Alan Cross

Author Archives

• Reflecting on the importance of campus radio as stations continue to close

  Times change, and campus radio is struggling, and in some quarters, the stations are disappearing altogether.

  Entertainment

  Dec 21
• 10 mind-blowing facts about music: 2025 edition

  I spent all year researching all corners of the music industry universe. At the end of the year, I offer up unused material. Please enjoy these 10 mind-blowing facts about music.

  Entertainment

  Dec 7
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• With the release of The Beatles Anthology 4, has the well run dry? Maybe, maybe not.

  While 23 of the 36 recordings on the Anthology 4 compilation have already been released somewhere, 13 are previously unreleased — and it all sounds more modern.

  Entertainment

  Nov 30
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• A growing music debate: Band vs. brand. Here’s what that means

  Let's ask the question again: How many original members must a band feature before it stops becoming that band? What we have is a 'band vs. brand' situation.

  Entertainment

  Nov 23
• Danko Jones on new album ‘Leo Rising’ and what it takes to grind it out on the road

  Danko Jones (est. 1996) and his eponymous band continue to grind it out and are about to release a 12th album.

  Entertainment

  Nov 16
• For the first time in 35 years, the Billboard Top 40 has no hip-hop or rap songs. Here’s why

  Hip-hop and rap have been driving culture in the U.S. for almost four decades now, especially in America. So why are these songs missing from the Top 40? It's ...complicated.

  Entertainment

  Nov 9
• The future of AI and music is coming into focus. It does not look good for human artists

  This past week may go down in history as when we as a species decided that the future of music lay in music created by artificial intelligence.

  Entertainment

  Nov 2
• The Ongoing History of New Music, episode 1061: Medical mysteries of music (6)

  Music and the body work together in strange and wonderful ways. This is another examination of the medical mysteries of music.

  Entertainment

  Oct 31
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• Why the term ‘mainstream music’ is outdated

  To be part of the "mainstream" music scene doesn't mean what it used to. Yet in today's world, you don't have to be mainstream to have thousands of fans.

  Entertainment

  Oct 26
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• Ian Thornley on Big Wreck’s new album and 30 years in the music business

  How does one last more than 30 years in the Canadian music industry? Big Wreck's Ian Thornley isn't sure, but he's very grateful that he's been able to do it.

  Entertainment

  Oct 19
• What’s the future of AI and music? Things may be starting to become clear

  At this year's All That Matters conference in Singapore, AI and music was a major topic. How will things eventually shake out? Here are some predictions.

  Entertainment

  Oct 12
• From boxer shorts requests to vintage wines, the strange world of concert riders

  When an artist is on tour, they often require some very specific backstage provisions in their concert riders. Sometimes, things can get very weird.

  Entertainment

  Sep 28
• From the ‘devil’s interval’ to ‘Louie Louie’: Crazy moments in music censorship

  There's a lot of talk about censorship and the stifling of free speech and expression these days. This, however, is nothing new, especially when it comes to music.

  Entertainment

  Sep 21
• The history behind all of your band T-shirts and swag

  Band merch is a multi-billion-dollar business. But who's responsible for creating this industry?

  Entertainment

  Sep 14
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• I’ll give up the iTunes Music Store — when you pry it from my cold, dead hands

  I've been a heavy, diehard user of iTunes from the moment it was made available for Windows in 2003. I'll never give it up, even though some claim streaming has made it obsolete.

  Entertainment

  Sep 7
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• Your fall preview of new albums: What’s coming before the end of 2025?

  Yes, it's already Labour Day. Now, the music industry is all about getting albums out the door in time for Christmas, along with new singles that will help set up 2026.

  Education

  Aug 31
• Are these the AI music industry jobs of the future?

  AI is opening up new job categories in the music industry. Some of them are pretty cool. Others are concerning.

  Entertainment

  Aug 24
• Record stores, radio specials and other things I miss about the old music industry

  The music industry has gone through a lot of changes over the last 25 years and while it's important to adapt, there are some things about the old days that are missed.

  Entertainment

  Aug 17
• How well did you know Ozzy? Take this quiz

  There are thousands of unbelievable things about the life and times of Ozzy Osbourne. How will you do with this test?

  Entertainment

  Jul 27
• Gavin Rossdale on the new Bush album, cooking, and staying away from social media

  With the 10th studio album from Bush now available, Gavin Rossdale talks about songwriting, the enduring legacy of the '90s, and how to make a killer cauliflower dish.

  Entertainment

  Jul 20
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• Shouldn’t we have heard about a ‘song of the summer’ by now?

  It wasn't all that long ago that we were aware of the popular songs of the moment, even the ones we hated, even to the point of knowing the words. Summer songs were that powerful.

  Entertainment

  Jul 13
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• Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry, episode 044: The East Coast-West Coast hip-hop war

  The East Coast-West Cost hip-hop war was one of the defining stories of hip-hop in the 90s.

  Entertainment

  Jul 8
• There will never be a hot AI-generated band. Or will there? Many say there already is

  AI-generated music seems to be passing another milestone. Are we on the road to public acceptance of music made by robots?

  Entertainment

  Jul 6
• The future is being written for listening to the radio in cars

  Radio Ready is a new global initiative designed to make sure we continue to have easy access to radio in our cars.

  Entertainment

  Jun 29
• Looking back on the early days of LGBTQ2 rock

  It's Pride Month, an excellent time to look at the pioneers of LGBTQ2 rock.

  Entertainment

  Jun 22