jason hirschhorn's @MusicREDEF: 04/12/2023 - Women Lost in the Mix, TikTok's Paid Influencers, Eras Tour Fashion, Trax Records, Caroline Polachek...

Tremendous strides must be made to achieve significantly more gender representation in the recording industry. Open in browser Wednesday April 12, 2023 Imogen Heap in her home studio in London, March 26, 2008. (Gavin Roberts/Future Music Magazine/Getty Images) quote of the day "Tremendous strides must be made to achieve significantly more gender representation in the recording industry." - Fix the Mix, "Lost in the Mix" rantnrave:// Hear Me Roar (or Not) Totally not breaking news: Adding to dreary statistics the ANNENBERG INCLUSION INITIATIVE has been reporting for several years, a new report released Tuesday by a coalition called FIX THE MIX reveals that the people making the world's most popular records continue to not hire women to engineer and produce them. There are numbers upon numbers and percentages upon percentages in the extensive report whose lead authors are mastering engineer EMILY LAZAR (founder of the nonprofit WE ARE MOVING THE NEEDLE, which was created to try to fix this problem) and JAXSTA CEO BETH APPLETON, but maybe the most stark, simple and human one is this: Of 240 producers and engineers credited in the most popular songs across various genres on SPOTIFY, APPLE, AMAZON, YOUTUBE and TIKTOK in 2022, exactly 16 were women and non-binary people. Sixteen. People. That's pretty much a rounding error. It's as if no one's even trying. Except that people have been trying, some of them quite loudly, for several years, which suggests it's more like the rest of the industry is actively resisting. It's "not actually a complex problem if you want to solve it," Lazar says. Which leads to one simple question for anyone in a position to be part of the solution: Do you, in fact, want to solve it? The numbers are particularly bleak in metal (a genre in which, the report says, the top 50 streaming songs of 2022 had "0.0%" women and non-binary people credited in technical roles), hip-hop and Christian/gospel. The best genres for non-male producers and engineers were electronic (17.6%) and folk/Americana (16.4%). Kudos, you wielders of synthesizers and acoustic guitars. But as BEVERLY KEEL, a dean at Middle Tennessee State University and co-founder of the country-music women's equity org CHANGE THE CONVERSATION, was quoted in Billboard as saying, "In any other industry, these low percentages of the genres that have the best gender representation would be an embarrassment, so I hope these 'high achievers' are not resting on their laurels." The report includes plenty of recommendations—many of which will look familiar to anyone who's spent any time in a human resources department in any industry—including actively recruiting women for apprenticeship jobs behind the boards, diligently and accurately crediting the women who are already there for the songs they work on, and creating a database of available talent (because, as the authors ask, "Why would organizations search for whom they've learned to believe does not exist?"). And it calls on the three major labels to spend some of the $300 million they've pledged in recent years to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on getting women into control rooms. Etc Etc Etc CourtREDEF part 1: Artists vs. label... Part 2: Artist vs. artist... Part 3: Bandmates vs. each other... "Imagine a NETFLIX, but all metal": It's called THUNDERFLIX, and it costs—double bass drum roll, please--$6.66 a month... Does this sound familiar to anyone? From what the Atlantic describes as "The Pornography Paradox": "Though PORNHUB alone gets more visits a month than either Netflix or TikTok, according to one online guide for budding porn entrepreneurs, a video garnering 1 million views will net its producer roughly $500." Revenues come from ads and go mostly to site owners instead of performers, who are kept busy "creating new content... to supplement the content they're barely being paid for." Rest in Peace JULIÁN FIGUEROA, musician/actor son of the late great Mexican balladeer Joan Sebastian. - Matty Karas, curator neve The Independent Inside the rise of #MusicAd influencers on TikTok By Lydia Spencer-Elliott From 'Heat Waves' by Glass Animals to Lola Young's 'Don't Hate Me', songs and soundbites routinely go viral on TikTok. Some more organically than others. Lydia Spencer-Elliott explores the booming business of #MusicAd influencers paid to make songs go viral. Fix the Mix Lost in the Mix Annual Report Excerpts [PDF] By Emily Lazar, Beth Appleton, Meghan Smith... An analysis of credited technical professionals in the music industry highlighting women and non-binary producers and engineers across DSP playlists, genres, awards, record certifications & distributors.. The Daily Beast Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Has