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In the digital age, there’s no such thing as buried treasure: once-rare songs are now easy to find using online stores and file-sharing tools like BitTorrent. Music critic and blogger Bill Wyman asks what it means to have all music and movies instantly available – and whether that is changing how much we enjoy art.

Last week, the Billboard charts met their first real challenger. The Ultimate Chart is a list that ranks artists and singles not just by sales and airplay, but also by their status on streaming services and social networks. Eric Garland, chief executive of the Ultimate Chart’s parent company BigChampagne, joins us to explain the chart’s genesis. Then: in a Soundcheck Smackdown, critics debate whether any pop chart can quantify success in the digital age. Guests include Maura Johnston, music writer and blogger, and Bill Wyman, editor of the blog Hitsville and former arts editor of NPR and Salon.com.

Hip-hop and R&B magazine Vibe shut down last week, the latest victim in a series of music magazines like Blender, Harp, No Depression and Jazz Times that have folded in recent months. Some say that is a huge loss for in-depth music writing. Others argue they became dinosaurs in a ...

From his obsession with plastic surgery to his legal and financial troubles, Michael Jackson led a complicated life. What will he be remembered for: his work as a musical artist or his latter-day weirdness?

Bill Wyman is the former arts editor for Salon and now writes for the blog, “Hitsville.”

Bob Dylan's new album, Together Through Life, is the latest chapter in a critically acclaimed comeback that began in 1997. In another Soundcheck Smackdown, we debate Dylan's career revival, his legacy, and this latest release. Joining us are Joe Levy, editor of Maxim magazine and former editor of Blender and ...