Music
Reviews, artist profiles, and features on various music genres, artists, and the music industry.
Nostalgia Dominates Streaming, Starving New Artists of Connection
By 2019, music streaming accounted for a staggering 80% of all listening, a monumental shift from just 7% in 2010.
Can a Song Change an Election? How Grita Canta Vota Uses Music to Mobilize Voters
Grita Canta Vota uses music to address the biggest barrier to Latino voter participation: registration. By transforming voter registration into an empowering cultural event, the organization leverages music's emotional connection to mobilize Latino voters.
How Joose Distro Guarantees You Keep 100% of Your Music Royalties (A Simple Guide)
Joose Distro offers a unique one-time payment model for digital music distribution, ensuring artists keep 100% of their music royalties permanently, unlike traditional subscription-based services that require recurring fees. This approach aims to eliminate the long-term financial drain and risk associated with annual distribution subscriptions.
Jazz music's 2026 evolution proves its enduring vitality
In 2026, the Brick Lane Jazz Festival marked its fifth iteration, celebrating its largest year to date with a significant expansion.
Music biopics: Why the genre remains creatively stagnant
The new Michael Jackson biopic, despite widespread criticism for its superficiality, has achieved significant box office success, attracting audiences eager for a musical retrospective.
AI Music's Copyright Crisis: Authorship Rights at Risk
In the past 12 months, Spotify removed over 75 million spammy tracks from its platform, a staggering volume that hints at a deeper crisis brewing in the music industry's definition of art and authorsh
AI Music Hits Billboard: Ethical Dilemmas Loom
Xania Monet, an AI artist, has appeared on at least five Billboard charts since her first song release, a remarkable achievement for her human creator, Telisha 'Nikki' Jones, who taught herself AI jus
AI music is already topping charts, but artists fear for creativity.
In September 2025, an AI R&B artist named Xania Monet secured a $3 million record deal with Hallwood Media, a sum many human artists never achieve.
What is the history and cultural impact of regional music festivals?
By the early hours of Saturday morning, an estimated 12,000 people slept on area beaches, a significant surge for a city of roughly 30,000 residents, all drawn by the inaugural Newport Jazz Festival i
What Is the Cultural Significance of Jazz and Blues in American Cities?
In 1895, a murder in a St.
What Is Music Therapy and How Does It Benefit Mental Health?
A systematic review of 14 studies, encompassing nearly 2,800 participants, found that music-based interventions significantly improved emotional stability, stress management, and even motor recovery,
What is Heartland Rock Music and Why Does It Still Resonate?
Chris Stapleton’s Americana record Traveller was the seventh best-selling album of 2016, selling nearly one and a half million copies.
The Economic Impact of Music Festivals
An average day at San Francisco's Outside Lands festival costs attendees at least $301.
What Are the Syrian Cassette Archives and Why Do They Matter?
Amidst the chaos of civil war, a dedicated team races against time, digitizing thousands of Syrian cassette tapes.
What Are Music Microgenres and Why Do They Matter?
In the late 1990s, a genre known as Electroclash did not simply appear; it actively rebelled against the perceived rigidity and stylistic confines of techno, forging a new space for electronic music.
What are the psychological effects of music on emotion and cognition?
The electric shiver, that intensely pleasurable 'musical chill,' is more than a fleeting feeling.
What is Lo-Fi Music and Why Does it Resonate Globally?
At any given moment, tens of thousands of people are simultaneously streaming the Lofi Girl channel, a continuous broadcast of instrumental hip-hop beats designed for study and relaxation.
What Are the Fundamental Elements of Music Theory: Harmony, Rhythm, Melody?
A single major chord, like the one opening The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night," embodies centuries of harmonic development and mathematical precision.
What is Game Sound Design for Player Immersion and Emotional Engagement?
The simple, iconic chime of picking up a heart container in The Legend of Zelda isn't just a notification; it's a meticulously engineered burst of satisfaction that keeps players returning for more.
What is Sound Healing and Why Are Farms Embracing It?
At The Barn KT9, a family tenant farm, the clatter of agricultural work now shares space with the resonant hum of sound bath meditations, signaling a quiet revolution in rural enterprise.
Southern Soul Music: Identity, Authenticity, and Revival
In 2016, acclaimed soul artist Leon Bridges faced a jarring disconnect with his audience at a festival when he dared to mix his 60s-inspired R&B with a modern classic, prompting a significant shift in
Music Sampling: Legal Challenges and Financial Impact
Sting earns an estimated $2,000 (£1,500) daily from the sample of his song 'Shape of My Heart' used in Juice WRLD's 'Lucid Dreams'.
What Is the Cultural Significance of Authenticity in Indie Pop?
Even artists in the indie-pop scene, a few rungs below corporate pop, meticulously time Instagram posts for optimal web traffic.
Música Mexicana: Why Its Modern Influences Are Dominating?
The song 'AMG' by Gabito Ballesteros, Peso Pluma, and Natanael Cano garnered 5.
What is the cultural legacy of blues music?
Legendary musician BB King, recipient of 15 Grammy Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, dedicated his life to elevating the blues globally.
Rethinking Music Genre Evolution and Cultural Influence
Before 1800, the concept of 'Western Art Music' (WAM) as understood today was arguably inapplicable to the actual repertory and practices of the time, according to Brainfood Musicology .
What is genre-defying music and why does it matter?
Lil Nas X’s 2018 single, 'Old Town Road', shattered records, spending an unprecedented 19 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
What Are Gen Z Digital Habits Reshaping Music Consumption?
For 30% of Gen Z, new music discovery isn't through radio or curated playlists.
What is the cultural significance of traditional music genres?
Many traditional music genres face an aggravated crisis of survival.
What Is Musical Improvisation and Why Does It Matter?
Brain scans reveal that when a musician improvises, a distinct neural network activates, allowing for spontaneous creation biologically different from recalling a memorized piece.