How Aretha Franklin Earned ‘Respect’ by Flipping Gender Roles — “Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect’ is one of the most iconic songs of all time. When it was released in 1967, it topped both the Billboard Pop Singles and Black Singles charts. In 1968, it earned two Grammys: ‘Best Rhythm & Blues Recording’ and ‘Best Rhythm & Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female.’ It was adopted as a soundtrack by both the civil rights and feminist movements. And in 2002, the Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry. This last distinction marks the song as ‘culturally, historically, or aesthetically important’ for eternity. Enough said.”
Aretha Franklin dead at 76: SiriusXM pays tribute to the ‘Queen of Soul’ — Here’s the best way SiriusXM can pay tribute to Franklin: pay her the same royalties that artists who recorded after 1972 get. There is no reason artists like Franklin should be prevented from sharing in the incredible value that they created. SiriusXM is one of the few companies standing in the way of the Senate passing the Music Modernization Act, which in part will correct this bad policy and injustice.
Citi’s Music Industry Report, Dissected: What the Financial Giant Gets Right and (Very) Wrong — Rob Levine tears into a recent report released by financial institution Citi, which gets a good deal wrong about the music industry.
The Real Impact of Getting Rid of the Paramount Consent Decrees — Eriq Gardner reports, “There’s a good argument to be made that the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1948 decision in United States v. Paramount Pictures is the most misconstrued legal decision ever. The case forever changed Hollywood — but it did not ban studios from owning theaters. The misconception that there is a ban in place is important in light of the Department of Justice announcement Aug. 2 that the government would review the Paramount Consent Decrees. No matter what happens, don’t expect Disney to make a bid for AMC or Regal for the simple reason that Disney could have acquired either theater giant anytime during the past few decades and hasn’t seen any need to get into the popcorn business. What, then, would be the ramifications for Hollywood of ending the Paramount Decrees?”