We need some new algorithms that respect art. That's what we need. | | | | Duke Ellington and his orchestra, 1943.
(John D. Kisch/Archive Photos/Getty Images) | | | | |  | “We need some new algorithms that respect art. That's what we need.”
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| | rantnrave:// This man is the owner of the #1 album in the US. He recorded it while awaiting trial on numerous charges including aggravated battery of a pregnant woman (the trial still looms). He's received co-signs from the likes of KENDRICK LAMAR, and a handful of major reviews that note what's unique and compelling about the music while also acknowledging the horrors of which he's been accused. He's also received plenty of outright condemnation and shunning. I appreciated JON CARAMANICA's review of XXXTENTACION (and 6IX9NINE) in the NEW YORK TIMES, which notes the corners of the music industry that have closed their doors on XXX while also pointing out the perhaps obvious reason why he can still top the charts: "the internet moves faster than any gatekeeper." The first track on the album is a spoken introduction that's ostensibly about his musical non-orthodoxy, but feel free to read it however you may: "If you are not open-minded, before you listen to this album, open your mind," XXX tells us. "It's very comforting but discomforting at the same time." He delivers those words softly, somewhere between reassurance and challenge. One of the most chilling introductions to an album I've ever heard... XXXTentacion happened to have the #4 song on the US version of SPOTIFY for the week of March 15, which I mention only because it comes up in a revelatory graphic in LUCAS SHAW's excellent overview of Spotify's prospects and dangers heading into its public offering next week. Writing for BLOOMBERG, Shaw places the Spotify chart side-by-side with the most-played songs on US radio the same week. The lack of overlap is stunning. Only one song, DRAKE's "GOD'S PLAN," appears on both lists, and the only other name featured on both is Kendrick Lamar. Two enormous demographics, two enormous economies, two vastly different worlds. Each has its own gatekeepers, but one is a lot more gatekept than the other. Which one best describes pop in 2018? Is it possible they both do?... Number of people over age 50 on BILLBOARD's Dance Power Players list: three. Number under 30: 10... The 27 CLUB is the subject of SIMON NAPIER-BELL's documentary 27 GONE TOO SOON, which premieres today at LONDON's REGENT STREET CINEMA, with simultaneous releases on DVD, digital HD and AMAZON... NARDWUAR vs. STEVE ALBINI... RIP BUELL NEIDLINGER, KAK CHANNTHY, JOSÉ ANTONIO ABREU and OLLY WILSON. | | | - Matty Karas, curator |
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 | Bloomberg |
| Investors are about to decide whether it matters that the most popular music streaming service doesn’t make any money. | | |
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 | Billboard |
| With their cascading "waterfall" release strategy, The Chainsmokers are the latest in a line of artists who are innovating and experimenting with shaking up the traditional album rollout cycle. | | |
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 | NPR Music |
| Recent questions about R&B, covers, karaoke and cultural appropriation ignited by an offhand comment Meshell Ndegeocello made about Bruno Mars get a workout in the Ndegeocello's new album. | | |
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 | TechCrunch |
| Becoming and remaining famous requires many of the same skills and qualities as running an entrepreneurial venture, including an exceptional degree of tenacity. | | |
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 | Toronto Star |
| The late Tragically Hip frontman spent his last years fighting for Indigenous rights, something that was front and centre in this year’s broadcast from Vancouver. | | |
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 | Slate |
| Apple bought the headphone-maker in 2014, but the next few months are when we’ll find out what its future looks like. | | |
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 | The New York Times |
| A system that would turn the rear window into a subwoofer and A-pillars into tweeters could be the next wave in audio technology. | | |
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 | Austin American-Statesman |
| Despite our resolve to keep Austin weird, something troubling occurred the other day. Beloved troubadour Dale Watson said he’s pulling up stakes and moving to Memphis. Austin isn’t affordable anymore, Watson said, giving voice to what a lot of us already know. | | |
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 | BBC |
| Iovine says streaming services need to diversify to survive. | | |
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 | Dead Oceans |
| Tom Rogerson and Brian Eno discussing the influences behind their "Finding Shore" project and how they set about creating this unique and beautiful record. | | |
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| Billboard |
| “It’s critically important we have musicians helping us with this movement,” says an educator who lived through the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. | | |
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 | Noisey |
| Sixty years into an iconic career, Young is still fighting back against the recording industry. In a rare interview, he talks to Noisey about art, algorithms, and the likelihood of music saving the world. | | |
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 | Music Business Worldwide |
| Just over two years ago, Carl Hitchborn was skint – having maxed out £15,000 on three credit cards in a high-risk attempt to get his business going. Today, he’s the owner of one of the UK’s most talked-about and disruptive new music companies. | | |
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 | The Muse |
| “I’m a beautician to pubic hair,” CupcakKe said happily during a Sunday afternoon interview in the Jezebel studio. “If you need your pubic hair styled, come to meeee!” | | |
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 | Cincinnati Magazine |
| And whether you realize it or not, the legendarily outrageous, endlessly enthusiastic, sartorially sensational godfather of funk is unquestionably the Queen City’s musical ambassador. | | |
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| Music Business Worldwide |
| Daniel Ek is setting his company a momentous challenge – one which, frankly, looks frighteningly difficult when you consider the hard data available today. | | |
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 | NME |
| Rod Stewart called Elton John's farewell tour "dishonest", but Mark Beaumont explains why we love being lied to with fake goodbyes. | | |
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 | The Daily Beast |
| The jazz legend was often rude and crude and always full of attitude. He was also always worth listening to, whether playing or talking. His life story is a mother lode of wisdom. | | |
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 | The Guardian |
| From Nicki Minaj to Katy Perry, the ‘B’ in LGBTQ has long been overlooked or exploited by mainstream pop. But the former One Direction-er’s latest track is a sign of more inclusive times. | | |
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 | The Quietus |
| The BBC's recent minimalism series has turned the form into a narrow, exclusive Music For (Male) Musicians narrative. Jennifer Allan argues that the media needs to catch up with fast-evolving histories. | | |
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 | YouTube |
| | | | | | From "Dom Flemons Presents Black Cowboys," released last week on Smithsonian Folkways. |
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