Josephine Shetty (Kohinoorgasm) presents
@ our September #CommunityTech workshop!
Most popular streaming services are covertly designed to repress the work and value of grassroots artists and to manipulate user data for corporate profit. Artists, music lovers, and listeners, join artist and activist Josephine Shetty as they present their research, done in tandem with South Carolina-based artist and activist Anjali Naik, on algorithmic streaming biases, royalty compensation injustices, corporate manipulation of user data, and the struggles of working musicians in the streaming era. The floor will be open after the presentation for artists and listeners alike to share their streaming-related stories and for the group to brainstorm more ethical listening and compensation cultures for grassroots musicians.
~*About our Facilitators*~
Josephine Shetty is most frequently identified as Kohinoorgasm (one word: ko-hee-noor-gasm), a lo-fi experimental pop musician known for minimal dance beats and susurrate vocals. Kohinoorgasm creates hypnotic sonic environments in which they hope listeners can reflect and replenish. Between one album and two EPs, their released songs address topics ranging from war crimes and transformative justice to emotional exhaustion and body autonomy. As a self-teaching, self-managing, self-producing, and self-releasing solo artist, critical elements of Kohinoorgasm's ethos also include uplifting marginalized artists and advancing grassroots efforts to abolish systems that terrorize and criminalize migrants and poor people, decolonize our social and economic structures, and heal the emotional and psychological wounds of living in an unjust society. As Kohinoorgasm, Shetty has performed at festivals, universities, museums, music venues, and art spaces across the US and Europe. Additionally, a strong commitment to community and collaboration has drawn Shetty to other roles and disciplines, such as workshop facilitator, organizer, audio engineer, composer, dancer, curator, and model. Shetty is born and based in Los Angeles, CA, and their music is streaming everywhere.
(All Images by Paradise Khanmalek)