India Arie

India.Arie Explains Megan Thee Stallion & Janelle Monae Criticism

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Singer-songwriter India.Arie took issue with Megan Thee Stallion and Janelle Monae’s twerking competition at Essence Fest this year, and people weren’t happy about it. Regardless of the backlash, she stood by her comments in a recently published series on Instagram Stories. “I HATE defending simple logic, so I’m going to just say this,” she began. “THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE WITH ANY OF MY SISTERS. PERIOD. I am AN OLD SCHOOL LONG TIME AFFIRMING VOICE FOR WOMEN. MY RECORD SPEAKS FOR IT’S SELF. I LOVE humanity, even in all it’s bulls**t LOL! All I’m saying is CONTEXT MATTERS. Debate that if you want, lol .. but I said what I said.

“And WHY did I say it?” India.Arie continued. “Because just like EVERYYYONE ELSE, I am entitled to my opinion. BUT ALSO, I DO THIS WORK. My whole adult LIFE.. the work of UPLIFTING and LOVING and AFFIRMING and SUPPORTING the WELLNESS of Black women. And all people at large. How effective I was… I guess depends on who you ask. But for 20 plus years, I ran 100 miles an hours at all times… In the name of HEALING. So, when I see something that sparks my PERSONAL mission… I speak. There’s not scandal here. Just one woman’s opinion. But what I will NEVER ALLOW, is for ANYONE to paint ME!! As a person who would use other women for kindling in the burning down of the patriarchy. NO. No. NO. NO. NOOO.

Read More: Megan Thee Stallion’s Essence Festival Twerk Session Proves She’s Been Putting In Work At The Gym

India.Arie’s Defense

“I love all, ALL of the female artists, because I KNOW FIRST HAND how hard it is to BE ONE,” India.Arie remarked. “I’ve released 8 albums. And have myself played the ESSENCE main stage… 6 (?) times? What I see, here is the main streaming of cults, that IMHO should be adult only entertainment. AND! I’ve been saying this SAaaaaaaammmmmmmeeeeee thing for over 20 years. WHY? LOL some could say my ideals created a LESS business model, LOL !! But I stand by them because my gut tells me too. SO much more to say but I don’t feel like it. I’m in a BIG REAL LIFE MOMENT and have a BUNCH of stuff going on.

“Also, in case you missed it… PROTECTING MY PEACE IN 2023,” she concluded. “I’m open for a REAL smart debate or a real conversation but I don’t do the social media self propelled outrage BS. I put ME FIRST in my life. I DO this self care thing FOR REAL. LASTLY, INCASE ANYONE MISSED IT! I do NOT make a practice of publicly criticizing my sisters. My thoughts are around ESSENCE FESTIVAL and context. Which really is logic. I’m NOT addressing this anymore. Peace. Why is it so hard for people to understand? It’s cr*zy to me the level of explanation needed. And why is everything a thing. [laughing emojis] IT YOU! Not me lol.” Stick around on HNHH for the latest on India.Arie, Megan Thee Stallion, and Janelle Monae.

Read More: Janelle Monáe “The Age of Pleasure” Review

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The post India.Arie Explains Megan Thee Stallion & Janelle Monae Criticism appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

India Arie’s Catalog Returns to Spotify After Protest Over Joe Rogan

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IndiaArie

Words by: Brandon Simmons

Grammy-winning singer India Arie has put her songs back on Spotify.  After issues with podcaster Joe Rogan, and Spotify itself, last year, the “Video” singer removed all her music from the popular platform. 

Rogan hosts his own podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, on Spotify.  Just like any other podcast, the host always speaks his mind, and Rogan is no different.  Arie has issues with Rogan because he has always and continues to use negative language when discussing Black and brown people.  Also, she did not like how Spotify treated Black artists.

In an interview with Billboard, the 47-year-old artist explains why she protested Spotify.

“I pulled it off in the name of my own dignity.  It was in protest……And so knowing that Black music does the most streams, streaming has deeply affected people’s ability to make a living as songwriters…. they’re giving this man who uses racist language $200 million-for me, my dignity could not stand it.”

India goes on to explain that streaming platforms like Spotify have made life harder for songwriters and artists.  Record labels have joined forces with streaming services and decided who would get paid what.  This leaves the artist and songwriters to get little to nothing.  First, the label gets paid.  Then, Spotify takes a percentage. Finally, the artist gets paid, and then the songwriter gets paid.

Although she protested for a year, the “Brown Skin” singer’s catalog is back on Spotify as she has over one million monthly listeners.  There were two important factors for her doing so: royalty payments and an increase in royalty rate.  Recently, the songwriter royalty rate jumped from 10.5% to 15.1% and was backdated to 2018, therefore, she will receive the updated rate for any songs written from 2018.

It’s clear India wants those checks!

“So when those two things shifted, I put my music back up.  Cause I want my checks.  And not only do I want my checks, I deserve my checks.”

The post India Arie’s Catalog Returns to Spotify After Protest Over Joe Rogan appeared first on The Source.

India Arie Returns Catalog To Spotify After Calling Them Out Over Joe Rogan

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It was around this time last year when India Arie unleashed on Joe Rogan. The famed podcast host and comedian was in the thick of a viral controversy after several clips of him disparaging Black people and using the n-word went viral. His supporters, including Black entertainers, refused to label their friend racist. Rogan returned to say he was being targeted while also noting that the n-word wasn’t for him to use.

During that time, there was also a call from a faction of critics for Spotify to remove Rogan’s podcast from its platform. The streaming giant quickly responded by saying that wouldn’t happen, and many noted it was because Rogan’s podcast was one of its most popular shows. Arie didn’t appreciate the response, so she said her catalog would no longer be available on Spotify.

