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Oscar winner "The Last Repair Shop" explores the costs of repairing musical instruments

Mar 11, 2024
“The Last Repair Shop” focuses on the people who maintain the 140,000 musical instruments owned by Los Angeles Unified School District public schools.
Courtesy Searchlight Pictures

Why Universal is calling time out on TikTok

Feb 1, 2024
The video platform and the music company couldn't agree on terms for renewing their contract. Some of the fallout will hit video creators.
Universal says TikTok accounts for just 1% of its revenue. TikTok calls itself a “free promotional and discovery vehicle” for Universal’s talent.
Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

Hip-hop at 50: How did entrepreneurs in the genre get their start?

Aug 11, 2023
Hip-hop artists are some of today’s most prominent entrepreneurs. They have fashion lines, alcohol brands and endorsement deals. But, in the beginning, the genre’s musical talent had to find their own way to break into the industry.
Hip-hop’s 50th anniversary celebrations are happening all over its birthplace New York City, including the 2023 Hip Hop 50 Summit at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center in Queens.
Courtesy Queens Public Library

Independent musician says the touring industry is a “rollercoaster”

Aug 8, 2023
Sarah King, an independent musician, is currently on tour. But the steps getting to this moment have been challenging.
Independent musician Sarah King is touring on her own, a more financially viable option than touring with a group.
Courtesy Arielle Thomas Photography

At 50, hip-hop has grown into an economic giant

Aug 4, 2023
The genre is celebrated across the world and has permeated many facets of American society, creating wealth in the process.
Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

The economic anthem of the moment depends on how you read the data

Aug 1, 2023
Fewer workers are quitting their jobs and employers are hiring less. So are we in for "Wheel in the Sky" or "Bad Moon Rising"?
The song economist Sarah Wolfe uses to describe our current economic moment: Journey's "Wheel in the Sky."
Denise Truscello/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

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Hip-hop traces its roots to economic hard times

Mar 15, 2023
An exhibit at New York City's Fofografiska museum spotlights how poverty and inequality in the 1970s helped create the genre.
Grandmaster Flash, Debbie Harry, Fab 5 Freddy, Chris Stein of Blondie and friend, 1981.
Courtesy of Fotografiska New York and copyright of the artist.

A window into LA's budding scene for Latin vinyl records

Mar 9, 2023
At Sonido del Valle in Boyle Heights, owner Rene Perez said Latin vinyl records are the main attraction, not just another section.
Sonido del Valle owner Rene Perez stands in front of a case of vinyl records for sale at his shop in Boyle Heights, CA.
Marketplace/Erika Soderstrom

This musical instrument repairman is scrambling to keep up with demand

Sep 19, 2022
After downsizing in 2019, Avery McDaniel of Beloit, Wisconsin, is having the "busiest rental season ever." What's up with the clarinets?
Avery McDaniel's shop in Beloit, Wisconsin, is running out of instruments to rent to schools.
Michael Hickey/Getty Images