Some articles elsewhere on the web that you might find interesting too:
Introducing Hoverborg. Or How I Got Fooled By An AI “Band” || Remember The Lightning (S.W. Lauden), July 3, 2024
We fell for it. The creator opens up in this feature that raises crucial questions about A.I. in music
“Spotify made £56m profit, but has decided not to pay smaller artists like me. We need you to make some noise” || The Guardian (Damon Krukowski), November 30, 2023
$0.003 a stream.
The State Of Music Criticism || Dirt (Michelle Santiago Cortés), October 26, 2023
It doesn’t matter anymore? Or in the best place it’s ever been?
What We Lose When Streaming Companies Choose What We Watch || New Yorker (Richard Brody), August 25, 2023
Far from being nostalgic and conservative, the maintenance of a stock of physical media at home is a progressive act of defiance.
What We Can Learn From Bruce Springsteen’s Great Left Turn || New York Times (Warren Zanes), May 19, 2023
“For me, it’s the imperfections that make that recording great.”
The Reason People Listen to Sad Songs || New York Times (Oliver Whang), May 19, 2023
It’s not because they make us sad but because they help us feel connected, a new study suggests.
I’m a Noted Music Critic. Can A.I. Do My Job? || Tidal (Simon Reynolds), January 19, 2023
We’ll continue to write our posts ourselves
How Has Music Changed Since the 1950s? A Statistical Analysis || Stat Significant, January 18, 2023
“Artists that adapt their message will conquer the new medium.”
The 100 greatest BBC music performances – ranked || The Guardian, October 6, 2022
Top of the Pops goes Madchester, Peel session goes uncomfortable fiery.
‘There’s endless choice, but you’re not listening’: fans quitting Spotify to save their love of music || The Guardian (Liz Pelly), September 27, 2022
You can also find new music here.
Bring that beat back: why are people in their 30s giving up on music? || The Guardian (Daniel Dylan Wray), August 16, 2022
We are here for you.
A Final Goodbye from Reigning Sound || Bandcamp (Patrick King), July 22, 2022
“It’s just the name that’s going away, not the artist.”
San Francisco Ain’t Dead || Bandcamp (Mariana Timony), November 29, 2021
Awesome feature on the vibrant scene in the Bay Area.
A Brief History of South American Surf Rock || Bandcamp (Luis Minvielle), November 12, 2021
New compilation Sabor Surf is a good reason to dive deeper into an overlooked period and region.
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time || Rolling Stone, September 15, 2021
List of classics has now been updated with modern, electronic pop songs that we enjoy a lot less.
A Brief History of Musicians Being Sued by Their Album Cover Subjects || Pitchfork (Marc Hogan), August 26, 2021
Good business for lawyers.
A History of Coloured Vinyl || Norman Records, August 10, 2021
100 years after reddish shellac, there is no escaping colored polyvinyl chloride.
Music Study Is A Breaktrough In Visualizing The Neuroscience Of Imagination || Inverse, August 2, 2021
“The brain tries to predict upcoming music events, that same predictive process is related to what we experience as imagination.”
An Oral History Of Popsicko || Independent, July 8. 2021
“It’s the tale of a hard-working and hard-partying young band that seemed destined for success, only to have their dreams dashed when the main songwriter’s life was cut tragically short.”
Anatomy of a Record Collector: How the World Cataloged Over 500 Million Releases on Discogs || Discogs, May 18, 2021
An individual collector on Discogs claims to own more than 512,279 releases. Do you believe it?
40 Greatest One-Album Wonders || Rolling Stone, April 4, 2021
“Some of rock’s greatest stories are short ones.”
Islands In The Stream || Prospect.org (David Dayen), March 22, 2021
Longread about Musicians in peril, at the mercy of giant monopolies that profit off their work. “Krukowski (Galaxie 500) calculated that to earn the equivalent of a $15-an-hour living wage, a band would have to get 650,000 streams per month per band member.”
The Songs That Bind || New York Times (Seth Stephens-Davidowitz), Feb 10, 2018
Songs that came out decades earlier are now, on average, most popular among men who were 14 when they were first released. The most important period for men in forming their adult tastes were the ages 13 to 16.
Total Punk: The Label That’s Exactly As Advertised || Bandcamp (Kevin L. Jones), March 11, 2021
Everything you’ve always wanted to know about Total Punk Record, but were afraid to ask.
