Andrew Mall 4/6/26 Andrew Mall 4/6/26

Why is Angine de Poitrine, a masked math rock band, going viral?

NGN (2026). With a sound as bizarre as their appearance, Canadian math rock band Angine de Poitrine has broken out of their subgenre and found an audience hungry for something “deeply human,” a music expert said.

Andrew Mall 4/2/26 Andrew Mall 4/2/26

This math rock duo is taking the internet by storm. A music researcher explains why.

NGN (2026). Angine de Poitrine, a Canadian rock duo, is taking the internet by storm. Their funky beats, intricate costumes and pure talent — paired with their unknown identities — make them an act that AI can't replicate, Northeastern music professor Andrew Mall says.

Andrew Mall 3/19/26 Andrew Mall 3/19/26

Music Industries

Oxford Bibliographies in Music (2026). Two main ideas govern our approach to this article: (1) there is no single music industry, and (2) music industries are created, driven, and run by human beings. There are a multitude of industries, markets, intermediaries, and musicians. Here, we hope both to address these phenomena and provide a more expansive view of what music industries are and what they do.

Andrew Mall 3/5/26 Andrew Mall 3/5/26

Unboxing hidden music history: Lou Curtiss’ Whimsical Collection and vinyl’s survival.

The Finest (podcast, 2026). Lou Curtiss dedicated his life to preserving forgotten music — and now his extraordinary personal collection is being shared with the community he nurtured for decades. At Folk Arts Rare Records, thousands of vinyl records, CDs, tapes and rare recordings are being unboxed, cataloged and placed on shelves for music lovers to explore and purchase. In this episode, we meet Brendan Boyle, who began shopping at Folk Arts as a teenager and now owns and runs the store. Along the way, we explore how vinyl survived the '90s and 2000s and why physical media still matters in an age of streaming and digital fatigue.

Andrew Mall 2/28/26 Andrew Mall 2/28/26

Sharing Trauma and Recovery in Musical Subcultures: Mental Health and Community at Furnace Fest

IASPM-US conference presentation (2026). Our 5+ years of ethnographic data at Furnace Fest reveal a potent intersection of community formation amidst conflicting strategies (and varying resources) for care and recovery. Complicating punk/hardcore, DIY, and subculture ethics, studying this community offers insight to (1) trauma scholarship by examining affective narrative recovery strategies through musical participation, and (2) popular music scholars by demonstrating how communities and scenes form around sharing experiences of and ideas about trauma and recovery.

Andrew Mall 1/27/26 Andrew Mall 1/27/26

First Las Vegas, now Maryland. What is driving the Sphere expansion?

NGN (2026). Northeastern University professor Andrew Mall said much of the Sphere’s success has to do with the novelty factor.

Andrew Mall 1/24/26 Andrew Mall 1/24/26

5 ’80s Gadgets We Wish Would Make a Comeback

Slashgear (2026). There are several creations from the '80s that people would love to see make a comeback today, modernized in varying degrees. Not simply because they're remembered so fondly, but because it would actually serve a need and be a sensible idea to do so. Modern technology has transformed society in so many ways, and there's really no comparison between the two eras.

Andrew Mall 1/9/26 Andrew Mall 1/9/26

Punk Rock

Punk rock is simultaneously a music genre and a lifestyle, an attitude and a philosophy, a political orientation and a commodified fashion. Insiders, outsiders, in-betweeners—everyone’s perspective on punk is different, distinct, and necessarily individuated. Punk is what you make of it, yes—but it also has rules, boundaries, and its own self-appointed border police: punk is always already what others make of it. In this course, we explore the ideological, musical, and social characteristics of punk rock, its precedents, and its descendants.

Andrew Mall 1/9/26 Andrew Mall 1/9/26

Seminar in Music Industry

In this capstone course for music industry students, we explore contemporary analyses and issues with an eye toward critically assessing and engaging the music industries. Each student brings to the classroom a unique set of skills and experiences, including those grounded in coursework and experiential learning (such as co-ops, internships, research, service learning, study abroad, and other activities). During seminar, we learn together as a class from these individualized experiences and sets of expertise—the sum of our knowledge, in essence, is greater than its individual parts.

Andrew Mall 1/8/26 Andrew Mall 1/8/26

Folk Arts Rare Records brings Lou Curtiss' music collection to the people

KPBS (2026). Andrew Mall, a professor of music at Northeastern University in Boston, studies media, music consumption and collecting. He said record stores — and the people who work in them — are crucial to local music scenes. In many cities, including San Diego, record stores function as gathering places where people share influences and resources.

