in the streaming era the fact that you can't click on a song and see who played on it, who wrote it, who engineered it, who produced it, etc and then click on their name and see all their work is just D-U-M-B. | | | | Lost in music: Ecstatic fans at the Isle of Wight Festival, Newport, England, Sept. 1, 1969.
(Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) | | | | |  | “in the streaming era the fact that you can't click on a song and see who played on it, who wrote it, who engineered it, who produced it, etc and then click on their name and see all their work is just D-U-M-B.”
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| | rantnrave:// Three weeks ago, SPOTIFY users were complaining about too much DRAKE, whose face was staring back at them from landing pages and playlists everywhere they looked, no matter what they were looking for. The unbridled power of the major label streaming promotion machine. This week, it's the reverse complaint: Major labels say they're not getting enough love and attention on Spotify playlists, at least according to analysts at DEUTSCHE BANK who are getting their intelligence from an anonymous 25-year veteran of the music biz. And they're understandably worried, reports BUSINESS INSIDER (paywall), since a reported 30 percent of Spotify listening comes from programmed playlists. So, in short, major labels are getting too much and not enough streaming play and no one is happy. Traditionally, no one getting everything they want is a sign of a fair deal, right? But the deal that matters most here isn't the one between Spotify users and labels—I'm not even clear such a deal exists—but, rather, the one between Spotify users and Spotify. The former pays a fee or listens to ads; the latter provides content and programming. That's it. And my allegiance will always be to the users, the fans, the hearts and the ears for which music is made. If Spotify programmers aren't observing any kind of a quota on major-label content, that's a win for fans. If they're programming the music that best fits on any given playlist without regard to where it comes from, that's a win. Obviously there are deals, promotions, favors and whatnot going into the major official playlists. That's how commercial programming works. But if there's no demand beyond that to favor the song distributed by UNIVERSAL over the song distributed by the ORCHARD, then may the most appropriate song get the add. And may it flow perfectly into the next one. (Also, one can't help but wonder these days how the labels cashing in a big chunk of their ownership positions affects the math of the DISCOVER WEEKLY algorithm or the art of the RAPCAVIAR segue)... I kind of sort of get the fine print of the legal argument behind MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL, which owns MANDALAY BAY in Las Vegas, suing victims of the last year's mass shooting at the ROUTE 91 HARVEST festival. But, um, really? I don't care if all your lawyers, your entire board and every living shareholder is telling you to do this. It's an ugly thing to do, and you deserve whatever comes your way as a result... Note to convicted identity thieves: "A recent cosign from DRAKE" is a legally valid excuse for postponing your prison sentence, at least in Florida... Techno DJ named CEO of GOLDMAN SACHS... Shoutout to BILLY JOEL, who plays his 100th MADISON SQUARE GARDEN show tonight. Billy's secret to success in his later years: "I always say, 'Just don't die.'" (Pro tip: Be careful when riding your motorcycle in the rain)... The GRAMMY AWARDS will be held at the STAPLES CENTER in LA on FEB. 10, 2019... Loved this version of the national anthem, performed by a group of WASHINGTON D.C. community choirs at the MLB ALL-STAR GAME. | | | - Matty Karas, curator |
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 | NPR |
| Search the phrase "80s version" and you'll find dozens of present-day hits reworked with vintage synths and sax solos. Embedded in them is an emotional lesson on what's missing from the streaming era. | | |
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 | IQ Magazine |
| With investment from LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, Tracer - led by ex-Ticketbis VP Jorge Díaz Largo - aims to make ticket touting a thing of the past. | | |
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 | Garage Magazine |
| Binaural beats promise happiness, spiritual peace, even DNA repair and hypnosis--all through the power of sound. What do they really deliver? | | |
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 | Electronic Beats |
| Learn about nightlife in the German capital with our ultimate guide to Berlin's club scene. | | |
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 | Esri |
| Between the early 1960s and the mid 1990s, the independent record store was a mainstay in New York culture, providing a space for music fans, critics, and creators to congregate and share the burgeoning rock and roll, disco, dance, and new wave scenes. A basic understanding of economics and technological change, however, can explain the sharp decline in the world’s record stores since the 1990s. | | |
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 | And The Writer Is... |
| Charli XCX effortlessly plays the role of irresistible front-woman and the wizard behind the curtain pulling the puppet strings on millennial bangers such as “I Love It," “Boom Clap,” “Fancy," “After The Afterparty,” and “Boys.” She adheres to three golden songwriting rules: to not make boring pop music, not follow pop trends and not make pop music that has been made before. | | |
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 | Chicago Reader |
| Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker, Nilüfer Yanya, and Ravyn Lenae demonstrate the depth of the young female talent pool. | | |
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 | Slate |
| The story of the country music trailblazer and her hometown defies the simplistic narratives we tell about rural Southern whites. | | |
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 | Lenny |
| The pop star talks her new album, "Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides." | | |
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 | Esquire |
| How the Beatles classic changed the future of animation. | | |
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 | uDiscoverMusic |
| We celebrate the iconic recording studios - Sun, Motown, Abbey Road - that have become almost as famous as the musicians who have recorded there. | | |
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 | Medium |
| A look into the symbolic meaning of America's instrument. | | |
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 | The Music Maze |
| Digital Service Providers (DSPs), also known simply as “music services,” are online platforms where users can stream, download, or interact with your music. As an independent artist, you can use distributors such as CD Baby, TuneCore, and DistroKid to get your music onto DSPs, such as Spotify and Apple Music. | | |
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 | BuzzFeed |
| Stefani has always been a study in contrasts: a sexy tomboy; a rock star who loves her man and her manicures. So why are we still surprised every time she tells us who she is? | | |
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 | GQ |
| We embedded with the iconic thrash metal band as their last tour swung through Texas. | | |
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| Slate |
| Pitch co-producer Whitney Jones talks about the making of the new season of Pitch, their partnership with Audible, and the politics of music. | | |
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 | Pitchfork |
| There is no limit to this Harlem dynamo’s ambition. | | |
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| NPR |
| Marília Mendonça has reclaimed Brazil's traditional genre sertanejo and created "feminejo," providing women with a voice in a traditionally macho society. | | |
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 | Pollstar |
| On the eve of Billy Joel’s monumental 100th lifetime Madison Square Garden performance, a streak which began in 1978 and ramped-up in 2014 with an unprecedented monthly residency, Pollstar caught up with the artist to get his take on this historic accomplishment, his longtime team, how he commutes to the “office” and the secret to his success. | | |
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 | Passion of the Weiss |
| Abe Beame presents a definitive playlist for Boots Riley’s rap group, The Coup. | | |
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 | YouTube |
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