Google Launches A Streaming Music Service
by Laura Sydell
On Wednesday the company launched All Access, a paid subscription service that will put it in direct competition with Spotify and Pandora.
The Canadian Astronaut's Accompanist
by Ann Powers
Canadian pop Singer Emm Gryner has known astronaut Chris Hadfield for years, which made her a perfect collaborator on his cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity." It doesn't hurt that Gryner has worked with Bowie himself, as well.
Robots In Ecstasy: Daft Punk's 'Memories' Embraces The Pleasure Principle
by Ann Powers
The dance music scene that has risen in the past decade owes a debt to the heavy beats of Daft Punk's music. But the long-awaited album from the Parisian duo turns its back on EDM to bask in the smooth sounds — and liberation —of the 1970s.
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When The Right One Comes Along: How 'Nashville' Tells Stories In Song
by NPR Staff
The mostly unreleased songs on the TV show Nashville are easily woven into the drama. They appear organically in living room songwriting sessions, late night honky-tonks or stadium dress rehearsals. But someone has to track them all down.
Covering Pop Hits On YouTube Is Starting To Pay
by Noah Nelson
Now that YouTube runs advertising on videos of cover songs, musicians like Tyler Ward are working with agencies to negotiate higher shares of that revenue.
The MIDI Revolution: Synthesizing Music For The Masses
by Sami Yenigun
The language used to translate sound into digital information celebrates its 30th anniversary. Today, MIDI is everywhere, including nearly every pop song on the radio and the fountain at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.
Can You Define 'Good' Singing?
by Ann Powers
Does perfect technique make a good singer? Can emotion be learned? American Idol, on shaky legs with viewers this season, has recently had interesting things to say about this long-running debate.
20 Years Ago Biz Markie Got The Last Laugh
by Oliver Wang
After the rapper lost a legal battle with far-reaching consequences over sampling, the mere existence of All Samples Cleared! was a triumph.
Big Songs, Big Hype (Oh Yeah, They're Women)
by Lizzy Goodman
Three heavily hyped new bands have little in common, except being led by women. How important is that?
'A Truth Never Told': Remembering Slayer's Jeff Hanneman
by Lars Gotrich
The guitarist, who died Thursday, understood that metal works in darkness, rooting for something, anything that makes sense of this ugly human existence. Hanneman channeled it into a band that exemplifies pain.
