You’ll learn more about the state of Spotify payments from this than from any of their own press releases or the music business publications that repeat them

and for episode 14 we're back with more headlines! digging into UMG CEO Lucian Grainge's recent appearance at NVIDIA's "Super Bowl of AI" conference plus the 2026 "Loud and Clear" report, Spotify's annual crisis PR campaign disguised as royalty "transparency" effort>> www.patreon.com/posts/episod...

a bit behind on the bluesky postings! icymi for episode 13 we spoke with Dutch reporter Henk Willem Smits of the investigative outlet Follow the Money. Henk covers tax avoidance by multinationals and wealthy musicians, & the intersections of private equity & music. www.patreon.com/posts/episod...

Feb. headlines episode out now! We read the transcript of Spotify's 2025 q4 earnings call so you don't have to, and dove into what it revealed about the company's current AI aspirations. And we spoke w/ @jillmapes.bsky.social about her essay on the Wasserman exodus podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...

Great info in this episode of @criticallistening.bsky.social about Spotify’s plans for use of generative AI

feb headlines ep of @criticallistening.bsky.social is live! we discuss spotify's recent update to shareholders (aka I read the spotify q4 earnings call transcript so you don't have to) & also chat with @jillmapes.bsky.social about her essay on the wasserman exodus-- www.patreon.com/posts/episod...

Subscribe and support the show at patreon.com/criticallistening

Episode 11: Live from Groningen is now available wherever you get your podcasts besides you know where. Did we automate or die trying? Tune in to find out! Remember to support the show for bonus episodes and access to our discord by subscribing at patreon.com/criticallistening

I have questions. Firstly, what cut is Spotify keeping when someone buys a book through bookshop.org via its platform? The announcement says this "will directly support bookshops & the authors" but noticeably not that they will pass on 100% from purchases newsroom.spotify.com/2026-02-05/b...

Finally digging into @lizpelly.bsky.social and @peretsky.bsky.social excellent @criticallistening.bsky.social podcast! Really helpful to learn more about @umaw.bsky.social. I already liked them, but hearing from leadership makes me like them even more. criticallistening.podbean.com/e/episode-2-...

WE’RE BACK. Today we start the year with a dispatch from what some may call the front lines: a bunch of AI-related panels at a European music biz trade conference. It’s also our first episode recorded in person! Listen at patreon.com/criticallistening

what's going on at critical listening this month www.patreon.com/posts/januar...

is "meaningful control of the algorithm" in the room with us right now

I think it would be really helpful if everyone posting their very cool takes on the state of music journalism this week would also encourage people to subscribe to worker-owned outlets & support independent writers trying to make new things happen

Do you want the Critical Listening team to do a live taping at your school, venue, record shop, conference, or general hang? Shoot us an email at [email protected] and let’s chat!

heading to the Netherlands tomorrow where @peretsky.bsky.social and I will be hosting @criticallistening.bsky.social live at a music industry event but more importantly we will be learning about how AI-powered workflows can unlock new value chains and empower artist-preneurs to attract investments

The season 1 finale of Critical Listening is now live for patrons and with us to send off the year we have none other than the internet’s busiest music nerd himself: Anthony Fantano. Subscribe and hear in full at patreon.com/criticallistening, see you in 2026!

Episode 9 is now available on all platforms besides the Swedish app, with a bonus episode from the live taping now available for patrons only, sign up at patreon.com/criticallistening to hear all bonus eps and catch up on Season 1 of Critical Listening before the finale at the end of the month!

Episode 9 LIVE at Purchase College is available now for all patrons and will be available on all major platforms besides the Swedish app next week alongside some Patreon-exclusive bonus content! www.patreon.com/posts/145104...

episode 8 of @criticallistening.bsky.social w/ Amirtha Kidambi of Elder Ones & Neti-Neti — on music in an era of mass dehumanization, using the show space as an organizing space, and a lot more. available now for subscribers & will be out everywhere else next week www.patreon.com/posts/episod...

For Episode 8 we have composer, educator, curator, and activist Amirtha Kidambi stopping by. We discuss the inseparability of politics from pedagogy as teaching artists, the importance of solidarity amongst working artists of all backgrounds and styles, and the need for us to Do-It-Together.

Support the pod so @lizpelly.bsky.social and I can make more!

Episode 7: October 2025 Headlines is now available wherever you get your podcasts besides the Swedish app! If you want to get more critical media at the intersection of music, tech, and culture industry hell, consider supporting the show by signing up for the Patreon at patreon.com/criticallistening

EPISODE 7 a new headlines episode of critical listening is live. this time we are unpacking the major label deals w/ gen-ai companies and what they mean for music writ large. also, ek stepping down from his role as ceo at Spotify. hear it now by becoming a subscriber: www.patreon.com/c/CriticalLi...

<fundraising telethon voice> new critical listening headlines ep posting imminently for patrons... and we’re only 11 paid subscribers away from 100, can you help us get there? patreon.com/criticallist... your support helps us make more episodes! thanks!

