What is happening? The new format is like listening to 1st and 2nd year English majors sitting around and trying to look like they’re smart. If you can’t dazzle ‘em with brilliance, befuddle ‘em with baloney. Instead of sampling new releases by artists we haven’t heard for a while, we’re given a vocabulary lesson with adjectives like “shamanistic”, “ephemeral.” 3 episodes a week ranging from 45-60 minutes an episode means you need to talk faster or learn some serious editing.

I’ve been listening to All Songs for… jeez more than 20 years. Back in the day it was an appointment listen for me. But I haven’t been able to make it through a full episode in a couple of years. The 30 seconds of music, and then 10 minutes of talking is just too much to overcome. The show has changed from being about new music to being about a few peoples’ opinions about music.

The Friday new music episodes are now too long with too much talking and not enough music. Please return to the old format and provide separate episodes if you want to have longer discussions on a topic. I’m finding I like the Alt.Latino episodes more. The music is very enjoyable and the hosts are a joy to listen to. The episodes are a good balance of playing music and offering commentary. The hosts are insightful while still having fun. They are also concise and considerate with their thoughts.

I’ve listened to New Music friday for years and have always appreciated discovering new gems and artists I would not have heard otherwise. However, this new format is just not doing it for me and I have fallen out of love with the show. Too much talking, too few albums, less perspectives, and more mainstream. I’d be curious about why the change was made, because by every one of my metrics, the show has changed for the worse. I hope NPR considers going back to the old formula.

As others have mentioned, there used to be more albums covered and seemed like a wider range of genres covered in the past. I’ve been trying to give the new show a chance to warm up, but it doesn’t seem to be getting much better. I agree there’s too much analysis chat and not enough music. I also can’t listen to Sheldon laugh at the end of almost every sentence he says anymore. Drives me crazy. He needs to boost his confidence and just say what he wants to say without using the nervous laugh to backtrack on it. It’s just plain annoying after a while. I’ve had to just skip over a lot of the talking because of it. The show needs a little tweaking to get back to what it once was.

I always turn to this podcast for new music! Excellent variety. My only gripe is sometimes it sounds like the microphone is inside of the commentators mouth. Watch out for mouth sounds 😣😖

I agree with the other recent reviews about this. Let the music speak for itself more plz.

I like the content of this podcast a lot and discovering new music/listening to the discussion, but the way that Anamaria tries to pronounce Spanish words is so cringe to me that I cannot keep listening. I can’t take it anymore

I used to love this show - it always introduced me to music from all genres and sub genres. The weekly critics would look at maybe 6 to 8 albums and then raise awareness of a particular album that each critic personally wanted to showcase which really added another layer of uniqueness to the music being introduced. Now it’s just three albums being discussed in the same time frame… I enjoy all of the critics but I want to hear the music with more albums being exposed but far less of each critic’s extensive personal opinion. Can we hear more music and less talk please? Many thanks!

I used to look forward to starting my Fridays with this show but am struggling with the change in format. I loved the variety of artists covered in the past; now the show seems to drag on with coverage of only a few albums that seems long winded. There’s a ton of discussion and not enough music being played. I find myself skipping much of the show which is a bummer, and not discovering as much new music that I love. I really hope to see more variety in the future…for a short format, >10 mins on a single album seems excessive. Hoping they look at listener feedback and reevaluate the new format.

A beautiful and memorable episode with Latin music giant Edgar Barrera and the transformation of the genre inside and out.

Grousing over the changes to the pod. And then, gradually, I’ve become a convert. I came of age falling in love w/music through pouring over reviews w/thoughtful insights & critical analysis. Same as it ever was. Just a new cadre of brilliant folks loving music like the rest of us.

Also want to express my criticism of the new New Music Friday format. 18 minutes on Luke Combs new album is simply too much coverage. I feel like your headlining album could be 6 minutes tops. More variation, please. Maybe the bigger releases like a Taylor Swift, may deserve their own episode. But otherwise, I would rather have a taste of the 20 albums released in a week than a full meal of one.

New music Friday used to be a highlight of my week, but I strongly dislike the new format. I much preferred listening to short analyses of 5+ albums than 15 minute long analyses of a couple albums. I find myself skipping at least half of every episode now. Not shocked I’m not the only one feeling this way, based on the reviews.

