The music industry has been "meeting privately" about important issues since the 80s. Yet somehow Napster still came and knocked us on our behinds. The current music industry would do better to meet privately to discuss how to have a business now that Eliot Spitzer has exposed payola to the public. Because the solution to both problems is the same: sign better quality stuff. Major labels do not have that luxury. Good art can't be manufactured by large corporations. To have a meeting where everybody in attendance is wither former or current Def Jam employees or has some contractual obligation to Universal Music Group is pointless. How can you have all these people there and the only artist is T.I.? Nobody has Chuck D's number anymore? Nobody can get Latifah on the phone? This is an issue that must be addressed by the artistic community. The consuming public has already spoken. When you put "Whisper Song" on in a club, it is WOMEN who get up and dance. That programming comes from somewhere, and it AIN'T Ying Yang Twins. This has become a political smokescreen. The issue is racism. The arena is contemporary media. It's not the fault of a contractually obligated individual to produce a product that does not sell.
On Apr 19, 2007, at 12:04 PM, Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) wrote: > > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: Music Execs Discuss Rap Lyrics > Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2007 10:34:57 -0500 > From: Marsha Jackson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > *http://apnews1.iwon.com//article/20070419/D8OJDDT00.html > > Music Execs Discuss Rap Lyrics > * > Apr 18, 10:40 PM (ET) > > By MARCUS FRANKLIN > > > NEW YORK (AP) - In the wake of Don Imus' firing for his on-air slur > about the Rutgers women's basketball team, a high-powered group of > music-industry executives met privately Wednesday to discuss sexist > and > misogynistic rap lyrics. > > During the furor that led to Imus' fall last week from his talk-radio > perch, many of his critics carped as well about offensive language in > rap music. > > The meeting, called by hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons' Hip-Hop Summit > Action Network, was held at the New York home of Lyor Cohen, chairman > and chief executive of U.S. music at Warner Music Group. The summit, > which lasted several hours, did not result in any specific initiative. > > Organizers billed the gathering as a forum to "discuss issues > challenging the industry in the wake of controversy surrounding hip- > hop > and the First Amendment." Afterward, they planned to hold a news > conference at a Manhattan hotel > <http://apnews1.iwon.com//article/20070419/D8OJDDT00.html#> to discuss > "initiatives agreed upon at the meeting." But by early afternoon, the > news conference was postponed, because the meeting was still going on. > > > After the meeting ended, it was unclear whether there would be another > one. Simmons' publicist released a short statement that described the > topic as a "complex issue that involves gender, race, culture and > artistic expression. Everyone assembled today takes this issue very > seriously." > > Although no recommendations emerged, the gathering was significant for > its who's-who list of powerful music executives. > > According to a roster released by Simmons on Wednesday, attendees > included: Kevin Liles, executive vice president, Warner Music; L.A. > Reid, chairman of Island Def Jam Music Group; Sylvia Rhone, > president of > Motown Records and executive vice president of Universal Music Group; > Mitch Bainwol, chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry > Association of > America; and Damon Dash, Jay-Z's former Roc-A-Fella Records partner. > Top-selling rapper T.I. also attended, organizers said. > > Simmons declined to comment through a spokeswoman. But he appeared > this > week with others at a two-day town hall meeting on "The Oprah Winfrey > Show" to discuss the issue. While Simmons, Liles and the rapper Common > agreed "there is a problem," Simmons cautioned against trying to limit > rappers' free-speech rights. > > He said that "poets" always come under fire for their unsanitized > descriptions of the world. > > "We're talking about a lot of these artists who come from the most > extreme cases of poverty and ignorance ... And when they write a song, > and they write it from their heart, and they're not educated, and they > don't believe there's opportunity, they have a right, they have a > right > to say what's on their mind," he said. > > "Whether it's our sexism, our racism, our homophobia or our violence, > the hip-hop community sometimes can be a good mirror of our dirt and > sometimes the dirt that we try to cover up," Simmons said. > "Pointing at > the conditions that create these words from the rappers ... should be > our No. 1 concern." > > Common said criticism of rappers and their music should come with > love. > "When I talk to the cats, regardless of rap, when I talk to cats on > the > street, they don't wanna be in that situation," the rapper said. "We > don't wanna be in this painful situation. We want it to heal. And > we are > apologizing for ... the disrespect that does come from the mouths > of men > to women whatever color." > > Meanwhile, the Rev. Al Sharpton, who said he planned to challenge the > recording industry on denigrating lyrics, announced he had suspended > plans to honor Def Jam's L.A. Reid during this week's convention of > his > National Action Network in New York. Sharpton was among Imus' most > vocal > critics and demanded his firing. > > Several rappers under Reid's label frequently use racial and sexual > epithets. > > Imus was fired last week by CBS, which owned his radio show, and > MSNBC, > which produced the TV > <http://apnews1.iwon.com//article/20070419/D8OJDDT00.html#> simulcast, > for having referred to the Rutgers players as "nappy-headed hos." > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > >
