Listen To Broken Record Free
Last updated: March 2026
Broken Record, hosted by legendary producer Rick Rubin alongside Malcolm Gladwell, goes behind the music with intimate conversations with the world's most influential artists and producers. Stream every episode free and ad-free on The Podcast App.
Why TPA for Broken Record
Hear Every Note
When Rick Rubin asks an artist about the exact moment a song came together, you do not want a mid-roll ad breaking the spell. The Podcast App delivers Broken Record completely ad-free, preserving the intimate feel of every conversation. Download episodes for offline listening and take these music stories with you anywhere.
Search the Music Archive
Broken Record has featured hundreds of artists across every genre. AI Brain lets you search across your entire listening history — ask about a specific artist, album, or production technique and get instant results. It is like having a personal index to some of the deepest music conversations ever recorded.
Your Questions, Answered
Who hosts Broken Record?
Broken Record is hosted by Rick Rubin, one of the most influential music producers in history, alongside Malcolm Gladwell and Bruce Headlam. Rick's deep relationships with artists across genres give the show unparalleled access. His conversational style draws out stories and insights that artists rarely share anywhere else.
Is Broken Record free to listen to?
Yes, every episode of Broken Record is available completely free on The Podcast App. Download the app, find the show, and subscribe. There are no fees, no paywalls, and no hidden charges. The full archive of music interviews is yours to explore.
What kind of artists appear on Broken Record?
The show spans every genre — from hip-hop and rock to country and classical. Past guests include Paul McCartney, Pharrell, Billie Eilish, Andre 3000, Questlove, Sheryl Crow, and many more. Whether you love pop, jazz, or punk, there are episodes that will resonate with your taste.
Everything You Need to Know About Broken Record
Broken Record launched in 2019 with a simple but powerful concept: put one of the most important music producers alive in a room with the artists he admires and let them talk about how music gets made. Rick Rubin has produced landmark albums for everyone from the Beastie Boys and Run-DMC to Johnny Cash and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. That breadth of experience means he can connect with virtually any artist on a deep, technical level while keeping the conversation accessible to casual music fans. The result is a podcast that appeals equally to bedroom musicians, industry professionals, and anyone who has ever wondered what goes on behind the studio door.
The addition of Malcolm Gladwell as co-host brings a different dimension to the show. Gladwell, the bestselling author known for his ability to find surprising stories in unexpected places, often steers conversations toward the cultural and psychological aspects of music-making. When Rick asks about chord progressions and studio techniques, Malcolm might ask about the social context of an album or the personal crisis that inspired a lyric. This interplay between the producer's ear and the writer's curiosity creates interviews that are richer and more multidimensional than a typical music podcast.
Listening to Broken Record on The Podcast App means never having that perfect storytelling moment shattered by an advertisement. The app is completely ad-free, which matters enormously for a show where the emotional arc of a conversation is the entire point. Variable speed playback lets you slow down for dense discussions about production techniques or speed up through introductions. Offline downloads make Broken Record the perfect travel companion — load up a dozen interviews before a flight and explore the stories behind your favorite albums at 30,000 feet.
AI Brain takes the Broken Record experience even further. With 250+ episodes in the archive, finding that one conversation about a specific album or recording technique can be daunting. Brain AI indexes everything you listen to and lets you ask natural-language questions like "What did Rick Rubin say about minimalism in production?" or "Which episode featured a conversation about the making of Abbey Road?" You get instant, precise answers without scrubbing through hours of audio. Combined with cross-device sync and CarPlay support, The Podcast App is the definitive way to experience Broken Record.
Your Guide to Listening to Broken Record for Free
Broken Record stands apart in the music podcast landscape by offering something truly rare: access to the creative minds behind the world's most iconic music, facilitated by a host who has shaped much of it himself. Rick Rubin's ability to create a comfortable, almost meditative space for conversation means that artists open up in ways they seldom do in traditional media. For music lovers, each episode is a masterclass in creativity, resilience, and the art of collaboration. And the best part is that the entire archive is available for free.
The Podcast App provides the ideal platform for Broken Record. Our ad-free experience ensures that the intimate, reflective tone of each conversation remains unbroken. When an artist is describing the exact moment inspiration struck or how a song evolved in the studio, there are no commercial interruptions to pull you out of the moment. Offline downloads let you build your own curated collection of episodes for listening during commutes, workouts, or quiet evenings, and CarPlay support makes it easy to listen while driving.
Customizing your listening experience is simple with The Podcast App. Variable speed playback gives you control over the pace — slow down to absorb every detail of a technical discussion about recording techniques, or speed up when you are catching up on a backlog. The sleep timer is perfect for those who love winding down to thoughtful conversation, automatically pausing playback when you drift off. Cross-device sync means you can start an episode on your phone and seamlessly continue on your tablet or another device.
For serious music fans who want to build a searchable library of musical knowledge, Brain AI is transformative. It indexes every episode you listen to and allows you to ask questions in natural language. Looking for Rick Rubin's thoughts on analog versus digital recording? Want to find every episode where a specific genre was discussed? Brain AI delivers instant results, turning your Broken Record library into a personal music encyclopedia. It is the smartest way to engage with one of the most insightful music podcasts ever created.
Start Listening to Broken Record Today
Download The Podcast App and go behind the music with Rick Rubin. Free, ad-free, and built for music lovers.