I think I found SXSW 2026's most horrific panel — reps from Amazon, Nvidia, and the Israeli AI surveillance company Realsense talking about "Humanoid AI" schedule.sxsw.com/events/PP116...

If you post your spotify wrapped as penance you must send a letter to your lawmakers urging them to support the Living Wage for Musicians Act actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...

The great city of Detroit is now the second city to call for fair pay in streaming and endorse the Living Wage for Musicians Act www.metrotimes.com/music-2/detr...

Ok, it was worth staying out until 2:30am in order to finally see Downtown Boys live.

Last Downtown Boys show of the year this Saturday in NYC at TV Eye. We're playing a bunch of new music. Doors at 11 but starts right away, we'll be on at midnight. wl.eventim.us/event/downto...

Zohran Mamdani

Live Nation–Ticketmaster controls nearly every corner of the US live music business, from ticketing to touring. In Portland, Maine, a coalition of venues, musicians, and art workers rallied the city against the industry’s most powerful monopoly.

UMAW’s own @joeyquits.bsky.social has a new piece in @jacobinmagazin.bsky.social about the grassroots Maine Music Alliance campaign to stop Live Nation in Portland, ME 💪

Here's how Portland, Maine's DIY community organized and won an unprecedented victory over Live Nation-Ticketmaster. My new piece in @jacobinmag.bsky.social jacobin.com/2025/10/live...

The new Yasmine Hamdan record is incredible and should be getting more attention in U.S. music media yasminehamdan.bandcamp.com/album/yasmin...

I'm tabling for UMAW today at All Things Go in Maryland come talk to us

“So many people depend on musicians—including engineers, producers, lighting directors—so if that domino falls, it affects everyone around them. If the artists don’t get paid, we don’t get paid.” – UMAW member and mastering engineer Heba Kadry

White boys who say inshallah now includes David Petraeus

Excited to announce that @lizpelly.bsky.social will be reading from her book 'Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist' at UMAW's free show in D.C. this coming Monday Sept 29. RVSP now for your spot it's filling up fast: actionnetwork.org/events/julia...

if you’re in DC next week and able to come support UMAW’s fight in the name of a more liveable world for independent music go to this. the bill is also stacked

D.C. next Monday — @umaw.bsky.social show with Julia Holter, Dior Ashley Brown, and Alexia Roditis (Destroy Boys). 7pm at DC9. Free with RSVP: actionnetwork.org/events/julia...

Primal Scream, Massive Attack, Mogwai, Sleaford Mods, Arca, Ana Tijoux, Saul Williams, Downtown Boys, Thor Harris... www.elsaltodiario.com/musica/no-mu...

I've removed all all Downtown Boys, La Neve, and Malportado Kids music from streaming services in Israel as part of the No Music for Genocide campaign that launched today with 400+ artists signed on. Go to nomusicforgenocide.net to learn more and sign on.

Let's go @davidmoralespvd.bsky.social

At this point, for many artists, industry workers, and conscientious fans alike, UMAW is the most vital music advocacy group out there, offering a way for people to fight back against a system that seems more irredeemably fucked with every passing day

We’re reintroducing the Living Wage for Musicians Act, and to celebrate we’re throwing a show/happy hour in DC with Julia Holter, Alexia Roditis, and Dior Ashley Brown! Let’s get the LWMFA passed & get artists paid fairly from streaming 💪 RSVP here: actionnetwork.org/events/julia...

We're putting on a FREE SHOW in D.C. with Julia Holter, Dior Ashley Brown, and Alexia Roditis (Destroy Boys). RSVP required here actionnetwork.org/events/julia...

I spoke with The Guardian again about quitting my job lol

A very kind feature on the first 5 years of UMAW up today in Hearing Things

It’s a great day to join @umaw.bsky.social & check out the Living Wage for Musicians Act. The people at UMAW were some of the only ones who I got support from when all my records got thrown away & the label refused to give me accounting for 2023/24, & I’ll never forget that. ❤️‍🔥

Rep. Rashida Tlaib will reintroduce the Living Wage for Musicians Act this September. This bill is a real, concrete way to make payouts fairer for musicians on Spotify and across the streaming economy. @reprashida.govpeeps.us musically.com/2025/08/19/l...

If you've wanted to quit spotify but haven't because you don't want to lose your library and playlists, a new iphone feature now lets you transfer everything automatically. Head to Settings --> Transfer Music From Other Services

Getting ripped this summer

When we demand higher payments from Spotify, their defenders argue it would raise prices for consumers and be a disaster. Then every year Spotify just raises prices anyway without paying artists more.

There's no organized spotify boycott and they're a monopoly and it entirely makes sense that many artists can't do it. But posting thank yous for spotify playlist placements is real sicko shit.

Spotify responds to us at UMAW for the first time — must have had a very serious damage control meeting!

American Kaaba great idea to bring tourism back to NYC

If two years ago someone was pushing crypto and NFTs as the solution to music industry inequality, don't listen to them now about AI, "cooperatives," or whatever new scam they're pushing

Extremely cowardly statement from @GogolBordello. Not a single mention of Palestine. www.stereogum.com/2315273/bob-...

Every artist on these festivals who remains silent on Gaza is a coward for refusing to take a stance on genocide, and also a scab for allowing their fellow artists who do speak out to be isolated and attacked

Zohran is the only campaign talking to voters at my polling place in Queens

Make the call now and tell your lawmakers to support the War Powers Resolution to stop a war on Iran: 1-833-STOP-WAR act.demandprogress.org/call/no-war-...

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

"I'm Enough (I Want More)" from our KEXP session

Resolution 368 calls on US Congress to pass the Living Wage for Musicians Act, which would create a new streaming royalty paid directly to artists.

DC we're back in a couple weeks at Comet Ping Pong with Anno! Tickets now up at dice.fm/event/3o5dxl...

Zohran is the first NYC mayoral candidate to shout out Yasmine Hamdan pitchfork.com/thepitch/5-s...

I went to this @shahanafrombk.bsky.social event today in Brooklyn! Hanif is the lead author of a bill to give Uber drivers access to paid leave. Now, according to the Hanif campaign, Uber's supporting Hanif's primary opponent with $124K in mail & digital ads. District 39, please vote for Hanif!

We won! The NYC Council votes to pass our resolution endorsing fair pay in streaming and the Living Wage for Musicians Act. This is a huge victory for artists in NYC and everywhere.

Downtown Boys to tour US www.punknews.org/article/8563...

Downtown Boys finally back out on tour this June all tickets up at linktr.ee/downtownboys June 25 - Secret show in NC June 26 - Charlottesville, VA at The Southern June 27 - DC at Comet Ping Pong June 28 - NYC at Trans Pecos

NYC just announced June 28 we are finally back! At Trans Pecos with the STACKED INCREDIBLE LINEUP OF HEROES Hamed Sinno and Big Girl. Tickets are on sale now tickets.venuepilot.com/e/7pm-downto... More dates out soon.

Mayor of Providence Brett Smiley is going on a trip to Israel after 18 months of genocide in Gaza, and just days after Israel's Cabinet announced the full military occupation and ethnic cleansing of Gaza www.wpri.com/news/local-n...

Another consequences of a highly monopolized music industry is that bands are forced to tone down or apologize for political positions, or else be dropped from the shrinking number of labels + platforms + festivals with any resources