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How Musicians Are Embracing The Spoken Word Album how-contemporary-musicians-are-embracing-spoken-word-album

How Contemporary Musicians Are Embracing The Spoken Word Album

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From Mike Posner to Dave, popular artists across genres are leaning into the art of spoken word like never before
Jon O'Brien
GRAMMYs
Oct 8, 2020 - 11:17 am

The Best Spoken Word Album GRAMMY category has typically provided an opportunity for figures outside the music industry to get their hands on one of those coveted gold-plated trophies. In recent years its winners have flitted between the fields of ex-White House figures (Michelle Obama, Jimmy Carter) and beloved showbiz veterans (Joan Rivers, Carol Burnett, Carrie Fisher), while cult filmmaker John Waters and celebrated humorist David Sedaris are both regular nominees.

Contemporary music, though, has found a wide range of pop/rock talent merging into spoken word territory. Seemingly out of nowhere, spoken word has become the art form of choice for the more poetically-minded musician keen to prove they know their Poes from their Plaths.  

Lana Del Rey, a six-time GRAMMY nominee for her more familiar brand of femme fatale pop, has had an impressively prolific 18 months; the sadcore queen has recorded two regular LPs and written two poetry collections, the first of which she’s also released in audio form.

Of course, with her tales of tragic romance and warped depictions of the American Dream, Del Rey’s output has always had a literate quality. She’s regularly spoken of finding inspiration in the works of Allen Ginsberg and Walt Whitman – the former’s "Howl" and the latter’s "I Sing the Body Electric" were even recited in her 2013 short film Tropico.

But Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass allowed Del Rey to fully embrace her poetic ambitions. Penned amidst a bout of writer’s block while working on what many consider to be her masterpiece, Norman F***ing Rockwell, the audiobook doesn’t entirely abandon musical accompaniment. Regular cohort Jack Antonoff provides plenty of electronic shimmers and delicate piano backing throughout. But the focus here is very much on Del Rey’s expressive tones and freestyle musings on everything from indecision and alienation to the fallacy of worshipping Jim Morrison.     

Backed by the claim that she "tore apart every word until I was able to write the perfect poem," Del Rey’s spot of moonlighting arrived during an unexpected boom period for the spoken word album. Only a month previously Imelda May, an Irish songstress renowned for her jazz-tinged rockabilly, had also displayed her wordsmithery on Slip of the Tongue.

As with Del Rey, May also uses subtle musical arrangements to add texture to her words on womanhood, sexuality and spirituality. But frustrated by how her previous record had been misinterpreted as a marriage break-up album, the Dubliner ensures her lyrical themes are far clearer this time around with a delivery every bit as commanding as her signature 1950s quiff.  

Soon after, The Kills' frontwoman Alison Mosshart proudly declared her gearhead tendencies on Sound Wheel, a companion piece to a book of photography, poetry and paintings titled Car Ma. Although there’s the occasional concession to the gutsy blues rock of her day job, the majority of its 47 (yes, 47) tracks are unaccompanied reflections on the "never-ending search for the spirit under the hood" delivered in Mosshart’s unmistakable tobacco and whisky-soaked speaking voice.

Elsewhere, Mercury Prize nominees Black Midi have released Tales of Suspense and Revenge, an anthology of short stories by the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Robert Tressell read over some typically experimental jams. And even Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page has got in on the action, adding bursts of feedback and echo as producer of poet girlfriend Scarlett Sabet’s debut album Catalyst.

Of course, well-known artists channeling their inner poet is nothing new. See the likes of David Bowie ("Future Legend"), The Velvet Underground ("The Gift") and Morrissey ("Sorrow Will Come in the End"). The Shangri-Las ("Past, Present and Future"), James Brown ("King Heroin") and Daft Punk ("Giorgio by Moroder") even graced the Billboard charts with their spoken word efforts. But dedicating entire albums to the craft used to be the preserve of full-time storytellers like Gil-Scott Heron, Henry Rollins and John Cooper Clarke.

