Louder: Can Streaming Pay? Musicians Turn to Twitch.

June 18, 2021

By Caryn Ganz

Pop Music Editor

By now, you’re well acquainted with music streaming services, and artists’ complaints about how (and how much) they get paid when their music is played there. So is there any way for musicians to make more cash in the streaming space? The answer, for some, is yes — via the gaming platform Twitch. What’s different about Twitch, how are some artists using it, and does it have a future for music when the pandemic is finally behind us? Ben Sisario explores these questions (and more!).

Ben also broke news about the ousted Recording Academy chief Deborah Dugan’s legal team accusing the Grammys of reneging on a promise to have her arbitration hearing be open to the public. And he reported on the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative latest’s report examining race and gender in the music industry’s executive ranks. (The findings are bleak.)

Apart from the news, we had so many great profiles this week: Jon Pareles on Angélique Kidjo, whose new album is a showcase for rising African songwriters and producers, and Joan Armatrading, who at 70 is still seeking the perfect song. Jewly Hight interviewed Amythyst Kiah, who plays alongside Rhiannon Giddens in Our Native Daughters, and finally found a way to fuse that old-time material with her more edgy rock influences on a new album, out today. And Lucy Dacus shared her cultural must-haves with Phoebe Reilly, a list that includes a poet dog and Alexander McQueen.

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Can Streaming Pay? Musicians Are Pinning Fresh Hopes on Twitch.

The gaming platform is becoming increasingly attractive to artists, who can earn money by cultivating fan tribes that express their loyalty through patronage.

By Ben Sisario

INTERVIEWS

Adama Jalloh for The New York Times

Joan Armatrading Is Still Searching for the Perfect Song

At 70, the influential English songwriter is still writing and recording solo, remaining as private as she can and “trying to get really good.”

By Jon Pareles

Julien Mignot for The New York Times

Angélique Kidjo Connects With Africa’s Next Musical Generation

The artist from Benin showed African songwriters how to reach the world. Now they’re repaying the favor.

By Jon Pareles

Liam Woods for The New York Times

Amythyst Kiah Found Her Powerful Voice. Now She Has a Sound to Match It.

The 34-year-old singer and songwriter fuses folk, blues, rock and once-hidden emotion on her new album, “Wary + Strange.”

By Jewly Hight

My Ten

Lucy Dacus Prefers Weepy Stories, Poet Dogs and Food With Attitude

The singer-songwriter details her cultural must-haves as she prepares to release “Home Video,” an album that looks back at her past.

By Phoebe Reilly

They Won Eurovision. Can They Conquer the World?

The Italian rock band Maneskin is a hit on the charts, and its members want to become a rare long-term Eurovision success story.

By Elisabetta Povoledo

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H.E.R.’s Soulful Suspicions, and 11 More New Songs

Hear tracks by Yves Tumor, Brittney Spencer, Tyler, the Creator and others.

By Jon Pareles, Jon Caramanica, Isabelia Herrera and Giovanni Russonello

In the Weeds of ‘In the Heights’

A conversation about bringing musicals to the big screen, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s artistic choices and the critical blowback to the film’s casting.

MOVIES & TV

Now Sparks Can Confuse Fans on the Big Screen

The musical brothers Ron and Russell Mael are known for catchy songs and perplexing shifts. But they longed to be in films. This summer they’re part of two.

By Alan Light

Critic’s Pick

‘The Sparks Brothers’ Review: Yes, They’re Real. And Inexplicable.

Edgar Wright knows Sparks and you will too, once you see his documentary about this singular cultural phenomenon.

By Glenn Kenny

With ‘Dave,’ Lil Dicky ‘Achieved My Destiny’

In an interview, Dave Burd (better known as the rapper Lil Dicky) and other creators and stars of his surprise hit comedy discuss the show’s new season.

By Joe Coscarelli

‘The Space Between’ Review: Kelsey Grammer Rocks

The actor plays a burnout musician in this drama from Rachel Winter.

By Glenn Kenny

NEWS

Grammy Officials Oppose an Open Hearing on Reasons for Ousting C.E.O.

The lawyer for the former chief executive, Deborah Dugan, said the Recording Academy, which runs the Grammy Awards, had already agreed to an open session to discuss her grievances.

By Ben Sisario

New Report Paints Bleak Picture of Diversity in the Music Industry

The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative examined 4,060 executives at six types of companies, and found 19.8 percent were from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups.

By Ben Sisario

The Charts

Lil Baby and Lil Durk Share No. 1 With ‘The Voice of the Heroes’

The collaborative album by the two Atlanta-based rappers relied on streaming to top the Billboard chart.

By Joe Coscarelli

England’s delayed reopening is a blow to culture and nightlife.

Theaters and nightclub owners are having to hastily rearrange and cancel events after the government decided to maintain some restrictions.

By Alex Marshall

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Overlooked No More: Jobriath, Openly Gay Glam Rocker in the ’70s

His space alien persona and theatrical rock music drew comparisons to David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust character. But American audiences seemed unwilling to accept his sexuality.

By David Chiu

Frank Bonner, Brash Salesman on ‘WKRP in Cincinnati,’ Dies at 79

He played the memorably obnoxious Herb Tarlek for all four seasons of the popular sitcom set at a radio station, and reprised the role on a sequel show a decade later.

By The Associated Press