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I don’t think there will ever be one music that’s going to tell the full story, the full American story, again. The culture is too fractured right now. But I believe it’s the artist’s duty to proceed as if that above statement is untrue.
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Vote (Lil) Baby Vote: Lil Baby performs at a Juneteenth voter registration concert and rally in Atlanta, June 19, 2020.
(Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
Wednesday - June 24, 2020 Wed - 06/24/20
rantnrave:// At least as much as any other genre of popular music, country values the live, unfiltered, in-the-flesh experience above all else. Tours, radio meet-and-greets, fan meet-and-greets, acoustic guitars, etc. So no surprise that country artists are showing up in force as early adopters in the drive-in concert space. Anything to get away from laptops and phones and into some semblance of a public arena. One of the first significant music-for-cars series this spring was a run of country and country-rock shows sponsored by baseball's TEXAS RANGERS in the parking lot of their new stadium. LIVE NATION's first significant foray into parking lots is a BRAD PAISLEY-headlined short tour in July. GARTH BROOKS will be on the big screen at 300 drive-in theaters across the US this Saturday. But I'm not sure I agree with DAN RUNCIE, publisher of the insightful hip-hop newsletter TRAPITAL, when he predicts the country fanbase will be the first to return to big venues for regular, old-fashioned concerts—because, in his words, "popular in regions with more open space." Country is also popular in big cities that are going to be difficult to impossible to route a tour through for some time. And as the rush to get into, and stay in, their cars suggests, country fans are a sane demographic who value their health. But can I put in a vote for hard rock and metal, based on two news items that came across the transom Tuesday? Item 1: The "HERD IMMUNITY FEST," which sounds like the beginning of an ONION headline but appears to be an actual thing, currently scheduled for July in Ringle, Wis., with bands including STATIC-X, NONPOINT and DOPE. It's outdoors, which is better than indoors, and maybe possibly the name is meant to be a joke, but nothing in the fest announcement suggests humor is part of the package. Item 2: SAMMY HAGAR tells ROLLING STONE he's "comfortable" with the idea of returning to the stage before there's a vaccine if the coronavirus is "declining and seems to be going away." Which sounds reasonable until he adds, "truthfully, I’d rather personally get sick and even die, if that’s what it takes." I get it, we can't all drive 55, but the question for any early adopter in this particular space is: What about your fans? Would you rather *they* get sick and even die, if that's what it takes? Because there are other options besides being bored at home and dying. Really. I loved this STEVIE NICKS answer from the same Rolling Stone article: "All we have right now, if you’re home in quarantine, is time, unless you’re taking care of kids. So, really, you could do anything that you’ve been wanting to do your whole life. That’s how I’m trying to look at it." Or this thought from MARIAN GOODELL, CEO of the BURNING MAN PROJECT, who's encouraging a virtual Burning Man experience this year, but in the original meaning of the word virtual, which "doesn’t necessarily mean online. It means, it’s a different kind of reality." Which might mean, for example, "community service, bringing food to the homeless, helping healthcare workers get access to resources." That sounds better than getting sick and even dying, doesn't it? It's, um, virtually the opposite. Today is day 101 for me. And there are options. There are always options... A view of the subscription music market beyond "mainstream options" SPOTIFY and APPLE: YOUTUBE MUSIC is for Gen Z and millennials. AMAZON MUSIC is for olds. DEEZER is making dent in Brazil and other emerging markets... But ooh that mainstream: Spotify's market cap has doubled in three months... RIP STEVE BING.
- Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator
you make me feel (mighty real)
The Atlantic
Bruce Springsteen’s Playlist for the Trump Era
by David Brooks
“I don’t know if our democracy could stand another four years of his custodianship.”
ZORA
The Zora Music Canon: 100 Most Iconic Albums by African-American Women
by MC Lyte, Danyel Smith, Naima Cochrane...
Canons have historically been reserved for the works of white men. This list is meant to go beyond that — to give proper due to Black American women whose monumental influence not only shapes music but is foundational to its past, present, and future.
Rolling Stone
‘He Made the World Bigger’: Inside John Zorn’s Jazz-Metal Multiverse
by Hank Shteamer
For more than 30 years, the maverick composer has been splicing genres and unifying disparate scenes. Zorn and collaborators from Mike Patton to Bill Frisell reflect on why music has never been the same.
