Liz Pelly: Spotify, Streaming and AI Music
As we approach end of 2025, it's clear that one of year's most zeitgeist-defining books has been Liz Pelly's Mood Machine: Rise of Spotify and Costs of Perfect Playlist. New York-based writer has been on promotional tour, speaking at festivals around world, and one of her recent stops was at Soft Centre in Australia, where this Exchange was recorded live with writer, editor, DJ Audrey Pfister. Liz's background is in DIY scene, college radio and independent alt weeklies, all of which ignited her interest in writing about music. Over last few years, she has become outspoken advocate for underground music, and incisive critic of how streaming economy has debilitated independent artistry. In this conversation, she unpacks some of her book's main conceits. For example, Spotify was originally designed around advertising models rather than music-first models, she says, which is why it rewards music that performs well at scale. Liz explains how that's created so much growing inequity in music that performs well on platform, and she goes on to draw fascinating parallels between what's happening in streaming economy and what's happening in digital media. Mood Machine ends on somewhat hopeful note, and Liz proposes some solutions: as custodians of independent music scene, we have responsibility to go to live shows, subscribe to emerging DIY media projects and give money directly to artists by buying their music and merch. Listen to the episode in full. Timecodes: 00:00 - Introduction 01:25 - Experience in Journalism 02:31 - Spotify Analysis 05:15 - Role of Libraries 07:02 - Influence of Labels 09:02 - Independent Music 12:18 - Spotify Playlists 13:16 - Impact of Streaming 14:19 - Independence & Cooperation 15:44 - Alternatives to Streaming 16:29 - Impact of Consolidation on Industry 17:36 - Return of Direct Messaging on Spotify 20:28 - Spotify's Impact on Artists' Self-Esteem 22:22 - Streaming Alternatives for Independent Artists 24:43 - Ghost Artists & Fake Artists 26:37 - Influence of AI on Music 27:26 - Cultural Devaluation & User Reaction 28:20 - Prospects for Studying AI in Music 29:03 - Conclusion Playlist: https://rutube.ru/plst/602621 #LizPelly | #Interview Original video: https://youtu.be/JeBKZnCComk
As we approach end of 2025, it's clear that one of year's most zeitgeist-defining books has been Liz Pelly's Mood Machine: Rise of Spotify and Costs of Perfect Playlist. New York-based writer has been on promotional tour, speaking at festivals around world, and one of her recent stops was at Soft Centre in Australia, where this Exchange was recorded live with writer, editor, DJ Audrey Pfister. Liz's background is in DIY scene, college radio and independent alt weeklies, all of which ignited her interest in writing about music. Over last few years, she has become outspoken advocate for underground music, and incisive critic of how streaming economy has debilitated independent artistry. In this conversation, she unpacks some of her book's main conceits. For example, Spotify was originally designed around advertising models rather than music-first models, she says, which is why it rewards music that performs well at scale. Liz explains how that's created so much growing inequity in music that performs well on platform, and she goes on to draw fascinating parallels between what's happening in streaming economy and what's happening in digital media. Mood Machine ends on somewhat hopeful note, and Liz proposes some solutions: as custodians of independent music scene, we have responsibility to go to live shows, subscribe to emerging DIY media projects and give money directly to artists by buying their music and merch. Listen to the episode in full. Timecodes: 00:00 - Introduction 01:25 - Experience in Journalism 02:31 - Spotify Analysis 05:15 - Role of Libraries 07:02 - Influence of Labels 09:02 - Independent Music 12:18 - Spotify Playlists 13:16 - Impact of Streaming 14:19 - Independence & Cooperation 15:44 - Alternatives to Streaming 16:29 - Impact of Consolidation on Industry 17:36 - Return of Direct Messaging on Spotify 20:28 - Spotify's Impact on Artists' Self-Esteem 22:22 - Streaming Alternatives for Independent Artists 24:43 - Ghost Artists & Fake Artists 26:37 - Influence of AI on Music 27:26 - Cultural Devaluation & User Reaction 28:20 - Prospects for Studying AI in Music 29:03 - Conclusion Playlist: https://rutube.ru/plst/602621 #LizPelly | #Interview Original video: https://youtu.be/JeBKZnCComk