NPR music librarian Robert Goldstein dies at 66

Robert Goldstein, who worked for nearly 20 years as NPR’s music librarian, died from cancer Friday. He was 66.

In his role as music librarian, Goldstein was an advisor for music initiatives at NPR and recently developed a music database.

In a remembrance on NPR, Tom Cole, NPR’s arts desk editor, and Bob Boilen, host of NPR’s All Songs Considered, described Goldstein as “the unassuming, behind-the-scenes guy who got things done.”

“He envisioned a new music database for NPR based on his deep knowledge of how music was used here — and, without a roadmap, from scratch, was instrumental in getting it built,” Boilen said.

Goldstein was also a composer and musician. He was a guitarist for the Washington, D.C.–based band Urban Verbs, which put out two albums. According to his NPR bio, he also “started what became Washington, DC’s famed 9:30 Club.”