How does technology shape art? Why has songwriting become more of a visual skill in the 21st century? Why are today's hit songs shorter than songs from any period since the Beatles? What happened to the guitar solo intro—and the classic rock genre in general? How did rap and hip-hop take over the charts? Derek welcomes the musician, writer, and data analyst ... Show More
Nov 18
How Superintelligent AI Could Upend Work and Politics
Many AI experts believe that some time in the next few years, we will build something close to artificial general intelligence (AGI), a system that can do nearly all valuable cognitive work as well as or better than humans. What happens to jobs, wages, prices, and politics in tha ... Show More
58m 43s
Oct 2023
The History of the 2010s Part 5: Music and Tech
For centuries, there’s been a dance between music and technology with each affecting the other in some way...almost always, though, there’s no fighting progress...music (and everything to do with it) ultimately bends to the needs and demands of new technology...
For example, when ... Show More
32m 35s
Apr 2024
Decoder Ring: Making Real Music for a Fake Band
Pop culture is full of fictional bands singing songs purpose-made to capture a moment, a sound. This music doesn’t organically emerge from a scene or genre, hoping to find an audience. Instead it fulfills an assignment: it needs to be 1960s folk music, 1970s guitar rock, 80s hair ... Show More
41m 45s
Sep 2023
The History of the 2010s Part 2: The Role of Indie Rock
Traditional wisdom says that the recorded music industry is dominated by the major labels...there used to be a bunch of them, but over the last 25 years, their number has been whittled down to just three companies: universal (the biggest), Sony, and warner music...
Here’s somethi ... Show More
27m 19s
May 2017
Salt-N-Pepa Talk 30th Anniversary on the Charts & 'Demand' for New Music; Plus DJ Khaled's First Hot 100 No. 1
On the latest Pop Shop Podcast, we have an interview with Sandra "Pepa" Denton and DJ Spinderella of … Salt-N-Pepa! We caught up with two-thirds of the iconic hip-hop trio to reflect on the 30th anniversary of their debut on Billboard's charts, their current run on the multi-act ... Show More
30m 4s
Jan 2024
Cassie Petrey Reveals Secrets on The Music Industry, Fifth Harmony and The Backstreet Boys
<p>Welcome to a captivating episode where we explore the dynamic intersection of music and social media, unraveling the transformative impact of digital platforms on the music industry. Join us in conversation with Cassie Petrey, a seasoned professional in artist management and s ... Show More
39m 40s
Apr 2024
Making Real Music for a Fake Band
Pop culture is full of fictional bands singing songs purpose-made to capture a moment, a sound. This music doesn’t organically emerge from a scene or genre, hoping to find an audience. Instead it fulfills an assignment: it needs to be 1960s folk music, 1970s guitar rock, 80s hair ... Show More
41m 45s
Nov 2023
Tune Tech: Distortion, sequencers, Auto-Tune, and more
From electric guitars to samplers to drum machines and beyond, the music we love is only possible thanks to the technology used to create it. In many ways, the history of popular music is really a history of technological innovation. In this episode, we partnered with BandLab to ... Show More
25m 33s