Emily has a soothing, light spirited voice and she brings in top shelf composers to talk about their work. Always an intriguing listen, with the only complaint being that there can sometimes be long intervals between episodes, which might be a deal-breaker for some. When the episodes do hit, prepare yourself for great interviews and fantastic music.

I’m currently studying to be a composer for video games, so this serves as both personally interesting, and a great way to study up on the big names in the field!

I highly recommend this podcast to people with a strong interest in music, especially those who have an interest in the soundtracks of video games.

Great to have a host who's knowledgeable, enthusiastic, grounded and familiar with essentials like harmony and composition, classical, pop, jazz and world music. Warmly recommended for the insight offered into a demanding yet rewarding field.

Excellent and fun podcast. So glad the episodes are longer … I could listen to 2 hour episodes, if Emily and her guests could swing it.

I like hearing from people who work on games but aren't covered often, the one who create the music. I wish the longer format was back. the 5 minute sessions aren't enough.

Top score is a wonderful show. Listen to it.

As someone who regularly purchases and listens to instrumental soundtracks from all media, this podcast has introduced me to some great music. I actually bought the Dishonored soundtrack because of its episode on this podcast despite having never played the game. After hearing on the most recent episode that the show will move to being 5 minutes tops, I'm actually rather disappointed - I enjoyed the in-depth discussion and many long samples from the soundtracks. Still, I'm grateful that it will continue in some form.

This is a great show that has exposed me to the art of video game music. I love tuning in and hearing the composers and the host discuss the music intelligently. It highlights and recognizes some of the best game music creators out there today and I hope the show lasts for years to come. Much appreciated!

Top Score is so great to listen to. My kids play a ton of games, so I usually hear the music from the other room. I love hearing all of the inside information about how game development works, and the music really stands on its own.

Like films scores 20 years ago, there were only a handful of composers given the respect from Hollywood and directors to create the composition their films. Now, as gaming technology has allowed studio quality level music composition to permeate through our speakers as we game on our couches, we are finally seeing the respect these guys deserve! Thank you for such an informative and wonderful podcast! Keep up the great work!

...I love this podcast. Emily is a great host and the editing does an excellent job of inserting samples of the scores being discussed. I recommend it to any fan of video games, even if they don't consider themselves a fan of classical music.

I found this podcast while looking for interviews of Bill Elm about the Red Dead score. I was very happy to stumble across this! It would be great to hear an interview with Austin Wintory about his work on the Journey score as well as Petri Alanko's work with Alan Wake.

I can only call myself a casual symphony-goer (I'm lucky to discern Baroque from Classical period music), but I find Emily's interviews entertaining and very accessible. If you are at all interested in video game music, you should give this show a try.

I stumbled onto this podcast when the very first episode aired and couldn't believe someone had made a podcast just for me. The host (Emily Reese) is knowledgeable about the music and the games, many of the guests are great composers, and the interviews are informative and tightly edited with musical excerpts. As a film score fan of ten years and someone who loves music, I feel game score are increasingly becoming more interesting than film music, especially as game budgets increase and composers are often given more artistic freedom than a typical hollywood production.

If you like music and gaming, then this is the podcast for you. I first heard of this podcast while listening to MPR and they were promoting their first ever live event. I checked it out and found some good interviews with great gaming composers.

This is by far my favorite podcast of all time. I love music scores and I have been an avid gamer mist of my life. The incredible compositions that are produced for today's games are just now being recognized for the contribution they impart and this show is a wonderful vehicle for it. Smartly done and so informative. My only complaint is that I want more!

I'm a gamer and a music lover, and listening to how the music is produced for some of my favorite games is great. The author knows her stuff, and learning about how soundtracks are created will make me appreciate the games I play a lot more.

Heard about this podcast on their music centric episode of The Joystiq Show, and decided to check it out. Great show Emily!

I love this podcast on first listen. This is the best Public Radio show since Car Talk, and one of my favorite podcasts of the past few years. SUPPORT PUBLIC RADIO. It's shows like this that makes it worth the cost.

This is a fantastic podcast. I do wish they would delve into the technical aspects of the music composition and orchestration a bit more, but it's still great to hear this kind of perspective.

The podcast should be renamed "Making You Buy Game Soundtracks You Never Thought You Would." Sort of an "Inside the Actor's Studio" for game soundtrack composers.

I've been looking for a show like this since the gaming podcast for NPR was cancelled. Top Score is a very well produced podcast that both video gamers and music enthusiasts alike will enjoy. The guest selection has been impressive and the balance between audio samples and intelligent (and sometimes humorous) dialogue is impressive. Keep up the good work, MPR!

I love the respect that video game compositions are starting to receive. I also have a video game podcast that features game music. for those of you who want more ck out GATTACAST. Top Score is top notch quality though. Well done MNPR.

Thank you so much for giving game soundtracks the respect and recognition they deserve. I really enjoy learning so many interesting details about the composers and what influences their work. A must-listen for any soundtrack or game enthusiast.

Host has an excellent voice and interviewing style. She knows her subject matter and stays on topic. I also enjoy the musical excerpts!