SHUNYA CARROLL

Originally published on Coolhunting.com Once only found in the underground, electronic dance music now sells out mainstream stages at Coachella. For some, throwing successful parties is serious work—and a serious time commitment. Kelly Gray and Andrew Parsons started out in 2005,  promoting  events for 800-square-feet dance floors in Austin, Texas. Today, their venue, The Concourse Project, is ranked 39th in DJ Mag’s Top 100 Clubs global list, competing against venues in I

Spotify USA became the defendant of two separate class action lawsuits filed by Eric Collins aka RBX and Genevieve Capolongo in November. The complaints claim Spotify turns a blind eye to bots artificially inflate streaming numbers and for exhibiting illegal payola “pay-to-play” business practices. Streaming Bots and click farms Collins v. Spotify (filed Nov. 4, 2025) Eric Collins aka RBX claims “Spotify deliberately turns a blind eye to fraudulent streaming because Spotify

A digital sphere stands out in the atrium of the Las Vegas Sphere performance hall on Oct. 19, 2025. Shunya Carroll Originally Published on CoolHunting.com It’s easy to get lost in the Venetian hotel’s casino maze, but once we heard the EDM playing we knew we were on the right track. Pathways and beats ushered Subtronics jerseys and fluorescent rave braids to the adjacent Sphere. Festival crews from all over the U.S. reunited for a one-of-a-kind experience under the 16K reso

As we saw with Crowdstrike's outage in July, AT&T's massive data breach , and Amazon Web Services breaking , robust systems can fail. How would we act if our music libraries fail? Will we google how to fix it? Will we hope it fixes itself? Will we switch to a different streaming service? Will we rebuild?  You are stranded on an internet-less island. What do you have?

For KUT News in Austin, Texas. Karen Hernandez and Emily Bazaldia pose for a portrait at the ACL Festival. Shunya Carroll / KUT News The Austin City Limits Music Festival wouldn't exist without the fans. And whether it was a love of Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii or Luke Combs that brought them to Zilker Park, they all had their own style. In addition to the music fans, there were also the bartenders and security guards behind the show. The people of ACL were kind, hard-working,

What can we learn from music in 1976? In the Billboard Hot 100 we can find John Sebastian’s “Welcome Back” at no. 1, Diana Ross’s “Love Hangover” at no. 7 and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” sitting at no. 11. Nowhere in the charts you will find Earth’s most beloved Rastafarian. His eight studio album continues as a voice for peace while naming humanity’s turmoil. In 1976 we were electing the first president after Nixon’s resignation, recovering from the Vietnam War and fighting

Fortune-cookie sized paper from Lorde's kickoff performance at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas on Sept. 19, 2025 There’s something special about going to a show with no previews from social media —  no set-lists to satisfy curiosity or beautiful fomo inspiring photos. And that’s what all the Austin Moody Center buzz was about. Lorde began the Ultrasound tour in Austin, Texas Wednesday night, her first time doing so. Friends speculated what she’ll sing first or if she’ll sin

After news spread that Swedish Spotify CEO, Daniel Ek became chairman and led a €600 million ($694) investment to German Weapons manufacturer, Helsing, artists publicly announced removing their catalog from the platform.      But why might Daniel Ek invest in war? Since the Obama administration, the EU has been pressured to spend more on defense according to professor of Government at the University of Texas, Dr. Rachel Wellhausen. “Europe is buying American weapons to supp

The building which houses the offices of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), is seen, Thursday March 20, 2025 in Washington (AP Photo/ Jacquelyn Martin) The Department of Government Efficiency mandated the Institute of Museum and Library Services staff to be put on paid administrative leave on March 31, 2025, freezing $454 million in undistributed grant awards to organizations across the county. Data used to write this story was gathered from usaspending.gov

Originally published in TxSoundsLike.com Music’s ability to connect to our humanity can be the ultimate handshake to someone across...

Maria Maria hit each choreographed step like an athlete. Her routine elevated classic New York voguing to a gymnast’s floor routine . The...

Reposted from Texas Sounds Like From every wall, you can feel the rich history that Antone’s nightclub brought to the Austin music...

An Austin police officer tapes off a perimeter outside the LBJ Auditorium separating pro-Palestinian protesters from an event hosted by Texas Hillel. Shunya Carroll/Reporting Texas Reposted from Reporting Texas Pro-Palestinian protesters condemned the University of Texas for allowing  a former Israeli prime minister to speak on campus as part of Hillel International’s Teach-In tour Tuesday night at the LBJ School of Public Affairs.  “Today we are not here to engage with

Originally published in ReportingTexas.com When the accordion came to Texas in the tail end of the 1800s, a new sound emerged that became so familiar that it became synonymous with Tejano music. Conjunto was born. “This is special. This is Texas music. You can’t find it anywhere else,” said Piper LeMoine, communications director for Austin nonprofit Rancho Alegre. “You can’t separate the music from the culture and community that celebrates it.” Rancho Alegre  was awarded

Originally published on ReportingTexas.com An Austin arts institution, Big Medium started with the East Austin Studio Tour; a discarded sign sits outside its former South Congress building on Feb. 28, 2025. The future of the Austin studio tour is uncertain after the event’s founder and organizer, the arts nonprofit Big Medium, announced its closure last week. “The gaps are massive,” said Shea Little, a founding member of Big Medium. “There are a lot of artists, a lot of cre

DJ sets these days put an emphasis on trippy graphics, big drops and instagrammable moments. Jamie XX, London born James Thomas Smith,...

Korean International student Soo-Hee Sang stands at the University of Texas south lawn with her sign that reads “Yoon Suk Yeol – resign,” on Dec. 6, 2024. The Korean president's martial law declaration launched waves of protest and fear, reminding Koreas of a violent past. Reposted from Reporting Texas Soo-Hee Kang has traveled 7,000 miles to media at the University of Texas school of radio, television and film. The distance made Kang feel hopeless when the president of So

The 1947 building sits on a sinking landfill on Barton Springs Road on Dec. 4, 2024. The parks and recreation department has been working on its redevelopment since 2008. Repost from Reporting Texas The Austin Parks and Recreation Department is moving forward with replacing  the Dougherty Arts Center in South Austin despite uncertainty over funding for the two-phase development plan , the parks department said in a recent memo. The proposed arts center’s campus would in