wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Soundcheck

Thursday, April 05, 2007
  • ear music

    Sound Business Advice

    Offices, stores and restaurants are spending millions of dollars crafting the way they look, but not the way they sound. Find out how music and environmental noise affects productivity and sales. Plus, the U.S. military scouts for musical talent. And, a live performance from the Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble.

The Sounds of Success

What we hear has a powerful affect on our emotions and moods. Companies that craft "soundscapes" inside their stores, restaurants and workplaces stand to increase productivity and sales. We talk to Julian Treasure, chairman of strategic sound consultancy business The Sound Agency, about his book, "Sound Business."

The "Sound Business" web site
More about Sound Business

Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble

Soweto is the black township in South Africa where the struggle against apartheid was born. It's also home to a music school founded by a professional viola player from London. Today on Soundcheck: the story of the Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble and a live performance from group.

Buskaid web site

Armed Forces Entertainment

As the war in Iraq enters its fifth year, U.S. troops are serving longer deployments and multiple tours of duty. We talk to Wall Street Journal reporter John Jurgensen about Armed Forces Entertainment, a division of the Pentagon that scouts lesser-known bands to entertain troops stationed in across the Middle East.

John Jurgensen's article on Armed Forces Entertainment
Armed Forces Entertainment web site

Introducing our Video Contest

Soundcheck

John Schaefer gives the lowdown on Soundcheck's music video challenge with the Fiery Furnaces.

In Studio: Angel Deradoorian

Soundcheck

The 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist performs live in our studio.

Cucu Diamantes Performs Amor Cronico

Soundcheck

Cucu Diamantes went from a tough childhood in Havana, Cuba, to an art school in Rome to underground New York City, where she co-founded the Latin alternative band Yerba Buena.

In Studio: Stephanie McKay

Soundcheck

The local singer-songwriter performs "Jackson Avenue," a nostalgic toast to her childhood in the South Bronx.

In Studio: The Decemberists

The Portland, Ore., band's latest album, "The Hazards of Love," is a concept album with a mythological flair. They joined Soundcheck to play live for a studio audience in WNYC's Greene Space.

Sound Off

Soundcheck

Throughout May, Soundcheck presents “Sound Off” a Friday series on the many aspects of noise in music and our lives. The series -- which coincides with “Better Hearing and Speech Month” -- looks at issues like New York’s noisiest neighborhoods, the latest research on iPods and hearing loss, and what happens when noise becomes a musical ingredient.