S-Town and the Art of Podcast Music

Often novelistic or serial in form, podcasts also tell or elevate their storylines through music. S-Town - with its limited run, simultaneous release, and immediate widespread reception - was at once critically acclaimed and ethically questioned. But is also exemplifies the ways in which a story can be told through symphonic art forms. The 7-part narrative is intertextual and multi-layered, and music is subtly but vitally incorporated throughout - overall heightening the story's message.

S-town and the Art of Podcast Music is the first book to investigate the frequently utilized but often overlooked role music plays in podcast storytelling. Using S-town as its central focus, Stilwell offers a historically-informed close analysis of the podcast, while bringing attention to the role of music in podcasts more generally through examples of other well-known podcasts. The book discusses how podcasts and their music build conceptually on radio programs, as well as other forms of storytelling such as short stories and the Southern Gothic play/novel, popular songs and, operatic arias.

Robynn Stilwell is Associate Professor of Music at Georgetown University. She is editor of The Musical: Hollywood and Beyond (2000), Changing Tunes: Issues in Music and Film (2006), and Cultural Politics and Propaganda (2007)