Music with a Twist: Flying the rainbow flag or homogenizing the homos?
Sony recently announced the launch of their gay record label, Music with a Twist. The label is one of a few new LGBT-themed media outlets founded by Wilderness Media & Entertainment; the company also responsible for MTV's gay and lesbian channel, Logo, and a nationally syndicated radio show called Twist. The label promises a roster of gay artists, as well as straight musicians who've been "embraced by gay, bisexual, and trans-gendered audiences." Will Music with a Twist really promote growth in the queer music community or just encourage the "us/them" mentality? Local lesbian singer/songwriter Ellis agrees with the former.
"I think it's great! Anything that affirms the LGBT community has the potential to be very positive," she says. "Though I am very open about being a lesbian artist, my primary goal is to touch people with my music. Since I have both fans from the queer community and also fans who don't identify in that way, I'm not sure it would be the best fit for me."
On the other hand, Tim Carroll of local metal band Faggot had this to say: "I hate the name of the label. I take offense to any reference to the Queer culture being somehow twisted/off kilter/etc. Sounds like a pretty generic "safe" gay label. I'd love to see Sony take on Faggot with songs like 'Fuck You, America,' 'You're Gay/You're Dead,' or 'I Have a Disease,' but I'm certain they won't go any more extreme than RuPaul or Indigo Girls or Liza Minnelli's greatest hits."
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