Marvel, crypto, Tucker Carlson: eight of 2023’s most spectacular downfalls
Experts on tech, politics and culture weigh in on the year the hype faded and what could come next
Calum Newton: the 10 funniest things I have ever seen (on the internet)
The musician and comedian (AKA Candy Moore) tells us what’s calming his existential dread lately – including a classic Vine, a classic TikTok and two covers of stone-cold classics
‘We’re on TikTok? What’s TikTok?’ The forgotten bands going supersonic thanks to gen Z
Ageing acts that can’t even get radio time are going viral – and finding themselves playing arenas or even soundtracking Ukrainian resistance. But how do you follow up a hit no one can explain?
Spotify announces CFO to leave, days after he cashed in $9.3m in shares
Paul Vogel moved to sell stock as shares soared after it was revealed 1,500 jobs would be cut
Maria Callas’s hologram concert: ersatz simulacrum of a dead diva is weird and depressing
The legendary soprano was celebrated for her emotional connection. This moribund gimmick intended to bring her back – but in fact took her further away
James Blunt: One Brit Wonder review – soldier-turned-singer’s brilliant Twitter game
The witty singer’s superb comeback is a delight to behold in this entertaining fly-on-the-wall documentary
Spotify cuts more than 1,500 jobs amid rising costs
Music streaming service axes 17% of workforce in latest round of redundancies at big tech companies
Spotify Wrapped is creepy, meaningless – and shows just how much data big tech has on you
The annual summary of your listening habits has become a phenomenon – but aside from being a marketing wheeze, Wrapped doesn’t always reflect what we truly love
‘Almost like election night’: behind the scenes of Spotify Wrapped
The internet is abuzz with the results of this year’s rundown, with Taylor Swift coming out on top as 2023’s most streamed artist
‘Putting a number on art’: musicians nervous as Spotify announces royalty changes
Streaming giant says tweaks will bring more revenue to artists and away from fraudsters, but some musicians are worried about further creeping change
Spotify to phase out service in Uruguay following new copyright bill requiring ‘fair and equitable remuneration’
The streaming platform claimed that it already pays nearly 70% of every dollar to labels and publishers and had contributed to a 20% growth in Uruguay’s music industry in 2022
Neil Young boycotts X over antisemitic Elon Musk tweet
Singer-songwriter joins chorus of disapproval over Musk’s agreement with tweet that accused Jewish communities of ‘dialectical hatred against whites’
John Legend and Sia among singers to trial AI versions of voices with YouTube
Google-owned video platform opens up Dream Track experiment to produce 30-second soundtracks
‘It was a way to share your musical experiences’: why cassette tapes flourished, and still endure
Two new books explore the history of the tape and how it helped spread hip-hop, thrash metal and experimental music around the world one mixtape at a time
YouTube to offer option to flag AI-generated songs that mimic artists’ voices
Record companies will be able to request removal of content that mimics an artist’s ‘unique singing or rapping’