Find new music through these podcast recommendationsšŸ‘©ā€šŸŽ¤

5 podcast recommendations for music lovers

Podcast artwork for Song Exploder, Authentic: The Story of Tablo, 99% Invisible, Archive 81, and Off Book: The Improvised Musical Podcast

Curator:

šŸ‘‰šŸ½ Marc Sollinger (he/him)

Why this theme?

šŸ‘‰šŸ½As Daniel Powell and I were dreaming up Generation Crossing (itā€™s an album! Itā€™s about an 800-year journey to a distant planet! Itā€™s cool! You should check it out!), we thought a lot about the relationship between music and narrative audio. How it can highlight character, accentuate a moment, give the audience space to consider what theyā€™ve just heard.

For this podcast playlist, I wanted to showcase five different episodes that used music, each in radically different ways, to tell a story.

Podcast Picks

Song Exploder podcast cover art

If you thought you could see a music-themed podcast playlist that didnā€™t feature Song Exploder, well, sorry to disappoint. But thereā€™s a reason everyone canā€™t stop talking about Song Exploder! And this peek into one of my favorite scores is a perfect showcase of why no oneā€™s better than Hrishikesh Hirway at getting into the mechanics of music.

Authentic: The Story of Tablo podcast cover art

How did a baseless conspiracy theory ruin the life of a Korean hip-hop star? Authentic: The Story of Tablo answers that question, yes, but goes deeper than that, exploring the rise of K-pop, the toxic side of fandom, and the nature of identity. Music is always at the core, and itā€™s Tabloā€™s love for it that lets him withstand his world collapsing.

99% Invisible podcast cover art

When I first heard this episode, essentially an essay about conservation with live musical accompaniment, my jaw was on the floor ā€” I hadnā€™t heard anything like it. And, in the ten years since it came out, I still havenā€™t. Itā€™s a masterclass in how scoring can make a story far more meaningful than voice alone.

Archive 81 podcast cover art

It feels slightly embarrassing to put a podcast you made on a list like this. However, I wanted to showcase the incredible work of my incredible creative partner, Daniel Powell. Iā€™ve always felt that music is used far too little in fiction podcasting, and the great thing about working with Daniel is that when you tell him to ā€œwrite a song that communicates an eldritch beingā€™s isolation and sadness, maybe along the lines of Arthur Russell,ā€ heā€™ll knock the assignment out of the park.

Off Book: The Improvised Musical Podcast podcast cover art

An improvised musical about Spiderman going to therapy sounds like one of the worst ideas anyone has ever had. And yet! In the hands of Jessica McKenna and Zach Reino, the musical is more than just catchy ā€” itā€™s deeply affecting.

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Community

šŸŽ™ļø Heart to Hustle launched a bonus episodes series, Hustle Hotline. Each episode is a quick, actionable Q&A where host Layla Palmer offers insights on topics like career transitions, burnout, side hustles, and creative entrepreneurship.

šŸ˜¹The Dylan Hour is a weekly video podcast hosted by Dylan Mulvaney. She sips and spills with some of her favorite girls, gays, and theys ā€” including your favorite pop stars, Broadway belters, actors, authors, and more.

šŸ‰House of Maher is a new Wave Original series hosted by Olympic medalist, A-list internet personality and women empowerment advocate, Ilona Maher, alongside her sisters, Olivia and Adrianna.

šŸ’–In Podcast The Newsletter, Lauren Passell writes about her process of creating PTN issues from listening speed to notes and shows she never misses.

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Podcast news from Podnews

  • The Podcast Host shares five case studies from podcasters who have added video.

  • Nominations for the 2025 Quill Podcast Awards are now open. The awards have been running since 2021, to celebrate the achievements of podcasters and podcast companies.

  • Libsyn Ads shared Whatā€™s Working in Podcast Advertising Right Now, from their Podcast Movement Evolutions talk earlier this month.

Spotlight

Moonburn podcast cover art

When Lucas moves into a NYC boarding home to start a new life, he discovers decades-old diary cassette tapes left behind by his roomā€™s first occupant.

The tapes foreshadow tragedy, but they also lay out a beautiful path of invaluable advice for building a new life in the city. And Lucas uses them to do just that, embarking on his own journey... of life, work, friendship and love.

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