Alan Cross

Author Archives

• Wolf Alice keeps fans guessing by following their musical muse

  Wolf Alice is one of the most successful and critically-acclaimed English bands of the past few years. Is it because they're often changing musical direction?

  Entertainment

  Nov 1
• New Music Friday: 15 new releases to help with the time change (if you’re getting one) (30 Oct 2026)

  There's maybe five weeks of serious New Music Fridays before the industry goes into hibernation for the holidays. What have we got this time?

  Entertainment

  Oct 30
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• Why are dance clubs disappearing? Because half of Gen Z avoids dancing for fear of humiliation

  Half of Gen Z won't dance in public for fear of being humiliated by someone with smartphone.

  Education

  Oct 25
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• Five Songs You Must Hear This Week (19 Oct 2026)

  It was hard narrowing things down for this edition of the Five Songs You Must Hear this week, but someone had to do it. I hope you enjoy. 1. The War on Drugs, Who’s That Single (Atlantic) Recommended If You Like: Vague release dates There hasn’t been a War on Drugs studio album since 2021,...

  Entertainment

  Oct 19
• Is the concert residency slowly replacing traditional touring?

  Touring is extremely complex and very expensive. More acts are thinking about the concert residency so that fans have to come to them.

  Entertainment

  Oct 18
• The Ongoing History of New Music, episode 1090: 1976-The birth year of alt-rock, part 2

  Look back, 1976 was a pivotal year in music. Those twelve months birthed what we now call alternative music.

  Entertainment

  Oct 16
• Ongoing History Daily: Music and psychologist Arthur Janov

  Arthur Janov was a psychologist who had an interesting influence on music.

  Entertainment

  Oct 12
• Here’s how the U.K. manages to produce so much innovation in music

  Why is the U.K. just an incubator of new styles and sounds in music? It's all about geography.

  Entertainment

  Oct 11
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• The Ongoing History of New Music, episode 1089: 1976-The birth year of alt-rock, part 1

  Only a few people realized what was happening to music in 1976. A series of developments changed everything.

  Entertainment

  Oct 9
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• Hands up everyone who’s never heard Choosin’ Texas by Ella Langley

  Ellas Langley has her single Choosin' Texas at number one for most of 2026. So why have so few people claimed to have heard it even once?

  Entertainment

  Oct 4
• The Ongoing History of New Music, episode 1088: A timeline of technological advances in music

  Every once in a while, a technological advance comes along that changed EVERYTHING about music.

  Entertainment

  Oct 2
• David Marsden, the architect of CFNY and the Spirit of Radio, has died

  David Marsden, the program director who made CFNY one of the most influential radio stations in the world back in the late 70s and early 80s, has passed away.

  Entertainment

  Sep 28
• A new book sheds light on the birth of punk in New York City fifty years ago

  When punk coalesced into something tangible in NYC in 1976, Legs McNeil was a 19-year-old fan who was witness to everything first-hand. His new book tells his story.

  Entertainment

  Sep 27
• The fevered quest for a song (that might be) called “CIA”

  The world of lostwave features songs on the internet that no one can identify. One of the biggest current mysteries has to do with a Canadian track apparently called CIA.

  Entertainment

  Sep 20
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• Are CDs really making a comeback? Or are we misreading something?

  If the articles and reports are to be believed the company disc is experiencing a giant boom in popularity. It sort of isl but not for the reasons you might think.

  Entertainment

  Sep 13
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• Music was just saved from a copyright apocalypse by a American judge

  A copyright infringement case brought by the reps of two of Jamaican producers threatened to upend an entire genre of music. Thankfully, the copyright apocalypse has been averted.

  Entertainment

  Sep 6
• Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry, episode 072: Forgotten music festival disasters, part 1

  Some music festivals were such big disasters that we've done we can to forget them. Time to bring those stories back.

  Entertainment

  Sep 1
• A brief history of album liner notes

  Liner notes were once essential party of the music fan experience. Where did they come from and where have they gone? The answers might surprise you.

  Entertainment

  Aug 30
• Columbia House Record Club is shutting down. Wait, it was still in business?

  For 71 years the Columbia House Record Club provided a cheap, quick, and convenient way to start a music collection. That era is finally coming to an end.

  Entertainment

  Aug 23
• Professional music journalism is declining at a frightening rate. What’s going on?

  Professional music journalism used to be a legitimate long-term career path. Not anymore. Things are dire and getting worse.

  Entertainment

  Aug 16
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• Hamilton’s Festival of Friends: The free music fest that’s lasted 50 years

  The Festival of Friends has been running since 1976. How does a free three-day music festival manage to last for 50 years? Let's find out.

  Entertainment

  Jul 26
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• Life after music: What some artists have done for second acts

  For most musicians, there comes a time when you have to hang it up and find something else to do with your life. Here are the stories of some very interesting second acts.

  Entertainment

  Jul 19
• Come with me into the strange world of music-based conspiracy theories

  Can you fit headphones over tinfoil hats? If so, that might be the way to investigate some of these music-based conspiracy theories.

  Entertainment

  Jul 12
• Canada has joined Eurovision — and I couldn’t be happier. Here’s what we’re in for

  Canada will soon be part of the Eurovision Song Contest, the greatest, dumbest, campiest, cheesiest, cringiest, most flamboyant and totally over-the-top music event in the world.

  Entertainment

  Jul 5
• Is listening to FM radio in the car endangered? It just might be

  Radio has been a fixture in the car since the 1930s. So why are auto manufacturers trying to get rid it of it? And yes, that does include FM radio.

  Entertainment

  Jun 28