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The definitive WFH Playlist, a few Singles, and Music Biz news

The definitive WFH Playlist, a few Singles, and Music Biz news

A meticulously prepared WFH Playlist, New Music and Industry updates | May 2020

May 20, 2020

📻 Hello, thanks for tuning in to Arpeggio.

I’m sharing a playlist for deep work, a few songs by rising artists from Island Records and Interscope Records, plus some music biz news. Enjoy!

Flow State, curated by Cam Dukes, is a perfect WFH playlist. 111 songs at 11 hours, 11 minutes long.

“Open the windows, clean your place, prepare some food, practice a skill, hone in and zone out. An airy, entrancing musical journey to aid in your efforts towards accomplishment.”

Listening has noticeably improved my level of deep work, a.k.a. “activity performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that pushes your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate.” (Cal Newport)

Recording Industry

I’ve teamed up with a friend from Universal Music to bring you the latest releases from their talented roster of artists.

“Honey in the Summer” by PUBLIC is a new feel-good summer track

The newest single from the Cincinnati-based rock/pop band PUBLIC is a much-needed summertime vibe while under stay-at-home orders. Over 2.5 million videos were made on Tik Tok using PUBLIC’s previous single “Make You Mine” and the band has toured with well-known acts Twenty One Pilots and Walk the Moon.

“kitchen table” by somegirlnamedanna is a story from a rising artist’s childhood

The New York Times says it’s clear the 22-year-old Minnesota native is “just getting started.” About the song, she shared,

“The kitchen table growing up is where so many important moments happened—talking with my family about anything from how my day was to some of themost defining moments of my life. The sense of connection and support I needed all happened when we were sitting there together. For me, that kitchen table reminds me of the people I love and where I came from, and it holds so many memories that I look back on.”

“Weird!” by YUNGBLUD captures a relatable mood of uncertainty

Although written before shelter-in-place orders, it’s resonant as ever. The multi-hyphenate instrumentalist and singer-songwriter says the song represents the strangest time in his life:

“I felt like the ground beneath me was a maze that was shapeshifting and I felt like I was going to fall down the cracks and, in my opinion, the world feels exactly like that right now. I wanted this song to make everyone feel that everything was going to be alright no matter how weird things get.”

Music Business

📱Houseparty Launches Ambitious ‘In the House’ Virtual Event with 40+ Artists

The facetime-like app has been making moves into the live streaming business. Live sessions are similarly being held from platforms from YouTube to Zoom.

⚖️ Tik Tok Launches ‘Transparency Center’ – but the NMPA blasts service for ‘not using music legally’

This is about two months old, yet if you pair this story with Peloton paying $300 million in damages to the NMPA, it becomes an interesting case study on how big tech can get music rights so wrong. Even if it is so that music is a driving factor in a company’s growth, getting royalties to rights holders can become an afterthought.

🎤 Just 40% of Americans Will Return to Movies or Concerts Before Vaccine, Reuters Poll Says

“About four in 10 people who follow sports avidly and go to arts and entertainment venues and amusement parks said they would do so again if they reopened before a vaccine was available, according to the poll. Another four in 10 said they were willing to wait, even if it takes more than a year to develop a vaccine. The rest said they either “don’t know” what to do or may never attend those events again.”

Strong phrasing in this poll like “most Americans” may be misleading for a few reasons. First off, Reuters should survey more than 4,000 people. Second, you can imagine that the audience of Reuters isn’t particularly an avid concert-goer base, as opposed to readers of the Rolling Stone or Stereo Gum. Third, what percentage of Gen Z or Millennials are even voting on a Reuters poll? The real percentage is probably more optimistic than 40%. This number continues to grow from the reported 10% of Americans who would return to concerts, polled during the last week of April.

💻 VIRTUAL EVENTS MUSIC DIRECTORY

According to a couple of the folks I’ve spoken to in the music biz, this virtual events music directory is like the Bible right now. The curated guide by Cherie Hu, owner of Water and Music, and was just updated this week.

🔊 Does Sonos have a moat? – the story behind hardware brand Sonos

As an audiophile junkie, this article by the Divinations newsletter by Nathan Baschez was an interesting read about how Sonos has evolved over the years.

The next rock star will be a robot: how artificial intelligence is the future of making music AND The dark history of the jukebox: how the Mafia used intimidation and murder to build music machine empires

The Click Track newsletter by James Mishra has some great deep dives into the tech changing the industry, like AI, and the stories behind the evolution of the music biz.

🎬 JOHN & YOKO, ABOVE US ONLY SKY on Netflix

As a motivational way to go into the weekend, here’s a great music documentary. In it, you’ll learn how Yoko Ono’s conceptual art played a pivotal role in influencing John Lennon’s songwriting on the album “Imagine.”

Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear your comments, questions, thoughts. Connect with me here!

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– Jimmy Seykot