For the fourth year in a row, WPLN News gathered music experts to answer the question: What did Nashville sound like? Writers Brittney McKenna and Andrea Williams were asked to go beyond a “best of” list and look at the themes and ideas that really stood out in the city’s music scene.
Nashville-Based Barbershop Harmony Society Welcomes Women For The First Time
Listen The Barbershop Harmony Society is inviting women to be full members of the organization for the first time, effective immediately. The Nashville-based umbrella group says the decision is part of a “new strategic vision” meant to be more inclusive and welcome people of all races, sexual orientations, political opinions and spiritual beliefs.
How One Tennessee Family Saved A Trove Of Disappearing Folk Songs
Listen Songs can go extinct. Lose track of the words, or the tune by which to sing them, and the oral tradition of passing on folk songs can become a precariously thin thread through history. But one family — even one singing amongst themselves way out in the country — can do a lot of […]
Music Licensing Legislation Gains Momentum In Congress, Heartening The Industry In Nashville
Listen The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee heard comments on a significant piece of music legislation Tuesday that many in the industry thought would never make it this far. The legislation is a collection of bills, including multiple elements of music copyright reform, that lawmakers say would result in more income for copyright owners.
Tennessee Senators Hope For A Breakthrough On Song Royalties By Year’s End
Listen Supporters of a measure that would overhaul how songwriters get paid are still working to get it off the ground. The Music Modernization Act was unveiled in Congress late last year, but no action has been taken yet.
Music Critics Answer The Question: What Did Nashville Sound Like in 2017?
Listen It’s the end of the year and time for critics’ picks, best of lists and top 10s — but we’re going to take a slightly different approach and ask a question: What did Nashville sound like in 2017?
A Man, A Synth, An Eclipse — Hear How The Atmosphere Made Music During Totality
Listen To fully appreciate this eclipse story, WPLN recommends the audio version (above). An experimental musician brought his weather-controlled synthesizer to the roof of Jack White’s Third Man Records in Nashville for the total solar eclipse. The so-called “Weather Warlock” made a soundtrack based on the atmospheric conditions of wind, temperature and sunlight.
How Time In A Tiny Cabin Near Nashville Revived Leonard Cohen’s Songwriting Career
When musician and poet Leonard Cohen died last year, there was little mention made of the time he spent in Tennessee. But the songwriter lived for…
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