Wednesday, January 18, 2023

jason hirschhorn's @MusicREDEF: 01/18/2023 - Music Discovery at Public Radio, TikTok Strategy, 'M3gan' Music, Inji, John Cale, Raye...

We just have to accept that young people are hyper-focused on two things. They want the visual element of the song. I don't think we can put that genie back in the bottle. And the other thing is that they want to put their fingerprints on the song... They want to create the derivative work. They want to slow it down, speed it up, remix it.
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Wednesday January 18, 2023
REDEF
A brief inquiry into onstage relationships: The 1975's Matty Healy and fans at London's O2 Arena, Jan. 13, 2023.
(Burak Cingi/Redferns/Getty Images)
quote of the day
"We just have to accept that young people are hyper-focused on two things. They want the visual element of the song. I don't think we can put that genie back in the bottle. And the other thing is that they want to put their fingerprints on the song... They want to create the derivative work. They want to slow it down, speed it up, remix it."
- Ole Obermann, global head of music, TikTok
rantnrave://
Oh Yeah

How to defy (dubiously documented) music listening trends and (legit) radio programming trends and maybe just maybe grow your old-school terrestrial radio station ratings:

Play more new music.

Play more music, period.

Have actual local DJs in your actual local studio communicating with your actual audience while playing music they actually want to play.

Crazy, right?

That's the (admittedly anecdotal) message from this Billboard piece on a number of public radio stations in the US whose ratings have been skyrocketing while commercial stations around them gasp for air. KUTX has seen its share of the Austin, Texas, radio audience more than triple in the past three years, "leapfrogging Austin's primary pop and country stations," ELIAS LEIGHT writes. KEXP in Seattle tripled its ratings, too, over the same period, while Minneapolis' KCMP and Philadelphia's WXPN saw more modest gains. All four stations have deep playlists top-heavy with current music and get much of their funding not from advertisers but from listeners who apparently are demanding that music. They're hosted by DJs who have agency over what they play and know who they're playing it for. Hashtag oldschool.

No one is suggesting KIIS-FM in Los Angeles start playing FANTASTIC NEGRITO or SPECIAL INTEREST deep cuts, but programmers there and elsewhere could do worse than ask themselves some related questions the next time they've got a few minutes and a cup of coffee. Such as: Do music fans actually like variety? Do they crave new sounds? Are they hungry, in an age of algorithms and consolidation, for human guides? Are their minds open? Should you give Special Interest a shot after all? Are music fans really listening to less new music these days, or are the chartkeepers and data miners simply not noticing when (and where) they do? Is there a commercial pop (or country or R&B or...) equivalent to this kind of programming?

Or should y'all just start spinning classical music?

Etc Etc Etc

Who owns SPOTIFY?... WTF happened to hip-hop album covers?... JOHN LYDON wants to represent Ireland in EUROVISION for reasons that are heartbreaking and beautiful and I'm rooting for him... SHAKIRA's disses don't lie... How Christians invented nu metal... STEVIE WONDER, VERNON REID and JOE SATRIANI on the majesty of JEFF BECK, who "went forward in a way that would frighten normal people"... Gibbons (no relation to ZZ TOP) sing duets.

Rest in Peace

Pioneering electronic musician YUKIHIRO TAKAHASHI, best known as the drummer and lead singer of Yellow Magic Orchestra, a group he co-founded. He also played in Sadistic Mika Band and Metafive... Australia's "Difficult Woman," soul singer RENÉE GEYER, who electrified audiences at home in the 1970s, '80s and '90s while enjoying a simultaneous career as an in-demand backup singer in the US and UK... TV producer/director BRUCE GOWERS, who directed Queen's iconic "Bohemian Rhapsody" video in 1974 (for a paycheck of $590) and, a couple generations later, the first decade of "American Idol" (hopefully for a lot more)... KEITH BEATON, tenor singer in '70s Philly soul band Blue Magic, who had a major 1974 hit with "Sideshow"... Singer/guitarist C.J. HARRIS, sixth-place finisher on season 13 of "American Idol" in 2014... FRED "SONNY" BAKER, last surviving member of '60s and '70s Detroit R&B group the Dynamics... "UNCLE" RAY CORDEIRO, whose 72 years on the radio in Hong Kong earned him the Guinness World Records title of "World's Most Durable DJ."

