The Next Track

Episode #318: Biopics

October 8th, 2025  |  28 mins

Why are there so many biopics about musicians lately? Follow the money...

Episode #317: Apple's Music App in macOS/iOS/iPadOS 26

September 24th, 2025  |  29 mins 50 secs

Apple's new operating systems are out, all numbered 26, and Doug and Kirk discuss changes to the Music app.

Episode #316: There Was a Time When There Was No Recorded Music...

September 10th, 2025  |  27 mins 30 secs

It's hard for us to remember, but there was a time before there was recorded music. How did people hear music?

Episode #315: Back Catalog

August 27th, 2025  |  21 mins 51 secs

Some musicians fight to get control of their old music, and others sell off their back catalog. Songs are just another commodity in the capitalist system.

Episode #314: Covers

August 13th, 2025  |  26 mins 3 secs

Lots of artists record and perform covers, songs written and recorded by other songwriters. We discuss covers, and Doug explains the origin of the term.

Episode #313: More Thoughts on AI Music and Podcasts

July 30th, 2025  |  30 mins 21 secs

We discuss AI music, and how most musicians don't make money. Then we have some thoughts about podcast listening.

Episode #312: 1975

July 16th, 2025  |  32 mins 25 secs

It was 50 years ago, and as years for popular music go, 1975 was a doozy.

Episode 311: Triple Albums

July 2nd, 2025  |  33 mins 7 secs

After our previous episode discussing double albums, we wondered where to go next. We decided to turn the podcast up a notch, and discuss triple albums; much rarer than double albums, but many of them are landmarks in the history of rock music.

Episode #310: Double Albums

June 18th, 2025  |  31 mins 1 sec

We talk about double albums, which used to be a thing back in the LP day. They were special, because having an album with twice the music was (almost always) great. But they disappeared starting with the CD era and, now with digital, they don't exist any more. We talk about great double albums.

Episode #309: Shouting at Clouds

June 4th, 2025  |  30 mins 7 secs

Doug and Kirk discuss some of the things they like and dislike about the current state of audio equipment and the music industry.

Episode #308: Playing Games

May 21st, 2025  |  29 mins 26 secs

Video games are one of the most popular forms of entertainment. Doug has been a gamer for a long time, but Kirk only recently converted. We talk about how gaming is part of our leisure activity.

Episode #307: AI Is Everywhere

May 7th, 2025  |  30 mins 24 secs

AI is everywhere. It hasn't really affected music yet, or has it?

Episode #306: Displacement and the Long Tail

April 23rd, 2025  |  30 mins 51 secs

Wired editor Chris Anderson came up with the idea of "the long tail" in 2004, suggesting that older books, music, and other creative works would continue to sell in small amounts, making enough money over time for these creators to survive. He was wrong. Very wrong.

Episode #305: Timo Andres on Steve Reich's Collected Works

April 9th, 2025  |  37 mins 19 secs

Composer and pianist Timo Andres wrote extensive listening notes for the new box set of Steve Reich's Collected Works. We talk with him about this composer whose work over the past five decades has been incredibly influential.

"I went everyone to listen to music in a more abstract way."

Episode #304: Box Sets

March 26th, 2025  |  29 mins 18 secs

The Grateful Dead released a big box set that Kirk will not buy, leading Doug and Kirk to discuss box sets of CDs.

Episode #303: What Is Our Dream Home Audio Setup?

March 12th, 2025  |  29 mins 20 secs

We muse on our dream home audio setups, the enshittification of streaming TV, and Doug explains how he has music in his bathroom.