The following is a guest blog post by new Music Reader Services librarian Lindsay Conway.
Did you know that the National Library Service offers subscriptions to music magazines, free of charge to NLS patrons? The NLS Music Section produces Musical Mainstream, Contemporary Soundtrack, and Popular Music Lead Sheets. NLS also offers free subscriptions to five additional music magazines in accessible formats. Below is information about all the music magazines NLS currently offers and how to subscribe. A full listing of magazines available through NLS and other organizations is available on the NLS website.
Some of these magazines are available for digital download from NLS through the Braille and Audio Reading Download service, or BARD. Find information about accessing BARD on the NLS website.
Contemporary Soundtrack: A Review of Pop, Jazz, Rock, and Country
Bimonthly audio magazine that features articles from national music magazines such as Billboard, Rolling Stone, Guitar World, and Jazziz. Recent issues include articles about Fats Domino, Tom Petty, Sam Smith, Billy Flynn, and Don Henley, among others. Available on BARD or on digital cartridge.
Musical Mainstream
Quarterly magazine in audio, large print, and braille that reprints articles from national magazines about classical music, music criticism, and music teaching. Recent issues include record reviews from Gramophone and articles that mark the birthdays of Enrique Granados and Ella Fitzgerald. Musical Mainstream also lists books recently added to the NLS music collection. Available as digital audio (cartridge), digital audio download (BARD), e-braille (BARD), large print, and press braille.
Popular Music Lead Sheets
Each quarterly braille lead sheet provides the melody, lyrics, and chords to five popular songs, from golden oldies to recent hits. Past issues are available to browse either alphabetically by song title or sequentially by issue number. Available as e-braille (BARD) or press braille.
Quarterly Music Magazine
Subscription offers a different music magazine in recorded audio each quarter, covering a variety of aspects and types of music, such as opera, jazz, and country, and instruments such as guitar and keyboard. Recent magazine issues include International Piano, American Songwriter, and Gramophone. Available as digital audio (cartridge) or digital audio download (BARD).
Rolling Stone
Provides music, video, movie, and electronics reviews that chronicle American popular culture in the arts and entertainment industry. Twenty-four issues per year are available as digital audio (cartridge), digital audio download (BARD), e-braille (BARD), and press braille.
Sound & Vision: Where Technology Becomes Entertainment
Reports on new sound equipment and album reviews, with emphasis on popular music. Ten issues per year are available as digital audio (cartridge) or digital audio download (BARD).
Braille Music Magazine
Monthly magazine with articles about classical music for professional and amateur musicians as well as reviews of new braille music publications. NLS offers this magazine in press braille but it is also available in digital braille from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (UK).
Piano Technicians Journal
The official publication of the Piano Technicians Guild provides information on the piano industry’s latest innovations, products, and technologies. Available on BARD or digital cartridge.
How to Subscribe for Mail Delivery
To receive magazines that the NLS Music Section produces (Musical Mainstream, Contemporary Soundtrack, or Popular Music Lead Sheets) through the mail, contact the NLS Music Section by e-mail at [email protected] or phone at 1-800-424-8567, extension 2.
If you would like to subscribe to receive any of the other music magazines listed above through the mail, contact the NLS network library that serves your state.
How to Subscribe on BARD
To download titles that are available on BARD, log in to your BARD account and select the magazine title and format in the section called Find Magazines and Other Materials.
An earlier version of this blog post listed “Braille Music Magazine” as a quarterly publication instead of monthly. The blog post has been updated with the correct issue information.
Comments (2)
Braille Music Magazine is published monthly, not quarterly.
From blog post author Lindsay Conway:
“Bob, thank you for bringing our attention to this matter. We have confirmed that, as you pointed out, NLS does indeed provide Braille Music Magazine in press braille monthly, not quarterly. We have revised this blog post to make this correction, and the NLS website is scheduled to be updated with the correct information as well.”