Grammy Chief Harvey Mason Jr. Talks New Songwriter of the Year Award, Social Change and More

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBeyonce just can’t make it easy: Just hours after she’d announced that “Break My Soul,” the first single from her forthcoming seventh solo studio album “Renaissance,” would be dropping tonight at midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT, it emerged on Tidal — yes, the streaming service co-owned by her husband, Jay-Z —three hours early.All of that noise notwithstanding, it’s the Beyonce jam fans have been waiting for: A driving dance track co-produced by the “Single Ladies” team of Tricky Stewart and The-Dream, with a plinking, insistent hook, a hot beat and a near-unintelligible, dancehall-like voice dropping in and out of the mix.“Release your anger/ Release your mind/ Release the time… Release the stress/ Forget the rest,” the voice intones.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorLincoln Center has announced a musical tribute to Greg Tate, a veteran music writer and musician and a ‘godfather of hip-hop journalism’ who died in December at 64.The performance will feature more than 30 members of Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber, the group that Tate founded (head here for more information). “For this homecoming concert, curated and presented with The Tate Family at one of his favorite venues, more than thirty BSAC members will perform in celebration and tribute to one of the most essential voices in the history of 21st Century Avant Groidd music and thought,” the announcement reads.Titled
“More Than Posthuman: Rise of the Burnt Sugar Arkestra Mojosexual Cotillion”
An “Oh the Utter Negrocity of It All,” the tribute is one of three in Tate’s honor being held this summer: one last week at the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and another, also featuring Burnt Sugar, on August 20 at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem as part of New York’s SummerStage concert series.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBeyonce will drop “Break My Soul,” the first single from her forthcoming seventh solo studio album “Renaissance,” tonight at midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT, the singer announced on social media Monday morning.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe music industry’s return to whatever passes for normal these days has been hit and miss, to put it mildly: Grammy Week, Coachella, and the first publishers’ week in three years have seen an uneven balance of caution and carelessness — some events have a relatively high percentage of masks and distancing, some have hardly any at all, and at each one you hear tales of how severe someone’s bout with Covid was or wasn’t, and that someone else couldn’t make it because they suddenly tested positive.The “publishers week” we’re referring to is the usual combination of A2IM’s Indie Week conference, the National Music Publishers Association’s annual meeting, and the closer, the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which is one of the most unique and memorable awards shows in the business — which is a parallel event to the Clive Davis pre-Grammy Gala in that it’s invite-only and features a number of once-in-a-lifetime performances. Not only is it the annual family reunion for the songwriting an publishing industry, over the years we’ve seen performances from  Neil Diamond, Drake, Tom Petty, Bonnie Raitt, Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande, Van Morrison, Cyndi Lauper, John Prine, Leon Russell, Elvis Costello and dozens of others, along with several completely unique homages: Lady Gaga singing Four Non-Blondes’ hit “What’s Up” to Linda Perry; Stevie Nicks belting “The Rose” to Bette Midler; Emmylou Harris performing Eric Clapton’s heartbreaking hit “Tears in Heaven” for the song’s co-writer Will Jennings; and one year, the evening ended with Billy Joel and Garth Brooks duetting at the piano in matching Stetson hats.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorGrammy Awards are one thing, but being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame is another matter — the inductees are decided by a relatively small group of songwriting and music-publishing peers and celebrated at an invite-only event, and it’s a tough crowd.It’s a sadly common assumption that female pop stars don’t write their own songs — even Taylor Swift, one of the greatest and most distinctive songwriters of the past 25 years, is often greeted with skepticism. So for Mariah Carey — who was mocked in a widely shared meme when she made a statement beginning with the words “As a songwriter” — to be inducted is a big deal.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJapanese Breakfast, Wet Leg and Madlib were among the top winners at the Libera Awards on Thursday night, the American Association of Independent Music’s annual awards ceremony.The event returned in a hybrid setting, with people from the indie community gathering at New York’s Webster Hall to receive awards, catch a DJ set from Madlib (featuring a freestyle from Talib Kweli) and live sets from Sammy Rae & the Friends and others, while concurrently a livestream of performances from Japanese Breakfast, Brittany Howard, Jason Isbell, Helado Negro and Cautious Clay was played in a separate room at the venue. Also performing live at the event were Tré Burt, Canadian Brass and Adrian Daniel.