The tradition of “bards” has its roots in the Soviet Union of the 1960’s. Singer-songwriters wrote metaphorical protest songs that represented subtle opposition to the government. One of the best bards of the new generation, Timur Shaov talks about how the genre has evolved.

Judges and law scholars appear to have a penchant for dropping music references into their writing. But a close look at their opinions and journal articles reveals that to them, not all music is created equal. Alex Long, associate professor at the Oklahoma City University School of Law, tells Brooke ...

Rock & roll was once the music of rebellion and the currency of youth. Eventually, that youth grew up and became music critics. Today's critics of yesterday's bands might be accused of being driven more by sentimentality then by quality. But as WNYC's Brian Wise reports, concerns about nostalgia may ...

"We don't just entertain racist kids.... We create them." That statement appears on the website of Panzerfaust Records, a white supremacist music label based in Minnesota. This fall, the label launched "Project Schoolyard," an effort to distribute its music to kids through methods like direct mail and bus stop handouts. ...

Even though more than 7,000 illegal music downloaders have been sued by the industry, there are indications that more people are file sharing than ever before. Ever since the early days of Napster, file sharers have blamed the commercial unavailability of quality music for their turn to the peer-to-peer services. ...

How do you get to Nashville's famed Bluebird Cafe, the launch pad of dozens of country music's biggest stars? If you're Bob Garfield - and you're trying to make it big in country music in less than 36 hours - "practice, practice" is not an option. Luckily, Bob has chutzpah, ...

Most people - music lovers or not - know the dastardly feeling of getting a tune lodged in your head, and not being able to get it out. Brazilians call such tunes chiclete de ouvido, or "ear chewing gum." Here they're known as "earworms." Brooke offers this rumination on the ...

The 45 was once the dominant musical medium. From Elvis to the Beatles to the Supremes, that round little disc with the big hole in the middle defined the early rock 'n' pop era. New technologies have since swept the single aside, but there are some die-hards who refuse to ...

When a band refuses to play by the music industry's rules, does it thereby give up all chances of success? Not necessarily, if the story of Wilco is any indication. The band's brand-new album is yet another example of how it has continuously resisted categorization, and in doing so, defied ...

While the recording industry presses on with its lawsuits against online music downloaders, there are indications that more people are file sharing than ever before. Ever since the early days of Napster, file sharers have said that a prime attraction of the peer-to-peer services has been the unavailability of quality ...

Some audience research suggests that classical music lovers shun modernity, but one of the best-known classical pianists embraced everything the latest electronic media had to offer. Halfway through his creative life, Glenn Gould renounced live performance and declared he would henceforth express himself solely through media. OTM's Senior Producer Arun ...

Most people - music lovers or not - know the dastardly feeling of getting a tune lodged in your head, and not being able to get it out. Brazilians call such tunes chiclete de ouvido, or "ear chewing gum." Here they're known as "earworms." Brooke offers this rumination on the ...

How do you get to Nashville's famed Bluebird Cafe, the launch pad of dozens of country music's biggest stars? If you're Bob Garfield – and you’re trying to make it big in country music in less than 36 hours – "practice, practice" is not an option. Luckily, Bob has chutzpah ...

During the war, Iraqis were deluged by a variety of American-sponsored broadcasts. On one of the radio stations thought to be backed by the CIA, it was possible to hear a parody of the gangsta-rap hit "Gangsta's Paradise." The M.C., who raps in a combination of English and Arabic, is ...

Would-be down-loaders of music files are now being greeted with messages that they are violating copyright laws. It's the latest tactic in the record industry's campaign against file-sharing. And it comes amidst a changing legal landscape. New York Times reporter Amy Harmon talks with Bob about a recent case in ...

Did you know that the jukebox has been around for over 80 years? And that at one point they numbered close to a million around the country? On the Media’s Rex Doane takes a look at jukeboxes.

In the age of uber-pop, the science behind music programming is more precise than ever. Most commercial music stations test each and every song in the laboratory of public opinion research. For listeners hoping these tests will mean longer play lists and less repetition -- the news isn't too good. ...

Pianist Glenn Gould is perhaps one of the most controversial performers of the 20th century. At age 31, Gould renounced the concert stage and declared that he would henceforth express himself solely through media. OTM Senior Producer Arun Rath explores Glenn Gould's unique ideas on the live versus the recorded.

Like Bert Reynold’s mustache, music for truckers is not as marketable today as it was in the seventies. As country stations are disappearing, the odes to the big rigs are finding a new home on the turntables of hip, urban club DJs. OTM’s Rex Doane provides a history lesson in ...

Record companies hate Internet file-sharing services like Napster. But since they have had little success stopping the free flow of music files by attacking servers one by one, now they want to go after individual users one by one. With a million times as many users as providers, it seems ...