New posts from jordanlee.life
A new type of LLC for artists (via hyperallergic)
I have been following the journey of the proposed A Corp LLC structure for a while now and it looks like it just passed in the Colorado legislature. I know it sounds boring, but an A Corp would have some interesting advantages since it is specifically for creative fields like making sure the artists keep 51% of the shares, being mission driven, making it easier to share equity with large groups of collaborators, and having less onerous paperwork than a traditional LLC.
Like any new framework I’m sure it will have its problems once it meets reality but for now I think it could occupy an interesting niche.
🎵 Matt Evans - Daydream Observatory (2026)
Percussionist extraordinaire Matt Evans has a new album of synth and rhythm which pulls sounds from the alien and the mundane to make compelling and inventive instrumentals. Matt is also one half of Neti-Neti who I wrote about back in April after their moving show at the Poetry Project exploring the need for modern Western societies to have public grief rituals.
Shoutout to Jeremy Shatan’s great music blog anearful for bringing this album to my attention through his weekly newsletter.
📚 Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman (1985)
I’ve been seeing this book pop up a lot lately and finally decided to read it after a strong recommendation from Liz. Postman argues that the television is a culmination of the instantaneous speed of the telegraph with the visual nature of the photograph and has shifted our culture out of the age of typography into the age of show business- changing how we think of news, education, and social interaction.
The book first takes a historic look at how the technologies associated with writing totally changed society and brought with it new ideas like a sense of linear history and the ability to make fully cited, complex propositions that could be refuted point by point. Apparently In 1800’s America, three hour public debates were popular forms of entertainment even among the working class. Can you imagine our collective attention span handling that now?
He believed the television brought with it a new ideology where the viewer needed to be constantly entertained through tactics like attractive people, short decontextualized bursts of information aka “news of the day”, no time for introspection or ability to have serious debate, and of course the barrage of fifteen second commercials psychologically tuned to tap into our deepest longings.
The problem is that even if we don’t watch TV ourselves he demonstrates how the dominant media technology of the day still has major downstream effects on every part of our lives. I think that is why this book from forty years ago has become popular again, because his description of the ills of television have only accelerated in the age of social media.
I agree with his conclusion which is a call to be more aware of the ways a media technology shapes our actions and find ways to push back. He calls for a demystification of how media is made. I think these are great points and makes me feel validated in a pull towards small scale DIY types of distribution and a desire to regain my attention to handle more rewarding works.
🎵 Touch Girl Apple Blossom - Graceful (K Records 2026)
Named after a Beat Happening lyric, I really enjoyed TGAB’s upbeat, jangly set at Providence Popfest last month. Luckily the album, out on K Records, is a great encapsulation of that same catchy DIY charm.