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThere’s no question: As challenging as the music industry can be for men, it’s twice as tough for women.That was one of the many takeaways from a panel discussion involving Grammy-winning songwriter Autumn Rowe (Jon Batiste’s “We Are,” Dua Lipa, Ava Max) and top music publishers Jody Gerson (chairman/CEO of Universal Music Publishing), Golnar Khosrowshahi (founder/president of Reservoir) and Carianne Marshall (co-chair/COO of Warner Chappell Music) at a panel discussion during the National Music Publishers Association’s annual meeting on Wednesday.While the four all had different paths to the roles they’re in today, they all faced similar challenges and obstacles, namely sexism, a lack of allies, achieving a work-life balance, and most ominously of all, dangerous situations. Rowe (pictured above, second from left), who said that she worked as a songwriter for 12 years before she got a significant paycheck — a sadly common situation — also said that she has encountered multiple writing sessions that were “unsafe.” When moderator, Danielle Aguirre, NMPA EVP and general counsel, asked if she would feel safer with even just one more woman in the room, Rowe said she would.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Grammys might be the most well-known music awards show in the world, but the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s ceremony is arguably the most unique. The invite-only event, being held June 16 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City, and its awards honor the most important and yet most frequently overlooked people in the music business — the songwriter, duh — and it resembles a cross between the Grammys and an annual family reunion for the tight-knit songwriting and music-publishing community.At each ceremony, superstars receiving honors frequently tell the room that the accolade means more to them than any other award they’ve received, because it’s an endorsement and a validation from their peers.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorFoo Fighters and Taylor Hawkins’ family have announced the first round of performers for the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert scheduled to take place in London in September.Performers include a mix of the late drummer’s friends and influences: Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor, Rush’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde, Oasis’ Liam Gallagher, Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme, Supergrass and Mark Ronson are on the bill, with comedian Dave Chappelle billed as a special guest.Also on the bill are Jane’s Addiction’s Chris Chaney, the Police’s Stewart Copeland, Omar Hakim, Rufus Taylor (a Queen touring member), Wolfgang Van Halen, and Hawkins’ cover band Chevy Metal. The shows will benefit charities to be announced later, according to the band.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSony Music Entertainment has named Vanessa Picken to the role of chair and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Australia and New Zealand. Reporting to Sony Music Group Chairman Rob Stringer, she will begin her new role in September.Based in Sydney, Picken will oversee all operations, artist signings, marketing, and business partnerships for the company, according to the announcement.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorNicki Minaj, A$AP Rocky and Future will headline the Rolling Loud New York festival, taking place at Citi Field in Queens on the weekend of Sept. 23-25.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAfter a three-year hiatus, the Brooklyn edition of the Afropunk festival will return this fall, taking place over the weekend of September 10-11 at its traditional location of Commodore Barry Park in the New York City borough’s Fort Greene neighborhood.The lineup, announced Tuesday, (June 14th) includes  the Roots, Lucky Daye,m= Tierra Whack, Burna Boy, Freddie Gibbs, Isaiah Rashad, Earl Sweatshirt, Bartees Strange, Adekunle Gold, Fana Hues, Pink Siifu, Butcher Brown, Alex Mali, Mick Jenkins, and others.The festival is divided into two stages: the “Brooklyn Baby” stage and the “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” stage.See the full lineup below.The Afropunk franchise continues to expand, holding its first-ever Midwestern event this weekend at Minneapolis’ Sheridan Memorial Park. Titled Planet Afropunk Live: Minneapolis, the lineup will include Ari Lennox, Noname, and Mereba just to name a few performers who will make an appearance on both days.