Music industry Books

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Book SynopsisA Friendly Guide to Launching and Maintaining Your Musical Career It's tough to make a living from one's love of music, but Sheila E. Anderson shows readers how to do just that in How to Grow as a Musician. This encouraging yet realistic guide covers everything from developing and learning one's craft to managing the business aspects of a musical

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Book SynopsisAn Engaging and Accessible Guide to Achieving Sustained Access in the Music Industry As a musician, how can you blend art and survival and still keep loving the business? The Musician’s Career Guide, written from the perspective of someone who has engaged in the daily struggle that all artists encounter, provides clear strategic support and advice in a knowledgeable, reader-friendly voice.From preparing for an audition to business planning to protecting one’s mental and emotional well-being, The Musician’s Career Guide marries practical tips with in-depth resources, anecdotes and stories to learn from, and comments for consideration and self-reflection. This book is a tool musicians can use to develop a realistic roadmap for success in the careers they desire. Part textbook, part self-directed learning tool, and full mentor, this information-packed text speaks with the voice of experience in a way that is realistic and attainable. The authors address topics including the following fundamental areas: Career development Touring Roles within the music industry Recording deals and industry PR and marketing for artists Keys to community engagement The mental side of being a musician The path and commitment to mastery as professional musician The Musician's Career Guide offers a foundation for both new and experienced musicians who yearn to clarify and achieve their individual goals of personal success and fulfillment through their craft. It's essential reading for any musician.

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Book SynopsisDuring the mid-1960s, a small group of young journalists made it their mission to write about popular music, especially rock, as something worthy of serious intellectual scrutiny. Their efforts not only transformed the perspective on the era's music but revolutionised how Americans have come to think, talk, and write about popular music ever since.In Writing the Record, Devon Powers explores this shift by focusing on The Village Voice, a key publication in the rise of rock criticism. Revisiting the work of early pop critics such as Richard Goldstein and Robert Christgau, Powers shows how they stood at the front lines of the mass culture debates, challenging old assumptions and hierarchies and offering pioneering political and social critiques of the music. Part of a college-educated generation of journalists, Voice critics explored connections between rock and contemporary intellectual trends such as postmodernism, identity politics, and critical theory. In so doing, they became important forerunners of the academic study of popular culture that would emerge during the 1970s.Drawing on archival materials, interviews, and insights from media and cultural studies, Powers not only narrates a story that has been long overlooked but also argues that pop music criticism has been an important channel for the expression of public intellectualism. This is a history that is particularly relevant today, given the challenges faced by criticism of all stripes in our current media environment. Powers makes the case for the value of well-informed cultural criticism in an age when it is often suggested that everyone is a critic.

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Book SynopsisA musician might start by playing guitar in their teenaged bedroom, but the machinery behind their career is significant. Songwriters, composers, singers, all levels of musicians, and conductors train with individual teachers and often attend arts and music schools. Performance spaces managers and booking agents, sound engineers, promoters, and traveling crews are all crucial in bringing live performances to their audiences.On the business side, talent and business managers guide careers, and entertainment attorneys review contracts. The evolving recording business hosts a variety of careers as vinyl recording reemerge, and streaming platforms take the place of live performances due to the pandemic. Musicians in recording and digital media can also work on a range of projects such as recording radio and TV commercials or video game and film scores. Career options in the music industry are more varied than ever before, and technology just expands the field.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisShe’s at the Controls gives a socio-historical examination of the roles of women studio professionals in the UK music industry. At the heart of the book are interviews conducted over six years with 30 female studio practitioners at different stages of their careers and working in different genres of popular music including reggae, hip hop and pop. The edited interviews are followed by an in-depth exploration of the often unseen and unacknowledged gender rules of music industry practice (both personal and technical) that underpin popular music etiquette. A range of supporting material from academic works to technical publications and popular music journalism is used to expand and critique the discourse. She’s at the Controls will appeal to everyone interested in new developments in the music industry, as it recalibrates itself in response to current challenges to its traditional gender stereotypes.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Starting Out: Early Engagements with Sound, Music and Technology 2. Becoming Professional: Entering the Music Industry 3. Specialisation and Entrepreneurship 4. The Workplace Experience and Relationships with Clients and Colleagues 5. Male Culture and Studio Territory 6. Gender Ventriloquism: Song Writing, Production and the Mediation of Women’s Voices 7. Fighting Back Against Stereotyping: The Case of EDM 8. Education, Inspiration and Potential for Change 9. Conclusion Bibliography Producer Biographies

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Book SynopsisSounds Irish, Acts Global critically examines both the history of Ireland's popular music industry as well as the current music scene in the country. By placing recent industry developments in the context of that history, the authors present a new way of examining any nation state's music industry - to understand the industry, the local scene must be examined. This approach highlights the multiple and changing ways by which the local scene prepares artists for both domestic and international success. In Ireland's case the scene, with its supportive network of friends, families and fans, has developed the artists who then sign with the major transnational music firms. This book is of interest to business students as well as popular music scholars in addition to non-academic readers.Table of Contents1. The Irish Arrive: Early Stages in the Music Industry Michael Mary Murphy 2. 1930s Ireland: Law and Order, Business and Nationalism Michael Mary Murphy 3. The Global Music Industries and Ireland Jim Rogers 4. The 1950s: Elvis and Ireland’s Catholic Pop Michael Mary Murphy 5. Horslips: Advancing DIY and Enterprise in the Irish Music Scene Michael Mary Murphy 6. U2: Local and Global Michael Mary Murphy 7. How Teenagers and Students Shaped Culture Michael Mary Murphy 8. Enya: “…Not Created by the Record Industry” Michael Mary Murphy 9. The Corrs: “Genetically Engineer the Perfect Pop Group” Michael Mary Murphy 10. Riverdance: Creating Profitable Local Culture Michael Mary Murphy 11. Boyzone: “Search is on for an Irish Take That” Michael Mary Murphy 12. Westlife: “He’s Got to be Kidding Me” Michael Mary Murphy 13. U2, the Virgin Prunes and Graphic Art Michael Mary Murphy Conclusion Michael Mary Murphy and Jim Rogers

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Book SynopsisA Rough Trade Book of the Year'No one has captured the look of alternative UK music over the past half a century more tellingly than Kevin Cummins.' - Simon Armitage'Kevin Cummins is a true master in being able to capture the essence of music, the soul of the band. Whatever he does however he does it is a mystery to me but it's pure genius.' - Rankin'Few photographers had such a close connection to The Fall as Manchester-based Kevin Cummins, and his new book, Telling Stories, is a rich visual history of one of the city's most beloved and enduring bands.' - Record Collector Magazine 'Kevin has the uncanny ability of capturing the inner mood of musicians. Be it the dynamics within a pensive Joy Division, or the sense surrounding the fledgeling Fall that something special was around the corner for us all. Kevin's book is nothing less than a remarkable document of a bewildering and defiant anti-fashion movement born in Prestwich, north Manchester in the grimy mid-70s.' - Marc Riley'Capturing forty years of the band's career via his archive, the legendary photographer (whose recent book, Juvenes, documented the story of Joy Division) gives his take on the phenomenon of The Fall and the late, great Mark E. Smith.' - Vive le Rock Contains never-before-seen images.Foreword by Simon Armitage, Poet Laureate. From chaotic early gigs to their final years, NME photographer Kevin Cummins provides a definitive, unique perspective on cult favourites The Fall. In this stunning visual history spanning four decades, discover how and why they emerged as one of the most innovative, boundary-breaking bands in modern music.With a foreword by Poet Laureate and Fall fan Simon Armitage and an interview with Eleni Poulou, as well as never-before-seen images from Cummins' archive, this is the ultimate visual companion to The Fall.

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Book Synopsis‘The Edge is a scathing portrait of the music industry, and a love letter to Los Angeles – but most of all it's a meditation on growing up and letting go.’ Janelle Brown, author of Watch Me Disappear ‘Insightful and true, The Edge is the real deal.’ Alan Parks, author of Bloody January WHAT COMES AFTER THE HIGH? Los Angeles. Sex and drugs, and rock and roll. It’s the life we all dream of, right? Brit Adam Fairhead has everything he ever wanted. At least he thought he did. But the life he now leads and the music industry he works in feel increasingly vapid and the comedowns he’s experiencing are harder to come up from. Disillusioned with what once seemed so pulsatingly cool, Adam has to decide what he actually wants, and more importantly, how to get it. The Edge is a hilarious and candid novel about how things can go wrong even when all your dreams come true.Trade Review'A sharp-eyed look into the global 21st-century music industry from someone who not only lived it, but actively managed the madness. In a land where the car reigns supreme, The Edge never forgets the hidden wilds of Los Angeles.' * Ryan Gattis, author of All Involved *'The realest human I met in the music industry, because he never sugar coats nothing, he just speaks truth.' * Wiley *‘Jamie Collinson’s gimlet eye is keen and unrelenting. The Edge is a scathing portrait of the music industry, and a love letter to Los Angeles – but most of all it's a meditation on growing up and letting go. Modern and mordant.’ * Janelle Brown, author of Watch Me Disappear * ‘Insightful and true, The Edge is the real deal.’ * Alan Parks, author of Bloody January *

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Book SynopsisThe Insider''s Guide to Making Money in the Music Busines is the industry bible and the ultimate guide to making money in the music business. Music is a business of money, contracts, decisions and making the most of every opportunity. To succeed - to make money - to have a career - you have to know what you are doing in both music and business.This invaluable book tells you how the business works, what you must know to succeed, and how much money you can make in films, television, video games, ASCAP, BMI and SESAC, record sales, downloads and streams, advertising, ringtones and ringbacks, interactive toys and dolls, Broadway, new media, scoring contracts and synch licenses, music publishing, foreign countries and much more.This indispensable reference is written by industry insiders Todd Brabec, Educator, Entertainment Law Attorney and former ASCAP Executive Vice President and Worldwide Director of Membership, and Jeff Brabec, Vice President of Business Affairs, Chrysalis Music Publishing.

