Music Industry
The Music Industry highlights the business side of making music and what it takes to have a hit, as well as how to not be that one-hit wonder.
Before 'American Idol,' There Was the Eurovision Song Contest
5 Things We've Always Wondered About Andy Gibb
Charlie Watts, Legendary Rolling Stones Drummer, Dies at 80
The Light and Airy Lyre Has Plucked Its Way Through the Ages
Getting to Know the Didge, the 'World's Healthiest Instrument'
The Electric Guitar Made for Women Rockers
If There's No Fat Lady Singing, Is the Opera Over?
Johann Sebastian Bach: A Duelling, Fighting, Hard-drinking Rock Star Turns 336
'Baby Shark' and Other Kiddie Tunes That Hit the Billboard Charts
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Can one big hit set a musician for life? Maybe in the old days but what about now?
By Dave Roos
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.
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
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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
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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
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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.
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
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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.
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
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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?
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
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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?