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An accomplished musician is ditching record labels and teaming up with his fans — for good.

Singer-songwriter and producer Kenna wants to be the first-ever 'one-for-one' recording artist.

The music industry can be brutal.

Everyone wants their cut: record labels — especially record labels — agents, lawyers, managers, promoters, and other grabby middlemen.

It's particularly tough on artists supporting themselves while also trying to make a positive difference in the world through their craft.

Photo by Sascha Kohlmann/Flickr.

In the age of streaming, most recording artists face a steep climb just to make a living, let alone become philanthropists.

By the time we hear the songs, much of what we spend to enjoy our favorite musicians' hard work has been scattered by the winds of industry, and little remains for social responsibility.

Research by data journalist David McCandless, for example, shows that record labels take between 81% and 86% of payouts from streaming services like Spotify.

Photo by Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images.

Musician, producer, and activist Kenna Zemedkun has worked in the music-industrial complex for years and is ready for change.

He wants to produce and sell all of his music and perform all of his concerts as a "one-for-one" artist — one who "makes a commitment to improving the world through the daily sales and business of music."

Kenna Zemedkun (left) and his father. Image from Translator Labs (screenshot).

Being a one-for-one artist, according to Kenna, means cutting out the middlemen and clearing a path for partnership with his fans.

"Instead of giving the majority of money I make to the music industry, I could just use it to benefit the causes that you and I care about."

With fan support, Kenna plans to independently produce all of his music and send half of everything he earns to important causes.

"Every time you listen to the music I produce, get tickets to my show, click 'like,' 'buy,' 'share,' ... you knew it was funding change," he says in a one-for-one kick-off video. "Instead of giving the majority of money I make to the music industry, I could just use it to benefit the causes that you and I care about."

Among Kenna's causes are getting clean water to impoverished communities, fighting for women's rights, and (naturally) expanding arts education in schools.

Kenna's pilot one-for-one project is an album called "Songs for Flight." Here's the first recorded track:

Kenna hopes the one-for-one model inspires other musicians to seize their power, connect more deeply with their fans, and make an impact.

Time will tell if the one-for-one model can change the music industry, but in the meantime, Kenna's goal is straightforward: spread the word, raise money, make art, help people. Now that's a song worth hearing on repeat.

Watch Kenna's one-for-one kick-off video:

Family

Korean mom has a perfect response to the teacher who called her son's lunches 'disgusting'

Good for her for standing up for her child's culture.

via Roman Harak/Flickr

A Korean mother and her son

A recently posted story on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her family after being bullied by a teacher for her culture. Reddit user Flowergardens0 posted the story to the AITA forum, where people ask whether they are wrong in a specific situation.

Over 5,600 people commented on the story, and an overwhelming majority thought the mother was right. Here’s what went down:

“I (34F) have a (5M) son who attends preschool. A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” Flowergardens0 wrote. “She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches."

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Joy

Teen with a fishing magnet found a safe full of cash. And then he returned it all to its owner.

The safe was stolen 22 years ago.

via Wikimedia Commons

It's incredible what a double-sided magnet can do.


A new trend in treasure hunting called magnet fishing has blown up over the past two years, evidenced by an explosion of YouTube channels covering the hobby. Magnet fishing is a pretty simple activity. Hobbyists attach high-powered magnets to strong ropes, drop them into waterways and see what they attract.

The hobby has caught the attention of law enforcement and government agencies because urban waterways are a popular place for criminals to drop weapons and stolen items after committing a crime. In 2019, a magnet fisherman in Michigan pulled up an antique World War I mortar grenade and the bomb squad had to be called out to investigate.


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Pop Culture

Woman was mocked online for calling an $80 purse a 'luxury item.' Her response went viral.

"I'm so grateful that my dad was able to get me one. He worked so hard for that money.”

@zohtaco/TikTok

Zoe Gabriel, showing off her new purse from Charles & Keith

Insults of any kind are painful, but jabs towards someone’s financial status are their own breed.

In January 2023, Singapore-based Zoe Gabriel was on the receiving end of this particular flavor of mockery when she posted a TikTok about a purse from local retail brand Charles & Keith—a gift bought for her by her father.

In her excitement, the 17-year-old called the bag, which costs around $80, a “luxury” item as she unwrapped it. Her excitement was sadly cut short by some of the negative comments she received.

One comment seemed to stand out above the rest and prompted Gabriel to post an emotional response video.

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internet
Family

Ring doorbell video captures the phenomenon of what it's like to be the default parent

Millions of us know what it's like to be the "default parent."

Toniann Marchese/TikTok

Ring doorbell video captures what it's like to be the default parent.

Kids, man. I'm not sure of the scientific way audacity is distributed, but kids have a lot of it and somehow make it cute. That audacity overload is especially interesting when you're the default parent—you know, the parent kids go to for literally everything as if there's not another fully capable adult in the house. Chances are if your children haven't sought you out while you were taking a shower so you could open up a pack of fruit snacks, then you're not the default parental unit.

One parent captured exactly what it's like to be the default parent and shared it to TikTok, where the video has over 4 million views. Toniann Marchese went on a quick grocery run and *gasp* did not inform her children. Don't you fret, they're modern kids who know how to use modern means to get much-needed answers when mom is nowhere to be found. They went outside and rang the doorbell.

Back when we were children, this would've done nothing but make the dogs bark, but for Marchese's kids, who are 3 and 6 years old, it's as good as a phone call.

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parenting
Pop Culture

'American Idol' contestant has perfect response to Katy Perry's 'mom-shaming' joke

The 25-year-old used the moment to stand up for moms everywhere.

@sarabethliebe/TikTok

"Keep loving your babies."

You might recall us singing the praises of Sara Beth, the exuberant young mom with major vocal chops dubbed the “Accidental American Idol.”

During Sara Beth’s initial audition for the show, judge Katy Perry made a joke that rubbed many viewers the wrong way.

Before Sara Beth even began to sing, the 25-year-old revealed that she had three children, which prompted Katy Perry to dramatically stand up from her seat and feign shock. When Sara Beth, all smiles, said, “If Katy lays on the table, I think I’m going to pass out,” Perry retorted, “Honey, you’ve been laying on the table too much.”

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celebrity
Pop Culture

These incredible acoustic cameras can actually see sound

Here's how they work.

via Steve Mould/YouTube

YouTube creator Steve Mould shows us what echo looks like through an acoustic camera.

It’s bizarre to think about seeing sound, but nowadays we can do just that. If you haven’t seen an acoustic camera before, that’s because they’re mainly used for industrial purposes, but they’ve been available commercially from gfai tech since 2001.

YouTuber Steve Mould, who has a science channel with over 2.1 million subscribers, took the complicated concept of the acoustic camera and made it easy to understand in his latest video, “Acoustic cameras can SEE sound.”

In the video, Mould explains how an acoustic camera is much like your smartphone's video recorder. But it also creates visual representations of sound emanating from where it’s generated within the video.

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technology
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