liz pelly

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I have been alerted that Mood Machine will be on the front page of en.wikipedia.org under "did you know" until 7pm est... excitement

Great info in this episode of @criticallistening.bsky.social about Spotify’s plans for use of generative AI

real question.. how am I supposed to choose what to see at big ears when everything happening at the same time all looks equally incredible

out now on patreon, for subscribers, and everywhere except spotify next week, for the public. thank you for listening & thank you to Jill for joining us!

Episode 12: February 2026 Headlines | Critical Listening Get more from Critical Listening on Patreon

feb headlines ep of @criticallistening.bsky.social is live! we discuss spotify's recent update to shareholders (aka I read the spotify q4 earnings call transcript so you don't have to) & also chat with @jillmapes.bsky.social about her essay on the wasserman exodus--
www.patreon.com/posts/episod...

loved the new episode of @techwontsave.us about luddite clubs & learning that there's a documentary about them on the way! (and also to hear mention of members ditching streaming to rebuild their music libraries)

Linkedin post by Downtown Music that says "It's official. Virgin Music Group and Downtown Music have joined forces, united in our commitment to the global independent community."

Love when two entities owned by Universal Music Group join forces to support the global independent music community.

Day 45ish of having a flip phone I got lost driving from Sunset Park to Ridgewood today.

"I hope to do pointless things every day for the rest of my life" beautiful gunkyard.substack.com/p/day-45ish-...

ya I try to only acquire things on vinyl I know I already love. occasionally will preorder a new release on vinyl. sometimes will listen to something on the listening station at a used record shop & know its a keeper but generally LP collection is smaller & more considered & tapes I'll buy on a whim

as many have pointed out CDs would be a better choice if you're trying to also build a digital library since you can get a USB cd burner for pretty cheap. I usually just get mp3s from bandcamp tho

my thought is that it's nice to have a big collection of tapes or CDs (smaller, cheaper) and a smaller collection of vinyl records. I have a huge sprawling collection of tapes (will buy lots used & to support people at the merch table) & mostly just favs/all-timer records on vinyl

Bullshit Bots | Sohini Desai Is AI really coming for entry-level jobs first, and the rest of the workforce next? Tech CEOs certainly want you to think so.

As the tech industry struggles to justify its investments in AI, firms are now pitching “agentic AI” as one route to profit. As Sohini Desai explains, these bots are meant to juice consumer spending—and help bosses put the squeeze on their workers.

liz_pelly - listening in 2026 new music

my 6th year using buymusicclub for collecting new music I'm listening to & albums I'm looking fwd to etc. shout out to simple websites that serve a single purpose
www.buymusic.club/list/liz_pel...

YouTube video by Kim Gordon Kim Gordon - "DIRTY TECH" (Official Video)

new Kim dream record
www.youtube.com/watch?v=941P...

Episode 11: Live from Groningen is now available wherever you get your podcasts besides you know where. Did we automate or die trying? Tune in to find out! Remember to support the show for bonus episodes and access to our discord by subscribing at patreon.com/criticallistening

Take My Books, Please Reflections on the Settlement of Bartz v Anthropic

more in "they're doing to books what they already did to music" @dadadrummer.bsky.social dadadrummer.substack.com/p/take-my-bo...

Spotify blog headline "Reading Was Never Meant to Sit Still"

actually yes one of the great joys of reading is that it encourages stillness! just like listening! these people would not know because they have seemingly never read a book or listened to a record in their lives. end thread.

screenshot from Spotify blog "At Spotify, we believe books should move with you⸺across devices, across formats, across moods. That idea is shaping everything we’re building next."

begging the publishing industry to learn literally anything from the music industry

“Solving problems no one has in order to impress investors since 2008!”

real question who is actually going to do this

Please just order directly from an independent bookstore or go to the library!

Spotify Partners With Bookshop.org and Debuts Page Match Feature to Bridge Physical, E-book, and Audio Formats — Spotify Since bringing audiobooks to Spotify in 2022, we’ve helped listeners discover thousands of new favorite titles and authors while driving growth in the publishing industry. Today, we’re turning the pag...

I have questions. Firstly, what cut is Spotify keeping when someone buys a book through bookshop.org via its platform? The announcement says this "will directly support bookshops & the authors" but noticeably not that they will pass on 100% from purchases
newsroom.spotify.com/2026-02-05/b...

Finally digging into @lizpelly.bsky.social and @peretsky.bsky.social excellent @criticallistening.bsky.social podcast! Really helpful to learn more about @umaw.bsky.social. I already liked them, but hearing from leadership makes me like them even more.

criticallistening.podbean.com/e/episode-2-...

WE’RE BACK. Today we start the year with a dispatch from what some may call the front lines: a bunch of AI-related panels at a European music biz trade conference. It’s also our first episode recorded in person! Listen at patreon.com/criticallistening

personally i was only tuned into the Grammys for the Noah kahan x mastercard drop

cover of Mood Machine: the rise of spotify and the costs of the perfect playlist by Liz Pelly. Black background with rounded squares that evoke the minimalist and colorful graphic blobs of spotify alongside some images of people in different moods (working, sleeping, social, workout)

next neoluddite read is Mood Machine by @lizpelly.bsky.social! join us at iffy books on Thursday, Feb. 12th to discuss

Companies reap $22bn from Trump’s immigration crackdown Palantir and Deloitte among beneficiaries of spending by government agencies

Corporate America made over $22 billion from contracts with ICE and CBP last year.

The list of companies profiting from Trump's aggressive deportation regime includes Palantir, Deloitte, GEO Group, and many more.

www.ft.com/content/c741...

Cryptophasia with Jenn and Liz Pelly - The Lot Radio

"there's a new world coming" > "save the children" > "the west" > "my pal foot foot" > "it isn't nice" www.thelotradio.com/shows/crypto...

I grew up with Alex Pretti The kind-hearted ICU nurse shot by ICE agents was my childhood best friend.

I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com

a January note from Critical Listening HQ | Critical Listening Get more from Critical Listening on Patreon

what's going on at critical listening this month
www.patreon.com/posts/januar...