Spotify’s biggest sin? Its algorithms have pushed artists to make joyless, toothless music | John Harris

Most musicians can only make money on the platform by writing songs inoffensive enough to get on to one of its vapid playlistsIn the hands of some of its most gifted practitioners, songwriting is a kind of emotional alchemy. For the past week, I have been returning to a perfect example: Every Time the Sun Comes Up by the US singer Sharon Van Etten, which was released in 2014. Its lyrics might be fractured and fragmented, but it is an almost perfect portrait of self-doubt and downward spirals: one of those songs that captures feelings so deep that they go way beyond words.I went back to that song as I read a superb new book that has both educated and profoundly depressed me. Mood Machine, by the New York-based journalist Liz Pelly, is about the music-streaming giant Spotify, and how it attracted its current 615 million subscribers, making a billionaire of its Swedish co-founder and CEO, Daniel Ek. But its most compelling story centres on what Spotify has done to people’s appreciation of songs and the people who make them – much of which is down to the platform’s ubiquitous playlists.John Harris is a Guardian columnist. His memoir Maybe I’m Amazed, about his autistic son James and how music became their shared language, is published on 27 March. For more information, visit maybeimamazed.substack.com Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2025-03-09 16:38:43 UTC ]

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Looking back on the life of advertising legend Philip Geier

Philip H. Geier, Jr., the long-time chairman and CEO of the advertising giant known as The Interpublic Group of Companies, died on Wednesday, June 19, at the age of 84. Over the course of his nearly six-decade-long career, Geier made a name for himself in the worlds of both advertising and... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-06-24 19:42:28 UTC ]
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Bobby Hundreds’ memoir is a snapshot of L.A.’s streetwear culture of the 2000s

The title of Bobby Hundreds’ book — “This Is Not a T-Shirt” — is straight-up transparent: It’s not a T-shirt. It’s less obvious at the outset — but not for long — that it’s also not a traditional memoir, brand history or “how-we-turned-a couple-hundred bucks-into-global-streetwear-label”... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-06-20 15:40:00 UTC ]
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Review:: Bobby Hundreds' memoir is a snapshot of L.A.'s streetwear culture of the 2000s

The title of Bobby Hundreds' book — "This Is Not a T-Shirt" — is straight-up transparent: It's not a T-shirt. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-06-20 15:30:01 UTC ]
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A Moby-Dick–Inspired Memoir of Menopause

On a quest to make sense of what was happening to her body, the author Darcey Steinke sought guidance from female killer whales. Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2019-06-18 14:40:31 UTC ]
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Life Lessons from Memoirs

Memoirs of faith by Rachel Denhollander, Tom Voss and Rebecca Anne Nguyen, Helen Prejean, and others teach and reassure readers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-06-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Serpent's Tail snaps up 'devastating' memoir from Fuller

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[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-13 15:11:33 UTC ]
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Every Tory MP sent This Is Going to Hurt as reminder of Jeremy Hunt's record

Adam Kay is sending his exposé of life as a junior doctor during the leadership candidate’s time as health secretary to highlight how he ‘left the NHS in tatters’Adam Kay is sending a copy of his bestselling memoir about life as a junior doctor, This Is Going to Hurt, to all 330 Conservative MPs... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-06-12 11:40:05 UTC ]
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Last minute Father’s Day gifts for 7 different kinds of book-loving dads

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-06-11 17:30:00 UTC ]
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Former NBA star Dwyane Wade to publish a memoir this fall

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-06-05 17:29:40 UTC ]
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Review: Colin Dayan's 'In the Belly of Her Ghost' exorcises memories of mother after she's gone

Colin Dayan's brief but explosive memoir of her relationship to her mother should find a place among the more indelible life histories of the last several years. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-06-05 16:00:01 UTC ]
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Rob Zabrecky's memoir 'Strange Cures' is an ode to a forgotten L.A.

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-05-30 18:01:20 UTC ]
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Debbie Harry of Blondie to release her first memoir

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-05-30 16:44:35 UTC ]
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Jonas Brothers announce a memoir for fall release

Pop sensations the Jonas Brothers will tell the story of their lives in the music world in a new memoir. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-05-29 17:59:56 UTC ]
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Her Body and Other Parties, by Carmen Maria Machado I've absolutely loved this collection of short stories, which floats between the weird and the queer, passing horror, black comedy and feminism along the way. Doubles and others are especially important: a wife enters her wife’s dream when they... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2019-04-11 08:49:28 UTC ]
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Art Connects Us: Sarah Odedina

As a recipient of the Arts Connects Us Grant I travelled to Ghana and Sierra Leone to meet with writers and publishing professionals working in the field of books for young readers to foster creative and collaborative exchanges between those contacts and publishing professionals and readers in... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2019-03-19 11:10:28 UTC ]
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Polar Vortex Slams Midwestern Booksellers This Past Week

While much of the U.S. experienced cold weather this past week, Midwestern booksellers were especially affected by the Polar Vortex, causing days of subzero temperatures that kept customers out of stores. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: Baldacci Is Back at #1

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Here’s everything Mark Zuckerberg didn’t say, and probably won’t

Cambridge Analytica’s improper access to Facebook user data turned into a firestorm for the social media giant this past week. Four days later, CEO Mark Zuckerberg finally responded, publishing a Facebook post in which he made a familiar vow to do “what it takes to protect our community.” He... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations, PRH Drops An Apologetic Dashner

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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