The Next Track

Episode Archive

Episode Archive

280 episodes of The Next Track since the first episode, which aired on May 21st, 2016.

  • Episode #152 - Flogging a Dead App: Is it Really the Death of iTunes?

    June 19th, 2019  |  23 mins 54 secs

    "iTunes is dead!!!" claim a number of websites and publications. Even on the TV news they were saying that "Apple has discontinued iTunes," that "it's the end of an era." Apple made big announcements at the company's Worldwide Developer Conference in early June. Did they really kill off iTunes? We look at this subject, yet again, for what will be the last episode about the future of iTunes, at least until the next one.

  • Episode #151 - The Latest Trends in Hi-Fi

    June 5th, 2019  |  39 mins 9 secs

    We welcome back Chris Connaker, who tells us about the latest trends in hi-fi at the Munich High End audio show.

  • Episode #150 - Ambient Music

    May 22nd, 2019  |  28 mins 11 secs

    The problem with the genre of ambient music is that most of it is not ambient music. No one really agrees on what exactly ambient music is. We discuss the genre, and the music, and how we feel about this type of music.

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    Episode #149 - In Which We Discuss the Potential Breakup of iTunes Yet Again Because We Really Didn't Have Anything Else to Talk About This Week

    May 17th, 2019  |  22 mins 29 secs

    We discuss the potential breakup of iTunes yet again, because there is some new information about what the future of iTunes will be.

  • Episode #148 - Spoilers

    May 10th, 2019  |  23 mins 36 secs

    We don't often talk about TV, but this week we discuss some TV series, how people watch TV, and in particular the disappearing experience of appointment TV. And we link this all with iTunes, at least a bit.

  • Episode #147 - Kirk's New Sonos Amp

    May 3rd, 2019  |  27 mins 40 secs

    Kirk bought some new audio equipment: a Sonos Amp. We talk about how this amp works, and how it has allowed Kirk to minimalize the equipment in his home office.

  • Episode #146 - Woodstock

    April 26th, 2019  |  20 mins 43 secs

    The 50th anniversary concert of Woodstock has been planned, and tickets were supposed to go on sale this week, yet have been delayed. We look back at the original Woodstock festival and how much the music influenced us.

  • Episode #145 - The Future of iTunes Redux

    April 19th, 2019  |  15 mins 23 secs

    It’s time to have a brief discussion of the future of iTunes again. Some news has been circulating suggesting that Apple will be including separate apps for music, TV, podcasts, and books later this year. We discuss this, and how we predicted this a few months ago.

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    Episode #144 - Cornelius Boots and His Bad-Ass Shakuhachi

    April 12th, 2019  |  32 mins 47 secs

    Cornelius Boots is a bad-ass shakuhachi player, and Kirk's second shakuhachi teacher. Cornelius is a composer, performer, and teachers, and has just released his third album of original compositions.

  • Episode #143 - Too Old to Rock 'n Roll

    April 5th, 2019  |  29 mins 48 secs

    Lots of big rock stars are getting old. How much longer will these musicians be able to perform and tour?

  • Episode #142 - Why Wi-Fi Is Important for Your Home Media Use

    March 29th, 2019  |  26 mins 37 secs

    Most people depend on wi-fi to get data from one device to another in their home. This is the case for music and video, and having good wi-fi ensures that you can enjoy your home media without any glitches.

  • Episode #141 - Algorithms

    March 22nd, 2019  |  29 mins 54 secs

    Continuing our reunion tour, we welcome back our friend Andy Doe to talk about algorithms; how they work, and how they affect music listening.

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    Episode #140 - The Reunion Tour

    March 15th, 2019  |  32 mins 15 secs

    The band is back together, and we explain our new approach to the podcast. We then discuss how music may change as more people use voice assistants to request what they want to hear. And, of course, we present our own next tracks.

  • Episode #139 - In Which We Bid Farewell

    January 14th, 2019  |  4 mins 2 secs

    It's been a long, strange trip, and it's time to get truckin' on.

  • Episode #138 - A Look Back at Music We Discovered Last Year

    January 4th, 2019  |  29 mins 4 secs

    Music discovery has changed a lot, and as the new year rolls in, it's time to look back at 2018 and the music that we have discovered.

  • Episode #137 - How Do You Create a "Music Social Network?"

    December 28th, 2018  |  32 mins 22 secs

    Apple has killed off its second attempt at a "music social network," Connect, which was part of Apple Music. We ponder what it would take to create a useful music social network.