Modern classical music is so widely disliked by audiences because the human brain struggles to find patterns it needs to understand the compositions as music. So, let us start at the beginning. Music is what the human brain recognises as music: if it ain’t so recognised then it’s noise. Humans do not recognise “modern music” as

I draw to your attention an informative and powerful essay by Guido Fackler on music in the Nazi camp system. It deals both with music as an instrument of domination and torment and with music as 'a defense against the...

Pop music and politics can make for uneasy bedfellows, but the Government appears to be making favourable sounds to the music industry.

DOVES, Feargal Sharkey and Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis join politicians to discuss the impact of the election on music in a BBC 6 Music debate at 3pm tomorrow.

It would be brilliant if El Sistema, Venezuela’s social movement for classical music education, came to Britain. But there are obstacles.

Recently I wrote about how social and technological factors structure our experience of music. It has to be admitted I am no expert in this area, but I thought the resulting discussion was interesting and informative. What I want to turn my attention to now is how Twentieth Century politics has intervened in the development of

The influence of recording companies, commerciality and marketing upon popular music is so often commented upon as to be part of the mainstream consensus. To a certain extent the development of alternative distribution networks parallel to the record companies in the late 1970s, and the more recent changes in technology that allow music to be advertised

One policy proposal in the pantheon of measures the music industry would like ISPs to take includes a monthly charge to some or all customers to 'allow' them to download illegal music. The revenue would be given to music companies.Its not clear which 'companies' exactly, these funds would go to. One assumes it might be a little tricky to recompense indie outlets. Then again they don't pay lobbyist...

Peter Davis And its America, F*** YEAH! I can play this on the cello: and some more nice music: Posted in Liberty   Tagged: America, canon, cello, clubbed to death, explosions, fuck yeah, holberg, Kim jong il, kurayamo mix, lonely, music, nice music, pachabel, risk relief and victory, rob dougan, ronery, space, stars, suite, supreme commander, team america   

We are in the midst of an election campaign which would try the patience of a saint. Though blogging is necessarily combative one of its joys is the space it creates to interact with opposing points of view. So we have set up a new website, for political bloggers, who are music fans. Come and visit the website here For now, just leave out the politics and focus on the music.