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Book SynopsisThis incisive review analyses the most influential academic research in a burgeoning subject - the economics of music. The literature stems from both mainstream economics journals as well as pertinent works from accountancy, sociology and management sources. Topics discussed include live music, music production, labour markets and ownership and music competitions. This review provides a valuable resource for students and economists involved in this fascinating field, as well as those seeking to enter it.Table of ContentsContents: Acknowledgements Introduction Samuel Cameron PART I HIT MUSIC 1. Storm Gloor (2011), ‘Just How Long Is Your “Fifteen Minutes”? An Empirical Analysis of Artists’ Time on the Popular Charts’, Journal of the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association, 11 (1), 61–82 2. David E. Giles (2007), ’Survival of the Hippest: Life at the Top of the Hot 100’, Applied Economics, 39 (15), 1877–87 3. Ken Hendricks and Alan Sorensen (2009), ‘Information and the Skewness of Music Sales’, Journal of Political Economy, 117 (2), April, 324–69 4. Caroline Elliott and Rob Simmons (2011), ‘Factors Determining UK Album Success’, Applied Economics, 43 (30), 4699–705 5. W. Mark Crain and Robert D. Tollison (1997), ‘Economics and the Architecture of Popular Music’, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 32 (2), February, 185–205 6. William A. Hamlen, Jr. (1994), ‘Variety and Superstardom in Popular Music’, Economic Inquiry, XXXII (3), July, 395–406 PART II LIVE MUSIC 7. Robert B. Ekelund, Jr. and Shawn Ritenour (1999), ‘An Exploration of the Beckerian Theory of Time Costs: Symphony Concert Demand’, American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 58 (4), October, 887–99 8. Peter E. Earl (2001), ‘Simon’s Travel Theorem and the Demand for Live Music’, Journal of Economic Psychology, 22 (3), June, 335–58 9. Nancy Bertaux, Kaleel Skeirik and David Yi (2015), ‘Art Music and the Economy: The Modernity Index and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, 1895 to 2013’, International Journal of Economics and Business Research, 9 (4), 376–92 10. Bruno S. Frey (1994), ‘The Economics of Music Festivals’, Journal of Cultural Economics, 18 (1), March, 29–39 11. Grant C. Black, Mark A. Fox and Paul Kochanowski (2007), ‘Concert Tour Success in North America: An Examination of the Top 100 Tours from 1997 to 2005’, Popular Music and Society: Record Charts, 30 (2), May, 149–72 PART III DEMAND FOR MUSIC 12. Stan J. Liebowitz (2016), ‘How Much of the Decline in Sound Recording Sales is Due to File-Sharing?’, Journal of Cultural Economics: Economics of Music, 40 (1), February, 13–28 13. Wilfred Dolfsma (1999), ‘The Consumption of Music and the Expression of VALUES: A Social Economic Explanation for the Advent of Pop Music’, American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 58 (4), October, 1019–46 14. Ercilia García-Álvarez, Tally Katz-Gerro and Jordi López-Sintas (2007), ‘Deconstructing Cultural Omnivorousness 1982–2002: Heterology in Americans’ Musical Preferences’, Social Forces, 86 (2), December, 417–43 PART IV PRODUCTION OF MUSIC 15. William J. Baumol and Hilda Baumol (1994), ‘On The Economics of Musical Composition in Mozart’s Vienna’, Journal of Cultural Economics, 18 (3), September, 171–98 16. F. M. Scherer (2001), ‘The Evolution of Free-Lance Music Composition, 1650–1900’, Journal of Cultural Economics, 25 (4), November, 307–19 17. Karol Jan Borowiecki and Georgios Kavetsos (2015), ‘In Fatal Pursuit of Immortal Fame: Peer Competition and Early Mortality of Music Composers’, Social Science and Medicine, 134, June, 30–42 18. Mark Marotto, Johan Roos and Bart Victor (2007), ‘Collective Virtuosity in Organizations: A Study of Peak Performance in an Orchestra’, Journal of Management Studies, 44 (3), May, 388–413 19. Samuel Cameron and Alan Collins (1997), ‘Transaction Costs and Partnerships: The Case of Rock Bands’, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 32 (2), February, 171–83 20. Cédric Ceulemans, Victor Ginsburgh and Patrick Legros (2011), ‘Rock and Roll Bands, (In)complete Contracts, and Creativity’, American Economic Review: Papers and Proceedings, 101 (3), May, 217–21 21. David Hesmondhalgh (1998), ‘The British Dance Music Industry: A Case Study of Independent Cultural Production’, British Journal of Sociology, 49 (2), June, 234–51 PART V PRICE OF MUSIC RELATED GOODS 22. Kathryn Graddy and Philip E. Margolis (2011), ‘Fiddling with Value: Violins as an Investment?’, Economic Inquiry, 49 (4), October, 1083–97 23. Patrick Georges and Aylin Seçkin (2013), ‘Black Notes and White Noise: A Hedonic Approach to Auction Prices of Classical Music Manuscripts’, Journal of Cultural Economics, 37 (1), February, 33–60 24. Dennis Halcoussis and Timothy Mathews (2007), ‘eBay Auctions for Third Eye Blind Concert Tickets’, Journal of Cultural Economics, 31 (1), March, 65–78 25. Samuel Cameron (2008), ‘E-Baying for Blood?: Noncompetitive Flexible Pricing in Entertainment Ticketing – Some Demand Side Evidence’, Applied Economics, 40 (10), 1315–22 26. Samuel Cameron and Mike Reynolds (2015), ‘The Value of Collecting a Particular Musical Artist: The Case of MiniDiscs’, Briefing Notes in Economics, 91, September, 1–9 PART VI LABOUR MARKETS AND OWNERSHIP 27. Claudia Goldin and Cecilia Rouse (2000), ‘Orchestrating Impartiality: The Impact of “Blind” Auditions on Female Musicians’, American Economic Review, 90 (4), September, 715–41 28. Sam Cameron (2003), ‘The Political Economy of Gender Disparity in Musical Markets’, Cambridge Journal of Economics, 27 (6), November, 905–17 29. Jack Bishop (2005), ‘Building International Empires of Sound: Concentrations of Power and Property in the “Global” Music Market’, Popular Music and Society, 28 (4), October, 443–71 30. Ram D. Gopal, Sudip Bhattacharjee and G. Lawrence Sanders (2006), ‘Do Artists Benefit from Online Music Sharing?’, Journal of Business, 79 (3), May, 1503–33 31. Juan de Dios Montoro Pons and Manuel Cuadrado García (2008), ‘Legal Origin and Intellectual Property Rights: An Empirical Study in the Prerecorded Music Sector’, European Journal of Law and Economics, 26 (2), October, 153–73 32. Samuel Cameron (2006), ‘Rock, Pop and Judicial Efficiency: Economic Considerations in the Spandau Ballet Decisions’, Journal of Interdisciplinary Economics, 17 (3), April, 327–44 33. Maya Bacache-Beauvallet, Marc Bourreau and François Moreau (2016), ‘Information Asymmetry and 360-Degree Contracts in the Recorded Music Industry’, Revue d’Économie Industrielle – Journal of Industrial Economics, 156 (4e trimester – 4th quarter), 57–90 34. Kieran James and Christopher Tolliday (2009), ‘Structural Change in the Music Industry: A Marxist Critique of Public Statements Made by Members of Metallica during the Lawsuit against Napster’, International Journal of Critical Accounting, 1 (1–2), 144–76 PART VII COMPETITIONS 35. Herbert Glejser and Bruno Heyndels (2001), ‘Efficiency and Inefficiency in the Ranking in Competitions: The Case of the Queen Elisabeth Music Contest’, Journal of Cultural Economics, 25 (2), May, 109–29 36. Victor A. Ginsburgh and Jan C. van Ours (2003), ‘Expert Opinion and Compensation: Evidence from a Musical Competition’, American Economic Review, 93 (1), March, 289–96 37. J. Atsu Amegashie (2009), ‘American Idol: Should it be a Singing Contest or a Popularity Contest?’, Journal of Cultural Economics, 33 (4), November, 265–77 38. Luc Champarnaud (2014), ‘Prices for Superstars Can Flatten Out’, Journal of Cultural Economics, 38 (4), November, 369–84 Index

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Book SynopsisThe music industry is one of the most dynamic and fascinating business sectors. Its business model has had to evolve and adapt to continually changing technologies that impact at every level from distribution to artist management. Its latest challenge has been the closure of live music venues during the Covid-19 pandemic. The second edition of this much used introduction to the economic workings of the music business has been updated to include analysis of the impact of the pandemic as well as new trends in the industry, such as the increasing dominance of tech companies and big data and the growing importance of collective management organizations as market players, which has impacted on new business contracts. At a time when live performance outstrips music sales as the primary source of income for today’s musicians, this new edition also examines how different stakeholder positions have shifted. The book remains a rigorous presentation of the industry’s business model, the core sectors of publishing, recording and live music, and the complex myriad of licensing and copyright arrangements that underpin the industry. The revenue streams of recording companies are analysed alongside the income stream of artists to show how changing formats and distribution platforms impact both industry profit margins and artists’ earnings.Trade ReviewComprehensive and well documented, drawing on the author's prodigious knowledge of the industry. -- David Throsby, Times Literary SupplementTable of ContentsIntroduction1. A short economic history of the music business2. Microeconomics of music: music as an economic good3. The economics of music copyright4. Music publishing5. Sound recording6. Live music7. Secondary music markets8. Music labour markets9. Economics of the digital music businessConclusionGlossary

