All podcast themes sound the same — why?

Switched on Pop

Vox Media Podcast Network

Music Interviews, Music History, Music, Music Commentary

4.6 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 22 July 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What if the entire sound of modern podcasting can be traced back to a single Grateful Dead song uploaded in 2001? We uncover the musical lineage that connects NPR's classical gravitas to dubstep wobbles, from the very first RSS feed experiment to the mysterious masked composer who's scored over 200 podcast themes and shaped what millions of people hear when they hit play. This deep dive reveals how podcast music evolved from classical public radio strings into today's signature blend of plinking pianos, breakbeats, and irreverent sampling—plus an exclusive interview with the enigmatic Breakmaster Cylinder, the "Han Zimmer of podcasting" who's been hiding behind a robot helmet for over a decade. MORE Subscribe to our newsletter SONGS DISCUSSED Grateful Dead "Truckin'" Adam Curry "Daily Source Code" theme NPR "All Things Considered" theme Don Voegeli "All Things Considered" original theme (1971) Don Voegeli "All Things Considered" jazz funk version (1976) NPR "All Things Considered" orchestral version (1983/1995) The Daily theme WNYC "On the Media" theme by Ben Allison "Disposable Genius" Christopher Lydon "Radio Open Source" theme by Dafnis Prieto Disparition "The Ballad of Fielder and Mourn" (Welcome to Night Vale theme) Serial theme Joe Rogan Experience theme Call Her Daddy theme Snap Judgment theme The Breakfast Club theme WTF with Marc Maron theme by John Montagna "Lock the Gate" Reply All theme by Breakmaster Cylinder Breakmaster Cylinder "Outside In" theme Breakmaster Cylinder "Bird Note" (Claire de Lune with loon calls) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Oh, that's my prime delivery.
0:01.6	What, already?
0:02.7	Only one thing can match the buzz of Prime's fast delivery.
0:06.2	And that's the buzz of Prime's entertainment.
0:09.0	What are we watching?
0:09.7	Heads of state, that new action comedy with Idris Elber as the Prime Minister,
0:13.3	John Sina as the president, and Prianka Chopra Jonas,
0:15.9	as their only hope.
0:17.0	It looks like a blast.
0:18.2	From fast delivery to explosive entertainment, it's on Prime.
0:22.5	For only 899 a month, join now. Content includes limited ads, subscription or to renews.
0:27.5	For more information, go to amazon.com.uk.U.K. slash prime.
0:33.3	Welcome to Switched on Pop. I'm songwriter Charlie Harding. And I'm musicologist Nate Sloan.
0:41.9	Okay, so celebrating our 400th episode this year, we decided that we were going to rewrite our theme song, right?
0:47.6	Oh yeah, it was in desperate need of a renovation. And we looked into all the different ways that a theme song needs to work for a show.
0:54.8	But something that we missed was, frankly, the musicology, the history of podcast music as a form.
1:01.4	Because just like pop music history, it turns out that podcast music has a long lineage and it has a sound.
1:07.8	And I promise you, you're not going to believe where it all started.
1:10.5	That's already a more
1:11.5	dramatic promise than I could have expected for a show about podcast theme music. So I'm sat,
1:18.4	as the kids say. Here's the music from the very first podcast ever.
1:23.1	Trucking. Got my chips cash in. Keep trucking Like the dude of man together
	...

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