What is the human and environmental cost of music? In Decomposed: The Political Ecology of Music (MIT Press, 2019),Kyle Devine, an Associate Professor in the Department of Musicology at the University of Oslo, tells the material history of recorded music, counting the impact of music from the 78 to digital streaming. The book has a rich and detailed analysis ... Show More
Yesterday
Musical Pripetshik: Lyrics and Melodies of Traditional Yiddish Folksongs
Most of the Yiddish songs we know today were created in the first half of the 20th century and distributed through commercial channels such as sheet music, concerts, radio broadcasts, records and CDs, theater stages, and more recently through songbooks produced in educational set ... Show More
58m 47s
Aug 24
Mhoze Chikowero, "The Military Entertainment Complex: Chimurenga Afrosonic Making of Zimbabwe" (MIT Press, 2026)
The Military Entertainment Complex: Chimurenga Afrosonic Making of Zimbabwe (MIT Press, 2026) by Dr. Mhoze Chikowero is the story of the making of post-independence Zimbabwe from the sounds and songs born of the country’s armed liberation wars, waged against British Rhodesian whi ... Show More
1h 6m
Aug 17
Scott Peeples, "How Many Roads: A Life of Bob Dylan" (Reaktion, 2026)
Scott Peeple's How Many Roads: A Life of Bob Dylan (Reaktion, 2026) chronicles Bob Dylan’s rise from apprenticeships in Minneapolis cafés and Greenwich Village folk clubs to international stardom as a breathtakingly original songwriter and singer. Scott Peeples follows Dylan thro ... Show More
1h 5m
Oct 2024
Kristina Kolbe, "The Sound of Difference: Race, Class and the Politics of 'Diversity' in Classical Music" (Manchester UP, 2024)
What is the future of classical music? In The Sound of Difference: Race, Class and the Politics of 'Diversity' in Classical Music (Manchester UP, 2024), Kristina Kolbe, an assistant professor of Sociology of Arts and Culture in the School of History, Culture and Communication at ... Show More
40m 49s
Nov 2022
Two books examine how we listen to music and why it resonates with us
The two books in today's episode explore how we construct meaning from the music we listen to. First, record producer Susan Rogers talks to WBUR's Robin Young about her book, This Is What It Sounds Like, which breaks down the science behind what draws different types of listeners ... Show More
20m 24s
Apr 2022
53. Current Trends & the Latest Bends in the Music Industry
<p>Have you been hearing terms like Metaverse, NFT, and Virtual Concerts and wondering what the hell they all mean? In this episode Xylo chats to the very insightful, Head of Insights at Music Ally, Stuart Dredge on what these, and other new terms mean and how they are impacting ... Show More
50m 3s
<p>Is there too much? Or has music changed its function?
</p>
<p>01:52 – Background</p>
<p>04:38 – The Commodification of Music</p>
<p>07:25 – Fake Artists</p>
<p>09:00 – Creators vs Artists, Quality Control</p>
<p>11:30 – Major Label Sway</p>
<p>14:00 – More Music, Less Money</p ... Show More