Become the Met Gala for Her Fans By Lauren Sierra Swifties who actually managed to score tickets are going all out with their Eras tour looks. The MIT Press Reader The Extraordinary Ways Rhythm Shapes Our Lives By Nina Kraus Rhythm plays an important role in how we perceive -- and connect with -- the world. Rolling Stone House Music's Civil War: Inside the Battle Over Trax Records By Oli Coleman Decades after the pioneering Chicago label helped change dance music, former friends are locked in an intense feud over its past, present and future. Variety Unpacking Motley Crue's Mess: Manager Slams Mick Mars' 'Smear Campaign'; Guitarist's Lawyer Says He Is 'Tired of Being Bullied' By Chris Willman It may take a greater elixir than anything Dr. Feelgood has to offer to elicit positive vibes in the war of words - and writs - between Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars and the other three members of the group. Passion of the Weiss Soul Supreme Is Fighting In Court for His Own Soul, Or At Least 33% of It By Jaap van der Doelen Jaap van der Doelen dives into Soul Supreme's legal battle, which is now up to Norway's Supreme Court to decide who actually owns a song: its writer or its publisher. Switched On Pop Switched On Pop: This Generation's Caroline Polachek By Nate Sloan, Charlie Harding and Caroline Polachek From her work in the indie band Chairlift to years of behind-the-scenes songwriting, Caroline Polachek has worked hard over years to build a stellar music career -- culminating in the pop opus "Desire," already one of the best rated albums of 2023. We look at Polachek's career thus far, and talk to her about the intricacies of her latest. Prospect Magazine Bridging the gap--from Sonny Rollins to Kendrick Lamar By Philip Clark The work of the jazz biographer is getting more and more difficult. But we still need it--and them--to help us understand today's culture. Music Business Worldwide Analysts are starting to believe that AI may be an existential threat for the major labels. Is that overly pessimistic? By Tim Ingham Why the majors' market share is stronger than you might think -- just as so-called virtual idols come to prominence in China. ssl KQED Barry Jenkins, Nicholas Britell, and Film Music That Stops Time By Emma Silvers The director and composer reveal what goes into a breathtaking film score.  The New Yorker The Doleful Minimalism of Max Richter By Alex Ross The composer is everywhere on film and television soundtracks, promising that we will dissolve in mist before the apocalypse arrives. NPR Radio Ambulante asks 'How can you be a feminist and listen to reggaeton?' By A Martínez and Lisette Arévalo Reggaeton music is popular all over the world but sometimes its lyrics and videos are degrading to women. NPR's Radio Ambulante tried to answer whether you can be a feminist and listen to reggaeton? Complex The Oral History of Freaknik By Angel Elliott Ahead of Hulu's 'Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told' documentary, here's the story of ATL's wildest street party, as told by those who lived it. Rolling Stone The Lawless Reign of Dillom and Argentina's New Rap Agitators By Richard Villegas The rising star flipped off the industry and won. Now he talks about his unruly debut album and why genres are a thing of the past. Complex Hip-Hop Media Pioneers By Aria Hughes, Jordan Rose, Lei Takanashi... Whether it's radio turned TV personality Wendy Williams, or Stress magazine founder like Alan Ket, these pioneers shaped how we tell stories about hip-hop. The New York Times Alison Goldfrapp Dials Up Her Own Disco Fantasy By Rich Juzwiak The singer of the London duo Goldfrapp is going solo with "The Love Invention," an album of dance music that reflects her craving for euphoria. Broken Record Broken Record: George Clinton By Rick Rubin and George Clinton Rick Rubin talks to George Clinton about the origins of his original vocal group, The Parliaments. George also reminisces  about the time he dared James Brown to do the splits 18 times in a row while on a music industry panel with Madonna and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Music Business Worldwide Songwriters and artists refuse to be pitted against each other By David Israelite David Israelite, President & CEO of the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA), on what songwriters get paid from concert ticket sales in the US market. what we're into Music of the day "Jerusalem" Emahoy Tsege-Mariam Gebru "Elegiac, but... suffused with a sense of survival: we are broken, we are wounded, we carry on," the New Yorker's Amanda Petrusich writes of this early '70s piano masterpiece by the late Egyptian nun. The more things change, the more they don't. It's the title track of a posthumous album out Friday on Mississippi Records. 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