Nancy Sinatra, daughter of the late Frank Sinatra, poses for a photo with Hendogg from the Sugarhill Gang on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. – AP
Artists are using all sorts of ways to get their music noticed these days. Radiohead asked its fans to pay whatever they wanted for its latest release. The Raconteurs released their latest with no marketing at all, letting word of mouth do the trick.
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But R&B group Dru Hill, featuring Sisqo (of “Thong Song” fame) had its own method on Wednesday. It previewed a new, unreleased number at a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing. The Baltimore group’s members silenced the chatter amid the room singing, “Baby, I am gonna tell the truth, I have a feeling we are going to get loose.”
They were joined by the Sugarhill Gang, Whodini and Nancy Sinatra to push for passage of the Performance Rights Act, which would require radio stations to pay artists for playing their music. Currently, radio only pays the songwriters.
None other than the “Chairman of the Board” himself, Frank Sinatra, began the movement back in 1988 when he wrote an article drawing attention to the issue.
“Certainly Dad wasn’t fighting for this because he needed more money,” said his daughter, Nancy, known for her song “These Boots AreMade for Walking.” “His fight is one of simple fairness. It is about the thousands of performers … who scratch out a living with their music.”
“The artist is the last person to get paid,” Sisqo added. “The artist is technically the one who is selling the song. Even if it is a good song, it is not a hit until the artist brings it to life.”
Sisqo and his mates held forth on much else at a party Tuesday night at the Penn Quarter home of Max Brown, partner at the marketing firm 360jmg.
As for his 2000 hit single “The Thong Song,” Sisqo joked, “I met someone who had worn one. Everyone wore one. It was that inspiring!”
When asked about the popularity of “bling” chains and dental “grillz,” Dru Hill’s Tamir “Nokio” Ruffin told us, “Because our ancestors were Egyptians. It signifies success, it’s nice to have.”
But Whodini’s Grandmaster Dee thinks that grillz are just a fad that will fade away. “When I was young, just one gold tooth was popular,” he said.
If Barack Obama wins the presidency, the group’s members said they’d like to give him a congratulatory presidential bling chain. Now that would be a change.
