Musical Neoliberalism
(Served Two Ways)
Hi Everyone!
Hope you are all safe and secure amid…well…the outbreak of war.
While obviously, doom-scrolling is very much the order of the day (week, month, year…), we thought we’d reach out with some…Slighty cheerier? Engrossingly dark? material to help you briefly redirect your attention away from the emerging horrors in eastern Europe.
Before we dive in though—
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Okay. On to business.
FIRST OFF: We got David Turner of Penny Fractions back on the show to talk about the past, present, and possibilities of the crypto-fueled futurity known as Web3. While musical NFTs have seen something of a boom and bust over the last year (a vibe we more or less called in our first show on the topic), funding and attention have continued to pour into this space from both high-level biz insiders and a swathe of more independent-minded artists, entrepreneurs, and cultural critics. What world could web3 give us? And how will it connect to the inequalities and power structures of the present? And while the future is unwritten, we’re also pretty sure that there’s some pretty deep anti-community Hyper-Libertarianism floating around in there. As Pusha T would say: “Yuch”
Listen to that here (Apple), here (Spotify) or here (Podbean).
NEXT UP: Continuing to think through the relationship between music and the functioning of global capital, we spoke to Professor Dale Chapman about his fascinating book “The Jazz Bubble: Neoclassical Jazz in Neoliberal Culture.” Tracing the intertwined stories of Jazz culture and American political economy from the mid 50s through the early 2000s, Chapman explores all KINDS of fascinating topics: the linkages between 1960’s era urban redevelopment and 2000’s style gentrification, the rise of anti-“Bitches Brew” moralism, how CD reissues shaped the career of Wynton Marsalis, and the ways in which improvisation was remade to serve as a metaphor for new ideologies of entrepreneurship. A deep conversation about the relationship between aesthetics and economics.
Listen to that here (Apple), here (Spotify) or here (Podbean).
Finally— Building on both our discussion of Neil Young VS. Spotify and his academic research, Sam got a chance to contextualize the current state of the music industry for the Washington Post. TLDR? It’s all about the social value of music baby—and a fight over who can best harness it. And THAT has been true from Tin Pan Alley’s sheet music to Spotify’s streaming playlists.
Read the piece here.
Department of Actual Music:
Ukraine is famous for having one of Europe’s most adventurous and experimental electronic music scenes. We’ve been listening to some recent NTS sets showcasing the sheer diversity of sound emanating from the embattled nation.
Check it out:
Stay sane out there,
Saxon & Sam