The Best Articles in Music
The most useful articles and videos in Music from around the web—beginners to advanced—curated by thought leaders and our community. We focus on timeless pieces and update the list whenever we discover new, must-read articles or videos—make sure to bookmark and revisit this page.
Top 5 Music Articles
At a glance: these are the articles that have been most read, shared, and saved in Music by Refind users in 2023 so far.
Videos
Watch a video to get a quick overview.
Andrea Bocelli: Music For Hope
On Easter Sunday (April 12, 2020), by invitation of the City and of the Duomo cathedral of Milan, Italian global music icon Andrea Bocelli will give a solo p...
How Vinyl Records Are Made (feat. Third Man Records)
We visit Jack White's Third Man Records vinyl pressing plant in Detroit, Michigan to find out exactly what goes into the creation of a vinyl record; from cut...
When making your debut album almost kills you
The journey Vernon took in making For Emma, Forever Ago has become something of an indie-folk legend: he recorded the album at his father's hunting cabin aft...
What should you listen to when you want to focus?
Shared by 611, including Johannes Dornisch, Albert Ràfols
Trending
These links are currently making the rounds in Music on Refind.
A Music Critic Reviews AI Songs
Some are technically impressive. But are they actually good?
How is it even possible to cheat on a musical performance practical exam?
Shared by 136
How modern singing was invented
Modern singing – whether on the charts or Eurovision – is radically different to the kind familiar to our ancestors.
How the Piano Helped Me Fall Back in Love With Tech
Forget crypto, VR, AI. When it comes to empowering humans, new technology has nothing on the well-tempered clavier.
Pop Songs Really Are Shorter Than Ever Now
From shorter verses to frontloading the chorus, chart toppers sound dramatically different these days.
Short Articles
Short on time? Check out these useful short articles in Music—all under 10 minutes.
The mixed-up history of the shuffle button
How one button redefined our relationship to music.
The Beatles and the Glory of Creative Risk
It took the roiling events of 1963 to open the ears and hearts of the American public to the Beatles.
The Early Aughts Were the Last Era of Innocence
From pop culture to politics, the 2000s represented a time of naivete that no longer exists.
How an IBM Computer Learned to Sing (1961)
The IBM 7094 anticipated the future of music—and also sounded like the Auto-Tuned pop stars of today
The neuroscience of loving music
Humans are musical animals 4 million years in the making, explained by music expert Michael Spitzer.
Long Articles
These are some of the most-read long-form articles in Music.
The Extraordinary Ways Rhythm Shapes Our Lives
Rhythm plays an important role in how we perceive — and connect with — the world.
“Blurred Lines,” Harbinger of Doom
How Robin Thicke, Pharrell, and T.I.’s cursed megahit predicted everything bad about the past decade in pop culture
The End of the Music Business
A century of recorded music has culminated in the infinite archive of streaming platforms. But is it really better for listeners?
The Real Story of Blues Legend Robert Johnson's 'Deal with the Devil' at the Crossroads
In this section from my new book, I uncover neglected source materials from the 1930s and provide new insights into the most famous story in blues history
The 50 Best Albums of 2022
Featuring Björk, Bad Bunny, Beyoncé, Rosalía, the Weeknd, Alex G, and more
Thought Leaders
We monitor hundreds of thought leaders, influencers, and newsletters in Music, including:
NPR Music
For the love of music.
Song Exploder
A podcast and Netflix series where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made. By @HrishiHirway.
NME
The world’s defining voice in music and pop culture: breaking what’s new and what’s next since 1952. Follow us for news, interviews & more: http://bnd.link/nme
Vulture
Devouring culture. Get Vulture's daily newsletter: http://nym.ag/39gtEv0
WIRED
Where tomorrow is realized || Sign up for our newsletters: http://WIRED.com/newsletter
Publications
We monitor hundreds of publications, blogs, newsletters, and news sources in Music, including:
The Ringer
Sports. TV. Movies. Pop Culture. Music.
Visual Capitalist
Data-driven visual content focused on global trends, investing, technology, and the economy.
Aeon+Psyche
Aeon is a magazine of ideas and culture. Psyche is our sister magazine focused on the human condition. Visit http://aeon.co and http://psyche.co for more.
The Pudding
The Pudding is a digital publication that explains ideas debated in culture with visual essays. Email: sup@pudding.cool Support: http://patreon.com/thepudding
Stratechery
Free Articles from http://stratechery.com. For Daily Updates, follow @StratecheryMO. For the author, follow @benthompson.
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Every day Refind picks the most relevant links from around the web for you. Picking only a handful of links means focusing on what’s relevant and useful. We favor timeless pieces—links with long shelf-lives, articles that are still relevant one month, one year, or even ten years from now. These lists of the best resources on any topic are the result of years of careful curation.
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Which sources does Refind monitor in Music?
We monitor hundreds of sources in Music, including The Ringer, Visual Capitalist, Aeon+Psyche, The Pudding, Stratechery, and many more.
Who are the thought leaders in Music?
We follow dozens of thought leaders in Music, including NPR Music, Song Exploder, NME, Vulture, WIRED.
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