Rolling Stone
500 episodes listed below
Music criticism with a long memory.
Rolling Stone Music Now treats pop, rock, live music, and music television as subjects worth arguing over carefully. Its episodes move from close listening to industry context, with room for digressions, memory, and a critic's sharp sense of proportion.
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Rolling Stone Music Now is music journalism in conversation form, shaped less like a news brief than a long, alert roomful of critics, writers, and musicians thinking out loud. It has range. One week, Geese are treated as a case study in why bands that grow up together can carry a mystique and musical reflex that newer assemblages rarely fake. Another week, Harry Styles' new single becomes an excuse to talk about eras, wiped social feeds, LCD Soundsystem, Wings, and the strange durability of Paul McCartney references in modern pop. The show likes specifics. It hears rhythm sections, guitar solos, producer choices, stagecraft, and old genre histories rather than settling for celebrity shorthand. Artist interviews can be generous and winding, especially when Les Claypool and Sean Lennon are discussing a concept album, a comic-book world, and the psychological relief of being in a band. Behind-the-scenes episodes have a different charge. Ben Winston's Grammys breakdown turns superstar performances into live-television problem solving, from radio signals to audience phones to performers carrying a moment when technology slips. The show also follows pop into politics. A Bad Bunny episode treats a controversial Super Bowl performance as a story about Puerto Rico, Spanish-language stardom, reggaeton, Drake, J Balvin, and an artist who did not reshape himself for the Anglo mainstream. A Bruce Springsteen episode connects a newly written protest song to a longer tradition of urgent, event-driven music. Tributes can go grave, as in the Bob Weir episode, which turns final interviews and legacy questions into a broader meditation on American music. Tour previews and concert-behavior conversations keep the show tied to the live calendar. The appeal is not speed. It is the pleasure of hearing popular music placed inside a dense web of records, performances, histories, and judgments that sound argued rather than packaged.
Made for: For listeners who want pop, rock, concerts, and awards shows treated with real critical attention. It suits fans who like references, context, and opinion more than celebrity recap.
What sets it apart: The show pairs Rolling Stone's access to artists and live-event insiders with critic-led close listening. Its strength is the way a single song, performance, or interview opens into music history, industry mechanics, and cultural argument.
Inside the biggest stories in music, hosted by Rolling Stone senior writer Brian Hiatt. Featuring interviews with top artists, expert insight on new releases and breaking news from the Rolling Stone staff, and much more.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Brian Hyatt turns music headlines and artist interviews into precise conversations about craft, influence, performance, and the making of records.
Brian Hyatt treats music news as a prompt for close listening and an invitation to ask how the work was made. The format moves comfortably between conversations with musicians and discussions with contributors such as Rob Sheffield and Jalisa Lopez.
Brian Hyatt turns music headlines into the questions you would have asked after the group chat cooled down.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A lively case for Geese, rooted in band history, guitar detail, and the lift from Heavy Metal.
It keeps Geese at the center, and that works because the piece stays close to the band's backstory and the small details that make the argument feel earned.
A careful interview on a concept album, its long build, and how collaboration changes the pressure.
Brian Hyatt's conversation with Les Claypool and Sean Lennon keeps its focus on how The Golden Egg of Empathy came together. The new Claypool Lennon Delirium album is a full concept piece, paired with a 24-page comic book, and the long build behind it comes through clearly: more…
A pre-release Harry Styles conversation that treats surprise as part of the act.
This Rolling Stone Music Now conversation stays on Harry Styles's new single Aperture and the announced album Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally, with Brian Hyatt and Rob Sheffield treating the release as the start of a new phase.
A scene-rooted look at how Bad Bunny's halftime set landed as both celebration and friction.
Rolling Stone Music Now treats Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show as both a celebration and a flash point, and Brian Hyatt and Jalisa Lopez do a good job tracing the road to it.
A sharp, insider look at how the Grammys hold together in real time.
Rolling Stone Music Now returns to its annual post-Grammys breakdown with executive producer Ben Winston, and the draw is familiar: a close look at how a live awards show holds together when Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Bad Bunny, Kendrick, and Loli Young all have to fit into one…
A blunt look back at Blues Traveler, survival, and Popper in full voice.
Rolling Stone Music Now uses Blues Traveler's Run Around anniversary to do more than tug at nostalgia. John Popper looks back at the 1990s run that carried the band through MTV and radio, and he does not sand off the rough edges.
Missy Elliott talks about pressure, freedom, and the visual instinct behind "Get Your Freak On."
