How has Ukraine’s music scene been affected by the war?
Economies, oil prices, humanitarian aid, and many other services have been impacted by the ongoing Ukrainian and Russian conflict. Musicians and artists have asked for the right to protest on streaming services and indie labels could be irreversibly damaged. Ukrainian musicians and industry representatives have called for streaming services...
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NFT platforms tipped to disrupt the music industry
As popular streaming services like Spotify continue to take the lion’s share of revenue away from music artists, NFTs may help them regain control over their enterprises in the near future. In the future, the ability to listen to your favourite artists may depend on you finally wrapping your heads...
Gen-Z’s relationship with romance is a complex one
Is finding ‘the one’ possible? Gen-Z knows having a so-called soulmate requires continuous compromise - and many prefer to prioritise themselves first. Although abstaining from parenthood and marriage has been done by some members of older generations, no age group has been as collectively relaxed towards these milestones than Gen-Z. The...
Opinion – We need to improve our response to public breakdowns
If you’ve been on Instagram the last week, you’ll have seen Kanye West’s turbulent posts airing his private grievances. He routinely displays concerning behaviour, yet our collective response remains unhelpful. Kanye West is once again causing havoc online. It seems like every year – usually around the time of an album...
Opinion – Brockhampton were the pivotal Gen Z hip-hop group
Formed in 2011 via a Kanye West forum, Brockhampton became a hip-hop phenomenon in the latter half of the last decade. As they head into retirement, they cement themselves as a crucial voice for Gen Z artistry, encompassing the volatile and eclectic nature of the social media era. Hip-hop group...
Opinion – Ratajkowski’s book is unapologetic and non-committal
The model entered her career believing that people generally focused more on what women look like than what women had to say. Through her book My Body, she’s finally giving people an opportunity to listen. Upon hearing about this book release, my initial reaction could be easily compared to some...
Warner music and BlackRock invest $750m in female & diverse artists
While aging arena-rock artists continue to cash in on their back catalogues, Warner Music Group, Black Rock, and Influence Media are looking to support relevant and burgeoning talent. $750m has been committed specifically to female and diverse musicians creating now. Surely, there are only so many limited-edition vinyls you can release for albums dropped in the 80s before their appeal is well and truly dead? Though good luck telling that...
‘The Puppet Master’ proves mental health’s importance in the legal system
Fans of true crime everywhere are tuning into a new three-part series released on Netflix called 'The Puppet Master'. The show, while focused on a story about fraud, emphasises how important our understanding of mental health truly is. If there’s any TV genre that can band society together in collective astonishment, it’s true crime. Netflix has churned out dozens of documentaries of this nature over the years, but the platform’s first...
Online scammers have earned billions through shoddy pandemic services
From unverified testing labs and fake vaccination appointments to the more recent forged COVID travel passes – the pandemic has presented endless opportunities for digital scammers to profit. Scamming, an illegal activity once limited to one’s immediate community, has been amplified by the wonders of the online world in recent years. Digital communication has enabled fraud perpetrators to operate without borders, targeting groups most vulnerable to falling for false offers and...
Jay Z among artists calling for end to rap lyrics used as evidence
Vocalists, rappers, and musicians have backed a proposal to remove a state law in New York that allows for lyrics to be used as evidence in criminal trials. We could finally be seeing a change to current laws surrounding lyrical content within songs, namely hip-hop and trap, as a new letter urges New York to rethink its legal system. Jay Z, Meek Mill, Kelly Rowland, and Killer Mike, among many...