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Book SynopsisAn Uncut Magazine Book of the Year A Telegraph Book of the Year A Financial Times Book of the Year'An adventurer, an entrepreneur, a buccaneer, a visionary' - BONOAs the founder of Island Records, renowned music producer Chris Blackwell has discovered and worked with some of the most legendary artists of the second half of the twentieth century - from Steve Winwood to Cat Stevens, Bob Marley to Grace Jones, U2 to Roxy Music, via Nick Drake, the B-52's and Robert Palmer. A maverick free spirit himself, Blackwell turned Island into a home for groundbreaking musicians and their wildly divergent music styles, playing an instrumental role in bringing reggae to the world stage.Now, as he turns eighty-five, the great raconteur takes us back to the island where it all began: Jamaica - the paradise where his family once partied with the likes of Noël Coward, Ian Fleming and Errol Flynn and where, as local Jamaican sounds began to adopt contemporary American trends, Blackwell's burgeoning musical instincts flourished. It was also the birthplace of the cutting-edge Island Records, founded by Blackwell in 1959. But that was just the start of a truly remarkable career...Winding through the music industry, this fascinating memoir makes for a giddy ride, encountering Island's many esteemed collaborators over the years and unpacking the initiatives, decisions and risks that ultimately brought such enduring success to Blackwell, both in music and beyond.Trade Review'As you're about to find out through the pages in this book, Chris Blackwell - who looms large in U2's life and was in fact our lifeline into the music world - is an adventurer, an entrepreneur, a buccaneer, a visionary and a gentleman. I'm proud to know him.' -- Bono'C.B. had this way of throwing me in the deep end knowing that I would thrive on being challenged. As you'll read in The Islander, he knows how to get the very best out of people - he's a mover and a shaker and a mischief-maker.' -- Grace Jones'I read Chris Blackwell's autobiography in one sitting, unable to tear myself away. From "My Boy Lollipop" and Bob Marley, via Swinging London and punk, all the way to Talking Heads and U2, I felt like I was reading the inside story of the music of my life.' -- Salman Rushdie'A thoroughly quotable autobiography, a book that's hard to put down. 4/5' -- Mojo'Fascinating. 8/10' -- Uncut'Highly readable.' -- The Guardian'A compelling autobiography.' -- The Observer'A story told with disciplined coherence that plunges deep beneath the surface.' -- Daily Telegraph'Highly recommended.' -- Kirkus'If you're even a minor fan of music books ... buy this autobiography. Fascinating.' -- Variety'A page-turner of an autobiography.' -- Record Collector'Fascinating autobiography of the Island Records founder. The Islander is a treasure.' -- Prog'A rip-roaring yarn, the ultimate behind-the-scenes insider look at the coolest label ever on the planet.' -- The Quietus'A compelling, juicy book.' -- Irish Times'An absorbing read.' -- Echoes'An extraordinary story and a wonderful book. It couldn't be more enthusiastically recommended.' -- Mark Ellen'Highly entertaining, rapid-fire, hard-to-put-down memoir.' -- Air Mail'There are amazing insights. If you want to know how it was ... read The Islander.' -- Bob Lefsetz

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Book Synopsis'An adventurer, an entrepreneur, a buccaneer, a visionary' - BONOAs the founder of Island Records, fabled music producer Chris Blackwell has discovered and worked with some of the most important musicians of the second half of the twentieth century - from Steve Winwood to Cat Stevens, Bob Marley to Grace Jones, U2 to Roxy Music, plus countless others. He is also widely credited with having brought reggae music to the world stage.Now, as reflects on his life, Blackwell takes us back to the island where it all began: Jamaica - the place where his family once partied with the likes of Noël Coward, Ian Fleming and Errol Flynn and where, as Jamaican local music began to adopt contemporary American trends, Blackwell's burgeoning musical instincts flourished. It was also the birthplace of the now-legendary Island Records, founded by Blackwell in 1959.Five years later, while living in London selling Jamaican records to Caribbean immigrants, Blackwell came across the vocal talents of teenager Millie Small, who he paired with the song 'My Boy Lollipop'. The producer added a ska beat and released what would be a worldwide hit.But this was just the beginning of a truly remarkable career. In this fascinating memoir, including up to fifty photos supplied by Blackwell's team, the music icon will discuss the many artists he's worked with over the years, as well as unpicking the initiatives, decisions and risks that ultimately brought such success to both Blackwell and his esteemed musical collaborators.Trade Review'As you're about to find out through the pages in this book, Chris Blackwell - who looms large in U2's life and was in fact our lifeline into the music world - is an adventurer, an entrepreneur, a buccaneer, a visionary and a gentleman. I'm proud to know him.' -- BONO'C.B. had this way of throwing me in the deep end knowing that I would thrive on being challenged. As you'll read in The Islander, he knows how to get the very best out of people - he's a mover and a shaker and a mischief-maker.' -- GRACE JONES'I read Chris Blackwell's autobiography in one sitting, unable to tear myself away. From "My Boy Lollipop" and Bob Marley, via Swinging London and punk, all the way to Talking Heads and U2, I felt like I was reading the inside story of the music of my life.' -- SALMAN RUSHDIE'A thoroughly quotable autobiography, a book that's hard to put down. ****' * MOJO *'Fascinating. 8/10' * UNCUT *'A rip-roaring yarn, the ultimate behind-the-scenes insider look at the coolest label ever on the planet.' * THE QUIETUS *'Fascinating autobiography of the Island Records founder. The Islander is a treasure.' * PROG *'Highly recommended.' * KIRKUS *'There are amazing insights. If you want to know how it was...read The Islander.' -- BOB LEFSETZ'Highly readable' * The Guardian *'Highly entertaining, rapid fire, hard to put down memoir' * Air Mail *'If you're even a minor fan of music books....buy this autobiography. Fascinating' * Variety *'A compelling autobiography' * The Observer *'A compelling juicy book' * The Irish Times *'An absorbing read' * Echoes *'An extraordinary story and a wonderful book. It couldn't be more enthusiastically recommended' -- Mark Ellen * Word in Your Ear *

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Book Synopsis'Hilarious, heart-wrenching and packed with British music history.' - COLDPLAY A Virgin Radio Book of the Year It's a life-and-near-death story. But whose life? And whose near-death?As a one-time NME journalist, former Xfm radio presenter, toilet-circuit promoter and the founder of enduring homespun British record label Fierce Panda, Simon Williams has been at the cutting, cutting, cutting edge of all things 'indie' for over thirty years. During his tenure as managing director of Fierce Panda (a role he holds to this day), Simon was responsible for tripping over bands such as Coldplay, Keane, Placebo and countless other acts of independent hue - some of whom have gone on to achieve earth-shattering musical superstardom, while others have merely baffled the crowd at the Bull & Gate in north London on a wet Wednesday evening.Unfiltered and unflinching, Pandamonium! is the story of Simon's time at the indie coalface, filled with insider anecdotes to entertain music enthusiasts everywhere - from the origins of a bootlegged Oasis release to Chris Martin's delight at reaching number ninety-two in the charts. But it is also the story of how Simon tried to bring a premature end to proceedings, documenting in blunt, matter-of-fact detail his longstanding mental-health struggles.Yet, despite his raw and often poignant honesty, Simon writes with the warmth, wit, self-deprecation and wide-eyed good fortune of someone who has stared into the abyss and survived, bounding down a few indie rabbit holes along the way.Trade Review'Coldplay wouldn't exist without Simon Williams. He was the first journalist to write about our band and released our first single on his legendary label, Fierce Panda. His memoir is hilarious, heart-wrenching and packed with British music history.' -- Coldplay'Remarkable tales from both the frontline of rock journalism and behind the scenes at one of our greatest underplayed British indie labels; open, entertaining and extraordinarily poignant.' -- Steve Lamacq'Williams is a towering colossus of indie. Pandamonium! is filled with autobiographical honesty, engaging humour and some really awful puns.' -- David Quantick'A brilliant memoir: funny, thrilling, but also as moving as any book about music I've ever read. It's full of the same stuff as the best records and gigs - entertainment, but also a sense of life at its most profound.' -- John Harris'Jaw dropping ... really moving. Highly recommend it.' -- Ted Kessler'A truly shocking episode from the recent past helps turn an entertaining romp into something much more moving. 8/10' -- Classic Rock'A dryly self-deprecating and desperately poignant picture of heartfelt endeavour and harsh reality. 4/5' -- Record Collector'Hilariously funny and deeply moving.' * Variety *'A sweet natured romp.' * 4/5 Mojo *'A fascinating book for any lover of indie music and those wanting an insight into the machinations of the unforgiving, cut-throat music industry. It is also a salutary reminder of the fragility of the human condition. Most of all, it is a most entertaining and, ironically, life-affirming read written with Williams' trademark wit, gentle humour and, let's be honest, silliness.' * Louder Than War *'Incredible... beautifully written.' -- Huw Stephens'What a book; Simon perfectly captures the joy, excitement and sheer buzz of so many sides of the music industry. It's written with warmth, love and with just the right amount of humour that keeps you going during the darkest passages of his story.' -- Rick McMurray, Ash'A thoroughly entertaining, emotional and frank look into one of the most underestimated indie labels and the most overly modest man behind it. Simon and Fierce Panda were a huge part of the band's history and we are eternally grateful.' -- Rod Jones, Idlewild'Simon Williams was there from the very start. Like a lot of bands we wouldn't be where we are today without his initial enthusiasm. One of the true music aficionados.' -- Danny McNamara, Embrace

