Joey La Neve DeFrancesco

Rest in Pop: You Can Now Spend Your Afterlife in a $500 Spotify Liquid Death-Branded Urn The world's biggest streaming company and the world's edgiest canned water brand promise their new publicity stunt will "redefine the afterlife experience."

Spotify releases a bluetooth urn the same day that BDS calls for a consumer boycott for the company's complicity in Israel's genocide www.hollywoodreporter.com/music/music-...

That is the AI music landscape as it actually exists, and that's the only thing worth talking about

Can't believe we're still getting articles treating the AI music situation as a philosophy debate on whether or not machines can make cool sounds — the critique of AI is that a handful of heinous big tech companies control AI and are using it to reap untold profits and devalue real art

These kinds of "Wait what if AI could actually be good sometimes?" pieces completely collapse after even a brief economic analysis of who owns the AI companies and their relationships with the DSPs and the major labels

We're doing a spring tour in New England!

3/26 - Providence, RI @ AS220
3/27 - Boston, MA @ Deep Cuts
3/28 - Portland, ME @ SPACE

All tickets on sale now: linktr.ee/downtownboys

speaking w/ joey and Luke Stewart today at Lincoln center and you can bet we will also talk about how utterly depraved it is that Spotify has defended running ICE ads.

I believe will be available to listen here: www.jazzlive.com/events/jan-8...

I'll be talking streaming and music worker organizing today at Lincoln Center as part of Jazz Congress

Times Square protest earlier this afternoon

Call your lawmakers now — stop the war on Venezuela! act.demandprogress.org/call/call-pa...

I spoke with The Verge about why AI music sucks www.theverge.com/report/84445...

Remember when every music industry panel was 3 grifters saying how NFTs were going to save working artists

Why must we pit two queens against each other?

This is the service that, according to the UN, enforces a state policy of organized Torture. This comes on top of Spotify's well documented running of ICE recruitment ads.

Looks like Spotify is now also running recruitment ads for armed units in the Israel Prison Service

I think I found SXSW 2026's most horrific panel — reps from Amazon, Nvidia, and the Israeli AI surveillance company Realsense talking about "Humanoid AI" schedule.sxsw.com/events/PP116...

Tell Congress to Support The Living Wage for Musicians Act! Write a letter to your members of Congress urging them to support the Living Wage for Musicians Act! The bill would create a new streaming royalty paid directly to artists, bypassing powerful pla...

If you post your spotify wrapped as penance you must send a letter to your lawmakers urging them to support the Living Wage for Musicians Act actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...

New York City Council passes resolution endorsing Living Wage for Musicians Act · News ⟋ RA Musicians' union UMAW described it as a "big step forward."

First was NYC this past May ra.co/news/82886

Detroit backs federal push to boost musicians’ pay on streaming platforms - Detroit Metro Times The Detroit City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution supporting the Living Wage for Musicians Act, a federal proposal introduced by U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Detroit Democrat, to ove...

The great city of Detroit is now the second city to call for fair pay in streaming and endorse the Living Wage for Musicians Act www.metrotimes.com/music-2/detr...

Ok, it was worth staying out until 2:30am in order to finally see Downtown Boys live.

Last Downtown Boys show of the year this Saturday in NYC at TV Eye. We're playing a bunch of new music. Doors at 11 but starts right away, we'll be on at midnight. wl.eventim.us/event/downto...

Zohran Mamdani

Musicians Against Live Nation–Ticketmaster Live Nation–Ticketmaster controls nearly every corner of the US live music business, from ticketing to touring. In Portland, Maine, a coalition of venues, musicians, and art workers rallied the city against the industry’s most powerful monopoly.

Live Nation–Ticketmaster controls nearly every corner of the US live music business, from ticketing to touring.

In Portland, Maine, a coalition of venues, musicians, and art workers rallied the city against the industry’s most powerful monopoly.

UMAW’s own @joeyquits.bsky.social has a new piece in @jacobinmagazin.bsky.social about the grassroots Maine Music Alliance campaign to stop Live Nation in Portland, ME 💪

Musicians Against Live Nation–Ticketmaster Live Nation–Ticketmaster controls nearly every corner of the US live music business, from ticketing to touring. In Portland, Maine, a coalition of venues, musicians, and art workers rallied the city a...

Here's how Portland, Maine's DIY community organized and won an unprecedented victory over Live Nation-Ticketmaster. My new piece in @jacobinmag.bsky.social jacobin.com/2025/10/live...

Yasmine Hamdan - I remember I forget بنسى وبتذكر, by Yasmine Hamdan 10 track album

The new Yasmine Hamdan record is incredible and should be getting more attention in U.S. music media yasminehamdan.bandcamp.com/album/yasmin...

I'm tabling for UMAW today at All Things Go in Maryland come talk to us

UMAW Is Changing How We Think About Musicians’ Rights Five years after United Musicians and Allied Workers began its fight for a fairer industry, organizers and members consider how far they’ve come—and what’s next.

“So many people depend on musicians—including engineers, producers, lighting directors—so if that domino falls, it affects everyone around them. If the artists don’t get paid, we don’t get paid.” – UMAW member and mastering engineer Heba Kadry

Syrian Interim President al-Sharaa Interviewed by Former CIA Director David Petraeus Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa sat for an interview with former CIA Director David Petraeus in New York yesterday. Petraeus had commanded U.S. forces during the invasion of Iraq and imprison...

www.democracynow.org/2025/9/24/he...

White boys who say inshallah now includes David Petraeus