The free NPR Music app -- now available for download via the Apple App Store -- gives iPad users access to curated content, radio-style listening, handpicked streams, exclusive audio and video performances, and NPR Music commentary and reporting. It also features a visual playlist that can be saved for offline listening, as well as advanced album listens. With a sleek interface and filtering tools that allow for easy navigation, the app runs while you access other programs on the iPad. Audio from the app can also be sent via Wi-Fi to a home stereo system.
"The app is a prime example of the type of innovation that has contributed to public media’s role as an influential force in music," a NPR spokesperson told Mashable. "It uses animations to create a true multimedia music magazine – a robust merger of audio, text and video in one stunning app."
To kick off the launch, NPR will be live streaming a concert from indie rock band The Shins, who will perform at an invite-only NPR event on Wednesday, March 7.