Streaming Music Changed The Game Rollie Pemberton Dives Into The Journey

About this episode

Rollie Pemberton discusses the impact of streaming on music consumption and artist experiences.

Ways of Listening is a love letter to music, a sharp analysis of our current cultural reality, and a joyful celebration of the artists who keep creating against all odds. How has the internet changed the way we listen to, and love, the music that shapes our lives? Award-winning musician Rollie Pemberton (Cadence Weapon) interrogates our current musical landscape. Music occupies a curious place in modern life, somehow omnipresent and disposable at the same time. Computers have democratized song creation. There is more music being produced now than at any point in human history and streaming platforms are the ultimate distribution model for this vast bounty. But streaming relies on an algorithmic discovery system that guides the user’s choices and encourages them to listen passively to the company’s curation, while also dissuading the listener from searching for music and developing their own taste. Streamers offer meagre royalties to artists on their platforms, largely devaluing music in the public sphere. And social media companies have taught a whole generation of young listeners to perceive music as merely background noise for content. This all adds up to a bleak landscape for…

People in this episode

Host: Arroe Collins

Guest: Rollie Pemberton

Topics covered

• streaming music
• music discovery
• cultural analysis
• artist challenges
• modern listening habits

Keywords

• streaming
• music
• Rollie Pemberton
• Cadence Weapon
• cultural reality
• music discovery
• artist royalties

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cadence Weapon

Books & works: Ways of Listening, Brat

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