Episode guests
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Living outside NYC helped Ted Gioia stay independent, avoiding groupthink in media.
- Being the honest broker is crucial for success in navigating fraught industries.
- TikTok's influence on music culture is declining, impacting artist discovery strategies.
Deep dives
The Power of Being the Honest Broker
The concept of being the honest broker is discussed, inspired by a story from Ted Joya's past interactions in China. The idea of being a trusted person who operates with integrity and builds relationships based on trust is highlighted as essential in various fields, including music criticism and writing for readers. Being the honest broker is emphasized as a key to success in navigating fraught industries.
Challenges in the Media Landscape
Ted Joya delves into the current state of media and journalism, pointing out the decline in public trust and the rise of tribalism in societal discourse. He highlights issues such as polarization, corporate media's audience-driven approach, and the struggle to maintain trust and credibility in a climate of increasing division.
TikTok: Peaked or Passing?
The podcast explores TikTok's influence on music culture and the shifting dynamics within the industry. Discussions on how TikTok impacts new artist discovery and record label strategies are presented. Ted Joya expresses his view that TikTok has reached its peak and faces declining engagement metrics, signaling a potential shift in its influence.
Cultural Homogenization and Counterculture
The conversation touches on the lack of a vibrant counterculture and the homogenizing effect of social media on cultural diversity. Ted Joya explains how the prevalence of sameness in music, movies, and media can limit creativity and originality. The influences of imitation and mimetic desire in shaping societal trends are discussed, highlighting the challenge of breaking free from conventional norms.
Guidance for Emerging Writers
Ted Joya offers valuable advice for aspiring writers, emphasizing the importance of staying true to one's core values and beliefs in their writing. He underscores the significance of constant writing practice, learning extensively about the subject matter, and maintaining integrity and trustworthiness in their work. The path to becoming a proficient writer is described as a journey of dedication, skill development, and adherence to personal principles.
Ted Gioia, the great music and cultural critic, has never lived in New York and it has cost him. He knows he is completely out of touch. “I didn’t make the relationships, I didn’t have editors opening doors for me,” he says. “Things were harder for me at every step along the way because I wasn’t at those cocktail parties.”
But not being in New York has its upsides. Perhaps most importantly: it has helped Ted retain the mindset of an independent outsider, less vulnerable to the groupthink that can overtake the modern media. From his perch in Austin, Texas, and previously in Silicon Valley, the author of 12 books on music and co-founder of Stanford University’s jazz studies program sees things that his peers tend to miss. On his Substack, The Honest Broker, Ted has taken the music industry to task for its failure to discover and nurture new music; he has argued that despite a time of democratized access to publishing, society is missing a counterculture; and he has pointed to indicators of Facebook’s impending collapse. Occasionally, he’ll write a deeply researched series about a figure from rock history that would never find its way into a mainstream outlet.
In this conversation for The Active Voice, we discuss how internet platforms are changing our cultural industries for better and worse, how the rise of the likes of YouTube and Substack are helping creators subvert the gatekeepers to outshine traditional channels, and how social media has become a sameness machine—a perpetrator and victim of crowd psychology based on people’s intense need to be just like everyone else. “Platforms like Twitter, which should be independent voices saying fresh things, start to feel like everybody’s shouting the same thing all at once.”
The way out? Find the person who can rise above the fray. Find the honest broker…
Ted’s recommended reads:
https://lewisporter.substack.com/https://greilmarcus.substack.com/https://iverson.substack.com/https://jeffreysultanof.substack.com/
Show notes
Subscribe to The Honest Broker on SubstackFind Ted on Twitter, Instagram, and his websiteElias Canetti, Crowds and Power[02:39] The story behind the name, The Honest Broker[08:41] Journalism and the media[11:17] Avoiding politics[12:10] Perks of being a music writer[15:27] On being the outsider[17:02] Ted’s background[21:12] How the internet destroyed music culture[26:56] The role of TikTok in the music industry[33:09] Mimetic desire, René Girard, and social media[36:21] The exception of Kenny G[40:02] Choosing the writing life[44:05] Advice to young writers
The Active Voice is a podcast hosted by Hamish McKenzie, featuring weekly conversations with writers about how the internet is affecting the way they live and write. It is produced by Hanne Winarsky, with audio engineering by Seven Morris, content production by Hannah Ray, and production support from Bailey Richardson. All artwork is by Joro Chen, and music is by Phelps & Munro.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit post.substack.com
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