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Music Features

Thursday June 30, 2016

A New Apple Patent Could Block Fans From Taping At Shows

Fans hold up their phones at a Childish Gambino performance in 2014. Ethan Miller/Getty Images hide caption

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Ethan Miller/Getty Images

A New Apple Patent Could Block Fans From Taping At Shows

June 30, 2016 • The technology giant now has a patent for a system that could prevent you from taking photos or recording videos in specific places, like concert venues or movie theaters.

Wednesday June 22, 2016

All The Way Live Or Else: The Perfection Of Van Morrison's 'It's Too Late'

Van Morrison live at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on May 19, 1973 in Santa Monica, Calif. Ed Caraeff/Getty Images hide caption

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Ed Caraeff/Getty Images

All The Way Live Or Else: The Perfection Of Van Morrison's 'It's Too Late'

June 22, 2016 • Van Morrison's It's Too Late To Stop Now was released at the height of his powers. A newly expanded version of the album helps make the case that it's among the rock era's best live albums.

Tuesday June 21, 2016

Fans, Family And The Freakin' Weekend: What's Next In Nashville

Maren Morris, one of Nashville's rising stars, performs at Nissan Stadium on the opening night of the 2016 CMA Festival. John Shearer/Getty Images hide caption

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John Shearer/Getty Images

Fans, Family And The Freakin' Weekend: What's Next In Nashville

June 21, 2016 • Ann Powers and Jewly Hight, NPR Music's team in Nashville, dive deep into the country music industry's biggest annual party and report back on what's in store for the genre in the coming year.

Saturday June 18, 2016

I Was Born On The Dance Floor: A Playlist For Pulse

We asked eleven writers to share the songs that helped them make the dance floor home. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images hide caption

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Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

I Was Born On The Dance Floor: A Playlist For Pulse

June 18, 2016 • The mourning process reminds those who love to dance together that to gather on a dance floor is to open one's arms to life. We asked 11 writers to share the club song that changed their lives.

Tuesday June 14, 2016

The Los Angeles producer and DJ Dâm-Funk's entry in the DJ-Kicks series of mixes, released last month, revives a hypnotic, synth-based early-1980s variant of funk known as "boogie." J3/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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J3/Courtesy of the artist

The Record

Dâm-Funk's Time Machine Boogie

June 14, 2016 • A new album by the L.A.-based producer and DJ rescues a vintage style of D.I.Y. synth-based funk from slipping through history's cracks.

Thursday June 2, 2016

In A Genre Crowded With Bros, Cam Lifts Off

Cam's debut album, Untamed, featuring the hit "Burning House," was released in December. "There's this fear that if you are who you are, it's not gonna work out," she says of Nashville's tendency to iron out imperfection. Ninelle Efremova/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Ninelle Efremova/Courtesy of the artist

The Record

In A Genre Crowded With Bros, Cam Lifts Off

June 2, 2016 • The rising star, whose "Burning House" was the biggest country song by a female solo artist in 2015, talks about being taken seriously while breaking into a genre that's dominated by men.

Friday May 20, 2016

Watch A Long-Lost Video For Vivien Goldman's 'Launderette'

David Corio/Courtesy of the artist

The Record

Watch A Long-Lost Video For Vivien Goldman's 'Launderette'

May 20, 2016 • Unseen since shortly after it was made, this music video is a charming snapshot of the early-'80s London life of its creator, the punk and reggae musician, scholar and journalist Vivien Goldman.

Tuesday May 10, 2016

11 Very Different Opinions About The New Radiohead Album

Thom Yorke, Phil Selway and Jonny Greenwood performing live in Sydney. Radiohead just released a new album, A Moon Shaped Pool. Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images hide caption

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Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

Review

The Record

11 Very Different Opinions About The New Radiohead Album

May 10, 2016 • NPR Music's staff really doesn't agree about the band's recently released ninth album, A Moon Shaped Pool. Not at all.

