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Artwork for The Music Show

The Music Show

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

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

Listening to the new album by The Avalanches is like being on the dancefloor and then getting hit in the head with a whole desktop computer. Electronic, nostalgic, sample-laden and manic, their latest record is called No Bad Memories. The band - Robb... more

The musical voice behind Australian classics like Two Hands and Red Dog, Cezary Skubiszewski is being honoured at the 2026 Screen Music Awards for Distinguished Services to the Australian Screen. In an extended conversation with Andy, Cezary explores... more

Cellist and composer Freya Schack-Arnott divides her time between classical and experimental music, exploring all of the possibilities of her instrument. Her latest project, Nornir - which premieres at the Melbourne Fringe Festival - is something dif... more

Emma Ruth Rundle describes herself as a guitarist - an instrument she's taken from metal bands to ambient minimalism. But it's her voice that's been front and centre on recent albums, alongside her writing, which has recently extended to a book of po... more

Key Facts

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Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

John Simpson
Foley Artist and Orchestral Soloist, discussed Foley techniques and performance integration
Foley Artist/Orchestral Soloist
Episode: Cellist Freya Schack-Arnott, and two foley artists on the thin line between sound effects and music
Freya Schack-Arnott
Cellist and composer, collaborator on projects including Nornir, Runa Cara, and The Cloud Maker
Independent artist/Ensemble Offspring/Elision
Episode: Cellist Freya Schack-Arnott, and two foley artists on the thin line between sound effects and music
Gabriel Fischer
Percussionist, Foley Artist and Composer, discussed Makronomaly II and collaboration in Foley
Performer/Composer
Episode: Cellist Freya Schack-Arnott, and two foley artists on the thin line between sound effects and music
Randy Newman
Singer-songwriter and composer known for character-driven songs and film scores
Self-represented/artist
Episode: Emma Ruth Rundle finds her people in These Killing Times
Emma Ruth Rundle
Musician and poet, collaborator with metal/post-rock acts, solo artist
Self-represented/artist
Episode: Emma Ruth Rundle finds her people in These Killing Times
Sally Walker
Flute player and educator, organizer of one-to-one concerts
Independent musician/educator
Episode: Sally Walker performs to an audience of one and Mixtape blends music and gameplay
Ruth McCall
Pianist accompanying the performers
Australian Art Song Resource
Episode: What Pulp did for an encore
Garth Jennings
Director of the film Pulp, What Do You Do For An Encore?
Film
Episode: What Pulp did for an encore
Jenny Duck-Chong
Mezzo-soprano, performer in the segment
Australian Art Song Resource
Episode: What Pulp did for an encore

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
    Australia10 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
    Australia3 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.

Cellist Freya Schack-Arnott, and two foley artists on the thin line between sound effects and music
Q: How do you balance your own direction with input from collaborators?
Freya explains the push-pull of collaboration, noting the need to center on original ideas while remaining open to others' contributions, and the importance of maintaining a reference point to prevent straying too far.
Cellist Freya Schack-Arnott, and two foley artists on the thin line between sound effects and music
Q: Tell us about the collaborators on this project.
Freya describes working with choreographer/dancer Trami and sound specialist Tillman Robinson, highlighting how their roles blend movement, playing strings, and live processing to realize a unified stage concept.
Emma Ruth Rundle finds her people in These Killing Times
Q: How do you start a song—idea, sound, or subject?
She describes starting from the instrument to evoke feelings, with each album having a loose North Star that guides the composition, and notes that current events influenced the direction of These Killing Times.
Emma Ruth Rundle finds her people in These Killing Times
Q: Did you feel energized by current events or a responsibility to say something musically?
She emphasizes that it felt more like a responsibility to address what's happening in the world, using music as a way to process and connect with listeners rather than pursuing personal nostalgia.
What Pulp did for an encore
Q: How did Jarvis Cocker contribute to the narrative voice of the film?
Jarvis provided the voiceover and storytelling thread, with new lines added up to the last minute to keep the narration conversational and integrated with the on-screen action.

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. Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast
4. Conversations
5. Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

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. John Simpson
2. Freya Schack-Arnott
3. Gabriel Fischer
4. Randy Newman
5. Emma Ruth Rundle
6. Sally Walker
7. Ruth McCall
8. Garth Jennings

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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