DISCUSSION: MEMES, STREAMS & MORE

Accelerating technological change in the 21st century has reshaped how we create, discover, and listen to music. Today’s landscape is defined by near-unlimited access and instant gratification, while the labour of composing and producing has been devalued—democratising songwriting but raising urgent questions about intellectual property and fair pay. Memes and short-form video now drive hits to our feeds and up the charts. In this discussion, music writers and creators Liam Inscoe-Jones, Kieran Press-Reynolds, Margeaux, and Julia Czub—moderated by Cat Zhang—will explore internet music culture from MP3s to TikTok. Together, they’ll ask how journalism is adapting, whether radical music is still possible, and what has been gained—and lost—in the process.