streaming spotlight

INSIDE
Academy Messages
The Recording Academy® In Your Community FALL 2015
Opening Act:
- Guess The Tattoos
- Pop Culture Index: 1990
Your Academy:
STREAMING
SPOTLIGHT
GRAMMY surveys
seven major services
GRAMMY Museum Mississippi
Diving Into The Stream
Legalize It:
Three Key Music Bills
Artists Singing Out On
Their Own Behalf
Academy News
Advocacy In Action
Producers & Engineers Wing
MusiCares
GRAMMY Foundation
GRAMMY Museum
The Academy In
Your Community
Coda: Getting The Last Laugh
K en V eed e r/© C a p i to l Ph oto Ar chi v es
OCTOBER 21, 2015 THROUGH
FEBRUARY 15, 2016
WWW.GRAMMYMUSEUM.ORG/SINATRA
From The President/CEO
Streaming is certainly a hot-button issue
in the music-making community. On one
hand, streaming services’ ability to provide a
kind of all-access music pass is a boon for
music fans as well as — at least in theory —
music makers, who have a vehicle that can
potentially help them reach a wider audience.
On the other, it has generated or further
complicated thorny issues with which both the
music and tech communities are grappling.
Simply, streaming may not yet be the win-win it could be.
While it continues to grow, streaming hasn’t yet reached
the kind of massive subscriber audience that some have
predicted. And even those with “freemium” models have only
scratched the surface of their potential reach. So far, the services
have not connected artists with a vast new, and importantly,
paying audience. Artists such as Taylor Swift have spoken out
passionately and eloquently for the need to compensate all the
creative professionals involved in crafting a recording.
Streaming has also raised critical issues about fair pay for
music creators. Reports of artists and songwriters receiving
pennies for tens of thousands of streams continue to crop up.
And while brick-and-mortar retail struck a balance that, for the
most part, supported artists, labels and retailers, finding that
balance has been a far greater challenge in a world where many
fans who use streaming services use them for free.
Music streaming still offers great potential, and these complicated
issues are not easily resolved. That’s why The Recording Academy
continues to work on behalf of music creators to ensure their
interests are part of the efforts and dialogue to create a streaming
marketplace that functions well for all.
We have provided testimony before Congress and worked
hard on Capitol Hill to support legislation that makes the needs
of artists, songwriters, producers, and other creators a top
priority as the industry and legislators navigate the current digital
landscape. Bills such as the Fair Play Fair Pay Act, Allocation For
Music Producers Act, Songwriter Equity Act, and others — bills
in which The Academy has played a strong role — are helping
to protect the rights of music creators as they wend their way
through Congress.
You can read more in this issue about these bills and the work
of our Advocacy & Public Policy department.
The end goal is to help foster a robust digital marketplace for
music, but one with safeguards for music creators. That way, we
can keep the music playing for years to come.
Neil Portnow
Recording Academy President/CEO
From The Chair
Greetings friends. I hope you enjoyed
your summer and are gearing up for
GRAMMY season.
This issue of GRAMMY spotlights
the subject of streaming, which, as
you know, provides a legal means by
which virtually unlimited commercially
released music can be obtained for free,
or for a minimal subscription fee. This
obviously represents a sea change to
the distribution paradigm, where until now various formats
of magnetic tape, vinyl, CDs, and downloadable digital files
had to be purchased by the consumer in order to access
the same music.
While exponential advancements in digital technologies
have made possible instantaneous access to music, they
have also facilitated the opportunity for further exploitation
of our intellectual property.
Some streaming providers are already enjoying multibillion
dollar valuations, but there is some question as to whether
music creators are being justly compensated. So while we
are eager to get excited about the promise of streaming, we
remain cautiously optimistic.
As with all things pertaining to the preservation of the art
and science of recorded music, and the protection of its
creators, The Recording Academy, as my colleague
Neil Portnow points out on the previous page, is very actively
engaged in the current heated debates over streaming as it
relates to obsolete copyright law, ownership and licensing,
and fair pay for music creators.
With Neil’s leadership, we remain at the forefront of the
charge in Washington, D.C., to secure new legislation that
protects the rights and property of all music creators through
our growing advocacy efforts. And through programs such
as GRAMMYs In My District, which brings our collective voice
directly to representatives’ local offices, Academy members
are actively becoming part of the solution to the various
challenges we face.
I urge you all to read this issue and educate yourselves,
to the degree that you are not already aware, on the issues
and legislation that will surely continue to impact our livelihood
going forward. Join forces with your colleagues and fellow
members and get as involved as possible in supporting all of
your Academy’s advocacy initiatives, both in your local districts
and at the national and global levels.
John Poppo
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Editor In Chief
David Konjoyan
Senior Editor
Tim McPhate
Art Director
Linda Cobb
Bumpercrop Studio
RECORDING ACADEMY NATIONAL
OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE STAFF
Chair
John Poppo
Vice Chair
Ruby Marchand
Secretary/Treasurer
Eric Schilling
Production Manager
Iman Saadat Woodley
Chair Emeritus
George J. Flanigen IV
Associate Editor
Kiana Butler
President/CEO
Neil Portnow
Assistant Editor
Renée Fabian
Chief Financial Officer
Wayne Zahner
Contributing Writers
Janine Coveney, Bryan Reesman
Vice President,
Marketing Communications
Neda Azarfar
Academy Online:
www.grammy.com
Academy Members:
www.grammypro.com
Executive In Charge Of Production &
Chief Business Development Officer
Branden Chapman
Main Office:
3030 Olympic Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
tel: 310.392.3777
Chief Information Officer
Rick Engdahl
Senior Vice President, Awards
Bill Freimuth
Email feedback to:
[email protected]
Chief Industry, Government &
Member Relations Officer
Daryl P. Friedman
GRAMMY (Volume 11, No. 3) is published by
The Recording Academy, 3030 Olympic Blvd.,
Santa Monica, CA 90404. All rights reserved by
GRAMMY and The Recording Academy (2015).
Reproduction in part or in whole without written
permission from the publisher is prohibited.
©2015 The Recording Academy
Cover photos:
Touch screen: Alphaspirit
Spotlights: Silvae
Chief Human Resources Officer
Gaetano Frizzi
Chief Marketing Officer
Evan Greene
Chief Digital Officer
Jason James
Vice President, Creative Services
David Konjoyan
Senior Vice President, Special Projects
Nancy Shapiro
FOUNDATIONS EXECUTIVE STAFF
President/CEO
Neil Portnow
Vice President
Scott Goldman
Vice President
Dana Tomarken
Vice President, Finance
Judy Wong
ADVISORS
General Counsel
Joel Katz
National Legal Counsel
Chuck Ortner
Deputy General Counsel
Bobby Rosenbloum
Managing Partner,
Deloitte & Touche
Gary Smith
8
Red Carpet
to
Reality
@Crest
@Pantene
@CoverGirl
@Olay
From hip-hop heads and country crooners to pop royalty and
rock stars, musicians are poster children for creative skin art.
Can you crack these clues and match the artist with their ink?
(Answer key on next page)
She teamed with Juicy J for a dark performance at the
56th GRAMMY Awards in 2014.
He’ll be loving you ’til you’re 70.
His hands have been known to hold an Oscar winner and guitar.
5
Photo: Gabriel Olsen/Getty Images
Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Photo: Jim Spellman/WireImage.com
4
3
Photo: Frederick Breedon IV/Getty Images
2
Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images
1
She’d say this tattoo is “F***in’ Perfect.”
Her tattoo is perfect fodder for the paparazzi.
continued on next page
9
Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images
10
Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage.com
8
Photo: JB Lacroix/WireImage.com
6
Little in the middle but she got
much back.
Like the dove on his hand, he
flew away from his multiplatinum
band earlier this year.
He’s been known to play a hat trick
on the GRAMMY red carpet.
Photo: Theo Wargo/WireImage.com
Photo: Jim Spellman/WireImage.com
7
His heart was already taken so he tatted
his son’s name, Bash, on his forehead.
Have her money or else …
Answer Key: 1. Ed Sheeran 2. Katy Perry 3. Keith Urban 4. Lady Gaga 5. Pink 6. Nicki Minaj 7. Pharrell Williams 8. Zayn Malik 9. Wiz Khalifa 10. Rihanna
CDS, CASSETTES, LPS
1990: CDs were spinning everywhere with worldwide sales reaching 770 million units, up 22
percent from 1989, according to a Billboard sales report. Cassette shipments spun a healthy
1.4 billion units. Meanwhile, the vinyl LP was “destined to become extinct.”
When the 2015 chapter on pop
culture is written, “Empire,” emojis,
smartwatches, and streaming are some
of the things sure to be indexed. Of
course, in the grand scheme, a larger
question looms: How will they fare with
the passage of time?
While you ponder that question, turn
back the clock a quarter century to
examine these entries from 1990’s pop
culture index. As a bonus, we reveal
where they stand 25 years later.
FANNY PACKS
2015: Fanny packs —
or belt bags, as they
are now also known —
are back. Those most
recently seen packing
include Jared Leto
and Coachella festival
attendees.
1990: For tourists, pack-ratting
hikers and AARP members alike,
the fanny pack proved useful for
storing items such as snacks,
sunglasses, keys, pagers, or a
wallet. As the decade progressed,
fanny packs vanished into a fashion
faux pas.
Photo: Rachel Murray/Stringer/Getty Images
Bathe in nostalgia and revisit nine
things that were dope in 1990
hit, per Billboard, “a historic high,” selling 9.2 million units in 2014. With 50,000 albums on
tape sold last year, the cassette is still in rewind mode.
Photo: Courtesy of 90s90s90s.com
POP CULTURE
INDEX: ’90
2015: CD sales plunged to 140.8 million units in 2014, a record low for the medium. Vinyl has
continued on next page
HIGH-TOP FADE
was inescapable.
