ryan tedder Do you agree? Ryan Tedder says it's "tone-deaf" to release new music right now

[Jordan Miller]

OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder believes it's not the right time to release new music while the pandemic rages on. He calls it "tone-deaf." 

Below is a snippet from his interview with USA Today.

USA Today: Many artists have been wrestling with whether to release their albums right now. On one hand, you want to give fans something to enjoy during these times, while also considering all the mechanics of releasing, promoting and touring an album. How have you approached that, in regards to OneRepublic? 

Tedder: Nobody can compete with the news cycle right now. And if you're not doing that, you're competing with "Tiger King." We have this huge record that we wanted to drop in mid-May that we now won't. It's a summer song, it's like the Beach Boys, it feels like it's such a hit, but I'm not going to do it in the middle of a pandemic.  

We dropped a charity song two weeks ago called "Better Days," and it's a non-cheesy anthem about what it feels like now to be in this time and space we're in. But the only way I could release it in good conscience was by donating profits to the Red Cross, because I feel weird saying, "Come buy my stuff, check me out." Meanwhile, people are sick and dying. It's very tone-deaf. And unless you're an artist who had a lot of momentum going into this pandemic like The Weeknd or Dua Lipa, it's really hard to get anyone to pay attention."

"So much of what OneRepublic does is driven by television. We do a lot of TV, but at that point, the "Today" show canceled. "Ellen" canceled. Everything canceled. And I'm not going to go put out an album I spent the better part of 6 to 12 months working on in a vacuum. Also, a lot of our audience are people listening to and from work: driving in their cars, Ubers, Lyfts, subways, you name it. We just lost 30-40% of that audience in the last three weeks."

Tedder added that he has songs with Miley Cyrus, Diplo, Katy Perry "that were all supposed to be coming out in the next couple of months. Some of them might, but I can tell you that every single artist I've talked with is sitting there going, "Well, what do I do? Is it going to be a tree falling in a forest?" 

He also worked on Lady Gaga's Chromatica, which has been postponed for the foreseeable future as well. 

My two cents? I'm calling BS. The world is hurting right now, and music is a powerful healing agent. So, let me get this straight, you won't drop new music because less people will hear it initially? 

What do you think, Exhale?

 

 

[Urbanney]

From a business/competition strategy point of view, I understand. From a artistic point of view, I don’t understand. Unless you’re going to be spending all your time donating or volunteering, why not drop music if you’ve finished some songs up and want to?

[Michaelgiftos]

Music heals and unites people and two of the most talked about albums here in the US are The Weeknd’s and Dua’s and they were both released in recent weeks. Stream Future Slayalgia

[Illegally EATEN]

I understand what hes trying to say but hes mistaken.

There is never a time when people arent sick and dying.

Imo its more tone deaf to insinuate that people getting sick and dying from corona is somehow more relevant than people getting sick and dying from countless other diseases and conditions.

Theres never a time when the world is disease-ridden. Is OneRepublic's logic therefore that people should never ever go about their normal lives, just because they know that people get sick or die (which is the way the world has always worked)?

[RadicalOptimism]

Omg please don’t tell me The Weeknd is going to have the #1 album until corona is cured  Britney release Mood Ring nowwww 

[RadicalOptimism]

And something else to add. Sitting on these tracks to grow stale is not it sis. BRB streaming Future Slayalgia for the 1000th time. At least she didn’t disappoint 

[redacted statement]

[MyLittlePopstar]

It seems more tone def to not release. You can have such a captive audience right now because so many ppl are stuck at home. New tunes help. To me, not releasing it seems like “I don’t want to release it right now because I can’t make money off of it by touring and promoting to send it up the charts” 

 

I don’t know if people she be releasing songs about “I’m so hot look at me,I’m a baller” right now, but if you can make non-shallow music, it can be a huge help for many in times like these.

[DollyParton]

I do think a lot of artists will release new material soon/after corona, since all those artist -just like everyone else- are bored as **** atm.

[jordeezy river red]

Its all about the subject matter and price point 

[Itscuzim31]

Which is it? Tone Deaf or is it not good for business? 
basically he’s saying “I made a summer smash that won’t have the commercial impact because the pandemic is getting all the media attention.” Weak. If you cared about fans release your music. And while I’m on my *****y rant.. might as well release the Katy and Miley Collabs... they wouldn’t chart well regardless ... 

[redacted statement]

It's so weird how he says it's "tone-deaf", but then LITERALLY IN THAT SAME BREATH he also says that he's not releasing their new music now because it wouldn't be too smart from a business standpoint. Make it make sense, folk-boy.  Also, can we not shame other people for things that harm literally no one just to act morally superior?! It's tired, just like him and his band. 

