The headline for the Supreme Court ruling we’re still waiting for: Supreme Court Permits Lawsuits Over Human Beings Seized by the United States Centuries Ago

My new essay, which is also a review of @legroff.bsky.social's writing, explores the story of America, the myth of the road trip as baptism, and how all of this is captured in a short story that will never, ever leave me. This one hits close to home for me. dariusjagjag.substack.com/p/born-to-run

The recent New York Times list of the 30 greatest living American songwriters has been bothering me.

One of my favorite feelings in the world is stumbling upon new music from a new artist and being unexpectedly blown away. Thanks to a Substack post by @emwhitenoise.bsky.social some months ago highlighting new music being played on college radio, I discovered a quartet from Toronto called Potions.

Credit where it’s due — Secretly moves thoughtfully and w a clear core artist-first mission 🤘🏻 Darius & the distro team esp thoughtful w mission & follow through —- Cargo (physical) distro esp relevant as shared infra that serves artists & is not feasible individually!

This is exactly our intention at Secretly. The opposite of extraction. For 30 years, we’ve reinvested our profits into the artists and labels within our community, as well as into our employees & infrastructure, to become a more effective support system for the human creators of great art & music.

“My luck is so bad that when I touch the ocean, the ocean drowns.” My mother Farideh dropped this zinger on me yesterday.

Yesterday, at roughly 1:23:45 am Kyiv time, it was exactly 40 years since Reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded.

great piece by my sister on p4k today. I especially enjoyed the lore from morby's early days in NYC and the stories from her trip to Kansas City. I know I am biased but I always think Jenn's are masterclass profiles - pitchfork.com/features/lif...

Sunday marks the 40th anniversary of one of the most consequential man-made disasters in history, the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown. I wrote about it, including how it reveals what might happen if we, as human society, fail to balance our scientific ambitions with our mythologically grounded needs.

One of my favorite lines, by anyone, ever. I was raised to be in the first group. But I found happiness when I learned that the right place is with the moon howlers and the story makers, not the scientifically instructed.

"There is a reason, after all, that some people wish to colonize the moon, and others dance before it as an ancient friend."—James Baldwin (Thank you, Jermaine Fowler, for reminding me of this line.)

The real danger of current marketing practices—that chase virality, condition public perception, and try to juke the algorithms—is that they are priming the soil for what comes next: a flood of generative AI content and “personalities”.

No single transaction has greater potential to reshape the music industry than Bill Ackman’s (Pershing Square’s) takeover bid for Universal Music Group. www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/bill-ackmans...

I'm excited to speak at Harvard Law School's RAP Symposium on March 26. RAP, the "Recording Artists Project" at Harvard Law, offers pro bono legal assistance in the music industry. They also host this all-day event featuring speakers at the intersection of music, entertainment, and law.

When AI tells me there is a more concise way to phrase something, I reject it immediately, and I then convince myself that this is how I best fight for humanity.

To protect human creativity, merely engaging AI companies may not be enough. Obtaining equity stakes (i.e. a true seat at the table) could help ensure that AI companies operate ethically and in accordance with humanist and culture-forward principles. musicx.substack.com/p/who-contro...

In a letter to shareholders today, Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl noted that just 27% of US music streaming consumption in 2024 came from new releases, versus 45% a decade ago. 1/4

Generative AI models that create music represent a new challenge for the music community. I wrote about AI's threat to human artistry, and what we can do as music independents to protect what matters most. www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/rise-of-the-...

Please read and share this wonderful article about music. We may soon reach a point of no return, never to recover what we've lost. It all boils down to a simple choice: start fighting for new art and new sounds,or start to perish. @dariusjagjag.bsky.social dariusjagjag.substack.com/p/the-strugg...

UMG acquired Downtown, but only after being required to divest Curve Royalties. I'm so encouraged by how effective IMPALA & the broader independent community was in this fight against further market concentration, forcing a serious review by the European Commission & extracting a meaningful remedy.

This morning I walked out my front door, put my headphones on, and Kevin Morby sang to me about how there’s a heaven on earth. My favorite song poet right now. So starting my day off with a huge pep in my step (even though I’m pretty sure I’m listening to a song about death).

A nurse. A researcher. A helper.

Thought-provoking: “Any theory of community will tell you that it is just as important to put up barriers to entry as it is to welcome people in. To make a community feel valuable there needs to be some friction involved.”—Maarten Walraven (Music x)

I wrote about my favorite song from last year, "Me," & the artist behind it, Lucie Lozinski (aka Ski Team). I also talked about the challenges new artists face when trying to get their brilliant new music out into the world & about how my role has evolved. dariusjagjag.substack.com/p/episode-4-...

“When power corrupts, it keeps a log of its progress, written into that most sensitive memory device, the human face.”

“During the Vietnam War… every respectable artist in this country was against the war. It was like a laser beam. We were all aimed in the same direction. The power of this weapon turns out to be that of a custard pie dropped from a stepladder six feet high.”—the late, great Kurt Vonnegut

Thank you so much, @jgrossnas.bsky.social , for the kind words. Not sure my essay is one of the best pieces of music journalism in 2025, but it always feels good to be recognized!

I wrote about Toni Morrison and how I learned from her that making the world a better place starts with protecting our concept of home. (An excerpt from this essay is in the thread below.) dariusjagjag.substack.com/p/episode-3-...

“Poptimism intimated that critics should not just take pop music seriously but celebrate it—or else.…” (1/4)

I wrote about Flannery O’Connor and how her subversive writing was the kindling that Toni Morrison lit on fire. Their stories and essays have changed how we think about ourselves, and, by doing so, they have gifted us a cheat code to changing the world. dariusjagjag.substack.com/p/episode-2-...

Kindergartener just told me “memory is not a sense” and wandered off so I’ve got a new guru.

From @recordoftheday.bsky.social: "we'd recommend taking the time to read Darius Van Arman's recent piece in Stereogum. It’s as much a critique of consolidation in the music industry as it is a meditation on the economics of music streaming & the pitfalls of algorithmically-driven music discovery."

I like very much how my friend Hunter Giles from @infinitecatalog.bsky.social ties whether you’re an independent (in the music industry context) to how you behave. He shared the following: If you’re re-investing, you’re an independent If you’re moving culture forward, you’re an independent

I am starting a substack called "In This Game Together". It will be a journal about culture, writing and music. For thinkers, and for those looking for magic in the cracks around us. (Link in the comments)

In this fight we find ourselves in—the struggle for independence in the modern age—, we need to fearlessly push back against all market concentration wherever it arises. I wrote an essay from the heart and mind about independence and the current state of culture industries.