It’s an Old Trope, but How Well Does the Factory Model Explain Pop Music? It’s an Old Trope, but How Well Does the Factory Model Explain Pop Music?
A new book about the music industry misses the fact that we’ve already entered the post-industrial age.
Oct 29, 2015 / Books & the Arts / David Hajdu
The Culture That Capitalism Created The Culture That Capitalism Created
An interview with Boots Riley.
Oct 8, 2015 / Laura Flanders
Whistleblowers Composed Whistleblowers Composed
Ted Hearne’s masterpiece The Source captures digital disorder through the sounds of Wikileaks.
Oct 6, 2015 / David Hajdu
Of Lobsters and Men Of Lobsters and Men
Don DeLillo, the Grateful Dead, and the New York Film Festival.
Oct 5, 2015 / Eric Alterman
You Can’t Fight Poverty With a Concert You Can’t Fight Poverty With a Concert
Global Citizen’s celebrity-packed festival aims to mobilize millennials against poverty. That’s pointless if it strips politics from the fight.
Sep 24, 2015 / Benjamin Cohen and Elliot Ross
Welcome Back Welcome Back
Altercation catches up on summer events and releases.
Sep 22, 2015 / Eric Alterman
Who Loves You? Who Loves You?
America’s ongoing fascination with Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra.
Sep 10, 2015 / Books & the Arts / David Hajdu
Top Ten Back-to-School Songs Top Ten Back-to-School Songs
An incomplete list of some of the best songs ever written about school.
Sep 8, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Peter Rothberg
White Hands and Black Skulls: From the Panthers to ‘Straight Outta Compton’ White Hands and Black Skulls: From the Panthers to ‘Straight Outta Compton’
Two new films prove the urgency, and inadequacy, of outrage.
Aug 27, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Stuart Klawans
Next to Nothing: The Economics and Aesthetics of Streaming Music Next to Nothing: The Economics and Aesthetics of Streaming Music
Apps like Spotify and Apple Music haven’t just changed the way we purchase music—they've changed the way we listen.
Aug 24, 2015 / David Hajdu