Chappell Roan Issues a Challenge to the Music Exec Who Criticized Her Grammy Speech

If you watched The Grammys last week, or are just a fan of Chappell Roan, you’re probably aware of the acceptance speech she gave when she won the Best New Artist Award. She read directly from a journal and demanded that the multi-million dollar recording industry do a better job of supporting emerging talent by offering livable wages and healthcare to young artists. Especially those who get dropped by their labels early on, like she did.

You can hear all of the artists in the crowd cheering her on because she’s not wrong! If we want artists to create art that we consume, or that we make millions of dollars off of, they need to be supported. They need to be able to eat, pay rent, buy clothes, and they need affordable healthcare. There used to be patrons of the arts who would pluck artists out of obscurity and pay for them to live while they painted portraits, frescos, chiseled sculptures, or invented crazy flying machines. It was not the best system, but it probably saved a few artists from starving to death.

These days we have self-publishing and crowdsourced sites like GoFundMe, Patreon, Substack, and even Etsy where individuals can choose to support their favorite artists. But these are not sustainable replacements for comprehensive healthcare or a steady, living wage. And that’s what Chappell is talking about.

The music industry executives in the Grammy audience, who were probably already grumbling about Trevor Noah insisting they donate to LAFire charities during the live broadcast, weren’t as excited about her ideas. One of them, Jeff Rabhan, scored himself a guest column in The Hollywood Reporter to rebut Roan’s call to action

If you’re unfamiliar with his name, Rabhan is the music executive responsible for foisting Hanson on us so many years ago. He thinks Chappell Roan “is far too green and too uninformed to be the agent of change she aspires to be today.”

Must be a day ending in -Y. Some Very Important Man thinks a woman is too young and too dumb to make changes to existing infrastructure. In the article, he cites Prince’s battle with his label for his masters and insists that artists need to put their “life and limb” on the line, and put themselves “in harm’s way” to be considered serious about their artistic integrity.

Whether it’s Prince wresting back control of his master recordings at the height of his popularity or Petty funding his iconic album Damn the Torpedos himself — and then refusing to release it — and later taking on his label for raising the price on his LP, skin in the game earns a seat at the table. But that table requires a willingness to leave blood on the floor and to put your money where your mouth is.

You will only ever be a naïve babe in the woods unless you suffer for your art. And suffering means not expecting that your label will do anything to support you.

It seems Chappell Roan wants to turn labels into landlords, bosses and insurance providers? Have you ever tried to get your expenses reimbursed from a major label? Yet somehow you want them in charge of health-care claims?

That’s not the flex he thinks it is. If labels handled their reimbursements properly maybe there would be less to complain about.

Anyway, Jeff, your entire column reeks of condescension. But I bet all of your industry buddies are high-fiving you for scoring some “sick burns.” I’m pretty sure Petty and Prince would take Roan’s side in all of this. Otherwise, why are musicians still fighting the same fights they did?!? Why did Taylor Swift have to re-record all of her masters and re-release her albums? If Prince and Tomy Petty’s actions had made a lasting effect on the industry maybe Chappell Roan wouldn’t have had to make this speech.

When you come for the Midwest Princess you best not miss. Chappell posted a reply in her Instagram stories last night, calling Rabhan out on his op-ed and challenging him to match donations she’s making to dropped artists who are struggling to make ends meet.

That was around 3:30 in the morning. It seems like Mr. Rabahn hasn’t gotten back to her yet. I wonder if he will.

Keep fighting the good fight, Chappell.