Alabama Shakes, Live At Austin City Limits
Watch Brittany Howard and band lay into the heady soul ballad "Joe" at their headlining ACL performance, in advance of the show's 41st season premiere.
Music & Culture
Spotify Faces Class Action For Copyright Infringement
The lawsuit alleges that the streaming music service fails to properly compensate artists for the right to reproduce or distribute recordings. It's the latest in the ongoing debate over streaming.
Life's Many Codas: Maya Shankar's Path From Juilliard To The White House
Shankar was well on her way to an extraordinary career as a violinist when an injury closed that door. This week, we look at how she wound up at the top of another field: the social sciences.
Startup Aims To Give Classical Musicians An Online Bump
For classical musicians, it's difficult to sell their work online because of how the music is tagged on apps like Spotify. A tech startup in Nashville is trying to change that.
Lemmy Of Motörhead And Rock Icon Dies At 70
Ian Kilmister — most known as Lemmy — has died from cancer at the age of 70. He was the founder, bassist and frontman for the influential metal band Motörhead.
How To Annoy Your Dad: Play The Harpsichord
Mahan Esfahani says the harpsichord is as relevant today as it was when Bach and Vivaldi were playing it, and his interview with NPR's Robert Siegel this past June left no doubt.
In Exile, Burundian Musicians Create Out Of Crisis
Political violence in the African nation of Burundi has forced an estimated 200,000 people to flee. Some are musicians who are bringing the country's diverse styles together in one band.
World Cafe's Best Of 2015
Hear highlights of concerts and studio sessions recorded live for World Cafe this year.
A Rational Conversation: Sadie Dupuis Of Speedy Ortiz Looks Back On Music In 2015
The lead singer of the rock band Speedy Ortiz talks the albums that lingered in her memory. Plus: the power of controlling the means of production and making rock clubs into safe spaces.
DJ Earworm's Year-End Mashup Hits A Nostalgic Groove
"I knew I needed to get the vibe that was a lot more emotional than it was a few years ago," the mashup artist says of 2015's pop concoction.