Music IndustryOngoing History of New Music

The Ongoing History of New Music, encore presentation: The music industry glossary, part 2

[It’s summer re-run season. New shows return in the fall.]

Every industry has its own language. Think about what it’s like to be a doctor and all the terms and phrases you must learn if you’re going to communicate with your patients and other medical professionals. What’s the difference between an otolaryngologist and a nephrologist? Iatrogenic and idiopathic? Hypotension and hypertension?

Same thing if you’re working in the world of finance. You need to know about things like “shorts,” “yield curves,” and my favourite, EBITDA: earnings before interest taxes, depreciation, and amortization.

Or maybe you’re a coder. Think of all the jargon you use when working on a project. I’m told that these are real terms used in that universe.

  • Rubberducking: A discussion held with other engineers to solve a problem.
  • Jimmy: A new and clueless member of the team
  • Hydra: A bug that can’t be fixed because every time you try something two or more new bugs pop up.

Jargon is also rife throughout the music industry and if you’re not familiar with these terms that are thrown about, you might feel excluded, out of the loop, or a little dumb.

I think this is wrong. And you shouldn’t be afraid to ask what some of these terms me. This brings us to part two of our music industry glossary. (Part one can be found here.)

Songs heard on this program:

  • Wilco, I Love My Label
  • U2, Vertigo
  • Coldplay, Viva La Via
  • Queens of the Stone Age, The Way You Used to Do
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers, Higher Ground
  • Tool, Prison Sex
  • The Verve, Bittersweet Symphony

Here’s Eric Wilhite’s playlist.

Eric Wilhite has a playlist for us.

The Ongoing History of New Music can be heard on the following stations:

We’re still looking for more affiliates in Calgary, Kamloops, Kelowna, Regina, Saskatoon, Brandon, Windsor,  Montreal, Halifax, Charlottetown, Moncton, Fredericton, and St John’s and anywhere else with a transmitter. If you’re in any of those markets and you want the show, lemme know and I’ll see what I can do.

If you ever miss a show, you can always get the podcast edition available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your on-demand audio.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 37921 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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