Pop and public engagement

Frankly, I'm astounded that during their discussion of pop stars' use of social media in Episode 29, the Sounding Bored crew - this time comprising host Rob and guests Amy and Josh - neglect to mention James Blunt's Twitter even once. Not that his frequently hilarious tweets have changed my mind about his musical output, you understand...

The chat ranges over a number of related topics: the different ways in which social media platforms are used (as a promotional tool for hawking make-up and clothing lines as well as records, to give an insight into the person behind the songs, to promote political causes); the democratising aspect that facilitates DIY marketing and distribution; the considerable challenge that high-profile musicians face in needing to continue to cultivate and maintain close relationships with their fans without resorting to the obvious employment of social media professionals; the dangers of out-of-touch megastars being able to give instant voice to ill-conceived thoughts (hello Kanye!); the way that social media can make but also break careers.

The episode's featured album is Cardi B's appropriately titled Invasion Of Privacy (which Amy praises as a fun embodiment of her personality but which Josh suggests might be cynically calculated) and there is also brief comment on Beychella, Childish Gambino's video for 'This Is America' and the songwriting return of ABBA.