Longform
The Eternal Influence of Imogen Heap
For the past two decades, the British singer-songwriter has balanced machine wizardry with startling humanity in her electronic pop. The world has finally caught up.
Trans Women DJs Are Taking Over the Club
Artists including Jasmine Infiniti, Honey Dijon, Juliana Huxtable, and Eris Drew are lighting up dancefloors and seeing their collective influence reflected back
Everything You Need to Build Your Very Own Digital Music Collection
Your one-stop guide to choosing the right server, hard drive, and all that’s required for your own personal music cloud.
The Obsessive World of Digital Music Collectors
Remember downloading songs? Even in 2022, it’s still a viable—and rewarding—way to collect music.
On Discord, Music Fans Become Artists’ Besties, Collaborators, and Even Unpaid Interns
Originally launched as a messaging app for gamers, the platform has become an intimate place for artists and fans to connect and build community. Can this fragile ecosystem last?
Inside the Ambient Music Streaming Boom
As more people turn to ambient playlists for sleeping, meditating, and growing houseplants, what does it mean for the artists behind the serene soundscapes?
The Music Metaverse Is (Almost) Ready to Conquer the World
The technological possibilities for bringing music into the virtual world seem endless; all that's missing is an artist-driven breakout moment.
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Will AI Take the Pleasure Out of Music?
We can now train machines to play and write music that goes beyond mere mimicry—but does that mean we should?
The Woes of Being Addicted to Streaming
After a decade under the influence of music algorithms, a look at what streaming services afford the most engaged fans and what lingers below the surface.
How NFTs Are Shaping the Way Music Sounds
Like it or not, the industry has embraced NFTs. What could that mean for the way music will be made?
So Much for Destiny: The Story of Pavement’s Terror Twilight
With their 1999 swan song finally receiving a deluxe reissue, the indie-rock icons reflect on its contentious creation and renewed legacy in this oral history.
Musicians Are Begging Fans to Mask Up at Concerts. Here’s Why.
With mask mandates being pulled, artists like Jeff Rosenstock, Wednesday, Mary Lattimore, and Speedy Ortiz say that they feel forced to choose between healthcare burdens and income loss.
The Race to Save Hip-Hop’s Lost Eras
Why are early rap recordings so hard to find, and what does the ideal historical archive look like?
The Year in Latin Music
From the rise of Tokischa and Bizarrap to the leveling-up of Helado Negro and Xenia Rubinos, these were the artists and stories from the Latin music universe that demanded our attention in 2021.
The Year in Music on TikTok 2021
From vocaloids to demonic rap to whatever the hell Charlie Puth is doing
Ambient Jazz’s Quiet, Forceful Return
In 2021, works by Pharoah Sanders and Floating Points, Nala Sinephro, Nicolás Jaar, and others furthered a contemplative sound that’s impossible to ignore.