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"iTunes is dead!!!" claim a number of websites and publications. Even on the TV news they were saying that "Apple has discontinued iTunes," that "it's the end of an era." Apple made big announcements at the company's Worldwide Developer Conference in early June. Did they really kill off iTunes? We look at this subject, yet again, for what will be the last episode about the future of iTunes, at least until the next one. Show notes: Episode #136 - Breaking Up with iTunes? Episode #145 - The Future of iTunes Redux Episode #149 - In Which We Discuss the Potential Breakup of iTunes Yet Again Because We Really Didn't Have Anything Else to Talk About This Week iTunes Doesn’t Look so Dead to Me About the upcoming changes with iTunes on Mac First Thoughts About Music.app Our next tracks: Rolling Thunder Revue (Netflix) Toadies: Rubberneck If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Support The Next Track

We welcome back Chris Connaker, who tells us about the latest trends in hi-fi at the Munich High End audio show. Guest: Chris Connaker: Audiophile Style, Superphonica Show notes: High End Munich Josh Qobuz Episode #147 - Kirk's New Sonos Amp Focal Maestro Utopia Evo speakers Warwick Acoustics DCS Bartók DAC Burmester Audiosysteme Tech Das Our next tracks: Tangerine Dream: Official Bootleg Series Volume Three BR5-49: The Best of BR5-49 If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Special Guest: Chris Connaker.Support The Next Track

The problem with the genre of ambient music is that most of it is not ambient music. No one really agrees on what exactly ambient music is. We discuss the genre, and the music, and how we feel about this type of music. Show notes: Brian Eno: Music for Airports, Bang on the Can: Music for Airports](https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/eno-wyatt-davies-bang-on-a-can-music-for-airports/389889337) Ambient Essentials (Apple Music) Morton Subotnick: SIlver Apples of the Moon Brian Eno: Ambient 1: Music for Airports Brian Eno: Discreet Music Brian Eno: Music for Installations Morton Feldman: Triadic Memories Terry Riley: In C (Wikipedia) Lester Bangs interviews Eno George Winston: December Ludovico Einaudi: Seven Days Walking: Day 3 Harold Budd: Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror Miles Davis: The Complete In a Silent Way Sessions List of ambient music artists (Wikipedia) Our next tracks: Ryuichi Sakamoto: Playing The Piano 2013 In Yokohama David Bowie: Stage If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Support The Next Track

We discuss the potential breakup of iTunes yet again, because there is some new information about what the future of iTunes will be. Show notes: Steve Troughton-Smith Doug's AppleScripts for iTunes Episode #136 - Breaking Up with iTunes? Episode #145 - The Future of iTunes Redux Doug's AppleScripts for iTunes Remove n Characters from Front or Back Grateful Dead - Set 1 - 10/31/80 - Radio City Music Hall (YouTube) Our next tracks: Grateful Dead: The Warfield, San Francisco, CA 10/9/80 & 10/10/80 Little Feat: Waiting for Columbus If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Support The Next Track

We don't often talk about TV, but this week we discuss some TV series, how people watch TV, and in particular the disappearing experience of appointment TV. And we link this all with iTunes, at least a bit. Show notes: Line of Duty Line of Duty season finale is UK's most watched TV show of 2019 Goodbye, Farewell and Amen (M*A*S*H) Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese The Twilight Zone (complete series) Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip Our next tracks: Bob Dylan: World Gone Wrong Easy Star All-Stars: Dub Side of the Moon If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Support The Next Track

Kirk bought some new audio equipment: a Sonos Amp. We talk about how this amp works, and how it has allowed Kirk to minimalize the equipment in his home office. Show notes: Episode #21 – Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Subwoofers Sonos Amp Music Matters, Stratford-upon-Avon Yamaha R-N803 amplifier dbx 286s Microphone Preamp & Channel Strip Processor Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB Audio Interface Episode #134 - Downsizing Your Audio System Marantz Melody X (M-CR612) Kirk's Audio Test Tracks (AppleMusic playlist) Tangent CD II Cambridge Audio AZUR 651BD Our next tracks: J. J. Cale: Stay Around Mose Allison: The Prestige Collection - Greatest Hits If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Support The Next Track

The 50th anniversary concert of Woodstock has been planned, and tickets were supposed to go on sale this week, yet have been delayed. We look back at the original Woodstock festival and how much the music influenced us. Show notes: Woodstock 50 Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and More (Wikipedia) Mad Dogs and Englishmen (Wikipedia) Woodstock Blu-Ray Woodstock: 40 Years On Woodstock history: all the bands and setlists from the original festival Our next tracks: [Santana: Soul Sacrifice (from Woodstock); edited version from the movie (YouTube) Ten Years After: Ssssh If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Support The Next Track

It’s time to have a brief discussion of the future of iTunes again. Some news has been circulating suggesting that Apple will be including separate apps for music, TV, podcasts, and books later this year. We discuss this, and how we predicted this a few months ago. Show notes: Episode #136 - Breaking Up with iTunes? Is Apple Splitting Up iTunes? Here’s How They’ll Do It Our next tracks: Jon Savage: This searing light, the sun and everything else - Joy Division: The Oral History Jo Jo Gunne: Bite Down Hard If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Support The Next Track

Cornelius Boots is a bad-ass shakuhachi player, and Kirk's second shakuhachi teacher. Cornelius is a composer, performer, and teachers, and has just released his third album of original compositions. Guest: Cornelius Boots Sacred Root: Kung Fu Flute & Buddhist Blues (Shakuhachi Unleashed, Vol. III) Green Swampy Water (video) Show notes: Episode #96 - Kiku Day Explains the Shakuhachi Taimu shakuhachi by Ken LaCosse Ney flute (Wikipedia) Bansuri flute (Wikipedia) Our next tracks: Chiku Za: Take To Iki T. Rex: The Slider If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Special Guest: Cornelius Boots.Support The Next Track

Lots of big rock stars are getting old. How much longer will these musicians be able to perform and tour? Show notes: Since we recorded this episode, we found out what was wrong with Mick: Mick Jagger recovers in hospital after undergoing successful heart surgery Kirk said musicians playing in arenas and studios; obviously he meant stadiums; or stadia, if you want to be pedantic Cruise to the Edge Jam Cruise 27 Rockers Going Strong After 70 Ages of Rock Stars Eric Clapton Crossroads Festival Pete Townshend and Roger Daltry plug album + tour The Ship of Theseus Our next tracks: Jethro Tull: Aqualung Reverend Gary Davis: Live in Newport If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast.Support The Next Track