- Matty Karas, curator
i am a dj
Billboard
Public Radio's Winning Strategy: Music Discovery
By Elias Leight
A handful of public radio stations dedicated to playing new singles have enjoyed notable ratings bumps in recent years.
Music Ally
TikTok music boss talks short video, long-form listening and licensing
By Stuart Dredge
TikTok's global head of music, Ole Obermann, on his company's evolution.
BBC Culture
Gen Z and young millennials' surprising obsession
By Daisy Woodward
A radical new wave of artists are sweeping the previously elite world of classical music -- with a little help from fashion. Daisy Woodward explores how classical got cool.
Los Angeles Times
How 'M3GAN' turned a 10-year-old David Guetta and Sia hit into spooky killer-robot music
By Suzy Exposito
The Times spoke with 'M3GAN' music supervisor Andrea von Foerster and composer Anthony B. Willis about the hilariously spooky tunes in the horror-camp classic.
Salon
How "M3GAN" weaponizes music
By Alison Stine
You knew the AI doll danced, but did you know she would harness the manipulative power of singing like a princess?
Soundtracking With Edith Bowman
Cate Blanchett On The Music Of Tár
By Edith Bowman and Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett is magnificent in Todd Field's new film, Tár, which charts the downfall of composer and conductor Lydia Tar. We won't say too much more about it, except that Cate has real musical chops, and puts her heart and soul into her incredible performance, and that it is scored by the wonderful Hildur Guonadottir.
Music Business Worldwide
Sir Lucian Grainge's royalty payout letter was a 'hallelujah moment' for streaming's anti-fraud movement
By Nick Dunn
Nick Dunn, founder of UK-based distributor Horus Music, hopes that Universal's new focus will help neuter criminal activity on platforms.
CBS News
In Shangri-La with music producer Rick Rubin
By Anderson Cooper, Rick Rubin and 60 Minutes
As an NYU college student, Rick Rubin launched Def Jam Recordings some 40 years ago and has been a hitmaker ever since. Anderson Cooper interviews the music producer about his unique approach.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
From Penn student to record deal: How a 15-second TikTok video changed my life
By Inci Gurun
TikTok launched my career and, in the process, revealed its flaws.
The New Yorker
John Cale Makes It New Again
By Matthew Allan
A conversation with the songwriter about collaborating with younger musicians, his tricky relationship with Lou Reed, and the true sign of a great artist.
i am what i play
Cosmopolitan
Raye on leaving her record label and her new album
By Shannon Mahanty
She's written for Beyoncé, had multiple Top 10 singles and was signed to one of the world's biggest record labels. But for seven long years, she wasn't allowed to release an album. Why? This is Raye's story.
DeCential
Matt Alston, the 27-Year-Old Co-Founder of Bonfire.xyz, on Creating Tools for Musicians and Artists in the Web3 World
By MacEagon Voyce
Bonfire, a community-building platform that's hosting a lot of musicians, just raised $6.8 million and is now open to all.
The Red Hand Files
I asked Chat GPT to write a song in the style of Nick Cave and this is what it produced. What do you think?
By Nick Cave
Since its launch in November last year many people, most buzzing with a kind of algorithmic awe, have sent me songs 'in the style of Nick Cave' created by ChatGPT. There have been dozens of them. Suffice to say, I do not feel the same enthusiasm around this technology.
Money 4 Nothing
Reggaeton Gets Sued
By Saxon Baird and Sam Backer
It was revealed this past week that basically all of Reggaeton is being sued. No, really. Sam and Saxon dive into all the reasons why this is a huge deal, and what happens when a very localized music and culture hits international markets and thus, a whole new set of laws around copyright.
Afropop Worldwide
Amapiano to the World
By Christine "DJ Kix" Mwaturura
South Africa is one of the biggest dance music nations, and now it seems like the whole world is dancing along to its amapiano (piano/yanos) beats. We explore how this homegrown sound is winning over the hearts of audiences across the world. We also speak to two of its rising stars: Teno Afrika and Luxury SA.
Variety
About That Hebrew Version of Rachel Platten's 'Fight Song' in 'Fleishman Is in Trouble'
By Malina Saval
Israeli musician Yuval Ben-Ami's rendition is stringy and raw and acts as an anthem and a protest dirge.
American Songwriter
Black Opry at 30A Songwriters Festival: 'The Work is in the Action'
By Cillea Houghton
The Black Opry Revue is fulfilling an important purpose in country and Americana music, uplifting the voices of people of color who have long been working in the genres, yet not always given the opportunities they deserve.
Trapital
Why Selling Music Catalogs is a Complex Decision
By Dan Runcie
The narrative makes these decisions seem more black and white than reality. Artists have many reasons to sell, and ownership of music assets is often more complicated than it seems.
The New York Times
A Mighty Generation of Musicians. A Moving Final Chapter
By Zachary Woolfe
The conductors Michael Tilson Thomas and Daniel Barenboim have continued to perform as aging and illness loom.
The Guardian
Famous fans say farewell to the B-52's: 'They got me to question my own prejudices'
By Dave Simpson
After 46 years, the Athens originals are taking off for good later this year. David Byrne, Boy George and more pay tribute to one of the most unusual pop bands ever.
Los Angeles Times
Lisa Marie Presley leaves behind a lucrative Graceland — and a complicated financial legacy
By Brian Contreras and Anousha Sakoui
Lisa Marie's inheritance is complicated by a financial history as fraught as that of any rock star, and things could keep changing as it passes on to the next generation.
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"BZRP Music Sessions #53"
Shakira & Bizarrap
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