Against the Stream

The Price of Music, my favorite music-business podcast, recently recommended the app Cantilever, which raised £250k from a group of independent labels. It’s a neat idea: the app offers a limited selection of albums by independent artists, paired with rich editorial content. You can stream the music for a limited time, and because everyone receives the same selection, they hope to create shared cultural moments. At $5.99 a month, it costs less than half of a Spotify subscription.

Probably everyone is aware that this is an uphill battle against the streaming giants. If you can have everything, why would you settle for drastically less at a slightly lower price?

It can only work if the idea takes hold that how we engage with music matters more than how much of it we consume. It is certainly not for people who consume whatever the streaming services present in the background. But many, like Elke and me, miss the days when a new album felt precious and worth spending time with—even if only to justify the money spent.

Also, with AI significantly reducing the cost of app development, I hope to see more specialized apps that introduce new ways to engage with music. Maybe we can move beyond the one-size-fits-all, cost-optimized model created by billion-dollar, stock-market-traded companies and better cater to the needs and wishes of specific communities. At glamglare, we’re curious to see what emerges.

Discovery of the Week: Marissa Gamble -
Exhibit M

The NYC-based singer/songwriter Marissa had a dream. At a time when music can be made entirely alone on a computer, she wanted to do the opposite: write and record songs with a room full of musicians. She doesn’t play an instrument? A tiny, insignificant detail.

Over two years, she sketched melodies and lyrics with her voice, worked with a producer to turn them into fully arranged songs, and eventually brought together a dream team of Broadway musicians to record the five tracks. The hardest part for her? Spending three straight days in the studio recording vocals.

The result is an irresistible, jazzy, R&B-tinged pop album that radiates the joy of making music.

Cover Song of the Week: Simone White - Fortunately Gone

It’s fun to compare this cover with the 1990 version by The Breeders (who I hear playing at the Pier 17 rooftop as I write this). The original’s minimalist, grunge rock with heavy drums is very different from the plucked and bowed strings that Simone White used. Still, the vibe doesn’t change much, and that’s what you want from a good cover.

This Week in glamglare history

1 Year Ago: Kirsten Izer - The Messenger

“Maybe I killed my ego one too many times” is the standout line from “The Messenger,” by L.A.-via-New Jersey singer-songwriter Kirsten Izer, from her 2025 debut EP The Perfect Hire. Her latest single was released in February.

5 Years Ago: Giungla - Little Problem (ft. Jessica Winter)

We have been featuring many songs by Italian musician Giungla, aka Ema Drei, over the years, but this one fell smack dab into the pandemic when previous problems suddenly seemed small.

10 Years Ago: Destrends - Papa

“Papa” was the debut single by Melbourne rock quartet Destrends. While you could not call them prolific, they released a few singles and one EP over the years, and their debut album this past March.

Song Pick of the Day

Listen to all seven songs on YouTube, or follow our daily updated Song Pick playlists on YouTube, Apple Music, or Spotify.

• Blumi - Jaguar
• Band Of Revelations - After Dark
• TEHYA - catch // release
• Darcy Harding - Solemn
• Carlita, SOFI TUKKER - Manhattan
• Marci - Butterfly Sticker
• HAAi - DIGITiSE

We publish one Song Pick of the Day every day. You can subscribe to receive them by email.

Nine Photos: Ferries, Football, and Summer Nights

This week brought a little bit of everything we love about summer in New York. With the longest days of the year as a backdrop, we watched the U.S. advance at a World Cup watch party on Governors Island, cheered on Germany from a neighborhood bar, spent time on the water, enjoyed dinner overlooking the East River, and caught a memorable concert. Here are nine snapshots from a city that seems determined to make the most of every long summer evening.

1. Clipper City on the East River.
2. Manhattanhenge at the Seaport.
3. Pier 17 in Knicks glory.
4. New York’s newest ferry: the Governors Island hybrid vessel.
5. Lower Manhattan under a spectacular summer sky.
6. Watching the U.S. advance at Governors Island.
7. Germany advances, berry style.
8. A summer morning on the terrace.
9. An evening with The Church at Sony Hall.