PODCAST

Can"t Get Much Higher

Chris Dalla Riva

The intersection of music and data www.cantgetmuchhigher.com

music music commentary

All Episodes

17:00

The Great Grand Piano Scam

Can"t Get Much Higher ·

2024/07/25

I almost got scammed a few years ago. A woman hit me up on Instagram asking if I wrote songs. “Of course,” I responded. She then sent a long message asking if I could compose a song for her son Daniel’s sixth birthday. She claimed she’d pay me $500. I agreed. I already wrote and recorded music regularly. It sounded like an easy $500. Then the scam emerged.After I sent the song, the delighted woman told me that she had a check that she would mail me. There was an issue, though. The bank accidentally

20:32

The Rise of the Disappointing Duet

Can"t Get Much Higher ·

2024/07/18

If you read this newsletter each week, you’ll know that I typically rant about some topic, usually one that brings together music and data. Then I recommend both a new song (i.e., one released in the last few weeks) and an old song (i.e., one released at least five years ago).You’ll still get a rant from me this week. (It’s about crappy duets.) But the song recommendations will come from my friends at Songletter, a publication that delivers one to two songs to your inbox each week. Some of those

22:11

The Proper Way to Listen

Can"t Get Much Higher ·

2024/07/11

When I got to college, my randomly-assigned roommate and I became fast friends. One of the first things we bonded over was music. We both loved The Lumineers’ eponymous debut record that was released the year before our higher education began. But one thing my new friend said left me disturbed. He listened to the album on shuffle!Over the course of our college career, I did convince him that albums should be listened to in the order the artist intended. I can imagine I told him that you wouldn’t

22:54

The New National Anthem

Can"t Get Much Higher ·

2024/07/04

Since today is Independence Day in the United States, I decided to explore why "The Star-Spangled Banner" is as American as the tomato is Italian. As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will color your listening. Click here to listen on Apple or Spotify. For a playlist of every new song that I’ve recommended, click here. For a playlist of every old song that I’ve recommended,

20:30

How Music Criticism Has Changed

Can"t Get Much Higher ·

2024/06/27

The other day a friend of mine asked me if I liked being a music critic. “Music critic?” I asked. “I’m not a music critic.” And I really meant that. Yes, I write about music. Yes, I give you my opinion on certain things. Yes, I recommend songs that I enjoy. But I don’t think I’m a critic in the same way that or Jessica Hopper or or are critics. I don’t think I’m giving you deep insight into particular pieces of music. I mostly write about trends.Nevertheless, I love music criticism. So, when I came

25:35

14 Good Things Happening in Music Right Now

Can"t Get Much Higher ·

2024/06/20

I feel like recent music news is often bad news. And I’m a contributor to that. Just last week I wrote a long piece about problems in the music industry that don’t get enough attention. But tomorrow is my 29th birthday. In celebration, I wanted to talk about some great things that are happening. As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will color your listening. Click here to

25:20

14 Issues in Music That Don't Get Enough Attention

Can"t Get Much Higher ·

2024/06/13

It feels like 99% of music industry press is focused on one of two issues: streaming royalties and the Ticketmaster antitrust case. Of course, these are major issues affecting an untold number of artists. But given that I spend an ungodly amount of time working in, thinking about, and making music, I often come across other pesky problems that get little to no press. This week, I want to give 14 of these issues their due.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much

15:36

When the F*ck Did We Start Singing "Sh*t"?

Can"t Get Much Higher ·

2024/06/06

I don’t curse. Why? Unpacking that would require a podcast in and of itself. Nevertheless, I’ve always been fascinated by cursing. While some of that fascination is due to the fact that I don’t partake in the crass art, a bigger piece of it is driven by how creative humans are with using expletives. This week I want to pick apart some of that creativity in order to answer an important question: When the f*ck did we start putting the word “sh*t” in our songs?As a reminder, this is the podcast version

18:08

The Day I Met The Boss

Can"t Get Much Higher ·

2024/05/30

I think the adage “Never meet your heroes” is generally good advice. I can’t say for sure, though. I haven’t met many of mine. Except one time. When I was in high school, I had a chance run-in with my greatest musical hero. It made me think that maybe some of our heroes are worth meeting.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will color your listening. Click here to listen on

23:40

The Decline and Fall of the Hit Instrumental Song

Can"t Get Much Higher ·

2024/05/23

Clarinet players aren’t sex symbols. I say this with no disrespect for those that play the single-reeded woodwind. But if you asked a random person on the street to name a clarinet player, I suspect most couldn’t come up with one, let alone one known for their good looks. Then again, this isn’t a particular indictment of clarinetists. If you asked that same person to name a sexy musician, I’d bet a large sum of money they’d name a vocalist.This wasn’t always the case, though. Go back to the 1930s

