The art of throwing shade…

Hey, hey it’s another Shade coming at you!

It’s been great to see such a widespread engagement in last month’s conversation about support and what it means at the level of the independent music industry. Adam Pica’s submission to talk about his experiences from a high place in the industry is a fine viewpoint and robust approach to what could be seen as a rather shady topic.

The ideal outcome of the shade is to be both confrontational and helpful. We strive to engage taboo topics head on. To do this we communicate in the hopes of constructively addressing the issues at hand. And ultimately, we’ll arrive at a more positive understanding, or perhaps inspire others to land on a viewpoint that would have been foreign to them before. This ideal is very much in line with the values at the core of Atomic – which include creating positive social interactions. Although we could always be better at communicating ourselves!

The idea of “The Shade”, isn’t to have a whinge. Aside from a departure from our very real task of promoting independents, this section is geared towards opening conversations about topics that the music community feels strongly about. The ideal outcome of inspiring these conversations is a healthy debate. In modern society, as many voices have observed, taking offence to topics has become something of a norm… And this phenomenon has stifled many progressive ideas.

Being diverse in opinion and composition is of paramount importance to the health of a community. It’s what we’ve built our society around! Freedom of opinions and disagreement. Theories should always stand on their own merits and logic, and as a community we should not fall victim to what is often seen in the media, where attempts are made at undermining the character or credibility of an author, instead of just dealing with the logic of their ideas. No one own’s their idea’s anyway, they just come to us!

So, in conclusion, how to shine the light on something shady? Engage in addressing the issue at hand. Don’t be afraid to butt heads but be constructive, and don’t attempt to discredit anyone’s feelings and ideas by undermining their reputation. And last of all, be wary of going on the attack! You might inexplicably be giving the spotlight to someone who you were trying to spill tea all over……….

Do you want to shine light on a shady topic? Send your submissions to info@atomicmusic.space and “The Shade” for any issues that you want discussed! Anonymity is 100% guaranteed. Your thoughts: Must be honest. Must be truthful. Must be to the point. Must have a point. Must not be direct slander. Generalisations are ok.

-Slim Shady