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liz pelly

@lizpelly.bsky.social
10K followers 397 following 506 posts

writer in nyc, author of Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist, co-host of @criticallistening.bsky.social lizpelly.info

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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Major magazines report this crisis of reading, but the crisis of listening barely registers // new letter from me about understanding AI music generators as amusements, the distracted state of listening, etc plus new music recommendations lizpelly.ghost.io/the-state-of...
lizpelly.ghost.io
The state of listening doesn't make headlines
Major magazines report this crisis of reading, but the crisis of listening barely registers.
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
loved this Grouper profile by @jennpelly.bsky.social and once again it is wild that for so long streaming services have just let anyone upload anything under any name www.theguardian.com/music/2026/o...
theguardian.com
‘It’s rational to fear the music industry’: Grouper’s Liz Harris on virality, streaming scammers and her ‘restorative’ dream-pop trio
When a rarity blew up on TikTok, the solitary ambient artist had fraudsters trying to steal her royalties. It reinforced her DIY mentality – until reforming her band Helen reminded her of the beauty o...
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
suno says its new "v6-wild" model makes user generations more "weird" & "wild". what could that mean? unpacking it in our new headlines ep. they also claim v6 is the first licensed model made after the Warner deal... but that it happens to also be trained on user "creations" made w the old model
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I just keep going back to this one, my fav record of 2025 haleyheynderickx.bandcamp.com/album/what-o...
haleyheynderickx.bandcamp.com
What of Our Nature, by Haley Heynderickx, Max García Conover
10 track album
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
the return of lily k!! joy lilykngsbrg.bandcamp.com/track/free-b...
lilykngsbrg.bandcamp.com
Free Byrd, by Lily Konigsberg
track by Lily Konigsberg
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
ok follow up correction to my prev post. music blogs still exist!! sweeping promises recommended some great ones after this convo and they are listed in the show notes 😎 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
podcasts.apple.com
Episode 24: Sweeping Promises
Podcast Episode · Critical Listening · September 18 · 57m
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I know it's a cliche at this point to say but music bloggers were truly the canary in the coal mine for having their work ingested into ai systems that replaced them when echo nest used the whole music blogosphere to create data sets for streaming service rec systems. BuT iT's JuSt MuSiC
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
just listened to the song "Choosin Texas" for the first time and now I am going to walk myself over to a book store and buy a copy of End Times Fascism
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I loved this interview with Sweeping Promises about moving to Kansas, using their label advance to buy a house & turn it into an affordable studio for DIY bands, how they learn about new music from musickers crashing at their house, love of record stores & more www.patreon.com/CriticalList...
patreon.com
Episode 24: Sweeping Promises | Critical Listening
Welcome back to another episode of Critical Listening, DIY Lifers edition. For our third installment of Listening Habits, our series where w
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I am so glad that going to Arkansas for 2 days last year for a book festival brought me to a local show that introduced me to Gar Hole Records which brought me to a show in Queens on Friday night where I learned about this great record tworunner.bandcamp.com/album/porchl...
tworunner.bandcamp.com
Porchlight, by Two Runner
12 track album
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Brian Merchant @bcmerchant.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
This conversation with @naomiaklein.bsky.social and @astra.bsky.social couldn't be more timely. With the AI industry talking about *its own products' potential to cause human extinction* we drill into who might still want to build such technology, and why. Hint: it's in the title of their new book.
bloodinthemachine.com
The End Times Fascists of AI, ft. Naomi Klein + Astra Taylor
Listen now (64 mins) | A conversation with Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor about “end times fascism” in the tech industry.
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I think about this song a lot sundaycompost.bandcamp.com/track/what-i...
sundaycompost.bandcamp.com
What if the People Are Stupid?, by Sunday Compost
from the album The Space Between
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
I love writing for the Baffler and would like to see everyone who works there get the fair contract that all workers deserve
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
people like to celebrate when they were at an early show of someone who went on to tour w/ a celebrity, play MSG or whatever but you know what's also cool...being in a small room of people you've gone to shows with for 10+ years who kept making & caring about art despite the odds being so against it
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Damon K @dadadrummer.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
pierces the bubble of the music industry every time but never indulges in the simple put down subscribe and listen!
