I've Been Watching These 17 YouTube Videos

Maybe I need to get a life....

YouTube is the new TV. It makes more money than Netflix—or any other video platform on the planet. People rack up a billion user hours per day.

I’m one of them.

Sad to say, most of it is unappetizing fare. My Sicilian relatives would call it puzzi.

But if you know where to look, you can find anything and everything on YouTube—cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels. Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles….

We’re skipping schnitzel today. But below are 17 of my favorite recent YouTube videos.

Enjoy!

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Let’s praise Taylor Swift for spending her free time visiting children in a Kansas City hospital—instead of (like other celebrities) hanging out at a Diddy party.

In my world, this is how real superstars roll.

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“I have never made a penny off my own music,” admits award-winning musician Mahalia—“100 million streams with all money made going to my label.” She adds: “This is pretty standard practice in most major label contracts.”

Several people sent me this video link—because they knew (correctly) that I’d be peeved at its account of artist exploitation. Now you can be peeved along with me.

In possibly related news, Spotify’s CEO sold another $28 million in stock this week. So far this year, he has sold almost a quarter of billion dollars in shares.

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AI is bringing dead musicians back to life. But something about this video might make you feel queasy.

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A year ago, I suggested that a new age of Romanticism was upon us. Since that time, others have discerned a similar shift in the culture (see this excellent article from Ross Barkan).

Now a YouTube video makes a strong case for 21st century Romanticism—with many examples.

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I featured the band, Parlor Greens, on my recent best-of-year list, but here’s a new live in-studio performance that got me swaying and strutting.

I love this organ trio—funky and soulful, but also melodic. No, it’s not jazz. That’s a hot trend now: The we-don’t-play-jazz organ trio. But you won’t miss those Berklee practice room lickes here.

In a better world, this band could enjoy radio hits and dance hall fans. But right now it’s flying under the radar, like a New Jersey drone.

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