How can a song by an unknown band acquire 6.5 million listens? It was difficult to tell in the days before streaming, when we still used “popular” instead of “viral,” and it’s much more perplexing today. Facebook would have created an algorithm for it if they had known. That hasn’t prevented reviewers from spinning their […]

Maria Mendiola, a member of Baccara, has died. Her disco song Yes Sir, I Can Boogie, which was released in 1977, is the unofficial hymn of Scotland football supporters. Mendiola was best recognized for her version of the popular song as one half of the Spanish duet. She died on Saturday morning in Madrid, surrounded […]

Musicians haven’t always been good at safeguarding their commercial affairs, sometimes for reasons beyond their control. Unscrupulous deals, public fallouts (see Megan Thee Stallion’s recent spat with her label 1501 Certified Entertainment over a blocked BTS remix), music released without permission (Aaliyah’s back catalogue arriving on streaming services isn’t supported by her estate), and jumbled […]