Artificial Interference: The Rise of AI Music

Image source: pcmag uk

The latest fad within the tech world is spreading like wildfire; and unlike the volatile nature of environmentally irresponsible cryptocurrencies, the completely undesired push for the ‘metaverse’, and the blatant worthlessness of NFTs, this one actually has the potential to become part of the average person’s everyday life. For better or for worse, 2023 has seen a major push in the field of AI generated art. With the right program, anyone can input a brief prompt and be presented in mere moments with visuals or written content devised by a complex algorithm. It’s a technology fraught with caveats and controversies, moral quandaries and technical limitations, and before we’ve had the chance as a society to figure any of them out, the AI drive is already moving towards another artistic platform – music. What does this brave new world have in store? Continue reading

Tickets Please!: Why we need a return to physical gig tickets

Image from twocanwin.ca

There are, admittedly, a lot of things wrong with the state of the modern music industry. The closure of grassroots venues, criminally low pay-outs for streams, the way the charts are bought and sold by big labels, and ticket company monopolies charging fans extortionate fees to name just a few! But I like to think we’re all entitled from time to time to some petty little hill that we’re adamant to die upon, no matter how inconsequential it may be in the grand scheme of things. Some molehill that we’re determined to make into a mountain. That cause for me as of late has been the disheartening decline of proper physical concert tickets. Continue reading

Help Save The Music Industry #WeMakeEvents

Today we’re joining friends, colleagues and artists we admire in calling for urgent support from the UK government to stop the imminent collapse of our live events sector. Due to the ongoing Covid crisis the industry has been at a standstill since March, and there’s no way of knowing when things can begin to return to normal. Live events were the first industry to close due to preventative measures surrounding the virus, and will be among the last to reopen, and in the interim hundreds of thousands of people have been left out of work and without any sign of sufficient support from the government. It’s impossible to understate to potential damage that will be done by the government’s inaction, and how important it is that you join in making a stand and making your voices heard.

                                                                       #WeMakeEvents

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Our Definitive Ranking of Live Streaming Platforms

Untitled designIt’s probably going to be a long time before any of us get to go to a concert again. Thanks to this global Corona lockdown, us music fans will likely miss out on seeing our favourites bands and artists for the rest of 2020, and most importantly artists across the globe have been stripped of their main source of income. We’re a resourceful community however, and one of the ways artists and their fans have been filling the gap left by the absence of proper gigs over the last few weeks is through live streaming. While the world is at a standstill artists can still broadcast to fans all around the globe. It’s a brilliant idea, one that I hope will take root and become more prevalent in the future. We’ve been enjoying a fair few already, but we’ve certainly noticed that not all streaming platforms are created equal, and at times it can make or break the experience. Brace yourselves as we put our ranting hats on and look at the best and worst options on offer. Continue reading

The Undermining of Modern Protest Music

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Photo by Markus Spiske on Pexels.com

Music has a lot of power over us. It can bring us to tears, help us fall in love, comfort us when we’re at the end of our rope, and make us feel like we’re on top of the world. Though we all connect with music on a personal level, in the wider scheme it can also bring people together and unite them behind a common cause. In these ways a song can become the voice of a generation, a call to arms against injustice, an inspirational voice for positive change. There’s certainly no shortage of causes for artists to rally around, especially given the current state of the world. We have the abhorrent rise of far-right ideologies, the ever growing division caused by racism and xenophobia, the worst wealth inequality the world has ever seen with the richest getting richer and the poor dying needlessly, and of course the looming threat of an ongoing climate crisis. There’s enough ammunition there to spark a golden age of protest music… so why does it feel like protest music has lost its bite? Continue reading

Best Songs of the 2010s (#25-1)

songs2It’s time to live in the past for just one brief moment longer before we fully embrace the future. Time for one last shot of nostalgia as we look at the very best songs of the past ten years. Songs that dominated the airwaves and became anthems for millions, and the ones that formed the backbone of our playlists and became the musical lifeblood of a more personal journey. Songs that have hyped us up ready to take on the world and ones that helped us escape into daydreams, ones that have given us goosebumps and some that have even brought us close to tears. So, assuming you’ve caught up with part one, let’s get to it! Continue reading

The Pros and Cons of YouTube

youtube logoYouTube is a platform that has become second nature. Much like how Google has completely overshadowed other search engines to the point that Google is almost synonymous with the internet itself, if a video isn’t on YouTube then to all intents and purposes it may as well not exist. While music may not be its primary purpose, it’s a great tool for artists and fans alike. So we’re taking a look at how YouTube stacks up as a music platform, and how well it works for both music makers and music consumers alike. Continue reading

Best Albums of the 2010s (#25-1)

albums2As we move into the second half of our deep dive into the finest records of the past ten years, things certainly haven’t gotten any easier. At many times this list became a real battle between head and heart; between the records with a profound personal connection and those that hold great influence and importance in the wider scheme of things. After much soul searching we’ve struck upon the right balance between the two for our final look at the best albums of the decade. (If you missed part one, you can check it out here) Continue reading

Best Albums of the 2010s (#50-26)

albums1It’s the dawning of a new decade, and as such we have a chance to look back not just on the past year of music, but the past ten years! Compiling the 50 most defining, moving, engaging, singular, exhilarating, influential and inspirational albums of the 2010s has been Belwood’s most challenging endeavour ever, not least because we limited it to one album per act. At long last however, we have our list: Continue reading