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Kirk McElhearn
Co-Host of The Next Track
Kirk McElhearn is a freelance journalist. He writes on his website Kirkville, and is Senior Contributor to Macworld, where he is The iTunes Guy. He is also a regular contributor to TidBITS, as well as several other web sites and magazines. He is co-host of The Committed podcast. Kirk has written more than twenty books, including Take Control of iTunes. On Twitter, he's @mcelhearn, and he has a Facebook page.
Kirk McElhearn has hosted 287 Episodes.
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Episode #111 - How They Listen to Music: Simon Vance, Audiobook Narrator
June 29th, 2018 | 42 mins 36 secs
We discuss the changes in the way we have listened to music over the decades with Simon Vance, esteemed narrator of audiobooks, who saw all the great British bands live in their prime.
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Episode #110 - Requiem for the Stereo
June 22nd, 2018 | 34 mins 24 secs
Is the home stereo dead? It certainly looks like it.
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Episode #109 - In Praise of the CD
June 15th, 2018 | 32 mins 52 secs
James Jackson Toth joins us to discuss why we shouldn't give up on the CD.
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Episode #108 - Buying Records
June 8th, 2018 | 37 mins 13 secs
Doug and Kirk wax nostalgic about buying records: what was so nice about browsing record stores, and what are we missing.
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Episode #107 - Earworms and Mondegreens
June 1st, 2018 | 35 mins 45 secs
Do you get annoying earworms? And do you occasionally encounter mondegreens? We look at these two interesting phenomena.
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Episode #106 - Music in Your Head: Listening to Music on Headphones
May 25th, 2018 | 34 mins 30 secs
Doug and Kirk discuss headphones: the pros and cons of listening to music on headphones, and the different types of headphones you can use to listen to music.
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Episode #105 - The Future of Vinyl
May 18th, 2018 | 34 mins 44 secs
Andy Doe joins us to discuss the present and future of vinyl records.
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Episode #104 - The Future of iTunes
May 11th, 2018 | 32 mins 4 secs
Doug and Kirk discuss the future of iTunes. What effect will streaming and Apple's forthcoming video service have on iTunes? Will it split into several apps? Will it still be called iTunes?
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Episode #103 - The Eurovision Song Contest
May 3rd, 2018 | 39 mins 21 secs
We welcome Dean Asker, a Eurovision Song Contest fan and expert, to discuss the past and present of this unique annual event. Curious how the voting works? We find out.
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Episode #102 - Silence
April 27th, 2018 | 33 mins 54 secs
Doug and Kirk discuss silence: how it is important in music, between pieces of music, around music, and on its own.
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Episode #101 - Radio Paradise
April 20th, 2018 | 33 mins 44 secs
Bill Goldsmith of Radio Paradise joins us to talk about programming a free-form, internet radio station, listener support, and the future of radio.
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Episode #100 - How We Listen to Music Today
April 13th, 2018 | 32 mins 59 secs
For the 100th episode, Doug and Kirk discuss how they listen to music today, and how their music listening has changed in the two years they've been producing this podcast.
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Episode #99 - Radio, Radio
April 6th, 2018 | 39 mins 45 secs
Radio has long been the first way that people have discovered and listened to music. It is still very powerful, in spite of the ubiquity of music streaming services. We discuss how radio works, how it's changed over the years, and where it may be going.
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Episode #98 - 1981
March 30th, 2018 | 35 mins 16 secs
1981 was a pivotal year for popular music. We take a deep dive into the tunes of that year and discuss the most memorable music of the year.
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Episode #97 - Jerry Ewing on Progressive Rock
March 24th, 2018 | 38 mins 23 secs
Jerry Ewing, editor of the UK's Prog magazine, discusses the history of progressive rock, and presents his new book Wondrous Stories.
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Episode #96 - Kiku Day Explains the Shakuhachi (Japanese Flute)
March 16th, 2018 | 38 mins 1 sec
We welcome Kiku Day, ethnomusicologist and shakuhachi player, to discuss this Japanese Flute.