A Deeper Listen

Latest Episodes:

Japanese Breakfast on New Memoir, 'Crying in H Mart' Apr 20, 2021

Show notes

Japanese Breakfast frontwoman Michelle Zauner discusses her new memoir, 'Crying in H Mart.' In the book, she beautifully illustrates how she has dealt with the grief of losing her mother by cooking Korean food, and how her understanding of her mother has evolved since her death. She also discusses the complicated nature of being mixed race, and how she's found a sense of belonging through her artistic practices.

“Part of being mixed race and losing your parent that sort of connects you to that part of your culture, you just start to question, is this even an inherent part of my identity?” Zauner says. “I think that now I just really have to work to preserve that part of myself instead of it just being innately a part of me because of my mom’s existence.”

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We'll Be Back Next Week! Apr 12, 2021

Show notes

We're taking a week off from posting podcasts and other online content, but you can always find a live DJ streaming on KEXP.org, the KEXP App, or 90.3 FM in Seattle.

New episodes will return to your Sound & Vision feed on Tuesday, April 20th!

Until then, visit old episodes or explore our other podcasts, Song of the Day, Live on KEXP, and The Weekly Mix. And if you haven't had the chance yet, there's still time to take the KEXP Podcast Survey.

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How 'Big Music' Is Hurting the Industry Apr 08, 2021

Show notes

If you want to understand the impact of major labels on the music industry, look no further than a recent article in Wired titled, “Big Music Needs to Be Broken Up to Save the Industry.” It covers how corporate power has taken over streaming, recording, ticketing and music venues.

Author Ron Knox breaks down the history behind the music economy and its impacts, as well as possible solutions.

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Brandi Carlile's Memoir Apr 06, 2021

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Emily Fox discusses Brandi Carlile’s new memoir, ‘Broken Horses,’ with KEXP volunteer and mega Brandi Carlile fan, Bee Egan. They discuss themes from the book, like the power of Brandi's vulnerability, how she came into her identity through music and performance, and her chills-inducing 2019 Grammys performance, as well as Bee's personal connection to the artist.

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Spotify and Streaming Transparency Apr 01, 2021

Show notes

Spotify recently launched a website and initiative called Loud & Clear. It’s Spotify’s attempt at being transparent about how artists are paid and the economics of streaming. The Union of Musicians and Allied workers have been calling for greater transparency at Spotify along with a request to stop court battles that lower royalty rates for songwriters, and to pay artists one cent per stream.

Zack Nestel-Patt of UMAW breaks down how artists are paid through Spotify, discusses how Spotify still has not met the union’s demands and says that Loud & Clear was “further obfuscation of what’s going on mixed with baulking that Spotify is doing anything wrong and pointing the finger at other people.”

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KEXP's Top Played Songs of Women’s History Month Mar 30, 2021

Show notes

As we wrap up Women's History Month, Emily Fox and KEXP DJs Morgan Chosnyk and Eva Walker break down the stories and songs behind the top three most played women artists on KEXP during March: Arlo Parks, Japanese Breakfast and Noname.

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Seattle’s Smiley, Singing Bus Driver Mar 25, 2021

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KEXP recently celebrated Transit Operator Appreciation Day. There’s one transit operator in particular that has touched the life of KEXP’s Larry Mizell, Jr. It’s Reggie “Smiley” Wilson. He’s hilarious and humble, he sings on the job, cracks jokes, shares words of wisdom and always drives with a colorful sign that says “Smile.”

“The best thing to do with a smile is give it away,” Wilson says.

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One Year of Bandcamp Fridays Mar 23, 2021

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March 20th marked the one-year anniversary of Bandcamp Fridays. Once a month, Bandcamp has been waiving its 15% share on digital music and 10% share on artist merch to help support artists during the pandemic.

Josh Kim, COO of Bandcamp, talks about the impact of holding Bandcamp Friday every month for the past year.

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SoundCloud’s New “Fan-Powered Royalties” Mar 18, 2021

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SoundCloud is rolling out a new payment method for artists on its platform on April 1st called “fan-powered royalties.” Instead of artists being paid according to their share of overall streams on the platform, listeners’ ad revenue and subscription fees will go directly to the artists they listen to.

SoundCloud’s Head of Rights Administration and Strategy, Michael Pelczynski, breaks down how the new “fan-powered royalties” model will work.

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How NFTs are Making Musicians Millions Mar 16, 2021

Show notes

Musicians have been making millions of dollars in recent weeks for auctioning off their music in the form of an NFT (Non-Fungible Token). Grimes made nearly $6 million in 20 minutes doing it, EDM artist 3lau has made more than $11 million and Kings of Leon just released a full album as an NFT.

Chase Danzig joins this episode to fill us in on how NFTs work. He runs a YouTube channel called “The Bitcoin Express," and recently released a video titled, “How NFT Will Take Over the Music Industry.”

Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/

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