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Artwork for NPR Music

NPR Music

NPR
NPR Music
Music
Phoebe Bridgers
Sufjan Stevens
Nostalgia
Bad Bunny
Grateful Dead
Geese
Venezuela
2009
Taylor Swift
Halloween
Puerto Rico
Rosalía
MTV
Nicolas Maduro
Jazz
Sylvan Esso
Salsa
Felix Contreras

Welcome to your all-in-one destination for every NPR Music podcast. We break down the best new albums to hit streaming each week on New Music Friday; we share the latest songs worthy of your playlists on All Songs Considered; there’s off-the-rails conversations (and chisme!) about Latin music on Alt.Latino. The NPR Music channel is your hub for new records, iconic artists and cult heroes, free of ... more

PublishesDailyEpisodes486Founded21 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Music

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Artwork for NPR Music

Latest Episodes

Willi Carlisle. Bricknasty. Katie Gregson-MacLeod. Host Stephen Thompson breaks down the best new albums out Friday, Nov. 6 with DJs from around the NPR Music network: Chloe Kimes from WMOT in Nashville, Nastia Voynovskaya from KQED in San Francisco ... more

The Mexican folk celebration of Día de los Muertos transcends borders and cultures these days. It is so widely celebrated that you can buy plastic marigolds and papél picado (the intricately cut designs on tissue paper) and even fake sugar skulls for... more

As we enter the homestretch of 2026, we pause to catch up on some of the great tracks we missed from earlier in the year. This includes a stunning, ever-shifting earworm from a bedroom pop artist out of Northern Iowa known as Kinji, maximalist polyrh... more

Sampa The Great. Moses Boyd. Kaitlin Butts. Guest host Lars Gotrich breaks down the best new albums out Friday, Oct. 30 with DJs from around the NPR Music network: Jewly Hight from WPLN in Nashville, Matt Byars from WUOT in Knoxville and Raina Douris... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Jewly Hight
Music journalist and contributor from WPLN in Nashville
WPLN
Episode: New Music Friday: The best albums out Oct. 30
Raina Douris
Host of World Cafe
World Cafe
Episode: New Music Friday: The best albums out Oct. 30
Matt Byars
Host of WUOT's Essential Tremors
WUOT
Episode: New Music Friday: The best albums out Oct. 30
Isabella Gomez Sarmiento
NPR Music reporter and occasional host of Alt.Latino
NPR
Episode: Why does everything in music feel fake?
Ann Powers
NPR Music critic and writer on music history and culture
NPR
Episode: Why does everything in music feel fake?
Francesca Harding
KCRW DJ
KCRW
Episode: New Music Friday: The best albums out Oct. 23
Erin Wolf
Radio Milwaukee DJ
Radio Milwaukee
Episode: New Music Friday: The best albums out Oct. 23
Alex Newman
KMHD Jazz Radio DJ
KMHD Jazz Radio
Episode: New Music Friday: The best albums out Oct. 23
Skylar Rochelle
DJ at 90.9 The Bridge in Kansas City
90.9 The Bridge
Episode: New Music Friday: The best albums out Oct. 16

Hosts

Stephen Thompson
Host of NPR Music's New Music Friday; long-running music journalist with deep knowledge of contemporary scenes
Félix Contreras
Host of Alt.Latino; NPR Music contributor with cross-cultural music expertise
Ana María Sayer
Co-host of Alt Latino; provides cross-cultural music insights
Dora Levite
Co-host/Producer on All Songs Considered; facilitates crossover discussions
Isabella Gomez-Ramiento
Co-host for NPR Music Dead After Death coverage; ties in archival and narrative elements

Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars from 4.9k ratings
  • 可以听了

    有一段时间听不了 现在终于又可以连上了

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    Maxwellfly
    Chinaa month ago
  • What is “chunky” music?