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
rest in peace legend www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKsQ...
youtube.com
Dolly Parton - I Will Always Love You (Official Audio)
YouTube video by DollyPartonVEVO
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
jimmy iovine "asks ai" to explain "what's going on with democratic socialism" (you can't make this stuff up), @dadadrummer.bsky.social with a correct response dadadrummer.substack.com/p/the-discon...
dadadrummer.substack.com
The Disconnect
Capital and music can no longer coexist
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
(there are 4 weeks of summer left but) a new Julia Holter album in time for the fall is a huge gift- juliaholter.bandcamp.com/album/materia
juliaholter.bandcamp.com
Materia, by Julia Holter
7 track album
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
the best way to start a band imo
highlighted text from Jenn's Heavens to Betsy article: 
"I started telling people about our band when we hadn’t played a single show,” Tucker says. “Or had a practice. No songs either,” she laughs. “We had a concept.”
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jenn pelly @jennpelly.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Working on this was honestly spiritually energizing. I interviewed Corin Tucker and Tracy Sawyer about their legendary teenage riot grrrl band Heavens to Betsy and feminist revenge, the clarity of youth, their unexpected reunion and upcoming archival LP www.theguardian.com/music/2026/a...
theguardian.com
‘We never apologised for our rage or revenge-seeking’: riot grrrl legends Heavens to Betsy reunite
Alongside Bikini Kill and Bratmobile, Corin Tucker and Tracy Sawyer created a feminist punk vernacular that’s still inspiring the likes of Olivia Rodrigo. They recall the clarity and conviction of the...
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
thanks to beauty thanks to grace atsongs.bandcamp.com/album/autosm...
atsongs.bandcamp.com
Autosmile, by @
11 track album
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
I am participating in an international indie pop underground mixtape exchange this summer and it has been a blast spending an exorbitant amount of time trying to make the absolute perfect cassette for a person I may never meet 10/10
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Critical Listening @criticallistening.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Listening Habits is our new series where we speak with musicians & musickers about their daily listening habits, the tools they use to listen, how they find new music & what it means to be a critical listener. icymi the first installment w Wendy Eisenberg is also out wherever you listen to podcasts
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Critical Listening @criticallistening.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
** episode 22 with L'Rain is out now ** we talk with Taja Cheek about her new album, what it means to challenge listeners, her personal listening habits (the second installment of our new series), how she discovers music, her relationship w music tech, and more www.patreon.com/CriticalList...
patreon.com
Episode 22: L'Rain | Critical Listening
For Episode 22, we spoke with songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and curator Taja Cheek, on the brink of her group L’Rain’s fourth
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
new albums by l'rain, sweeping promises, and radiator hospital all on the same day wow happy listening to us all
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Critical Listening @criticallistening.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
July 2026 Headlines episode is out now for subscribers at Patreon.com/criticallistening. We dive into the Kalshi power-users who recently learned that streaming is, in fact, not a meritocracy. We also are unpacking the news that SoundCloud has just acquired Nina Protocol. Sign up today!
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Critical Listening @criticallistening.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
episode 20 with Panda Bear & Sonic Boom: on why their new album is not streaming, how they got their label on board with that, the differences between gen-ai software and sampling, and more. thanks noah and Peter! out everywhere except spotify www.patreon.com/CriticalList...
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In These Times @inthesetimes.com · 23/07/2026
Are you a DSA member? You’re eligible for a free one-year subscription to In These Times: 10 issues, no payment information and no strings attached. Available to U.S. members for a limited time, thanks to the @puffinfoundation.bsky.social. Sign up now. www.inthesetimes.com/dsa
Promotional graphic featuring a collage of In These Times magazine covers beneath bold white text: “DSA Members: Claim your free 10-issue subscription.” Smaller text explains that Democratic Socialists of America members are eligible for a free one-year subscription, with no payment or credit card required, for a limited time.
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
there is no song of the summer when you've spent weeks committed to exclusively re-listening to every bob Dylan record in chronological order ahead of forest hills cc @jennpelly.bsky.social
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
why are fake british accents in post-punk making a comeback
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
good idea! happy alb release day @sad13.horse and happy first subvert purchase to me
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
a couple weeks late here but I really recommend this piece by @see-saw.fun on the Kings Road Merch Union in Minneapolis & major label union-busting (TLDR a merch warehouse was sold by Epitath to Sony, long-time workers/musicians unionized, now Sony plans to shut it down) see-saw.fun/minneapolis-...
see-saw.fun
minneapolis punks voted to unionize a merch warehouse. sony music plans to shut it down.
Kings Road employs punk artists and produces merch for some of the world’s biggest punk bands. The morning of the union’s first day of bargaining, owners Sony Music revealed plans to shutter the workp...
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
I love this record toldslant.bandcamp.com/album/point-...
toldslant.bandcamp.com
Point The Flashlight and Walk, by Told Slant
12 track album
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
basic income for artists *mentioned* at the ny-7 congressional debate. thank you @claireforny.bsky.social !
