NPR launches interactive SXSW music app

NPR Austin 100Pandora isn’t the only one getting in on the SXSW fun. NPR also is gearing up for the music facet of the event with the launch of an interactive app called The Austin 100. It features 100 songs from its recommended performers to see at the festival.

Regardless of whether you’ll be going to Austin, the app is a cool discovery tool for anyone. Listeners can mark tunes as favorites within the app, but NPR has also made the music available to download, either as a complete 100-song set or as individual tracks. The app also has links to purchase the tracks or to stream them from either Rdio or Spotify. Each track also links out to the information about that artist’s live performance slot at the festival. The app is a great example of how fun discovery can be when the curation has a personal touch (all of the acts and songs were chosen by NPR’s Stephen Thompson) and a thoughtful presentation.

Anna Washenko