Soundstorm: Musings on the Madness of the Modern Music Ecosystem

In Soundstorm: Musings on the Madness of the Modern Music Ecosystem, Saransh Desai-Chowdhry analyzes the business and culture of the music industry as it battles challenges in the digital era. In this collection of essays, we learn from Blu DeTiger, recording artist, bass virtuoso, and TikTok star, Amanda Petrusich, Staff Writer at The New Yorker, and Nick DeMasi, Data Scientist at Spotify and Manager of Juletta and Ishan, about the gap between art and commerce. Must read!

Saransh's book, "Soundstorm", begins with a hooking story about his experience navigating the Grammys as a seat filler, to exploring the music industry in-depth through its various segments: Spotify vs indie hits, and K-Pop vs Billie Eilish's brand of pop. I was made aware of how supportive (and not) artists of different genres can be of each other, how the press can always skew reality, and the importance of music in our culture.While I am not a pop music fanatic of any sort, Saransh's analysis combined with his charismatic writing style motivated me to read until the end.

Soundstorm was a much-needed breath of fresh air for me as someone who enjoys a multitude of artists and genres. It was insightful reading about the many potential futures for the music ecosystem, and each of the essays proved fun and educational.