if you want to own a copy of the first article I wrote about Spotify for the baffler (2017) it’s issue 37 (“power corruption and lies”) and right now it costs four dollars and 75 cents ($4.75)

I despise when tech execs describe resistance to a new tech product or paradigm as "being scared" i.e. "I understand why musicians are scared but.." it's so condescending. being politically against something or exercising your right to opt out can come from many places other than "being scared"

building on some thoughts in prev posts. I have noticed for years in phoned-in music journalism this tendency to say that if someone is taking on topical songwriting or anything even vaguely addressing politics/society that there must be a certain blistering/frenetic delivery to match its "urgency"

yesterday I was thinking about why so many record reviews today feel like the writer just read the lyric sheet, w/o actually listening. so I love the concept of this new hearing things column, using accessible music theory to help better understand classic songs: www.hearingthings.co/townes-van-z...

why are we still dealing w this style of record review that reads like the critic just read the lyric sheet and album bio, and didn't even listen to the album

thanks to GUNK for running my full interview with @eonforassembly.bsky.social and @cct4nyc.bsky.social in their newsletter! topics discussed include the need for commercial rent stabilization, universal healthcare as arts policy, why we need to tax the rich and fund NYC libraries & more

thanks to GUNK for running my full interview with @eonforassembly.bsky.social and @cct4nyc.bsky.social in their newsletter! topics discussed include the need for commercial rent stabilization, universal healthcare as arts policy, why we need to tax the rich and fund NYC libraries & more

rich popular girl villain mode jazz in the background chillin after work www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVgb...

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...

NYC bluesky scrollers: please save the date MARCH 11 & consider coming out to a show I helped book at The Broadway! it's a fundraiser for state assembly candidates @eonforassembly.bsky.social & @cct4nyc.bsky.social who are running to tax the rich, defend & expand rent control & get ICE out of NYC.

so many incredible moments on this but the singer of still house plants doing Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste w/ damon and Naomi is 😭 gina birch singing Listen The Snow is Falling also backed by stereolab and alabaster deplume😭 damonandnaomi.bandcamp.com/album/whats-...

NYC bluesky scrollers: please save the date MARCH 11 & consider coming out to a show I helped book at The Broadway! it's a fundraiser for state assembly candidates @eonforassembly.bsky.social & @cct4nyc.bsky.social who are running to tax the rich, defend & expand rent control & get ICE out of NYC.

I have been alerted that Mood Machine will be on the front page of en.wikipedia.org under "did you know" until 7pm est... excitement

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

real question.. how am I supposed to choose what to see at big ears when everything happening at the same time all looks equally incredible

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...

loved the new episode of @techwontsave.us about luddite clubs & learning that there's a documentary about them on the way! (and also to hear mention of members ditching streaming to rebuild their music libraries)

Love when two entities owned by Universal Music Group join forces to support the global independent music community.

"I hope to do pointless things every day for the rest of my life" beautiful gunkyard.substack.com/p/day-45ish-...

As the tech industry struggles to justify its investments in AI, firms are now pitching “agentic AI” as one route to profit. As Sohini Desai explains, these bots are meant to juice consumer spending—and help bosses put the squeeze on their workers.

my 6th year using buymusicclub for collecting new music I'm listening to & albums I'm looking fwd to etc. shout out to simple websites that serve a single purpose www.buymusic.club/list/liz_pel...

new Kim dream record www.youtube.com/watch?v=941P...

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

more in "they're doing to books what they already did to music" @dadadrummer.bsky.social dadadrummer.substack.com/p/take-my-bo...

“Solving problems no one has in order to impress investors since 2008!”

real question who is actually going to do this

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

personally i was only tuned into the Grammys for the Noah kahan x mastercard drop

next neoluddite read is Mood Machine by @lizpelly.bsky.social! join us at iffy books on Thursday, Feb. 12th to discuss

Corporate America made over $22 billion from contracts with ICE and CBP last year. The list of companies profiting from Trump's aggressive deportation regime includes Palantir, Deloitte, GEO Group, and many more. www.ft.com/content/c741...

"there's a new world coming" > "save the children" > "the west" > "my pal foot foot" > "it isn't nice" www.thelotradio.com/shows/crypto...

I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com

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

www.dontrocktheinbox.com -woman owned mom owned worker owned writing about whatever we feel "country music" means that day bsky.app/profile/lizp...

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

8 hours to do what you will 📣📣📣

new kag singles on loop katiealicegreer.bandcamp.com/track/expo-70 katiealicegreer.bandcamp.com/track/talk-t...

"There have been times where people are like, 'I read your book and then I canceled Spotify and I got Apple Music!' That kind of misses a lot of the point that this book lands on." – 𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 author Liz Pelly

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

If you live in Bedstuy or Crown Heights you have a chance to help elect @eonforassembly.bsky.social to the State Assembly this year📣The campaign has a fundraising deadline tonight at midnight if you have the means to send them a few bucks @socialists.nyc eonforassembly.com/donate

speaking w/ joey and Luke Stewart today at Lincoln center and you can bet we will also talk about how utterly depraved it is that Spotify has defended running ICE ads.

I'm a union organizer, Assemblymember, and democratic socialist running for Congress in NY-07. I came to politics through low-wage jobs and the labor movement. That’s the perspective I’ll bring to Washington to take on oligarchy, fascism, and war—and win for working people.

January 7 huh .. that means mood machine has been out in the world for a year. thanks for reading (this book and in general)

The New York-based DIY show listings zine GUNK published this list of local small-scale music venues that closed in 2025. It is so hard to keep a community-oriented music space open in this city. I really hope whoever leads Cultural Affairs for @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social will take this seriously.

More people are questioning the effect of digital tech, AI, and even streaming on culture — and some are even going back to analog! In light of that, this week we’re replaying a great interview with @lizpelly.bsky.social about music, streaming, and Spotify. Full ep: techwontsave.us/episode/309_...

"[I]nclude funding for the City's public library systems designated for the creation of local music streaming services." "Library streaming offers an alternative vision: publicly funded digital archives for local music that are ad-free, accessible, & stewarded responsibly." — @lizpelly.bsky.social