Five music trends that need to die asap.

These are the things we should jettison as we prepare for 2024.

Nothing made me happier than going to a concert this year.

From the dystopian electronica of Flume and Skrillex, to the up-for-it party vibes provided by JID and Denzel Curry, to the sheer joy of seeing Cypress Hill play to a blazed-up West Auckland crowd, concerts made me completely giddy this year.

There were so many more: Turnstile, Idles, Lorde, Limp Bizkit, Royal Blood, Earl Sweatshirt, Home Brew, and that absolutely bonkers joint Wu-Tang Clan and Nas show that included dubstep remixes, three guitarists and a birthday cake.

Going to gigs is great.

But it hasn’t always been that easy to be a music fan in 2023.

The industry is full of noise. Major artists dominate streaming, so smaller artists struggle to make a living, to get their voices heard, to stand out in the crowd when social media is one of the only publicity tools available to them.

Making mattes worse is the lack of scrutiny. With fewer journalists around to cover things, more shenanigans can slip through the cracks. I think we’ve seen some of that play out in 2023, especially around ticket pricing and the secondary market.

So, with one eye in the rearview mirror, I thought I’d spend today shining a light on some of that, the things I hope have disappeared once and for all when we return from our summer holidays.

Here we go…

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1. Spotify becoming undeniable assholes.

Things don’t look good for the world’s biggest music streaming service. Spotify has put its staff through three rounds of layoffs this year, and indicated to smaller artists it simply doesn’t care. In some ways all this has felt inevitable for a company that has struggled to turn music streaming into a money-making business. None of that matters to me: I’m an avid Apple Music fan. But what did get my heckles up was Spotify cancelling Heavyweight, the world’s best podcast. Once and for all: fuck you.

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2. Wayward, wonky, WTAF? ticket prices.

Instead of getting simpler, clearer and more obvious, the ticket-buying process is becoming more bonkers by the day. I monitor this stuff closely and even I’m amazed by what’s going on. In-demand tickets? $424.90 to see 50 Cent play? $850 to see Jerry Seinfeld? Why is Coldplay $190 for a GA ticket, and Pink closer to $500? Is all this designed to confuse the average punter so they have no idea what’s happening? Hmm…

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3. The decline in entertainment and music reporting.

Perhaps it’s all of those podcasts I went on, but it feels like there’s been more coverage of the death of music journalism this year than actual music journalism. Our mainstream media sites have pretty much given up on it, and what’s left is a medley of independent outlets doing their best and … TikTok? I want a quick fix for this, and I want it now. Some people think they have the answers, but I don’t have high hopes this will be sorted out in time for 2024. Let’s keep discussing it though, shall we?

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4. Our absolute glut of summer music festivals.

I never thought I’d complain about something that seems like a good thing, but I’m starting to think we might have reached saturation point. Three years ago, I wrote a pre-Covid news feature about how we had an almighty 12 music festivals happening over summer. This summer there are 90 of the suckers. 90! They’re all over the country: Gisborne, Waipara, Whanganui and South Head. When we have that many, they can’t possibly all be good, can they? Quality over quantity might be in order here.

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5. Nostalgia.

Look. I get it. We all want comfort after the last three years. Even I found something to love at Limp Bizkit’s Auckland show, a 90s jukebox that included covers of songs by George Michael, Simple Minds and Rage Against the Machine next to ‘Nookie’. I don’t mean to insult you if you’re going to the Dire Straits summer shows, or the Simple Minds and Pseudo Echo summer shows, or the Live and Incubus summer double-up. But, at some point, promoters need to take some risks and put together line-ups that feel a little more current. Nostalgia is a closed loop, and we’re going around in circles.

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Your best-of lists were the best.

Someone reminded me how good the movie Pearl was. Someone else recommended Tim Harford’s Cautionary Tales, and I am queuing that up immediately for the holidays. Someone reminded me I need to listen to Jon Ronson’s The Debutante, and I will do that too. Someone else reminded me I need more Troy Kingi in my life.

This past Friday I published a pretty scattered best-of 2023 list spanning all facets of pop culture and it inspired many of you to send your own lists in. I love that! This newsletter isn’t a one-way street, and you lot reminded me of just how much content there is out there. I can’t possibly keep up with all of it. No one can. It’s impossible.

So, thank you for your contribution. If you need some holiday-inspired listening, reading or watching, go check it out. And if you haven’t yet, go add your own ideas into the mix. If you’re lucky enough to be heading away on holidays, it could be an essential guide.

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The week ahead …

• Your sister needs a gift. So does your cousin, your partner, your kids and your best friend at work. The answer? Vinyl! Everyone loves records, they make great presents, and you only need cursory knowledge of someone’s likes and dislikes to get it right. Failing that, concert tickets could be a go too. That’s what I’m doing.

• For anyone looking for a (legal) Christmas TV binge, Neon’s picked up The Curse, Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone’s absolutely cooked examination of white privilege run amok. Five episodes are up; the sixth is due tomorrow. And they just keep coming, the awkwardness running through Christmas and the New Year.

• Things are definitely quietening down for concerts, but there’s one and only one show you need to care about. On Wednesday, Auckland’s Town Hall is taken over by Shihad, Concord Dawn, Marlon Williams, Princess Chelsea and many more for Save the b, a fundraising concert with a good cause. Can we do it? Yes, we can!

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Thanks for contributing to Boiler Room this year. I’m looking forward to what we can do in 2024. To keep this going, please consider upgrading your subscription…