So what’s encouraging such artists to speak rather than sing into their microphone? Well, a new wave of spoken word performers are now proving that the art form can work on a bigger platform. Album of the Year winner Dave stole the show at this year’s BRIT Awards with a powerful piece of performance poetry addressing his homeland’s institutional racism.  

Ted Hughes Award recipient Kae Tempest, meanwhile, has brought their Wu-Tang Clan-meets-William Blake vibe to the masses with several high-profile festivals slots including Glastonbury. Spoken word has even reached prime-time TV thanks to the inspirational speeches of Californian Brandon Leake, "America’s Got Talent"'s first-ever poet finalist, and indeed winner.

And then there’s the rise of the InstaPoet. Artists like Rupi Kaur and R.M Drake have amassed millions of followers with their daily words of wisdom. Perhaps as a result, a SSPA study in 2017 showed that more Americans (28 million, in fact) are engaging with poetry in the social media age than they’ve done the rest of the 21st Century.

Few pop star poets better exemplify this than Mike Posner. Three years after topping charts across Europe with a super-meta ode to dropping Molly in Ibiza, the party boy dropped a 16-track spoken word collection verbosely titled i was born in detroit on a very very very very very very very cold day.

"It's all just water and it's coming out of different faucets," Posner told Billboard about the unlikely poetic streak he developed on his 2016 tour. Tear Drops and Balloons, a more expansive collection featuring poems titled "My Favorite Stain" and "i'm thinking about horses," arrived just two months later.  

You wouldn’t be surprised if Billie Eilish committed to the concept, either. Last year's five-time GRAMMY winner has acknowledged Del Rey as a major influence and has already ventured into spoken word territory with "Not My Responsibility," a short film featuring a defiant statement against body shaming.

It’s easy to see the appeal. Sure, artists have more platforms to speak directly and candidly to their audience than ever before. But most Instagram captions and Twitter posts get lost in the social media ether within hours of their upload. Spoken word offers both freedom of expression and a capturing for posterity away from the confines of the 280-character box. And there’s no need to pander to any Spotify algorithms, either. It may not be a stretch to say that former presidents and comedic legends should expect to face some spoken word category competition in the future.

Diamond Platnumz Talks Growing Up In Tanzania & Breaking Into American Popular Music

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Black Lives Matter Protest in New York City

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How To Safely Film Police Misconduct live-tape-how-safely-film-police-misconduct

Live To Tape: How To Safely Film Police Misconduct

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As racial justice protests continue to thrive across the country, the Recording Academy has compiled a list of ways to safely and ethically film incidents involving police misconduct
GRAMMYs
Jun 10, 2020 - 1:58 pm

Over the past few weeks, protests have been staged across the nation in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, David McAtee and many other Black people at the hands of police. Due to increased police presence and the deployment of the National Guard to several major cities, thousands of protesters have been arrested, and many violent incidents involving the police have been filmed and subsequently gone viral. 

Palika Makam, who works at the human rights organization WITNESS as senior U.S. program coordinator, writes in Teen Vogue: "Using the camera in your pocket can be a valuable way to ensure the world bears witness to abusive policing and systemic racism, help hold authorities accountable, and advocate for the real safety of our communities."

As protests continue amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Recording Academy has compiled a list of ways to safely and ethically film incidents involving police misconduct.

Record With The ACLU Mobile Justice App

Depending on which state you live in, you can download the ACLU’s Mobile Justice App (for example, in California, the app is called “Mobile Justice CA”). The ACLU’s app lets you record and report interactions with law enforcement, and all footage and reports submitted are sent immediately to your local ACLU affiliate.

