Author: JD
My Saturday Night Laugh
THE DOG LIKE GTFOH! LOL!!
A Grammy Conversation: The State of R&B (Part 2)
Earlier this month, The Recording Academy held “A Grammy Conversation” on the current state of R&B music at the West Hollywood Soho House. The evening was hosted by Quddus and included five panelists: Music Journalist Gail Mitchell, singer-songwriter/producer Liv Warfield, Grammy-winning producer LaShawn Daniels, eight-time Grammy nominee Ledisi and four-time Grammy nominee Tyrese Gibson. According to HitsDailyDouble they each attributed their inspiration to classic R&B and soul artists, including James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Etta James, Donny Hathaway, Tina Turner, Sam Cooke, Jodeci and Earth Wind & Fire. Many issues and topics were brought up for discussion including: Will new R&B artists be heard? Will people take a chance on them? Will urban alternative artists find a way to bridge the gap between what was and what is? Is the playing field uneven between black and white artists? Is there a place for R&B in a singles-driven music industry and a society that has been hypnotized by EDM music? In the second clip from the lengthy discussion LaShawn Daniels kept it real as he talked about the issues within certain record labels and the disconnect between what’s good for creative and what’s good for marketing. He used John Legend’s “All of Me” as an example of how labels are now often chasing records instead of putting real belief behind them. He spoke about the successful planning Motown did with their big artists and their up and comers, saying Jimmy Iovine at Interscope was also successful in doing that. But, his main point was that the song comes first and that he can not alienate what kids are doing today, or using to make their music, if that is what is getting a response from their peers. Liv Warfield shared her story as an independent artist trying to break into the industry and the flip-flopping responses she was hearing from labels. She posed the question: Why is Sirius radio breaking so much more music than terrestrial radio and continuing to play records that FM won’t even try? Ledisi and Tyrese chimed in with their views on being independent artists and how at the end of the day they need to stay driven at their goals and not let certain aspects of the industry derail them.
Remy Ma – They Don’t Love You No More Remix
https://soundcloud.com/andralemarie-1/remy-ma-they-dont-love-you-no-more-remix
Paul George suffers serious leg injury in Team USA exhibition
http://youtu.be/h0Jmx-L1hsI Indiana Pacers All-Star Paul George suffered a gruesome right leg injury late in the U.S. national team’s intrasquad scrimmage Friday night. George leaped to contest a fast-break layup by James Harden with 9:33 left in the fourth quarter and his leg smashed against the bottom of the backboard stanchion and crumpled. Trainers immediately ran onto the floor and after roughly 10 minutes of stoppage, George was taken out of the arena on a stretcher. With players looking visibly upset, coach Mike Krzyzewski then announced to the crowd that the scrimmage would not be finished out of respect to George and his family. USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo described the injury as a “very tough blow.” “This is a first for us in USA Basketball, to have something like this take place,” Colangelo said. “It’s a tough situation for our entire organization, the coaches, the players. Very, very emotional. There’s no way the game could have gone on under the circumstances.” The White team led George’s Blue team 81-71. “We got all the players together, Jerry addressed them and then I did. Very emotional setting,” Krzyzewski said. “There’s a brotherhood in the NBA and to me at moments like this family or brotherhood shows its heart, it shows its depth, and that’s what I thought our players showed during that time.”
Jody Gerson Named Head of Universal Music Publishing Group
Jody Gerson, newly named head of Universal Music Publishing Group. Courtesy of Universal Music Group Jody Gerson will assume the reins of power at Universal Music Publishing Group beginning Jan. 1, when she joins that company as chairman/CEO. She replacesZach Horowitz, who led the company for the past two years. In naming Gerson, Universal Music Group chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge has tapped an executive who is at the pinnacle of the A&R executive ranks, but also is credited with strong business chops and administrative skills. “A lot of people in the industry just think of her as a top flight A&R executive, but think of the kinds of acts she signs and what kinds of deals she has to negotiate in order to land big-name songwriters,” says one executive familiar with Gerson’s capabilities. “Jody Gerson is simply one of the best music publishers in the business, and we are thrilled that she will be bringing her creativity, savvy and vast experience to UMPG,” Grainge said in a statement. “Jody represents a new breed of music industry leadership, with a keen understanding of the evolving role of music publishers in the digital era and a track record of artist successes that places her among all-time greats. I’m excited for what we will accomplish together.” While Gerson can negotiate with the best of them, she is also well known for spotting talent early on, often before a songwriter’s career blooms. Among the songwriters she has signed during her career are Lady Gaga, Norah Jones, Odd Future, Jermaine Dupri, and a then 15-year old Alicia Keys. Gerson has also played an instrumental role in the careers of Enrique Iglesias, Mac Miller, Pitbull, RedOne, Shakira and Pharrell Williams, among others. Another one of her signings, Nasri Atweh, the lead singer and primary songwriter for the band Magic!, currently has the No. 1 single (“Rude”) on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the second week in a row. At Universal Music Publishing, Gerson will be leading the second-largest publishing operation, with $900 million in revenue in 2013. She also gets to cross rapiers with one of her mentors, Martin Bandier, who she worked with for about a dozen years at EMI Music Publishing before joining him at Sony/ATV in 2008. In the past, Bandier himself credited Gerson for creating a writer-centric ethos at Sony/ATV. Gerson began her publishing career at Chappell Music, now known as Warner/Chappell, and worked there for six years before moving over to EMI as head of the company’s east coast publishing division. In addition to music publishing, Gerson’s accomplishments also include co-producing the 2002 movie Drumline, and cutting a deal to bring that show to Broadway. She is currently serving as executive producer for Drumline 2 for VH1. When Gerson joins on Jan. 1, she will report to Grainge. In the meantime, Universal Music Group CFO Boyd Buir will oversee UMPG.
A Grammy Conversation: The State of R&B (Part 1)
Earlier this month, The Recording Academy held “A Grammy Conversation” on the current state of R&B music at the West Hollywood Soho House. The evening was hosted by Quddus and included five panelists: Music Journalist Gail Mitchell, singer-songwriter/producer Liv Warfield, Grammy-winning producer LaShawn Daniels, eight-time Grammy nominee Ledisi and four-time Grammy nominee Tyrese Gibson. According to HitsDailyDouble they each attributed their inspiration to classic R&B and soul artists, including James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Etta James, Donny Hathaway, Tina Turner, Sam Cooke, Jodeci and Earth Wind & Fire. Many issues and topics were brought up for discussion including: Will new R&B artists be heard? Will people take a chance on them? Will urban alternative artists find a way to bridge the gap between what was and what is? Is the playing field uneven between black and white artists? Is there a place for R&B in a singles-driven music industry and a society that has been hypnotized by EDM music? In the first video clip from the intimate conversation, Gail Mitchell addresses the return of black artists to the top of the Billboard charts this year, Tyrese explains why he thinks the industry is too caught up with who produced a song or who is featured on a song, while Ledisi explains her desire for today’s R&B to be more balanced between the origins and today’s new styles.