According to LA Mag the quota plan may destroy the Oscars. It’s a perfect storm with sinking ratings, disappearing stars that have been replaced with social media influencers, and boring broadcasts. Now the quota system could be the final nail in the coffin.

Creativity and greatness no longer determines the outcome according to insiders. The rules have been changed by which films are eligible for Best Picture nominations.

Starting in 2024, producers are demanded to submit a rundown of race, gender, sexual orientation, and disability status of members of their movie’s cast and crew. If a movie does not have a significant amount people of color or disabled people or gays or lesbians working on the set then that movie will no longer be eligible for an Oscar.

The quota system is not universally accepted in Hollywood circles.

“Critics say it’s invasive, anticreative, opens the door to privacy issues, and is spectacularly unfair to actors and crew members, who may want to keep their sexual orientation or health profiles to themselves, not to mention to producers and directors who have enough to worry about while shooting a movie than to be saddled with the thankless task of tallying up the identity markers of their creative partners”.

“I mean, why aren’t animals in this?” sneers one industry insider. “What if the main character is a horse?”

“The Oscars drew an all-time low of 9.85 million viewers—less than what an episode of The Big Bang Theory used to get. ”

“Aperture 2025 isn’t the only Academy initiative to recently raise eyebrows in Hollywood. In February, Oscar organizers triggered a civil war in Hollywood over a plan to pretape many of the below-the-line categories—film editing, makeup and hairstyling, original score, production design, the short-film selections—and roll edits of those awards into the live broadcast. Predictably, many Academy members (especially film editors, makeup and hairstylists, and production designers) balked at the change, but at least that one was designed to address an actual existential threat to the ceremony: that it’s become so long and boring that huge swaths of the audience have begun tuning out.”

Salarymen spread the good vibes in the new track Rerun. You’ll love the Sydney duo if you’re fans of Beach House and Tame Impala or in the mood for a song on Spotify’s Good Vibes, Indie Pop, or Chill Vibes.

Songwriter and vocalist Renee says “This song is about longing for a place you desperately need to get back to, while you’re stuck somewhere else. The lyrics reflect the stress of being separated from those you love, and the sense of tension that builds up inside of you and starts to drive you a little crazy. The last two years have felt a bit like groundhog day, and that starts to eat away at your mental health after a while”.

The duo has landed on Spotify Fresh Finds, Apple’s New Music Daily while garnering shoutouts from NME, Wild Honey Pie, and Louder Than War. The band has a string of upcoming shows across Sydney.

Check out Rolling Stone by Baba Shrimps. You’ll like if you’re fan of indie rock/ pop rock. The Swiss trio is made up of Adrian Kübler (vocals, guitar), Moritz Vontobel (drums), and Luca Burkhalter (keys) and has landed on playlists including Digster and Spotify’s Alt Rock. Inspired by their parents record collection, they inspiration of the track originated in Amsterdam. The band notes, “For nothing is set in stone and every generation must take new ways. So Rolling Stone is a tribute to all those who sing their own songs. Just like we keep trying”.

Global music revenues accelerated at a fast rate and grew by 18.5% to $25.9bn in 2021. Streaming grew grew to 523 million paid subscribers, up from 443 million in 2020. Streaming accounts for 65% of total revenues, with CDs, vinyl and cassettes making up 19% and downloads 4%. “It’s hugely encouraging,” chief executive Frances Moore told the BBC. “We lived through that dire period after 1999 where the industry declined by 40%. “We didn’t envisage we’d be in a situation [this year] where we report on 60 or 70 countries and every single one is in growth.”

Kenyon France dropped the new mid temp rock track Let It Hurt. You’ll like if you’re a fan of indie rock. The new track follows Holding Back Your Love. The mid tempo track could find its way on Spotify’s Rock This and New Noise. The singer songwriter grew up in North Dakota, moved to Arizona and plays in the band Verry Cherry. Kenyon says “This song was like ripping a bandaid off a cut I didn’t realize was still there. Sometimes there’s a wound that just won’t heal, but you just let it keep bleeding and pretending it’s scarred over.”