Streaming, R&B, and more with Isaiah Diaz-Mays

Interview with Isaiah Diaz-Mays, writer and artist behind the Substack newsletter Echoes. We talk about building community on Substack, his love of R&B and neo soul, how streaming has changed the way we listen to and value music, the Ticketmaster/Live Nation monopoly, and his five favorite R&B albums of all time — plus his short story series The Emancipation of Catalina De Valle and his debut novel in progress.Connect with Isaiah on Substack ⁠⁠ Subscribe to Notes From Erin Chapters: (00:00) Meet Isaiah Diaz-Mays: Writer, Artist, and Creator of Echoes(04:02) Why Community Matters More Than Metrics on Substack(10:06) Writing Consistently While Working Full Time and in Grad School(16:09) Growing Up on R&B: Mary J. Blige, SWV, and the Family Stereo(20:02) From Best Buy CD Runs to Streaming: How Music Listening Changed(34:10) Why Streaming Doesn't Pay Artists — and What That Actually Means(36:45) Millions of Streams, Thousands of Dollars: The Math That Doesn't Work(39:12) Live Nation, Ticketmaster, and the Fee That Has a Fee(41:42) Attention Spans, Album Culture, and Sitting With Music(46:53) Giveon, Leon Thomas, Maggie Rogers, and What's on Rotation Right Now(56:28) Five Favorite R&B Albums: Mary J., Sade, Maxwell, Bryson Tiller, and Naomi Sharon