jason hirschhorn's @MusicREDEF: 06/29/2021 - To Reckon or Not to Reckon, 'Virtual Artist Record Labels,' Sun Ra, Tidal, Remble, Willie Nelson...

The impossible attracts me, because everything possible has been done and the world didn't change. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Open in browser Tuesday - June 29, 2021 Wired for sound: Electronic music pioneer Wendy Carlos in her New York studio, Oct. 9, 1979. (Leonard M. DeLessio/Corbis/Getty Images) quote of the day "The impossible attracts me, because everything possible has been done and the world didn't change." — Sun Ra rantnrave:// Reckoning(s) Call-and-response headlines near the top of today's mix. The call from the AMANDA MARIE MARTINEZ in the Los Angeles Times: "As country music faces a racial reckoning, a new question: Where are the Latino artists?" The response from ANDREA WILLIAMS Vulture, atop an essay about Black artists: "What Reckoning?" Two parts (there are more) of an ongoing conversation on how to open long-closed (or at least three-quarters shut) doors in Nashville, a city/industry (for Nashville is both) currently serving as a microcosm for any number of other cities and industries that are having, or should be having, similar conversations. They can be exhausting conversations. They've been going on for decades, sometimes in back-room whispers, sometimes, like now, a little more front and center and loud. There's data (read country historian/doctoral student MARTINEZ in the LA Times) and too many anecdotes (journalist WILLIAMS in Vulture). There are Latin artists being told, on national TV, "you don't belong in country," even though country, like so much American music, has eagerly absorbed myriad Latin influences. (We won't mention the Latin country singer whose manager nicknamed her "Taco.") There is not, Williams writes, "a single notable Black hire in the last year" in her industry in her city. That's why the conversation continues, no matter how much some people are tired of it and want to be done with it. It isn't done. It can't be done until enough people listen, and join in. Hashtag me #BrokenRecord2 if you must... The RECORDING ACADEMY is, somewhat to its credit, trying to solve another aspect of the brokenness by diversifying its voting membership, with the goal of hopefully diversifying the results of the awards that membership votes on. Recognition matters. But at the risk of repeating myself from a year ago, I'd note that sending 48 percent of your invites to women and 32 percent to Black creators and professionals is a great way to maintain a membership that's half female and a third Black *if that's what your membership already looks like* but if the membership falls short of that, as it currently does, that mix of invitations won't get you to where you want to be for a very long time. You need to tip the scales now if you want to balance the scales later. Invite more women and more Black and Latin and Asian voters today. #MusicMath... As for the very successful white country trio in Nashville that inadvertently took the name of a Black blues singer in Seattle while trying to jettison its old, deeply problematic name and is now in court over the rights to that inadvertently appropriated name, trying to suggest that "it's all about trademark rights, so we're just letting our lawyers figure it all out" is a deeply problematic way to talk about it. It's about someone's name. Someone's identity. Someone's place in the conversation, and in the industry. Rest in Peace JUSTIN COSBY, co-founder of Australian indie label Inertia Music... MANFRED FRICKE, founder of German electronic instrument company MFB. — Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator switched-on bach Billboard Will Avatars Kill The Radio Stars? Inside Today's Virtual Artist Record Labels by Tatiana Cirisano New "virtual artist record labels" are betting that the next generation of performers will be made, not born. The Guardian 'A talent scout can't go to 100 shows a night' – how big data is choosing the next pop stars by Alex Rayner Faced with so much new music, major labels are using algorithms to hunt down tomorrow's hits. Is this great news for rising stars - or the recipe for a bland new future? Los Angeles Times As country music faces a racial reckoning, a new question: Where are the Latino artists? by Amanda Marie Martinez Latino artists are a rarity in country music, while white artists wink at the culture with songs about señoritas or tequila shots in Juarez. Vulture What Reckoning? by Andrea Williams Country music is exactly where it was a year ago, when the dam on the industry's ocean of racism supposedly broke. Duh. The New Yorker How Sun Ra Taught Us to Believe