Happy Friday you fine and beautiful people! I hope your weeks have gone swimmingly, or flyingingly, but def not crawlingly.
It's been over a month since I updated you on future video plans, and I really enjoyed doing it the last time. Felt good to use this platform to gauge interest, and I hope it feels good for you to contribute in that way. So let's do another one!
FOR-SURE DEFINITELY-HAPPENING VIDEOS
Last time I did this update, I mentioned a video about vocaloid. Interest last time I surveyed y'all was pretty high, so that video is currently in the works and it'll likely be out late next week. It's currently less an overall history of the space or a beginner's guide - a lot of those videos are already out, and made by folks more knowledgable than I - and more of a survey of where the space is and also how it relates to AI. (Though just to reiterate, vocaloid and AI are not the same thing by any means.)
Aside from that, there is of course the next Deep Discog Dive. If you're a paid member, you already know who it's on, AND you've been getting weekly updates on my research for it. (If you're not a paid member and that sounds cool to you, consider becoming a paid member!) I'm nearly done with the artist's discography, and I'm looking to have it out by the end of March.
OTHER VIDEO IDEAS
Murder on Music Row - I've recently been engrossed by the 1989 case of Kevin Hughes' murder. Tl;dr, Kevin was an employee of Cashbox (one of Billboard's old competitors) and was killed one night outside a recording studio. The resulting investigation is a fascinating story about music charts, payola and greed.
Every Type of Song in X Minutes - this was inspired by two things. First, those "Every Type of Thing in X Minutes" videos that have been popular on YT. Second, someone asking me (I think on here?) what I specifically mean when I call a song a banger, a bop or a jam. This video could be a good chance to codify that, but also explore what other song types exist out there.
The Strange World of Music Merch - I've had this idea on the back burner for a while. It'd be a look at various pieces of weird merch related to music. We're talking Michael Jackson rubber duck, Spoon comb, Caroline Polachek thong, Mitski ramen spoon, KISS casket (Kasket?), etc.
And here are the ideas I mentioned last time that haven't been made:
"The first-ever 'one hit wonder'" - this idea has been taking some different shapes in the past month. Someone here mentioned doing a ranking of every one-hit wonder since the charts first started, which by my current estimates would be... a lot? (Assuming we use the common definition of one-hit wonder, aka an artist who gets one song in the Top 40) Maybe I could do a ranking, but only count one-hit wonders in a certain decade?
"Payola in music, where it started, and if it truly exists today" - this one eventually morphed into the Kevin Hughes idea mentioned above, so I don't know if I'd do one entirely on payola. Also, based on feedback last time and a look at the current YT videos on the subject, it seems like the appetite for this isn't super high. But if you disagree let me know!
"Counting down the most expensive vinyl records ever sold" - initial feedback suggested this one wasn't of much interest either. I would like to do another video about the Most Expensive Things in Music though. Is there another subject that would interest you? Most Expensive Songs, Most Expensive Catalog, Most Expensive Festival, etc.?
(Like before, keep in mind that these ideas are all in early stages, so they might change as time goes on.)
WHAT WOULD YOU WANNA SEE?
But now I open the floor to you - of these ideas, which sounds most interesting to you? And if there's another idea you have for a video, let me know.
Thanks as always for being here, and enjoy your weekend!