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Music Features In-depth storytelling from the NPR Music team.

Music Features

Thursday

Can Streaming Services Make Money?

On June 15, the day that Pandora became a publicly traded company, traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange wore the company's insignia. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

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Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The Record

Can Streaming Services Make Money?

Pandora, Rdio and Spotify are changing the way we listen to music, but all have money issues. Apple and Google join the fray this year; Jimmy Iovine is launching a service tied to Beats by Dr. Dre.

Can Streaming Services Make Money?

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Wednesday

Nine Inch Nails And Earl Sweatshirt Explore Darkness

Trent Reznor (left) of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, which puts its seventh album, Hesitation Marks, out next Tuesday. Rapper Earl Sweatshirt (right) released his major label debut on Tuesday. Courtesy of the artists hide caption

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Courtesy of the artists

The Record

Nine Inch Nails And Earl Sweatshirt Explore Darkness

Two new albums, by the veteran industrial rock group Nine Inch Nails and the young rapper Earl Sweatshirt, offer distinct visions of anxiety and isolation. One is confrontational and cathartic, the other sly, inward and static.

Friday

Haven't I Heard This Song Before?

The hook in Vanilla Ice's song "Ice Ice Baby" was based on a passage from "Under Pressure" by David Bowie and Queen, but the rapper denied the similarity at first. Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images hide caption

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Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

The Record

Haven't I Heard This Song Before?

A pinch of melody, a dash of groove. Pop music is built on making a song sound just new enough to be intriguing. So what happens when one song sounds a little too familiar?

Haven't I Heard This Song Before?

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Race And Country Music Then And Now

Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams, Jr. Charles Hughes quotes the songwriter and performer as saying, "Everything I write and sing comes out country, and that's why I have to take so much time in arrangements and instrumentation, because — if not — I'd just be cutting a bunch of country records with black people. And we know that black people are not makin' it in country." Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

The Record

Race And Country Music Then And Now

A new book provides evidence of racial mixing in country music as far back as the 1930s, but today is the red Solo cup (to quote a Toby Keith lyric) half full or half empty?

Thursday

The Record

A Unique Digital Music Service, For Locals Only

Just as e-books have begun working their way into libraries, librarians are grappling with how to embrace digital music. At the Iowa City Public Library, an unusual licensing arrangement with local artists is having some success.

A Unique Digital Music Service, For Locals Only

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Wednesday

Marian McPartland, Jazz Pianist And NPR Host, Has Died

Marian McPartland. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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The Record

Marian McPartland, Jazz Pianist And NPR Host, Has Died

As the host of a weekly public radio program pairing conversation and duet performances, McPartland brought many jazz greats to an audience of millions. For more than 40 years, she offered an intimate perspective on the elusive topic of improvisation.

Marian McPartland, Jazz Pianist And NPR Host, Has Died

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Thursday

An American Headliner In China: Metallica's Shanghai Debut

Metallica at a packed concert this week at Shanghai's Mercedes-Benz Arena. Ross Halfin hide caption

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Ross Halfin

The Record

An American Headliner In China: Metallica's Shanghai Debut

The metal legends played two packed nights in China's second city, and other big names are slated to follow suit. Despite high production costs, more international talent is being drawn to China in the wake of a growing fan base and improved venues.

An American Headliner In China: Metallica's Shanghai Debut

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Fall Pop Preview: A 'Roar' Of 'Applause' For New Music

This week, Lady Gaga (left) released the song "Applause," from her forthcoming album ARTPOP, and Katy Perry released "Roar," from Prism. Courtesy of the artists hide caption

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The Record

Fall Pop Preview: A 'Roar' Of 'Applause' For New Music

Thanks to brand new songs by pop's shining lights, including Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Nine Inch Nails, this midsummer week unexpectedly became the beginning of a new hit cycle.

Fall Pop Preview: A 'Roar' Of 'Applause' For New Music

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Tuesday

The White Mandingos: Music That Defies Definition

The White Mandingos are, from left, Sacha Jenkins, Murs and Darryl Jenifer. Courtesy of Biz 3 Publicity hide caption

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Courtesy of Biz 3 Publicity

The Record

The White Mandingos: Music That Defies Definition

Three black musicians — a punk bassist, an L.A. rapper and a part-time guitarist — took on a name with ugly associations to make music that can't be categorized.

The White Mandingos: Music That Defies Definition

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Sunday

Saturday

'Something Being Born': On Making A Classic Album With A Boombox

More than 10 years ago, John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats made a career-defining record with the crudest possible tools. D.L. Anderson/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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D.L. Anderson/Courtesy of the artist

The Record

'Something Being Born': On Making A Classic Album With A Boombox

More than 10 years ago, John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats made a career-defining record with the crudest possible tools. A good recording, he says, isn't just a matter of fidelity — as with good food, it's all about what you like.

'Something Being Born': On Making A Classic Album With A Boombox

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Friday

Valerie June On Learning To Love 'Perfectly Imperfect' Voices

On her new album, Pushin' Against a Stone, Valerie June sings with a voice that's as powerful as it is unusual. Matt Wignall/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Matt Wignall/Courtesy of the artist

The Record

Valerie June On Learning To Love 'Perfectly Imperfect' Voices

On the new album Pushin' Against a Stone, the Tennessean surveys a spectrum of her home state's signature sounds. She tells NPR's Audie Cornish that she got over old anxieties about her singing voice by embracing it as a storytelling tool.

Valerie June On Learning To Love 'Perfectly Imperfect' Voices

Listen · 8:20
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