On this week’s show, we take a trip back to the early 20th century to learn about the recording industry’s intertwined relationship with radio and music culture. Our guest is Kyle Barnett, Associate Professor of Media Studies in the Department of Communication at Bellarmine University. Barnett’s forthcoming book, Record Cultures: The Transformation of the U.S. […]
Archive | Music
Alice’s Restaurant on the 2019 Thanksgiving Radio Menu
Catch Alice’s Restaurant on the 2023 radio dial. See our latest listening guide. In fall, 1967, Arlo Guthrie released “Alice’s Restaurant,” unintentionally launching a Thanksgiving radio tradition that persists more than 50 years later. The Thanksgiving-themed 18+ minute story-song is beloved by folkies and classic rock fans who continue to search the radio dial for […]
No, Vinyl Records Aren’t Outselling CDs – Do the Math
Last month news spread that, “Vinyl Is Poised to Outsell CDs For the First Time Since 1986,” as Rolling Stone reported. The source of that prediction is the recording industry’s own mid-year report, which showed vinyl sales racking up $224.1 million on 8.6 million units in the first half of 2019, creeping up on CD’s […]
Walter Benjamin Radio Diary #3: on puppets and dictators
“A proper puppeteer is a despot, one that makes the Tsar seem like a petty gendarme.” – #walterbenjamin
Walter Benjamin radio diary: mailbag #1
Who knew that Walter Benjamin would generate this much correspondence?
Walter Benjamin radio diary entry #1: selective snouting
Walter Benjamin’s first radio essay focused on the Berlin “Schnauze” or snout, but selectively so.
When it comes to classical music (and classical radio), don’t mess with (San Antonio) Texas
KPAC is another reason why San Antonio, Texas is a great place for classical music and classical radio.
140 Stations Celebrate Vinylthon this Saturday
It started in college radio and now is sweeping stations around the world. No, I’m not talking about R.E.M. It’s Vinylthon! This Saturday, April 13 – which, not coincidentally, happens to be Record Store Day – 140 stations will feature programming with only vinyl records, some going all day long. The ones that clock in […]
Podcast #179 – Don’t Throw Your CDs Away in 2019
This episode is dedicated to the compact disc. Paul recently published an article outlining 10 reasons why CDs are awesome, and it seems to have hit a nerve, turning out to be one of our most popular. So we dive into these reasons, and even talk to a Millennial, Jacob Choplin, who also loves CDs […]
10 Reasons Why CDs Are Still Awesome (Especially for Radio)
Quite a lot of shade is getting thrown at CDs in the press these days. The LA Times reports, “The compact disc era may finally be entering its hospice stage,” while Rolling Stone declares, “CDs Are Dying Three Times as Fast as Vinyl Is Growing.” Putting aside the misleading equivocation of the RS calculation – […]