Brodie Conley
@brodieconley.bsky.social
love to learn✌🏻music (industries) person and researcher // 🎵: fine form // board: debaser.ca + @newfeelingcoop.bsky.social // https://www.brodieconley.com/
Many in the arts & music sector felt relief seeing Budget 2025 commit to 3 more years of funding for key programs — the Canada Music Fund, Canada Arts Presentation Fund, and Building Communities Through Arts & Heritage, among them.
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November 5, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Many in the arts & music sector felt relief seeing Budget 2025 commit to 3 more years of funding for key programs — the Canada Music Fund, Canada Arts Presentation Fund, and Building Communities Through Arts & Heritage, among them.
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Looks like UMG settled with Udio. Big questions:
1️⃣ What’s in the “compensatory settlement” — cash or equity?
2️⃣ Will any of it reach artists? <---this is SO important!
3️⃣ If it’s equity, does it come with governance rights — and who wields them?
1️⃣ What’s in the “compensatory settlement” — cash or equity?
2️⃣ Will any of it reach artists? <---this is SO important!
3️⃣ If it’s equity, does it come with governance rights — and who wields them?
UMG settles Udio lawsuit; companies plan new AI-music service together
Universal Music Group has settled its lawsuit with AI-music startup Udio, and the pair are launching a new GenAI music service together.
Universal Music Group has settled its lawsuit with AI-music startup Udio, and the pair are launching a new GenAI music service together.
UMG settles Udio lawsuit; companies plan new AI-music service together
Universal Music Group has settled its lawsuit with AI-music startup Udio, and the pair are launching a new GenAI music service together.
musically.com
October 30, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Looks like UMG settled with Udio. Big questions:
1️⃣ What’s in the “compensatory settlement” — cash or equity?
2️⃣ Will any of it reach artists? <---this is SO important!
3️⃣ If it’s equity, does it come with governance rights — and who wields them?
1️⃣ What’s in the “compensatory settlement” — cash or equity?
2️⃣ Will any of it reach artists? <---this is SO important!
3️⃣ If it’s equity, does it come with governance rights — and who wields them?
If ur interested in democratic governance - both online & in political life - this one is full of strong thinking
w/ a nice side of ‘make governance fun!’, a mantra I bring to my gov work. Need someone to make this into a dad cap!🧢
@thedrc.bsky.social
@ntnsndr.in
podfollow.com/techquitable...
w/ a nice side of ‘make governance fun!’, a mantra I bring to my gov work. Need someone to make this into a dad cap!🧢
@thedrc.bsky.social
@ntnsndr.in
podfollow.com/techquitable...
Techquitable
Welcome to the Techquitable podcast, your audio guide through the complex landscape of emerging technologies and equitable ownership.
Hosted by Connor Spelliscy and Tony Douglas Jr. of the Decentral...
podfollow.com
October 26, 2025 at 8:04 PM
If ur interested in democratic governance - both online & in political life - this one is full of strong thinking
w/ a nice side of ‘make governance fun!’, a mantra I bring to my gov work. Need someone to make this into a dad cap!🧢
@thedrc.bsky.social
@ntnsndr.in
podfollow.com/techquitable...
w/ a nice side of ‘make governance fun!’, a mantra I bring to my gov work. Need someone to make this into a dad cap!🧢
@thedrc.bsky.social
@ntnsndr.in
podfollow.com/techquitable...
Reposting for the weekend crowd/alg🫠:
I wrote on how, if music gen AI is gonna be a thing (I wish it wouldn’t!), artists need ownership ($$ + gov power)!
Plus I link Marx talking about capital’s vampiric qualities w/ ol’ Neiler’s ‘Vampire Blues’!🧛🔵
musicx.substack.com/p/the-foreve...
I wrote on how, if music gen AI is gonna be a thing (I wish it wouldn’t!), artists need ownership ($$ + gov power)!
Plus I link Marx talking about capital’s vampiric qualities w/ ol’ Neiler’s ‘Vampire Blues’!🧛🔵
musicx.substack.com/p/the-foreve...
The “Forever” Stakes of Generative AI Ownership
On synthetic data and dead labour
musicx.substack.com
October 25, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Reposting for the weekend crowd/alg🫠:
I wrote on how, if music gen AI is gonna be a thing (I wish it wouldn’t!), artists need ownership ($$ + gov power)!
Plus I link Marx talking about capital’s vampiric qualities w/ ol’ Neiler’s ‘Vampire Blues’!🧛🔵
musicx.substack.com/p/the-foreve...
I wrote on how, if music gen AI is gonna be a thing (I wish it wouldn’t!), artists need ownership ($$ + gov power)!
