A lovely text in The New Yorker about music as consolation: "When Renzo died, Allegra and I decided that we wanted to have another child, to have our family feel like our family. Really what we wanted was for Renzo to not have died, but that wasn’t an option. We were living in our new apartment. Soon we would have a baby girl. Allegra wanted another Italian-sounding name. Cosima, with Coco as a nickname. I liked how it sounded spoken aloud, as lively as Renzo, but softer, close to, say, 'cosmos.' I wondered if we could have another musical middle name. Ocean, I proposed. Cosima Ocean Schnipper. Allegra said that she would think about it".

A great conversation in MJI with Lambros Fatsis, senior lecturer in criminology at the University of Brighton, about police racism and the criminalization of Black music (sub)culture(s). Here's the highlight - "My main aim is to show how and why Black music as a form of intellectual production, public expression and creativity—are not only marginalised in the relevant academic literature, but also criminalised by law enforcement... Simply put, that which is policed as different, alien and inadmissible is that which threatens and endangers the established social order."

Last week, South London post-punk band Shame released their third album, 'Food For Worms'. The New Cue talked to frontman Charlie Steen about how different making of it was compared to their covid-album 'Drunk Tank Pink'. "When you’re writing for live, you’re not over-thinking it. You’re like, fuck transitions or whatever, it needs to go verse chorus verse chorus and we can deal with that stuff later. We did those shows and two months later we were in the studio making the album... I think you need to get to a stage for something to happen, you need to be at a crossroads for something to happen".

"Many of us got to witness a second breakthrough moment for hip-hop during the recent 65th Grammy Awards. Questlove of the Roots along with LL Cool J put their heads together and curated an incredible tribute to acknowledge hip-hop’s upcoming 50th birthday... It was an incredible tribute that was preceded by Kendrick Lamar winning Hip-Hop Album of the Year and the grand finale being an 8-minute song that featured DJ Khalid, Jay-Z and Rick Ross" - journalist and professor Dave “Davey D” Cook is looking back at 50 years of hip-hop in the Pollstar. "The hip-hop takeover of the Grammys was a reminder that hip-hop is deeply woven in the fabric of modern-day music and it is perched to reach even greater heights".

Neil Young performed last weekend in Victoria, British Columbia at the United For Old Growth march and rally, aimed at protecting old-growth trees and promoting “forest stewardship.” In his first live appearance since Farm Aid in September 2019 he said: “I’m only here for those trees up there. It’s a precious, sacred thing, these old trees. They show us the power of nature when we are being threatened. They show us the past. They show us our future. That’s something that I hope our Canadian government and business section will recognize. This has to do with Canada. It has to do with the ages, if we’re lucky enough to have ages. These trees have lasted so long. They deserve Canada’s respect.” Then he played 'Heart of Gold'.

"It is not about who’s the best; it’s about doing something to the best of your ability because it improves your life, and if you can watch it without wanting to run out and practise a thing that brings you joy, I will be very surprised" - Joel Snape writes reviewing 'The Piano'. The reality show arranges for some of Britain’s best amateur pianists to play on the country’s busiest concourses. Guardian calls it "utter delight". One of the performers was Lucy, a 13-year-old who is blind and neurodiverse, who played a highly-complex Chopin piece.

"In recent years, Kyiv’s vibrant and progressive dance scene earned the city the nickname 'new Berlin'. Amazingly, the war hasn’t stopped the scene from thriving, and many Ukrainian DJs and promoters have managed to make the most out of the dire circumstance" - Vice goes to Ukraine to check the pulse on the nation's clubbing scene. Harry Pledov, musician and event organiser, believes partying is important since it provides a feeling of normalcy - "as the war drags on, everyone understands the importance of partying.” Also, he notes that the war has given the Ukrainian electronic music scene a huge boost - “International DJs no longer dare to come because of the shelling. And we’ve gotten rid of anything related to Russian culture – the songs, videos and movies that were popular. We now see it as our mission to fill that gap with Ukrainian culture.”