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Book Synopsis'Hilarious, heart-wrenching and packed with British music history.' - COLDPLAY A Virgin Radio Book of the Year It's a life-and-near-death story. But whose life? And whose near-death?As a one-time NME journalist, former Xfm radio presenter, toilet-circuit promoter and the founder of enduring homespun British record label Fierce Panda, Simon Williams has been at the cutting, cutting, cutting edge of all things 'indie' for over thirty years. During his tenure as managing director of Fierce Panda (a role he holds to this day), Simon was responsible for tripping over bands such as Coldplay, Keane, Placebo and countless other acts of independent hue - some of whom have gone on to achieve earth-shattering musical superstardom, while others have merely baffled the crowd at the Bull & Gate in north London on a wet Wednesday evening.Unfiltered and unflinching, Pandamonium! is the story of Simon's time at the indie coalface, filled with insider anecdotes to entertain music enthusiasts everywhere - from the origins of a bootlegged Oasis release to Chris Martin's delight at reaching number ninety-two in the charts. But it is also the story of how Simon tried to bring a premature end to proceedings, documenting in blunt, matter-of-fact detail his longstanding mental-health struggles.Yet, despite his raw and often poignant honesty, Simon writes with the warmth, wit, self-deprecation and wide-eyed good fortune of someone who has stared into the abyss and survived, bounding down a few indie rabbit holes along the way.Trade Review'Coldplay wouldn't exist without Simon Williams. He was the first journalist to write about our band and released our first single on his legendary label, Fierce Panda. His memoir is hilarious, heart-wrenching and packed with British music history.' -- Coldplay'Remarkable tales from both the frontline of rock journalism and behind the scenes at one of our greatest underplayed British indie labels; open, entertaining and extraordinarily poignant.' -- Steve Lamacq'Williams is a towering colossus of indie. Pandamonium! is filled with autobiographical honesty, engaging humour and some really awful puns.' -- David Quantick'A brilliant memoir: funny, thrilling, but also as moving as any book about music I've ever read. It's full of the same stuff as the best records and gigs - entertainment, but also a sense of life at its most profound.' -- John Harris'Jaw dropping ... really moving. Highly recommend it.' -- Ted Kessler'A truly shocking episode from the recent past helps turn an entertaining romp into something much more moving. 8/10' -- Classic Rock'A dryly self-deprecating and desperately poignant picture of heartfelt endeavour and harsh reality. 4/5' -- Record Collector'Hilariously funny and deeply moving.' * Variety *'A sweet natured romp.' * 4/5 Mojo *'A fascinating book for any lover of indie music and those wanting an insight into the machinations of the unforgiving, cut-throat music industry. It is also a salutary reminder of the fragility of the human condition. Most of all, it is a most entertaining and, ironically, life-affirming read written with Williams' trademark wit, gentle humour and, let's be honest, silliness.' * Louder Than War *'Incredible... beautifully written.' -- Huw Stephens

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Book SynopsisLondon's record shop scene is at its most vital and buoyant point since the 1990s, following a resurgence of interest in vinyl over recent years. Tom Greig, who has immersed himself in the world of London's record shops for close to two decades, profiles and tells the story of 60 distinctive independent record stores, selling both new and used vinyl. Vinyl London is at once a practical guide, featuring maps, addresses, opening times and stock information, and an attractive visual celebration of London's record shops. The book is organised geographically, and contains the following chapters; Soho; North; East; South; West; Suburbs; Markets; Vinyl Cafes. Also in the series: Rock 'n' Roll London ISBN 9781788840163 London Peculiars ISBN 9781851499182 Art London ISBN 9781788840385Trade Review'The book is an indispensable, lovingly crafted, and worthy addition to any vinyl fan's collection...Where else could you discover the shop that puts all its new records out on a Saturday morning, with a fresh line of those in the know queueing outside?' Every Record Tells A Story

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Book SynopsisThis book is a critical history of Sub Pop, the Seattle independent rock label that launched the careers of countless influential 'grunge' bands in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It focuses in particular on the languages and personas of the 'loser', a term that encompassed the label's founders and personnel, its flagship bands (including Mudhoney, TAD and Nirvana) and the avid vinyl-collecting fans it rapidly amassed. The 'loser' became (and remains) the key Sub Pop identity, but it also grounded the label in the overt masculinity, sexism and transgression of rock history. Rather than the usual reading of grunge as an alternative to the mainstream, Lamestains reveals a more equivocal and complicated relationship that Sub Pop exploited with great success.

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Book SynopsisThe music industries are fuelled by statistics: sales targets, breakeven points, success ratios, royalty splits, website hits, ticket revenues, listener figures, piracy abuses and big data. Statistics are of consequence. They influence the music that consumers get to hear, they determine the revenues of music makers, and they shape the policies of governments and legislators. Yet many of these statistics are generated by the music industries themselves, and their accuracy can be questioned. This original new book sets out to explore this shadowy terrain. While there are books that offer guidelines about how the music industries work, as well as critiques from academics about the policies of music companies, this is the first book that takes a sustained look at these subjects from a statistical angle. This is particularly significant as statistics have not just been used to explain the music industries, they are also essential to the ways that the industries work: they drive signing policy, contractual policy, copyright policy, economic policy and understandings of consumer behaviour. This edited collection provides the first in-depth examination of the use and abuse of statistics in the music industries. The international group of contributors are noted music business scholars and practitioners in the field. The book addresses five key areas in which numbers are employed: sales and awards; royalties and distribution; music piracy; music policy; and audiences and their uses of music. The authors address these subjects from a range of perspectives. Some of them test the veracity of this data and explore its tactical use by music businesses. Others are helping to generate these numbers: they are developing surveys and online projects and offer candid self-observations in this volume. There are also authors who have been subject to statistics; they deliver first-hand accounts of music industry reporting. The digital age is inherently numerical. Within the music industries this has prompted new ways of tracking the usage and recompense of music. In addition, it has generated new means of monitoring and engaging audience behaviour. It has also led to increased documentation of the trade. There is more reporting of the overall revenues of music industry sectors. There is also more engagement between industry and academia when it comes to conducting analyses and offering numerical recommendations to politicians. The aim of this collection is to expose the culture and politics of data. Music industry statistics are all-pervasive, yet because of this ubiquity they have been under-explored. This book provides new ways by which to learn music by numbers. A timely examination of how data and statistics are key to the music industries. Widely held industry assumptions are challenged with data from a variety of sources and in an engaging, lucid manner. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in how the music business uses and manipulates the data that digital technologies have made available. Primary readership will be among popular music academics, undergraduate and postgraduate students working in the fields of popular music studies, music business, media studies, cultural studies, sociology and creative industries. The book will also be of interest to people working within the music industries and to those whose work encounters industry statistics.Trade Review'In a world increasingly reflected and cognised through numerical computation, this well curated collection proves a useful reference resource. Expansive, detailed and well-researched, Music by Numbers is a commendable contribution to the understanding of our digital age.' -- Chris Woods, Popular Music'Music by numbers provides a valuable contribution to our understanding of the use and abuse of data and statistics in the music industries. It employs a critical stance and unpacks the various ways in which numbers are instrumental to industry goals and details various strategies employed to manipulate them accordingly. [...] This book undoubtedly provides useful guidelines for future research on statistics, data and metrics in the music business.' -- Erik Hitters, International Journal of Music Business Research'In fourteen distinct and loosely connected chapters the contributors variously analyze, dispute, or contribute statistics on the music industries. As Osborne notes in his excellent introduction, the book was Laing’s idea; however, it is largely due to Osborne that this volume saw the light of day, as Laing sadly passed away in January 2019. Osborne was thus forced to contribute more than he had initially planned and wrote all three chapters for Part I on the music industries’ “winners and losers.” These are some of the most interesting chapters of the book. They range in topic from how the United Kingdom singles chart has historically both reflected and driven musical popularity, to the peculiar celebration of sales figures by rewarding gold or platinum status, to the disputable but highly influential rhetoric of the “one-inten” success ratio that is still frequently heard today. Music By Numbers provides popular music scholars with an important and useful foundation for the continued investigation of “the use and abuse” of numbers in the music industries. It is also a fine tribute to the late Dave Laing.' -- Robert Prey, Journal of Popular Music Studies'Music by Numbers is a useful read for professionals at any level in the music industry. Each chapter deals with statistics and data in an accessible way without weakening their rigorous critiques of music industry practices. It would be an illuminating read for all artists and music industry professionals.' -- Margaret Grumeretz, Music Reference Services Quarterly“The book could have been called ‘Doing a Number on Music Data’ as it does just that. It reveals the tricks and traps that seemingly objective statistics conceal and puts paid once and for all the notion that they should be taken at face value. Everyone should understand the basis for claims backed by data and actual or potential sources of bias. This book is a very good source for doing just that in the music industry.” -- Ruth Towse, professor of economics of creative industries, Bournemouth University“Music By Numbers is a major contribution to popular music studies. The analyses and accounts here are detailed, rigorous, and inclusive, providing crucial resources for comparative and critical research as well as substantial counterweights to industry- and policy-serving materials.” -- Matt Stahl, associate professor of Information and Media Studies, Western University, Ontario“From the Hit Parade to Spotify, whether in arguments about royalties, piracy or the relative value of the live and recorded sectors, the political economy of popular music has always been shaped by statistics. This collection of essays provides a thoughtful, sceptical and instructive guide to why and how music businesses use and abuse numerical data.” -- Simon Frith, emeritus professor of Music, University of Edinburgh“This book offers a timely examination of how data and statistics lie at the heart of the music industries – in making decisions, lobbying governments, and discussing internet piracy. Commonly held industry assumptions are challenged with recourse to a variety of data sources and methodologies, and in an engaging, lucid manner. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in how the music business uses, abuses and manipulates the vast quantities of data that digital technologies have made available.” -- Chris Anderton, associate professor in Cultural Economy, Solent University, Southampton“Everyone who is interested in music is, in one way or another, influenced by numbers - from tracks, hits and streams to profit margins, ticket prices and piracy rates. What the chapters in this collection demonstrate is that these numbers are never neutral; they are inherently political - constructed and presented in specific ways to suit particular interests. This book offers essential guidance for anyone who wants to make sense of the statistics that surround the music industry, and - fortunately - you don't need to be a maths whizz to understand it. In an age when the 'data' about music is constantly increasing, this collection will only increase in importance, helping future readers to make sense of numbers yet to be invented.” -- Lee Marshall, professor of Sociology, University of BristolTable of ContentsRichard Osborne, ‘Introduction’ PART ONE: Winners and Losers Richard Osborne, ‘At the Sign of the Swingin’ Symbol: The Manipulation of the UK Singles Chart’ Richard Osborne, ‘The Gold Disc: One Million Pop Fans Can’t Be Wrong’ Richard Osborne, ‘“I Am a One in Ten”: Success Ratios in the Recording Industry’ PART TWO: Policy David Arditi, ‘The Global Music Report: Selling a Narrative of Decline’ Shain Shapiro, ‘Popular Music Funding in Canada’ PART THREE: Live Music Adam Behr, Matt Brennan, Martin Cloonan and Emma Webster, ‘Stop Making Census! Some Experiential Reflections on Conducting a Live Music Census’ Dave Laing, ‘What’s It Worth? Calculating the Economic Value of Live Music’ Richard Osborne, ‘Live Music vs. Recorded Music’ PART FOUR: Piracy Lucas Logan, ‘Selling the Numbers on Music Piracy to Burn Down the Digital Library’ Lola Costa Galvez, ‘Educar para crear: The Use of Statistics and Surveys in Spanish Music Anti-piracy Policies’ Vanessa Bastian and Dennis Collopy, ‘Measuring the Unmeasurable’ PART FIVE: Digital Solutions Mike Jones, ‘One Penny from Brazil: Music Publishing Revived but Untransformed’ Marcus O’Dair (Middlesex University), ‘Tokens and Techno-Economic Paradigms: On the Value of Blockchain Technology to the Music Industries’ Craig Hamilton, ‘The Harkive Project: Computational Analysis and Popular Music Reception’

