Art unexamined is a missed opportunity, Beach Boy Great Brian Wilson once said. While there are well-established music podcasts in the audio space, Spotify's new For The Record podcast explores the tunes, the tones and the timbre of music, taking listeners even deeper behind the scenes with fresh insights in the world of music, podcasting and tech. The series seamlessly blends voices from within Spotify, industry experts to discuss cultural events, listening trends, the tech behind the Spotify platform and more.
Launched in late July, For The Record recently released Episode One: Supporting the Black Community and Episode Two: Podcasts: The Medium of the Moment.
On August 13, Spotify launched Episode Three: Artists & Creativity During COVID-19, featuring special guests from the music community including artist Katy Perry, music producer Ariel Rechtshaid, Ben Jaffe of the legendary Preservation Hall in New Orleans and Wesley Bunch, lead singer of the Philadelphia-based indie band, Suburban Living.
“With Spotify’s For the Record podcast, " explains Dustee Jenkins, Spotify’s Head of Global Communications, "we’ll dive deep into the work
happening at Spotify and across the creator community, sharing never
heard before stories and perspectives. As a cultural mirror, Spotify is
able highlight the incredible happenings all around us, all through the
lens of music, podcasting and technology, told in a way only an audio
medium can offer.”
Episode Three -- Artists & Creativity During COVID-19 -- focuses on how musical artists innovate and manage the creative process with the social, economic and health emergencies that afflict the world today.
During the episode, singer Katy Perry muses on getting creative during the pandemic for her upcoming album, Smile.
"I was putting finishing touches on the record, meaning I was doing vocals, but now I find myself doing vocals in a bedroom… I was driving to the beach, parked outside of the beach and doing all of my mixing and mastering from my car," Perry explains.
Perry also discusses the inspiration for her upcoming album, Smile.
“Around 2017, I really
lost my smile, Perry confesses. "I broke up with my boyfriend at the time, who’s now my
baby daddy [laughs]... and I went on tour... and I started to feel
really numb.”
“And during tour, I just went and sought some deeper
therapy," Perry went on. "And went on a journey to get that more authentic smile back.”
The episode also probes the thought process of a music producer and the adaptations necessary to record during a pandemic.
"We were just getting ready to put out the new HAIM record as the pandemic hit," says music producer Ariel Rechtshaid. "And it was like, oh, my God. Like what's that going to be like? You know, and also like, who cares? You know, there's so many more important things to think about and be concerned with.”
Benjamin Jaffe is the creative director of Preservation Hall and
plays tuba and double bass with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. During the episode, Jaffe discovered the power of virtual performances.
“[Their performances] were so pure and raw and you were seeing them," Jaffe observes. "And they're sitting in their kitchens, in their bathrooms, in their bedrooms… And that was beautiful to me to say, oh, this isn't an artist that just lives on a stage, you know, and is hidden behind smoke and lights. This is a real person who hasn't shaved or taken a shower in two days. And something happened, something clicked right then for me. And I've had a different relationship with the Internet and with virtual music since then."
During the episode, Jaffe recounts his joy of playing with Beatle great Paul McCartney.
“And as we were kind of finishing up one of our songs," Jaffe relates. " Paul McCartney
comes up to our trumpet player and asks to borrow his trumpet and starts
playing it and starts playing ‘[When] the Saints Go Marching In.’”
Jaffe continues: “And
we just joined in and start playing along with him, you know. And after
he finished, he leans over to me and he goes, ‘you know, the trumpet
was my first instrument. And then somebody bought me a guitar, well, you
know the rest of that story.’”
For listeners, Spotify's For The Record podcast hits all the right keys with a wide vocal range that spans five octaves and never plays a sour note.
Even more details on the launch of the podcast and the latest episode are available HERE.
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