15:32

Decorating Time

Can"t Get Much Higher ·

2024/05/16

I've got a new song out today. It's called "Late Nite Kicks". In today's podcast, I give you an inside scoop of how my creative process works as we walk through how the song came to be. Listen to "Late Nite Kicks" wherever you stream music.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will color your listening. Click here to listen on Apple or Spotify. For a playlist of every new

15:38

Diss Post is About Answers

Can"t Get Much Higher ·

2024/05/09

Over the last few weeks, there has been an explosive beef between hip-hop stalwarts Drake and Kendrick Lamar. What started out as a standard tit-for-tat has devolved into a volleying of nuclear bombs, accusations of predatory behavior, domestic violence, and absentee parenting flying with abandon. If you want a summary of a situation that is starting to require way too much time to follow, I recommend these pieces from Stereogum and Pitchfork. Nevertheless, this back-and-forth got me thinking about

16:44

Investigating Fraud at the Grammys

Can"t Get Much Higher ·

2024/05/02

A couple of months ago, I read a fascinating piece from the publication Stars After Stars After Stars called “How I got booted as a Grammy voter,” which detailed allegations of fraud at the Grammys. This week I decided to investigate those claims.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will color your listening. Click here to listen on Apple or Spotify. For a playlist of every

18:28

Record Store Chafes

Can"t Get Much Higher ·

2024/04/25

One of my favorite newsletters is Dan Epstein's Jagged Time Lapse. In each edition, Epstein captures how music intersects with our lives in unexpected ways, how it can send us hurtling through space and time, how it can be both magical and mundane. This week, Epstein brings one of his stories to Can't Get Much Higher. If you enjoy it, make sure you subscribe to Jagged Time Lapse.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It

21:26

Bringing Music Back to 1994

Can"t Get Much Higher ·

2024/04/18

For decades, the film industry made lots of money by windowing releases. First, you had to pay to go to the theater. Then you had to pay to get the VHS. Then a television network had to pay to air it. Music never worked like this. The model was (and is) to release everywhere all at once. This week we explore how music should be taking a cue from Hollywood of yore.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts,

17:40

Let Me Be a Sellout

Can"t Get Much Higher ·

2024/04/11

Beyoncé announcing the lead single to her latest album Cowboy Carter in a Verizon commercial during the Super Bowl reminded me of how intertwined music and commerce have become and how selling out isn’t an idea anymore. This week we try to figure out what happened to selling out.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will color your listening. Click here to listen on Apple or

19:20

The Land Where the CD Never Died

Can"t Get Much Higher ·

2024/04/04

In 2023, only 36% of recorded music revenues in Japan came from streaming. 55% came from physical sales, the large majority of which was from CDs. This week we explore why CDs remain so popular in Japan.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will color your listening. Click here to listen on Apple or Spotify. For a playlist of every new song that I’ve recommended, click here

17:30

Should Making Music Be Hard?

Can"t Get Much Higher ·

2024/03/28

Last week, Rolling Stone magazine published an article about Suno AI, a startup that allows you to generate two-minute songs from a text prompts. I was playing around with this music-generation tool and was both blown away and scared. It made making music way too easy. It made me wonder if that ease was an issue.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher. Click here to read the newsletter. It contains charts, graphs, and pictures that will color your

18:24

Mommy, Why Did You Name Me Doja Cat?

Can"t Get Much Higher ·

2024/03/21

A few weeks ago, I met somebody who named their newborn daughter Lennon. That’s odd, I thought to myself. Given that the name Lennon is derived from the surname of John Lennon, I assumed it would generally be used for newborn boys. I decided to download some data to find out. Lennon, it seems, used to be more popular among newborn boys. Now, it’s mostly used for newborn girls. But in order to figure this out, I had to download 150 years of naming data from the Social Security Administration. I dove

18:02

Recorded Music is a Hoax

Can"t Get Much Higher ·

2024/03/14

Have you ever disliked an artist because you thought their music was dishonest? Maybe they were pretending to play an instrument that they couldn’t really play. Maybe they were doctoring up their vocals with pitch correction and effects. This week we dive deep into the idea of musical honesty to learn that it has no objective meaning. Whether you listen to folk or EDM or rock or anything, you’ve been fooled by recorded music.As a reminder, this is the podcast version of the newsletter Can’t Get Much

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