R Kelly has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for child sex crime charges, the New York Times reports. He was found guilty in 6 of the 13 counts against him, including three counts of coercing minors into sexual activity and three of producing sex tapes involving a minor. Kelly will serve 19 of his 20 years concurrently with another separate sentence he is serving, a 30-year bid for racketeering and sex trafficking.

Greg Prato interviewed over 20 musicians, friends, and admirers of his music for his latest book 'Lanegan' about the iconic frontman of Screaming Trees and solo artist. Nick Oliveri (ex-Queens of the Stone Age, ex-Kyuss) has an interesting story to tell: "Mark said he wrote some lyrics on 'Something in the Way' with Kurt on 'Nevermind'. But Kurt had played on some of Mark’s solo stuff, 'The Winding Sheet'. So, instead of getting paid, they just did this thing where, 'Hey man, I added a lyric on your song and you added a lyric on my song. Let’s just call it even. Whatever happens, happens.' Little did Mark know, if he would have had publishing on 'Something in the Way' on 'Nevermind', he would have had a lot of money. I remember him kicking himself in the butt a little bit about that – 'If I had that ‘Something in the Way’ publishing…'" Consequence picks out several quotes.

Concerts giant Live Nation generated revenues of $16.7 billion in 2022, with the concerts business being its primary revenue driver, generating $13.5 billion in 2022. The company also says that it "invested $9.6 billion in putting on artists’ shows in 2022" and claims to be "the largest contributor to artist income".

Spotify has launched a new AI feature called “DJ” which will deliver a curated selection of music, The Verge reports. It also features AI-powered spoken commentary about the tracks and artists, using a “stunningly realistic voice.” The idea is for Spotify to get to know users so well that the DJ can choose what to play. Spotify feels this is life putting an “AI DJ in your pocket.”

Taylor Swift has been named the Global Recording Artist Chart for 2022 by the IFPI, the global recorded music trade body. This chart is the only global ranking to accurately measure consumption across all formats, including streaming formats, digital and physical album and singles sales and all countries. The IFPI’s Top 20 list reveals, in order, the artists who generated the most money last year globally across streaming, download, and physical record sales combined in 2022. Here it its:

1. Taylor Swift
2. BTS
3. Drake
4. Bad Bunny
5. The Weeknd
6. SEVENTEEN
7. Stray Kids
8. Harry Styles
9. Jay Chou
10. Ed Sheeran
11. Eminem
12. Kanye West
13. YoungBoy Never Broke Again
14. Kendrick Lamar
15. Lil Baby
16. Billie Eilish
17. Post Malone
18. Juice WRLD
19. The Beatles
20. Imagine Dragons

Mixmag has started the Cost of Living series exploring how the current economic crisis is impacting dance music. "Surging electricity bills, spiraling travel costs, increases in the price of goods and services and a dramatic change in crowd habits have hit an industry still reeling from lockdown to near-breaking point" - Mixmag underlines the environment clubs and promoters are having to deal with. Interesting phenomena is occurring with festivals: "A number of club-focused promoters appear to have turned their attention to putting on festival-like 'day parties' since the end of lockdown... As disposable incomes become tighter than ever, the 'day festival' gives attendees the chance to attend a festival — but without having to add on extra costs such as transport and accommodation, and the chance to pre-drink and pop off home without the Monday morning dread knowing they have to pull a shift in a few hours, or inadvertently spend hundreds at the bar".

Drugs and partying specialist Michelle Lhooq is wondering how the eminent psychedelic legalization is going to affect partying in general. She asks three pivotal questions for the emerging era of post-alcohol partying:

"How might the energy of a dancefloor shift if everyone is vibrating on psychedelics?

What new aesthetics emerge from a social space designed for recreational psychedelic use?

Can nightlife be sustainable if its economic model does not revolve around booze?"

Harry Styles had the world’s best-selling single of the year across all digital formats last year – including paid subscription streaming, ad-supported platforms, and single-track downloads with his single 'As It Was', making him the winner of IFPI’s Global Single Award for 2022. His single 'As It Was', according to IFPI, generated 2.28 billion global subscription stream equivalent units last year.

