Constellation, Episode 68 | The Music Episode: Festivals and Touring, Discovering New Music, The Economics of Streaming, Remaining Relevant (Patreon)

Welcome to an unusual episode of Constellation. It is I, Colin! Some time ago, I expressed that I'd like to pursue 'themed' episodes on occasion, and indeed we pursued such a program with episode 60, which was purely political in nature. This time around, I wanted to cover another of my deep passions -- music -- and I wanted to do so with the perfect companion: My best friend, Ramon. Ramon is the writer and musician behind all of Last Stand's theme music, yes, and it's true that we met as freshmen at Northeastern due to our shared love of 311. But, in his own right, he's also an accomplished and experienced working musician with excellent insight into the business, who knows obscure bands and records like I know Vita games, and who's currently toiling away on a new project of his own. We touch on a lot of topics, and we do so loosely, so... no timestamps (sorry). Click play to listen to us wax about Coachella's lame crowds and the grind of touring, the rise of the mega-festival, how the '90s helped fashion our musical tastes, the downside to the streaming economy, how the pandemic affected live music, and so much more. We discuss bands like No Doubt, Limp Bizkit, Blur, Ben Folds Five, and the Deftones, and touch on some non-music fare, too, like pro wrestling and baseball. Please enjoy.