The music industry has been promising music credits on the streaming services for more than a decade. They’re having another conference about it in Nashville this week, where some well-meaning people will once again discuss the nerdy, vexing challenge of “metadata.” To be fair, it’s not an easy problem, and the business can point to some progress. But in this special report, Craig Havighurst finds that in a world where public-facing databases can track 20 million UPS packages a day, baseball career statistics from 100 years ago to last night, and millions of global Bitcoin transactions, musician credits remain incomplete and hard to access. Left hurting are Nashville's working musicians, arrangers, producers and engineers who are trying to build resumes and reputation - and in some cases get paid.
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By design or coincidence, this week's Finally Friday features two major names in contemporary bluegrass music. Darin & Brooke Aldridge will be releasing their tenth album, a landmark in a career that's seen them win multiple awards and earn the admiration of the genre with a sound that draws as much on gospel and country music as it does on straight ahead bluegrass. Becky Buller (who once played fiddle with the Aldridges) is the industry's triple-threat with IBMA Awards for her instrumental chops, her singing, and her songwriting. She's tackling some of the most serious and vulnerable subject matter of her career on her upcoming album Jubilee. Check out Craig's preview of this Friday's talent-packed revue.
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In January, the newly energized Nashville Blues and Roots Alliance, a non-profit dedicated to cultivating blues careers and spreading its history through public schools, held its first-ever local competition to nominate contestant artists at the 2024 International Blues Challenge in Memphis. And in a nice Music City surprise, the NBRA’s delegate in the band category, Piper & The Hard Times, went to Memphis during the coldest week of the year, put on several sizzling sets, and came away with the grand prize. In this hour of The String, we meet Al "Piper" Green and his bandmate/guitarist Steve Eagon to talk about their game changing win. Up first, Gulf Coast blues and R&B icon Marcia Ball talks about fifty years of rocking roadhouses and the occasional blues cruise.
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Suzy Bogguss started playing and performing on a hand-me-down guitar from her sister in small-town Illinois. After almost a decade making a living out west playing at ski lodges and smaller venues, she moved to Nashville, where she carved out a special place in 1990s country music. Amid a time of diversity and vibrancy in the format, her sweet, folky voice took flight when she found the right songs, including the career-makers “Someday Soon” and “Outbound Plane.” She’s toured steadily ever since, though recordings have been selective since 2000. During the pandemic though, she took on her first album of new material with last fall’s Prayin’ For Sunshine, the first where she’d written all of the songs. In this hour, we cover every key stage of this award-winning career.
LINER NOTES
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Jade Bird sits down with Jessie Scott at the Fitting Room in Madison.
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A closer look at the three bands performing Wednesday night from 7 to 9pm at Tennessee Brew Works for WMOT's Local Brew Fifth Anniversary show.
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Jessie Scott sat down with Willi Carlisle at The Fitting Room Studio in Madison, as he is getting ready to play the Basement East on April 13.
WMOT VIDEO: LIVE SESSIONS ON NPR MUSIC
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Kelly Willis performed "Fading Fast", "Back in Blue" and "Looking Forward to Looking Back" at a beach house turned studio in Florida for WMOT's 2024 30A Songwriters Sessions.
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Last week, Steve Poltz and Maggie Antone performed at Riverside Revival for WMOT's monthly Wired In series. Watch highlights from their show here.
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Jon Muq performed "Runaway", "Shake Shake" and "Hello Sunshine" at a beach house turned studio in Florida for WMOT's 2024 30A Songwriters Sessions.
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Click here to watch Steve Poltz and Maggie Antone LIVE at Riverside Revival for WMOT's Wired In series on May 1st at 7 p.m. CST.
NPR Top Stories
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The AP called the race, making Attorney General Patrick Morrisey the frontrunner going into the November election in the heavily Republican state. But a Democrat hopes for an upset.
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The former two-term governor's win in Tuesday's primary gives Republicans a chance at a Senate seat in deep blue state. Hogan will face Democrat and Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.
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Credit card delinquencies rose in the first three months of the year. That's a sign of the growing financial stress that some families are feeling in an era of rising prices and high interest rates.
Win a pair of tickets to Shelby Lynne at the Ryman Auditorium on September 26, 2024
Win a pair of tickets to The Mavericks at the Ryman Auditorium on December 6, 2024.
Win a pair of tickets to Will Hoge at City Winery on May 17, 2024.
Win a pair of tickets to Steve Poltz at City Winery on May 23, 2024.
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