I hope NPR Music truly considers listener feedback. The new format of New Music Friday is so much less satisfying than before. I always looked forward to this made-it-to-Friday treat, but now I feel so much more “meh” about it. The in-depth analysis and tangential descriptions of artists and their new music feels like fluff and readily loses my interest. If I wanted to learn that much information about what album, I would pursue more in-depth information about it, but that is not what function this show has served. We are introduced and exposed to so many fewer artists and albums. My cup is not so full after a listen. I’m finding myself not looking forward to it and missing shows, without missing shows. ☹️

I think that she’s the best host yet.

This is my favorite podcast; I look forward to it every week. Each week the hosts highlight some of their favorite new albums and talk through the contours and contexts of each album. I appreciate that the hosts limit their critiques/are not providing “reviews” of the albums. They mainly focus the discussion on what they found interesting or especially compelling about the releases. They cover a wide range of genres (rap, jazz, classical, R

The show radically changed after winding down 2023. Unrecognizable now. It seems like squarely targeting urban rap. Maybe that’s what they think is needed to survive and bring in new listeners. But, why not start a new pod instead of scuttling a reliable source for discovering all types of new music? UPDATE 2024-03: The pod seems to have moved back to a format that increases its appeal for me. Maybe it is Robin getting his footing and/or giving more guidance from the brilliant Ann Powers. If you almost stopped listening (like me) give it another shot.

Ann powers is getting to be too much. The commentary is not only overpowering the music but half the time such a stupid comment just to hear herself speak. I don’t wanna listen to new comments by Ann Powers I wanna listen to new music

I have been listening for years and always looked forward to it. New format - Even though you are featuring just 4 artists I feel like I am hearing less music from those artists. All of your contributors are thoughtful and offer great insight but I am losing interest in listening and contributing to the program.

I agree with the other posts regarding a return to focusing more on the music and less banter. I find myself listening less and less each week.

I liked the old format better. It was more fun, sampled and discussed more music, and had varying opinions from many different people/demographics. I’m not sure why it needed to be changed but I find myself no longer listening when before I loved waking up on Fridays.

This is a diluted version of the original show, with meandering chatter passed off as commentary—and very little music per minute. I’d be curious to hear a relaunch as if the producers were making a demo—and really needed a green light in order to pay the bills. Maybe then it would be tighter, more entertaining, more share-worthy. But it isn’t, now.

I really liked it much more the old way. The long discussions get stale fast. I’m sorry to say that after listening to New Music Friday regularly I’ve just listened to my last episode and I had to cut it short. Pretentious banter just isn’t my thing.

Used to be great. Now too long and it’s all about the hosts talking to each other nonstop, competing to show you who knows more. Loved the old shorter format as it was a great balance.

Due to increased the political bent I don’t listen as much as I used to. But, hey, it is on NPR so that is expected. I still find the program a great resource for new music/artists that I wouldn’t normally discover on my own.

I used to love this show but ever since Robin has started to hosted less, the episodes have become more about bantering and less about featuring the actual music. I find myself skipping through min by min and still only hearing conversations between hosts and not the actual music they’re discussing. Can we get back to shorter episodes with more music please?

Not liking the new format. Hosts just like to hear themselves talk. More music less analysis please.

I wish new music Friday would go back to the old format—please. This new format is too much talking and not enough music!

Adds a much needed dose of new music to my ears! Thanks Robin and team - look forward to this every week! The new format is awesome - loved the Jan 16 episode with Xavi and Club del Rio!

My music library is a happier, richer, more eclectic space thanks to All Songs. For years, this podcast has been my go-to for new music, interviews, and insights from Robin and the gang. Listened to the Billy Joel episode this morning (for Billy Joel) and left looking for more from feeo. Thanks for unearthing so many musical discoveries, guys!

I always listen to this podcast when walking my dog and it always gives me good song recommendations!

I used to love this podcast, and would add 2-3 songs from New Music Friday to my library each week. One day I realized it had been over two years since I’ve connected with anything at all, and was listening solely out of habit. The music selection has sadly gone downhill, and I’ve since had to look to other sources for discovering new music. I wish everyone the best, but I think that’s it for me.

