In this conversation, Alexander and Steve explore how music scenes were once built on physical infrastructure like record stores, college radio, and local venues, and what’s replaced that in the modern world of streaming and algorithmic discovery. Steve unpacks the close, reflective listening practice he calls “notebooking,” and considers whether today’s music culture carries that tradition forward or represents something new entirely. Steve also covers how institutions shape whose stories get told and preserved, both in the classroom and across music culture more broadly, and how listeners may bring more intention to the way they engage with music today.

Many of us assume everyone has access to the Internet. In light of the last few years of global pandemic, however, we observed headlines about the unconnected and the issues that were created in social, work, and educational daily experiences.

Why are some Americans, especially in the rural Midwest flyover states, left without access or with incredibly slow Internet speed?

To answer these questions and explore policy failures, we speak with Dr. Christopher Ali, a Pioneers Chair in Telecommunications and Professor of Telecommunications at Penn State University. Dr. Ali’s research and advocacy work focus on exploring the lived experiences and the implications of broadband policy.