M.C. Hammer’s album
Please Hammer Don’t
Hurt ’Em spent 21 weeks
at No. 1 and the ubiquitous
hit “U Can’t Touch This”
(which sampled Rick
James’ “Super Freak”)
grabbed two GRAMMYs.
fade — a mountain of
hair on top paired with
a razor-short look on the
sides — was smooth,
sported by artists such
as Christopher “Kid”
Reid of Kid ’N Play (see
House Party), DJ Jazzy
Jeff & The Fresh Prince
and Big Daddy Kane,
and basketball stars
such as Scottie Pippen
and Kenny Walker.
fades of “Empire”
star Bryshere Gray
and the Cleveland
Cavaliers’ Iman
Shumpert ensure
this ’do isn’t
fading away.
Photo: Tommaso Boddi/WireImage.com
Photo: Michael Putland/Getty Images
1990: Hammer Time
2015: The high-top
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
HAMMER TIME
1990: The high-top
Photo: Tommaso Boddi/WireImage.com
2015: Trading music for
sports, M.C. Hammer is
the CEO of Alchemist
Management, a company
representing MMA fighters,
among other clients, who
specialize in hammering
opponents in the ring.
HOUSE PARTY
1990: Starring hip-hop duo Kid ’N Play, Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell, among
others, House Party centered around a hilarious “parents are out of town, let’s party”
plotline. Grossing more than $26 million, the comedy helped catapult hip-hop culture
into the mainstream.
House Party has reached cult-classic
status. On July 19 a special “Pyjama Jam”-themed 25th anniversary screening was held in
London, where attendees watched the film “surrounded by comfy pillows and blankets.”
2015: With a 96 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating,
continued on next page
album of the same name going to
No. 1 — and merchandise ranging
from watches and sleeping bags
to board games and neon fanny
packs (see Fanny Packs) — People
compared the New Kids On The
Block phenomenon to Beatlemania.
2015: Though the mania has subsided,
NKOTB are riding a second wave of
popularity. The quintet teamed with
TLC and Nelly for the Main Event tour,
which more than likely drew a few
mothers of 1D fans.
WILSON PHILLIPS
Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage.com
1990: With “Step By Step” and the
RADIO
SHACK
CT-201
PHONE
1990: With a $599
retail price, owners of
Radio Shack’s CT-201 portable phone were either
progressively futuristic or inclined to share stock tips.
Though a shoulder strap was required to lug around
the box-sized unit, the CT-201 allowed you to “put the
whole world in your hand.”
2015: Given you can now make calls via smartwatch,
the long-since discontinued CT-201’s chances for a
comeback are nil (like Radio Shack itself). However,
someone interested in reclaiming the whole world in
their hand fetched a used model for $49.99 on eBay.
1990: The trio — Wendy Wilson, Chynna
Phillips and Carnie Wilson — debuted
big with two No. 1 hits, “Hold On” and
“Release Me,” with the former song
topping Billboard’s year-end chart.
Photo: Amanda Edwards/WireImage.com
NKOTB MANIA
“UNPLUGGED”
1990: MTV’s “Unplugged” series — which featured artists performing in an acoustic setting —
came into its own. An eclectic lineup of artists showed their softer, serious side, from Elton John
and Sinéad O’Connor to guitar shredder Joe Satriani and hair-metal rodents Ratt.
2015: MTV’s “Unplugged” has slowed regular activity, with the most recent installment in 2014
featuring Miley Cyrus. The series’ legacy is intact, however, with classic unplugged albums by
Tony Bennett, Eric Clapton and Nirvana having netted GRAMMYs.
2015: Now full-time moms, Wilson Phillips
have curtailed their schedule, performing
a smattering of tour dates in 2015. But
millennials can’t stop Shazaming that
“Hold On” song from Bridesmaids.
YOUR ACADEMY
A New Trail Blazes In Mississippi
GRAMMY Museum Mississippi will bring the story of the GRAMMY Awards to the cradle of American music
The state of Mississippi is known as the birthplace of the blues,
Elvis Presley and B.B. King. Next year it will also be known as
the home to one of the most technologically advanced musicthemed museums with the expected opening of GRAMMY
Museum Mississippi on March 5, 2016, on the campus of Delta
State University in Cleveland, Miss.
“Since opening its doors in 2008, the GRAMMY Museum
has presented visitors from around the globe with a contentrich experience that explores music’s diverse history and most
current trends, while helping uncover the mysteries behind the
creative process of recording,” says Bob Santelli, Executive
Director of the GRAMMY Museum at L.A. Live. “We are excited
to extend the Museum’s mission into Mississippi, while placing
a much-deserved spotlight on the state’s music history.”
The new GRAMMY Museum will explore Mississippi’s
deep musical roots and impact on modern music. It will also
celebrate a broad range of musical styles recognized by the
GRAMMY Awards, including pop, rock, jazz, hip-hop, classical,
and gospel, among other genres.
“Mississippi is the cradle of all American music,” says Emily
Havens, Executive Director of GRAMMY Museum Mississippi.
“The Museum will allow us to draw visitors and students from
all over the world, to educate them on the past and present
achievements of Mississippians, while highlighting the rich
musical history of the GRAMMY Awards.”
continued on next page
A rendering of GRAMMY Museum Mississippi
YOUR ACADEMY
The Museum will utilize advanced technology to explore
various musical styles through more than 15 permanent
exhibits, including Mono To Surround, which will allow
visitors to hear the evolution of sound through a custom
listening experience; and History Of Dance, which will
feature a touch-sensitive, multicolored dance floor and
dance tutorial video.
Exhibits such as Mississippi Music Legends, Mississippi
Music Bar, and Mississippi Music Trail And Timeline will
explore the state’s musical history and unique culture.
Other exhibits will focus on subjects such as songwriting,
producing and the history of guitar.
In addition to permanent exhibits, the Museum will also
present special exhibits throughout the year. The inaugural
special exhibit, Pride & Joy: The Texas Blues Of Stevie Ray
Vaughan, will offer an in-depth look at the career of the
iconic bluesman and feature several of his guitars, including
his famous “Number One” Fender Stratocaster, early family
photographs, original stage outfits, and handwritten lyrics,
among other items.
Situated in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, GRAMMY
Museum Mississippi’s location distinguishes it from other
music museums. Sitting along the historical Mississippi
Blues Trail and Mississippi Country Music Trail, the
27,000-square-foot facility is located at Delta State University,
home to the Delta Music Institute, Mississippi’s only
accredited music industry studies program. The Museum will
offer DSU students access to its facilities, such as a recording
studio, internships and an exchange program sponsored by
its sister Museum — GRAMMY Museum at L.A. Live.
Similar to the Los Angeles Museum, GRAMMY Museum
Mississippi promises to put music education at the forefront
of its mission. The Museum will provide tours and lesson
plans for teachers, student workshops and educational and
public programs. Adjacent to the Museum will be an outdoor
amphitheater, which will accommodate up to 2,000 people for
concerts and special events.
“Our goals are to show students what careers are
available to them through music, and to bring arts and
music education to the students in Mississippi and the
surrounding areas in order to continue [the state’s] musical
legacy,” says Havens.
For more information on the Museum and grand
opening events, visit www.grammymuseumms.org.
DIVING INTO THE
MUSIC STREAM
From audio quality and functionality to catalog
size and curation, we dissect what seven major
music streaming services have to offer
By Bryan Reesman
continued on next page
Similar to the explosion of vinyl, CDs and digital
downloads in prior decades, music streaming is making
a big splash, marking the latest format in the evolution
of music listening. The statistics don’t lie. Streaming is
up 74 percent in the United States in 2015, according
to Nielsen, and the Recording Industry Association of
America expects streaming revenue to surpass that of
digital downloads by 2016. Meanwhile, according to the
Official Charts Company, music streaming reached a
record high in the U.K. midway through 2015, with the
number of songs streamed rising by 80 percent.
With the demand for streaming increasing, and
competition for consumer dollars rising, a variety of
players have emerged at the streaming table, from
online radio services such as Rdio and Pandora to
Spotify and more recent entries Apple Music and Tidal,
among others. These services offer a wide range of
music, features, discovery tools, and subscription models,
all of which make choosing the service tailor-made to
your music tastes challenging at best.
In addition, streaming services have raised some
of the most serious issues regarding equitable payment
to music makers since the advent of the recording
contract (you can get a sense of these in our overview
of music-related legislation). Along with such criteria as
song availability and curation, whether or not artists are
paid fairly may factor into which service makes sense
for you. GRAMMY examined seven major streaming
services, offering key information to consider before
diving headfirst into the stream.
continued on next page
More than 30 million songs
Introduced in 2001, Apple’s iTunes changed the
music industry with its digital download model
and the ability to buy individual songs, not just
full albums. Launched in June 2015, Apple Music
integrates the previously separate Beats Music,
which Apple purchased in 2014. As of September,
more than 15 million iPhone users signed up for
a free Apple Music trial.
AUDIO QUALITY
EASE OF USE
256kbps
Apple Music carries over the same simple but
dynamic layout from iTunes, bringing a strong
visual component to the music listening
PRICE
• $9.99/month for single membership
(three-month free trial available)
• $14.99/month for a family of up to six
(requires iCloud Family Sharing)
CATALOG
SONG AVAILABILITY
Apple Music offers a large catalog
spanning every major genre. With a
nod to traditional retail stores, artist
selection is wide, which is especially
helpful with deep catalog artists such
as Johnny Cash, the Grateful Dead
and Tangerine Dream. The service
also includes exclusive streaming
rights to Taylor Swift’s 1989 and
Dr. Dre’s classic solo album,
1992’s The Chronic.
experience. Upon joining, the For You, New and
Radio tabs allow users to explore. Hundreds of
playlists are organized within genres and are
easy to navigate. When using the search engine
via mobile, both My Library (music in a user’s
personal library) and Apple Music options are
available. On desktop, users may experience
the occasional glitch of a song skipping to the
next track or stopping when working on the
desktop or surfing the Web.
