Why Chapel Lawn’s Grammy Awards speech was misplaced and not informed

What does Prince say? Or Tom Petty? They fought for their souls and their musical rights, putting their careers at risk for what they believed to be artistic integrity, that is, the characteristics of greatness. And when you have been around long enough, you know that no real substantial change comes from the speech, it comes from where the rubber meets the road – life and limbs, harm , harm, put everything at risk with action. Prince either took back control of his master recordings with his popularity or took over his label to raise prices with his LP, later funding his iconic album, and Whether they refuse to release it or not, the skin game wins a seat at the table. But that table needs to have the will to leave blood on the floor and put money where the mouth is.

Does Roan seem to want to change the label to a landlord, boss, or insurance provider? Have you ever tried to refund your expenses from a major label? But somehow, do you want to take care of them with medical claims? As if the label hopes that next year’s winner will scream as “Slam Road” in front of 60 million viewers? Motown pioneer Berry Gordy, the architect of such a system, has received a significant portion of criticism for Hitville’s unprecedented success, but the artist is pleased with the loyalty and credit. Isn’t it? that’s right.

Roan gets respect and genuine gratitude for her artistry and aré, but she is too green and too uninformed to be the agent of change she aims to be today. She evolves quickly, perhaps building up a playmaker’s chaos that may hold power, or even handing over the torch to another leader, but her Grammy Awards speech was broadcast and taking Nybete. Aim for the very machine that took her there, a plagiarized script in the artist Hackney, a love-spirited in the industry. If the label is responsible for the artist’s wages, healthcare and overall well-being, where does it end and personal responsibility begin? Should Chris Blackwell put mint in her pillow and shove her in the evening too? There is no moral or ethical obligation on the standard that holds a label responsible for allocating additional funds beyond progress or royalties.

The appeal for record label loans to provide healthcare with livable wages to artists was noble, but there was also a lot of misinformation. Her rise to stardom is flaring up in a viral moment, a major label backing, and an industry desperate for the next alternative pop starlet, proving that she is no longer a struggling artist. She should do something about it rather than talk about it. Changes are waiting to be defended, not only announced.

The outsider who was established

Kaylee Rose Amstotz-born Chapel Lawn is not the first artist to frame himself as an outsider’s railing to the system. But the moment she stepped onto the Grammys stage on Sunday night, she was no longer a crude indie artist fighting from the Fringe. She became part of the founding. Cash your fat label checks and ride mainstream success in meaningful industry support and act like a child who wasn’t chosen to dodgeball when your name was called.

I break the news: you are no longer fighting revolutionary forces – the oldest musical cliche in history – but you have nevertheless come to do great things for artists and writers. look? There is still room in this story for puppy dogs and ice cream.

Roan is the product of the same system she criticizes. Island, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group (self-rated as the world’s largest music company), has thrown no money for fun. Sustainable business with her music. That’s how the industry works. Record labels are businesses, not charities, and trades are easy. They can spend money, take risks and get a cut in profits in return.

Is the system better? of course. Should artists get a better deal? absolutely. However, Roan’s speech lacked the nuance and industry awareness to build consensus and talk about the priorities of the artist’s issues platform. Requiring the label to pay an artist like a paying employee ignores the basic economic structure of the business. No one is forcing an artist to sign a deal. For a million times, if they don’t like the conditions, they can remain independent, own their masters and take financial risks on their own.

The reality of label trading and artist compensation

So, while progressing towards more important things like Detroit’s personal Ayahuasca Sherman and the four-language-speaking toilet, should labels slap to run their business like business? Make sense.

Why don’t the loan pushes the artists’ peers and puts the money where their mouths are and donates 2-3% of the advance payment to a fund supporting fellow artists? She is currently breathing in an elite level air, and has limited time to get Beyoncé, Beaver, Taylor and Brunos. The only way to finish line is top-down funding. If they are really worried about livable wages, they might need to see how their progress is structured first.

