Tag Archives: music

Spotify’s Album and Artist Radio: Algorithmic Behavior, Decay, and the Echo Chamber Problem

Posted on April 13, 2026 by nathanalbright

White Paper 2 of the Beyond the Playlist Series Abstract Spotify provides several mechanisms beyond the playlist for listeners to engage with the catalog in an exploratory mode: artist radio, song radio, album radio, artist mixes, and the autoplay continuation … Continue reading →

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The Playlist as Ceiling: Why Streaming’s Default Mode Limits Discovery

Posted on April 13, 2026 by nathanalbright

White Paper 1 of the Beyond the Playlist Series Abstract The playlist has become the dominant organizational metaphor of the music streaming era, shaping not only how platforms present content but how listeners conceive of their relationship to music. This … Continue reading →

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Album Review: Nights Are Forever: A Compilation

Posted on March 26, 2026 by nathanalbright

Nights Are Forever: A Compilation, by England Dan & John Ford Coley Okay, this is going to get complicated, so let’s go carefully. After two failed album releases and being dropped by their first label, soft-rock duo England Dan & … Continue reading →

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Album Review: Lemon Pound Cake

Posted on March 19, 2026 by nathanalbright

Lemon Pound Cake, by Afroman [Note: Content warning. This may not be suitable for all audiences.] Like many people, I am most familiar with Afroman for his successful early 2000s rap single “Because I Got High,” which humorously discussed the … Continue reading →

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Creating A Better Compilation For Peter Cetera

Posted on March 19, 2026 by nathanalbright

Early in this blog’s existence, I created a slightly premature imaginary liner notes for an imaginary compilation of Train. Later on a proper compilation album was made for Train that was highly different than I had imagined, with material that … Continue reading →

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Album Review: You’re The Inspiration: A Collection

Posted on March 19, 2026 by nathanalbright

You’re The Inspiration: A Collection, by Peter Cetera When examining a collection like this–and at seven songs it’s really too small to be considered an album, and it is most properly (though not labeled explicitly) as an EP–one has to … Continue reading →

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Album Review: Peter Cetera

Posted on March 17, 2026 by nathanalbright

Peter Cetera, by Peter Cetera In the understanding of the pop music world, Peter Cetera’s solo career began with the album “Solitude/Solitaire,” a popular album that included two #1 hits, “Glory of Love,” (from the Karate Kids 2 Soundtrack) and … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Institutional Memory and Musical Skill Retention: How Organizations Preserve Complex Musical Competencies Across Generations

Posted on March 16, 2026 by nathanalbright

Abstract This paper examines the mechanisms through which institutions preserve complex musical skills across generational boundaries, with particular attention to the specific challenges posed by the retention of harmonic musical competencies whose transmission cannot be accomplished through informal cultural exposure … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Soloist Bias in Modern Music Culture: Individual Expression, Collective Harmony, and the Consequences for Musical Education

Posted on March 16, 2026 by nathanalbright

Abstract Contemporary Western music culture is organized, at its deepest structural level, around the figure of the soloist: the lead singer, the celebrity performer, the individual whose distinctive voice and personal expression constitute the primary object of musical attention and … Continue reading →

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The Institutional Pipeline of Harmony Singers: Formation, Transition, and Continuity Across the Choral Life Course

Posted on March 16, 2026 by nathanalbright

Abstract This paper examines the developmental and institutional pathway through which harmony singers are formed across the life course, from initial participation in children’s choral programs through the challenging transition of adolescent voice change, and into sustained adult engagement in … Continue reading →

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