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Book SynopsisThe music industries are fuelled by statistics: sales targets, breakeven points, success ratios, royalty splits, website hits, ticket revenues, listener figures, piracy abuses and big data. Statistics are of consequence. They influence the music that consumers get to hear, they determine the revenues of music makers, and they shape the policies of governments and legislators. Yet many of these statistics are generated by the music industries themselves, and their accuracy can be questioned. This original new book sets out to explore this shadowy terrain. While there are books that offer guidelines about how the music industries work, as well as critiques from academics about the policies of music companies, this is the first book that takes a sustained look at these subjects from a statistical angle. This is particularly significant as statistics have not just been used to explain the music industries, they are also essential to the ways that the industries work: they drive signing policy, contractual policy, copyright policy, economic policy and understandings of consumer behaviour. This edited collection provides the first in-depth examination of the use and abuse of statistics in the music industries. The international group of contributors are noted music business scholars and practitioners in the field. The book addresses five key areas in which numbers are employed: sales and awards; royalties and distribution; music piracy; music policy; and audiences and their uses of music. The authors address these subjects from a range of perspectives. Some of them test the veracity of this data and explore its tactical use by music businesses. Others are helping to generate these numbers: they are developing surveys and online projects and offer candid self-observations in this volume. There are also authors who have been subject to statistics; they deliver first-hand accounts of music industry reporting. The digital age is inherently numerical. Within the music industries this has prompted new ways of tracking the usage and recompense of music. In addition, it has generated new means of monitoring and engaging audience behaviour. It has also led to increased documentation of the trade. There is more reporting of the overall revenues of music industry sectors. There is also more engagement between industry and academia when it comes to conducting analyses and offering numerical recommendations to politicians. The aim of this collection is to expose the culture and politics of data. Music industry statistics are all-pervasive, yet because of this ubiquity they have been under-explored. This book provides new ways by which to learn music by numbers. A timely examination of how data and statistics are key to the music industries. Widely held industry assumptions are challenged with data from a variety of sources and in an engaging, lucid manner. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in how the music business uses and manipulates the data that digital technologies have made available. Primary readership will be among popular music academics, undergraduate and postgraduate students working in the fields of popular music studies, music business, media studies, cultural studies, sociology and creative industries. The book will also be of interest to people working within the music industries and to those whose work encounters industry statistics.Trade Review'In a world increasingly reflected and cognised through numerical computation, this well curated collection proves a useful reference resource. Expansive, detailed and well-researched, Music by Numbers is a commendable contribution to the understanding of our digital age.' -- Chris Woods, Popular Music'Music by numbers provides a valuable contribution to our understanding of the use and abuse of data and statistics in the music industries. It employs a critical stance and unpacks the various ways in which numbers are instrumental to industry goals and details various strategies employed to manipulate them accordingly. [...] This book undoubtedly provides useful guidelines for future research on statistics, data and metrics in the music business.' -- Erik Hitters, International Journal of Music Business Research'In fourteen distinct and loosely connected chapters the contributors variously analyze, dispute, or contribute statistics on the music industries. As Osborne notes in his excellent introduction, the book was Laing’s idea; however, it is largely due to Osborne that this volume saw the light of day, as Laing sadly passed away in January 2019. Osborne was thus forced to contribute more than he had initially planned and wrote all three chapters for Part I on the music industries’ “winners and losers.” These are some of the most interesting chapters of the book. They range in topic from how the United Kingdom singles chart has historically both reflected and driven musical popularity, to the peculiar celebration of sales figures by rewarding gold or platinum status, to the disputable but highly influential rhetoric of the “one-inten” success ratio that is still frequently heard today. Music By Numbers provides popular music scholars with an important and useful foundation for the continued investigation of “the use and abuse” of numbers in the music industries. It is also a fine tribute to the late Dave Laing.' -- Robert Prey, Journal of Popular Music Studies'Music by Numbers is a useful read for professionals at any level in the music industry. Each chapter deals with statistics and data in an accessible way without weakening their rigorous critiques of music industry practices. It would be an illuminating read for all artists and music industry professionals.' -- Margaret Grumeretz, Music Reference Services Quarterly“The book could have been called ‘Doing a Number on Music Data’ as it does just that. It reveals the tricks and traps that seemingly objective statistics conceal and puts paid once and for all the notion that they should be taken at face value. Everyone should understand the basis for claims backed by data and actual or potential sources of bias. This book is a very good source for doing just that in the music industry.” -- Ruth Towse, professor of economics of creative industries, Bournemouth University“Music By Numbers is a major contribution to popular music studies. The analyses and accounts here are detailed, rigorous, and inclusive, providing crucial resources for comparative and critical research as well as substantial counterweights to industry- and policy-serving materials.” -- Matt Stahl, associate professor of Information and Media Studies, Western University, Ontario“From the Hit Parade to Spotify, whether in arguments about royalties, piracy or the relative value of the live and recorded sectors, the political economy of popular music has always been shaped by statistics. This collection of essays provides a thoughtful, sceptical and instructive guide to why and how music businesses use and abuse numerical data.” -- Simon Frith, emeritus professor of Music, University of Edinburgh“This book offers a timely examination of how data and statistics lie at the heart of the music industries – in making decisions, lobbying governments, and discussing internet piracy. Commonly held industry assumptions are challenged with recourse to a variety of data sources and methodologies, and in an engaging, lucid manner. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in how the music business uses, abuses and manipulates the vast quantities of data that digital technologies have made available.” -- Chris Anderton, associate professor in Cultural Economy, Solent University, Southampton“Everyone who is interested in music is, in one way or another, influenced by numbers - from tracks, hits and streams to profit margins, ticket prices and piracy rates. What the chapters in this collection demonstrate is that these numbers are never neutral; they are inherently political - constructed and presented in specific ways to suit particular interests. This book offers essential guidance for anyone who wants to make sense of the statistics that surround the music industry, and - fortunately - you don't need to be a maths whizz to understand it. In an age when the 'data' about music is constantly increasing, this collection will only increase in importance, helping future readers to make sense of numbers yet to be invented.” -- Lee Marshall, professor of Sociology, University of BristolTable of ContentsRichard Osborne, ‘Introduction’ PART ONE: Winners and Losers Richard Osborne, ‘At the Sign of the Swingin’ Symbol: The Manipulation of the UK Singles Chart’ Richard Osborne, ‘The Gold Disc: One Million Pop Fans Can’t Be Wrong’ Richard Osborne, ‘“I Am a One in Ten”: Success Ratios in the Recording Industry’ PART TWO: Policy David Arditi, ‘The Global Music Report: Selling a Narrative of Decline’ Shain Shapiro, ‘Popular Music Funding in Canada’ PART THREE: Live Music Adam Behr, Matt Brennan, Martin Cloonan and Emma Webster, ‘Stop Making Census! Some Experiential Reflections on Conducting a Live Music Census’ Dave Laing, ‘What’s It Worth? Calculating the Economic Value of Live Music’ Richard Osborne, ‘Live Music vs. Recorded Music’ PART FOUR: Piracy Lucas Logan, ‘Selling the Numbers on Music Piracy to Burn Down the Digital Library’ Lola Costa Galvez, ‘Educar para crear: The Use of Statistics and Surveys in Spanish Music Anti-piracy Policies’ Vanessa Bastian and Dennis Collopy, ‘Measuring the Unmeasurable’ PART FIVE: Digital Solutions Mike Jones, ‘One Penny from Brazil: Music Publishing Revived but Untransformed’ Marcus O’Dair (Middlesex University), ‘Tokens and Techno-Economic Paradigms: On the Value of Blockchain Technology to the Music Industries’ Craig Hamilton, ‘The Harkive Project: Computational Analysis and Popular Music Reception’

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Book SynopsisIn 1974, with Apple winding down, George Harrison still aspired to help new artists, so rather than trying to salvage Apple, he set up his own label Dark Horse Records, on a much smaller scale. His plan was to release records from new artists as well as some of his old friends, with an eye to eventually releasing his own music. While Dark Horse had an encouraging beginning with a hit single from Splinter, the label Suffered increasing problems, failing to establish itself in the way Harrison hoped. However, some incredible and varied music was created from 1974 to 1977, including some of Harrison’s best solo material. Towards the end of its initial life, Dark Horse dropped most of its artists and released mainly Harrison’s solo work. Thankfully, since 2020, Dhani Harrison has taken the reins and has made Dark Horse viable once again, signing Cat Stevens and Billy Idol and releasing music from Joe Strummer and Leon Russell. Finally, in 2023, it was announced that Harrison’s entire solo catalogue was going to be re-released on Dark Horse. This book tells the story of the label from the beginning, through its struggles and on to its exciting renaissance in the new millennium.

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Book SynopsisVinyl Ventures: My Fifty Years at Rounder Records is less a standard history and more an idiosyncratic memoir written by one of the three Rounder founders. Rounder Records was born in 1970, a “hobby that got out of control,” a fledgling record company more or less conceived when vinyl still reigned, while the Sixties were still in flower, and which began publishing on a shoestring budget of just over $1,000. Founded by three friends just out of college, the Boston-area company produced over 3,000 record albums, the most active company of the last half-century, specializing in roots music and its contemporary offshoots. Rounder won fifty-six Grammy Awards and documented a swath of music that in many cases might otherwise never have been presented to a broader public. It’s arguably a quintessentially American success story. This book focuses on the early years up to and just through when Rounder evolved to a second stage, with a generational change that has kept the label healthy and flourishing when so many other cultural enterprises from the era have folded or gone dark. It includes original photographs taken by the author or drawn from the Rounder Records archives. It’s the story of three people with no background in business who took an idea and, through hard work and passion, built something of lasting cultural significance.Table of ContentsForeword 1. THE BACKSTORY TO STARTING A RECORD COMPANY 2. ROUNDER’S FIRST TWO RECORDS – OCTOBER 1970 3. BUILDING THE BUSINESS – THE EARLY 1970s 4. ORGANIZING THE INDIE SIDE OF THE RECORD BUSINESS 5. THE CONCEPT OF A COLLECTIVE IS CALLED INTO QUESTION 6. THE SECOND HALF OF THE SEVENTIES – GEORGE THORGOOD AND THE DESTROYERS, AND WRESTLING WITH CHANGE 7. ENTERING THE 1980s: 50 DATES IN 50 STATES – NO NIGHTS OFF! 8. STARTING OUR SECOND DECADE, A MATURING COMPANY, AND SOME REAL GROWING PAINS 9. THE MIDDLE 1980s – FLYING BY THE SEAT OF OUR PANTS 10. ALISON KRAUSS – 1986 AND FOR DECADES TO COME 11. 1990 – ROUNDER TURNS 20 12. 1995 - A QUARTER OF A CENTURY IN, AND STILL FLYING BY THE SEAT OF OUR PANTS 13. JOHN VIRANT – “THE FOURTH ROUNDER” 14. 2000 – ROUNDER TURNS 30 AS WE ENTER A NEW CENTURY 15. SELLING THE COMPANY – THE NEXT ITERATION: THE CONCORD CONNNECTION (2010) 16. ROUNDER’S SENSE OF MISSION Appendix: The Rounder Founders

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Book SynopsisA number of recent studies have responded to neoliberal understandings of entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation in the cultural and creative industries, and beyond. Although in recent years, the features of working life in this sector have been well-documented, little research seems to have looked at the psychosocial impact on the working lives of individuals. Fantasy, Neoliberalism and Precariousness draws on the results of an original empirical study of independent musicians based in Brooklyn, San Francisco, Portland, Stockholm and Paris, and considers how experiences of precariousness and insecurity under conditions of neoliberalism threatens the well-being and self-realisation of aspiring musicians. Vachet examines anxiety, narcissism, recognition and self-esteem from a sociological perspective, considering them through the lens of social class and gender. Contributing to debates within cultural studies, sociology and the political economy of communication about working lives in the cultural and creative industries, Vachet answers to-date unexplored questions around the psychosocial impact of precariousness and other problematic features of work in the cultural industries.Trade ReviewAt a time when connections between gig work and neoliberal discourses of entrepreneurialism, autonomy, flexibility, and freedom are increasingly invoked, Jeremy Vachet’s well researched and theoretically rich treatise illuminates the pernicious psychosocial effects of the precarious working conditions of independent cultural workers. Integrating Interviews with independent musicians across five global cities, participant observations, and his own experiences as a musician, this work deftly illuminates the ways structural, normative, gendered and class pressures become enmeshed within a complex set of coping strategies and defense mechanisms, mechanisms which ultimately prevent individuals from flourishing. Filled with irony, compassion, insight, and hope, this book builds upon previous sociological, communicative, and psychoanalytic work on cultural labor and has wide ranging significance for anyone interested in the personal and collective impact of new forms of labor. -- Cynthia Stohl, Distinguished Professor of Communication, University of California, Santa BarbaraEven the best research on the impact of “neoliberalism” on cultural workers has failed to investigate the experiences and emotions of those workers in any depth. This powerful study uses the helpful but neglected toolbox of psychosocial studies to prise open that black box. -- David Hesmondhalgh, Professor of Media, Music and Culture, University of LeedsTable of ContentsChapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. Consequences of Individualisation: Pathologies of Freedom Chapter 3. Coping strategies and Defence mechanisms Chapter 4. Conclusion

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Book SynopsisAre you interested in learning how to cultivate sustainable success in the popular music industry whilst prioritising your health? If so, this book is for you. Inside you'll find research-informed advice and information that aims to help musicians, as well as those that work with them, navigate their way through what can be a challenging and demanding industry.This book covers the mental and physical health problems research suggests musicians might come up against and offers lots of tools and techniques to help aid prevention. You''ll also find information about the structure of the industry, money management, and how to improve your skills as a performer, creator, and CEO of your career.Expect original interviews with leading researchers, health experts, business execs and a host of famous musicians. Widely supported by some of the biggest companies in the music business, Sound Advice is the ultimate guide for both seasoned

