If administered correctly, can music be used as medicine? We reached out to a fascinating company called MediMusic for some answers. MediMusic creates individualized playlists that reduce heart rate and influence the Vagus nerve to stimulate a positive physio-endocrine response.

ASMR or Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, has captured the attention of the Internet with millions watching viral clips of whispered voices, delicate hand movements or tapping.

Our guide to ASMR is Giulia Poerio, an associate lecturer at the University of Sussex. Dr. Poerio is one of the first academics to conduct formal studies on the subject.

The launch of Napster in June of 1999 ushered in a new era for the music industry. Music was pulled kicking and screaming into the digital era and the demise of the CD format was not long off. The subsequent collapse in revenues for music, caused the industry to reluctantly embrace streaming platforms like Spotify it also caused far reaching ripple effects we are still living with today in both music and culture at large.

The connection between music and human beings runs deeper than you might think. Humans are innately musical beings - and our relationship with music has been deeply intertwined since the homo sapiens first emerged. Our guest today is Michael Spitzer, who boldly makes the case that music is the most important thing we ever did; and is in fact a fundamental part of what makes us human.

Nashville. Seattle. New Orleans. These are but a few examples of cities that have organically developed incredible music scenes. But in fact, any city can encourage their local music scene so residents can benefit culturally, economically and in a host of other ways. Today we speak with Shain Shapiro who helps cities understand these benefits and create the right policies to enable them.

Biology would teach us that animal noises are purely functional - the sounds animals make for attracting mates or warning of danger are evolutionary adaptations necessary for surviving in the wild but nothing more. Our guest today contends the story is more complex than what you learned in bio class. Animals can make music and it’s even possible to jam with them.

Heavy metal music might not conjure up images of positive mental health, but research shows that for some people, a little metal might be just what the doctor ordered. ​It’s time to challenge those negative stereotypes and learn about the health benefits of metal. While we’re at it, we’re going to find out why sharks love heavy metal too.

We all know that music can be soothing; it can reflect your mood or enhance it - it can even change it. But did you know that it can be used as therapy for a wide range of conditions? We wanted to learn about music therapy and how it works, so we reached out to Dr. Joy Allen, a licensed music therapist and thought leader in the field.

Mike and Matt listen closely to Dr. Shelly Chadha of the World Health Organization to learn what listening habits might be creating a hearing loss epidemic and what we can do about it.

Matt and Mike join Dr. David Greenberg to explore the relationship between musical preferences and personality.

Dr. Timothy D. Taylor, a professor in UCLA’s Department of Music, and author of The Sounds of Capitalism, walks Matt and Mike through the evolution of music in advertising.

Mike & Matt find out why songs stick in our heads and the fascinating link between music and memory with Durham University’s Dr. Kelly Jakubowski.

Mike and Matt learn about music and machine learning, and the making of the winning entry for the AI Song Contest, from UC Berkeley School of Information’s Jon Gillick.

Mike and Matt are joined by world-renowned expert Professor Costas Karageorghis to learn about music’s super-power: its ability to produce a measurable improvement in many types of athletic activities.

Matt and Mike go with the flow with MIT Media Lab’s Charles Holbrow about evolving media, and music that adapts to different people, activities, and settings.

Matt and Mike take notes from Nolan Gasser, composer, co-creator of Pandora’s Music Genome Project, and author of “Why You Like It: The Science and Culture of Musical Taste”

Matt and Mike go deep into the grey matter with Dr. Robert Zattore from the International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research at McGill University.