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The Music Show

ABC Australia
Jazz
Folk Music
Music
Bob Dylan
Australian Music
Classical Music
Protest Music
Keith Jarrett
Bach
Christine Anu
Australia
Irish Music
Blues Music
Arnold Schoenberg
Ella Fitzgerald
Improvisation
1984-85 Miners' Strike
Becoming Ella Fitzgerald
The Beatles
Sound

All kinds of music and all kinds of musicians in conversation with Andrew Ford.

PublishesDailyEpisodes948Founded20 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Music InterviewsMusic

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Artwork for The Music Show

Latest Episodes

With a recent concerto for amplified accordion and orchestra and another for more than 60 recorders Holly Harrison clearly loves a challenge. She shares why she enjoys writing for new instruments, and how she composed a work that will be performed by... more

Dolly Parton said she wrote over three thousand songs, so we can barely begin to honour her extraordinary songwriting in just one hour.

From her early country duets with Porter Wagoner, to the extraordinary purple patch that brought us Jolene and I ... more

"I think if we saw every conversation as music, we would drastically shift the course of history." So says the poet and performer aja monet. For her latest record, the color of rain, monet worked with Meshell Ndegecello, Justin Brown, and a whole hos... more

James Ellis Ford is better known as James Ford, producer for artists like Pulp, Arctic Monkeys, Florence and the Machine and Fontaines D.C. When you add the Ellis, he's a solo artist making his own music and he joins Andy to talk about his latest alb... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Aja Monet
Poet, performer
The Colour of Rain (album)
Episode: The poetry of aja monet and Thomas Meadowcroft on composing for sound effects and orchestra
Thomas Meadowcroft
Composer
Hollywood Parsifals, Love Songs Without Subjects
Episode: The poetry of aja monet and Thomas Meadowcroft on composing for sound effects and orchestra
James Ellis Ford
Producer and solo artist, known for Lost in Another World
Domino Records
Episode: James Ellis Ford made a Mercury Prize nominated record in a chemotherapy ward
Kate Miller-Heidke
Singer-songwriter and performer, collaborating with Kier Nuttall
Independent artist
Episode: Kate Miller-Heidke on Handel and planning for the apocalypse
Kier Nuttall
Composer and collaborator with Kate Miller-Heidke, involved in theatre and music
Collaborator on The Kiss and the Abyss
Episode: Kate Miller-Heidke on Handel and planning for the apocalypse
Augusta McKay Lodge
Violinist focusing on Baroque performance and Anna Maria della Pieta
Australian Brandenburg Orchestra
Episode: Grace Cummings' Bloodhorse! and the legacy of Vivaldi's star orphan
Grace Cummings
Singer-songwriter, guest on Bloodhorse discussion
Grace Cummings (artist)
Episode: Grace Cummings' Bloodhorse! and the legacy of Vivaldi's star orphan
Tom Service
BBC broadcaster and author of A History of the World in 50 Pieces, The Classical Music That Shapes Us
BBC
Episode: Tom Service on the classical music that shapes us
Mischa Richter
Director of the documentary Summer Tour about the Grateful Dead
Director, Summer Tour
Episode: The travelling community of the Grateful Dead, Don Walker's Love Songs, and a performance lasting 639 years

Host

Andrew Ford
Host of The Music Show, ABC Radio National

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 155 ratings
  • From mixtapes to mtv.

    Pretty disappointing boomer perspective of the 80s from a journo who finds it hard to give women agency - madonna barely gets a mention, Kylie name-checked dismissively at the coda, Tina turner, Janet Jackson and Whitney Houston not even mentioned. Why is this stale / pale perspective not called out?

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Ozdrongo
    Australia9 months ago
  • Very conservative in genres.

