On The Media - Music

Instant Karma (On The Media)

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:13 GMT

In February of 1968 the Beatles traveled to India to study transcendental meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the spiritual leader who died early this month. New York Times music critic Allan Kozinn says that – despite its abrupt ending – the trip was a creative inspiration for the Fab Four.

The Day the Music Died (On The Media)

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 19:50 GMT

When CBS fired Dan Rather over Memogate two years ago, the longtime newsman wasn’t the only one who lost a paycheck. So too did Neal Fox, the composer who co-wrote the theme music for Evening News. Fox’s one-man revue, Thank You, Dan Rather, opened last week in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Alicia Zuckerman tells the story.

For What It's Worth (On The Media)

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 21:30 GMT

When Radiohead releases its new album on October 10th, it’ll likely feature the dyspeptic lyrics, man vs. machine music and alien encounters for which the band is beloved. It’ll also cost whatever you want it to. Economist Tyler Cowen uses the dismal science to gauge the impact of Radiohead’s new model.

The Bard (On The Media)

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 21:04 GMT

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.

Dead Lock (On The Media)

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 17:36 GMT

EMI has agreed to drop the digital locks that have become standard for online music. Other music companies have argued the locks prevent piracy, but critics say they prevent consumers from freely using their purchases. Endgadget editor Ryan Block discusses the industry's attempts to secure its music.

Pay for Play (On The Media)

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 17:12 GMT

Payola - bribes paid to DJ’s to play certain songs - is as old as radio. Recently, the FCC tried to address the problem by fining the four biggest radio station groups. Industry watcher Paul Porter says the more payola changes, the more it stays the same.

News Scrap (It's On!) (On The Media)

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 19:17 GMT

MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann has a weekly segment called "the worst person in the world," and frequently awards that honor to Fox News' Bill O'Reilly. O'Reilly never misses a chance to fire back, and away they spar, all the way to the bank. We took cable news' toughest two emcees, and added a beat.

Pop-ular Opinions (On The Media)

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 20:46 GMT

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 that the top ten list of most-quoted songs reads like the tattered vinyl collection of a typical baby boomer.

Fair Use Follies (On The Media)

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 22:28 GMT

Simply put, “fair use” is a legal principle that allows copyrighted material to be used without permission from or payment to the owner. But a recent symposium on the subject at New York University demonstrated just how difficult it is to know what constitutes fair. And in the meantime, many creative types are left in the lurch. Amy Sewell, producer of the documentary "Mad Hot Ballroom", shares some war stories with Brooke.

Checkered Flag (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 16:53 GMT

Technology is now in development to encode music with what’s known as "broadcast flags" – encryption embedded in HD radios that allows users to amass a library of downloaded songs while preventing those songs from circulating, so to speak. A bill endorsed by the Recording Industry Association of America has been introduced to make flag technology mandatory for all HD and satellite radios. Gigi Sohn, of the public-interest group Public Knowledge, explains her objections to Bob.

Straight Outta Baghdad (On The Media)

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 20:35 GMT

Music has always been part of a soldiers' life in wartime, from the fife and drums of the Revolution to the rock and roll of Vietnam. Soldiers have made their own contributions over the years, and those serving in Iraq are no different. This time though, it's coming directly from the war zone. Brooke speaks with Sergeant Neal Saunders, who constructed his own studio and produced a brutally honest hip hop album while stationed in Sadr City, Baghdad.

Good Grief (On The Media)

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 16:09 GMT

The recording industry is hurting. And what began as a bit of malaise in the early days of Napster is beginning to look like a chronic wasting disease. Forrester Research media analyst Josh Bernoff says that the music business is responding to its dire straits just as a person would - with denial, anger, depression and only then, acceptance. Bernoff explains to Bob what the media industry can learn from the fate of big music.

All Up In The Mix (On The Media)

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 18:25 GMT

Hip hop mixtapes began as documents of street parties in 1970’s New York. Over time, they evolved, making use of unreleased music, sometimes leaked by the music industry itself, to keep fans ahead of the mainstream and build street buzz for new songs and new artists. But as a result mixtapes occupy a shadowy realm very close to the industry - approved piracy – and present an uneasy contradiction for a business on a high horse about music theft. Brooke speaks with journalist Oliver Wang about mixtape culture.

