From its humble, random beginning in an office cubicle to a global cultural phenomenon, NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts have redefined intimate musical performance.

At the heart of that transformation is Bobby Carter, the series producer and host, who recently offered a candid look during Departure Festival / Radiodays North America into the journey and unseen battles fought behind-the-scenes to evolve Tiny Desk into the diverse and influential platform it is today.

In a conversation with CBC Radio host Elamin Abdelmahmoud, Carter told the audience that what sets Tiny Desk apart is its unparalleled intimacy.

“When you see a Tiny Desk, you know exactly what it is because of those shelves, because it’s in a regular office,” he explained. “We strip away all of the bells and whistles…you either got it or you don’t.”

Carter said the booking process, once as simple as checking tour schedules, has evolved into a complex operation.

“I get personally, just as one of the producers, I get 150 to 100 emails per day from artists who want to play,” he explained.

Despite shooting and publishing three shows a week, the team maintains flexibility for unexpected opportunities, citing a recent last-minute booking for Kevin Hart’s April Fool’s Day set as Chocolate Droppa, the comedian’s hip-hop alter ego.

A pivotal moment in Tiny Desk’s history, according to Carter, was T-Pain’s performance in 2014.

“It was the first real moment that put Tiny Desk on the map,” Carter said, as T-Pain – known for pioneering Auto-Tune (digital audio processing software that adjusts and corrects the pitch of recorded vocals) – performed without it, revealing a “generational talent.” 

“He just sat and sang and it was completely stripped, not even drums…it was an eye-opening moment for the music industry…it changed the game for us. So, to me, that’s a building moment,” he said. “People started to see T-Pain differently, but I think also people started to see the Tiny Desk differently – the idea of like ‘this space is for different people than they have traditionally been for.'”

While Carter says that moment broadened Tiny Desk’s appeal, expanding the show’s musical scope wasn’t without internal resistance.

“Traditionally NPR, on the air, it’s white and middle-aged,” he noted, going on to recount a particularly fierce battle over booking rapper Gucci Mane, who had just been released from federal prison.

“And there was a real internal battle at NPR. There were people who were there who did not want that to happen,” said Carter. “I wouldn’t say it’s one of the best Tiny Desks of all time because we hadn’t quite mastered how to do hip-hop, but it was proof of concept that there was a way. There were pieces of that, that really, really helped to shape what we do now, especially with hip-hop. And also, again, it belonged. So, yeah, there was some rough battles.”

Carter believes the secret to Tiny Desk’s success in fostering diversity and authenticity, lies in its team.

“The strategy is just having people who understand an audience who are also a part of the audience, who have an opportunity to speak for them,” said Carter, who noted that he was just one of a handful of Black employees when he started at NPR 25 years ago.  

When asked about creating viral moments, Carter firmly stated, “You don’t. They just happen,” sharing an anecdote about an artist who burst into tears after a performance, overwhelmed by the intimacy of the space.

“Those are moments you just cannot create. They just have to happen, but the intimacy of the space allows it to happen.”

Beyond its cultural impact, despite attracting global superstars like Taylor Swift, Usher, Billie Eilish, Sam Smith, and Smokey Robinson, Tiny Desk operates with surprisingly limited financial resources. Carter revealed that due to initial agreements made at show launch in 2008, “billions of views, not a dollar earned in terms of the revenue over the years.” That means labels, not NPR, reap the direct financial benefits from the performances.

“I love talking to people about this and hear their assumptions about what’s happening in the background,” said Carter. “Obviously, we’ve been grandfathered in this deal. And now, we deal with a music industry that wasn’t thriving the way it was in 2008 and that’s trying to hold on to every single penny.”

“I think we’re still growing. Sixteen years in, it’s good to know that we’re still learning. We’re still in development.”