Hard Fork

The Musketeers Take Washington + Spotify's Ghost Music + Tool Time

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February 07, 2025 6:00am

1h 22m

This week, we’re joined by the Times reporter Jonathan Swan to discuss Elon Musk’s tech takeover of Washington, D.C. Then, Liz Pelly, author of a new book about Spotify, stops by to discuss “ghost musicians” and how Spotify’s algorithms are reshaping music culture. And finally — it’s Tool Time! We’ll tell you all about the new A.I. tools we’re using, plus the one that we wish existed.

Guests: 

  • Jonathan Swan, a White House reporter for The New York Times
  • Liz Pelly, author of “Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist”

Additional Reading: 

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