Friday May 6, 2016

In North Carolina, Musicians Face Off Against HB2

North Carolinian Rhiannon Giddens, who opposes HB2, says she struggled with whether to speak out against the bill from stage: "How can I use my platform for good without jeopardizing everything so that I don't have that platform anymore?" Erika Goldring/Getty Images for Americana Music hide caption

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Erika Goldring/Getty Images for Americana Music

The Record

In North Carolina, Musicians Face Off Against HB2

May 6, 2016 • Stars like Bruce Springsteen canceled North Carolina shows because of the state's "bathroom bill." Others, like Beyonce, played. For local musicians and venues, the decision is a complicated one.

Tuesday May 3, 2016

Deftones' Chino Moreno On Surviving, Evolving And 'Gore'

Chino Moreno, who has led Deftones since it formed in Sacramento nearly 30 years ago, performs with the band at SXSW 2016 in Austin, Texas. Adam Kissick for NPR hide caption

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Adam Kissick for NPR

The Record

Deftones' Chino Moreno On Surviving, Evolving And 'Gore'

May 3, 2016 • After nearly 30 years, Moreno's beloved band just put out its eighth album. "I wanna believe that we haven't changed," he says, "but that everybody else has just sort of caught up."

Monday May 2, 2016

'We Don't Have Anything To Lose': A Lexicon Of Anohni's 'Hopelessness'

Anohni, the singer formerly known as Antony Hegarty, will release her album Hopelessness on May 6. Alice O'Malley/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Alice O'Malley/Courtesy of the artist

The Record

'We Don't Have Anything To Lose': A Lexicon Of Anohni's 'Hopelessness'

May 2, 2016 • The music of the singer Anohni, who was previously known as Antony Hegarty, has long explored identity. On her new album Hopelessness, she turns self-examination into explicit, unsparing activism.

Saturday April 30, 2016

All The Gifts Of Life: 40 Years Of Rush's '2112'

Alex Lifeson (left) and Geddy Lee (with Neil Peart on drums) on stage in 1976 on the tour that followed the release of 2112. Antonia Hille/Getty Images hide caption

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Antonia Hille/Getty Images

The Record

All The Gifts Of Life: 40 Years Of Rush's '2112'

April 30, 2016 • This month, the Canadian trio's breakthrough album celebrated its 40th anniversary. Guitarist Alex Lifeson recalls its unlikely creation and fans of the band testify to its powers.

Friday April 29, 2016

With New Deals, Apple And SoundCloud Remix The Dance Music Marketplace

Andrew Burton/Getty Images

The Record

With New Deals, Apple And SoundCloud Remix The Dance Music Marketplace

April 29, 2016 • Apple's agreement with Dubset could ease legal posting of DJ sets that contain copyrighted material. SoundCloud is unveiling a paid service. It's hard to say for sure who is going to benefit.

Wednesday April 27, 2016

Jordan Reportedly Bans Band With Gay Frontman From Performing

Hamed Sinno (R) and Haig Papazian of the Lebanese alternative rock band Mashrou' Leila performing in Bourges, France in 2015. Guillaume Souvant/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Guillaume Souvant/AFP/Getty Images

The Record

Jordan Reportedly Bans Band With Gay Frontman From Performing

April 27, 2016 • The members of Mashrou' Leila say Jordanian authorities are trying to stifle their political message — and endorsements of gender equality and sexual freedom.

Tuesday April 26, 2016

Close To Home: A Conversation About Beyoncé's 'Lemonade'

Beyoncé released her sixth album, Lemonade, on Saturday night via HBO and Tidal. Courtesy of the artist/Screenshot by NPR hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist/Screenshot by NPR

The Record

Close To Home: A Conversation About Beyoncé's 'Lemonade'

April 26, 2016 • What Beyoncé has us talking about with Lemonade is what women are always talking about, late night on the phone, after the kids are down, over coffee, irrespective of anybody's album drop: our worth.