Music & Culture

Japanese musician, composer, record producer, pianist, activist, writer, actor and dancer Ryuichi Sakamoto, photographed on June 30, 2016 in Paris.

As Ryuichi Sakamoto returns with '12,' fellow artists recall his impact

4:56pm January 26, 2023

The composer has been lauded for decades over his deeply affective music; director Alejandro González Iñárritu, composer Hildur Guðnadóttir and more join us to explain why.

Music & Culture

'This is not entertainment': John Zorn, all over Big Ears

4:13pm January 26, 2023

Composer and alto saxophonist John Zorn brings eight eclectic bands to the Big Ears Festival stage, ranging from solo classical piano to all-out electrified jams.

Missy Mazzoli's next opera, Lincoln in the Bardo, was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera and is slated for a 2025 production.

Music & Culture

For Missy Mazzoli, composing is the hard work of making life easier

11:22am January 26, 2023

by Tom Huizenga

The composer of Breaking the Waves speaks candidly about equity in her field, the importance of role models and the unglamorous side of writing music every day.

Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST 2023: Septeto Santiaguero, Bia Ferreira, Moonlight Benjamin

Music & Culture

Tiny Desk meets globalFEST: Septeto Santiaguero, Bia Ferreira, Moonlight Benjamin

8:01pm January 25, 2023

by Bob Boilen

For the third year, Tiny Desk concerts team up with globalFEST for a thrilling online music festival — Tiny Desk meets globalFEST.

Justin Bieber sells the rights to his entire catalog for over $200 million

5:42pm January 25, 2023

Justin Bieber is the latest musician to sell the rights to his entire catalog of music. NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Billboard music publishing reporter Kristin Robinson to explain the deal.

Queue Listen Now

"The crowds chasing us in A Hard Day's Night were based on moments like this," McCartney writes. "Taken out of the back of our car on West Fifty-Eighth, crossing the Avenue of the Americas."

For the Beatles-obsessed, here are 3 never-before-seen photos from 1964

1:46pm January 25, 2023

by Stephen Thompson

When the Beatles embarked on the tour that helped launch the British Invasion in 1964, Paul McCartney had a 35mm camera on hand to help document the history-making mayhem.

Music & Culture

deem spencer, '27'

1:42pm January 25, 2023

by Pilar Galvan

The rapper unbottles the feelings that come with being young and facing an uncertain but boundless future.

Music & Culture

Overmono, 'Is U'

11:28am January 25, 2023

by Joshua Minsoo Kim

Like the dance-music duo's hit "So U Kno," the new track has the makings of a classic.

Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, left, testifies to a Senate subcommittee on Feb. 24, 2009 over the proposed, and ultimately successful, merger between his company and Ticketmaster.

Senators slam Ticketmaster over bungling of Taylor Swift tickets, question breakup

10:40am January 25, 2023

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Variety's Jem Aswad about the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing into Live Nation and the lack of competition in the ticketing industry.

Queue Listen Now

Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST 2023: Dakh Daughters, Khadija El Warzazia's Bnat el Houariyat, Cui Jian

Music & Culture

Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST 2023: Dakh Daughters, Khadija El Warzazia, Cui Jian

8:01pm January 24, 2023

by Bob Boilen

For the third year, Tiny Desk concerts team up with globalFEST for a thrilling online music festival — Tiny Desk meets globalFEST.