Straight Outta Baghdad (On The Media)

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 18:27 GMT

Music has always been part of a soldiers’ life in wartime, from the fife and drums of the Revolution to the rock and roll of Vietnam. Soldiers have made their own contributions over the years, and those serving in Iraq are no different. This time though, it’s coming directly from the war zone. Brooke speaks with Sergeant Neal Saunders, who constructed his own studio and produced a brutally honest hip hop album while stationed in Sadr City, Baghdad.

Owners Take All (On The Media)

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 16:39 GMT

The sharing of media content and infrastructure was a theme in two Supreme Court decisions handed down this week. In the Grokster case, the Court ruled against peer-to-peer sharers, saying software makers can be held liable for copyright infringement by their users. Sharing was also nixed in the Brand X decision, in which the Court effectively ruled that cable companies don't have to share their lines with independent Internet providers. Brooke parses the decisions with University of Pittsburgh law professor Michael Madison.

Rock of Aged (On The Media)

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:42 GMT

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 be the least of the problems for aging rock critics, some of whom are losing their jobs for losing touch with what the kids want. ARTIST: Powderfinger TRACK: The Day You Come ALBUM: Internationalist LABEL: Polygram ARTIST: The Who TRACK: My Generation ALBUM: My Generation LABEL: MCA

All You Need Is Hate (On The Media)

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 22:42 GMT

"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. Minnesota Public Radio reporter Jeff Horwich compiled this profile of Panzerfaust.

Payola Persists (On The Media)

Tue, 20 May 2008 17:37 GMT

In 1960, legendary disc jockey Alan Freed was indicted for accepting music industry money in exchange for radio air time. The scandal sparked anti-"payola" legislation, but loopholes have persisted. Last month, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer launched an investigation into modern forms of pay-for-play by the major record labels. Brooke speaks with New Yorker columnist James Surowiecki about "spot buys" and the gaming of the Billboard charts.

Driven to Download (On The Media)

Tue, 20 May 2008 17:40 GMT

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. NPR's Rick Karr looks at how major labels are actively driving musicians and fans to the Internet and other new technologies.

Earworms (On The Media)

Tue, 20 May 2008 17:42 GMT

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 kinds of ears most likely to be sticky, and the kinds of songs most likely to get stuck. Listen at your own risk.

Nashville Bob (On The Media)

Tue, 20 May 2008 17:45 GMT

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, and a brilliant song, just waiting for a record exec to bite. Join Bob as he tries to pen the next country music hit. You asked for it, you got it! A free, downloadable version of Bob's hit song "Tag You're It".... To start your download, just click here.

Death of the Single (On The Media)

Wed, 21 May 2008 18:24 GMT

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 relinquish their vinyl disks. OTM's Rex Doane reports.

Driven to Download (On The Media)

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:34 GMT

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 music in stores and on commercial radio. NPR's Rick Karr takes a look at the ways in which major labels are actively driving musicians and fans to the Internet and other new technologies.

Wilco Keeps it Real (On The Media)

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:37 GMT

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 the rules of the industry's game. Brooke speaks with Wilco chronicler Greg Kot about the backward business models that the band has rejected, and with Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy about the values that it has embraced.

Glenn Gould's Media (On The Media)

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:41 GMT

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 Rath climbed down from his ivory tower to deliver this appreciation of one of the 20th century's most controversial classical musicians.

Earworms (On The Media)

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:42 GMT

Nashville Bob (On The Media)

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:27 GMT

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 and a brilliant song just waiting for a record exec to bite. Join Bob as he tries to write the next country music sensation.

Dictata's Paradise (On The Media)

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:09 GMT

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 none other than…the Dictataaaaa.

Down-and-Out in Download Land (On The Media)

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:17 GMT

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 which college students were sued by the Recording Industry Association of America for running on-campus file swapping services.