably never heard of one of L.A.'s most influential rockers By Santi Elijah Holley In "Leon Russell," Bill Janovitz tracks a rocker who played with Jagger and Dylan, turned Willie Nelson into a hippie, made six gold records and faded away. Billboard Buried on iTunes, Can Music Downloads Ever Make a Comeback? By Steve Knopper While physical formats have turned around a decline, paid downloads continue to plummet. The Guardian 'The player drives the music': how 'Hi-Fi Rush' reinvented the rockstar game By Dom Peppiatt A dizzying new game lets players live out their alt-rock dreams. Its creators explain how its pioneering design had to be note-perfect. Rolling Stone The Feds Say Pras Is a Foreign Agent. Now the Fugee Tells His Side By Michael Ames Ahead of his trial, the Grammy-winning rapper talks for the first time about going from Fugee glory to backroom dealmaker to a possible 22 years in prison what we're into Music of the day "Because It's in The Music" Robyn From "Honey" (2018). Video of the day "RRR" S.S. Rajamouli 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