Thank You Glen Hansard

As I am wrapping up the final edit on this edition of the newsletter, I am seeing clips of the funeral service of Glen Hansard. Like so many others around the world, I was so saddened and genuinely heartbroken to hear that the Irish singer-songwriter died in a motorbike accident last week. Eddie Vedder, Bono & others are on-hand to celebrate the life and legacy of a truly remarkable artist, and by all indications, person.
The movie “Once” changed my thinking about how music could impact life. Of course music can help us “feel good” on the dance floor or on a boat. It can help us navigate a heartbreak while we heal. But its unique ability to instill deep connection between complete strangers was the takeaway, for me, from that indie film about busking in Ireland.
Unfortunately, Glen is the latest artist from the beautiful, fertile country of Ireland that has left us in recent years. Sinead O’Connor (2023), Shane MacGowan (2023) and Dolores O’Riordan (2018) all preceded him in death.
I was so excited to see past Curious Goldfish Podcast guests The Belgian Blue open for Glen and The Swell Season during the past 12 months. Glen was kind enough to share the stage with them and deflect the spotlight away from himself to those who could use it more.
I only saw Glen perform live once, roughly three years ago this month here at Atlanta Symphony Hall. It was magical. I had a good seat for it, and I’m grateful I captured this raw performance of “Say It To Me Now,” when he left the microphone behind and belted out the words to 1,500 people from the front of the stage with just a guitar. You could hear a pin drop between his notes. It’s worth two minutes of your time. RIP Glen.

EDITOR'S NOTE:
Call & Response pairs two Curious Goldfish conversations, recorded months or years apart, with artists who may or may not know one another. Different paths with the same question running underneath. "Call and Response" is one of the oldest structures in music: carried from West Africa into American spirituals, gospel, blues, and jazz, where a leader sings a phrase and the community answers. The form survived because music has always been a way for people to talk to each other across distance and time. It's a reminder that music connects people who don't know they're already in a conversation.

Careful & Fearless: Life is short. Read how two artists, separated by nearly 50 years, approach living a life in music. The mindsets of Jack Barksdale & Dan Navarro might surprise you.

Ted Lasso Returns This Week

It’s a show that changed my life and inspired this podcast. Over the past year I’ve been capturing my favorite quotes, moments and leadership lessons from the show. Take a look to refresh yourself ahead of a whole new season of positivity & curiosity. So anxious to see where they take the characters!

State of Music in the Age of AI & Streaming

Have you read the free summary of findings yet? We surveyed nearly 600 people about today's music industry. No matter if you are a fan, an artist, or work in the industry, this report has insightful stats and key takeaways about people's views on AI and how to engage with artists and fans. It's the coolest thing I've ever created.

Below is a sample data point from the report. The full, paid report is available for $24 and contains more than 100 pages of insights, anecdotes, comments, and analysis straight from the survey. The State of Music in the Age of AI & Streaming is the first independent survey report on these important topics.

Are you surprised at this stat about the impact of streaming on indie musicians?

Data based on data collected in the State of Music in the Age of AI & Streaming Survey by Curious Goldfish

The Playback: The AI Headlines That Matter

This is where we track the breakthroughs, controversies, and conversations shaping how technology changes what we create and how we hear it.

Latest Headlines

  • Deezer says more than half of the songs uploaded to it every day are now made by AI

    • Description: The streaming service Deezer reported this summer that AI-generated tracks crossed 50% of its daily uploads, roughly 90,000 songs a day, up from about 10% at the start of 2025. It also said most of the streams on those tracks come from fraud built to skim royalties, and it has started deleting AI songs nobody actually listens to.

    • Why It Matters: For Musicians: every fake upload pulls from the same royalty pool your real work gets paid from.
      For Fans: more than half of what hits the platform each day was never touched by a person.

    • Read More: TechCrunch

  • Spotify pulled 75 million spam tracks and started labeling where AI was used

    • Description: Over the past year Spotify removed more than 75 million tracks it flagged as spam, banned voice clones made without an artist's permission, and began rolling out credits that show where AI touched a song, from vocals to production. The disclosure standard was built with DDEX and more than a dozen distributors, and Spotify says artists who follow it won't be penalized.

    • Why It Matters: For Musicians: real protection against deepfakes of your voice, plus an honest way to show how you actually used AI.
      For Fans: a clearer signal of what you're hearing and who made it.

    • Read More: Music Business Worldwide

  • The major labels want unlicensed AI songs kept off the official charts

    • Description: In late July the major labels, joined by independent label groups, proposed global rules to keep fully AI-generated and unlicensed tracks off charts like Billboard, while still allowing human work that used AI as a tool. They agree the machine-only material shouldn't chart, but they're split on where to draw the line between AI-assisted and fully AI.

    • Why It Matters: For Musicians: the charts you compete on may soon separate human work from machine output.
      For Fans: the industry is now trying to define, in writing, what counts as a real artist.

    • Read More: Variety

Jon Muq's journey from Uganda to Austin reads like a movie script. He learned guitar on a cruise ship, left home for the first time to chase music, and has a few thoughts on why Americans are so stressed out. His story stretches far past songwriting.

Thank you for reading and for supporting the podcast. Remember, don't just be a goldfish…be a curious one. — Jason English, Host.

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