jason hirschhorn's @MusicREDEF: 05/09/2023 - Preserving (and Paying for) Music, The Diva Next Door, Ed Sheeran, Fred Again.., The Weeknd...

Can we live without the phone for just one damn hour? Open in browser Tuesday May 09, 2023 Brass tacks: Aurelian Barnes and Maurice Brown of New Orleans' Trumpet Mafia at New Orleans Jazz Fest, May 5, 2023. (Erika Goldring/Getty Images) quote of the day "Can we live without the phone for just one damn hour?" - Yannick Nézet-Séguin, music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, after stopping a performance of Bruckner's 9th Symphony for a second time Saturday night rantnrave:// Roots & Blues SNOOP DOGG looks out at a universe of billions and billions of streams and asks the reasonable question "Where the f*** is the money?" JUSTIN TRANTER ponders a townful of striking screenwriters, some of them old friends, and admits "to be super honest, I'm jealous"—because guess what songwriters can't do. At times like these, an artist and a composer could use, among many other things, an ally like CHRIS STRACHWITZ. Strachwitz, who died Friday, was a roots music collector, preservationist, label founder and store owner who had a reputation for being fair and honest with his artists and, more to the point, going to bat for them, no matter who might be pitching. Like the time he decided the ROLLING STONES should actually pay Delta blues great MISSISSIPPI FRED MCDOWELL for recording his song "YOU GOTTA MOVE" on one of their biggest albums, the one with the ANDY WARHOL cover and "BROWN SUGAR" and "WILD HORSES." The Stones didn't put McDowell's name anywhere on the album (it was the '70s) and their lawyers told Strachwitz, who'd recorded McDowell several years earlier for his label, ARHOOLIE, "no, no, no, everything they record is their own stuff." With a no, no, no of his own, Strachwitz appealed directly to the band and got that money—a check for around $12,000, a whopping amount he was able to deliver to McDowell shortly before the bluesman died—and a songwriting credit. And then, eventually, he helped add a credit for the REV. GARY DAVIS, too. That part took some extra research, including doubling back with McDowell, who wasn't entirely sure himself where his song began. It's never been easy—the money, the metadata, none of it. Strachwitz, whose legacy includes the 400-album-plus catalog of Arhoolie Records and his El Cerrito, Calif., store Down Home Records, was a fan of an enormous range of regional American and Mexican roots music and the artists who made it. "That shadow, of people trying to make money off the artist at the artist's expense, is not there with Chris," BONNIE RAITT, a friend and one of the many musicians influenced by those records, once told the New York Times. Strachwitz leaves behind a vast treasure of music by the likes of McDowell, MANCE LIPSCOMB, BIG MAMA THORNTON, BLIND LEMON JEFFERSON, CLIFTON CHENIER, FLACO JIMÉNEZ and countless others, along with a way of doing business. May he rest in peace, and may songwriters and screenwriters alike find their way past the lawyers and digital accountants and anyone else standing between them and their next $12,000 checks. And other basic needs. "I really don't want to die without getting songwriters health care," SONGWRITERS OF NORTH AMERICA president MICHELLE LEWIS tells Rolling Stone. Because the more things change, the more they don't. Etc Etc Etc RHIANNON GIDDENS and MICHAEL ABELS win the Pulitzer Prize in Music for their opera OMAR, based on the true story of a Muslim scholar sold into slavery in South Carolina in the early 19th century. The piece, composed by Giddens and orchestrated by Abels, "is a melting pot inspired by bluegrass, hymns, spirituals and more, with nods to traditions from Africa and Islam," the NY Times' JOSHUA BARONE wrote when it premiered at the SPOLETO FESTIVAL in 2022. "It's an unforced ideal of American sound: expansive and ever-changing"... Music plays a central role in New Yorker writer HUA HSU's STAY TRUE, winner of the Pulitzer in Memoir or Autobiography, about "a mismatched pair of friends moving through the world" in the 1990s... Ring, ring: It happened—you can't make this stuff up—inside a place called VERIZON HALL... After a three-year pause, BILLBOARD will once again recognize merch-and-album bundles—or "fan packs"—on its album charts starting in July, with restrictions. The merch can't be concert tickets and the albums can't be digital... Indie label network MERLIN opts in to SOUNDCLOUD's user-centric royalty model, joining WARNER MUSIC... TWISTED SISTER singer DEE SNIDER and SAN FRANCISCO PRIDE organizers eventually get around to describing their breakup—prompted by Snider's attempt to appoint himself as the "moderate" "middle" in Twitter trans politics—as mutual and reasonably amicable, the organizers' anger at Snider notwithstanding. Expect no such peace treaty between proudly-non-moderate TED NUGENT and the Birmingham, Ala., club that sided with locals who complained about an upcoming booking and decided to cancel on him... The first semifinal of EUROVISION airs live at 3pm ET today on Peacock. Rest in Peace Pioneering American opera singer GRACE BUMBRY, a mezzo-soprano who also sang soprano roles. She was the first Black woman to perform at the Bayreuth Festival in Germany, for which she earned the racist scorn of some devotees of Richard Wagner, to whom the festival is devoted, and a half-hour's worth of curtain calls from the opera fans who actually showed up. She also walked away with a nickname, the Black Venus, and the seeds of major stardom in both the US and Europe... Pianist MENAHEM