Critical Listening

Critical Listening
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Sharp takes on music technology and culture industry hell. A new podcast from journalist Liz Pelly and musician/educator Max Alper. Support the show and find bonus content at patreon.com/criticallistening

  1. 11. FEB.

    Episode 11: Live from Groningen

    WE’RE BACK. Today we start the year with a dispatch from what some may call the front lines: a bunch of AI-related panels at a European music biz trade conference. It’s also our first episode recorded in person! We are starting our new season with two episodes recorded in the city of Groningen in the Netherlands, where we were invited to participate on some panels and to host a live taping of the show at the annual conference and festival ESNS. That live taping—an interview with Dutch investigative culture reporter Henk Willem Smits—will drop later in the month. But before then, we have another conversation we recorded while we were in Groningen, reflecting on some panels we saw as well as ones we participated in.  Did Max survive his first music industry conference? Did Liz learn anything being on a panel alongside someone from a certain French DSP that has been labeling AI tracks? Why did we choose to attend something called “Automate or Die Trying” when we could have done literally anything else? And why are there never any musicians at these things? All this and more on Episode 11 of Critical Listening. Support the show for access to bonus episodes and our Discord at patreon.com/criticallistening.

    51 Min.

  2. 09.12.2025

    Episode 9: November 2025 Headlines LIVE at Purchase College

    We are back for our penultimate episode of Season 1 of Critical Listening! Recorded on November 13th at the coveted Stood at Purchase College, we're discussing the latest developments in the Spotify deal to create "artist first" generative AI tools in partnership with major labels and distributors. We also review the platform's continued growth as it rounds out its second full year of profitability and what that means for both artists and users alike. We have just uploaded the second part of this episode for Patrons only where we take questions directly from the students of Purchase College themselves, sign up now at patreon.com/criticallistening to catch up on the full season and bonus episodes before our season finale at the end of the year! Do you want the Critical Listening team to do a live taping at your college, music venue, conference, record store, or general hang in 2026? Shoot us an email at criticallisteningpod@gmail.com and let's chat!

    55 Min.

  3. 05.11.2025

    Episode 7: October 2025 Headlines

    We’re back with another headlines ep, where Liz and Max each bring one story from across the music-tech biz press to summarize and contextualize. On this ep we are unpacking the imminent major label deals with gen-AI companies. At the time we recorded, those reportedly landmark deals were thought to be signed within weeks, and since recording we’ve already started to see more details emerge. We discussed some implications of Spotify being included on the list of companies major rightsholders are working out gen-AI deals with, and more details of that collaboration have already dropped, too. Lastly, we of course also spoke about what it means that Daniel Ek is stepping back from his role as CEO of Spotify. Thanks for tuning in, remember to support the show by joining our Patreon & head over to the Discord if you want to chat about anything mentioned on the show!

    56 Min.

  4. 20.10.2025

    Episode 6: Why Sound Matters w/ Damon Krukowski

    We're back from a month of touring and we missed you! We are thrilled to have musician and author Damon Krukowski on the show to discuss his upcoming book "Why Sound Matters", available everywhere on October 21st from Yale University Press. We discuss Galaxie 500, Damon & Naomi, the acoustic ecology writings of Bernie Krause, the Boston independent music scene in the 1980s compared to today, and how much of the material aspects of music relate directly to the labor issues in sound as a whole. Support the show and listen to exclusive bonus content from this episode at patreon.com/criticallistening.

    1 Std. 31 Min.

  5. 10.09.2025

    Episode 5: August 2025 Headlines

    Max & Liz return for another installment of their series diving into some intriguing headlines from across the music, tech and business hellscape. What does it mean for organizations representing independent record labels to be inking deals with gen-AI companies? How are AI-driven tech platforms impacting the realm of music education? Never fear, we’ve got a bloomscroll in there too. Check it out and support the Patreon to join the convo on Discord!

    1 Std. 2 Min.

  6. 22.05.2025

    Episode 1: Greg Saunier from Deerhoof

    Welcome to episode one of CRITICAL LISTENING, a new podcast about music and technology hosted by Liz Pelly and Max Alper.  How does a band survive 30 years of industry hostility to art? For our first episode, we’re chatting with Greg Saunier, the drummer of Deerhoof, who just released Noble and Godlike in Ruin, their 20th record across 30 years as a band. We talk about the political themes of the group’s recent material, resisting the AI slop machine, and whether recorded music itself is an aberration. Plus, we picked up a conversation on protecting the musical commons from tech extraction that Liz and Greg started at a Mood Machine event in LA earlier this year. Deerhoof’s new record thematically grapples with some big questions of art-making amidst societal collapse. In turn, our first episode serves as a reminder that when we talk about technologies, we’re never just talking about technologies, but the social, political and economic forces influencing them. Thanks for listening, supporting, and also bearing with us as we work through DIY recording and editing! Songs in this episode: Theme song: “Talk to Me” by Eraser “Disobedience” by Deerhoof “Overrated Species Anyhow” by Deerhoof “Kingtoe” by by Deerhoof “Ha Ha Ha Ha Haaaa” by Deerhoof Support the show, hear more from this interview with a bonus segment, and get an invite to join the conversation on the Discord server at patreon.com/criticallistening.

    1 Std. 7 Min.

  7. 21.04.2025

    Introducing Critical Listening (Episode 0)

    Critical Listening is a new podcast from journalist Liz Pelly and musician/educator Max Alper exploring music, technology, and culture. This is episode zero, a short introduction where Liz and Max discuss how the show came to be and what they plan to cover in future episodes. What has Liz been learning on the road promoting her book Mood Machine? What's the deal with Max's online alter ego La Meme Young, and why is he backing away from it? What does it means to cover music and technology through a labor lens, and what would a neo-Luddite movement in music look like? Support the show, get early access to episodes, AMA sessions with the hosts and an invite to join the conversation on the Discord server at patreon.com/criticallistening. Full episodes coming soon! Logo: Aaron Taylor-Waldman Music: "Talk to Me" by Eraser

    31 Min.
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Sharp takes on music technology and culture industry hell. A new podcast from journalist Liz Pelly and musician/educator Max Alper. Support the show and find bonus content at patreon.com/criticallistening

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  • Erstellt von
    Critical Listening
  • Jahre aktiv
    2025 - 2026
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    12
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