Labels have received a lot of criticism and the industry’s backbone suffers much worse than artists, so this is the responsibility of labels and publishers to ensure that artists function as fully formed adults. Whimsical expectations are absurd and leaks should be held responsible for qualifications.
Here’s what Roan might not understand: Record transactions are made up of investments rather than payroll. Once the artist signs the contract, the label offers advancement. This is essentially a loan. This advance covers record costs, marketing, distribution, and tour support if negotiated. The main labels take at least seven figures of risk to all artists. Almost 60% know that they don’t recover some of the costs, and 15% cover bills across the roster.

Do artists need better healthcare options? absolutely. Sounds like a union to me. Most independent managers also don’t have insurance. This is a flaw not only for the labels, but also for the entire industry. Artists can negotiate deals with their choices. This is to direct some of the progress towards healthcare coverage, as well as recording costs. Some have already been done.

And livable wages? It’s a completely different conversation, but it’s about to begin. Isn’t that an advancement of its exact purpose? You might argue that a six-digit advance label is only paying to sign your name.

“Become a revolutionary – Immediately after my direct deposit” is a fake.

Bill Maher had a point

Recently, Bill Maher’s critique of loans in real time calls for trendy, performance activism that plagues the young star. There they make grand statements without understanding the complexity of the issues they are dealing with.

Maher’s point? Not known to Roan – not because she is not exaggerated, but because she does not live in the industry long enough to understand its complicated work. Now the best new artist anointed, she has experienced her first wave of mainstream success, and like many before her, she has not provided a concrete solution I believe that I am in a position to determine systematic change.

And there’s the problem: artists like Roan haven’t changed the game. They repeat the old ones – the young stars get a taste of success, turn to critics of the machines that elevated them, and ultimately continue to profit from that very system.

I have little to talk about, I do more

The only way to advocate for struggling artists is to give examples and lead. Action is more eloquent than the viral Grammy moments and there is a real way to make a difference.

This is what the real industry disruptors do. Taylor Swift wasn’t just complaining. She re-recorded the entire catalog and managed to win $1 billion in her spare time. Prince reinvented his entire business model. Petty took a creative hunger strike and took one of his best records hostage.
That’s how you force change – put it on the table and hit and raise everyone.

“Label, we got you, did you get us?” Lone lamented the people on the frontlines. A word from a fighter who is not ready for the title shot yet. This is not a laser tag game at the mall with friends. It’s the naked knuckle war at the sold-out Madison Square Garden – it’s the toughest business on the planet. Artists and managers who wear adult pants know that commercially creative stakes games have a plateau of talent and shelf life. They get you until you add value anymore, and you get them until you tell you that you are smarter, more talented and prove it with money . It’s not irony, it’s acceptance. Stevie Nicks foresaw this in “Can I deal with the seasons of my life?” That pit of uncertainty that passes through time brings. Labels and publishers cannot fix everything that’s broken. Also, it cannot be considered “evil” by not picking up a career or life that has been crushed when the window of opportunity is closed. I own it. Realizing that “we” is the only one, it becomes easier to see the solution. Right, Stevie?

If artists come to the table as partners with thoughtful solutions to protect our community, in these extraordinary times, I think the same faces are hearing just like they did on Sunday.
The industry matrix is ​​far from perfect, often dysfunctional clown shows, but Loans aren’t ready to be neo. She alone cannot change what the village needs. Get off the Grammy stage and find the smartest people you know to help you build your platform. Use your celebrity to twist your weapons for good – go to your industry partner’s home and just listen. Otherwise, you are responsible for becoming another artist who doesn’t mind in the industry that burns 15 minutes of fame for the Echo applause room. While great songs last a lifetime, we are sure that the very realistic struggles of our beautiful, creative community’s face deserve more than just one day’s “trend” stickers.

Jeff Laban is the former chairman of the Clive Davis Institute at New York University’s Tissue School of the Arts. He is also co-founder and CEO of Bored-of-ed.com, an eduteanment platform for consumer and industry professionals.