The Daily Chord Weekly Recap – Friday, April 7

The jump in US music revenues reported last Friday reverberated through the stories shared in SXSW's Daily Chord this week. Spotify announced licensing deals and hinted at going public without an IPO. Pundits are certain that artificial intelligence will fuel a music boom. Joan Baez and Sleaford Mods offered perspectives on protest music. The Daily Chord keeps tabs on business and creative developments in the music world by providing a handful of significant links each weekday. Shoot us your email address and we'll shoot back our email newsletter.

Monday, April 3

• It's not their pop idol, but a bot. Fans cheer anyway.
  Story from NY Times
• X-Ray Spex's Poly Styrene subject of new documentary
  Item from Pitchfork
• Why the sound of Ed Sheeran helps sell fries
  Post from The Guardian
• Grandmaster Flash to MacBook Pro DJs: What are you doing?
  Interview from CNET
• Roland founder and TR-808 creator Ikutaro Kakehashi dies at age 87
  Obituary from Ars Technica
• The mystery of trailer music, or why can't I buy that Game Of Thrones trailer song?
  Post from The Verge

Tuesday, April 4

• Has the holiday-camp indie festival had its day?
  Post from The Guardian
• How significant is the music industry's rebound?
  Commentary from The Atlantic
• Streaming has now taken over the music industry, and A.I. will push it into the stratosphere
  Commentary from CNBC
• How the Roland TR-808 revolutionized music
  Post from The Verge
• Mitch Glazier tapped to succeed Cary Sherman as CEO of RIAA
  Item from Variety
• U2 producer's other job: Selling CDs in Indonesia's KFCs
  Story from NY Times

Wednesday, April 5

• Spotify's new licensing deal eases path to going public
  Story from NY Times
• Who wins, who loses in Spotify's long-term deal with Universal Music Group
  Post from Billboard
• Kanye West album is the first to go platinum from streaming alone
  Post from Engadget
• ASCAP reports record $1B revenue fueled by 41% increase in streaming income
  Post from Hypebot
• Internet music has been graced by a new meme: SoundCloud vs. Bandcamp
  Post from Buzzfeed
• Music has no effect on chimps, study finds
  Post from Times Live SA

Thursday, April 6

• Proposal would let labels pull music off radio
  Story from The Tennessean
• 10 women sound engineers changing the game
  Post from Hypebot
• Joan Baez: The life and times of a secret badass
  Profile from Rolling Stone
• British punk duo Sleaford Mods discuss simple beats and hardened tirades in advance of their Los Angeles debut
  Interview from LA Times
• Beatles open the vaults for 50th anniversary of Sgt Pepper
  Post from Billboard
• Lonnie Brooks, bluesman who had a hit with 'Sweet Home Chicago,' dies at 83
  Obituary from NY Times

Friday, April 7

• Spotify may bypass IPO and list directly on stock market
  Post from BBC News
• From The xx to The Big Moon: The best albums of the year 2017
  Reviews from The Telegraph
• The secret to free music is internet radio
  Guide from Gizmodo
• Are we witnessing the beginning of the end for free music streaming?
  Post from NPR
• Anti-establishment icon David Peel dies at 73
  Obituary from Billboard
• Prince's death: One year later, unsolved mysteries
  Story from NY Times