Songs About Songs and Why They Matter || Medium.com (Rob Janicke), March 6, 2021
‘Spotlight on Martha Reeves / Let’s don’t forget James Brown’ (John Mellencamp’s R.O.C.K. in the USA).
The Hold Steady Reviews Every Album By The Hold Steady || Uproxx (Steven Hyden), February 12, 2021
“Look, I’m not going to lie to you: We were very, very aware that what we were doing was not at all popular, you know? But I think we tried to celebrate that.”
The story behind the ‘Star Trek IV’ punk on bus: Kirk Thatcher Q&A || San Francisco Chronicle, February 12, 2021
“Do you know how the punk ended up in the original “Star Trek IV” script?”
The 100 Most Expensive Records Ever Sold on Discogs || Discogs, February 3, 2021
You probably didn’t know the No. 1 ($ 41,095) either.
In Praise of ‘Sandinista!’: Why the Clash’s Triple-Album Mess Is Also Their Masterpiece || Rolling Stone, February 1, 2021
The best stories from Crobar, Soho’s infamous rock and roll boozer || NME, January 29, 2021
Documentary about the best aftershow party ever.
The Complete Punk Planet Archive: Read All Issues Of The Legendary Punk Zine || Archive.org, January 28, 2021
The Best Books On Punk Rock (In 80s America) Recommended By Kevin Mattson || Five Books, January 27, 2021
The Women Who Brought Down Burger Records || Los Angeles Times, January 24, 2021
“I wasn’t expecting that at all, for them to just completely remove all presence from the internet,” Redd says. “I still haven’t been able to process it.”
The Ethical Commitment To Be Punk || The Nation, January 6, 2001
When Album Covers Become Collectible Art || Discogs, December 23, 2020
As Banksy mimics Warhol’s famous portraits series, for example.
Music at Home: College Rock || Rolling Stone, November 19, 2020
‘Perhaps the only genre ever to be named after its fans’ level of educational attainment.’
New Captured Tracks Compilation Pays Tribute To American Indie Rock’s Overlooked Pioneers || Bandcamp, November 17, 2020
Bandcamp feature on that great Strum & Thrum comp.
45 Great Music Documentaries to Stream Right Now || BrooklynVegan, November 9, 2020
We didn’t know Ivan Julian either.
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time || Rolling Stone, September 22, 2020
Big Star’s #1 Record at no. 474, not at thirteen.
The anti-Spotify: How online music company Bandcamp became the toast of the COVID age || Los Angeles Times, September 22, 2020
We’re fans as well.
The Magic of Rick Rubin Is in What He Doesn’t Do || The Ringer, June 25, 2020
“It’s like watching someone casually invent fire, or money.”
Hair Metal, the CIA, and a Cold War Plot: Wind of Change Is a Thrilling Ride || Vulture, May 11, 2020
About the very interesting podcast by New Yorker staff writer Patrick Radden Keefe.
Listen to nearly 1000 Peel Sessions (The Cure, Nirvana, Joy Division, Nick Drake, more) || BrooklynVegan, May 11, 2020
Actually, the full list is here.
Why Do We Even Listen to New Music? || Pitchfork, April 6, 2020
For the same reason you visit our blog?
New Web Project Immortalizes the Overlooked Women Who Helped Create Rock and Roll in the 1950s || Open Culture, May 23, 2019
About Branstetter’s project, a digital dissertation.
Enter the Cover Art Archive: A Massive Collection of 800,000 Album Covers from the 1950s through 2018 || Open Culture, February 27, 2018
For your own cultural album cover anthropology.
1980s Metalhead Kids Are All Right: New Study Suggests They Became Well-Adjusted Adults || Open Culture, July 14, 2015
Good news for parents
The Album Canon (1960 – 1999) || In Review Online, December 27, 2014
Historical relevance.
The 50 Coolest Albums ever || ShortList, 12 January 2012
We’re not entirely sure that “cool” is the right word to describe these albums, but it’s an essential list nonetheless (they later also listed the 50 coolest album covers).
The 200 Best Songs of the 1960s || Pitchfork, August 18, 2006
‘The songs that most resonate with a generation too young to have experienced the decade firsthand, but old enough to know it had more to offer than “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”’
More to follow!