Tag Archives: music

White Paper: Buster Scruggs as a Compelling Character for Feature Films and Serialized Television

Posted on November 18, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Buster Scruggs, the white-suited singing gunslinger from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), stands out as one of the most singular Western characters created in the 21st century. Though he appears only briefly in an anthology film, his … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Role of Modal Interchange in Songwriting for Capturing Complex Emotional Resonance

Posted on November 15, 2025 by nathanalbright

Abstract Modal interchange—the borrowing of chords from parallel modes or tonal centers—has become one of the most effective tools for contemporary songwriters seeking nuanced emotional expression. By strategically stepping outside a song’s native diatonic palette, modal interchange enables composers to … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The History of City Pop and Its Global Cultural Impact

Posted on November 15, 2025 by nathanalbright

Abstract City Pop—an umbrella term for a wide range of urban, cosmopolitan Japanese popular music from the late 1970s through the 1980s—has undergone one of the most striking afterlives in modern musical history. Once considered a niche domestic genre reflecting … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Structural Mismatch Between Artistic Creation, Corporate Promotion, and Consumer Demand

Posted on November 13, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Across the cultural industries—publishing, music, film, television, visual art, gaming, and emerging creator-driven ecosystems—there is a persistent three-way mismatch between: What artists want to make (creative fulfillment, innovation, self-expression) What companies want to sell and promote (predictability, scalable … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Understanding the Difference Between Best Of, Greatest Hits, and Singles Albums

Posted on November 9, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Within the recording industry, compilation albums serve different artistic, commercial, and archival purposes. Yet terms such as Best Of, Greatest Hits, and Singles Album are often used interchangeably—causing confusion among listeners, collectors, and even within label marketing departments. … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Abraham Accords: Core Terms, Current & Prospective Members, and Strategic Implications (as of November 8, 2025)

Posted on November 9, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive summary The Abraham Accords are a set of U.S.-mediated normalization arrangements launched in 2020 that pair a short Abraham Accords Declaration with country-specific bilateral normalization agreements with Israel. Initial signatories were the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain (September … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Band Dynamics and Stability of Lineups for Bands Named After a Member of the Band

Posted on November 4, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This paper examines the sociological, economic, and psychological dynamics of musical groups that bear the name of one of their members—whether the titular figure is a solo founder, a symbolic leader, or merely the most marketable face of … Continue reading →

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What Radio Genres Make the Most Sense to Launch (or Re-tool) in Today’s U.S. Music Market: A practical white paper for operators, programmers, and investors

Posted on October 27, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive summary Despite constant “radio is dead” headlines, broadcast radio still commands the majority of ad-supported audio time in the U.S.—about two-thirds of the ad-supported universe as of Q1 2025—with podcasts and free streaming making up most of the balance. … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Fatalism, Agency, and Relational Identity in CHVRCHES’ “Leave a Trace”

Posted on October 27, 2025 by nathanalbright

Abstract This paper examines the theme of fatalism and the construction of relational identity in CHVRCHES’ 2015 single “Leave a Trace.” Drawing upon the song’s lyrical content, public commentary by lead vocalist Lauren Mayberry, and broader philosophical conceptions of fatalism, … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Musical Partnership of the Female Singer and Male Producer

Posted on October 27, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Throughout the history of popular music, a remarkably consistent pattern has emerged: the collaboration between a female singer and a male producer or instrumentalist. From The Carpenters to Everything But the Girl, from Frou Frou to Billie Eilish … Continue reading →

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