Former artist manager Jeff Rabhan criticized Chappell Roan’s Grammy acceptance speech in a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter last Wednesday. After accepting her first Grammy win in the best new artist category, Roan called out record labels for failing aspiring musicians by not offering livable wages and healthcare benefits. She shared she felt betrayed and dehumanized after being dropped from her first label in a system that regularly fails smaller artists.
Rabhan argued music labels bear no responsibility over an artist’s health care or well-being. He argued that labels do not need to provide funds beyond advances and royalties and urged Roan to use her success to support struggling artists herself “rather than just talk at it.” Roan responded by challenging Rabhan to match her in donating $25,000 USD to help struggling artists who had been dropped by their labels the way she was in 2020.
Rabhan published an open letter to Roan on the social media platform X, claiming that he doesn’t make enough money as an educator to give away $25,000 and has already “given away thousands of hours to artists in need.” He also called out Halsey, who called his op-ed a “ranting, seething tantrum”. He argued that his op-ed wasn’t a personal attack on Roan, but he’s now being victimized by fans of hers and Halsey’s. “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,” he wrote.
Roan’s community of fellow artists are clearly on her side, with both Noah Kahan and Charli XCX pledging to match her donation over the weekend. “Happy to help get the ball rolling,” Kahan wrote on his Instagram story. “Money where my mouth is!” Charli added, “Your speech at the Grammys was inspiring and thoughtful and from a genuine place of care. Happy to help get the ball rolling too.”
In another Instagram Story post on Sunday, Roan doubled down on the demands she made during her speech. She wrote, “My mind will not be changed about artists deserving more than what’s standard in the industry.” “Random dudes are allowed to criticize my Grammy speech, but they best put their money where their mouth is, otherwise MOVE out of the way.”
Roan proceeded to clarify that the charitable organization she’s supporting with her donation is Backline, sharing a screenshot of the receipt and letting fans know that they “don’t have to donate a damn penny,” adding, “This is one of many opportunities for the industry powers to show up for artists.