PRESSLER, who fled Nazi Germany with his family in 1939 and went on to found the acclaimed piano-violin-cello group the Beaux Arts Trio. He led the trio for more than 50 years... Rapper and indie label A&R rep YOUNG LO, murdered early Sunday morning in Miami Beach. He was a Memphis native who lived in California for most of his career and had recently moved to Florida... ROB LAAKSO, guitarist for Kurt Vile & the Violators and the Swirlies. "Musical genius. Recording whizz. Best husband and father," Vile wrote on Instagram... British A&R exec MALCOLM DUNBAR, who worked at labels including Polydor, Island and Mother. - Matty Karas, curator when the lord get ready Rolling Stone WGA Writers Want Reforms. Songwriters Ask, 'When's Our Turn?' By Ethan Millman "What makes me feel the most bummed out today is the stark realization of how little power we have," says president of one songwriter trade group. Salvation South The Diva Next Door By Rob Rushin-Knopf Arkansas-born Shara Nova is an alt-pop icon, acclaimed operatic singer, and prolific composer. She defies category. In a biz that wants women to fit in boxes, that's a problem. NPR In a Baltimore basement, a jazz detective strikes gold By Alejandra Marquez Janse, Juana Summers, Patrick Jarenwattananon... New recordings of old jazz performances at Baltimore's now-closed Famous Ballroom are being released for the first time. KQED Remembering Chris Strachwitz's Many Gifts to the World By Andrew Gilbert The sheer scope of Strachwitz's work is almost unimaginable, and was driven by a passionate, lifelong curiosity. Billboard The Case for Keeping Music Streaming Prices Where They Are By Russ Crupnick Most labels and some technology companies think now is the time to raise streaming prices. But what if this is the wrong approach? CBS Sunday Morning Ed Sheeran on "Subtract," songwriting, and lawsuits By Seth Doane and Ed Sheeran The unassuming superstar talks about how his latest music is very much a reflection of recent times, filled with personal challenges, loss, mental health struggles, and controversy. He also discusses the recent lawsuit accusing him of plagiarism (which a jury this past week rejected). Air Mail Too Posh To Drop Beats? By Dylan Jones Fred Again is the toast of the music world. He's also very upper crust. W Magazine The Weeknd & Lily-Rose Depp Set the 'Idol' Record Straight By Lynn Hirschberg The stars discuss their provocative, highly anticipated new HBO series which explores the seedy underbelly of fame. Beat Connection Play with Toys: How DJ and Electronic Music-Making Equipment Became Kid Stuff, and Vice Versa By Michaelangelo Matos My presentation from Pop Conference 2023. The Philadelphia Inquirer Fed up with ringing cell phones, Yannick Nézet-Séguin stops Philadelphia Orchestra music mid-concert -- twice By Peter Dobrin "Can we live without the phone for just one damn hour?" the peeved maestro asked after a second phone interruption. you got to move The New York Times Before Dylan, There Was Connie Converse. Then She Vanished. By Howard Fishman There's a resurgence of interest in the pioneering singer-songwriter who disappeared when she was 50. VICE The Forgotten Women Who Built a 90s Rave Scene By Kelly Bishop Audrey Golden's "I Thought I Heard You Speak" is a new telling of Factory Records and the Haçienda's history - one that puts women at the front. Rolling Stone Young Thug Has Been In Jail For Over A Year While Awaiting Trial. Why? By Andre Gee Media bias as well as jury selection moving at a glacial pace are among the factors hindering Young Thug's due process. The Ringer How Allen Hughes Unraveled the Myth of Tupac and Found Catharsis in 'Dear Mama' By Julian Kimble A conversation with director Allen Hughes about the breakout FX docuseries that focuses on the legacies of the slain rapper and his late mother. Music Week Song Sleuth CEO Jordan Gross on AI, UGC and tracking hundreds of millions in music royalties By Andre Paine There's a growing revenue opportunity from user-generated content for music industry rights-holders. The Guardian 'I would walk in and just cry for two hours': Kesha on cats, court cases, and the dangers of 'toxic positivity' By Michael Cragg She was pop's biggest party girl, but since accusing her producer of abuse she's been in limbo, wary of speaking out. Now, on the aptly named Gag Order, she's finding catharsis. 'I have all the emotions,' she says. The Guardian 'Can I still listen to David Bowie?' A superfan's dilemma By Claire Dederer In the era of #MeToo what to do with the great art of scary monsters and super creeps? (Excerpted from "Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma" by Claire Dederer.) Orbiting Punk Empathy By Any Means Necessary: The Holy Ghost Tabernacle Choir By Dalton Spangler Why empathy is the only true motivator for radical change. The Critic Magazine The apple of my ear By Norman Lebrecht Limitless choice and a rattle of regret. SPIN Ruston Kelly Is Finally at Peace By Daniel Kohn Ruston Kelly survived a divorce, left Nashville to seek solace in solitude, and found himself stronger. Middle East Eye Iftin: The band that soundtracked Somalia's golden age Iftin Band defined an era of post-independence positivity and spread messages about public health and literacy. what we're into Music of the day "L.F.O." SBTRKT (ft. Sampha & George Riley) From "The Rat Road," out now on Save Yourself. Video of the day "This Ain't No Mouse Music! The Story of Chris Strachwitz and Arhoolie Records" Maureen Gosling/Chris Simon 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. 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