The Divide Of Mega Stars And Mid Tier Musicians + Charli XCX’s Struggle For Anti-Pop Stardom (With Before The Chorus)

This week on Name 3 Songs we’re joined by special guest Sofia Loporcaro from Before the Chorus podcast. (PS Find Name 3 Songs on a special episode of Before the Chorus!) Sofia weighs in on this week’s hot topics including…

⚡ Fangirl Nonsense: We can’t stop thinking about Fleetwood Mac’s 1997 performance of “Silver Springs” with Stevie Nicks putting a hex on Lindsey Buckingham. 2007 Hot Topic core is apparently well and alive thanks to Jake Webber and Johnnie Gilbert and they’re bringing big internet names like Trisha Paytas and Hasan Piker with them on their missed to make emo mainstream again. Lastly, we’re obsessed with Zendaya being obsessed with Tom Holland in every interview for Dune 2. 

⚡ The announcement of Beyonce’s country album is already showing a positive impact for black female country artists who saw a significant increase in streams since her announcement.  

⚡ Taylor Swift announced a special edition vinyl of Tortured Poet’s Department with one bonus track “The Albatross” that is only available on the vinyl print. While Taylor Swift is not the only mega star making special edition physical albums, it does bring up questions of capitalism and overconsumption. At the same time, mega stars producing vinyl is creating a hurdle for mid- and small-tier artists to be able to print their own vinyl. We explore the widening gap between these mega artists and the “middle class” of musicians. 

⚡ Charli XCX seems to be painting herself as the “tortured pop artist” amid marketing campaigns leading up to her 6th studio album. We look at Charli’s history of being the anti-pop popstar while trying to hold onto mainstream fame. We also explore the pattern of major label artists complaining about having to market themselves, particularly as it comes to using TikTok. 

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