DISCOVERY/CURATION
Apple Music keeps the Radio area simple,
breaking down genres such as pop,
indie, workout, and Latin into three to
six stations. Getting a list of recently
listened to tracks is difficult, especially if
skipping through. (There isn’t a rewind
option when using the Radio function.)
Users can peruse hot new music and
videos, playlists, and recent and bestselling releases, among others, in the
New section, and can also explore by
genre. The playlists proliferate more than
the stations and are quite eclectic,
including playlists from Apple Music
editors and media outlets such as Mojo,
Decibel Magazine and PopCrush. There
are hidden gems to discover — for
example, a blues-rock- and hard-rock-heavy
playlist curated by Judas Priest guitarist
Glenn Tipton. The For You section
suggests music and artist catalogs
based on listening history.
continued on next page
More than 30 million songs
Seeking to try its luck with streaming the
way it triumphed with video when it acquired
YouTube, in late 2011 search engine behemoth
Google unveiled Google Play Music. With its
acquisition of Songza in 2014, Google has incorporated a plethora of playlist options into the
service. In August, the Google Play Music app
passed the 1 billion installs milestone.
AUDIO QUALITY
EASE OF USE
“Up to” 320kbps
The overall layout is simple and easy to learn,
but requires a lot of scrolling on a home page
full of album track lists. The uncluttered design
PRICE
• $9.99/month for unlimited, ad-free access
on any device (free 60-day trial available)
• Free, ad-supported option
(available only to U.S. users)
CATALOG
SONG AVAILABILITY
Google Play has a wide selection of mainstream and underground music and also
offers some videos from Vevo and select
audio tracks via YouTube for artists whose
music is not otherwise available digitally,
such as folk rockers Grace Pool, hard rock
quartet Mary My Hope and singer/songwriter
Wendy MaHarry, although the audio quality
varies based on the upload. One advantage
with Google Play is the ability to import an
iTunes library (up to 50,000 songs) and
consolidate a digital music collection.
translates well to mobile, and it is easy
to scroll through album covers and find the
function menus on each page. Artist page
features such as biographies and related artist
recommendations do not surface on mobile.
Users may experience occasional audio hiccups
online or via mobile phone. While other streaming
services function well with multiple browser
windows open, Google Play sometimes gets
sluggish, although there are several online forum
suggestions on how to rectify this.
DISCOVERY/CURATION
While the home page promotes a variety
of popular artists, there are deeper cuts
to be found within, especially on colorfully titled collections/playlists such as
Ambient Scandinavian Stargazing Radio
and Cosmic Americana Radio. Google
Play also offers daily playlists based on
special categories. For example, one
evening yielded playlists such as
Starring In A Rom-Com (rock and pop
love songs), Working Out (up-tempo
electronic/dance music, pop, Latin,
and country) and Making Dinner
(mood-setting R&B, pop and rock).
On the free ad-supported version, users
can listen to radio stations organized
by genre, mood, decade or activity,
or search for a favorite artist, album
or song to instantly create a station of
similar music, but have no control over
what songs are played.
continued on next page
AUDIO QUALITY
Celebrating its 10th anniversary in September
(which it highlighted with a day of ad-free
programming), Pandora is powered by the
Music Genome Project, which utilizes an
analytical system based on a user’s music
preferences to develop a custom Internet
radio listening experience. As of the first
quarter of 2015, Pandora — available
exclusively in the United States, Australia
and New Zealand — has a listener base
of more than 79 million.
192kbps for Pandora One subscribers
EASE OF USE
SONG AVAILABILITY
With its stripped-down and arguably
antiquated look, Pandora is easy to navigate
and control. (Though users can’t rewind or
replay songs.) The service translates well to
mobile since there is not an abundance
of functions or large playlists and stations
to navigate. This basic approach clearly
PRICE
• $4.99/month (or $54.98 per year) for
Pandora One ad-free service (offers
more track skips and less timeouts)
• Free, ad-supported option
(with 24 track skips per day and
occasional timeouts)
CATALOG
More than 1 million songs
There is a decent catalog of music with
clearly defined genre breakdowns, but
compared with other services, Pandora’s
catalog is more hit-driven and limited.
A nice touch is the inclusion of biographies
as well as song lyrics. There is also an
explicit content filter.
resonates with millions of users.
DISCOVERY/CURATION
Pandora creates playlists based
on artist, genres or song titles a
user enters, although the results
may vary. A Sisters Of Mercy
playlist yielded like-minded artists
such as the Cure, Depeche Mode,
Peter Murphy, and the Smiths.
A Red Hot Chili Peppers playlist
spawned a more eclectic
collection including the Beatles,
Everlast, Oasis, Nirvana, and the
White Stripes. Users can also
thumb up or thumb down songs
to help customize future playlists.
Up to 100 stations can be
created at a time.
continued on next page
PRICE
• Included with Amazon Prime’s annual
$99 membership fee (and during
Amazon Prime’s free 30-day trial)
CATALOG
More than 1 million songs
AUDIO QUALITY
192kbps
SONG AVAILABILITY
Prime Music’s catalog is comparatively
limited. For artists whose music is
available, only certain songs or albums
are featured. For example, Jill Scott’s most
recent album, Woman, is available; her
GRAMMY-winning album Who Is Jill Scott?
is not. Amazon offers some exclusives in
their Amazon Acoustics series, featuring
special recordings from Train and
Michelle Branch, among others.
Songs are available for offline listening.
Amazon, currently the largest retailer in the
world, launched Prime Music in 2014 as part
of its Amazon Prime membership, which
includes free two-day shipping and access to
Prime Instant Video. Prime Music is arguably
a more appropriate fit for heavy-duty shoppers
than casual music consumers. According to
Consumer Intelligence Research Partners,
there are more than 44 million U.S.-based
Amazon Prime subscribers.
EASE OF USE
Prime Music requires a little more clicking
through to get to what you want. When
picking a new or recommended album to play
in the Prime Music section, users need to go
to the album page, add it to their Prime library,
then click to play. The mobile version is more
compact and easier to navigate. Even
shopping for music found on Prime Music
via phone is pretty convenient.
DISCOVERY/CURATION
There are hundreds of Prime Playlists
(spanning pop, rock and R&B, among other
genres) and Prime Stations (featuring
artists from Aerosmith to Wu-Tang Clan and
themes such as New Age Relaxation and
Top Hip-Hop), although the artist stations
are not alphabetized. The radio stations
allow forward and rewind options and
thumb up or thumb down icons for future
station curation. However, a list of recently
played tracks is not available. The artistbased stations are enjoyable but can
occasionally be hit or miss. For example,
Linkin Park and Alice In Chains showed
up on the Matchbox Twenty station;
Sara Bareilles and the Script, on the other
hand, were better fits. A user’s iTunes and
Windows Media songs can be uploaded
to Amazon’s cloud service, and will not
double up on songs or albums already
found on Prime Music.
continued on next page
PRICE
• $3.99/month for Rdio Select ad-free service
(limit of 25 daily mobile downloads)
• $9.99/month for Rdio Unlimited
(unlimited mobile downloads; each additional
person added to an account costs $5)
• Free, ad-supported option
CATALOG
More than 35 million songs
AUDIO QUALITY
320kbps for Rdio Select and Unlimited
users. For other users, quality varies between
64–192kbps. (64kpbs is the lowest bitrate of
all the major streaming services)
SONG AVAILABILITY
Topping other services in terms of sheer numbers, Rdio’s catalog is extensive. Some stations
list recently played tracks and listed tracks can
be saved to personal playlists. Rdio spotlights
hot new music weekly, and trending artist lists
can be customized to reflect what’s popular
with overall site users or those you follow.
Founded in 2010 by Skype creators
Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, Rdio
is a hybrid Internet radio outlet and
streaming service customizable to users’
tastes. In an old-school twist, in 2013 the
company inked a deal with partner Cumulus
Media, the second largest terrestrial radio
station owner in the United States, to allow
free access to live broadcast radio from
500 of their stations nationwide. While
available in 85 countries, Rdio has yet to
disclose its subscriber total.
EASE OF USE
The simple but effective layout is one
users can grasp instantly, and it works well
on mobile because of its simplicity and
ease of scrolling through a dual column
format for album covers and playlists. Rdio
does not have a menu burdened with too
many sections or tabs. On the flip side,
artist biographies and related artist listings
do not appear on mobile.
DISCOVERY/CURATION
Genre breakdowns are listed under the
Stations category, such as rock, metal,
punk, and emo, though there are no breakdowns by artist. The international station
seems limited in terms of styles. (Pakistani
pop but no Latin guitar?) Artist Stations are
available for every artist featured via the
service, and the clever three-setting
function (Artist Only, Adventurous and In
Between) allows users to hear only one
artist’s music or varying tracks from more
like-minded musicians. Each artist entry
offers a discography, biography, related
artists, and a link to other music on the
same label, even for niche companies such
as Cold Meat Industry, Shout! Factory and
The End Records. Meanwhile, the Trending,
New Releases and Recommendations
sections offer regularly updated music
choices that resonate with both the general
public and personal tastes.
continued on next page
PRICE
• $9.99/month for Premium tier
(uninterrupted access, ability to store
songs offline, unlimited skips, and
“better sound quality”; add up to four people
for $5 each; free 30-day trial available)
• Free, ad-supported option
CATALOG
More than 30 million songs
AUDIO QUALITY
320kbps (Premium service), 160kbps (free
service), 96–160kbps (mobile, free service)
SONG AVAILABILITY
While an occasional album track is
blocked, Spotify’s catalog is deep.