Andrew Mall 10/30/25 Andrew Mall 10/30/25

Ticketmaster Vows to Crackdown on Scalpers

Forum Daily News (2025). Forum Daily News is a weekly news program produced by The News Forum (TNF). TNF is a Canadian broadcaster with a mandate to provide viewers with politically balanced domestic and international perspectives, intended to be a counterbalance to the prevailing media landscape. In this interview, I discuss dynamic-pricing mechanisms, how demand-based pricing works in the concert/ticketing sector, how artists/management negotiate with platforms like Ticketmaster, and what the consumer-impact tends to be.

Andrew Mall 9/9/25 Andrew Mall 9/9/25

An international Christian rock star was accused of sexual assault. Will this affect the Christian music industry?

NGN (2025). Allegations of sexual misconduct have hit the Christian music community. At least five men accused internationally known Christian musician Michael Tait of sexual assault, in what Andrew Mall, associate music professor at Northeastern University, called “the highest-profile case” he’s seen in this section of the music industry.

Andrew Mall 9/5/25 Andrew Mall 9/5/25

Sound and the Sacred

Music plays important roles in religious contexts: among other things, it connects worshippers to spiritual realms, centers practitioners within continuous traditions, distinguishes between sacred and secular spaces (and places), enables communal cohesion, facilitates transcendent experiences, imbues everyday activities with religious intent, orients believers to ritual practices, and contributes to religious identities, both at the individual and the collective (or congregational) levels.

Andrew Mall 8/22/25 Andrew Mall 8/22/25

Taylor Swift’s new album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’ is being sold on cassette. Who’s buying?

NGN (2025). After Taylor Swift announced her latest album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” fans began pre-ordering limited-release vinyls, CDs and even cassette tapes. While it may have been a while since the average person has bought a cassette tape, Andrew Mall, associate music professor at Northeastern University, says cassettes have percolated on the music scene and have become popular again over the last 10 to 15 years.

Andrew Mall 8/2/25 Andrew Mall 8/2/25

A new doc sheds light on Jeff Buckley’s legacy. Musicians explain why he is still so influential almost 30 years after his early death

NGN (2025). Experts explain what makes the subject of “It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley” one of the most legendary artists of his generation, despite only releasing one studio album before his premature death. Despite only releasing one studio album, “Grace,” prior to tragically drowning at the age of 30 in 1997, Buckley remains one of the most legendary — and subtly influential — artists of his generation.

Andrew Mall 8/1/25 Andrew Mall 8/1/25

Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks are reissuing an album that’s been out of circulation for 50 years. Why reissue ‘Buckingham Nicks’ now?

NGN (2025). “Buckingham Nicks” was released in 1973 to minimal fanfare; the couple’s label, Polydor Records, dropped it within months of their release. The following year, the couple joined Fleetwood Mac, making them the notable figures they are today. But while you can easily find copies of or stream all of the duo’s other work — both in Fleetwood Mac and as solo artists — “Buckingham Nicks” was never reissued. Why reissue “Buckingham Nicks” now, after decades that were filled with breakups, makeups, reunion tours, and lawsuits for the pair? Andrew Mall, an associate professor of music at Northeastern University, thinks it could be a sign that things are thawing between the two exes.

Andrew Mall 7/21/25 Andrew Mall 7/21/25

Caught vinyl fever? Our music expert has tips

NGN (2025). Andrew Mall, associate professor of music, has a collection of 1,500 records. He gives his top tips for those venturing into the world of buying vinyl records.

Andrew Mall 7/18/25 Andrew Mall 7/18/25

Dana Bollen and Andrew Mall (Life Free or DIY Podcast, Two Week Notice Podcast)

The Rumors Are True (podcast, 2025). Host Jeremy Alan Gould interviews Dana Bollen and Andrew Mall about making their new podcast, Live Free or DIY.

Andrew Mall 7/16/25 Andrew Mall 7/16/25

Fyre Festival sells on eBay for $245K, a sum so low it wouldn’t have been able to afford disgraced founder Billy McFarland some tickets at his own event

Fortune (2025). Billy McFarland’s Fyre Festival chapter has come to a close. The disgraced owner of the brand behind the disaster luxury music festival sold its intellectual property for $245,300 on eBay. The sum falls far short of some of the ticket options McFarland previously promised for a planned Fyre Festival event, including a $1.1 million package. The final bid falls further still than the $26 million in restitution following McFarland’s wire-fraud conviction.

Andrew Mall 6/10/25 Andrew Mall 6/10/25

Live Free Or D.I.Y. Episode #06: Challenges (Season 1 Finale)

Live Free Or D.I.Y. Episode #05: Mental Health. Hosts Dana Bollen and Andrew Mall are joined by ten of our Season 1 panel members to discuss some of the biggest changes that we've experienced within the DIY music scenes over the last few decades & the challenges that we face today. Several panelists also share advice that is valuable to anyone who is involved in these communities.

Click through for episode links and full transcript.