In this week's quickfire newsletter we have a must read on saving the music press and a gentle reminder to complete the fan-led review of live & electronic music before the 23:59 deadline on Sunday.
Music & Nature
That's not a typo in the headline, there's a powerful treaty to sign and not only can you be a part of it but you can nudge your city, country, and any organisation (or artist) to sign up to agree to a greener future without more coal, oil and gas.
On this week's podcast, I sat down with the truly inspiring Tori Tsui, who is an advisor on all things climate justice to Brian Eno and Billie Eilish.
In this really hopeful conversation, back stage at EarthSonic Live at Manchester's natural history museum we covered a lot of ground from her introducing Massive Attack on stage at their huge arena show to how Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is leading the way by signing the fossil fuel treaty.
We also touch on a study about how 82% of music fans want to take action (that's 10% more than the general population) but only 3% know how... so we go into how you and your favourite artists can be part of the change.
Please note: This conversation was recorded before the really great news that Britain becomes world’s largest economy to end new oil and gas exploration. How's that for good news?
🎧 Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
🌍 Sign the Fossil Fuel Treaty.
Your Music Scene Needs You
If you're in the UK and you haven't done so already, you have until 23:59 on Sunday 30th November 2025 to take part in the fan-led review of live and electronic music. We've mentioned it in this newsletter a few times and I can see from the clicks that lots of you were keen to take part, so this is a little reminder if it's one of the 37 tabs you have open to do it now, please. Insights from music fans will shape the future of music in this country and who better to set the agenda than music fans like us.
✍️ Join in the fan-led review of live and electronic music
In This News This Week
- Olivia Dean wins refunds for fans after criticising Ticketmaster (BBC) - this feels like it sets a great precedent for fans
- Björk celebrates 60th birthday by publicly detailing lawsuit against Icelandic State (NME) - just when you thought you couldn't adore Bjork any more than you already do...
- Influence Boost Awards to offer £1000 prize for fans who make videos about ticketing scams and corporate lobbying (IBA) - this kicks off next week and DiS are partnering on it
- New music: Aphex Twin surprise-released two new tracks on SoundCloud (TheQuietus) - !!!fskhdskdhksdjhksdjmmmkkkkk
- Following its sale to private equity firm, Boiler Room is now laying off staff (RA) - f' around and find out...?
- Catalog Launches to Rebalance the Music Licensing Industry in Favour of Artists (DMY) - pretty much every amazing independent label is involved in this
- NME compiled some UK Budget reaction, tl;dr summary is that Labour have done almost nothing for music or culture. - one thing that baffled me was that there's still going to be VAT on the £1 grassroots ticket levy.
- Spotify buying community-driven WhoSampled sparks fears of "sample snitching" (MixMag) Here's Fantano with more on this story:
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Track of the Week
'The Peaks' by Art School Girlfriend
There's a gentle glitch to this new track from Art School Girlfriend's forthcoming album Lean In which is due in March 2026. Anyone familiar with the Welsh electronic artists previous work will know what to prepare for, as the upward spirals and soft cocoon of sound wraps itself around you. It's proper lush, as they say in Wales.
“During the making of this album, there was a period of time when everything around me felt fragile — the things worth living for came into focus with a kind of hyperreal clarity. It’s a beautiful but health anxiety-inducing thing to realise: how lucky we are to be here. The lyrics are desperate and widescreen: “I want to give you the peaks, don’t slip, hold me.” The production and arrangement are designed to overwhelm, with peaks and troughs, offering moments of deep calm amidst the waves of relentless beats and stuttering synths.”
This Week's Must Read
The Anchoress on the state of the music press and why artists and the industry need to radically rethink offshoring so much money to broligarchs:
“When we talk about saving the industry, we must also always think about supporting the magazines, newspapers and journalists that deeply enrich and give more meaning to the music that we slave over. It’s an ecosystem.”
The Anchoress
Community Prompt
Share your favourite albums of the month and browse lists compiled by our community as they vote in the penultimate monthly poll of the year.
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