Plus I link Marx talking about capital’s vampiric qualities w/ ol’ Neiler’s ‘Vampire Blues’!🧛🔵
musicx.substack.com/p/the-foreve...
I wrote about AI + why artists need ownership (incl. governance) or they’re up shit creek!
A simple but important argument! And I messed w/ David Harvey’s “Paths of Capital Accumulation” diagram to make it 🤓FUN!
+ a Neil Young song 🧛🔵🏖️!
musicx.substack.com/p/the-foreve...
A simple but important argument! And I messed w/ David Harvey’s “Paths of Capital Accumulation” diagram to make it 🤓FUN!
+ a Neil Young song 🧛🔵🏖️!
musicx.substack.com/p/the-foreve...
The “Forever” Stakes of Generative AI Ownership
On synthetic data and dead labour
musicx.substack.com
October 23, 2025 at 5:10 PM
I wrote about AI + why artists need ownership (incl. governance) or they’re up shit creek!
A simple but important argument! And I messed w/ David Harvey’s “Paths of Capital Accumulation” diagram to make it 🤓FUN!
+ a Neil Young song 🧛🔵🏖️!
musicx.substack.com/p/the-foreve...
A simple but important argument! And I messed w/ David Harvey’s “Paths of Capital Accumulation” diagram to make it 🤓FUN!
+ a Neil Young song 🧛🔵🏖️!
musicx.substack.com/p/the-foreve...
Today the global indie music sector launched a coordinated campaign to block UMG’s takeover of Downtown Music (an indie business bundle spanning the value chain), now under EU investigation.
Love to see consolidation & competition tackled head-on in music 🤘
www.blockthedeal.com
Love to see consolidation & competition tackled head-on in music 🤘
www.blockthedeal.com
Block the deal
The future of the global independent music community rests on the merits of their music and the power of choice.
www.blockthedeal.com
October 3, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Today the global indie music sector launched a coordinated campaign to block UMG’s takeover of Downtown Music (an indie business bundle spanning the value chain), now under EU investigation.
Love to see consolidation & competition tackled head-on in music 🤘
www.blockthedeal.com
Love to see consolidation & competition tackled head-on in music 🤘
www.blockthedeal.com
Reposted by Brodie Conley
Canada has a problem: we don’t own the data that informs our biggest policy decisions. Writer @vassb.bsky.social explores why we’ve come to accept a system where private platforms hoard core economic intelligence and treat it like business as usual: thewalrus.ca/canada-labour-data/
August 22, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Canada has a problem: we don’t own the data that informs our biggest policy decisions. Writer @vassb.bsky.social explores why we’ve come to accept a system where private platforms hoard core economic intelligence and treat it like business as usual: thewalrus.ca/canada-labour-data/
Reposted by Brodie Conley
A lot of the conversation around BIG nation-building projects has been focussed on physical infrastructure (I suppose digital initiatives become physical fast). 2 OTHER national ideas I noticed: 1 @policyalternatives.ca a crown corp for institutional fleets www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
Canada needs a crown corporation for vehicle production - CCPA
Donald Trump is an existential threat to Canada’s auto sector. As he bluntly stated during a meeting with the prime minister in May, “we don’t want cars from Canada.” Tariffs are intended to make it s...
www.policyalternatives.ca
August 24, 2025 at 12:22 AM
A lot of the conversation around BIG nation-building projects has been focussed on physical infrastructure (I suppose digital initiatives become physical fast). 2 OTHER national ideas I noticed: 1 @policyalternatives.ca a crown corp for institutional fleets www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
Reposted by Brodie Conley
The scavenger hunt says: what if politics were also just a little bit fun? Would that be okay with everyone? Looks like it is.
August 24, 2025 at 7:08 PM
The scavenger hunt says: what if politics were also just a little bit fun? Would that be okay with everyone? Looks like it is.
Reposted by Brodie Conley
The Air Canada flight attendant strike was illegal. It was also profoundly Canadian.
As Jen Hassum explains in a new column, Canada’s democracy depends on defiance, not obedience.
Read it here: ricochet.media/labour/the-a...
#AirCanada #cdnpoli @hassum.bsky.social
As Jen Hassum explains in a new column, Canada’s democracy depends on defiance, not obedience.
Read it here: ricochet.media/labour/the-a...
#AirCanada #cdnpoli @hassum.bsky.social
The Air Canada flight attendant strike was illegal. It was also profoundly Canadian
Canada’s democracy depends on defiance, not obedience
ricochet.media
August 21, 2025 at 4:50 PM
The Air Canada flight attendant strike was illegal. It was also profoundly Canadian.
As Jen Hassum explains in a new column, Canada’s democracy depends on defiance, not obedience.