India Arie Announces The Removal Of Her Catalog

NEWARK, NJ – AUGUST 25: Singer India.Arie performs on stage during the 2019 Black Girls Rock! at NJ Performing Arts Center on August 25, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images)

“I have decided to pull my music and podcast from Spotify,” she wrote. “Neil Young opened a door that I MUST walk through. I believe in freedom of speech. However, I find Joe Rogan problematic for reasons OTHER than his Covid interviews… FOR ME ITS ALSO HIS language around race. What I am talking about is RESPECT – who gets it and who doesn’t.”

“Paying musicians a Fraction of a penny? and HIM $100?” Arie questioned. “This shows the type of company they are and the company that they keep. I’m tired.” However, it seems that she has had a change of heart because she announced on Instagram that her catalog made a triumphant return to Spotify. “After a successful protest!” she wrote before urging her followers to view previous posts to understand the context.

India Arie Has A Message For Naysayers

“Also I must say. All the media outlets and even ‘friends’ who talked sh*t about me lets see if you care NOW that my stance impacted change,” Arie further stated. “I WISH we had a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY AROUND THE USE OF THE N WORD. Sadly we let people get away with it. I can’t change that. But the way MY DIGNITY is set up! I STOOD FOR ME. AND IT WORKED.” She added that she’s all about protecting her peace throughout the year. Check it out above.

Why Are People Leaving Spotify?

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Joe Rogan
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This past January 24th, legendary musician Neil Young wrote an open letter threatening to remove his entire catalog from Spotify if the streaming service did not remove Joe Rogan and his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, from the platform. Young cited how Rogan continuously spreads COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on his show. “Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines — potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them,” he said.“They can have [Joe] Rogan or Young. Not both.” This was the first domino to tip and quite a bit has happened since.

Why Are People Leaving Spotify? Inside The Controversy

Soon after Young’s statement, Spotify sided with Joe Rogan, their $100 million man who signed a very rich exclusive licensing deal in 2020. Young’s music was removed, but other artists began to follow his lead. Joni Mitchell joined Young in removing her music, then the rest of Young’s Crosby, Stills, Nash And Young bandmates announced that they were pulling their music as well. This led to numerous artists beginning to question their relationship with Spotify — who already pays artists a criminally low amount of money per song play — and then India.Arie took an even deeper stand against Rogan and Spotify. Arie announced that she was removing her catalog and her podcast, Songversation, citing not necessarily Rogan’s vaccine misinformation as the reason, but rather his problematic language around issues of race. “Neil Young opened a door that I MUST Walk Through,” she posted on Instagram. Rogan soon issued an apology for his misinformation and later for his language.

Arie later posted a video showing numerous instances of Rogan using the n-word on his show, called for a full-on Boycott, and Spotify, in turn, removed 70 episodes of the podcast from the streaming service. But why this issue isn’t going away anytime soon, and why people will likely continue to leave Spotify, is because of the platform’s tepid measures taken. A “content advisory” warning has been added to the platform and CEO Daniel Ek wrote a letter to all employees, which felt a bit more like damage control and a potential PR play.

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Who Left Spotify Because Of Joe Rogan?

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Spotify was hit with an ultimatum by Neil Young late last month: cut ties with Joe Rogan and his podcast or remove all of my music from the platform. Young’s demand came after another instance of Joe Rogan sharing misinformation about COVID-19 and the pandemic, which is a month away from entering its third year of effects in the United States. Spotify stuck by Rogan which led to Young sending a letter to his label requesting that all his music be removed from Spotify, which occurred just a few days later. However, Young was not the only person to make this move.

Who Left Spotify Because Of Joe Rogan?

Shortly after Neil Young pulled his music off Spotify, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell took a stand with him and removed her music from the platform as well. Days later Graham Nash, who is Neil Young’s former bandmate from the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young band, also decided to pull his music from Spotify. Then, the rest of the members in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young — David Crosby and Stephen Stills — made an announcement that they too will take off their music from the platform. But wait, there’s more. R&B singer India.Arie also took a stance with Neil Young and revealed that her music would be removed from Spotify, saying, “Neil Young opened a door that I MUST walk through.” There’s no telling who will be next to join Young, but we can almost assume this list will grow to be a bit longer.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

India.Arie To Spotify: ‘Neil Young Opened A Door That I MUST Walk Through’

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India.Arie
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India.Arie is the latest in a flurry of artists who are taking their music down from Spotify following the lead of Neil Young. While Young cited the ongoing vaccine misinformation being purveyed by Joe Rogan on Spotify’s popular The Joe Rogan Podcast as to why he’s removing his catalog from the platform, Arie finds Rogan problematic for more than his views on the COVID vaccine. Namely his language on race.

Arie is not only removing her solo recordings from the platform but also her podcast Songversation from the platform. She joins Young, Joni Mitchell, and Graham Nash in actively taking a stand with regards to their Spotify presence. Arie issued a scathing statement on her Instagram feed and wrote the following:

“I have decided to pull my music and podcast from Spotify,” Arie said in an Instagram post. “Neil Young opened a door that I must walk through. I believe in freedom of speech. However, I find Joe Rogan problematic for reasons other than his Covid interviews. For me, it’s also his language around race. What I am talking about is RESPECT – who gets it and who doesn’t. Paying musicians a Fraction of a penny? and HIM $100M? This shows the company that they are and the company that they keep. I’m tired.”

It’s an impressive statement from Arie, a four-time Grammy winner and multi-platinum selling artist. The dominoes seem to keep tipping for Spotify, whose new “content advisory” warnings, are clearly not enough of a move to satisfy the valid concern of a growing number of artists.

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.