Understand Your Rights

As WITNESS explains on its website, laws around filming authorities vary by country, so it helps to understand your rights before you hit “record.” In the U.S., you have a 1st Amendment right to record law enforcement in public spaces as long as you don’t interfere. Check out these tips from Makam:

  • Whether or not you are interfering is totally up to the police officer in the moment (and later up to a judge or jury), so it’s best to keep at least six feet of distance (or a car’s length) between you and the incident while filming, especially during social distancing.
  • If the police officer tells you to back up, comply with their orders. You can even film your feet as you’re backing up and say aloud, “I’m complying with orders.”
  • If the police officer tells you to stop filming, you can assert your right to film if you feel comfortable doing so.
  • You can stay safe and still film critical footage from a distance, like from a window, balcony, rooftop, or fire escape.

Verify That You Are The One Recording, And Where You Are

WITNESS recommends speaking into the camera to verify that it’s you doing the recording. “Alternately,” they write, “keep a written record with the original video file. If you need to be anonymous for security reasons, use a code name.”

WITNESS also recommends that you document where and when the incident is occurring. “Your media is easier to verify if you capture the date, time and location of your footage. If possible, turn on automatic date, time and GPS location capturing features. Alternately, film newspapers, intersections, street signs and landmarks.”

Prepare Your Device

If your phone does not have a six-digit passcode, it would be wise to set one up—in addition to a touch ID, face ID and/or pattern lock. As Makam writes, “You have a 5th Amendment constitutional right to not give up your cell phone passcode during a legal search. But that right is murkier when it comes to touch ID, face ID, or pattern lock, and courts have ruled both ways in the past. So it’s safest to just stick with a six-digit passcode for now.”

Also, Makam recommends that you set your phone to automatically back itself up to the cloud, be it Dropbox or Google Drive. Therefore if you were to lose or break your device, anything you record won’t be lost.

Know The Right Tools To Bring

WITNESS recommends a checklist of tools for capturing your surroundings, should you be out at a protest: an external microphone to potentially record interviews, extra memory cards, headphones, a tripod, a notebook and pen for recording dates, times and locations, and an extra battery and charger.  

Have Help Readily Available

WITNESS also recommends bringing a partner or friend with you to protests to help keep you safe and watch out for important situations to document. “Memorize emergency contact information, or keep it written in a secure location,” they write on their site. “Use a camera strap or tie your camera to your wrist. Know your equipment. If you can’t run with it, don’t bring it.”

For more information for how to safely and ethically film police misconduct, visit WITNESS’ site, the ACLU or read Makam’s Teen Vogue piece in full. 

Want To Support Protesters And Black Lives Matter Groups? Here’s How

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Recording And Monetizing Music In The COVID-19 Era best-apps-tools-recording-and-monetizing-music-covid-19-era

The Best Apps & Tools For Recording And Monetizing Music In The COVID-19 Era

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Here's a rundown of some easy-to-use apps and tools for recording and monetizing your music in the COVID-19 era
GRAMMYs
Jun 9, 2020 - 3:04 pm

We are currently living in an unprecedented era around music creation and touring. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all business has been forced to become remote, making it difficult for artists to maintain their usual level of activity. Of course, though the music landscape looks totally different right now, artists are finding new and innovative ways to get their music heard, be it through livestreams, engaging with fans via social media or launching subscription models that offer exclusive content to fans. To that end, here's a rundown of some exciting new apps and tools for recording and monetizing your music in the COVID-19 era. 

Recording Tools

There are plenty of social media options for getting your work out there: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Twitch are just some of the possible platforms you can use to capture your recording. 

There's also a new all-in-one app called RMusic, which allows songwriters to collaboratively write music on the go. Not only does RMusic let you to record ideas directly onto a virtual project file, but you can punch in new lines, edit takes, invite other collaborators from your address book, type lyrics, undo takes and communicate with project members from within the app.

Live Broadcast & Streaming Channels

Facebook: According to a new Remote Musicians Handbook put together by the Berklee College of Music, Facebook is the best venue for livestreaming if your audience skews a little older. 