Critical media in music tech requires your support in order to keep the lights on, many thanks to all that have signed up for the Patreon so far! Join us at Patreon.com/criticallistening where you’ll get a bonus episode from this interview and much more.

Episode 6: WHY SOUND MATTERS w/ Damon Krukowski @dadadrummer.bsky.social is now available on all platforms besides the Swedish one. We are done calling GenAI music slop, from here on out we’re calling it BIOHAZARDOUS SONIC WASTE PRODUCT. ☣️ 🔊 ☣️ 🔊 ☣️ 🔊 ☣️ 🔊

My book Why Sound Matters is out this week! @lizpelly.bsky.social & @peretsky.bsky.social invited me to talk about it on their excellent podcast @criticallistening.bsky.social, available now wherever you get your podcasts, with one exception (you guessed it!) dadadrummer.substack.com/p/critical-l...

Now available wherever you get your pods minus the Swedish app. Sign up for bonus content on the Patreon at Patreon.com/criticallistening

newsroom.spotify.com/2025-10-16/a... There it is yall, the inevitable conclusion of Perfect Fit Content and Leanback Listening. The platform no longer requires you musician peasant. An in-house slop factory for every medical office waiting room and yoga studio catered to your every passive need.

New ep out today for patrons, sign up and support critical media at the intersection of sound and tech!

Liz and Max are my ideal interlocutors - delighted with how this conversation turned out! Also, they are so skilled at choosing bumper music that I even enjoyed the Galaxie bits @lizpelly.bsky.social @peretsky.bsky.social cc @yalebooks.bsky.social @yalepress.bsky.social @hillnadell.bsky.social

EPISODE 6: WHY SOUND MATTERS w/ DAMON KRUKOWSKI On the occasion of @dadadrummer.bsky.social‘s new book, we spoke about sound as material, music as labor, AI slop as a waste product of music’s financialization & much more. Hear it now by becoming a subscriber: www.patreon.com/c/CriticalLi...

episodes 1-5 of @criticallistening.bsky.social, the podcast i co-host with @peretsky.bsky.social, are avail everywhere but spotify. we’re starting work on eps 6-10 this week. if you would like to support this work pls subscribe here! www.patreon.com/criticallist... tysm

EPISODE 5: AUG 2025 HEADLINES Max & Liz return for another installment of their series diving into some intriguing headlines from across the music, tech and business hellscape. Never fear, we’ve got a bloomscroll in there too. Check it out and support the show at patreon.com/criticallistening

Episode 4 is now available for the public wherever you get your podcasts (besides the swedish app). If you're enjoying the show please support it by signing up at patreon.com/criticallistening

Episode 4: QUITTING STREAMING w/ Andy Cush is now live for patrons and available on all platforms besides the Swedish app next week! Andy is a writer, musician, and co-founder of the worker owned music publication @hearingthingsco.bsky.social Support the show at Patreon.com/criticallistening

Episode 3: July 2025 Headlines is now available on all podcast platforms besides the Swedish app. If you’d like early access to future episodes where we discuss everything related to music tech culture hell, please consider subscribing for $5 a month a patreon.com/criticallistening.

Really grateful for this project rn “the first installment of what we’re calling “Headlines,” diving into a few stories from across the music and tech biz press this month.” 🔥 @criticallistening.bsky.social Episode 3: July 2025 Headlines | Patreon

Episode 3 of your favorite podcast ever by @lizpelly.bsky.social and myself is now live for Patreon subscribers at patreon.com/criticallistening and will be available on public platforms (minus the Swedish one) at the end of the month.

Why are so many artists struggling in a booming music industry? New for @moreperfectunion.bsky.social youtu.be/I8zBkQFDpsg?...

We’re back with the first installment of what we’re calling Headlines, diving into a few stories from across the music and tech biz press this month. For July, there were some headlines that just seemed impossible to ignore. Listen to the episode in full at patreon.com/criticallistening

Ep 2 of @criticallistening.bsky.social on @umaw.bsky.social is a really interesting deepdive on union organising and political education for musicians in the US. @lizpelly.bsky.social: Re the grassroots scene, would love to hear you dive into the UK’s @musicvenuetrust.bsky.social ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾

Great talk with @umaw.bsky.social organizers @joeyquits.bsky.social and Spencer from @theophelias.bsky.social

Episode 2 of the Critical Listening podcast is now on all public platforms besides you know who. Support the show as we grow it out at patreon.com/criticallistening

Episode 2 is now available wherever you get your podcasts (besides the Swedish app). Many thanks to Joey La Neve Defranceso and Spencer Peppet for providing such a great overview of the @umaw.bsky.social organization for our listeners. Catch you on the flip side!

Listen up!

www.patreon.com/posts/131331... Episode 2 of Critical Listening is now live for patrons and will be available on public platforms next week. In this episode, we’re talking all things @umaw.bsky.social with Steering Committee members Joey La Neve DeFrancesco and Spencer Peppet

Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/criticallistening to support the show directly so that we can continue to have these crucial conversations regarding music, technology, and their effects on society at large.

New episode out today! Support the show by signing up for the Patreon.