The Browse section offers many
recommendations — which can be found
by searching through Charts, Genres &
Moods, New Releases, and additional
curated recommendations.
Launched in the United States in 2011,
Spotify arguably set streaming standards for
usage and interactivity. In May the company
teamed with Starbucks, allowing baristas
to use (and promote) Spotify’s Premium
service to customize their customers’
in-store listening experience. Further, Spotify
Premium listeners can enroll in a Starbucks
reward program and access Starbuckscurated playlists. As of August, Spotify
has more than 75 million users (including
20 million paid subscribers).
EASE OF USE
Spotify was the first streaming service to
connect with a mass audience, with an
easy-to-use and easy-to-curate format.
Functions such as saving songs and albums
to playlists are quick and easy. The listening
experience also translates well to mobile,
with album covers guiding users through
an artist’s page, which is less daunting than
the long lists one must scroll through
when using the Web player.
DISCOVERY/CURATION
It is easy to discover artists since Related
Artists pop up at the top of an artist’s
page both as a tab and a sidebar. For
example, after landing on Muse’s page,
it’s easy to click through to Keane,
Starsailor and Stereophonics. The Pierces
lead to Lenka, KT Tunstall and Ingrid
Michaelson. The Discover Weekly feature
curates a 30-song playlist based on your
personal tastes. One drawback is that
artists with the same names often get
lumped together, which requires more
scrolling until you find the albums you
actually seek. (For example, ’80s rockers
Streets were buried underneath a hip-hop
artist with the same moniker and a series
of modern hip-hop and EDM compilations.)
The Top Tracks In Your Network feature
allows users to see what their Facebook
friends are listening to, a modern spin on
the “word of mouth” discovery method.
continued on next page
PRICE
• $9.99/month for Tidal Premium
(includes offline listening and the option to
add members for $5/month)
• $19.99/month for Tidal HiFi
• Free 30-day trials and pre-paid
value plans available
CATALOG
More than 30 million songs
AUDIO QUALITY
Premium quality ranges from 96–320kbps.
Tidal HiFi quality runs at 1411kbps lossless
(but only via Google Chrome)
SONG AVAILABILITY
Tidal’s catalog is competitive with other major
services, although there is occasionally less
selection for some indie artists (for example,
metal band Virgin Steele and folk singer/
songwriter John Gorka). Some artist exclusives
are offered, including Daft Punk’s 72-minute
Electroma film, Prince’s entire catalog and
Jay Z’s 2015 B-sides concert, among others.
Tidal was acquired from Norway-based
company Aspiro in early 2015 by GRAMMY
winner Jay Z — who teamed with artists
including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Kanye West,
Daft Punk, Jack White, and Madonna,
among others, as business partners —
making Tidal the first “artist-run” streaming
service alternative. It’s also the “first music
service with High Fidelity sound quality.”
EASE OF USE
Tidal has a dynamic, inviting layout akin to
the ease and look of Spotify. It’s not hard to
find your way around. The mobile layout is
functional, although it seems better suited
for a desktop or tablet experience with so
many different windows. Items such as playlist intros and various tabs on each artist
page disappear on the mobile version.
DISCOVERY/CURATION
Beneath each album is a collection of other
albums by the same artist. After listening to
the Mr. Holmes soundtrack by Carter Burwell,
his other scores such as The Hudsucker
Proxy and Adaptation were easy to peruse.
The Tidal Rising and Discover sections
expose listeners to interesting discoveries,
including punk-garage rockers Motel Pools,
confessional singer/songwriter Shannon
LaBrie and electronic sound sculptor Jaakko
Eino Kalevi. The inclusion of artist-specific
playlists (AC/DC, Dolly Parton and Amy
Winehouse, among others) and celebritycurated playlists is a nice touch. For example,
Giorgio Moroder offered his summer tour
playlist. However, various genre playlists such
as City Series: Denver Metal or Headbangers
Ball: 1987–1995, in an attempt to be diverse,
tend to be scattershot in their organization.
OTHER SERVICES
Deezer, Rhapsody, Slacker Radio,
Songza, SoundCloud.
Even with streaming services, New York-based freelance writer
Bryan Reesman still cannot catch up with all the music he wants
to listen to.
ARE YOU IN THE
LEGISLATION LOOP?
GRAMMY’S MUSIC LEGISLATION GUIDE PRESENTS
KEY INFORMATION ON THREE CURRENT BILLS
EVERY MUSIC CREATOR SHOULD KNOW
BY JANINE COVENEY
LESS THAN 20 YEARS AGO, IF YOU
Photo: Paul Morigi/WireImage.com
wanted to listen to music “on demand,” you had to purchase it. Today, you
can stream audio and video of the music of your choice without laying down
a cent, a dramatic shift that has completely changed the ownership dynamic.
Has copyright law evolved to accommodate this brave new world? Well, not quite.
continued on next page
Former Recording Academy Chair Jimmy Jam testifies in 2012 before the House
Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet in
opposition to the Internet Radio Fairness Act
to the DOJ.
The Academy and other
stakeholders are lobbying for legislation
that is congruent with today’s digital
landscape and fairly compensates
creators in a present-day economy. As
a result, several music-related bills have
been introduced in Congress in the last
two years.
“As one of the many members of
Congress who appreciates and values
music, I am gratified that Congress is
seeking to find a fair solution for music
makers and fans,” said Rep. Gregg
Harper (R-Miss.).
While legislative progress on
Capitol Hill is traditionally slow-moving,
a groundswell of interest in music
licensing issues, bolstered by the
Copyright Office and House Judiciary
Committee reviews, could mean
resolutions are forthcoming.
In the meantime, here is a summary
of three key bills every music creator
should know about.
continued on next page
Photo: Leigh Vogel/WireImage.com
Copyright laws governing music
creator compensation have remained
largely unchanged for decades. While
the Copyright Act has received multiple
updates over the years, the rapid
expansion of digital technologies
and the Internet has rendered many
provisions inefficient and outdated.
However, since 2013, the Copyright
Act has undergone a lengthy review by
the U.S. Copyright Office as well as by
the House Judiciary Committee. A more
targeted review of the antitrust consent
decrees governing performance rights
organizations ASCAP and BMI, initiated
by the Department of Justice in 2014, is
expected to wrap this year.
The Recording Academy has been
active on every front, submitting
comments to the Copyright Office,
coordinating a series of meetings
between Academy Chapter members
and Register of Copyrights Maria
Pallante, testifying before Congress,
and providing the creators’ perspective
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) addresses Academy members at the 2013
GRAMMYs on the Hill Advocacy Day
FAIR PLAY FAIR PAY ACT OF 2015
(H.R. 1733)
for music advocates; protect small
radio broadcasters by allowing them
to pay a low flat fee for performance
royalties; create rate parity between
all distribution platforms, so digital,
terrestrial and satellite broadcasters
each pay royalties for audio
transmissions under the same rate
standard; provide royalties on digital
platforms for pre-1972 recordings, an
issue currently being fought in the
courts and addressed in the RESPECT
Act (H.R. 4772) introduced in May 2014;
and guarantee songwriters would not
experience a drop in royalty rates when
featured performers gain royalties
across all platforms.
“The Fair Play Fair Pay Act is
essential to leveling the playing field
for the music community,” says Nadler.
“Consumers listen to a wide variety of
music using any number of broadcast
platforms, and this set of proposals
will provide equitable real-market
compensation to the people who
create that music. The survival of the
creator class means we can all continue
to enjoy music on these distribution
platforms and whatever new technologies
continued on next page
Photo: Mark Sullivan/Getty Images
Since 2014’s GRAMMYs on the Hill, a
two-day event bringing hundreds of
music creators to Capitol Hill for an
awards ceremony and lobbying day,
The Recording Academy has called on
the music industry to coalesce behind
one piece of legislation to address
a range of individual music creator
concerns. Just one year later, with The
Academy’s support, the Fair Play Fair
Pay Act Of 2015 was introduced by
longtime creators’ rights advocates in
Congress, Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.)
and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).
This multifaceted music bill
encompasses the Allocation For Music
Producers Act, but also addresses
other much-needed updates to
copyright law. The Fair Play Fair Pay
Act would establish a performance
right at terrestrial radio, including
royalties for performers, a core issue
Reps. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) and Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)
at a GRAMMY advocacy briefing in 2013. McCarthy attended
GRAMMYs on the Hill earlier this year for the announcement of
the Fair Play Fair Pay Act
from previous page
appear in the market for years
to come.”
According to GRAMMY winner
Rosanne Cash, proposals that protect
songwriters, performers and producers
while setting a universal royalty rate
across platforms would be a welcome
change. “The complex system of music
licensing that exists today should not be
used to pit colleagues one against the
other,” said Cash during testimony before
the House Judiciary Committee in 2014.
With so many issues addressed,
opposition to the Fair Play Fair Pay bill
is varied. The National Association of
Broadcasters objects to a performance
right at terrestrial radio, claiming
stations provide promotional value, and
that paying new royalties will cripple
them financially and harm smaller
stations. However, proponents have
noted radio is arguably exploiting
performers and the format is just one
of the many outlets for music promotion,
but the only one that does not
compensate artists.
At the GRAMMY Foundation’s
Entertainment Law Initiative Luncheon
in February 2015, Nadler noted, “You
don’t get to drive a car off the lot and tell
the dealership you’ll just drive the car
around town with signs promoting their
company, and that’s their compensation.”