Just listened to the latest New Music Friday podcast from NPR’s All Songs Considered. Almost an hour long, and covered only 5 new releases…with probably less than two minutes in total of actual music played (with some of that playing under the commentary). The show seems to have shifted from introducing a wide range and variety of newly released music (and giving listeners a chance to hear enough to pique our interest) to focusing on music critics and why (or whether) music criticism is still a relevant form of cultural commentary. Relax, guys! You know your stuff and don’t need to preen and flex and beg for the audience’s attention. Just share some music you love or find interesting and spare us the endless analyses explaining why it’s significant. Please, please, please either revert back to the earlier, pre-2024 format or rename the podcast “New Music Criticism Friday”!

Ever since Bob Boilen's retirement, the ratio of "dancing about architecture" to actual music has increased dramatically. This used to be my go-to source for discovering new music and artists but looks like it is time to find a different one.

Robin Hilton sounds incredible as the new host of All Songs Considered. The conversation and curation is divine.

Just keeps getting worse

My first time listening to your podcast and I was so completely disappointed. Why is it that women have such a difficult time celebrating the success of other women? Yes, Taylor is everywhere at this moment in time and yes, for some it might seem like a lot, but there is no need to try to diminish her success. I’m not even a fan of hers but I have to say, if she were a male performer all we would have heard from you all was how “he” is the greatest performer of all time. Then you topped it off by not doing your homework to know that Billie Eilish was dressed like Poodle Parade Barbie. I appreciated your support for Victoria Monet and would have enjoyed your show more if you had done more celebration of artist and less criticism. This year’s show may have been one of the best celebrations of female artists and you chose to tarnished that. It came off as pretentiousness. It’s a shame, you could have had a really amazing show. 🙁

Miss hearing about all the new albums, hoping they return to the old format.

I have listened for year and 2024’s first new music Friday was excellent, awesome to get to hear whole songs! Keep it up!

Was really hoping to hear discussions about all the new releases this week not just 40 min on one album. Hoping this isn’t the new format going forward.

Just give me the top albums of the week! I’m not sure why the format changed or if it’s a long term thing, but my go-to source for new music no longer exists.

Why did Bob and Robin stop doing the show together? That dynamic changed set the show in a slide downhill. Now Bob is gone and it’ll never have that same magic that drew me in and opened my world to incredible music that I otherwise would have never known. RIP All Songs

I knew the poison was in the well when they named WAP the song of the year of 2020 and Bob Boilen was very apparently absent from the discourse. He built something incredibly beautiful that was my go to for discovery and there is so much good new music coming out every week, but you’ll be searching the bottom of the barrel to find it here anymore.

I love this show, and I’ve been a listener for years, but the commercial cut ins in the latest episode are little ridiculous. They cut in the middle of songs, and also the episode ends roughly on a commercial in the middle of a song and doesn’t come back to it. I’m sure those are unintentional, but it definitely diminishes from the artist craft and makes it hard to get involved in the episode. I’m hoping this gets fixed, especially before the last few of the year episodes are released that I love so much. The low rating only comes from this. The host and the music is amazing.

Now I know why Bob retired. I watched a Tiny Desk Concert a few weeks ago and right in the middle of a song, BOOM, COMMERCIAL! What?! Bye Bye.

Not a bad show, the reviews are honest and you would actually check out a few of the suggestions.

Great fresh music really friendly hosts, appt commentary. i'm deducting one star because these guys are such big dorks. 🤣 they did not know what 5150 is, and they were not familiar with the expression. "I woke up and chose violence", which is a really common quip on TikTok and Instagram these days. their discussion as to what these expressions meant was pretty cringeworthy. Nonetheless I will continue listening. It's a good pod.

Quite possibly the dumbest idea for a show ever. I would recommend they retire this show. I’ve not listened in a long time and this episode just reinforces why I stopped listening. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

😭 😭 😭 (to Bob) Bob Boilen is such an amazing influence on me and the Internet. He's set such a wonderful precedent of amazing humans at NPR Music and folks have taken that an ran with it. I love everyone on here even if it's not my cup of tea. Keep up the amazing work!