TCWD Podcast: Will TikTok or Spotify Kill Music First

Sometimes I have to explain very basic American pop culture stuff to Nico, who was born and raised in Colombia, because the American cultural hegemony has a few limits. So Sharknado, yes, that was effectively exported around the world. But Tracy Chapman? Not as much.

When Tracy Chapman’s performance at the Grammys went viral, Nico asked me to explain why everyone was crying about it (including me). That led to a longer conversation as we posed questions like: Why are people meowing at Mitski concerts? Why are Republicans mad at Taylor Swift? Why do you hear the same music in Mexico City, Bucharest, and Brooklyn? Why is the New Yorker so bad at explaining cultural phenomena?

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