The NAB has launched counter
measures, including a push for the
Local Radio Freedom Act, which would
prevent “any new performance fee, tax,
royalty, or other charge” from being
levied on stations. But the Fair Play
Fair Pay Act’s proposed annual blanket
license fees of $100 for public, college
and noncommercial stations and $500
for small stations with revenue of less
than $1 million a year protects financially
vulnerable broadcasters without
shortchanging music creators.
Secondly, in April the NAB announced
its participation in the MIC Coalition, an
interest group comprising iHeartMedia,
Google and Pandora, among others.
Claiming it seeks only to keep music
“affordable” and “accessible,” the
coalition argues that updates to
music licensing laws — such as those
proposed in the Fair Play Fair Pay
Act — will destroy their businesses and
hurt consumers. The MIC Coalition has
already seen an exodus of members,
with Amazon and NPR withdrawing in
June and July, respectively.
By addressing a number of fixes
to copyright law within one piece of
legislation, the Fair Play Fair Pay Act is
supported by The Recording Academy,
which is actively building congressional
support for the bill and working closely
with the musicFIRST Coalition to
spread the word to music creators,
their supporters and policymakers.
Additionally, this year’s GRAMMYs In My
District Day focused local advocates on
support for the bill.
continued on next page
ALLOCATION FOR MUSIC PRODUCERS ACT
(H.R. 1457)
Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) in March 2015. The
AMP Act would establish for the first time
studio professionals’ statutory right to
directly collect the royalties they are due.
It would also formalize SoundExchange’s
current voluntary policy. Further, for
sound recordings produced before 1995,
the AMP Act would establish a procedure
for producers and engineers to seek
permission from featured artists or
their heirs to receive appropriate
royalty payments.
“The AMP Act puts what has been
[only] an industry practice into law,
which is a good thing,” says Jimmy
Jam, GRAMMY-winning producer and
former Recording Academy Chair. “It
establishes royalties for producers as
legally binding, narrows the possibility
for disputes and allows producers to
seek compensation for work they did
before letters of direction became
standard. It’s an important bill for
studio professionals.”
An amendment to copyright law,
the AMP Act codifies practices that are
already in place and provides further
legal protections for producers as well
as performers. As part of the effort to
address music issues comprehensively,
the AMP Act was incorporated into the
Fair Play Fair Pay Act.
continued on next page
Photo: Courtesy of The Recording Academy/WireImage.com
Since 1995, featured performers have
had a statutory right to 45 percent of the
performance royalties collected from
noninteractive digital music services.
Music producers and royalty-earning
engineers negotiate with performers
to receive a portion of that percentage,
indicated in a letter of direction from
performers. With a letter of direction, a
producer or engineer can then receive
royalty compensation directly through
SoundExchange. Yet this process of
paying royalty earnings for producers and
engineers for the performance of musical
works on digital platforms is voluntary and
has never been recognized by law.
With leadership from The Recording
Academy’s Producers & Engineers Wing,
in conjunction with the Advocacy &
Public Policy division, the Allocation For
Music Producers Act was introduced
by Reps. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) and
(l-r) The Recording Academy’s Daryl P. Friedman, Maureen Droney and
Neil Portnow join with SoundExchange’s Michael Huppe and GRAMMY
winner Nile Rodgers to celebrate the Allocation For Music Producers Act at
the P&E Wing GRAMMY Week celebration on Feb. 3, 2015
SONGWRITER EQUITY ACT OF 2015
(H.R. 1283)
Introduced initially by Reps. Doug
Collins (R-Ga.) and Hakeem Jeffries
(D-N.Y.) in February 2014, the Songwriter
Equity Act seeks to rectify a rate-setting
process that essentially undervalues
music. When royalty negotiations stall,
current practice dictates the rate is to
be determined by a rate court. However,
proponents argue an antiquated
restriction in the law has prevented
judges from considering other relevant
evidence in the marketplace that would
help define the true value of music.
The SEA would allow federal rate
courts setting performance royalties
to consider all relevant information —
including the royalties paid for sound
recordings. Second, it would allow
the Copyright Royalty Board to adopt
rate-setting methods that reflect what
would be negotiated according to a
fair-market standard — specifically
what a willing buyer would pay to a
willing seller in the free market — for
mechanical royalties.
Reintroduced in March, H.R. 1283 has
its opponents, mostly among potential
licensees, since passage would likely
result in higher royalty payouts. But
proponents argue the legislation
represents a long overdue correction for
rate setting that will right an imbalanced
system and establish basic fairness.
“The SEA addresses a glitch in the
law that many have long overlooked,”
says Recording Academy Los Angeles
Chapter Vice President and songwriter
Evan Bogart, who has written songs for
artists such as Beyoncé, Adam Lambert
and Madonna. “The Copyright Royalty
Board should set royalty rates that
reflect what a song is worth in today’s
marketplace, and do so based on
solid information, rather than creating
arbitrary percentages.”
A Senate version of the bill, S. 662,
was introduced in May 2014 by Sens.
Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Bob Corker
(R-Tenn.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah),
and reintroduced in March along with
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and
has been referred to the Committee
on the Judiciary.
These bills represent potential
significant improvements in achieving
efficiency and fair compensation for
music creators, but there is still work
to be done. For more information on
how music creators can support these
important bills, including writing to
their congressional leaders, visit
www.grammy.com/advocacy.
ARTISTS SING
OUT ON THEIR
OWN BEHALF
MUSIC CREATORS SUCH AS TAYLOR SWIFT HAVE
BEEN SOUNDING THE ALARM FOR FAIR TREATMENT
IN THE DIGITAL MUSIC WORLD
SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS SONGS
Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images
were at the forefront of popular music in the ’60s, a time when the value
of music and the voice of the artist were widely respected and musicians
were able to focus their creative energies on the messaging in their songs,
often bringing awareness to the rights of society’s underprivileged.
continued on next page
Taylor Swift and Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow
Photo: Dan MacMedan/WireImage.com
from previous page
Aloe Blacc
In the second decade of the
21st century, it’s the music creators
themselves whose rights are under
fire. The digital music landscape
has upended many of the traditional
assumptions of the business, often
including the idea that creators should
be paid fairly for their work.
As a result, some artists are boldly
standing up for themselves, their peers
and struggling musicians, songwriters
and producers, by going public with
concerns over the future well-being of
music creators.
Not surprisingly, one of today’s
most high-profile artists has drawn
newsworthy attention for her efforts. In
November 2014, Taylor Swift announced
she was pulling her music from streaming
service Spotify. The GRAMMY winner’s
message was as much about her
fellow artists as it was about concerns
for herself.
“Music is art, and art is important and
rare. Important, rare things are valuable.
Valuable things should be paid for,”
Swift wrote in a July 2014 op-ed in The
Wall Street Journal that preceded her
Spotify move. “It’s my opinion that music
should not be free, and my prediction is
that individual artists and their labels will
someday decide what an album’s price
point is. I hope they don’t underestimate
themselves or undervalue their art.”
Then, in June 2015, Apple changed
course after Swift’s open letter admonished
the company for not paying artists during
the free trial period for its Apple Music
streaming service.
In a November 2014 piece for Wired,
GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter
Aloe Blacc noted he had earned less than
$4,000 domestically from Internet radio
service Pandora for the Avicii hit “Wake Me
Up” — which Blacc co-wrote and sang —
despite more than 168 million streams.
continued on next page
Photo: Paul Morigi/WireImage.com
from previous page
As with Swift, Blacc used
himself as an example
to argue for the value of
all songwriters.
Other music creators
have taken a stand as
well. Former Camper
Van Beethoven and
Cracker leader David
Lowery has vigorously
campaigned for a fair
shake for artists in the
digital age, famously
countering former NPR
intern Emily White, who
in 2012 proudly blogged
Maria Schneider testifies during a hearing by the House Judiciary
Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet
that she paid almost
on March 13, 2014, in Washington, D.C.
nothing for music.
“What we do as musicians was slowly being devalued
and demonetized, especially for niche artists who are never
going to make it up on the road,” Lowery told The New York
Times in 2013.
Talking Heads frontman David Byrne wrote in a long think
piece for The Guardian in 2013, “In [the] future, if artists have
to rely almost exclusively on the income from [digital music]
services, they’ll be out of work within a year.”
Several other artists, such as indie jazz and classical
performer/songwriter Maria Schneider, singer Cyndi Lauper
and producer, songwriter and former Recording Academy
Chair Jimmy Jam, have participated with The Recording
Academy in creator-driven advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C.,
as well as behind the scenes at the GRAMMY Awards, helping
to brief legislators on the financial pitfalls of being a music
creator in the digital age.
Still other artists have raised their voices, and there’s one
consistency among most of them: They have established
careers and are likely realizing income from their music and
related sources, such as the ability to tour to larger audiences.
They seem to be speaking out for the larger music community
more so than for themselves.
In that regard, they share with their ’60s peers the
willingness to tackle issues for the greater good. Unlike
Ten Years After, who in 1971 in an apparent fit of cultural
confusion sang “I’d love to change the world/But I don’t
know what to do/So I’ll leave it up to you,” these artists are
proactively fighting for justice.
The GRAMMY Foundation
& The Recording Academy
®
®
ANNOUNCE
OUR FOURTH ANNUAL
MUSIC EDUCATOR
AWARD
™
2017 NOMINATIONS
ARE OPEN NOW AT
GRAMMYMusicTeacher.com
Open to Current U.S. Music Teachers:
Kindergarten through College
Cash Honoraria of up to $10,000
With Generous Support And Resources Provided By
The GRAMMY Foundation’s Education Champions:
• Converse • Disney Performing Arts
• Ford Motor Company Fund • Journeys
SUPPORTED BY
®
• NAMM Foundation
• National Association for Music Education
• National Education Association
ATIONAL NEWS
Leonel García
Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
LATIN GRAMMY SEASON KICKED OFF ON SEPT. 23 WHEN NOMINEES
were announced for the 16th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards digitally
via LatinGRAMMY.com, Facebook and Twitter. Leonel García leads
the field with six nominations followed by Natalia Lafourcade with
five. Juan Luis Guerra and Alejandro Sanz; engineers Edgar Barrera,
Demián Nava and Alan Saucedo; and producer Cachorro López each
received four nominations. Pablo Alborán, Miguel Bosé, Café Quijano,
Pedro Capó, Nicky Jam, Ricky Martin, and Vicentico are among those
who earned three nods.