    I try to enjoy New Music Friday but the next time Stephen describes a piece of music as “chunky” I’m done. Every. Single. Episode. Please make it stop.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Oldmanyells@cloud
    United States2 months ago
  • Stephen is done

    Please retire Stephen. His time is done. No matter how many “kind of” and “sort of” he tries to add to his speaking, it won’t make him younger. He needs to just stop already. Either that or just accept that he is a relatively smart and capable podcaster and start speaking like it.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    Sticks McGeee
    United States2 months ago
  • So pretentious

    I gave up on this podcast. It’s never about music I care about, and the hosts are sooo annoying.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Aaaaaacrash
    United States3 months ago
  • Schweddy Balls

    Hi! Long-time listener, first-time caller. Have always dug REALLY dug you, BUT, have you listened to yourselves recently? If I hear one more artist described as "mature" or "emotionally mature," I may be ill.

    If I'd gone to sleep 15 years ago when I first started listening, and woken up today, I might have thought I was hearing an SNL Schweddy Balls parody.

    Might you tone down the rhetoric just a bit and let us judge—and feel—the awesome music you select a bit more?

    With humble thanks.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Tom J Bombadil
    United States3 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise discoverability and broad genre coverage, with many valuing deep context and credible voices.
Some listeners criticize hosts' vocal style and pacing, hoping for more music and tighter edits.
Regulars appreciate the rotating affiliate perspectives and regional flavors, noting strong curation and community around new music.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Spotify
#30
United States/Music
Apple Podcasts
#9
United States/Music
Apple Podcasts
#15
Canada/Music
Apple Podcasts
#77
United Kingdom/Music
Apple Podcasts
#33
Australia/Music
Apple Podcasts
#90
Italy/Music

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

New Music Friday: The best albums out Oct. 23
Q: Do you have other favorite songs?
Erin Wolf singles out Goodbye Brain for its innocent, almost girl-group vocal against a layered arrangement, and praises its bass line.
New Music Friday: The best albums out Oct. 23
Q: Did you feel like elements of this record were throwing back to the hip hop of the 80s and 90s?
Francesca Harding agrees that the album recalls earlier hip-hop storytelling while remaining fresh, and says its lyricism demonstrates that the genre is alive and well.
Why does everything in music feel fake?
Q: Who is making this rule that decides what we think is real?
Ann Powers argues that judgments of authenticity have often been imposed by audiences and cultural gatekeepers, and that those standards can restrict how artists are allowed to present themselves.
Why does everything in music feel fake?
Q: Why can we not believe that something is actually popular anymore?
The panel suggests that online manipulation, opaque platforms and increasingly isolated algorithmic bubbles make people doubt whether popularity reflects genuine shared enthusiasm.
New Music Friday: The best albums out Oct. 30
Q: What were your initial impressions of Burning Song?
Matt Byars describes it as beautiful and almost holy, and says an immersive listen brings out the quality he hears in the music.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About NPR Music

What is NPR Music about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A weekly music-focused show that curates new releases, deep dives artistically and culturally, and features rotating NPR and affiliate contributors. Episodes blend track-by-track critiques, interviews or firsthand context about production, and cross-genre exploration—from indie rock and pop to electronic and Latin-infused sounds—often spotlighting regional scenes and archival or live-performance perspectives. Notable is the mix of long-form conversations with historians, producers, and creators alongside rapid-fire lightning rounds, giving listeners a rich blend of discovery, context, and commentary. This collection likely appeals to serious music fans who crave genre-spanning dialogue, contextual background, and a sense of community around... more

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Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for NPR Music. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to NPR Music and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does NPR Music get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for NPR Music, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for NPR Music?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for NPR Music, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does NPR Music have?

To see how many followers or subscribers NPR Music has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to NPR Music?

These podcasts share a similar audience with NPR Music:

1. All Songs Considered
2. Song Exploder
3. Sound Opinions
4. Fresh Air
5. Pop Culture Happy Hour

How many episodes of NPR Music are there?

NPR Music launched 21 years ago and published 486 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact NPR Music?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for NPR Music?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for NPR Music from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

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Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of NPR Music. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on NPR Music?

Recent guests on NPR Music include:

1. Jewly Hight
2. Raina Douris
3. Matt Byars
4. Isabella Gomez Sarmiento
5. Ann Powers
6. Francesca Harding
7. Erin Wolf
8. Alex Newman

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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