[Brat]

The Weekend's album is pretty good, I was surprised 

Ryan Tedder looks hot so it's all good 

[Louis-j]

No because people need to escape this sad reality and music has that power

[Mxra]

I mean, no one can deny Future Nostalgia's success.  Dula Peep is gonna keep winning. 

[LELE]

i dont agree, JBalvin released his album "Colores" a few days ago , and he did it because:

JBalvin quote : "people right now are really desperate  at their houses ,you know kids that follows us, i know that this is not a regular time to drop an album ,because everything goes,like,  "against " what normally works when it comes to marketing,but i was like,you know, im gonna stop being a competitor for a second for real ,and give light ,and give colors to the people that are right now in their houses ,felling a little frustrated".

[jennyj]

No, I dont' agree unless it impacts them directly or if the content is offensive to people's situations right now (which in that case, you shouldn't release it at all).

Music brings people together, gives something for people to listen to, makes people feel better.  So unless there's a marketing plan that involved physical stuff, I don't see any reason not to release it.

[Spicechinodiva]

We should stop carrying about charts at this point. The only chart Billboard suspended til further notice was The dance club chart and of course the tours charts.

 

He's being selfish. 5SOS even said. They had massive promotion plan. They found a way to promote CALM through the gaming Social media Twitch app..it's working. Those Aussies got the girls on a platform they would never think of joining on the first place. Plus celebs basically got a second cell phone to directly talk to fans and offer comfort through this pandemic.

 

There's ways to promote. He just perfers the old fashioned way..He's refusing to adapt to the newer models that millennials and generation Z celebs are embracing. 

 

 

 

[generation glory]

Ryan is not right but he’s not wrong either. Like, if an artist was already scheduled to release a new song or album in March or April (i.e., The Weeknd & Dua Lipa) then I say yeah stick to that plan. Go ahead and release your music like you’ve planned but just showcase it on IG Live like everyone has been doing.

However  I don’t think releasing a brand new song or new album that’s been created during this time of crisis with intent to drop it now or next month is the right thing to do. Ultimately, I think it should be up to the artist themselves to decide whether or not the release their music as scheduled. I understand the business side of things, the pros and cons of it all, but it is an individual artistic choice. If it feels right to the artist then do it if not then wait.

[dr35]

8 hours ago, JordanMiller said:

OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder believes it's not the right time to release new music while the pandemic rages on. He calls it "tone-deaf." 

Below is a snippet from his interview with USA Today.

USA Today: Many artists have been wrestling with whether to release their albums right now. On one hand, you want to give fans something to enjoy during these times, while also considering all the mechanics of releasing, promoting and touring an album. How have you approached that, in regards to OneRepublic? 

Tedder: Nobody can compete with the news cycle right now. And if you're not doing that, you're competing with "Tiger King." We have this huge record that we wanted to drop in mid-May that we now won't. It's a summer song, it's like the Beach Boys, it feels like it's such a hit, but I'm not going to do it in the middle of a pandemic.  

We dropped a charity song two weeks ago called "Better Days," and it's a non-cheesy anthem about what it feels like now to be in this time and space we're in. But the only way I could release it in good conscience was by donating profits to the Red Cross, because I feel weird saying, "Come buy my stuff, check me out." Meanwhile, people are sick and dying. It's very tone-deaf. And unless you're an artist who had a lot of momentum going into this pandemic like The Weeknd or Dua Lipa, it's really hard to get anyone to pay attention."

"So much of what OneRepublic does is driven by television. We do a lot of TV, but at that point, the "Today" show canceled. "Ellen" canceled. Everything canceled. And I'm not going to go put out an album I spent the better part of 6 to 12 months working on in a vacuum. Also, a lot of our audience are people listening to and from work: driving in their cars, Ubers, Lyfts, subways, you name it. We just lost 30-40% of that audience in the last three weeks."

Tedder added that he has songs with Miley Cyrus, Diplo, Katy Perry "that were all supposed to be coming out in the next couple of months. Some of them might, but I can tell you that every single artist I've talked with is sitting there going, "Well, what do I do? Is it going to be a tree falling in a forest?" 

He also worked on Lady Gaga's Chromatica, which has been postponed for the foreseeable future as well. 

My two cents? I'm calling BS. The world is hurting right now, and music is a powerful healing agent. So, let me get this straight, you won't drop new music because less people will hear it initially? 

What do you think, Exhale?

 

 

I’m a huge fan of Ryan Tedder, but he’s the one that’s a bit tone deaf on this one. This is 100% a business decision. The money isn’t there, the shows aren’t gonna be there, and all of the work to create a album falls flat. 
 

I get It. I really do. But don’t bull**** us and make it about the people