Ani DiFranco: "Music Sharing Is Essential, But There Must Be a Way For Artists to Get Paid"

Ani DiFranco may have a reputation as a confrontational folk firebrand, but for all its sociopolitical savvy, her new album, Red Letter Year, is also fueled by domestic bliss. The Buffalo-born troubadour makes her home in New Orleans these days, where she recorded the album with her "co-producer/babydaddy" Mike Napolitano. "He's the reason the album sounds so good," she surmises. "I would plug in the guitar and say, 'Let's go!' and he would say, 'No, let's get a better guitar sound!' I just don't have enough focus to attend to details like that."

Her attention's been all the more divided since the arrival of daughter Petah last year. "It took me a lot longer to make [this album] than usual, because I had to take care of a kid," she says. "Which is great, it makes for better records. Conversely, she gives me a lot of new things to think about, and teaches me stuff I wouldn't have found out otherwise, so in that sense she's inspirational." DiFranco feels that the family vibe permeates Red Letter Year. "I think there's a lot of the energy of the love that made her, my love for Mike, and the peace he's brought to my life."

The fiercely independent DiFranco, who launched her own label nearly 20 years ago to distribute her music, isn't particularly concerned about putting out new work in the current economic climate. "Because of my independence I had to build my audience based on live shows, as opposed to the marketing muscle of a major label. Touring is once again my bread and butter, and at least I still have a job," she says. But DiFranco feels a balance must be struck in the digital music community. "Music sharing is essential to a degree, but there must be a way for artists to own their work and get paid for it. I don't think artists have to have a stranglehold on controlling their work, but I think they need to have a healthy control so they can survive."

Related Stories:
• Ani DiFranco Plays E-Town Show in Denver During DNC
• Folk Legend Utah Phillips Dies
• Ani DiFranco Salutes New Orleans

• 
  MUSIC The Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments
• 
  MOVIES & TV 'Game of Thrones': The Show Vs. the Books
• 
  POLITICS Matt Taibbi: Facebook IPO vs. Shareholders
• 
  VIDEOS Exclusive: Garbage Rip Through 'I Think I'm Paranoid'

Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter