The seventh Irish Culture Night takes place on Friday, 21 September, with free cultural events across the island in thirty-four regions.

Alvina Grosu has been appointed to the Arts Council position, in which she will implement a scheme that examines diversity in artists' work and people's experience of the arts.

Adam Harper examines whether the concept of 'new music' makes sense in the twenty-first century, and discusses music's 'infinite' possibilities.

Stephen Graham listens to a range of new pop singles from artists such as Justin Bieber and Carly Rae Jepsen, and considers whether it makes sense to think of there being a traditional form of pop music.

Stephen Graham reflects on the nature of musicology as a discipline, particularly on its failure to gain a foothold in public debate, and considers the state of musicology in Ireland ahead of the symposium on the same subject at UCD on 4 Ap

Madonna's new single seen in light of the tendency she has displayed throughout her career for obsessive pursuit of the new.

Patrick Pearse’s classic short story about a sean-nós singer who walks to Dublin could never happen today – or could it? by Breandán Ó hEaghra

In an age when music is available anywhere, anytime, where do you find the underground, and what defines it?

A rootless generation needs an updated idea of folk music, by Benedict Schlepper-Connolly

Commissioned to compose a work in response to 9/11, John Adams confronted the question: can modern classical music still be the transcendental force we need it to be? by Barra Ó Séaghdha

Being cut off is a state of mind, writes composer John McLachlan

What have music impresarios Sergey Diaghilev, Malcolm McLaren and Simon Cowell got in common? – and what sets them apart? asks Peter Rosser.

A new generation of musicians and singers is pulling the English folk scene alongside its Irish and Scottish neighbours, pointing to a new era of collaboration – and perhaps even the healing of old wounds, writes Toner Quinn

The digital medium will set radio free, but will it change the essence of radio, asks Benedict Schlepper-Connolly

The direct impact the new digital culture is having on music, in terms of access, dissemination and copyright, is well documented, but the indirect impact less so.

‘I mbliana ní raibh aon urraíocht ar fáil faraor, leis an tseachtain ealaíne is oidhreachta a reachtáil mar a bhíonns againn go hiondúil.’ Or, in English: ‘Unfortunately, no sponsorship was...

The rise and fall of the Irish new music scene.

Breandán Ó hEaghra tells how he discovers new sounds

"The story of how Cowell came to love ‘Jedward’ is the story of how capital, given enough time, consumes even that which appears to be inconsumable." Despite its cheapness, music is the winner in The X Factor, argues Stephen Graha

The challenges facing the funding of the arts go beyond the current economic situation.

Alice Echols tells the forgotten story of the daring, cross-racial experimentation that happened across rock, funk and disco during the 1970s.

The search for a sustainable business model for the producing and selling of music in the digital age persists, but it is crippled by a narrow view of the internet.

Cannes – The teenagers employed to demonstrate the joys of Rockband – complete with full stage, bass and lead guitars, mics and kit – must have been wondering why the game was suddenly becoming such hard work. Situated by the café...

Barra Ó Séaghdha discovers that music is a curious medicine

When innovative music is seen as a moral threat to society

For nine years, I have been poised as a magazine publisher, ready to leap into the virtual world entirely. From about 2006, I was expecting it every month. It has yet to happen.

Has the affection for the piano in the home sustained – or is it now a piece of technology to be superseded?

People plus music: it’s a simple formula for compelling television programmes, but why does screening creativity in music defeat even the most imaginative producers and directors, asks Christopher Fox.

Obama and the music of Chicago become the vehicle for a writer's guilt

Classical/Early   CD Review Andrew McGregor Sat, 9:00am www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/cdreview/Classical Collection Sarah Walker Mon–Fri, 10:00am www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/classicalcollection Composer of the Week Donal...

Those interested in our cultural space must abandon the fashionably apolitical, argued former Labour TD and Minister for the Arts and now President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, writing in 2001.