Spotify is using weird rules to fine and de-platform independent artists from its service — are these honest mistakes or is something more nefarious going on?
 
Last week, Andrew’s band, One Hundred Thousand, got a notice from its distributor that one song from its 2021 album was flagged for “bot activity” and that the entire album was therefore being removed from Spotify, and all other digital streaming services as a penalty.
 
No one at Spotify appears to be concerned enough to respond to our requests for help and there is no apparent appeals process for artists who say they had nothing to do with the alleged bots.
 
OHT is not alone.
 
A number of independent artists are complaining that the world’s largest digital streaming music platform is throttling them for “bot activity” on their catalogs, removing their music and charging them bogus penalties.
 
Reddit is filling up with threads on the subject, and Spotify’s silence is only fueling belief that this is part of the company’s strategy to gradually replace independent music with A.I.-generated slop to reduce royalty payouts and bolster its profits.
 
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On the eve of the release of the new Deftones album, private music, we’re breaking down the band's “milk of the madonna" single.
 
Andrew and Dominique ask where the line is when it comes to an artist rehashing their ‘classic’ sound, and how private music is bound to be the quintessential Deftones album for the new generation of fans who just recently discovered the band and elevated the Deftones to arena-level.

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We highlight progressive metal band Kallias' latest single, "The Final Cleansing," the day their new album, Digital Plague, arrives on all streaming platforms.

Andrew and Dominique dive into the many layers of "The Final Cleansing," how the song ebbs between cinematic intricacy and straightforward slam.

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We honor the work of Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away this week at age 76.
 
Andrew and Dominique give Ozzy his flowers for being a much greater singer, performer and ambassador for rock and heavy metal music than people realize. 
 
We talk about the grim circumstances that led to Ozzy co-founding Black Sabbath with Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward, and we consider how Satanic panic unwittingly fueled the band’s rise in the ‘70s.
 
We stop down on some highlights from Ozzy’s incredible solo career and consider how music history would have been different had his widow and longtime manager Sharon Osbourne not entered the picture.

Also, we consider how perfectly Ozzy exited, from his revelatory final performance in Birmingham, raising $200 million for charity, and seeing all of his friends one last time.

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(Episode 38.)

We surf with The Beach Boys in memory of the band’s late mastermind Brian Wilson, who passed away in June at age 82.
 
Andrew discusses his longstanding curiosity about The Beach Boys, while Dominique explains how one of the squarest bands of the ‘60s was an element of her teenage rebellion in the ‘00s.
 
We discuss why coolness has always eluded the Beach Boys and where the band's legacy stands today.
 
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(Episode 37.)

A band Andrew has traveled across the world to see just released its first new song in years.

From Perth, Australia, Karnivool is probably the greatest rock band in the world that nobody knows about! We discuss the new single, "Drone," the merits of having a tight catalog and why Karnivool is such a well-kept secret.

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Foo Fighters released their first new original song since 2023 this week with "Today's Song."

We give our thoughts on the track, the Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl's famous fall from grace last year and how he got away with having such an annoying personality for so long without anyone saying anything. 

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We talk about Lola Young’s embrace of 2010s indie music in her unique brand of soul-pop, and how it confirms a change in alt music, who alt music reaches and who can credibly create it.
 
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Gina Petro a.k.a. singer-songwriter HOLDN takes the wheel and assigns us Banks' Goddess debut album, one of the most impactful records for Gina's own musical endeavors. 

Gina recalls how she backed into being a "singer" in the first place and how she bonded with Banks' music in the back of a van while on tour with her old alternative band. 

We discuss the merits of seeing concerts alone, where big pop music productions fall short and why all LGBTQ+ kids need a good English lit teacher.

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(Episode 36.)

Kesha's new single "BOY CRAZY." is an early contender for song of the summer. 

We ask ourselves, is Kesha's return a harbinger of an oncoming Boy Summer ... or just a recession indicator.

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