The 16th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards will air live from the MGM
Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Nov. 19 on the Univision Network
from 8–11 p.m. ET/PT. Prior to the awards ceremony, on Nov. 18 The
Latin Recording Academy will celebrate GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY
winner Roberto Carlos as the 2015 Latin Recording Academy Person
of the Year. Additionally, at a special invitation-only ceremony on Nov. 18,
Leandro “Gato” Barbieri, Ana Belén and Víctor Manuel, Angela
Carrasco, Djavan, El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico, and Pablo Milanés
will be honored with The Latin Academy’s Lifetime Achievement
Award, and Federico Britos, Humberto Gatica and Chelique Sarabia
will receive the Trustees Award.
In related news, on Aug. 10 the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation
announced that $600,000 in scholarships was awarded to 33 students
Photo: Victor Chavez/WireImage.com
16TH ANNUAL LATIN GRAMMY AWARDS SET FOR NOV. 19
Natalia Lafourcade
in various Latin American countries, Spain and the United States.
The recipients were chosen by the Latin GRAMMY Foundation’s
Scholarship Committee, which evaluated a competitive pool of
applicants and awarded three Gifted Scholarship Awards with a
maximum value of $100,000 and 30 Scholarship Tuition Assistance
Awards with a maximum value of $10,000 each.
SOUND BITES
GRAMMY PARK TO DEBUT IN NEW YORK IN 2016
• THE MUSICARES AND GRAMMY
IN EARLY MAY 2016, THE
Recording Academy, in
conjunction with Upsilon
Ventures and the Office
of the Mayor of New York
City, will present GRAMMY
Park, a five-day performing
arts festival taking place at
several indoor and outdoor
venues in Brooklyn, primarily
in Prospect Park.
A rendering of the GRAMMY Park stage
Celebrating the rich
musical diversity of New York City, the
established to formally assist with the
inaugural festival will feature live multigenre
development of the inaugural GRAMMY Park.
concerts and will integrate intimate
Serving on the committee will be GRAMMY
showcases, free community-based
winners Joshua Bell, Melissa Etheridge, Renée
programming and interactive experiences.
Fleming, Alicia Keys, Cyndi Lauper, Christian
In addition, there will be daily programs
McBride, Arturo O’Farrill, Billy Porter, Questlove,
of engaging activities, productions and
and Nile Rodgers; as well as GRAMMY-nominated
demonstrations presented by an exclusive
artists A-Trak, Chuck D and Just Blaze, and
lineup of marquee brands. Many of the events
ballet star Wendy Whelan.
will be free to the public, with tickets available
Additional details regarding GRAMMY Park,
at locations across the city.
including performance lineup and tickets, will
An artistic advisory committee has been
be announced in the coming months.
Foundation’s Teens Make Music Contest,
in collaboration with the Partnership at
Drugfree.org, offers an opportunity for
aspiring teen musicians to create original
music and music videos that celebrate
healthy living choices or accurately depict
the dark side of drug abuse. The contest
is open to musicians ages 14–18 and the
winner will have the opportunity to attend
the 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards telecast
on Feb. 15, 2016. Contest submissions must
be sent in no later than Dec. 1.
• THIS FALL GRAMMY CHARITY ONLINE
Auctions brought valuable memorabilia
to eBay for the first-ever Legends Online
Auction featuring items signed by artists
such as Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney,
Bruce Springsteen, and Pete Townshend,
among others. Upcoming auctions include
a Black Friday sale and Charitybuzz
holiday VIP experiences, with 100 percent
of the proceeds benefiting the GRAMMY
Foundation and MusiCares.
Photo: Courtesy of Upsilon Ventures
ATIONAL NEWS
ATIONAL NEWS
IN JULY THE RECORDING ACADEMY INTRODUCED
“GRAMMY 101,” a new video series designed to help
clarify the steps in the GRAMMY Awards process.
In the first episode, “Start Here,” Bill Freimuth,
Recording Academy Senior Vice President of
Awards, and Laura Segura Mueller, Recording
Academy Senior Managing Director of Membership
& Industry Relations, offer a quick overview of the
nominations and voting process. In the three-minute
video, Freimuth and Mueller cover topics such as
the Online Entry Process and voting eligibility, citing
several key dates, including the imminent Nov. 4
first-ballot deadline, when members must return
their ballots to determine the 58th GRAMMY Awards
nominees. The second installment — featuring
Freimuth, GRAMMY-nominated music supervisor
Alexandra Patsavas and GRAMMY-winning producer
Chris “Tricky” Stewart — details the GRAMMY
Awards screening process.
Visit GRAMMY101.com to view both videos.
The site will serve as a hub for awards-related
content geared toward artists and music
industry professionals.
Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com
NEW VIDEO SERIES DETAILS
GRAMMY AWARDS PROCESS
STEVIE WONDER SPECIAL WINS CREATIVE ARTS EMMY
GRAMMY-nominated musician Greg Phillinganes won a 2015 Creative Arts Emmy Award
for Outstanding Music Direction for his role as musical director for the television special
“Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life — An All-Star GRAMMY Salute.” Creative
Arts Emmy winners were announced on Sept. 12.
The two-hour primetime GRAMMY special, which aired live on CBS on Feb. 16, 2015,
paid tribute to 25-time GRAMMY winner Stevie Wonder with performances by Beyoncé,
Gary Clark Jr., Lady Gaga, John Legend, Janelle Monáe, Ed Sheeran, and Usher, among
others. Two-time GRAMMY winner LL Cool J served as host. The special was produced
by AEG Ehrlich Ventures. Ken Ehrlich was executive producer, Rac Clark was co-executive
producer, Leon Knoles was director, and David Wild and Ehrlich were the writers.
ADVOCACY IN ACTION
THE RECORDING ACADEMY RESTRUCTURES ADVOCACY,
MEMBER SERVICES DEPARTMENTS
Departments realigned into an integrated unit, creating a broader foundation for Academy members
On April 30 The Recording Academy announced the
realignment of the organization’s Advocacy & Industry
Relations and Member Services departments into an
integrated unit. The restructuring is designed to create a
broader foundation to serve Academy members, not only
by continuing to provide opportunities for networking and
professional development, but by giving members a direct
conduit for engaging in amplified grassroots advocacy
efforts that can positively impact the music industry.
While aligned to work in tandem, the individual divisions
will now be designated as Advocacy & Public Policy and
Membership & Industry Relations.
As part of the restructure, Daryl P. Friedman — who has
led the Academy’s Advocacy department for more than
a decade — was named Chief Industry, Government &
Member Relations Officer. “The Academy’s members are its
most effective advocates, and this alignment underscores
that idea,” said Friedman, who will now work closely with
Laura Segura Mueller, Senior Managing Director, Membership
& Industry Relations, to create more efficiencies across
the newly formed division. “This is a critical time for music
policy in Washington, D.C., and an invigorated membership
that consistently engages lawmakers on issues pertinent to
American music is essential.”
The potential impact of the restructuring has already
been noted by the media. Billboard observed, “Chances
are members of Congress will be feeling more heat after
[the] announcement [that] The Recording Academy is
restructuring to better get its points across to politicians
in Washington.”
ADVOCACY IN ACTION
More than 1,600 Recording Academy members
participated in the second annual GRAMMYs In My
District Day, a localized national grassroots advocacy
event that took place on Oct. 14. Designed as a
nationwide grassroots lobbying campaign, Academy
members united to advocate for the legislative needs of
the music community with congressional representatives,
right in their respective backyards.
The 2015 installment of GRAMMYs In My District Day
offered new enhancements for participants, including an
advocate training webinar, a multifaceted, downloadable
tool kit designed to help prepare them for their meetings,
and forums for members in common geographic areas.
The inaugural GRAMMYs In My District Day, held
Oct. 13, 2014, reached more than 140 congressional
districts and was featured in Washington’s Roll Call
newspaper. Participants took to social media to provide
photos and updates that highlighted their experiences
as homegrown advocates while raising the banner for
Photo: Curtis McElhinney
GRAMMYs IN MY DISTRICT DAY CONTINUES GRASSROOTS MOMENTUM
Los Angeles Chapter members meet with Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) (far right) during
GRAMMYs In My District Day 2014
pro-music creator legislation.
The success of the initial two events — which gave
members from all 12 Chapters a unique opportunity
to lobby for key national issues without traveling to
Washington, D.C. — underlined the potency of advocacy
at the local level.
P&E WING
P&E WING ANNOUNCES NEW COMMITTEE LEADERSHIP
Scott Jacoby and Harvey Mason Jr., the
recently elected co-chairs of the Producers
& Engineers Wing Steering Committee
for 2015–2016, are prime examples of
the multifaceted skills often required
of today’s producers and engineers.
Comprising a diverse collective of studio
professionals, the Steering Committee’s
Scott Jacoby
responsibilities include researching and
recommending solutions for technical,
creative and economic issues facing
music production professionals.
GRAMMY winner Jacoby is a New
York-based cross-genre songwriter,
producer, engineer, mixer, musician, and
recording artist. He has collaborated with
artists such as Fabolous, John Legend,
Harvey Mason Jr.
