Ed Sheeran: All Pluses, No Minuses
After several years spent releasing his own music and booking his own tours, the British singer-songwriter now has a Grammy nomination and an opening spot on Taylor Swift's U.S. tour.
Music & Culture
Miguel: An 'Honest Introduction' To An R&B Star
Miguel has been kicking around the music industry for a decade. He says the success of his 2012 album, Kaleidoscope Dream, feels like the introduction he's been waiting for.
'Fresh Air' At 25: A Live Musical Tribute
This year marked the 25th anniversary of Fresh Air as a daily national NPR program. This episode looks back at some of the great live musical performances from the show's archive, including songs from Shirley Horn, Loudon Wainwright III, Susannah McCorkle, Nick Lowe and Richard Thompson.
'Prayer Flags,' A Song About Waiting On Heavenly Help
Musician Kristina Olsen says Tibetan prayer flags flying over porches near her home in Venice, Calif., made her wonder how divine forces decide whom to help and when.
Johnny Cash's Boyhood Home Tells The Story Of A Town
It's been almost 10 years since Cash died, but fans still travel from around the world to see the tiny, dilapidated house where he grew up. Now, it's undergoing a painstaking restoration, with plans to open it as a museum in 2013.
Reflecting On EMI, An Industry Giant Felled In 2012
In the music business, 2012 may be remembered as the year the weakest of the major record labels was swallowed up by the others. The demise of EMI raises big questions about the future of a business now dominated by just a few players.
Remembering Fontella Bass, Voice Of A Soul Classic
R&B singer Fontella Bass has died at a hospice in St. Louis. She was 72. Bass is best known for the soul classic "Rescue Me."
This Is What It Sounds Like When Two Women Cover Prince
SNL alumna Maya Rudolph and musician Gretchen Liberum co-lead the cover band Princess. The duo had its television debut, with some help from The Roots, on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon this fall.
Music-Streaming Services Hunt For Paying Customers
Services like Pandora and Spotify have been trying to win over two types of customers: younger people who don't buy music at all and older people who still like physical albums. But it's been difficult to lure customers willing to pay for music they won't own or that they can find for free online.
Rye Rye Just Wants To Be 'Young And Playful'
Go! Pop! Bang! is grounded in the Baltimore club sound — super-danceable, lots of bass and crazily fast rapping. Rye Rye's debut album was all set to be released in 2009, but then sweeping changes in her life got in the way.