It’s late December 2023. The presents are wrapped, the cookies have been set out, and Brenda Lee’s 65-year-old song “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” has overtaken Mariah Carey’s holiday juggernaut “All I Want for Christmas Is You” on the Billboard Hot 100. Streaming created this bizarre holiday miracle, just like streaming has changed everything about how the entire music industry defines success. (Presented by Deloitte).
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Featuring
Thomas Germain is a technology reporter at Gizmodo and one of the hosts of the Quartz Obsession podcast. He’s obsessed with guitar pedals, finding new restaurants, and his TikTok account.
Drew Gillis is news editor at the A.V. Club. He is obsessed with Beyoncé, running, and Taco Bell.
Show notes
Brenda Lee Charts on X (formerly Twitter)
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” official video
Credits
This episode of the Quartz Obsession was produced by Freddie Beckley, with additional support from executive editor Susan Howson and head of video Garth Bardsley. Our theme music is by Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Suguira. This episode was recorded at G/O Media headquarters in New York.