The Daily Beast
Russell Simmons’ Accusers Call Out Jay-Z and Diddy for Hosting the Alleged Serial Rapist
by Marlow Stern
In recent weeks, Simmons has been treated to cushy appearances on platforms run by Jay-Z and Diddy. Two of his victims, Sil Lai Abrams and Drew Dixon, say enough is enough.
Lefsetz Letter
Rod MacSween On Agents
by Rod MacSween
Why artists need an agent.
Chicago Reader
Chicago punk was born queer
by Leor Galil
How three gay bars-La Mere Vipere, O’Banion’s, and Oz-became the cradle of the city’s punk scene.
Amazon Music
Love Me Like You Should: The Brave and Bold Sylvester
by Lauren Tabak and Barry Walters
In partnership with filmmaker Lauren Tabak and writer/consulting producer Barry Walters, we dive into the music career of Sylvester, starting from church choir in South Central LA to his early years in San Francisco.
Music Business Worldwide
Spotify, heading towards a $50bn market cap, is worth double what it was 3 months ago
by Tim Ingham
Streaming company is now worth more than Universal Music Group parent Vivendi.
Fast Company
Are concerts, festivals, and live events ever coming back? Here’s what 6 experts say
by Christopher Zara
Insiders at Burning Man, Broadway, Meow Wolf, and more describe how the live events industry, hit hard by the pandemic, will emerge onto a new stage.
The Independent
Inside the raucous new south London guitar scene
by Kieran Read
From Black Midi to Squid, a musical movement has formed of great alternative bands who sound nothing alike. So what unites them? A south London label called Speedy Wunderground and a sense of wild genre abandon, says Kieran Read.
do you wanna funk
Rolling Stone
In Quarantine, Pop Music’s Quiet Topliners Are Gaining More Power
by Jeff Vasishta
Without recording studios, topline songwriters - who are responsible for many hit pop songs’ lyrics and melodies - are learning to be producers in their own right.
Magnetic Magazine
If You Buy Another Producers Track and Call It Your Own, Please Get Out Of This Industry
The shady practice of black hat ghost production has ruined our industry for both professionals and fans.
Billboard
Why It’s Important That CBS Will Air This Year’s BET Awards
by Paul Grein
The news that the BET Awards, now in their 20th year, will make their "national broadcast premiere" on CBS on Sunday (June 28) was most welcome -- if long overdue.
Broken Record
Broken Record: Beastie Boys and Spike Jonze
by Rick Rubin, Justin Richmond, Michael Diamond...
It's been nearly 35 years since the Beastie Boys released their classic debut album, "Licensed To Ill." In this candid conversation, Rick Rubin, who started out as the Beastie's DJ, reconnects with Mike D and Ad-Rock. Spike Jonze, who directed the new Beastie Boys documentary, "Beastie Boys Story," also sits in and plays moderator.
The Guardian
'We're not doing this to be ironic': are 100 Gecs the world's strangest band?
by Hannah Ewens
Their music may sound like the internet melting but the US duo have found a cult of fevered fans, including fellow pop futurist Charli XCX.
Toronto Star
Musicians trade life on the road for family time during COVID-19 — and they’re loving it
by Nick Krewen
Despite the doom and gloom associated with the COVID-19 pandemic when it concerns the live music scene, there is one thing that self-isolation has allowed musicians to do. Breathe.
The Ringer
Neil Young’s ‘Homegrown’ and the Bittersweet Release of Lost Classics
by Ben Lindbergh
The singer-songwriter once called the project "the missing link between ‘Harvest,’ ‘Comes a Time,’ ‘Old Ways,’ and ‘Harvest Moon,’" but how does it register 45 years after it was recorded?
Resident Advisor
Will The Pandemic Spark A Return To Local Lineups?
by Nyshka Chandran
The pandemic has devastated nightlife across the globe but as the sector recovers in parts of East Asia, a healthier ecosystem is poised to emerge.
AdHoc
I’ve Been Home for a Hundred Days
by Noamme Elisha
Reflections of a Tour Manager during COVID-19.
The New York Times
13 Essential Songs From the Lesbian Label Olivia Records
by Chloé Lula
The record company was formed in 1973 with the goals of telling queer women’s stories and putting profits in the pockets of gay artists working outside the mainstream music industry.
MUSIC OF THE DAY
YouTube
"Stop Dem"
Sault
"Ain't nothing gonna keep us silent." From "Untitled (Black Is)," out now on Forever Living Originals.
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