"On this album, Algiers wants it all: righteousness and humility, dignity and disgust, hurting and joy, cynicism and hope... Algiers lashes out at injustice, exults in its sonic mastery and insists on the life forces of solidarity and physical impact. But it refuses to promise any consolation" - New York Times reviews the fourth album by the Atlanta, Georgia band. The Line of Best Fit looks into the poetry and its meaning - "the record is largely knit together by a series of spoken-word passages and recordings, splitting the distance between poetry, confessionals, and sermons." Stereogum heard an album of the week - "The music is provocative, but it’s pleasurable, too. In 'Shook', I hear some of the grand catharsis of rap and punk and MC5-style bomb-throwing garage-rock. Parts of 'Shook 'feel freaked-out and terrified, and parts of it feel triumphant. Sometimes, those are the same parts". The Quietus believes both the band, and this record are deeply unique: "Here, they sound like a band.. utterly revitalised, and now only reaching their peak, through a record loaded with collaborations that are never perfunctory or box-ticking exercise, but joyous and celebratory... 'Shook' is a record that exudes zeal, sweat and effort – heart, mind and body music of the highest order".

"I’ve long believed that 80 years is a typical span of pop culture fame for superstars. I’m referring to the biggest names—the lesser stars burn out in 80 months or 80 weeks or 80 days. But the top draws retain their fame for the entire lifetime of their youngest fans—and given current life expectancies of the US audience, that can’t be much more than 80 years. We already see the price of Elvis Presley memorabilia starting to drop" - music writer Ted Gioia estimates how long stardom lasts.

The National have shared a new song 'New Order T-Shirt' from their forthcoming album 'First Two Pages of Frankenstein'. “To me the line ‘I keep what I can of you’ means something about everyone I’ve ever known or loved,” the National’s Aaron Dessner said in a statement, adding “there’s a simplicity to ‘New Order T-Shirt’ that reminds me of our earlier records, but with the full maturity and experience we have now. It feels like a really important song for the future of our band.” The band has partnered with New Order for a limited edition T-shirt drop. 'First Two Pages of Frankenstein' is out April 28 via 4AD, featuring contributions from Taylor Swift, Sufjan Stevens, and Phoebe Bridgers.

"Reggaeton artists dominated the Spanish top 50 songs chart in 2021, edging out every English-language performer except for the Weeknd and Lil Nas X. The genre’s continuous rise in Spain has raised urgent questions about cultural ownership, colonialism, and race as a result of centuries-old social hierarchies between Europe and Latin America" - Pitchfork looks into the sensitive issue. "There is concern about Spanish artists profiting off the music of Afro-diasporic cultures once colonized by Spain, sometimes even eclipsing the visibility of those who founded the movement... Meanwhile, other industry executives and cultural commentators hail reggaeton’s takeover in Spain as a sign of globalization’s advantages."

London’s Victoria & Albert Museum has acquired David Bowie’s archive of more than 80,000 items as a gift from the late musician’s estate. The collection includes costumes, instruments, letters, photos, lyrics, and much more, including a Ziggy Stardust jumpsuit, his Alladin Sane tour costumes, handwritten lyrics for 'Heroes,' and notebooks Bowie kept throughout his lifetime. In 2025, the collection will be viewable at The David Bowie Center for the Study of Performing Arts, part of V&A East Storehouse, which is being built in east London’s Olympic Park. The collection was secured by the David Bowie Estate, while a 10 million pound donation from the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group will go toward a display and home at the V&A East location.

Bandcamp has announced that users can now build playlists from a collection of purchased music. Songs can be added from a track or album’s context menu or with one long press on a track. Playlists can also be downloaded for offline listening. Bandcamp promises more playlist features are in the works.