Read it here: ricochet.media/labour/the-a...
#AirCanada #cdnpoli @hassum.bsky.social
As Jen Hassum explains in a new column, Canada’s democracy depends on defiance, not obedience.
Read it here: ricochet.media/labour/the-a...
#AirCanada #cdnpoli @hassum.bsky.social
LFG! ✊🏻
“Air Canada flight attendants will defy the back-to-work order and remain on strike after the federal government ordered binding arbitration to end the work stoppage”
Air Canada flight attendants to defy back-to-work order, remain on strike: union | CBC News
Air Canada flight attendants will defy the back-to-work order and remain on strike after the federal government ordered binding arbitration to end the work stoppage, the Canadian Union of Public Emplo...
www.cbc.ca
August 17, 2025 at 6:21 PM
LFG! ✊🏻
Important to note: this is total compensation, of which ~2/3 is in non-wage market assets tied to AC success.
Every unpaid hour a flight attendant works increases the value of those assets and makes Air Canada execs wealthier.
Every unpaid hour a flight attendant works increases the value of those assets and makes Air Canada execs wealthier.
Air Canada Executive salaries:
CEO M.Rousseau: $12.38 Million
CFO A.Kazzaz: $3.1 Million
COO C.Landry: $2.93 Million
CCO L.Guillemette: $2.74 Million
Exec VP A.Meloul-Wechsler: $2.0 Million
CEO M.Rousseau: $12.38 Million
CFO A.Kazzaz: $3.1 Million
COO C.Landry: $2.93 Million
CCO L.Guillemette: $2.74 Million
Exec VP A.Meloul-Wechsler: $2.0 Million
August 17, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Important to note: this is total compensation, of which ~2/3 is in non-wage market assets tied to AC success.
Every unpaid hour a flight attendant works increases the value of those assets and makes Air Canada execs wealthier.
Every unpaid hour a flight attendant works increases the value of those assets and makes Air Canada execs wealthier.
Last time I checked my landlord still won't accept "exposure bucks" 🤷♂️ 🙄
"Duboff’s argument is that because Spotify is “the most engaging service, the calculated per-stream rate is lower”.
"Duboff’s argument is that because Spotify is “the most engaging service, the calculated per-stream rate is lower”.
Spotify tackles per-stream rate critics with engagement argument
The fact that Spotify’s average per-stream rates are lower than most of its rivals has been regularly used as a stick to beat the company with – despite its protests. Now the streaming service’s global head of marketing and policy,…
The fact that Spotify’s average per-stream rates are lower than most of its rivals has been regularly used as a stick to beat the company with – despite its protests. Now the streaming service’s global head of marketing and policy,…
Spotify tackles per-stream rate critics with engagement argument
The fact that Spotify’s average per-stream rates are lower than most of its rivals has been regularly used as a stick to beat the company with – despite its protests. Now the streaming service’s global head of marketing and policy, music business Sam Duboff has made the latest attempt to explain why Spotify sees this metric as bogus. “Spotify has one-third of global subscribers but drives two-thirds of total paid streams.
musically.com
May 2, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Last time I checked my landlord still won't accept "exposure bucks" 🤷♂️ 🙄
"Duboff’s argument is that because Spotify is “the most engaging service, the calculated per-stream rate is lower”.
"Duboff’s argument is that because Spotify is “the most engaging service, the calculated per-stream rate is lower”.
Reposted by Brodie Conley
it never ceases to amaze me that there are people who work in music who don't even *checks notes* listen to music
April 4, 2025 at 2:14 PM
it never ceases to amaze me that there are people who work in music who don't even *checks notes* listen to music
Reposted by Brodie Conley
cool cool cool
Leavitt confirmed that the WH is working on deporting US citizens to El Salvador
April 8, 2025 at 6:20 PM
cool cool cool
In providing wall to wall coverage of the new Arcade Fire single, the music media is proving that it is deeply unserious about sexual harassment, violence and discrimination, and making music safe for all people.
April 8, 2025 at 5:38 PM
In providing wall to wall coverage of the new Arcade Fire single, the music media is proving that it is deeply unserious about sexual harassment, violence and discrimination, and making music safe for all people.
Reposted by Brodie Conley
a confederacy of bootlickers
Kevin Hassett: "But in the end, the president wrote the book 'The Art of the Deal,' and it's a great book. I really enjoyed the book. And it shows how to get great deals. And that's what he's doing right now for the American people."
