Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!

Why are Americans splurging on live music?

Nov 12, 2024
Concert promoter Live Nation told investors it had its most active summer season ever, with profits from its concert division up 39% year over year.
Live music is a bigger part of our lives, and Americans "are now in a different mindset of prioritizing our spending," says Serona Elton of the University of Miami. Above, Bad Bunny performs in Atlanta.
Paras Griffin/Getty Images

Musician Dessa on balancing the needs of body, art and business

Oct 8, 2024
The singer, songwriter and author discusses creativity and the "double bottom line" that rewards artists but makes them vulnerable.
Dessa in performance. "There is a constant tension that becomes more pronounced the longer you stay in the game," she said. "Like, what’s good for the art versus what’s good for the artist."
Al Pereira/Getty Images

A new boon for the music biz: buying up old song catalogs

Sep 2, 2024
Digital media has provided lucrative new ways to exploit music copyrights, as Ashley Carman of Bloomberg explains.
Music streaming has made catalog acquisitions more lucrative for publishers, says Ashley Carman at Bloomberg.
Riccardo Milani/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

How song makes the union strong

Aug 12, 2024
Labor songs were sung at home, on the job and on the picket line. Let's look at the history, starting with "Harlan County, U.S.A."
Unions regularly published songbooks containing tunes to organize and build solidarity. The Industrial Workers of the World’s songbook was first published in 1909.
University of Washington Libraries Special Collections

How one Oregon summer camp is using music to help teens explore STEM careers 

Aug 9, 2024
What do science, technology, engineering and math have to do with mariachi music? Mariachi STEAM camp is using the music to show young people — especially Latino youth — the opportunities available in different professions. 
From left to right, Oregon high school students and Mariachi STEAM camp violinists Dulceluna Cebrera Gomez, Keili Piña Cisneros and Isabel Uribe-Jensen practice in July.
Kyra Buckley

Record scratch: A DJ remembers her analog days

Jul 15, 2024
DJ Asha recalls that at the beginning of her career, she lugged vinyl records across London.
Los Angeles-based DJ Asha uses a controller and laptop on Catalina Island, California, in June. "I'm really grateful for the technology because it's allowed us to do so much," she says.
Courtesy DJ Asha

New Tennessee law aims to protect musicians from generative AI

Mar 28, 2024
Tennessee, home to the capital of country music, became the first state to target the unauthorized use of AI to replicate musicians’ voices.
Country music artist Luke Bryan speaks during the signing of Tennessee's ELVIS Act in Nashville on March 21.
Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Human Artistry Campaign

For public good, not for profit.

Oscar winner "The Last Repair Shop" explores the costs of repairing musical instruments

Mar 11, 2024
“The Last Repair Shop” focuses on the people who maintain the 140,000 musical instruments owned by Los Angeles Unified School District public schools.
Courtesy Searchlight Pictures

Why Universal is calling time out on TikTok

Feb 1, 2024
The video platform and the music company couldn't agree on terms for renewing their contract. Some of the fallout will hit video creators.
Universal says TikTok accounts for just 1% of its revenue. TikTok calls itself a “free promotional and discovery vehicle” for Universal’s talent.
Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images