Last week, Chappell Roan won the Grammy for Best New Artist, and she used her acceptance speech to call for change in the music business, highlighting the things that record labels don't provide to the artists that they're developing: "Record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a livable wage and health insurance and protection. Labels, we got you, but do you got us?"
Jeff Rabhan, music executive and former chair of NYU’s Clive Davis Institute Of Recorded Music, wrote a widely derided Hollywood Reporter op-ed that attempted to call Roan out for "trendy, performative activism" and to explain why labels shouldn't have to do all that for their artists. Roan responded by challenging Rabhan to match her donation: "$25k to donate to struggling dropped artists." Since then, lots more has happened, and a few other big names have joined the conversation.
Over the weekend, Jeff Rabhan wrote an "open letter" to both Chappell Roan and Halsey, who wrote her own angry response to his op-ed. In a note posted on X Dot Com Formerly Known As Twitter, Rabhan wrote that he's an educator who doesn't make enough money to give away $25K and that he has "has given away thousands of hours to artists." He also claimed that he hadn't written a personal attack against Roan and that fans of Roan and Halsey are victimizing him. Since some of our readers would like us to stop using Twitter embeds -- not always possible with a site like ours -- I'll just quote Rabhan's entire response below. All emphases are his.
Open Letter to @ChappellRoan and @halsey
Who thought it was a good idea to publicly challenge an educator to a 25k “one-upping” contest?Really?Do you know what teachers make? Right idea pointed in the wrong direction. Someone around you should have advised you to put up 25k before Sunday to challenge the industry to match --you would have collected from everyone and they would have felt good about doing it on Grammy nite. Think how different the conversation would be today. Instead you're challenging a guy who has given away thousands of hours to artists in need to a cash duel on social media—Your ego isn’t allowing you and your team isn’t telling you what this manager would tell you: Stop dumpster divingand act like the agent of change you say you want to be!I'm neither the enemy nor the problem-- I could shake my network of friends and supporters of the mission and have 25 peoplelined up as advisors and mentors and mental health providers in no time. But were doing this instead?
My article was not a personal attack—it was a call to action and a warning to avoid the pitfalls of many who walked before you. It was a reminder that your status has changed, your strength has different muscles and when used effectively can move mountains and affect change. I even offered several ways you could launch immediately. I never wanted you to feel attacked, my goal was to show a more effective pathway forward. I stand behind my premise and advice in my article, but I apologize to you openly if my words left you feeling attacked. If you weren’t fucking capable of ascending and didn’t have once in a generation kind of magic around you, I wouldn’t bother. Consider that.
Stop wasting those valuable muscles on me. Use your time to ask others “how do we get it going?” Sitting atop your platform punching me and challenging me is about as productive as running on a treadmill expecting to get somewhere.Move the conversation forward and focus on this Foundation.I will happily help built it, fundraise for it, run it, recruit providers for it, get label and pub support for it, or donate personally to it. That's what I do.
If you and Halsey had directed your fanbase to donate $1 to your Living Artist Fund for every hate filled slur sent to me— you would have enough funding in ONE DAY to cover health care for every single artist and writer in need for almost 2 years. The results aren't going to change--I’m not losing my job over this, I’m self employed.I’m lucky to already have insurance, thankfully. My feelings aren’t hurt--years of artist management cured me of those. And your fans are creative with their slurs but I survived 3 teenagers of my own who are a lot meaner. Now what?
Today there’s 25k more for artists in need because of you than before I wrote the article so that’s progress. If you, your artist friends and your fans want to attack me for pushing you to think and act like a champion, to lead by doing instead of finger pointing and to be the change you want to see,then carry on. Artists will lose and you will fall prey to the very cliche I warned ofin my piece that launched this shitshow. Your move.
Naturally, Rabhan's tweet was immediately ratio'd to hell.
Jeff Rabhan might not be willing to match Chappell Roan's donation to struggling artists. Over the weekend, however, both Noah Kahan and Charli XCX offered to donate $25,000 apiece.
In a truly surprising development, Nirvana's Twitter account parachuted into the conversation on Friday, quote-tweeting Stereogum's article about Roan's response to Rabhan. In that tweet, bassist Krist Novoselic wrote that the members of Nirvana joined the Screen Actors Guild when they signed with Geffen and that he's been covered ever since. I'm not sure how easy it is for musicians to join SAG, but if that's an option for someone, I'm sure it's helpful to hear. Also, as the person who wrote that blog post, it's really fucking surreal to see that Nirvana quote-tweeted something I did. I don't even know how to process that. I will post that embed. Sorry, everyone. Feels necessary.
When Nirvana signed with a major label, our accountant suggested we join @sagaftra. We did and I have had great health insurance for 35 years. — Krist https://t.co/IsBAO4onWk
— Nirvana (@Nirvana) February 7, 2025
Last night, possibly around the same time that her song "Femininomenon" appeared in a Super Bowl ad for the movie M3GAN 2.0, Chappell Roan wrote more about this conversation on her Instagram story, doubling down on her stance that the music industry needs to change and adding that "random dudes" can criticize but that they "best put their money where their mouth is, otherwise MOVE out of the way." She also identified Backline as the charity that she's working with and showed the receipt of her $25,000 donation. (Both Noah Kahan and Charli XCX have already made their $25,000 Backline donations, as well.) Roan wrote that she's not asking fans to donate to this effort: "This is one of many options for the industry powers to show up for artists." Also, she posted a photo of herself eating waffles while still wearing all her stuff from the Grammys.