Instagram: Meanwhile, Instagram, which has a feature that allows other people to join your live stream as guests, is ideal for younger audiences. "Based on your social media engagement on each platform, you can make an informed decision about which platform will be best for your fans," the handbook writes. "Both of these are well-suited for unannounced livestreams as notifications will go out to engaged fans, as well as letting your fans know ahead of time when you will be streaming."

YouTube: Then there's YouTube, which offers a number of monetization options and scheduling tools, such as pre-stream and in-stream ads, donations and merch sales. YouTube will even notify your followers when you go live and will allow you to schedule a live stream ahead of time. And as the stream takes place, YouTube lets viewers ask questions and interact with the streamer. 

TikTok: If you're on the super music-friendly app TikTok, did you know that you can activate a live stream if you have more than 1,000 followers? Once watching your livestream, viewers can purchase stickers, and a portion of the money is donated to the streamer. According to the aforementioned handbook, on TikTok these purchases are made using "coins." Coins start at $0.99 for 65 coins and go up to $99.99 for 6,697 coins. In turn, users can buy stickers, called "Virtual Gifts," for anywhere from 1 to 100 coins.
     
Twitch: The video game streaming platform can be useful for engaging new fans. Because this app hosts as many as 4 million viewers at once (according to TwitchTracker) actively encourages discovering new streamers, artists can show up under Twitch's "Music & Performing Arts" section (with 2.3 million followers). Here, according to the handbook, "the music ranges from metal to violin covers to singer-songwriters, and is generally more diverse genre-wise than more mainstream platforms."

If you want to monetize your work on Twitch, know that streamers get paid when new subscribers follow them and viewers donate to the streamer. Some streamers use new followers and donations as mechanisms to unlock new content or segments. Some will take requests at certain follower count or donation levels, others run merch giveaways, or give followers access to exclusive content.

OBS Software: OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) is free and open source software for video recording and live streaming. Stream to Twitch, YouTube and many other providers.

Nugs.net: Get live music on demand. Nugs.net offers a collection of more than 15,000 full-length concert recordings from the likes of Pearl Jam, Widespread Panic, Umphrey’s McGee, Dead & Company and more. Try it free with a 30-day trial.

Houseparty: This social networking service enables group video chatting through mobile and desktop apps. Users receive a notification when friends are online and available to group video chat. 

StageIt: Founded in 2009, Stageit is a web-based performance venue that hosts paid livestreamed performances. Artists choose when they want to perform, for how long, and how much they want to charge. 

Crowdcast: This video platform hosts live video Q&As, interviews, summits, webinars and more.

Streamlabs: This streaming platform can stream audio to Twitch, YouTube and Facebook. 

BandsInTown: Use BandsInTown to promote your live stream shows. You can even engage new fans and monetize shows through BandsInTown's Twitch partnership.

Fan & Membership Platforms

Patreon: Patreon gives fans access to exclusive artist content for a monthly fee, might be the first option that comes to mind when it comes to fan and membership platforms. But Patreon is only the beginning. Gumroad lets creators offer digital and physical products for sale, while its dashboard provides insight into how your sales are doing and how fans are consuming your content.

Squarespace: Offers subscription products in their store, integrating directly with your website and can be sold alongside your other merch products. 

Shopify: For $40/month, Shopify offers apps that allow you to offer subscriptions from your Shopify ecommerce store, which is helpful if you are offering physical goods as part of your subscription. 

Bandzoogle: Sell music, merch, downloads  and tickets, commission-free. Once you add a store, you can start selling music, downloads, tickets and band merch. Monthly fees start at $8.29.

Ghost: With Ghost, which is free to join, you can publish content online, grow an audience with email newsletters and make money from premium memberships.

Memberful: Memberful helps independent publishers, educators, and creators sell memberships to their audience and build sustainable businesses. You can integrate with Wordpress, send email newsletters, create private podcasts and more. Pricing is free to start and goes up to $25 or $100 per month.