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
next up in my return to occasional all-ages show booking:: so excited to be presenting an nyc album release show for Katie Alice Greer at the living gallery on Saturday June 6! tix available here: pools.events/event/0eMynN...
pools.events
Sat, Jun 6 - Katie Alice Greer + TBA @ Living Gallery by Show the Seams
Katie Alice Greer + TBA @ Living Gallery by Show the Seams on Sat, Jun 6 at 7:30pm at The Living Gallery, 1094 Broadway, NY. Get tickets and event details on Pools.
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Karen Hao @karenhao.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
So much attention has been paid to the Musk v. Altman trial. But real accountability for the AI industry will not come from a billionaire mudfight. It will come from the movements around the world resisting the empires of AI. My op-ed for @theguardian.com. www.theguardian.com/technology/c...
theguardian.com
The Elon Musk v Sam Altman battle is a distraction | Karen Hao
Fixating on questions of whether Altman is untrustworthy, or whether Musk is even less so distracts from a far deeper problem with AI
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
will be these places in Europe this month launching the French and Italian editions of Mood Machine >> 5/16 Turin @ Off Topic 5/17 Turin @ Sala Internazionale 5/19 Milan @ Volume BK 5/20 Bologna @ Modo Infoshop 5/26 Brussels @ Ancienne Belgique 5/29 Paris @ Le Monte en l’Air
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Médias Libres @mediaslibres.skyfleet.blue · 12/05/2026
Rencontre avec Liz Pelly autour du livre 'La machine Spotify'
agendamilitant.org
Rencontre avec Liz Pelly autour du livre ’La machine Spotify’
Les Allumés du Jazz invitent Liz Pelly à la librairie le Monte-en-l’air (2, rue de la Mare, 75020 Paris) le vendredi 29 mai à 19h30 à l’occasion de la sortie de son nouvel ouvrage ’La machine (…)
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
next up in my return to occasional all-ages show booking:: so excited to be presenting an nyc album release show for Katie Alice Greer at the living gallery on Saturday June 6! tix available here: pools.events/event/0eMynN...
pools.events
Sat, Jun 6 - Katie Alice Greer + TBA @ Living Gallery by Show the Seams
Katie Alice Greer + TBA @ Living Gallery by Show the Seams on Sat, Jun 6 at 7:30pm at The Living Gallery, 1094 Broadway, NY. Get tickets and event details on Pools.
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
the gen Xers are fighting about poptimism and rockism again when we really need to be fighting about📢unchecked corporate consolidation in the music biz 📢 cmon guys
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
I'll be presenting at this next week! Really looking forward to all of the papers --->
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
pvd pop fest confirmed this as song of the spring🌼 touchgirlappleblossom.bandcamp.com/track/the-sp...
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
I am a huge fan of this band for lots of reasons & their commitment to financial transparency is one of them--> loscampesinos.substack.com/p/los-camp-p...
loscampesinos.substack.com
📈 Los Camp! Present Their Tour Accounts
🔍 A detailed breakdown of the cost of our 2024 North American Tour
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
I've been booking diy shows on and off for 15+ years and I think last night was the first time I brought a boombox and a stack of cassettes for the house music between bands. highly rec
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
FT asked me to weigh in on the debates around paid UGC campaigns, so I tried to emphasize what I think is important, which is calling out unlabeled advertising in its many forms -- and that the agencies themselves might be using these narratives to overhype their services www.ft.com/content/9c26...
ft.com
Has taste in music been hijacked?
Digital marketers admit to flooding sites with fake comments to promote acts, posing a disturbing threat to media integrity
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Future of Music Coalition @futureofmusic.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
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Fovea Hex @foveahex.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Everyone being okay with slop is the scariest part. "Several tens of thousands of AI-generated tracks are now delivered to streaming services every day, and a survey last year, commissioned by music platform Deezer, showed that 97 per cent of listeners cannot identify them."
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Justin Anderson-Weber @jlweber.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Let me emphasize Liz's point here: Who benefits from you believing that these campaigns work? Agencies are just sales people, selling marketing services. They don't really care if they work, but they care if clients believe they do.
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liz pelly @lizpelly.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
FT asked me to weigh in on the debates around paid UGC campaigns, so I tried to emphasize what I think is important, which is calling out unlabeled advertising in its many forms -- and that the agencies themselves might be using these narratives to overhype their services www.ft.com/content/9c26...
ft.com
Has taste in music been hijacked?
Digital marketers admit to flooding sites with fake comments to promote acts, posing a disturbing threat to media integrity
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