The Problem With Music

In 1993, our late, lamented hero Steve Albini wrote this gross and profane takedown of the music industry, and we've been thinking about it ever since. We try to follow the evolution of Albini's attitude about how music is distributed while also checking in on David Byrne, Marxist theory, and Tik Tok.

Sources

https://thebaffler.com/salvos/the-problem-with-music

https://qz.com/202194/steve-albini-the-problem-with-music-has-been-solved-by-the-internet

https://boingboing.net/2024/05/10/read-steve-albinis-famous-essay-on-the-music-industrys-problems.html

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/the-new-problem-with-music-steve-albini-revisits-one-of-his-favourite-themes-1.2013006

https://stereogum.com/1678835/steve-albini-thinks-the-internet-solved-the-problem-with-music/news

https://reason.com/2014/04/30/legendary-punk-producer-steve-albini-say/

https://www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com/revisiting-steve-albinis-problem-music-essay-problem-solved-internet/

https://rocknerd.co.uk/2015/01/11/steve-albini-how-the-internet-solved-the-problem-with-music/

https://www.spinmagazine.com/2014/04/steve-albini-internet-problem-with-music-streaming-debate/

https://www.simplemusiccontracts.com/the-problem-with-music