One reason why many music enthusiasts and audiophiles have eschewed streaming music services is that they don’t want to be limited to the compressed files that platforms like Spotify and Rdio deliver. While compressed MP3 and AAC files have taken over digital music, there’s a growing segment of listeners who still prefer buying uncompressed files […]
Rough notes post here: some brainy podcasts that come to mind . . . The New Yorker podcast: Listen to John Cheever fiction read out loud, a reflection on the life of Nina Simone, a summary of the faceoff between feminism and transgenderism, and ongoing meditations about Ferguson, Iraq, and Gaza. The MIT courseware podcast. […]
If you are a classical music lover, 8tracks.com offers many great playlists. They are perfect for inspiration and/or background for study. Here are some recommendations: evening: an excellent piano oriented mix. Lots of Chopin and French impressionist music. It is 47 minutes long and has eleven tracks, including a nice improvisation on Satie’s Gynopedie. The […]
On Monday, fellow Radio Survivor Matthew Lasar and I were guests on the Gramophoney Baloney radio show at community radio station KPOO-FM in San Francisco. Matthew has written numerous times about his love for this radio show and he’s even followed its host DJ Schmormac from station to station. Although I didn’t know too much […]
Just what is Classic Rock? It’s a question that has vexed many a radio listener tuned in to a set that includes Billy Joel, Led Zeppelin, the Clash and Motley Crue, artists that likely wouldn’t have been played together on any other format. What’s the connecting feature? What’s in the center of that Venn diagram? […]
Get ready for all out zydeco at public radio signal WXPN of Philadelphia. The station has received a Pew arts grant ($360,000) for a year long “Zydeco Crossroads” project. The Zydeco rollout will include free World Cafe Live concerts, performances by the local music/dance ensemble Allons Danser, and a documentary about the genre by filmmaker […]
BBC Two has released a list of ten classical music pieces that it hopes will prompt children to listen to the genre more often. Here they are: John Adams: Short Ride in a Fast Machine Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 (1st movement) Britten: “Storm” Interlude from Peter Grimes Grieg: In the Hall of the Mountain King […]
Here’s this week’s classical radio news. It starts dour but gets better, so please keep reading. In the United Kingdom, a retrenchment plan to pare down 15 percent of BBC radio staff will result in two divisions, administrators say: ‘pop music’ and ‘classical and speech.’ These “hubs” will constitute the framework of BBC radio following […]
WCVT of Vermont is changing formats, marking the end of the state’s only commercial radio station. The signal has been airing classical music since 1977. According to Vermont NPR news, WCVTs’s popular morning show announcer disclosed his retirement on Friday. His leaving and the presence of Vermont Public Radio’s classical service convinced the owners of […]
Last Friday Nashville Public Radio paid the cash necessary to finalize its ownership of WFCL Classical 91.1 FM, once Vanderbilt University’s vibrant student run radio station. I, a classical music/classical radio lover, decided to tune into the signal today and look the website over. Here’s my review: Zzzzzzzzzz. Yes, just what the world needs, another […]