Nipsey Hussle’s killer, Eric R. Holder Jr., has been sentenced to 60 years to life in prison, the Los Angeles Times reports. Nipsey Hussle was shot and killed in March 2019 at age 33. Court documents and testimony indicated that Holder, a Crips gang member, shot Nipsey Hussle at least 10 times in front of the rapper’s Marathon Clothing store, resulting in a severed spinal cord, and kicked him more than once on the ground. Holder was arrested on April 2, 2019, two days after the shooting. Nipsey Hussle, legal name Ermias Asghedom, was seen as a philanthropist and key community figure who had reinvested in the Crenshaw neighborhood he often rapped about. Hussle owned and operated several businesses in the area, including the clothing store where he was killed. Referred to by some as “Neighborhood Nip,” Hussle had poured nearly $2.5 million into the lot where he was killed and often traveled the area without security despite his status as a hip-hop superstar. He was signing autographs the day he was killed.

"Despite the challenges that the electronic music community in general—and women in particular—face, there remains a deep desire to create, build, rebuild and share music from behind the decks to dancefloors worldwide" - Bandcamp points out to the generation of female producers from South West Asia and North Africa redefining the sound of electronic music.

"Since the war with Ukraine, dissenting Russian bands have been canceled en masse, including many of the scene's original founders. Bands who faced censorship, harassment and intimidation during the Soviet days are now experiencing the same thing some 40 years later" - Bandsplaning looks beyond the Russia-Ukraine frontline and into the ever-shrinking freedom of expression the Russian musicians are facing. Since the start of the war a year ago, according to one promoter, around 30% of Russian domestic performers left the country or stopped performing.

Resident Advisor reached out to five web radio stations across the globe - Dublin Digital Radio (ddr.), Rádio Quântica, Oroko in Accra, Skylab in Melbourne and Threads in London - to provide some tips on how to start your own online radio.

A very well written text in LARB by Chicago musician Eli Winter about touring as an independent musician - "The thought of going on tour and sustaining this work produces an undercurrent of excitement that moves beyond the reach of words. Sometimes I wonder if I’m wrong to feel this way, wrong to carry on. Sure — touring has changed my life, deepened its meaning, made me a kinder person who is more open and assertive, strengthened my resolve. It’s taken me to parts of the country and world I’d otherwise not be able to visit, and it’s given me experiences I would otherwise never have had and communities of friends around the world."

"Streaming music has cultivated a new breed of creators who seem to be totally in the dark about what a DJ does in the first place. As a result we have what’s almost a new format of music that broadly fits into the parameters of club music, but will almost certainly never be played in a club — or by any DJ at all" - 5 Mag looks into the issue of dance music today being made for the purpose of being streamed, rather than danced to. "A fairly large number of people who declare themselves making deep house and techno are doing so in ignorance of DJ culture, with music that is almost hostile to DJing".

Fortnite has launched a new soundtrack option called Radio Underground, featuring indie music from all over the world, The Verge reports. The in-game radio station, curated by Bandcamp editors, is available now through March 8, when the game’s Battle Royale Chapter 4 Season 1 comes to an end. Fortnite’s creator, Epic Games, purchased Bandcamp in March 2022, and this new initiative marks the first integration between Epic’s flagship game and the indie music marketplace and service.

"It may seem strange to hear it from a music writer, but I'm always looking for a quiet moment" - Ted Gioia takes a moment to appreciate silence and differentiate music from noise. "I always crave more quiet moments in my life. But I still love the music. Maybe I love it all the more, for having refreshed the ears with a dose of quiet before returning to that next song".

"When Beyonce and Adidas teamed up on Ivy Park in 2019, it seemed like the sky was the limit. Beyonce wanted a partner that offered creative control. Adidas wanted to replicate Yeezy’s massive success... But the recent Wall Street Journal report of a 50% sales decline and a $200 million drop in Adidas’ sales projections brought a series of challenges to light" - Trapital's Dan Runcie points out in his latest memo. "There were uninspired drops, less enthused customers, and creative tension... It’s very difficult to push a celebrity-influenced direct-to-consumer product in the social media era without that celebrity promoting the brand in an accessible way... It’s a reminder that even the most powerful celebrities still need product-market fit and alignment with business partners to succeed. “the next Yeezy” never happened."