Music Features

Jay Z performs a B-sides and album tracks at a concert in New York City on May 17, 2015. Theo Wargo/Getty Images hide caption

Giorgio Moroder in 1979, the year his longtime collaborator, the singer Donna Summer, had a hit with "Hot Stuff." Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images hide caption

Cole Swindell performs during the New Faces of Country at the 2015 Country Radio Seminar in Nashville, Tenn. Terry Wyatt/Getty Images hide caption

Chris Martin of Coldplay in 2008. When asked to pick the highest-quality clip of Coldplay's song "Speed of Sound," more of you guessed the lowest quality MP3 than the lossless WAV file. Bryan Bedder/Getty Images hide caption

The Internet can be a wonderland of musical discovery and discourse, but it's not built to be a permanent archive. Photo illustration: Claire O'Neill/NPR. Photos via iStockphoto and Flickr Creative Commons hide caption

Over time, Aether's Cone speaker uses an algorithm to learn the taste of its owner, and offers time- and location-specific recommendations. Photo illustration/Photos via NASA and courtesy of Aether hide caption

Saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

The members of ABBA (from left): Bjorn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faltskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson at Waterloo station in London in 1974, the year the group won the Eurovision contest with the song "Waterloo." John Downing/Getty Images hide caption