Digital Production Marketplaces, including licensing and sell music, samples, and custom sounds:

Splice: Splice Studio gives you access to millions of royalty-free samples, MIDI and presets on mobile, web and desktop for $7.99/mo. 

ScoreAScore: This music production, licensing and supervision company puts producers in need of original music directly in contact with the composers who create it.

Beatstars: Beatstars is an online marketplace to buy and sell beats.

Putting The Plan Into Action

Now that you have the tools, all you need is to put a plan into action. The Remote Musicians Handbook suggests that you first analyze your audience to get a sense of their social media profiles. Then, you may want to run an unnanounced test live stream, just to get a sense of who's showing up. Then, schedule a series of announced live streams on the platform(s) of your choice. Once livestreams are part of your routine, consider partnering with artist friends on YouTube where you can cross-promote each other's work. From there, consider monetizing your work on Patreon with exclusive content. All the while, to engage new fans, hop on music-discovery tools TikTok and Twitch.

Now that you have the resources to build a fully functional music online platform from the safety and comfort of your home, the rest is up to you. Good luck!   

How Musicians Are Staying Positive & Productive Amidst A Pandemic

GRAMMYs

Photo: KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Image

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Independent Record Stores' Struggle To Survive 4-independent-record-stores-across-us-weigh-their-struggle-survive-during-covid-19

4 Independent Record Stores Across The U.S. Weigh In On Their Struggle To Survive During COVID-19

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We talked to four fan favorite stores in Austin, Brooklyn, Indianapolis and Los Angeles about their harsh reality during the coronavirus crisis
Jeffrey Silverstein
GRAMMYs
Apr 7, 2020 - 2:09 pm

At over 18 million LPs sold, 2019 marked 14 consecutive years of rising vinyl record sales. As COVID-19 continues to bludgeon the music industry, independent record stores are left particularly vulnerable. The indefinite closure of these small businesses comes poorly timed with Record Store Day, the annual shopping event often noted for record breaking sales now postponed until June. For store owners, everyday their sign reads "closed" adds uncertainty to the livelihood of their shops, employees, and community at large.

As vinyl collectors lament the current loss of their safe havens, record stores are working tirelessly to find short-term solutions to what appears to be growing into a long-term problem. Hopeful that crate-digging will commence, we spoke to four record shops across the country to hear more about the toll the pandemic has taken, the implications of store closures, and what strategies and revenue streams are currently keeping them afloat.

Permanent Records (Los Angeles, CA)

How many days have you been closed? What’s the longest you’ve ever shut down at one period of time prior to this?

We were forced to close the Roadhouse on 3/15 and we closed the shop on York on 3/17. Since we opened in 2006, we've never shut down before aside from holidays. Never.

When did the reality of having to close indefinitely sink in? What were your initial thoughts?

I still don't know if it has set in fully, but the hardest part of the closure has been informing my staff that all of their scheduled shifts have been cancelled for the foreseeable future. My initial thoughts were that we'll do whatever we have to do to weather this storm and hit the ground running as soon as things get back to normal.

How would you describe the overall mood/attitude in your city at the moment?

Overall, people seem to be positive, even though we're all suffering greatly.

To what degree have sales been impacted by COVID-19?

Sales have been decimated. Our Roadhouse location is shuttered completely and the only business we have going is online, which is a fraction of what we normally do when we're open to the public.

How many people does the store employ? What are the current implications of a closure for them?

There are ten full- and part-time employees. I've suggested that they all look into temporary unemployment claims. Customers and the community can support them by supporting Permanent, so they all have a place to come back to work when this all blows over. I've also offered my support to my supervisors if they feel inclined to start a fundraiser, but they, like I do, feel a bit uncomfortable with it considering how many people are all in a similar situation.

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Are you offering any kind of special promotions right now?

