Vinyl record sales keep spinning and spinning – with no end in sight

  Over the past decade, vinyl records have made a major comeback. People purchased US$1.2 billion of records in 2022, a 20% jump from the previous year.

  Not only did sales rise, but they also surpassed CD sales for the first time since 1988, according to a new report from the Recording Industry Association of America.

  Who saw that coming?

COVID-19 threatens the already shaky status of arts education in schools

  Parents can watch their kids draw and paint at home or perform in school music concerts and dance recitals. But they may not know how their school arts program compares with others around the country.

  As a music education professor and a researcher who studies arts education policies, I know that access to and the quality of arts programs vary greatly among states, districts, and even schools within the same district.

  Additionally, I see that disruptions from the pandemic are threatening the already tenuous status of the arts in public schools.

Josh Carples: Ghost of a Town

  The hallmark of any Josh Carples song is uniqueness. Whether he's flying solo with a guitar or working as part of an ensemble, the music, the lyrical content and his voice are uniquely his. A great bonus when he takes a solitary approach to developing songs is he fully explores and embraces his role as a storyteller. And these endearing characteristics of Carples' songwriting, musicianship and delivery continue to evolve on the album "Ghost of a Town," which he also self-produced.