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJust three days after he replaced Migos on the lineup for New York’s Governors Ball this weekend — and just hours before he was due to perform — Lil Wayne has pulled out due to “flight disruption” and been replaced on the bill by A$AP Ferg (who prefers to be known as just Ferg), the festival announced late Friday afternoon.Due to flight disruptions, Lil Wayne will no longer be performing this evening.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor“It’s a little surreal, seeing my best friend’s face blown up so big,” says multimedia artist Laurie Anderson, gesturing to a giant photo of her late husband, Lou Reed’s, at the beginning of a media tour of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts’ stunning exhibit on the legendary singer, songwriter and Velvet Underground co-founder. It is open to the public — and free of charge — beginning Thursday (June 9).“We’ve been working for years to put this together,” she continued, “and I just wanted to say that it’s my dream to have [the archive of] this great poet of New York in the Public Library.” While she did not mention this during the tour, the archive was originally intended to join those of James Joyce, Norman Mailer and Don DeLillo at the University of Texas, but Anderson changed her mind after a handgun law allowing people to carry handguns on college campuses was passed in the state; the NYPL acquired much of the archive in 2017.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWhile he hasn’t been active in the music world for a couple of decades, Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records, is indisputably one of the greatest record executives in history. The list of artists that the company spawned under his watch is astonishing and arguably without peer for a company of its size: U2, Bob Marley, Nick Drake, King Crimson, Roxy Music, Traffic, Free, Cat Stevens, Grace Jones, Robert Palmer, Brian Eno, Steve Winwood, Jethro Tull, Fairport Convention, Toots & the Maytalls, the Cranberries, Marianne Faithfull, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, King Sunny Ade, Eric B.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorPrince’s musical career had many peaks, but he was most on top of the world — literally — on March 30, 1985, when he and the Revolution played a concert at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York that was broadcast all over the planet in the first global telecast of its kind.Even with the “Purple Rain” album, film and tour at the peak of their Oscar, Grammy and chart popularity, and the 100-date tour in support of both nearing its end, Prince was never one to stay in the same place for long. By that date, he and the Revolution had completed their next album, “Around the World in a Day,” and were already working on the next one (“Parade”), and would embark for the South of France to shoot their next feature film, “Under the Cherry Moon,” within a few weeks.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIn a letter shared with the BTS “Army” earlier today (Monday, June 6), the group announced the #MyBTStory challenge in partnership with YouTube, starting on Friday and running through July 9, exclusively on YouTube Shorts.In celebration of their new album, “Proof,” dropping on Friday, the group is inviting the Army and all music fans to join them in the #MyBTStory challenge.Dear ARMY, We want to remember and celebrate all the special moments we've had so far. What's your #MyBTStory? 함께한 수많은 날들을 다같이 축하하고 추억하는 소중한 시간이 되었으면 좋겠어요.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorVeteran Chicago rapper and drill pioneer Chief Keef has launched a new label, 43B (“Forget Everybody”) in partnership with RBC Records and BMG, and his first signing is Atlanta-based rapper Lil Gnar (pictured above, right, with Keef).Since 2014, Chief Keef has released several albums through RBC — including “Sorry 4 the Weight,” “Thot Breaker” and “Mansion Musick” — which was acquired by BMG four years ago.According to the announcement, 43B is a multi-tiered label, offering distribution and marketing services for artists and producers. It also notes that the name (“Forget Everybody”) is intended to emphasize the importance of individuality and autonomy.The label will be helmed by Chief Keef’s longtime manager, Idris Dykes, who will be acting as co-CEO, as well as Sophie Kautz who has been appointed as the head of A&R and marketing.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAngel Olsen’s new album, “Big Time,” is the kind of rare, generation-spanning album that you could give to your sister, your aunt or your grandparents. Its 10 soulful, country-inflected songs recall everything from Dusty Springfield’s 1969 masterpiece, “Dusty in Memphis,” to Shelby Lynne’s 2001 Grammy-winning “I am Shelby Lynne,” from Tammy Wynette to Lucinda Williams — and at the center of it all are Olsen’s soaring songs and crystalline, versatile voice.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSome nine years after the release of their last album, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are back with a killer new song, “Spitting Off the Edge of the World” and a new album, “Cool It Down,” due Sept. 30 on Secretly Canadian.