We did everything we could at first, but the demand for curbside pick-up wasn't where we needed it to be to support it. We're offering free shipping on the rare records we're posting on Instagram. We have gift certificates and other merch available on our web store (PermanentRecordsLA.com). Before the "safer at home" ordinance, I offered a private shopping experience at Permanent to people who bought $100 gift certificates, but we've been forced to postpone that offer.

Were you already in a position where customers could access your titles online or via Discogs?

Yes, but it's especially crucial now. It went from being a supplemental necessary evil to being a necessity overnight.

What are your most immediate concerns?

Earning enough to pay our monthly bills and rent are my most immediate concerns. I'm hopeful that things will get back to normal soon enough to not worry about the long-term, but the economy at-large and the unemployment rate are my biggest concerns currently.

What might be a way record stores in your city could ban together right now?

Los Angeles has the best record stores in the country. We generally do a pretty good job of supporting each other and I think the best thing we can all do is to stay positive, stay healthy, and stay productive during these unprecedented times while remembering that there is a

End of an Ear (Austin, Texas)

​How many days have you been closed?

We reduced our hours starting March 16th. We were only doing mail order, online and curbside. Since this Tuesday (the 24th) we are just doing mail order and online.

How would you describe the overall mood/attitude in your city at the moment?

I think like everywhere, it seems like we woke up into an episode of "Twilight Zone" and trying just to take it day by day. We've had lots of support from customers and other Austin businesses as well.

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To what degree have sales been impacted by COVID19?

It's too early to tell, but we've seen a drop in business somewhere between 60 to 90 percent.

How many people does the store employ? What are the current implications of a closure for them?

Including the owners (myself and Blake), there are 13 of us. We have a small staff, so no one was laid off. The mail order and curbside helped get cash still coming in. We have a small reserve. Customers have been very supportive.

How will Record Store Day being postponed affect your shop?

We already had SXSW cancel, and then there would have been Record Store Day in April and then our 15th year anniversary in May. So now of course it will all be pushed back. Once we all crawl out of this mess we can make new plans.

What are your most immediate concerns?

That my customers will have jobs they can go back to and places to live. And above all. healthy friends that run bars, clubs, restaurants, etc... There are a lot of mutual supporters and champions of the shop.

LUNA Music (Indianapolis, IN)

How many days have you been closed? What’s the longest you’ve ever shut down at one period of time prior to this?

LUNA music has been closed, as a storefront, for 12 days—but, we are still shipping worldwide mail order. We've never experienced a closure like this before, in terms of a protracted period of time—where our public space was closed.

When did the reality of having to close indefinitely sink in? What were your initial thoughts/feelings?

Honestly, I just wanted my crew and clientele to be safe—so as soon as it became obvious that we should cease contact with folks, we started using a drop box, at the front of the shop—for customers to pick their orders up and began dropping orders off, on folks' front porches.

Since then, we have a "shelter in place" order and are doing business over the phone and online—shipping packages out worldwide, with no local pick-up or drop-off.

How would you describe the overall mood/attitude in your city at the moment?

One of hope and one of help!

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To what degree have sales been impacted by Covid-19?

Dramatically; from a flow to drips.

How many people does the store employ? What are the current implications of a closure for them?

Two full-time and four part-time. Currently both full-time co-workers are working from home, on a variety of store projects. The part-time crew has been put on stand-by, waiting for a re-open date. The best way folks can support is continue to shop with us online or give the shop a ring for assistance!

Have online/phone sales helped soften the blow?

Absolutely—it's also a great way to have a bit of interaction with folks!

What are your most immediate and long-term concerns?

The health of my friends and family.

What are three LPs helping you stay hopeful?

Ben Watt-Storm Damage
Nat Russell-Sunlight (LIVE at the Warfleigh Labs)
Hiss Golden Messenger-LIVE at LUNA music's 25th anniversary show (private reel...)light at the end of this dark tunnel.

Human Head Records (Brooklyn, New York)

How many days have you been closed? What’s the longest you’ve ever shut down at one period of time prior to this?

