Freedom Needs a Soundtrack artwork

Music History · Rangzen Productions

Freedom Needs a Soundtrack

by Rangzen Productions

Thirty years ago, the Beastie Boys, U2, Rage Against the Machine, Björk, Radiohead, Pearl Jam, A Tribe Called Quest, and other major artists came together for nonviolence, freedom, and Tibet through the Tibetan Freedom Concerts. In this six-part audio documentary, concert co-founder Erin Potts tells how a small team of twenty-somethings helped build one of the largest concert series of the 1990s. With friends, artists, activists, and organizers who were part of the story, Erin looks back at how the concerts began, what they changed, and what their legacy offers today. This series is a Rangzen production produced by Adonde Media and distributed in partnership with KALW Public Media in San Francisco. To learn more about the concerts go to freedomneedsasoundtrack.com, and hear other podcasts distributed by KALW at kalw.org.

Latest episodes

Showing 7 · updated from the feed

After the Storm

Episode 6: Just two weeks before President Clinton’s trip to China, the D.C. concert becomes the biggest and most consequential yet. After lightning injures concertgoers,

Jul 20
33 min

No Slowing Down

Episode 5: The Tibetan Freedom Concerts head to New York, where the team faces slow ticket sales, city bureaucracy, and the pressure of turning one breakthrough concert i

Jul 13
21 min

The First Concert

Episode 4: After two years of near misses, Erin, Adam, and a young team of organizers finally bring the first Tibetan Freedom Concert to life, with one of the most talked

Jul 6
27 min

"Standing up for Freedom"

Episode 3: After protest photos and freedom songs are smuggled out of Tibet, Erin returns home, where a dinner with Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys transforms what she wit

Jun 29
28 min

Inside Tibet

Episode 2: After studying Tibetan in Nepal and meeting Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys in Kathmandu, Erin Potts travels inside Tibet for the first time. In Lhasa, she and

Jun 22
31 min

The Power of Music

Episode 1: Before the Tibetan Freedom Concerts became one of the biggest shows of the 1990s, teenage Erin Potts dreamt of a concert for Tibet featuring her favorite band.

Jun 15
31 min

Introducing Freedom Needs a Soundtrack

Coming June 15, 2026, Freedom Needs a Soundtrack is a six-part audio documentary about the Tibetan Freedom Concerts, one of the largest concert series of the 1990s. The s

Jun 5
1 min

Chart trend

Position in the Music History chart (US), last 90 days.

#4
all-time peak
15
days in the top 10 since Jun 2026

Chart positions

Where Freedom Needs a Soundtrack ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 20, 2026).

#39 ▼ 2 Music History US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

Erin, what a great episode! Congratulations to you, Deyden and your production team! Well done, very informative and exciting!! It really captures the energy of the moment. I loved hearing your backstory as well as the inception of how the concerts manifested into reality. You my friend are a great storyteller!! The interview with Ngawang was so powerful and poignant. What beauty and resilience in the face of such cruel and senseless oppression. I loved every minute of this launch episode and can’t wait for the rest of the series to unfold. Until then, I’m gonna go back and listen to this one again and again, it feels like being back at the shows! FREE TIBET!!

Terry510 · Jun 2026

I was there! Amazing to hear about the origins, and about all that went in to the concerts and the hope of what we can do for freedom, for non-violence, for peace, and for Tibet. Thank you Erin, thank you Adam!

Jumpslide · Jun 2026

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