Is Lucian Grainge overall positive or negative for Hip-Hop?

[the elastic]

On one hand he's been firmly against AI

Universal Music Chief Lucian Grainge Praises Company’s Progress on AI, Artist-Centric Streaming Model in New Year’s Memo

UMG CEO Lucian Grainge praised the company's application of AI regulation and 'artist-centric' streaming models in his 2024 memo to staff.

variety.com

“In the U.S., for example we are lobbying for legislation that would establish a federal right of publicity to harmonize the protections of artists’ image, likeness and voice from AI deepfakes,” Grainge writes. Aside from requesting aid from the United States Congress in July to combat copyright infringement by people using and developing new AI technology..."

....on the other hand there's been speculation of him stepping in to defend Drake and preventing the Weeknd from being a guest at the Juneteenth Kendrick concert.

He can't be any worse than Lyor Cohen...right?

 

[T-K-G]

Negative and it's not even close



Anyone running a major entity in music has also:

contributed to keeping the business of music exploitative as hell, always making up new contracts to fukk over artists, and blackballing artists who figure out their own loopholes to stay protected

Actively play a part in pushing complete clowns to the forefront of music and making it all about fukkery



Labels will be using a.i. to get rid of even more people, they're just making sure your black ass can't make any money off of it first before they step in, before you can gatekeep something, you have to build the gate...

 

[⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐]

If not him, someone else

 

[the elastic]

Anyone running a major entity in music has also:

contributed to keeping the business of music exploitative as hell, always making up new contracts to fukk over artists, and blackballing artists who figure out their own loopholes to stay protected

Lucian Grainge Says UMG Is ‘Creating the Blueprint For Labels of the Future’ in New Year’s Memo to Staff

UMG chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge's New Year's 2024 message to staff is out. Read the full memo.

www.billboard.com

In his 2023 note, Grainge wrote about the importance of addressing streaming royalty reform and making sure artists get their deserved share of the royalty pie; in 2024, he’s focused more on “grow[ing] the pie for all artists, by strengthening the artist-fan relationship through superfan experiences and products.” Grainge says that will be accomplished both through internal improvements and through partnerships with various platforms. And he promised to continue their already-underway push in protecting and promoting creators’ voices in the AI discussion.

“In short,” Grainge writes, “We are creating the blueprint for the labels of the future.”

Is he lying or is there something between the lines I'm missing?

 

[BK The Great]

Him, Jimmy Iovine, Lyor Cohen are all
The same people. Look at the music that came out from them. All about drugs, murder & other damaging behavior.

 

[The Minister Of Culture]

Him, Jimmy Iovine, Lyor Cohen are all
The same people. Look at the music that came out from them. All about drugs, murder & other damaging behavior.

Agreed but i wonder whats the alternative to that ? It feels like anytime a rappers talk abouut something other than the 3 things you mention you catch more hell for that than the negative shyt.

 

[BK The Great]

Agreed but i wonder whats the alternative to that ? It feels like anytime a rappers talk abouut something other that 3 things you mention you catch more hell for that than postive shyt.

Maybe some artists should take the role of overseeing the music that’s coming out. Not sure if that works though.

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

He keeps force feeding Drake... that's enough to be a negative right there

 

[Sauce Dab]

Agreed but i wonder whats the alternative to that ? It feels like anytime a rappers talk abouut something other that 3 things you mention you catch more hell for that than postive shyt.

at the end of the day taking that alternative route just don’t translate well mainstream wise no matter how many folks try to pretend otherwise

 

[ReasonableMatic]

Imagine asking if Massa owning huge chunks of a Black culture is a good thing.

Know shame smh

 

[the elastic]

Imagine asking if Massa owning huge chunks of a Black culture is a good thing.

Know shame smh

We gotta have the conversations so it can be clear as to WHY and HOW it's bad or not bad

 

[Bleedin Gums Murphy]

The only Lucian I give props to:

 

[Piff Perkins]

I think people put too much thought into boogeymen like this. Grange's direct impact on shyt you like or pay attention to is minimal, MUSIC wise. The things he's impacting and focused on are far more financial and streaming related than every day "put this out, don't put this out, censor this, don't censor that" meddling that people seem to think he's doing. UMG is the parent company. The artists spend way more time dealing with whoever is in charge of the subsidiary than UMG. For Drake (Republic) that's Monte Lipman. For Kendrick (Interscope) that's John Janick. And in both cases neither is being stifled or told what to do. Now if Drake decided he wanted to put out a flute album with no rapping sure, calls would be made. But outside of that...these dudes are doing their thing.

My biggest criticism of UMG is the focus on superstars and what this is gonna look like in ten years if the only way we make new stars is picking Disney kids like Oliva Rodrigo, or streamers, etc. There's so much money being made right now...not much excuse not to return to A&R, develop managers better, etc. Plus this nonsense with tours where everyone has decided if you can't do an arena tour you're useless and shouldn't tour at all. That's BAD.

 

[Tribal Outkast]

The only Lucian I give props to:

Lucin, Lucien, Lucien, Lucien
You should know

 

[Uitomy]

Cacs commanding our music will never work