We closed the doors as of Sunday March 15th 8:00 pm.  We had been open everyday for 5.5 years at that point. I used to tell people on the phone all the time, "Christmas Day, Chinese New Year, Mother's Day."  Everyday. Before that we closed half a day when I got married so employees could be there. In the first year, my partner suggested I have a break and we had  the store "closed on Wednesdays," but then I was always working on records so I'd just left the door open. We really never close. It's very rare.

When did the reality of having to close indefinitely sink in? What were your initial thoughts?

These were things that you were hearing as the potential oncoming issue for months, but I had gotten back from a four-day trip to Brasil the Tuesday before we closed March 10th. If I thought everything was going to be shut down to this degree I would've never extended those kind of resources to do that.  It was pretty apparent in the airports that this was an inevitability not a possibility. The only proactive measures that we saw at the airport was the private sector shutting their staff down from travel. Latin America had been significantly behind the curve of the spread at that point so we weren't overly concerned. Population on the planes that I flew on anyway was already down to max 20 percent capacity. I think we understood a virus was coming, but until Italy I'm not sure how many of us appreciated the real issue which was the overwhelming of the healthcare system.

How would you describe the overall mood/attitude in your city at the moment?

It's obviously very tense. How do you describe an insanely dense population where it's tumbleweeds everywhere in the city and what appears to be the exact opposite at hospitals around the city? People know they are in for the long haul. To be able to turn this to a level where we have some confidence on when we would be able to begin to grow out of this would be a major accomplishment. Regardless of how far out it is, the uncertainty is far worse than a dependable but distant target.

How many people does the store employ? What are the current implications of a closure for them?

There are six employees. They were all immediately laid off due to the closure for not only business but health and safety reasons. That doesn't mean we've stopped moving. To create something dependable for all of us to look forward to, and hopefully help the employees a bit, we mobilized an online radio show everyday at 4:20 pm. It's comprised of the six guys playing records for an hour once a week and one guest DJ steaming on Instagram Live all playing from their homes. We've also added a donation link to the broadcast and linked at our Instagram home page. 100 percent of the proceeds is split between the six employees without work during the pandemic. We already have two days in the books and we'll be doing it everyday during the shutdown. Our mixes from the board can be heard also on our mixcloud which is all linked in our homepage on Instagram. We are working on adding to it everyday. The responses so far have been really invigorating and positive.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-m__F8p7bg

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A post shared by Human Head (@humanheadnyc)

Are you offering any kind of special promotions right now?

We are doing a promotion for our online store. Go to humanheadnyc.com to find our discogs page of 27,000+ items. With an order of $20 or more and the word "Modelo" in the info gets you free shipping.

If there's something in the storefront that someone remembers and they want I'm happy to take the call and ship it to them as well.

What are three LPs helping you stay hopeful?

União Black-Eponymous
Any/All Mizell Brothers Productions
Any/All Tim Maia

What might be a way record stores in your city could ban together right now?

I think multimedia streaming is so wide open and moved to the forefront, I'm sure it would be something within that platform. What that entails, who knows. It's so difficult to say because every record store has a different framework and situation. If we're able to come back after this and people feel comfortable to be out and together I think we'll see everyone win. We've seen a lot of love and positivity expressed not only toward us personally but to many record stores across the country. I think people will be leaping at the chance. I will also.

Learn more about how you can donate to or apply for assistance via the Recording Academy's and MusiCares' COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Learn more about the financial, medical and personal emergencies services and resources offered by the Recording Academy and MusiCares. 

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Hero The Band perform at the Recording Academy Atlanta Chapter Annual Membership Celebration
Photo: Marcus Ingram/WireImage

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Report: Music & Culture In "Future Cities" report-music-culture-infrastructure-can-create-better-future-cities

Report: Music & Culture Infrastructure Can Create Better "Future Cities"

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How sound planning for a creative future in our urban areas makes all the difference for artists and musicians
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 23, 2019 - 2:27 pm

The future, as they say, is now. And for music makers around the world, building a future for themselves often starts at home, in their local creative community and in the city where they live. While technology has expanded communication and made the world smaller, cities continue to grow, making planning for the future a critical cultural mission of the present.

