In just under one generation, we moved from appreciating albums as cohesive works to consuming individual tracks, and then to music becoming reduced to muzak: background noise for gaming, viral videos, or endless scrolling. Disappearing is music as an art in its own right, which commands sustained attention and deep engagement. A song’s success is... See more

Disclaimer: Sorry for the clickbait title, but this could be an academic essay entitled something dry like ​“Music Journalism As Infrastructure” but that lacks the intrigue or friction these platforms demand if I want to write to you, my fellow music fan.

To me, it’s not a problem of access to music. The problem is more like the way in which convenience culture has shaped a specific idea of what music is and what its purpose is.