Allyson McCabe

Genya Ravan's name has always been a hurdle: Strangers tend to stress the wrong syllable, or reduce it to something more conventional. (Jimmy Fallon once casually referred to her as "Gina.")

Ravan was actually born Genyusha Zelkowitz, to a family in war-torn Poland. By the time she left ...

Where do you draw the line between inspiration and appropriation when it comes to musical compositions? That question is at the heart of several high-profile court cases, including the recent "Blurred Lines" trial and a current copyright-infringement lawsuit involving "Stairway to Heaven." But it isn't always easy to prove a ...

In the digital era, brick-and-mortar record stores' stock in trade has increasingly become vinyl sales. But within that niche of an increasingly fragmented music industry, there's another music format that's drawing attention from fans old and new: flexi discs.

Pressed on thin plastic or coated paper, flexi discs first started ...

Be it an effects pedal or a hole stabbed in an amp, distortion and sound manipulation have long been part of rock 'n' roll's DNA.

You might be surprised to learn that the chart-topping duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are not signed to a major label. Neither are veterans like Peter Gabriel and Wilco. They're all self-releasing albums.

But if you self-release, you still need someone to get your ...

Mastering engineer Emily Lazar listens back to a section of the song "Envelop Me" by the baroque pop band School is Cool. She's trying to make the main vocals stand out more.

"We pick certain frequencies that we want to hear either more or less of, and those kind of ...