Music News

Jr. Gong, Stephen Marley, Cham, Sean Paul — the list goes on. A massive jam session ensues and nearly everyone leaps onstage to spit some lyrics. To call this reggae history is no hyperbole.

Music & Culture

A Supposedly Irie Thing I'll Most Certainly Do Again

4:21pm December 05, 2014

by Baz Dreisinger

For a moment it actually moves me — the incredible diversity of this music we lump into the umbrella category "reggae." And that I share a profound passion with such a disparate crowd of folks.

Ian McLagan performs at Grimey's Americanarama in Nashville, Tenn., on Sept. 20. The keyboardist for the Faces and Small Faces, who was also a sideman for the Rolling Stones, died Wednesday. He was 69.

Keyboardist Ian McLagan Dies At 69

6:05pm December 03, 2014

by Krishnadev Calamur

He was in the English rock bands Small Faces and Faces, and he also played keyboard for the Rolling Stones. McLagan died today in Austin, Texas. He was 69.

Music & Culture

Rolling Stones Saxophonist Bobby Keys Dies

6:24pm December 02, 2014

by Tom Moon

Melissa Block talks with reviewer Tom Moon about musician Bobby Keys, has died at the age of 70. He was the Rolling Stones saxophonist for decades.

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Saxophonist Bobby Keys of The Rolling Stones performs at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y., on Sept. 7, 2012.

Bobby Keys, Who Played Saxophone For The Rolling Stones, Dies At 70

3:44pm December 02, 2014

by Krishnadev Calamur

During the course of his long career, Keys played with everyone from John Lennon to Eric Clapton, but it was work with the Stones for which he was most famous.

Music & Culture

Introducing Our Tiny Desk Concert Contest

10:30am December 02, 2014

by Bob Boilen

NPR Music is looking for the next great unknown artist to perform at the most famous desk in music.

David Lowery, of Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven, says he's wary of the way Pandora pays for music.

Music & Culture

Pandora's New Deal: Different Pay, Different Play

2:12pm December 01, 2014

by Laura Sydell

The Internet radio service offers greater exposure to artists in exchange for a lower royalty rate.

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Composer Steve Reich, whose Music for 18 Musicians pulled out ahead of Gershwin, Shostakovich, Bartok, Ives, Berg and all others in last year's Q2 poll.

Music & Culture

What's Your Top 100 Of The Last 100 Years?

11:03am December 01, 2014

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

Forget the best music of the past year — what are the very best compositions of the last century? Participate in member station Q2's poll, and they'll webcast a marathon of the top choices.

Music & Culture

Billboard Music Chart Marks First Major Change In 20 Years

6:43pm November 30, 2014

Next week, Billboard's chart of the country's top 200 best-selling albums will for the first time include streams and downloads of singles, after decades of only counting whole album sales.

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Jeff Bridges and his band The Abiders perform in concert at the Paramount in Huntington, N.Y.

Music & Culture

In Bowling Alleys And In Rock Clubs, The Dude Abides

5:41pm November 30, 2014

by Daniel Hajek

The Big Lebowski star Jeff Bridges is known as an actor, but he's been playing music for just as long. "Whenever I'm working, I'll have my guitar with me," he says.

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An employee demonstrates how a mother is checked for sound quality before it is duplicated during production at the Rainbo Records factory in Canoga Park, Calif. The vinyl record industry has seen an uptick in sales in recent years, keeping manufacturers

Music & Culture

Vinyl, Once Thought Dead, Makes A Comeback In The Digital Age

2:27am November 30, 2014

by Denise Guerra

In the last six years, vinyl sales have tripled. Manufacturers are now having a hard time keeping up with demand.

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