Most discovery happens pretty serendipitously. Waking up on a Sunday going, 'Ah, I have half an hour, time to go discover some music!' isn’t really a common mode of thinking. |
| | Bob Marley in Dublin, July 6, 1980. (Eddie / monosnaps) | | | | | “Most discovery happens pretty serendipitously. Waking up on a Sunday going, 'Ah, I have half an hour, time to go discover some music!' isn’t really a common mode of thinking.”
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| rantnrave:// With respect to APPLE MUSIC, which is churning out playlists like sand on a beach, and TIDAL, which is focusing hard on A-list exclusives (which are evil, but that's a different rant), SPOTIFY seems to be playing the subscription music game at a different level these days. The algorithmically curated DISCOVER WEEKLY playlist is hit-and-miss, but I often find good music in there, and, more interesting to me, it shows a company that's actively thinking not only about what to program but how to program it, when to program it and how to deliver it. The unsexy-but-crucial heart of curation, that is. Thinking about the gallery itself as much as thinking about the art inside. This interview with product lead MATT OGLE offers some great behind-the-scenes insight into how the company is approaching both its programming and its product, and it gives me hope for a future where subscription music is more of a utility and less of a chore... SPOTIFY is now claiming 30 million paid users, btw... As for all those handmade APPLE playlists, I'd like to dissent on the over-the-top praise for this one: a marijuana playlist called "SONGS ABOUT MARY" that, like a rigidly programmed terrestrial radio station, refuses to stray beyond its classic rock/pop borders. No jazz. No country. No, um, reggae. If a TV show like "BETTER CALL SAUL" can make viewers care about mariachi and country waltzes, surely one of the world's leading music services can interest 420-inclined pop/rock fans in reggae. I like this one from APPLE curator COMPLEX, which uses the music sampled on KANYE WEST's "THE LIFE OF PABLO" as an excuse to build a playlist around NINA SIMONE, PASTOR T.L. BARRETT, SECTION 25, WHODINI and more. Music discovery can be as easy as that. | | - Matty Karas, curator |
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| "It's really helped -- both externally and even internally to be honest -- to dispel the myth that discovery is a niche thing. A tastemaker thing." | |
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Five years since its veiled release, a conversation about The Weeknd's debut and its influence on contemporary pop music. | |
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After a string of abysmal contracts in the 60s, the Beatles’ never had complete control of their phenomenal output. Now one of pop’s greatest ever songwriters is finally reclaiming the rights to his work. | |
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It's half past five on a balmy February afternoon in Beverly Hills, the time of day when the light streaks in horizontal, mingling with the smog into a dull, carroty glow that makes normal folks look beautiful, and beautiful folks look ethereal. | |
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I wanted to bring you some wisdom gleaned from a talk I attended yesterday, given by Grammy-nominated producer and musician Darryl Neudorf. He took us through a fairly quick but compelling presentation that outlined the state of the music industry today, then explaining how we got here, and then laying out his plan for a better tomorrow for the music business. | |
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Technology hasn’t diminished the social quality of listening to music. | |
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"I'm never going to make anything other than a country record," says Simpson of upcoming LP 'A Sailor's Guide to Earth.' | |
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The final day of SXSW can be the sort of thing where you're too burnt-out, sunburnt, or both to care about seeing anyone. Sometimes there's someone playing that's so exciting -- that's so much of a "moment" -- that you can get a second wind. | |
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Is the music industry serious about equality and diversity? Where next after #BritsSoWhite, Music Week’s ‘30 under 30’ and Billboards Power 100? | |
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Soundcloud just signed a big deal, but it might not be enough to save them. | |
| Last night, HBO aired back to back shows, "Vinyl" and "Girls," that both ended on "Life on Mars?" Too soon, I say | |
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How can a song all about struggling with the afterglow of fame, thrust someone into fame? How can a lyric like, "I'm just a singer who already blew his shot, " give a singer another shot? I don't know ... but it's funny. And that's exactly what's happening with my song, "I Took a Pill in Ibiza." | |
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As Capital FM establishes itself in Liverpool, Getintothis' Shaun Ponsonby asks why we tolerate generic radio when there are other alternatives. | |
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Just about two years ago, Wye Oak released their stunning fourth album, Shriek. It was one of our favorite albums of 2014, and a crucial moment for the band. The relentless touring behind their breakthrough Civilian left them burnt out, and they had to find a way to reinvigorate and reimagine the band. | |
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What happened when Gabi Asfour, of the high-concept label threeASFOUR, set out to design uniforms for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. | |
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>From First to Last's second album, "Heroine," was one of the last gasps of the millennial post-hardcore and screamo. Released a decade ago today (March 21), the album also plays another, perhaps more pop-culturally significant role: It was the last album the band released with singer Sonny Moore before he embarked on a successful solo career and became the EDM phenomenon known as Skrillex. | |
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Watch the celebrated UK duo give us a peek behind the scenes of their elaborate live set-up. | |
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David Wingo talks about the captivating soundtrack for "Midnight Special." | |
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How the Snarky Puppy member balances secular and sacred music. | |
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Comedian Marc Maron is tackling the most complex philosophical question of our day - WTF? He'll get to the bottom of it with help from comedian friends, celebrity guests and the voices in his own head. You loved him on Morning Sedition. You kinda liked him on The Marc Maron Show. | |
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