April 8, 2025 at 2:56 PM
a confederacy of bootlickers
Reposted by Brodie Conley
Many have pointed out how the larger conversation about the group chat eludes discussion of the horrors of war, but seeing a civilian woman just accepted as “excellent” collateral is … pretty ghastly
March 26, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Many have pointed out how the larger conversation about the group chat eludes discussion of the horrors of war, but seeing a civilian woman just accepted as “excellent” collateral is … pretty ghastly
Cool thought experiment, but the inertia of path dependency (i.e. existing DSP market share means artists are loath to not upload to them) is a pretty big obstacle to overcome.
Would require massive, coordinated collective action🫠
Would require massive, coordinated collective action🫠
Could ‘play credits’ be a step forward for music streaming?
The big music services may be trying new ‘artist-centric’ ways of calculating their payouts, but there’s no change for the way things work for listeners: you pay your monthly subscription and get unlimited access to their entire…
The big music services may be trying new ‘artist-centric’ ways of calculating their payouts, but there’s no change for the way things work for listeners: you pay your monthly subscription and get unlimited access to their entire…
Could ‘play credits’ be a step forward for music streaming?
The big music services may be trying new ‘artist-centric’ ways of calculating their payouts, but there’s no change for the way things work for listeners: you pay your monthly subscription and get unlimited access to their entire catalogues. But could that system also be ripe for disruption? Midia Research boss Mark Mulligan thinks so, and has set out his vision of “a model for a new music streaming industry”
musically.com
March 19, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Cool thought experiment, but the inertia of path dependency (i.e. existing DSP market share means artists are loath to not upload to them) is a pretty big obstacle to overcome.
Would require massive, coordinated collective action🫠
Would require massive, coordinated collective action🫠
Show me the policy, please.
I’m into this idea but what are you gonna do?
Absolutely huge opening for the NDP to take advantage of anti-system political moment, but it’s gonna require more than slogans.
I’m into this idea but what are you gonna do?
Absolutely huge opening for the NDP to take advantage of anti-system political moment, but it’s gonna require more than slogans.
For years, Canada’s political establishment has prioritized multi-billion dollar corporations and the ultra-rich — and in the face of Donald Trump’s trade war, we can’t afford to let them keep doing it.
New Democrats will do what we always do — protect workers, families and your jobs.
New Democrats will do what we always do — protect workers, families and your jobs.
March 19, 2025 at 3:19 AM
Show me the policy, please.
I’m into this idea but what are you gonna do?
Absolutely huge opening for the NDP to take advantage of anti-system political moment, but it’s gonna require more than slogans.
I’m into this idea but what are you gonna do?
Absolutely huge opening for the NDP to take advantage of anti-system political moment, but it’s gonna require more than slogans.
This review of Abundance from Malcom Harris goes so hard and I am here for it:
"refusing to be forthright about society’s structural antagonisms opens the door to demagogues who peddle false conflicts that still ring truer than the liberals’ false peace"
thebaffler.com/latest/whats...
"refusing to be forthright about society’s structural antagonisms opens the door to demagogues who peddle false conflicts that still ring truer than the liberals’ false peace"
thebaffler.com/latest/whats...
What’s the Matter with Abundance? | Malcolm Harris
“Abundance” by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson is new packaging for a tried-and-failed attempt to escape from history on a rocket ship.
thebaffler.com
March 19, 2025 at 3:12 AM
This review of Abundance from Malcom Harris goes so hard and I am here for it:
"refusing to be forthright about society’s structural antagonisms opens the door to demagogues who peddle false conflicts that still ring truer than the liberals’ false peace"
thebaffler.com/latest/whats...
"refusing to be forthright about society’s structural antagonisms opens the door to demagogues who peddle false conflicts that still ring truer than the liberals’ false peace"
thebaffler.com/latest/whats...
Reposted by Brodie Conley
The United States government under Trump by all accounts is shipping these people into indefinite involuntary servitude in El Salvador without even the pretense of any judicial process, much less duly convicting them of a crime. It’s an enslaving operation.
March 18, 2025 at 4:36 PM
The United States government under Trump by all accounts is shipping these people into indefinite involuntary servitude in El Salvador without even the pretense of any judicial process, much less duly convicting them of a crime. It’s an enslaving operation.
Reposted by Brodie Conley
Where are you @melaniejolycan.bsky.social and @markjcarney.bsky.social? If you're serious about standing up to the US a two way arms embargo is in full seriousness the place to start. www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/...
Israel launches major Gaza assault, shattering ceasefire
Hamas says Israeli offensive marks end to ceasefire that took effect on January 19.
www.aljazeera.com
March 18, 2025 at 3:50 AM
Where are you @melaniejolycan.bsky.social and @markjcarney.bsky.social? If you're serious about standing up to the US a two way arms embargo is in full seriousness the place to start. www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/...
Reposted by Brodie Conley