Louder: The Music Industry Is Promising Change. Here's an Update.

Plus: 'Hamilton,' Kanye West, 'Eurovision Song Contest' and More

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story July 3, 2020 By Caryn Ganz Pop Music Editor The music industry is undergoing a self-examination regarding racism in the wake of protests over George Floyd and other Black Americans’ deaths. Despite some skepticism about whether meaningful change will arrive, “The predominant mood is one of a momentum that must be seized,” writes Ben Sisario in an update of where things stand now. A song that has showed up at protests is the focus of our latest Diary of a Song: “Big Drip” by Fivio Foreign, a rapper who witnessed Pop Smoke lead the Brooklyn drill scene to global attention before he was killed in February. (Pop Smoke’s posthumous album is out today.) Plus: a taste of what’s to come from Kanye West on the Playlist; a note on piano sales, which are surging; a Critic’s Pick album review of “Keleketla!” from Jon Pareles; a playlist of songs that shook New York’s queer dance floors during the pivotal years 1970-1989 from the author of “Love Saves the Day,” Tim Lawrence; a story that answers the question “what does Justin Bieber have to do with PizzaGate conspiracy theorists?”; and an essay praising Garth from “Wayne’s World.” Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Bethany Mollenkof for The New York Times   The Music Industry Is Wrestling With Race. Here’s What It Has Promised. The business owes much of its wealth to the work of Black artists but has just a handful of Black executives in its most senior jobs. Companies large and small say they’re devoted to change. By Ben Sisario NEW MUSIC the playlist Kanye West Dips a Toe in the Moment, and 10 More New Songs Hear tracks by Blackpink, Jorja Smith, Washed Out and others. By Jon Pareles, Jon Caramanica and Giovanni Russonello critic’s pick Coldcut + Tony Allen and African Artists = Studio Electricity Keleketla! is a studio assemblage of musicians from four continents, creating thoroughly hybridized music with African voices up front. By Jon Pareles     Diary Of A Song Pop Smoke Took Brooklyn Drill Global. Fivio Foreign Is Carrying the Torch. Our latest episode breaks down “Big Drip,” a defining anthem of the local hip-hop subgenre with roots in Chicago and the United Kingdom. The song is now the soundtrack to a summer of unrest. By Joe Coscarelli PODCASTS Pop Superfans Are Getting Politically Active. What Happens Next? A subset of passionate listeners are asking for more of their heroes than simply music. A Bit of Relief: The Long Distance Chorus How the elementary school students of Staten Island’s P.S. 22 Chorus are harmonizing from afar. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT     Playlist 15 Songs That Shook New York’s Queer Dance Floors in the 1970s and ’80s During this fertile period the way revelers received dance music — and what was considered dance music — shifted as new kinds of spaces geared toward L.G.B.T.Q. participants multiplied. By Tim Lawrence INTERVIEWS Moving the Haim Way: ‘We Love Feeling in Our Bodies’ The Haim sisters are great at walking. Now, get ready to see them run. The band’s new album, “Women in Music Pt. III,” keeps up the dancing beat. By Gia Kourlas my ten Don’t Ask Shaggy to Touch the Mic at a Wedding The reggae star, whose latest album, “Hot Shot 2020,” is out July 10, puts roasted yam, street dancing and yacht parties in Jamaica on his list of must-haves. By Kathryn Shattuck FROM CLASSICAL 5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Mozart We asked Mark Hamill, Condoleezza Rice, Mitsuko Uchida and others to pick the music that moves them. Listen to their choices. He Turned ‘I Can’t Breathe’ Into Protest Music Joel Thompson’s “The Seven Last Words of the Unarmed,” written in 2014, is finding new listeners in a summer of unrest. By Giulia Heyward Concerts Disappeared. Piano Sales Survived. With their showrooms closed this spring, instrument dealers around the country report surprise at the robust numbers. By Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT MOVIES & TV ‘Hamilton’ Is Coming to the Small Screen. This Is How It Got There. The film, a live capture of the hit Broadway show, will stream on Disney Plus beginning July 3. That wasn’t always the plan. By Michael Paulson critic’s pick ‘Hamilton’ Review: You Say You Want a Revolution The filmed version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s founding-father Broadway musical arrives just in time — vital and more challenging than ever. By A.O. Scott Netflix’s ‘Eurovision Song Contest’: Here’s What You May Have Missed The new film starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams lovingly references many of the competition’s most memorable moments, and features many Eurovision stars. By Scott Bryan ‘Wayne’s World’ & Me As a kid, I identified with Garth Algar, the shy sidekick of the 1992 movie, who taught me about how to be a real person in a branded world. By Amanda Hess ‘Beavis and Butt-Head’ Revived at Comedy Central The headbanging cartoon characters, staples of 1990s-era MTV, are coming back with new episodes written and voiced by Mike Judge. By Dave Itzkoff NEWS BET Awards Put Black Lives at Center of Socially Distant Show Beyoncé received a humanitarian award, and performances made explicit references to protests against racism and police brutality at the first major awards show of the Covid-19 era. By Joe Coscarelli MTV to Hold V.M.A.s in Brooklyn With Limits on Audience Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Monday that the MTV Video Music Awards would be held at the Barclays Center on Aug. 30. The network said social distancing precautions would be followed. By Sarah Bahr the charts Bob Dylan Makes Chart History With ‘Rough and Rowdy Ways’ The Nobel Prize-winning musician is the first artist to reach the Billboard Top 40 with a new album in each decade from the 1960s to the 2020s. By Ben Sisario ‘PizzaGate’ Conspiracy Theory Thrives Anew in the TikTok Era The false theory targeting Democrats, now fueled by QAnon and teenagers on TikTok, is entangling new targets like Justin Bieber. By Cecilia Kang and Sheera Frenkel OBITUARIES Hachalu Hundessa, Ethiopian Singer and Activist, Is Shot Dead The musician, 34, was known for political songs that provided support for the ethnic Oromo group’s fight against repression and a soundtrack for antigovernment protests. By Abdi Latif Dahir Turmoil at Funeral of Singer Shows Ethiopia’s ‘Combustible’ Politics At least 81 people have been killed and dozens injured in the unrest that followed the killing of Hachalu Hundessa, underscoring long-simmering tensions in the Horn of Africa nation. By Abdi Latif Dahir and Tiksa Negeri Johnny Mandel, 94, Writer of Memorable Movie Scores, Is Dead After composing and arranging for big bands, he gave the world melodies like “The Shadow of Your Smile,” “Emily” and “Suicide Is Painless.” By Eric Grode Freddy Cole, Performer Who Emerged From Nat’s Shadow, Dies at 88 Like his famous older sibling, he played the piano and sang. But he used his music to insist, “I’m Not My Brother, I’m Me.” By Giovanni Russonello Scott M. Ramsay   Trilobites Canada’s Sparrows Are Singing a New Song. You’ll Hear It Soon. Over 20 years, scientists tracked the transformation of the traditional trill of a common bird from western Canada to Ontario. 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