Launched in 1999, Songlines is the leading magazine covering traditional, contemporary, folk and fusion music from around the world. Each edition is packed with the latest album reviews, artist interviews, festival profiles and travel adventures from every corner of the globe. Music is about culture, politics, history and the environment and Songlines is your essential guide to it all.

If you’re new to Songlines, download our Aug/Sept 2014 issue (#102) for free. Features include an interview with Afrobeat pioneers Tony Allen & Orlando Julius, as they both celebrate 50-year careers with new albums.

There is also an interview with Scottish author, avid music consumer and vinyl addict Ian Rankin, who speaks to Jo Frost (Songlines editor) about how he’s always willing to take a punt on new music, especially if there’s a good story behind it.

Also featured in the trial issue: a feature on Israeli musician Idan Raichel and his collaboration with Malian musician Vieux Farka Touré; Malian jeli singer Kassé Mady Diabaté; and violinists Anna Phoebe and Jyotsna Srikanth. We also pick our Essential 10 Afrobeat albums that you must own, plus Chris Moss provides a Beginner’s Guide to salsa superstar Rubén Blades.

The April 2026 issue (#216) of Songlines is out now. For our cover feature, we hear amazing stories from some of Tinariwen’s musical allies (including José González, Justin Adams and Micah Nelson), finding out why the Touareg group are one of the 21st century’s most important guitar bands. We chat to Dutch powerhouse quintet Altın Gün about their new tribute to Turkish folk bard Neşet Ertaş, and catch up with LA NIÑA, an Italian singer who had a breakthrough 2025 with an album sung in Napolitano. We visit Hornbill Festival in Nagaland, India to find out about an extraordinary tribal gathering, hear from Daughters of Donbas, a music and human rights project borne out of the stories of children abducted during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and look at the Salvador carnival institution that is Olodum. We ask Clive Bell to pick out his Essential 10 Shakuhachi Albums, have a good musical chat with Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, find out how British-Caribbean band Cymande’s extended ode to peace became a hip-hop institution, and we preview some of the most exciting albums of the year ahead with our Ones to Watch 2026. Plus, we speak to Souad Massi, Eric Bibb, Muco, Katherine Priddy, Seera, Joshua Burnside, Kronos Quartet, Awesome Tapes from Africa as well as all the usual news, listings, reviews, competitions and so much more. Subscribers will also receive our accompanying compilation (CD + digital) featuring ten tracks from the best new music releases and five bonus selections to accompany the issue.