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Book SynopsisIn 1980 a young musician and engineer, recently graduated from Cambridge with a degree in architecture, decided to start a music studio. That person was Philip Bagenal and the studio he started was Eastcote Studios. Situated north of Ladbroke Grove, Eastcote would go on to become one of the most important and influential of London music studios. It is where Massive Attack recorded their seminal first album, Blue Lines, where Neneh Cherry recorded as well as Tricky and Seal in the 1980s and early 90s, and where Mute Records recorded many of their artists, including Depeche Mode. Then in the late 90s it became a central part of the brit pop scene with Placebo, Elastica and Suede and more recently where a new generation of musicians, from Adele to the Arctic Monkeys, the Kaiser Chiefs to Mumford & Sons, created some of their greatest albums. But this book tells the story of so much more: of why it became so successful, about the bands you may never have heard of, the sessions that collapsed into chaos and the triumphs on the other side. And about the anti-authoritarian sound magician that was Philip Bagenal.Table of ContentsForeword, Charlie Seaward • Introduction • Beginnings • Walter’s Workshops • 1980 Where is It? Well It’s Not in Eastcote • 1981 The Dudes on Kensal Road • 1982 It Was the Last Film I Ever Saw • 1983 Over My Dead Body • 1984 Who Wants to Buy Half a House in Oxford • 1985 You Know What, This Guy is Going to Buy the Studio • 1986 There’s a New Sheriff in Town • 1987 We Did to Warhol What He Did to Bananas • 1988 Like Trying to Catch Lightning in a Bottle • 1989 The Sort of a Place You Call in on Your Way to Fame • 1990 Drummy? He Was Always There • 1991 Trip Hop and Synth Riffs • 1992 Don’t Go Shoplifting at Virgin Records • 1993 Mind the Buzzcocks and How to Find Big Good Angel • 1994 It’s a Giant Blender • 1995 The Future is Medium • 1996 Sitar and Magic Stones. To Make the Sound More Magic • 1997 Everybody Needs a Bosom for a Pillow • 1998 Learning from the Maestro • 1999 Blow Them Away. Fly Them to the Moon • 2000 A Big Crane and the River of Fire • 2001 Have You Invented a Genre Lately? • 2002 The Cook and the Raconteur • 2003 From Havana, Con Calor • 2004 What’s This? What Is Happening Here! • 2005 Things to Do When the Boss Is Asleep on the Sofa • 2006 He F***ing Built Himself a Studio He Doesn’t Fit in • 2007 Can You Send This Back to Them Please? • 2008 Did You See Flash? • 2009 People the Music Industry’s Romance is Built on • 2010 3 Million Synthesisers Deep • 2011 Facts, Fun and Fusion • 2012 A Decapitated Award. And Three Bananas • 2013 I Really Don’t Like That Guitar Solo • 2014 A Bit of Gravitas and No Bullshit • 2015 The Neighbourhood Isn’t Exactly the Champs-Élysées • 2016 If You Take Someone’s Heart Out. They Die • 2017 We’re About to Blow Up the Best Studio of All Time • 2018 A Very Specials Year • 2019 Experimentation and Mistakes • 2020 Weird and the Birth of Zooming • Neatly Folded and Ironed • Picture Credits • Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisRiverdance exploded across the stage at Dublin’s Point Theatre one spring evening in 1994 during a seven-minute interval of the Eurovision Song Contest hosted by Ireland. It was a watershed moment in the cultural history of a country embracing the future, a confident leap into world music grounded in the footfall of the choreographed kick-line. It was a moment forty-five years in the making for its composer. In this tenderly unfurled memoir Bill Whelan rehearses a lifetime of unconscious preparation as step by step he revisits his past, from with his Barrington Street home in 1950s Limerick, to the forcing ground of University College Dublin and the Law Library during the 1960s, to his attic studio in Ranelagh. Along the way the reader is introduced to people and places in the immersive world of fellow musicians, artists and producers, friends and collaborators, embracing the spectrum of Irish music as it broke boundaries, entering the global slipstream of the 1980s and 1990s. As art and commerce fused, dramas and contending personalities come to view behind the arras of stage, screen and recording desk. Whelan pays tribute to a parade of those who formed his world. He describes the warmth and sustenance of his Limerick childhood, his parents and Denise Quinn, won through assiduous courtship; the McCourts and Jesuit fathers of his early days, the breakthrough with a tempestuous Richard Harris who summoned him to London; Danny Doyle, Shay Healy, Dickie Rock, Planxty, The Dubliners and Stockton’s Wing, Noel Pearson, Seán Ó Riada; working with Jimmy Webb, Leon Uris, The Corrs, Paul McGuinness, Moya Doherty, John McColgan, Jean Butler and Michael Flatley. Written with wry, inimitable Irish humour and insight, Bill Whelan’s self deprecation allows us to to see the players in all their glory, vulnerability and idiosyncracy. This fascinating work reveals the nuts, bolts, sheer effort and serendipities that formed the road to Riverdance in his reinvention of the Irish tradition for a modern age. As the show went on to perform to millions worldwide, Whelan was honoured with a 1997 Grammy Award when Riverdance was named the ‘Best Musical Show Album.’ Richly detailed and illustrated, The Road to Riverdance forms an enduring repository of memory for all concerned with the performing arts.Trade ReviewHOT PRESS BOOK OF THE YEARIRISH TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2023‘Bill Whelan’s memoir is an entertaining account of the seismic changes in Irish society during the second half of the 20th century and a colourful testament to an extraordinary life that helped shape and soundtrack it.’ Éamon Sweeney, Irish Times‘Tells the story of a life in music and the path that led to one of Ireland’s most significant cultural exports.’ Irish Independent‘Makes for marvellous, revealing and very powerful reading. A brilliant edition to the canon, it offers a remarkable picture of a musical life lived to the full. Hats off to its maker’ Niall Stokes, Hot Press‘What an incredible talent he is’ Marty Whelan‘Filled with Limerick humour’ Limerick Leader‘Bill Whelan dances down memory lane with new memoir’ Galway Advertiser‘Paints an unforgettable picture of how one man navigated the rapids of music in Ireland – and came up trumps in the long run … an essential read for anyone who loves Irish music.’ Hot Press‘From [Whelan's] central position involved in taking traditional Irish dance into a modern orbit of choreographed bliss, the book charts the artistic and business marriage that built the Riverdance machine - the nuts, bolts and good fortune that together conspired to fashion an extravaganza that would go on play to millions around the globe … After twenty-seven years of live performances to over 22 million people, it remains an Irish export up there with the best.’ Irish ExaminerIRISH EXAMINER BEST BOOK‘[Whelan's] humour is dry, winking, and pivots between sharp and deadpan, developed in the early days of “pre-ghettoisation” Limerick, somewhere between Frank McCourt and the Rolling Stones … As one might expect, Whelan’s writing is rhythmic and punchy, never shying away from difficult topics … His anecdotes are rich and giving.’ Sunday Business Post

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Book SynopsisAlthough Elgar achieved fame, status and recognition in his lifetime, his earnings did not match the standard of living to which he aspired. The late nineteenth century was a propitious time for British composers. But while the demand from music publishers for their works grew substantially, the copyright and royalty terms were such that even successful composers couldnot achieve the levels of earnings enjoyed by other creative artists such as authors, painters and dramatists. However, in the early twentieth century, new sources of earnings emerged, notably performing fees, broadcasting fees and royalties from record sales. Unlike other leading contemporary British composers, who also held prestigious, salaried positions, Elgar was, by his own volition, a freelance composer who relied entirely on the precarious earnings from his works, supplemented by conducting fees and a brief tenure at Birmingham University. As a result, although Elgar achieved fame, status and recognition in his lifetime, both nationally and internationally, his earnings did not match the standard of living to which he aspired. This lack of money, exacerbated by too much expenditure, was a constant source of worry, complaint and frustration to Elgar, even though he had become a beneficiary fromthe new sources of income in the twentieth century. Elgar's Earnings investigates whether Elgar's complaints about a lack of money can be justified by the facts. Drawing on hitherto neglected primary sources, especially the Novello Business Archive, John Drysdale examines the relatively poor terms offered by music publishers to composers of serious music in general and Elgar in particular and explores the reasons why successful painters and authors, such as G. B. Shaw, could obtain much better terms. This comparative analysis enriches our understanding of the economic and social forces at work in nineteenth and early twentieth century Britain and shows how Elgar, despite his insecure financial position, helped to establish the profession of the English composer, to the lasting benefit of future generations. JOHN DRYSDALE is a musicologist and former investment banker.Trade ReviewA fascinating book ... I commend this book to anyone interested in how composers of the time earned an income. * SPIRITED MAGAZINE, ENGLISH MUSIC FESTIVAL *This study widens our understanding of the place of Elgar's music in terms of social, cultural and economic context ... Drysdale's excellent analysis of Elgar's earnings shows the benefits that economically-focused studies of composers bring to the more contextual understanding of the life decisions and artistic choices they made. * MUSICAL TIMES, December 2013 *Drysdale [...] should be congratulated on adding a new chapter in Elgar studies. * MUSICAL OPINION *This is a rare, maybe even unique, book. [...] An unexpected, revealing, and truly fascinating book and one which I recommend wholeheartedly. * ELGAR SOCIETY JOURNAL *Table of ContentsIntroduction Opportunities for British Composers Authors, Painters and Composers Novello and the Music Publishing Business Novello, Royalties and Copyrights to 1914 and the 1904 Royalty Agreement Novello, Royalties and Copyrights 1914 to 1934 and other Music Publishers Royalties and Copyrights on Elgar's Major Works Elgar's Performing Fees and George Bernard Shaw Elgar's Earnings from Broadcasting, Recording and Conducting A Matter of Wills Epilogue Appendix

