A Conservative Night for an Evolving Genre

By JON CARAMANICA

Harrison Mcclary/Reuters

Miranda Lambert, center, with the producers Chuck Ainlay, left, and Frank Liddell, won four CMA awards on Wednesday, including album of the year.

The 48th Annual Country Music Association Awards on Wednesday featured pop stars like Ariana Grande but largely failed to reflect the current state of a genre in flux.

Sales of Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ Intensify Streaming Debate

By BEN SISARIO

Ms. Swift has the best-selling new album of the year, and has taken center stage in the industry war over streaming services like Spotify.

Swift Responsible for 22% of Album Sales Last Week

Music Review

Patti LuPone taking a musical journey in her cabaret show “Faraway Places Part Two,” at 54 Below, a follow-up to her show there in 2012.

A Cross-Dressing Tour Guide in White Tie and Tails

By STEPHEN HOLDEN

Patti LuPone’s “Faraway Places Part Two,” at 54 Below, is the sequel to her show there in 2012.

Music Review

Joyce DiDonato in “A Journey Through Venice,” her recital of songs from Vivaldi, Rossini, Fauré and others at Carnegie Hall.

From a Billowing Sound to an Ornamental Wisp

By ZACHARY WOOLFE

Joyce DiDonato returned to Carnegie Hall on Tuesday for a solo recital of songs with a Venetian theme by Vivaldi, Fauré, Rossini and others.

Opera & Classical Music Listings for Oct. 31-Nov. 6

A selected, critical guide to classical music performances in New York City.

Jazz Listings for Oct. 31-Nov. 6

A selected, critical guide to jazz performances in New York City.

Pop, Rock & Cabaret Listings for Oct. 31-Nov. 6

A selected, critical guide to performances of rock, pop, cabaret and more in New York City.

November 6, 2014

New Loretta Lynn Project Includes New and Old Music

The 82-year-old has been recording with her daughter, Patsy L. Russell, and John Carter Cash, for a project combining new songs and old folk and gospel tunes.

November 6, 2014

Phil Rudd, AC/DC Drummer, Charged With Trying to Hire Hit Man

Mr. Rudd was arrested in New Zealand and charged with trying to hire someone to commit murder.

November 5, 2014

Taylor Swift Responsible for 22% of Album Sales Last Week

Ms. Swift’s album “1989″ sold more than the next 106 titles on this week’s chart combined.

Go to Blog »

Acker Bilk performing in London in an undated photo.

Acker Bilk, British Jazz Clarinetist, Dies at 85

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Mr. Bilk’s “Stranger on the Shore” reached the top of the pop charts on both sides of the Atlantic in the early ’60s.

The Krakow Congress Center opened Oct. 16.

Poland’s Concert Hall Revival

By REBECCA SCHMID

The completion of a wave of new construction, partially funded by the European Union, gives Poland several world-class venues for classical music.

SoundCloud Signs Licensing Deal With Warner Music

By BEN SISARIO

The deal will guarantee that Warner artists will get paid when their music is played on SoundCloud.

Music Review

The pianist Peter Serkin performed as part of the People's Symphony Concert series at the Washington Irving High School.

Four Centuries, One Compositional Voice

By DAVID ALLEN

The pianist Peter Serkin presented a centuries-spanning program at a Peoples’ Symphony Concert on Oct. 25.

The author David Ritz has been behind many well-known memoirs.

An Author Mines His Niche, One Usually Filled With Song

By NATE CHINEN

The writer David Ritz reflects on his career of helping celebrities, often recording artists, put their lives on the page.

Music Review

An Eclectic Evening to Start a Season

By DAVID ALLEN

The Riverside Symphony, conducted by George Rothman, opened its new season at Alice Tully Hall on Saturday night with the pianist Hélène Tysman.

Thomas Sneddon, 73, Dies; Prosecuted Michael Jackson Case

By PAUL VITELLO

Mr. Sneddon was a district attorney who failed twice to convict Mr. Jackson on child molestation charges and became the target of a bitter song on one of the pop star’s albums.

Buraka Som Sistema at a concert: from left, Andro Carvalho, João Barbosa, Fred Ferreira (an outside drummer), Karla Rodrigues, Kalaf Angelo and Rui Pité.

In a Lisbon Band, Echoes From Afar

By RACHEL DONADIO

The Portuguese ensemble Buraka Som Sistema shows the melting-pot side of this former colonial power.

Music Review

“Mass: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players and Dancers” at the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College.

Liturgy and a Tale, Revived and Sprawling as Ever

By ZACHARY WOOLFE

The production of “Mass: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players and Dancers,” at Queens College on Sunday, encapsulated its composer, Leonard Bernstein.

New Music

Bette Midler’s album “It’s the Girls!” is a tribute to girl groups.

Albums by Neil Young, Bette Midler and Miguel Zenón

By JON PARELES, STEPHEN HOLDEN and NATE CHINEN

Neil Young, Bette Midler and Miguel Zenón have all released new music.

A social media campaign helped bring the mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato to the World Series.

On the Infield or Onstage, a Diva Is but a Click Away

By MICHAEL COOPER

The mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato is a leader in using digital media to change the worlds of opera and classical music.

Music Review

The Fortepiano, Shy and Playful by Turns

By CORINNA da FONSECA-WOLLHEIM

The fortepianist Kristian Bezuidenhout led Juilliard students in a concert of orchestral works by Mozart and J. C. and W. F. Bach.

Press Play

Noteworthy New Music

Exclusive: New Music By Son Little and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

This is the world premiere of “Things I Forgot” by Son Little and the North American debut of “I’m In Your Mind Fuzz” by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Both are due out on Nov. 11.

Listen Now »

New York Times Popcast

A veteran obscurantist: Scott Walker, whose album “Soused,” a collaboration with Sunn O))), is due out Oct. 20.

ArtsBeat

Popcast: The Myth of Scott Walker

By BEN RATLIFF

Ben Ratliff and Jon Caramanica discuss Scott Walker and Sunn O)))’s “Soused.”

FKA twigs performing in London this week.

ArtsBeat

Popcast: Tinashe, FKA Twigs and the Semantics of R&B

By BEN RATLIFF

Ben Ratliff and Jon Caramanica discuss the singers Tinashe and FKA twigs, and whether they point toward a new conception of R&B.

Taylor Swift performs onstage at the 2014 iHeartRadio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sept. 19, 2014.

Swift’s New Single Soars to No. 1 on iTunes

By BEN SISARIO

The new Taylor Swift single, “Out of the Woods,” was released at midnight and quickly reached No. 1 on the iTunes chart.

ArtsBeat

In Performance: Rachel Dratch of ‘Tail! Spin!’

By ERIK PIEPENBURG

The “Saturday Night Live” alumna in a scene from the comedy about political sex scandals.

Classical Playlists

The pianist Igor Levit performing at Park Avenue Armory in March.

ArtsBeat

Classical Playlist: Bach, Haydn, Seattle Symphony and More

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

Times critics share what they’ve been listening to lately.

Interactive Feature

Fall Arts Preview - Times 100

How to wade through the crush of culture coming your way this season? Here’s a guide to 100 events that have us especially excited, in order of appearance.