Music

Country singer Margo Price's debut solo album, Midwest Farmer's Daughter, draws on her personal experiences of hard times.

Music & Culture

On 'Midwest Farmer's Daughter,' Margo Price Hits Her Breaking Point — And Big Break

6:01am March 25, 2016

by NPR Staff

The country singer's music is steeped in loss and heartache, emotions she knows well. Her debut solo album recounts the struggles she has faced, and what she has learned along the way.

When Apple used the song "1234" in a 2007 iPod commercial, it turned Canadian singer Feist into a star. A panel at this year's SXSW agreed that music licensing remains lucrative — and complicated.

'How Did This Song Get In That Commercial?' Some Answers From SXSW

6:08pm March 24, 2016

by NPR Staff

In an age when you're more likely to hear a cool new song in an ad before you hear it on the radio, a panel at SXSW addressed the question of how to match mayonnaise with banjos or sneakers with EDM.

Chicano Batman performs "Right Off The Back" at NPR Music's SXSW 2016 showcase.

Music & Culture

Chicano Batman, 'Right Off The Back' (Live At SXSW 2016)

5:16pm March 24, 2016

Chicano Batman digs deep into its own version of '70s funk groove at NPR Music's SXSW Showcase in Austin, Texas.

Chicano Batman performs "Cycles Of Existential Rhyme" at NPR Music's SXSW 2016 showcase.

Music & Culture

Chicano Batman, 'Cycles Of Existential Rhyme' (Live At SXSW 2016)

5:10pm March 24, 2016

Watch Chicano Batman kick off NPR Music's SXSW showcase with a song dripping with '70s funk organ and serious existential Chicano angst.

Chicano Batman performs "Joven Navegante" at NPR Music's SXSW 2016 showcase.

Music & Culture

Chicano Batman, 'Joven Navegante' (Live At SXSW 2016)

5:08pm March 24, 2016

Hear Chicano Batman combine funk and rock with mellow, lowrider grooves to get the crowd at NPR Music's SXSW showcase moving.

Chicano Batman performs "La Manzanita" at NPR Music's SXSW 2016 showcase.

Music & Culture

Chicano Batman, 'La Manzanita' (Live At SXSW 2016)

5:00pm March 24, 2016

Watch Chicano Batman close its set at NPR Music's SXSW showcase with this seriously old school quinceñera cumbia.

Chicano Batman performs "Magma" at NPR Music's SXSW 2016 showcase.

Music & Culture

Chicano Batman, 'Magma' (Live At SXSW 2016)

4:56pm March 24, 2016

Like the song title implies, "Magma" is slow moving, thick with grooves and taking down everything in its path.

Chicano Batman performs "Itotiani" at NPR Music's SXSW 2016 showcase.

Music & Culture

Chicano Batman, 'Itotiani' (Live At SXSW 2016)

4:53pm March 24, 2016

Watch Chicano Batman perform a new lowrider classic, perfect for slow dancing.

Bardo Martinez of Chicano Batman balances guitar and keys at our showcase.

Music & Culture

Chicano Batman, Live In Concert: SXSW 2016

4:43pm March 24, 2016

by Felix Contreras

Watch as this band from Southern California sends waves of velvet-sounding Chicano soul over the crowd at NPR Music's SXSW showcase in Austin, Texas.

Margo Price performs at Stubb's BBQ in Austin, Texas.

Music & Culture

Margo Price, Live In Concert: SXSW 2016

3:41pm March 24, 2016

The rising country singer plays rousing odes to drink and trouble at Stubb's in Austin, Texas.