I always put things in perspective. Since the situation in Syria escalated five years ago, I know so many people who lost everything, who lost their loved ones, who lost their homes, either they cannot go back or their family is disappearing. Even in this, I'm a very lucky person. I have my clarinet, I can express my feelings through music.
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Gaetano Otira Tep Yer Yer and Kornelio Odong Mulili of Sudanese band Acholi Machon in 2015. (Judith Burrows/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Thursday - February 02, 2017 Thu - 02/02/17
rantnrave:// LUCAS GONZE, a music tech guy whose resume includes MOG, GRACENOTE and YAHOO! MUSIC, writes about the monetary and branding power of playlists—specifically official, professionally generated playlists, which are (you've heard this before) the new radio, and which companies like SPOTIFY can use as leverage in negotiations with labels, who very much want placement on them. He links to BAS GRASMAYER, a smart digital strategy guy whose pieces I feature with some frequency, who informs us (and this is the natural and obvious outcome of that which you've heard before) that playlist promo is the new radio promo, and that there are playlist and promo people who spend their time thinking about where exactly on a playlist a song should go based on how likely a user is to skip it, and they have concluded that it's sometimes helpful to be near the bottom of the playlist, where you will get fewer plays but also a lower skip percentage, which will make the professional playlist generators more likely to keep placing your song on subsequent playlists. This all makes an incredible amount of sense and sounds like super smart business and now I would like to crawl under a professionally generated digital rock. But I'm old and I was trained in true freeform radio (shoutout WMFO), where the only metric anyone ever talked about, thought about or even knew about was "does this song sound good after that song?" Shoutout segues. Shoutout music. Everything else makes me cry... On the plus side, there's no song worth hearing right now that doesn't segue nicely in or out of this... Someone please write the definitive story on the playlist promo business circa 2017 and send me a link when you're done (or send me a pitch right now)... THE CHAINSMOKERS embrace the NICKELBACK-of-EDM thing... And—speaking of segues—feel free to file that next to the CAR SEAT HEADREST/SMASH MOUTH thing... I got you babe, every day, always... RIP MAX WILCOX.
- Matty Karas, curator
ying yang twins
New Republic
Breaking Elgar’s Enigma
by Daniel Estrin
Did a violin teacher from Plano, Texas solve the world's greatest classical music mystery?
ESPN.com
Dawn's Early Light
by Tom Junod
The meaning of “The Star-Spangled Banner” -- America’s original protest song -- on the brink of its most high-profile performance.
The New York Times
Sampha, a Wounded Voice for Drake and Beyoncé, Steps Out With 'Process'
by Joe Coscarelli
With “genuine humility,” this shy British pop singer and electronic producer is releasing his first full-length album.
UPROXX
For The Last Time: Rock Is Not Dead, You're Just Not Paying Attention
by Steven Hyden
There have never been more great rock bands. You just have to be willing to go beyond the mainstream.
Billboard
Dave Grohl Is the King of the Unlikely Grammy Collaboration
by Andrew Unterberger
Before he joins A Tribe Called Quest and Anderson .Paak at this year's ceremonies, let's take a look back at the legacy that led us invariably to this moment: a history of Dave Grohl's unlikely Grammy collabs.
Dazed Digital
What's it like to study Kanye West at university?
by Anna Cafolla
Dr Jeffrey McCune of Washington University breaks down queerness, black excellence and ego in ‘Politics of Kanye West: Black Genius and Sonic Aesthetics.’
Medium
The Long Game for Playlists
by Lucas Gonze
Mark Mulligan asks why Netflix is profitable but not Spotify, and concludes: The main reason for Netflix's stronger position is that it owns so much of its content, while Spotify and co rent their content. So what is Spotify's path forward?
Rolling Stone
How Queen + Adam Lambert Are Keeping Freddie Mercury's Legacy Alive
by Steve Appleford
Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor and live frontman Adam Lambert discuss how their collaboration came about, and their big summer tour.
The Trichordist
Musicians Action Group Submits Comments To Judiciary Committee On Copyright Reform
by David Lowery
Musicians Action is a participatory democratic grass roots organization dedicated to public direct action to support economic justice for working artists in the digital domain.
The Huffington Post
Lady Gaga, We're Begging You To Make Your Super Bowl Show A Huge Protest
by Noah Michelson
Don’t let us down ― we can't take much more of that right now.
cocteau twins
MusicAlly
UK grime: how artists ripped up the music industry rulebook
by Stuart Dredge
Grime is the UK’s most exciting musical and cultural export in decades, but it’s also fascinating on a business level.
The Stranger
Bands I Pretended to Like for Boys. Part Seven: Ben Folds
by Kathleen Tarrant
We would sit in his red Volvo station wagon and listen to the 2002 "Ben Folds Live" album, memorizing his stage banter. "Whatever and Ever Amen" was paired with our hesitant make-outs, "The Battle of Who Could Care Less" scoring the fumbling of two pheromone-drunk teens who couldn't help but care the most about everything.
Aquarium Drunkard
Bruce Springsteen :: 'The Ghost Of Tom Joad' -- A 2017 Reflection
by J. Neas
The best songwriting works like a Rorschacht test. Observed from different angles, it reflects as much about the listener as it does the artist.
The Fader
Allison Crutchfield Has Been Underrated For Too Long
by Amos Barshad
Meet pop-punk’s secret superstar.
Pigeons & Planes
Seasons Change, E-40 Remains
by Jimmy Ness
A fresh addition to his 28-album discography have Bay Area legend E-40 back in the spotlight. A high-profile disagreement over broccoli didn't hurt either.
Genius
The Illuminati & Hip-Hop: A Conversation With Prodigy
by Rob Markman and Prodigy
The Mobb Deep rapper invited Genius into the The Illuminati Ball House.
Billboard
DotBlockchain Music Signs Up Four Industry Partners, Enters 'Phase Two' of Data Project
by Dan Rys
New deals with industry partners mean that DotBlockchain has taken another significant step towards solving the music industry's most glaring data -- and payment -- problem. Will it pay off?
The Miami Herald
She never sang for her famous parents. Now, Emily Estefan is finding her voice
by Howard Cohen
Emily Estefan, the 22-year-old daughter of pop and Latin singer Gloria Estefan and producer Emilio Estefan, releases her debut album and performs her first solo concert for the University of Miami’s Festival Miami music series.
Artsy
Why Experimental Artist John Cage Was Obsessed with Mushrooms
by Sarah Gottesman
“I have come to the conclusion that much can be learned about music by devoting oneself to the mushroom,” Cage once explained.
Perfect Sound Forever
Is the Era of Weird Instruments Over?
by Gary Gomes
First of all, allow me to point out that some instruments we now take for granted in music didn't exist at all not too long ago. Pianos were not in common use until the 1800's. Saxophones were invented in the same century.
MUSIC OF THE DAY
YouTube
"Koya Mo Were We Baramu (Now You Are Like a European)"
Wayo
from "Trance Percussion Masters of South Sudan" (2013).
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@JasonHirschhorn


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