Sia, Ronnie Spector, and Vampire Weekend,
among others. As a composer, he’s scored feature-length
films, documentaries, television shows, and national television
commercials. Jacoby is the owner of Eusonia Studios and the
founder/president of Eusonia Records, whose debut release,
Maiysha’s This Much Is True, spawned a 2008 GRAMMY nomination.
A Recording Academy Trustee from 2011–2015, he currently
serves on the New York Chapter Board and is the co-chair of
the Chapter’s P&E Wing Committee.
Los Angeles native Mason is a GRAMMY- and Golden Globenominated songwriter, producer, composer, and filmmaker. A
current Academy Trustee, he’s penned and produced hit songs for
artists such as Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Jennifer
Hudson, Elton John, Justin Timberlake, Luther Vandross, Ne-Yo, and
Chris Brown, among others. Representing half of the production
duo the Underdogs, Mason produced the music and soundtrack
for the Academy Award-winning musical Dreamgirls. He also
produced the film and composed the score for More Than A
Game, the 2008 film documenting the journey of LeBron James’
high school basketball team. Other film music productions include
work on the music and soundtrack for Straight Outta Compton,
the 2015 biographical drama chronicling the career of N.W.A, which
debuted at No. 1 at the box office in August.
Also serving on the P&E Wing Steering Committee for the
2015–2016 term are Peter Asher, Jeff Balding, Eric Boulanger,
David Frost, Bill Gibson, Matthew Hennessy, Ann Mincieli,
Salaam Remi, and Recording Academy Chair John Poppo.
P&E WING
The Producers & Engineers Wing has partnered with
Harman Professional brands AKG, dbx, JBL Professional,
and Lexicon for From Mic To Mix, a series of professional
development events designed to showcase the production
and engineering crafts along with technology used during
the recording process. Hosted by top studios, these
sessions have featured local talent from the Los Angeles,
Miami, Nashville, and Pacific Northwest Chapters. Attendees
experience initial pre-production planning, room setup and
mic placement, live tracking, and basic mixing. The events
each conclude with a short discussion that allows the talent
to elaborate on their workflow and creative process.
The Los Angeles installment of From Mic To Mix at Conway
Recording Studios featured GRAMMY-winning engineer
Nathaniel Kunkel and local indie band the Big Bang. The
Miami session at Noisematch Studios showcased GRAMMYand Latin GRAMMY-nominated artist Aymee Nuviola and
her 11-piece Cuban band, with GRAMMY-winning engineers
Carlos Alvarez and Eric Schilling at the board. At Nashville’s
Sound Stage recording studio, GRAMMY-winning producer/
engineer Chuck Ainlay demonstrated recording vocals and
Photo: John Parra/WireImage.com
FROM MIC TO MIX SPOTLIGHTS STUDIO CRAFT, TECHNOLOGY
Carlos Alvarez and Eric Schilling (seated) lead a From Mic To Mix session at Noisematch Studios in Miami
acoustic instruments with local trio the Long Family. Most
recently, on July 22, From Mic To Mix at Seattle’s London
Bridge Studios featured indie artist Star Anna, her three-piece
band and legendary rock producer Mike Clink.
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MUSICARES
LIONEL RICHIE TO BE HONORED AS
2016 MUSICARES PERSON OF THE YEAR
continued on next page
Photo: Alan Silfen
GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter Lionel Richie will be
honored as the 2016 MusiCares Person of the Year on
Feb. 13, 2016, at a gala concert event two days prior to the
58th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Richie will be recognized
for his significant creative accomplishments and careerspanning charitable endeavors.
Performers at the 26th annual benefit will include GRAMMY
winners Lady Antebellum, Pharrell Williams and Stevie Wonder
as well as singer/songwriter Luke Bryan. Additional performers
will be announced shortly. Rickey Minor, current music director
for “American Idol” and past two-time music director for the
GRAMMY Awards, will be the evening’s musical director.
“Each year our MusiCares Person of the Year tribute
honors an extraordinary artist and humanitarian who lends
their considerable time and talents to raising the funds
necessary to continue to meet the ever-increasing need
for our programs and services,” said Neil Portnow,
MUSICARES
LIONEL RICHIE from previous page
President/CEO of the MusiCares Foundation and The Recording
Academy. “And it is truly a privilege to be paying tribute to Lionel,
whose musical gifts and philanthropy have touched millions of
people around the world.”
“I’m really very proud of this,” said Richie. “When you get
recognition like this, it’s everything. It really is the top of the
mountain when it comes down to what your industry gives as
recognition for great work, and the opportunity to help raise
funds to sustain MusiCares’ critical safety net of programs for
members of the music community is momentous to me.”
A four-time GRAMMY winner, Richie has sold more than
100 million albums and achieved numerous honors, including
an ASCAP Lifetime Achievement Award and an Academy
Award. With the Commodores, he penned smashes such as
“Three Times A Lady,” “Still” and “Easy.” As a solo artist he
produced 1983’s diamond-certified Album Of The Year GRAMMY
winner Can’t Slow Down, featuring classics such as “All Night
Long (All Night),” “Penny Lover” and “Hello.” In 1985 Richie joined
forces with Michael Jackson to write the GRAMMY-winning song
“We Are The World” for USA For Africa’s charity album of the
same name.
Richie’s charitable endeavors include support for a range of
causes, including AIDS awareness, human rights, famine, poverty,
human trafficking, and women’s issues. A longtime contributor to
the United Negro College Fund, Richie has also worked with the
Breast Cancer Research Foundation, City of Hope, Muhammad
Ali Parkinson Center, UNICEF, and the Art of Elysium.
Proceeds from the MusiCares Person of the Year gala will
provide essential support for MusiCares, which ensures music
people have a place to turn in times of financial, medical and
personal need. For information on purchasing tables and tickets
to the event, contact Dana Tomarken at 310.392.3777.
UPCOMING HEALTHY ESSENTIALS CLINICS
MusiCares will offer Healthy Essentials programs
nationwide, including dental and medical clinics, and
educational workshops on topics such as financial, legal
and substance abuse issues, and vocal and hearing
health. Upcoming clinics and workshops will be hosted
in Boston; Detroit; Fort Collins, Colo.; Nashville, Tenn.;
New York; and Santa Monica, Calif.; among other cities.
For information regarding upcoming programs, visit
www.musicares.org/events.
2016
PERSON
OF THE
YEAR
FEBRUARY 13, 2016
LOS ANGELE S
OF F ICIAL
5 8 TH G RA M M Y
®
WE E K EV E N T
FOR MORE INFORMATION
CLICK HERE
or call Dana Tomarken at 310.392.3777
PHOTOGRAPHY BY AL SILFEN
THE GRAMMY FOUNDATION
On Sept. 24 the GRAMMY Foundation, in
conjunction with the Skirball Cultural Center
in Los Angeles, presented its inaugural public
GRAMMY Foundation Living Histories program
featuring GRAMMY winner Gregg Allman. The
Allman Brothers Band co-founder discussed
the impact of legendary concert promoter
Bill Graham on his career with GRAMMYnominated country singer/songwriter Eric
Church, who cites Allman among his biggest
influences. Graham was the subject of the
Skirball exhibit Bill Graham And The Rock &
Roll Revolution, which ran through Oct. 11.
Following the conversation, which was
Eric Church and Gregg Allman perform at the Skirball Cultural Center
moderated by Scott Goldman, Vice President
the life stories of key recording industry professionals and
of the GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares, Allman and Church
visionaries who helped create the history of recorded sound. To
performed a live acoustic set.
date, the Foundation has completed more than 200 interviews
The event was recorded as part of the GRAMMY Foundation
with artists, producers, executives, and technology pioneers.
Living Histories program, which preserves on visual media
Photo: Gabriel Olsen/Getty Images
FIRST ANNUAL PUBLIC LIVING HISTORIES PROGRAM DEBUTS
THE GRAMMY FOUNDATION
NOMINATE A TEACHER FOR THE
MUSIC EDUCATOR AWARD
Nominations for the 2017 Music Educator Award are currently
open. U.S.-based music teachers from kindergarten through
college, in public and private schools, are eligible for the award.
Anyone can nominate a teacher — including students, parents,
friends, colleagues, community members, school deans, and
administrators — and teachers are also able to nominate
themselves. Nominated teachers will be notified and invited to
fill out an application.
The Music Educator Award was established to distinguish
and celebrate current music educators who have made a
lasting impact in their community through music education,
and as a dedication to the promotion and permanency
of music education in schools. In October the GRAMMY
Foundation announced the 25 semifinalists for the 2016
Music Educator Award. The winner will be honored during
GRAMMY Week.
The deadline for nominations for the 2017 award is March
15, 2016. To view guidelines and nominate your favorite music
educator, visit www.grammymusicteacher.com.
APPLICATIONS OPEN
FOR GRAMMY IN THE
SCHOOLS PROGRAMS
The GRAMMY Foundation is currently
accepting applications for its 2016 GRAMMY
Camp, GRAMMY Camp — Jazz Session and
GRAMMY Signature Schools programs for
high school students and high school music
programs. The Foundation’s GRAMMY in the
Schools programs — supported in part by
Converse, Journeys, Hot Topic Foundation,
and Ford Motor Company Fund — offer
opportunities for students to work with music
professionals and learn about the various
performing, technological and business
elements of the music industry, and spotlight
students, schools and teachers across the
United States.
THE GRAMMY MUSEUM
Photo: Capitol Photo Archives
FRANK SINATRA: A MAN AND HIS GRAMMY HISTORY
On Oct. 21 the GRAMMY Museum at
L.A. Live will offer two tributes to the
legendary Frank Sinatra. The Chairman
of the Board will be the posthumous
honoree at the Museum’s Architects of
Sound gala in Los Angeles, which will
be hosted by Steven Van Zandt and
Max Weinberg of Bruce Springsteen’s
E Street Band.