To that end, a new report by global organization Sound Diplomacy titled "This Must Be The Place" examines, "The role of music and cultural infrastructure in creating better future cities for all of us." The 37-page deep dive into community planning and development highlights the importance of creative culture in what it calls "Future Cities."

"The government defines ‘Future Cities’ as 'a term used to imagine what cities themselves will be like," the report states, "how they will operate, what systems will orchestrate them and how they will relate to their stakeholders (citizens, governments, businesses, investors, and others),'"

According to the report, only three global cities or states currently have cultural infrastructure plans: London, Amsterdam and New South Wales. This fact may be surprising considering how city planning and sustainability have become part of the discussion on development of urban areas, where the UN estimates 68 percent of people will live by 2050.

"Our future places must look at music and culture ecologically. Much like the way a building is an ecosystem, so is a community of creators, makers, consumers and disseminators," the report says. "The manner in which we understand how to maintain a building is not translated to protecting, preserving and promoting music and culture in communities."

The comparison and interaction between the intangibility of culture and the presence of physical space is an ongoing theme throughout the report. For instance, one section of the report outlines how buildings can and should be designed to fit the cultural needs of the neighborhoods they populate, as too often, use of a commercial space is considered during the leasing process, not the construction process, leading to costly renovations.

"All future cities are creative cities. All future cities are music cities."

On the residential side, as cities grow denser, the need increases for thoughtful acoustic design and sufficient sound isolation. Future cities can and should be places where people congregate

"If we don’t design and build our future cities to facilitate and welcome music and experience, we lose what makes them worth living in."

For musicians and artists of all mediums, the answer to making—and keeping—their cities worth living in boils down to considering their needs, impact and value more carefully and sooner in the planning process.

"The report argues that property is no longer an asset business, but one built on facilitating platforms for congregation, community and cohesion," it says. "By using music and culture at the beginning of the development process and incorporating it across the value chain from bid to design, meanwhile to construction, activation to commercialisation, this thinking and practice will result in better places."

The report offers examples of how planners and leaders are handling this from around the world. For instance, the Mayor Of London Night Czar, who helps ensure safety and nighttime infrastructure for venues toward the Mayor's Vision for London as a 24-hour city. Stateside, Pittsburgh, Penn., also has a Night Mayor in place to support and inform the growth of its creative class.

What is a music ecosystem? We believe the music influences and interacts with various sectors in a city. We have designed this infographic to show how music ecosystems work and impact cities, towns and places: https://t.co/0DIUpN1Dll

— Sound Diplomacy (@SoundDiplomacy) August 14, 2019

Diversity, inclusion, health and well-being also factor into the reports comprehensive look at how music and culture are every bit as important as conventional business, ergonomic and environmental considerations in Future Cites. Using the Queensland Chamber of Arts and Culture as a reference, it declared, "A Chamber of Culture is as important as a Chamber of Commerce."

In the end, the report serves as a beacon of light for governments, organizations, businesses and individuals involved in planning and developing future cities. Its core principals lay out guideposts for building friendly places to music and culture and are backed with case studies and recommendations. But perhaps the key to this progress is in changing how we approach the use of space itself, as the answer to supporting music may be found in how we look at the spaces we inhabit.

"To develop better cities, towns and places, we must alter the way we think about development, and place music and culture alongside design, viability, construction and customer experience," it says. "Buildings must be treated as platforms, not assets. We must explore mixed‑use within mixed‑use, so a floor of a building, or a lesser‑value ground floor unit can have multiple solutions for multiple communities."

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Be Like Björk: Iceland Unveils New 'Record In Iceland' Initiative

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Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.