Darren Hemmings

🔵 Is a legendary, globally-known indie about to sell up to a major? Rumours abound... but there's a point here most are missing

As rumours continue that a well-known indie is potentially heading for a sale to a major, I wrote a few thoughts on indie sales in general, and how we're going to see more and more of it. Read on below...

🔵 Want to take on the majors? Stop talking, start acting. The only way to take on the majors is by out-manoeuvering them - and some companies are starting that fight.

I wrote a few thoughts about how we now need action more than just words if we are to prevent the majors swallowing the music industry whole. But there are companies out there bringing options, and so there are options. It's not all bad, I promise!! Read on below...

🔵 Universal/Downtown gets personal, but it all misses the point Irrespective of who wins, nobody is working to raise the value of music itself

I wrote a few words about how the Universal/Downtown situation is getting personal, but that it really misses one pretty fundamental point. Read on below!

The real 5G conspiracy: How Londoners are being lied to about their phone signal Plus: We reveal how much the capital's councils actually make from festivals in their parks.

This didn't come as a shock; more of an "I knew it!" kind of sentiment, but hats off to London Centric for confirming what I think Londoners sensed was the case.

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

Let's make sure we never forget this moment.

🔵 Reviewing the "time spent to money earned" ratio for artists Is time being spent in all the wrong places?

Inspired by a JonWayne video I watched, I wrote a few words about how we in the music industry might be focusing on the wrong places to build audiences that might actually drive sales and revenue. Dive in below...

That, my friends, is how to write brilliantly. Zachary Lipez, take a bow! 🙌🏻👏🏻

"Teenagers – a recently invented term for a class that had previously been a source of cheap farm labour, whose numbers were determined by luck, vermin, and a Papal workaround known as the rhythm method – were, all of a sudden, the judge, jury, and executioners of culture."

"Once upon a time, during what was not so much a “golden age” as an ejaculatory age of denim and leather (and occasionally lace), there was no higher human aspiration than to “rock”."

Three Album Run: How Rock Music Never Bettered AC/DC's Powerage, Highway To Hell & Back In Black | The Quietus The Beatles? The Stones? Led Zeppelin? Please... when it comes to rock, no one comes close to these three consecutive AC/DC albums

The turns of phrase in this AC/DC piece elevate it to high art. Wonderful, wonderful stuff. Someone give this piece ALL THE AWARDS. I shall share two examples....

🔵 Exclusive: Universal tightens its grip around NTS Radio Another grim development in the indie landscape

A rare exclusive today, detailing how NTS has taken out a loan with Universal that, if defaulted on, will see the major taking ownership of the entire NTS business: properties, IP, the lot. Not a great development for the indie music landscape.

🔵 Universal isn't winning. It's panicking. Don't believe the hype: the biggest major is far from sitting pretty

I wrote a few thoughts about how I feel Universal is, if anything, battling to remain relevant amid changing times and a fundamental shift in where the power sits in the music space - that is, solely with the artists. More below…👇🏻

Ghosting Spotify: A How-To Guide The Joyful Sabotage Guide to Supporting Real Music and Reigniting Pleasure in the Age of Tech Oligarchy

Essential reading. Make time for it. open.substack.com/pub/littledo...

Do, it's a gem!

Here's a sentence I never saw myself typing today: that new Hawkwind album is magnificent. Absolutely loving it. album.link/gb/i/1799083...

I'd imagine at some point that all has to break though. The money isn't endless - especially now that the world economy is getting hauled over the coals. Something will give there.

Yeah, and that's the real issue for me. It's doing good things! But it's been sold as some kind of all-pervading thing that should be in every corner of our lives, and that's just nonsense. It reveals the trenchant greed of Big Tech.

Fair enough

Yep, but I don't see them as wholly negative either. Hence my point in my piece really; they do a load of harm, but they also do have some positive uses. Much like computers. I don't really buy into that view that they're unilaterally bad. They're just being wildly overstated and forced on us all.

I feel like there's a bunch of leaps there but I get what you're saying. I mean, if you post AI shite day in day out for clout on here then... you're wasting a lot of good life 😆 But I don't think it's as b&w as "using AI is bad". But I don't think that's what you're saying?

What's the "agree to disagree" on that? I wouldn't disagree with that at all, LOL

🔵 Finding calm amid the AI insanity Why this might not prove as bad as people think...

I wrote a few words about the music industry and AI. And whilst I think some people would rather stick a fork in their eye than read another post about AI, I'd argue that this piece is recognising that, and calling for a bit of calm amid the constant doom-mongering. Read on below...

🔵 AI is reinforcing the need for artist websites Why managing your artists' narrative is more important than ever

Think you don't need an official artist website in 2025? Think again...

These people sound like AWESOME fun to be around. Proper "tell me you fall for every TikTok trend going without actually saying so" vibes. Anyways, BRB: just off o 'biohack' myself into relaxation with 4 pints of Moretti. #OKthanks

There needs to be some kind of "saw them at the Underworld in '92 and they were just OK" bot to respond to posts like this.

I've heard that people have almost gone blind if they get sap in the eye. Gardening: more dangerous than you think 😆

Entirely tangential but this is reminding me of gardening and getting sap from Euphorbia on my skin. Didn't realise it totally kills the skin's ability to deadly with UV, causing blistering in the areas where it touched you (and which then see UV on them). Nasty plant!

Good uses of AI? OK - how about having it create an image of Brian Blessed as an 80s rapper? You're welcome.

Man that sounds like anyone's worst nightmare. I really don't get these forced obsolescence policies; your response to it is entirely normal and expected, so how are they a win for anyone?

Driving Him Nuts: Squirrely Years Revisited Is Ministry's Best Album In Decades – | The Quietus Al Jourgensen has finally gotten over hatred for his early music and subtly reworked it... into Ministry's best LP in years

I have long held a theory that the quality of Ministry's albums has risen and fallen in direct correlation to the shittiness of whoever the US president is. So it's not a shock at all to see that their new one is a belter, LOL