in the Impossible by Hua Hsu The visionary jazz artist sketched an "Astro-Black mythology" that aligned ancient Egyptian history with a future human exodus "beyond the stars." VICE Why You're Listening to More Music Now That Life Is Returning to Normal by Josh Terry We asked a neurologist and an epidemiologist about how our social lives and mental health are tied to our listening habits. rant:// Both men appear to be using words, organized more or less into sentences Variety Jay-Z and Jack Dorsey Talk -- Very Vaguely -- About Future Plans for Their Tidal Streaming Service by Jem Aswad Big on enthusiasm. Short on details. Complex Remble Is Going Viral, But That's Besides the Point by Eric Skelton You might have seen the memes. "This guy is rapping in MLA format" or "If mumble rap is a thing, we are calling this clarity rap." Remble sits for an interview. Entertainment Weekly Willie Nelson's words of wisdom by Marissa R. Moss The icon, 88, who has written the new book 'Letters to America,' talks cannabis, equal rights, and new music. The Root 'Wanna Battle You'll Be Baffled at the Stuff Stated': In Tribute to Gift of Gab, One of My Favorite Hip-Hop Lyricists Ever by Panama Jackson Have you ever started listening to something and knew that you were different after?  the well-tempered synthesizer Cocaine & Rhinestones All to Pieces: George Jones, Phase II by Tyler Mahan Coe CR020/PH06: In the early 1960s, George Jones had a huge hit record featuring such a phenomenal vocal performance it instantly turned him into a living legend. He didn't handle it well. The New York Times Lydia Lunch's Infinite Rebellion by Jim Farber "Good luck figuring me out," the 62-year-old artist said. A new documentary called "The War Is Never Over" does its best. Variety Sony Music Australia Employees Call Out 'Toxic' Culture, Consider Class-Action Lawsuit Amid Chief Denis Handlin's Exit by K.J. Yossman Sony Music Australia staff have spoken out about the company's "nightmarish and toxic" culture following CEO Denis Handlin's abrupt exit last week, with some even exploring legal action. Until last week, Handlin was Sony Music's longest-serving employee, having been with the label for over 50 years. rant:// File this under "retweets and shares are not endorsements," but this is a discussion that needs to be aired out for both better and worse Billboard Spotify's 'Discovery Mode' Is Payola, Just Not the Bad Kind by Christopher Buccafusco and Kristelia Garcia Regulating Discovery Mode by effectively putting a "paid promotion" sticker on tracks could potentially close off one of the only low-cost access points available to indie artists on the service. Pitchfork L'Rain Wants to Confuse You by Jenn Pelly A fixture of New York's art and experimental music communities, Taja Cheek envisions a decidedly uncategorizable world of sound as L'Rain. Mixmag Transferring energy into sound: Sons of Kemet make jazz a vessel for spiritual exploration by Haseeb Iqbal Haseeb Iqbal speaks to band leader Shabaka Hutchings about free expression, the transcendent headspace of performance and their poetic new album 'Black To The Future.' Slate The Soundtrack of the George Floyd Protests by Jason Johnson Black Lives Matter inspired a new generation of protest anthems. Stuff Four of world's top five earning stadiums in the last year were in NZ by Geraden Cann One stadium executive said the international ranking highlighted New Zealand's world-leading response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Time Magazine 'This Film Was My Chance to Correct History': Questlove on 'Summer of Soul' and the Oscars by Andrew R. Chow The first-time film director talks about what he learned from Stevie Wonder's drum techniques and music directing the 2021 Oscars. The Philadelphia Inquirer These Philly teens wanted in on the music business. Now, they have their own record label by Kristen A. Graham "I showed some people in the music business - 'Look at what these kids are doing.' It just felt so organic and right," said Andy Hurwitz, a music entrepreneur and philanthropist. Culture Notes of an Honest Broker Notes on My Pandemic Reading by Ted Gioia Faced with lockdown, I decided to turn it into a personal quest. what we're into Music of the day "Hurt a Fly" Squirrel Flower AKA singer/songwriter Ella Williams. I love this beat. From "Planet (i)," out now on Polyvinyl. YouTube AKA singer/songwriter Ella Williams. I love this beat. From "Planet (i)," out now on Polyvinyl. Video of the day "Bob Moog and Wendy Carlos Interview" Bob Moog and Wendy Carlos YouTube Music | Media | Sports | Fashion | Tech 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?'" 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