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CAPE FEAR MEMORIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE: UPDATES, RESOURCES, AND CONTEXT

In The Podcast World, Some Music Students Seek A Career Gateway

Podcasts like those featured in the iTunes Store's top 200 are well-known, but the music featured in them tends to be obscure.
iTunes Store
Podcasts like those featured in the iTunes Store's top 200 are well-known, but the music featured in them tends to be obscure.

Podcasts would sound pretty bland without music. When done well, the medium's music cues are evocative and tone-setting. In rare cases, they can become iconic (think of the plinking chords that let you know you're listening to Serial). But for the most part, the music is meant to be invisible: You wouldn't sit down to listen to it or put it on in your car, and you're unlikely to ever know who composed it. So where does podcast music come from?

To find out, Aaron Schachter of WGBH paid a visit to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where some students are learning to make a living from music they'll likely never get famous for — but that could become a gateway to big business. Hear his full report at the audio link.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Aaron Schachter