The event, which will benefit the
Museum’s education programs,
coincides with the Museum’s latest
special exhibit, Sinatra: An American
Icon. Produced in conjunction with the
Sinatra centennial, the exhibit traces
100 years of Sinatra’s legacy, chronicling
the meteoric rise of his music career,
Hollywood success, personal life, and
humanitarian work. The exhibit will
feature never-before-seen photos,
artwork, rare concert and interview
footage, and personal items belonging
to Sinatra.
With a GRAMMY history that
includes nine awards, 31 nominations,
13 recordings inducted into the
GRAMMY Hall Of Fame, and three
Special Merit Awards — including a
GRAMMY Legend Award, which has
only been bestowed upon 15 artists —
Sinatra’s exhibit couldn’t have found
a better home than the GRAMMY
Museum. In honor of what would have
been his 100th birthday on Dec. 12,
following are select highlights of
Sinatra’s illustrious GRAMMY history.
continued on next page
SINATRA
THE GRAMMY MUSEUM
from previous page
1958
Best Album Cover,
Only The Lonely
At the inaugural GRAMMY
Awards ceremony, Sinatra
took home the award as
art director for Only The Lonely. The album,
which topped the Billboard 200, features a
black-and-white sketch of Sinatra as what
appears to be a classic hobo clown. Sinatra
had two Album Of The Year nominations for
1958, … Lonely as well as Come Fly With Me,
possibly splitting his vote and opening the
door for winner Henry Mancini’s The Music
From Peter Gunn.
1959
Album Of The Year, Come Dance With Me!
One of Sinatra’s hardest swinging albums,
Come Dance With Me! was recorded with
Billy May and his orchestra, and reached
No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The title track
also took Best Vocal Performance, Male
honors that same year.
1965
1966
Album Of The Year,
September Of My Years
1965 was a very good year for Sinatra.
Often cited as one of his greatest albums
of the ’60s, September Of My Years peaked
in the Top 5 and featured the Billboard Hot
100 hit “It Was A Very Good Year,” which also
earned Sinatra Best Vocal Performance,
Male honors. The album was inducted
into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 1999.
Record Of The Year, “Strangers In The Night”
Sinatra won two other awards in 1966 —
Record Of The Year and Best Vocal
Performance, Male for “Strangers In The
Night,” the title track to his chart-topping
album. The single, which charted at
No. 1, was inducted into the GRAMMY
Hall Of Fame in 2008.
1966
Album Of The Year, A Man And His Music
Sinatra’s third Album Of The Year winner,
A Man And His Music, was released in
conjunction with a one-hour television
special of the same name that aired
Nov. 24, 1965, in honor of Sinatra’s
50th birthday. Sinatra performed songs
including “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”
and “The Lady Is A Tramp.”
1995
Best Traditional Pop
Vocal Performance,
Duets II
Sinatra earned the final
GRAMMY of his career
for his Duets II album, which featured
collaborations with Gladys Knight, Patti
LaBelle, Luis Miguel, Willie Nelson, Linda
Ronstadt, and Stevie Wonder, among
others. Peaking at No. 9 on the Billboard
200, the set marked Sinatra’s final studio
album before his death on May 14, 1998.
Sinatra: An American Icon will be on display in the Museum’s special exhibits gallery through the 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 15, 2016.
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THE LAST
LAUGH
These artists laughed
off negative reviews with
mega-successful careers
Musicians and critics get
along famously — like oil and
water. Though there are plenty
of glowing reviews, when the
parties involved don’t see eye
to eye, sometimes the sparks
are highly entertaining. Rather
than get bent out of shape
when early reviews didn’t go
their way, these artists got the
last laugh by mounting hall of
fame-worthy careers.
“Those concerned with
the future of hard rock
may take solace in
knowing that with the
release of the first U.S.
album by these Australian gross-out champions, the genre has
unquestionably hit its
all-time low.”
— Billy Altman,
Rolling Stone, 1976
BECK >>
“Too often Beck saddles
these songs with half-ba
ked
clichés and easy rhymes
:
‘sky’ always rhymes with
‘die,’ ‘care’ always rhym
es
with ‘there.’ He doesn’t
even sound like himself
on
many of Sea Change’s m
ore
paint-by-numbers cuts.”
— Will Bryant,
Pitchfork, 2002
LAST LAUGH: With a career
LAST LAUGH: Criticism for
north of four decades, Rock
and Roll Hall of Famers
AC/DC have dropped a load
of TNT on naysayers since
1976’s High Voltage. AC/DC
made Rolling Stone’s 100
Greatest Artists of All Time
list and rocked as the
57th GRAMMYs opening act.
Beck’s 2002 heartbreakinspired acoustic album, Sea
Change, was long ago washed
away. Wise retrospectives hail
Sea Change as among Beck’s
most acclaimed work, along
with 2014’s GRAMMY-winning
companion, Morning Phase.
continued on next page
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
AC/DC
ORNETTE
COLEMAN
<<
<<
n?
“Collective improvisatio
blance
Nonsense. The only sem
fact that
of collectivity lies in the
colthese eight nihilists were
dio at
lected together in one stu
mmon
one time and with one co
ic that
cause: to destroy the mus
gave them birth.”
eat, 1962
— John Tynan, DownB
KISS
“A very flashy glitter ba
nd that
tries to make up in theatri
cs
what it lacks musically.
…I
hope the four guys who
make
up the group, whose nam
es
don’t matter, are putting
money
away for the future, the
near
future, because Kiss won
’t be
around long.”
— Patrick MacDonald,
Seattle Daily Times, 1974
LAST LAUGH: Never
underestimate makeup,
bombs and power
chords. In their 40-plus
years, Kiss socked away
plenty of gold from the
sales of millions of albums
and merchandise such
as the Kiss coffin, where
they may have buried
reviews such as these.
continued on next page
a zero-star review of 1961’s Free
Jazz: A Collective Improvisation,
fellow DownBeat critic Pete Welding
awarded the album five stars.
In addition to blazing a trail during
his storied career, Coleman was
the recipient of esteemed honors
such as the NEA Jazz Masters
Fellowship, the Pulitzer Prize in
Music and a Recording Academy
Lifetime Achievement Award,
among others.
Photo: Chris Walter/WireImage.com
Photo: Douglas Mason/Getty Images
LAST LAUGH: While Tynan cast
ELVIS PRESLEY
MADONNA
<<
“The cumulative effect is
like listening to an endles
s
fight next door. The mus
ic
on this record is without
a hint of dynamics or
melody.”
“Madonna proved once
more why she was called
a ‘talentless bimbo’; it
was utter trash.”
— David O’Reilly,
Philadelphia Daily
News, 1985
1985 Virgin Tour was so
popular the original
venues were changed
to large arenas to meet
demand. And 30 years
later, Madge’s standing
as a cultural icon is proof
of her seemingly limitless
talent and smarts.
— Peter Clark, Hi-Fi Ne
ws
& Record Review, 1989
Photo: Steve Eichner/WireImage.com
LAST LAUGH: Madonna’s
N.W.A
“Mr. Presley has no discernable
singing ability. His specialty is
rhythm songs which he renders
in an undistinguished whine;
his phrasing, if it can be called
that, consists of the stereotyped
variations that go with a beginner’s
aria in a bathtub. For the ear he is
an unutterable bore.”
— Jack Gould, The New York
Times, 1956
LAST LAUGH: Gould’s crusade
Dr. Dre
LAST LAUGH: N.W.A’s gangsta-rap revolution broke
down barriers, despite radio airplay bans and an
FBI warning letter. Straight Outta Compton is hailed
as a seminal hip-hop recording, and the biopic of the
same name has ruled the summer box office.
to outlaw the “forbidden fruit” of
Presley’s “virtuoso of the hootchykootchy” after a performance on
“The Milton Berle Show” only
catapulted the King further into
the spotlight. Presley ultimately
earned 108 hits on the Billboard
Hot 100, three GRAMMY Awards,
a Recording Academy Lifetime
Achievement Award, and the title
King of Rock and Roll.
continued on next page
“Rihanna’s fame will
likely last longer than
[Lou] Bega’s, but it
shouldn’t. … This bland
dancehall/R&B debut
is filled with chintzy
production and maudlin
arrangements that
block out the Music
Of The Sun.”
— Evan Serpick,
Entertainment
Weekly, 2005
LAST LAUGH: This
downer review couldn’t
keep RiRi from torching
its predictions. In July 2015,
the eight-time GRAMMY
winner became the first
artist to earn more than
100 million RIAA gold and
platinum song certifications.
PYOTR ILYICH
TCHAIKOVSKY
<<
— Nicolai Soloviev,
Novoye Vremya, 1875
— Joshua O’Neill,
PopMatters, 2009
LAST LAUGH: Years before
his popular score for “The
Nutcracker,” reception of
Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto
No. 1 In B-Flat Minor, Op. 23
was half-baked at best. It
didn’t stop the piece from
becoming one of the most
acclaimed piano concerti;
both Van Cliburn and Vladimir
Horowitz’s interpretations
have been inducted into the
GRAMMY Hall Of Fame.
CARRIE
UNDERWOOD
“This album adheres so
slavishly to its (admittedly
proven) formula that it’s
awfully hard to tell what,
exactly, the difference
between the good songs and
bad songs are, since they all
sound pretty much the same.”
“Tchaikovsky’s First
Piano Concerto, like the
first pancake, is a flop.”
LAST LAUGH: O’Neill’s six
Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
RIHANNA
colorful paragraphs on
2009’s Play On refused to
acknowledge Underwood’s
place on the A-list. With global
sales of more than 64 million
albums and seven GRAMMYs,
her “formula” has pretty much
equaled success.