This week, the girlies log on to discuss the strange and somewhat evil journey of content streaming. They track the rise from radio to Napster to Netflix, expose how labels teamed up with platforms to rob artists blind, and unpack how mood playlists and background noise culture encourage you to passively consume your music, not listen to it. They also hear from binchies who have done away with streaming entirely, and talk about hopeful alternatives for finding and interacting with art you love. Digressions include: Matt Rife’s new haunting business venture, Katy Perry’s stay at the Khia Asylum, and unfortunately, hitting the Sydney Sweeney button.
This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb and edited by Livi Burdette. Research assistance from Kylie Finnigan.
To support the podcast on Patreon and access 50+ bonus episodes, mediasodes, zoom hangouts and more, visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today.
SOURCES
A cultural lineage of streaming
Adolescent Mental Health in the Digital Age: Facts, Fears and Future Directions
be your own algorithm (video)
Binge Watching as a Young Adult Linked to Cognitive Impairment: Study
Mood Machine by Liz Pelly
Netflix Reveals the Shows That You Binge Watched the Fastest
Netflix’s 'Skip Intro' Button Makes TV Ever More Like an App
Stream a Little Dream: How Netflix Turned Our Culture into Content
Streaming Culture by David Arditi
Swedish composer becomes Spotify’s most-famous musician you’ve never heard of
The Algorithm Killed the Radio Star by Eliza McLamb
The Best Streaming Services For 2025
The Death of the Artist by William Deresiewicz
The Death of the Artist—and the Birth of the Creative Entrepreneur
The Evolution and Impact of Streaming Services: Changing the Media Landscape
The Ghosts in the Machine
The Oxford Handbook of Radio and Podcasting
The Right to Art by Eliza McLamb
The Telephonoscope (1879)
This ‘secret’ composer is behind 650 fake artists on Spotify. His music has been streamed 15bn times on the platform (report)
83% of U.S. adults use streaming services, far fewer subscribe to cable or satellite TV