Brian Hyatt opens a special mini-episode with Missy Elliott centered on Rolling Stone's new list of the 250 greatest songs of the 21st century so far, with "Get Your Freak On" at number one.
Joe Wong interviews drummers and musicians about craft, history, and the working musician's life.
Lij Shaw interviews producers and engineers about mic technique, mixing, and studio business.
Ian Shepherd and working mastering engineers dig into Atmos, loudness wars, and vinyl cutting.
Co-hosts Ed Thorne and Paul Third dissect mixing, mastering, and studio gear with working engineers.
Hip-hop history, loud and off-script.
Geese get the kind of praise that feels overdue.
Brian Hyatt starts with supergroup love.
Rolling Stone Music Now focuses on Harry Styles’ new single “Aperture” and the upcoming album Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally, due March 6.
Bad Bunny's halftime set comes through as joyful and messy in the best way.
The Grammys are still a beast.
This episode explores Bruce Springsteen's timely protest song 'Streets of Minneapolis' and the broader history of instant protest songs written in response to current events.
This episode is a tribute to Bob Weir, featuring discussions about his life, music, and legacy with Rolling Stone's Angie Martosio and guitarist Warren Haynes.
This episode previews highly anticipated 2026 music tours like Bad Bunny, Cardi B, and Harry Styles while discussing problematic concert behaviors.
Rolling Stone senior writer Brian Hiatt interviews rock musician Youngblood about his breakthrough album, Grammy nominations, and mental health challenges.
This episode features archival interview audio with the late musician D'Angelo discussing his albums 'Voodoo' and 'Black Messiah' and his career, presented by Rolling Stone Music Now.
Kesha reflects on the 15th anniversary of her debut album Animal and its follow-up Cannibal, discussing her career journey, legal battles, and new independence with her own record label.
Thirty years after Run Around, John Popper looks back, then immediately starts picking at the story.
Brian Hiatt interviews Simon Cowell about his new Netflix show and reflects on his career, including the passing of Liam Payne.
Brian Hiatt interviews the members of new rock supergroup Howl Owl Howl, including Darius Rucker.
Brian Hiatt interviews Wolfgang Van Halen about his band Mammoth's new album and a feud with David Lee Roth.
An interview with the director and an actor about the making of a Bruce Springsteen biopic.
This episode explores how music can effect political change, focusing on Fela Kuti's creation of Afrobeat as a form of resistance.
Interview with producer Don Woz about his new album and career working with iconic artists.
Rolling Stone host Brian Hyatt interviews Missy Elliott about Get Your Freak On being named the best song of the 21st century so far on Rolling Stone's list of 250 songs.
Brian Hiatt hosts a music news show discussing the latest in the music industry, with artist interviews and expert analysis.
Host Brian Hiatt interviews Jim James of My Morning Jacket about the 20th anniversary reissue of their album Z, discussing the making of the album and personal struggles.
A documentary episode exploring the 50th anniversary of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody through interviews with band members.
Host Brian Hiatt and guest Andy Green discuss Oasis's recent reunion tour in the US, playing clips from past interviews with Noel and Liam Gallagher.
Brian Hiatt interviews Christopher Guest about the origins of Spinal Tap and his career.
A music news podcast featuring interviews with top artists and expert analysis of new releases and industry news.
A music news and interview show hosted by Rolling Stone senior writer Brian Hiatt, featuring expert insight on new releases and breaking news.
Brian Hiatt and Andy Green discuss Bruce Springsteen's new box set 'Trax 2: The Lost Albums' and compare it to the original Trax.
This episode explores the collaborative album 'Tall Tales' by Thom Yorke and Mark Pritchard, discussing its progtronic soundscapes, visual elements, and significance in Radiohead's hiatus.
Brian Hyatt interviews Mike Campbell about his new memoir 'Heartbreaker,' where he reflects on his life as Tom Petty's guitarist and collaborator, sharing memories and insights from his career.
This episode features an exclusive interview with Ben Winston, executive producer of the 2025 Grammys, discussing the show's highlights and behind-the-scenes challenges.
Brian Hiatt interviews Grammy-nominated producer Daniel Nigro about his work with Olivia Rodrigo and Chapel Run.
Rolling Stone senior writer Brian Hiatt hosts a discussion with Rob Sheffield and Brittany Spanos about Rob's new book on Taylor Swift, analyzing her career and music.
Brian Hiatt interviews David Brown about his book on Greenwich Village's music history.
Rolling Stone Music Now features a conversation between Bruce Springsteen and Zach Bryan for the Musicians on Musicians issue.
Brian Hiatt discusses Chapel Roan's rise to pop stardom and her impact on the music industry.