#88: Midwest Massacre Tour
A daily roundup of interesting links about music, culture and marketing
CULTURE THING:
Today’s Culture Thing is brought to you by The Breads, a newsletter aimed at making you cooler than you actually are via articles about science, technology, pop culture, lifestyle, gear and more. If you’re loving what you’re getting from Office Hours, sign up for The Breads!
The Quarantine Garden Has Taken Off
You may have noticed as you mindlessly scroll through Instagram to quell the boredom of quarantine life that quite a few of your friends are now growing their own vegetables at home. In fact you've probably noticed that it's a weirdly large number of people and they seem to be very excited for plants to be sprouting up. This home-gardening isn’t for subsistence purposes. It’s for people who, in times like these, rightfully want to feel like they are accomplishing something that they have control over. For people who want to feel like they are contributing and that, no matter how small, positive things are happening. An interesting read talking with newly minted (heh) home gardening aficionados and what it means for us.
MARKETING THING:
How To Get Over Your Fear Of Self-Promotion
A lot of people need to read this…including me!
MUSIC THING:
What was the best year for music?
If you’ve been reading Office Hours since the beginning, you’ve heard about the concept of cultural fossilization. In short, if a song is a hit when you’re a teenager, it’ll remain popular with your age group even 30 years down the line because playing it evokes the feeling of being a teenager and more important, the feeling of being on top of the social hierarchy. It’s why some people culturally peak in high school or college. It also explain why a lot of people stop paying attention to new music or culture past those points.
Last month, the BBC released a study using streaming data to compile the most listened to songs for the last 40 years that illustrates this theory. They correlated what year produced the most streams and then used that to measure the results. The list might surprise you.
How To Support Office Hours
Here’s three easy ways you can support this newsletter!!!!!
Share this newsletter with a coworker/friend/loved one!
Can’t commit to an ongoing subscription right now? Show your support for my work with a one-time donation.
Become a paid supporter of the newsletter on an ongoing basis via this button:
Until tomorrow…
WASH YOUR HANDS! STAY IN THE HOUSE! CHECK ON YOUR LOVED ONES!
Office Hours is written by Ernest Wilkins. Follow me on Twitter/IG @ErnestWilkins or send me an e-mail.