A Deeper Listen

Latest Episodes:

Billboard Bans Bundling Jul 17, 2020

Show notes

Billboard announced this week that artists can no longer bundle album sales. Bundling is where an artist adds on, or “bundles” an album to a sale of a concert ticket or merch. For example, a fan would buy a ticket to a concert or an artist T-shirt and the artist adds in an album to that purchase. The idea was to game the billboard chart and count that sale of a ticket or sweatshirt as an album sale. The more album sales, the better your chances are of charting on billboard. Chris Molanphy is a pop critic, chart analyst and host of Slate’s Hit Parade Podcast. He says bundling was a response to the streaming era of music.

“The reason the industry has been eager to do this bundling tactic is that a traditional sale of an album counts far more for the chart than a stream does,” Molanphy says.

However, Billboard is pushing back against the practice of musicians giving away albums for free when fans purchase tickets or merch.

“Where the bundling thing just got shady was it was largely industry gamesmanship and it really, in Billboards own words, was not capturing consumer intent. Really the consumer went to buy a ticket or they went to buy a t-shirt, they didn’t go to buy an album, the album was an afterthought and now they are trying the best they can to measure consumer intent with these rule changes,” Molanphy says.

Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Building Black Wealth Jul 16, 2020

Show notes

Seattle hip hop artist Draze released a single called "Building Black Wealth." The message was simple—build Black wealth by buying from Black-owned businesses. Draze discusses the single and its message.

To understand the landscape of being a Black business owner in Seattle, Arif Gursel of the workspace, The Union, as well as Frank Ulwenya, the owner of Rumba Notes Lounge, talk about their experiences.

Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Martha Reeves on Motown and Going into Politics Jul 14, 2020

Show notes

In light of the news that Kanye West said he would run for president, we talk with another musician who went into politics. It’s Martha Reeves of Motown’s Martha Reeves and the Vandellas who had the hits, “Heat Wave” and “Dancing in the Streets”. She talks about her time as a Detroit City Councilwoman as well as Motown’s sound and how it united people when racial tensions were high in America.

Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Music Venues Ask for Help Amid COVID-19 Jul 09, 2020

Show notes

Independent music venues say they need help from the government or else they’ll have to close their doors completely. Guest Steven Severin is the co-owner of Neumos in Seattle, and is part of the Washington Nightlife Music Association (WANMA) and the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA). He discusses the state of independent music venues right now and how they are asking folks to get in contact with their congressmembers to pass the RESTART Act to help save venues and other small businesses.

Further reading:

https://www.saveourstages.com/

https://www.nivassoc.org/

https://wanma.info/

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/3814

Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aisha Fukushima on The Pandemic and “RAPtivism” Jul 07, 2020

Show notes

Aisha Fukushima calls herself a RAPtivist. She says the mission of RAPtivism is to “challenge oppression with expression all around the globe.” About 10 years ago, Fukushima traveled to seven different countries as part of a fellowship program and recorded with musicians along the way. The final product ended up becoming her debut album, RAPtivism.

Her latest single is called “Pandemic." Guest host Gabriel Teodros asks Fukushima about the lyric in the song, "this pandemic is systemic."

“Me saying that this is systemic is saying that this is connected to income inequality. This is connected to not having universal healthcare. This is connected to the struggles of folks who are doing all sorts of work around ableism. Of course race is huge and racialization in this society and also globally. And a lot of these systems of power and oppression are interconnected and they also affect how this pandemic is being narrated and how it's spreading and/or who it's affecting the most and what kind of support and/or investment is taking place,” Fukushima says.

Songs:

"PANDEMIC" by Aisha Fukushima

"Show Me The World (feat. Confidence Soulful)" by Tan Matthews

Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Khruangbin’s Musical Fusion Aims to Unite Jul 02, 2020

Show notes

Khruangbin’s unique brand of psychedelic funk draws influences from their hometown of Houston, Texas, as well as from around the globe, starting with their appreciation of Thai funk tapes from the 60s. This has helped the band gain popularity with audiences across cultures who can all find elements in their music to relate to.

Drummer Donald “DJ” Johnson and bassist Laura Lee discuss how they developed such diverse influences, singing in 16 different languages, and their support for the Black Lives Matter movement. “We see music as a vehicle to highlight those similarities between people so people can stand together, listen to the same music together and experience it,” Laura Lee says.

Their third album, Mordechai, is out now on Dead Oceans.

Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Living Authentically: Reflecting on Jackie Shane's Legacy Jun 30, 2020

Show notes

Jackie Shane, a Black transgender soul singer, gained prominence in the 1960s with her captivating stage presence and voice. Then, in 1971, she quit her career and faded from the public eye and into a reclusive life at home. New York Times writer Reggie Ugwu was able to track her down in 2017 and spoke to her on the phone from her home in Nashville. She passed away last year at the age of 78. Ugwu says many people see Jackie Shane as being way ahead of her time, but that she had always put it as “everyone else was behind."

When asked about Jackie Shane’s legacy, Ugwu says, “She was someone who was extremely confident and exuded dignity. She never let anyone define her or put her in a box and she never felt that she had to explain herself to anyone. So she was someone who believed deeply in personal liberation and personal freedom and 'live and let live' […] She’s a real model for how you can be yourself and not conform to the pressures of society."

Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gordi on Exploring Queer Identity on Her New Album Jun 26, 2020

Show notes

Australia’s Gordi is out with a new album, ‘Our Two Skins.' It addresses her queer identity, something she didn't come to terms with until recently. Gordi was supposed to tour the album on a bill with Of Monsters and Men but the tour was cancelled due to COVID-19. Having just wrapped up her medical degree in January, Gordi says she’s on call to put her medical degree to work if COVID-19 cases in Australia start to spike.

Gordi also discusses how the Bandcamp proceeds from her song, “Unready," are going to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency. Gordi said putting out music amid worldwide protests over the police murder of George Floyd and others “felt gross” and she felt she needed to do something to support Black lives, including those in Australia. “Australia’s biggest shame is the treatment of our first people by white people,” Gordi says.

Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dua Saleh on Queer Black Love and Sister Rosetta Tharpe Jun 25, 2020

Show notes

Dua Saleh is a non-binary multidisciplinary artist from Minneapolis who released a single this month, “body cast,” in response to the murders of Black people at the hands of police. From their experience fleeing war and genocide in Sudan to the realities of institutional violence in the United States, Saleh expresses that there isn’t a place of safety for Black people.

Saleh also discusses their new EP, ‘Rosetta,' named after “the godmother of Rock & Roll,” Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Speaking to the importance of representation, Saleh says, "The inventor and creator of Rock & Roll being a Black, queer woman does a lot for my personal self-esteem."

Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle’s CHOP Fuses Protest With Art Jun 23, 2020

Show notes

CHOP, or the Capitol Hill Occupied or Organized Protest, formerly known as CHAZ, has been in the headlines lately. On June 8th, Seattle Police officers boarded up the East Precinct on Capitol Hill after more than a week of sustained protests by residents following the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. Since then, a police-free community has spread out to Seattle’s Cal Anderson Park and between Broadway and 12th on Pine.

While there were two shootings there over the weekend that left one dead and two injured, the area has been mostly peaceful, with almost a festival vibe to it. There’s art and music amplifying the message that Black Lives Matter. KEXP’s Sharlese Metcalf spent some time at CHOP last week and brought back an audio postcard.

Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected