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Music & Culture

Taylor Swift Wins Battle With Apple Over Free Music Streaming

6:31am June 23, 2015

by Aarti Shahani

Pop star Taylor Swift picked a fight with Apple over the weekend, saying that artists should get paid in the free trial version of Apple's new music streaming service. She won the battle, but the streaming wars continue.

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Music & Culture

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Musician Gunther Schuller Dies At 89

8:07am June 22, 2015

Gunther Schuller, who bridged classical music and jazz, has died at age 89. The Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, conductor and educator ranged widely in his musicianship.

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Jay Z performs a B-sides and album tracks at a concert in New York City on May 17, 2015.

Music & Culture

A Rational Conversation: Are B-Sides For Die Hards, Or Everybody?

2:33pm June 19, 2015

by Eric Ducker

Should more superstar musicians follow Jay Z's lead and play shows filled with lesser-known songs? Is the format a live music innovation or the last gasp of a nostalgia machine?

Neil Young says he supports Bernie Sanders — and that Donald Trump shouldn't have used his song "Rockin' in the Free World." He's seen here performing in Los Angeles earlier this year.

Neil Young Is Displeased That Donald Trump Was 'Rockin' In The Free World'

5:27pm June 17, 2015

by Bill Chappell

When Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he's running for president, the soundtrack at the rally was Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World," which was played loudly and repeatedly.

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Music & Culture

Neil Young Tells Trump To Quit 'Rockin' In The Free World'

8:30am June 17, 2015

Donald Trump has added his name to the list of Republican presidential candidates. Neil Young's song "Rockin' in the Free World" was played at Trump's event. Songwriter Neil Young wasn't pleased.

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Giorgio Moroder in 1979, the year his longtime collaborator, the singer Donna Summer, had a hit with "Hot Stuff."

Music & Culture

From Here To Eternity: A Giorgio Moroder Primer

11:50am June 16, 2015

by Barry Walters

The iconic dance producer — his first album in two decades, Deja Vu, is out now — is having a moment. Here's a guide to the highlights of his career, from the popular to the obscure.

Karim Wasfi, conductor of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra, at his home in Baghdad, has been playing his cello at the sites of explosive attacks in Baghdad.

Amid Violence In Baghdad, A Musician Creates A One-Man Vigil

5:11pm June 15, 2015

by NPR Staff

Karim Wasfi, conductor of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra, has been playing his cello at the sites of deadly attacks across the capital.

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Music & Culture

How Iggy Azalea Fell From 'Fancy' To Cancelled

2:01pm June 15, 2015

Rapper Iggy Azalea went from having the hit of the summer last year with "Fancy" to canceling a recent tour. NPR's Rachel Martin talks with the Washington Post's Soraya Nadia McDonald.

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Kendrick Lamar visits Brian Mooney's English classes at High Tech High School in North Bergen, N.J., on Monday.

A Visit From Kendrick Lamar — Best Day Of School Ever?

11:46am June 15, 2015

by Sami Yenigun

A New Jersey high school teacher used the rapper's latest album to teach a unit on Toni Morrison's novel, The Bluest Eye. Lamar found out about it, and decided to stop in for a visit.

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Ornette Coleman performs during the North Sea Jazz Festival in 2010.

Music & Culture

Ornette Coleman, Jazz Iconoclast, Dies At 85

8:33am June 15, 2015

by Howard Mandel

The American jazz saxophonist and composer who liberated jazz from conventional harmony, tonality, structure and expectation, died Thursday of cardiac arrest in Manhattan at age 85.

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