Music Industry

The newly opened National Museum of African American Music celebrates the legacy and contrubutions of Black musicians in all genres, from hip-hop, rap and soul to jazz, funk, blues and pop.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

Most of the biggest bands in the world are made up of young guys, even today. But what's happened to the ladies?

By Dave Roos

How this relatively small Southern city beat out the others to become 'Music City U.S.A.'?

By Dave Roos

Start studying up for the streaming wars, music lovers.

By Chris Opfer

Billions of dollars' worth of CDs and digital downloads are sold each year and the Grammy Awards recognize the people who create all this music. How are winners picked and who have been some of the most controversial?

By Tracy V. Wilson & Alia Hoyt

Hot on the heels of the vinyl revival comes a mini-boom for cassette sales. But who's really buying them?

By Chris Opfer

Will subscription music services – and the unlikely comeback of vinyl – save the music album from extinction?

By Dave Roos

A computer programmer used data analysis to crunch the numbers for six decades of pop music's hottest hits.

By Chris Opfer

The copyright infringement lawsuits didn't kill off sampling. Musicians just figured out how to hide it better so artists often can't tell they're being sampled.

By David Dennis

But does name-checking a product in a song always mean a big sales bump?

By Dave Roos

Here's a riddle: If a musician creates an artificial intelligence that composes music, then who actually wrote the concerto?

By Julia Layton

Now that "Happy Birthday to You" is free to use, people everywhere will publicly sing it, right? Most likely. But the answer's not so clear.

By Laurie L. Dove

Do we really prefer three-minute radio songs, or is that just what we're given?

By Alia Hoyt

Your favorite band has just digitally remastered and reissued all of its albums. You already own everything they've ever made — should you buy them all again?

By Debra Ronca

Known for its Gold and Platinum Record awards, the Recording Industry Association of America's goal is to promote and protect the music industry. But how does that mission lead to a lawsuit against a 12-year-old girl?

By John Kelly

Have you ever heard a brand new song on the radio and realized that it sounds familiar? Chances are the producers sampled a drum break or a bass line from a classic song, reworking it into a completely new piece.

By Jane McGrath

Have you noticed in recent years that a lot of pop stars sometimes sound like singing robots? You've probably heard of the pitch-correcting software called Auto-Tune -- and its effect on modern music.

By Tristin Hopper

Have you ever listened to a song and wondered how the artist was able to make so many different sounds come together onto one recording? Since the 1950s, multitrack recording has made recording music easier -- and a lot more interesting.

By Jane McGrath

The very term conjures up images of red balloons, burning beds and Eileen and Mickey spinning right round like a record. How do artists become one hit wonders?

By Charles W. Bryant

Booking agents secure work for many different types of artists. Read this article to learn more about booking agents.

By Dave Roos

DJs use music mixing software to help them produce hot beats. Read this article to learn about music mixing software.

By Dave Roos

The process of remastering CDs and DVDs has become increasingly popular as we move further into the digital age. Read this article to learn all about the remastering process.

By Dave Roos

There's a reason why your favorite band's album sounds so good. Recording engineers are the backbone of album recording sessions. But what exactly happens behind the scenes?

By Dave Roos

Going to see your favorite band's concert tour can be a rush. But there's a lot more that goes into putting on a concert tour than you can imagine. What happens behind the scenes?

By Diane Dannenfeldt

Being a roadie for a major rock band might sound cool, but there's a lot of hard work involved. What does it take to become a roadie?

By Tim Crosby