NPR Music

APP OF THE WEEK:4 cert, NPR, iPad (also iPhone) ****

National Public Radio is an American public broadcast organisation rightfully beloved for its culture podcasts. This new free app (albeit with a few ads) is best enjoyed on the iPad. NPR Musicoffers album previews, music videos, gigs and the intimate "Tiny Desk Concerts", which take place in the NPR office. There's also a collection of intriguing articles that make good reading even if you don't like that particular style of music. Sample headline: "Do Jazz musicians really earn $23,000 per year?" The podcasts, including the marvellous All Songs Considered, are a slick and well-presented mix of music and chat. Fans of NPR will know that, while sometimes highbrow, the shows aren't snobbish, and the app's list of genres includes electronica, hip-hop and rock, as well as folk and classical. (Although pop doesn't get a mention in the genre list.) Beautifully presented, NPR Musicis a must-have for hipsters, fans, snobs, gangstas and refined classicists alike.