    Bring back Lucky Oceans. If your not a fan of classical or very very tame genres this show is not for you. I can’t believe they cut lucky oceans and this is their sole offering. Very poor ABC.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    WilhelmWilson
    Australia2 years ago
  • National treasure

    No weekend would be complete without an episode of RN’s The Music Show. Andrew Ford and the team converse with musicians, composers and creatives the world over - informative, entertaining and always special!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    gavmed
    Australia6 years ago
  • New ideas and discoveries every week

    Even after formally studying music, I’m amazed every week with the diversity of musical ideas and worlds that I never knew existed. The guests are eclectic and always interesting. Andrew Ford does a great job in keeping it accessible and informal with humour.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Wendy5Dock
    Australia7 years ago
  • RN fan

    Yep segments are silly and they dominate every ABC podcast. Just delete them all

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    737B
    Australia7 years ago

Listeners Say

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

Some critique certain episodes as overly classical or niche, but overall positive sentiment toward quality and curation.
Listeners praise the host's depth and breadth, calling the show informative and enlightening.
Many appreciate the accessible yet rigorous discussions and wide range of guests.

Chart Rankings

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

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Kate Miller-Heidke on Handel and planning for the apocalypse
Q: How does your operatic training influence your approach to contemporary songs and theatre works?
They discuss using operatic vocal techniques to explore drama within pop/folk contexts, while aiming to stay true to the music's core emotions and avoiding over-singing in order to keep the message clear.
Kate Miller-Heidke on Handel and planning for the apocalypse
Q: What draws you to Philip Glass's music and what makes his etudes special?
The guest explains that Glass's music is uniquely expressive, with a force that unlocks deep emotion, and that the etudes function as diaries of his life, evolving in complexity and emotional scope across the two books.
William Basinski hosts a sleepover, Will Swenson plays Neil Diamond, and vale Glen Hansard
Q: What makes Disintegration Loops work so well in a live diffusion setting?
The piece translates the quiet, slowly changing textures into a shared experiential space where the audience participates in listening, making the scale and ambience of the work feel immediate and communal.
William Basinski hosts a sleepover, Will Swenson plays Neil Diamond, and vale Glen Hansard
Q: Tell me how you approached translating Neil Diamond's voice and persona into a live performance without slipping into caricature.
I aimed to capture the energy and essential vocal traits without turning it into a parody, seeking a balance between energy, sound, and the emotional through-line of the songs so the storytelling remains the focus.
Hilary Geddes' Redleaf and Kae Tempest's Self Titled
Q: What does Redleaf reveal about your relationship to place and memory?
Geddes talks about Redleaf Beach as a creative touchstone, using field recordings and a sense of place to ground the music, while the band's textures and timbres reflect her improvisational approach.

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 The Music Show

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

This show features deep-dive conversations with composers, performers, scholars, and critics, focused on music across a wide spectrum—from historical performance practices and classical repertoire to contemporary composition, covers, and cross-genre collaborations. Episodes blend rigorous cultural analysis with practical insights into creativity, performance, and interpretation, often weaving in historical anecdotes, songwriting processes, and conversations about audience engagement and the role of music in society. A standout quality is the host's broad musical literacy, which enables accessible yet richly informed discourse, along with a habit of pairing intimate artist portraits with larger cultural questions. Potential listeners can exp... more

Where can I find podcast stats for The Music Show?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Music Show. 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 The Music Show and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Music Show get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Music Show, 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 The Music Show?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Music Show, 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 The Music Show have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Music Show 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 The Music Show?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Music Show:

1. Late Night Live — Full program podcast
2. Big Ideas
3. The Minefield
4. Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast
5. Rear Vision — How History Shaped Today

How many episodes of The Music Show are there?

The Music Show launched 20 years ago and published 948 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 The Music Show?

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 The Music Show?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Music Show 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.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Music Show?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Music Show. 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 The Music Show?

Recent guests on The Music Show include:

1. Aja Monet
2. Thomas Meadowcroft
3. James Ellis Ford
4. Kate Miller-Heidke
5. Kier Nuttall
6. Augusta McKay Lodge
7. Grace Cummings
8. Tom Service

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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