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Book SynopsisWhen the music impresario Bryan Morrison died aged 66 in 2008, after two years in a coma following a polo accident, he left behind his unpublished memoir. As a music publisher, manager and agent, Morrison had represented the Pretty Things, Pink Floyd, T. Rex, The Jam, Wham! and many others. He was also the founder and owner of the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club.In this candid and outspoken book, Morrison reveals the true stories behind why Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd once bit his finger to the bone, the Pretty Things were banned for life from New Zealand, and he became involved with the Kray Twins. He also tells how The Jam kissed goodbye to success in the USA, he received death threats when Robin Gibb left the Bee Gees, and signing a publishing deal with George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley as Wham! Spanning the golden age of British rock ’n’ roll from the 60s to the 80s, this is the extraordinary story of a cigar-chomping, East End entrepreneur, with a passion for art and design, fashion, music and polo. Trade ReviewFor me, reading ‘Have a Cigar’ was like finding a box in the loft that you had completely forgotten about which, upon opening, reveals treasures that have been locked away in your memory and transport you back in time... Even if you would not describe yourself as being a huge music fan, I defy you to not be gripped and sucked in by this cigar-chomping music impresario. -- Amanda Best * Haynet *The book is written in an easy to read, down to earth style and tells of a lifestyle that could have stepped straight off the pages of a Jilly Cooper novel... Given the sheer force of personality that shines through on the pages of the book, it seems unsurprising that Morrison was attracted to the world of polo. As he says, ‘A game of such intensity, skill, bravery and presence of mind that everything else pales into significance.’ I read the book in one sitting; it is an incredible insight into Morrison’s life and truly a privilege to have even a glimpse of the sheer force of nature he was as a businessman. -- Louise Broderick * Haynet *The book reveals the often cut-throat nature of the music business and the chaotic and often destructive lifestyles of those involved... Have a Cigar is a riveting read, bouncing through his music business deals, a brush with The Krays, Bill Gibbs’ fashion business disaster and Morrison’s dogged determination to stick with recording artists he believed in. -- Nigel Carr * Louder Than War *Have a Cigar! is a thrilling affair that takes the reader from the handy fists and feet of London's East End gangsters to the inner turmoil and confusion of Syd Barrett's by then Pink Floyd-less world. Morrison's account affords tremendous insight into the twilight world of the groups, the song publishing highs and lows, the gigs and parties; also putting a degree of flesh onto one or two particular stories, the skeletal bones of which are already known, especially to those who have geeked-out and freaked out to the myriad sounds that made up British psychedelia... It's an easy-going, hugely enjoyable read, the pages seemingly just turning by themselves as you wonder, eagerly awaiting to learn of what's going to happen next. -- Lenny Helsing * Shindig Magazine *Have a Cigar! [offers] something for those interested in the backroom machinations of the rock business. And it highlights a long gone time when charismatic solo wheelers and dealers – maybe with a bit of shady partnerships – could make struggling performers into stars. -- Bob Ruggiero * Houston Press *Bryan Morrison passed away following two years in a coma, but the publisher, manager and agent left the world with one final, unexpected gift: a candid, forthright memoir of a remarkable life. In Have a Cigar! The Memoir of the Man Behind Pink Floyd, T.Rex, The Jam and George Michael (Quiller Publishing, March 2020), Morrison shares tales of a unique life in the worlds of rock ‘n’ roll, fashion, design and polo. * Vinyl District *Table of ContentsIntroduction Prologue 1. How it all Began 2. Where is Michaelangelo Buried? 3. Oh, you Pretty Things 4. Don't Bring Me Down 5. Double Trouble 6. Crazy Diamond 7. King of the Rumbling Spice 8. A Safe Haven 9. Saved by the Bell 10. Helping Police with Enquiries 11. The Madcap Laughs 12. Art for Art's Sake 13. Fashion Victim 14. Going Underground 15. Careless Whisper 16. Wham! Bam! 17. Another Rock and Roll Christmas 18. The Game of Kings 19. A Field of Dreams 20. Reach for the Sky Epilogue Acknowledgements Select Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisJim Simpson of Big Bear Records has been involved in the music business for nearly 60 years, as musician, bandleader, promoter, record producer, festival director, manager, journalist and photographer. In his candid, constantly surprising, frequently amusing and occasionally shocking account you will encounter the joys and difficulties of managing Black Sabbath or of running a jazz festival in sun-kissed, crime-ridden Marbella. At home in Birmingham meet some of the characters who have enlivened 35 years of the Jazz Festival and read Jim's take on the scandals that closed the city’s premier jazz club. Revisit the exciting Brum Beat scene, take to the road with some 40 of the best (in some cases, most eccentric) American bluesmen of the 1970s, encounter the Blues Brothers Band in surprising places and enjoy Jim's tributes to some of the great names in British jazz, such as Humphrey Lyttelton and Kenny Baker, with whom he worked closely.

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Book SynopsisWhen pop Svengali Max of Big In Japan Records discovers Cara in a shop in Temple Bar, he immediately signs her up to his stable of young wannabees. Her friends cannot believe her luck. However little does Cara realize what’s in store for her. Overnight, he transforms her into Colleen: the Celtic popstar with strawberry-blonde extensions and snow-white teeth. Soon she discovers that Max’s plans don’t really include her voice. Whatever! But there are compensations, such as falling for the lead singer of another band and living it up in London. Max decides his protégée is ready to be launched onto the Irish-American circuit. Catapulted onto a mad tour tinged with shamrocks, sex and drugs, Colleen soon ends up on a Senate election bandwagon, and just as she becomes a ‘hit’, she finds that being a pop idol isn’t all it’s cracked up to be …Trade Review"An uproariously funny account of what it’s like to become a star in the music world!” —Louis Walsh

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Book SynopsisBacktrack is the star-studded account of Tessa Nilesâ 30 years of working alongside the greatest names in rock and pop; the story of a young girlâs quest to discover her true voice as she charts her rise to become one of the most respected session singers in Britain. Follow Tessa as she records with superstars.

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Book SynopsisThe untold story behind one of the most controversial album releases in modern music history, for fans of the Wu-Tang Clan, hip-hop music, and all those interested in the music industry. Take a kid with a dream. A legendary hip hop group. 6 years of secret recordings. A casing worthy of a king. A single artifact. Hallowed establishment institutions. An iconoclastic auction house. The world's foremost museum of modern art. A bidding war. Endless crises of conscience. An angry mob. A furious beef. A sale. A villain of Lex Luthor-like proportions. Bill Murray. The FBI. The internet gone wild. In 2007, the innovative Wu-Tang producer, Cilvaringz, feeling that digitisation increasingly supported the perception of music as disposable, took an incendiary idea to his mentor, hip hop legend, RZA: create a unique physical copy of a secret Wu-Tang album, to be encased in silver and sold through auction as a work of contemporary art. The plan raised a number of complex questions: Would selling one album for millions be the ultimate betrayal of music? How would fans react to an album that's sold on condition it could not be commercialised? And could anyone justify the ultimate sale of the album to the infamous pharmaceutical mogul Martin Shkreli? "An epic battle between colorful, creative maniacal heroes and one of the blandest beta-villains of our time. Couldn't put it down."Patton Oswalt, comedian and bestselling author of Silver Screen FiendTrade Review“An epic battle between colorful, creative maniacal heroes and one of the blandest beta-villains of our time. Couldn’t put it down.”Patton Oswalt, comedian and bestselling author of Silver Screen Fiend"[An] utterly candid work...Bozorgmehr's stirring account gives readers the insider's view of musical outlaws who possessed the best intentions of elevating hip-hop from its street moorings to more stylish, chic surroundings, and whose efforts exploded in a crisis of bad media coverage and soulless pharmaceutical drug merchants."Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisMy real story starts with a disaster, an unmitigated, pull-the-rug-from-under-you, clean-out-the-bank-account disaster. But had it not happened, The Police would never have risen to become the biggest rock band in the world; Jools Holland would not have ended up on TV; The Bangles, The Go-Go s, R.E.M., and many other music stars might never have made it either. It s strange how a fluke, a disaster, an unlikely event can lead to incredible results. But that is in essence what happened to me . . . Two Steps Forward, One Step Back tells the extraordinary story of a maverick manager, promoter, label owner, and all-round legend of the music industry. It opens in the Middle East, where Miles grew up with his father, a CIA agent who was stationed in Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon. It then shifts to London in the late 60s and the beginnings of a career managing bands like Wishbone Ash and Curved Air only for Miles s life and work to be turned upside down by a pioneering yet disastrous European tour. From the ashes of near bankruptcy, Miles enters the world of punk, sharing office space with Malcolm McLaren and Sniffin Glue, before shifting gears again as manager of The Police, featuring his brother, Stewart, on drums. Then, after founding IRS Records, he launches the careers of some of the most potent musical acts of the new wave scene and beyond, from Squeeze and The Go-Go s to The Bangles and R.E.M. Finally, the story comes full circle as Miles finds himself advising the Pentagon on how to win over hearts and minds in the Middle East and introducing Arabic music to the United States. Never let the truth get in the way of a good story, his father would tell him. Sometimes, though, the truth is all you need.

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Book SynopsisTony Christie has topped the charts in countries all around the world with `Is This The Way To Amarillo', `I Did What I Did For Maria', `Avenues & Alleyways' and has achieved critical acclaim for his more recent works with Richard Hawley and Jarvis Cocker. Tony's albums have achieved several Gold and Platinum discs and he was the only singer in 2005 to have a single release and album simultaneously at Number 1. Now for the first time Tony tells of his illustrious, colourful career that started in the small South Yorkshire town of Conisbrough and today sees him as a singing legend with fans throughout the globe. It is a story packed with emotional and financial highs and lows, fantastic characters and Tony's deep-rooted love of family. If you thought you knew Tony Christie you will now as he opens up about his loves, his sorrows and his amazing life! TONY CHRISTIE The Song Interpreter is the official autobiography of an icon in popular music whose voice sounds as good today as when he first hit the charts in 1971.

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Book SynopsisAfrobeats is a fast-growing genre, one that has carved out a distinct and powerful Black identity rooted within the African continent.The first book of its kind, A Quick Ting On: Afrobeats chronicles the social and cultural development of the eponymous music genre, tracing its rich history from the African continent all the way to the musical centre of the Western world.This exciting new book takes a unique look at the music of the African diaspora and their children, delving into how Afrobeats and its sub-genres have provided new articulations of Black identity and pride. It remembers the Afrobeats pioneers and memorable cultural moments, as well as investigating the impact of African migration, travel and modernisation on the genre.A Quick Ting On: Afrobeats provides an insightful look at how Afrobeats became the explosive music genre it is today.Table of Contents 1: My Personal Relationships with Afrobeats 2: Fela and Afrobeat–The Man And The Music 3: Hiplife–Fusion and Cutlure 4: Wxmen in Afrobeats 5: The Skanking Era–UK Funky House 6: Is It Really Everyday Dance? 7: The Sonic Creators: Music Producers 8: Afrobeats (Yes, With An S) 9: Diasporic sounds, Afro-suffixes and everything in between 10: Homecoming And The Future

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Book SynopsisWhen a musician dies, it is rarely the end of their story. While death can propel megastars to even further success, artists overlooked in their lifetime might also find a new type of fame. But a badly timed move or the wrong deal can see the artist die all over again. Colonel Tom Parker, the former carnival huckster, understood this high-wire act implicitly and the posthumous career of Elvis Presley has provided a template for everyone else. Estates have two jobs: keeping the artist's name alive and ensuring they continue to make money. These can sometimes be compatible goals, but often they spark a tension that is unique in the music business. Drawing on interviews with those running music estates as well as music lawyers, record company executives and archivists, Leaving the Building reveals how the music industry is constantly striving to perfect the business of death.

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Book SynopsisAs the creative force behind Berry Gordy Jr.'s Motown Records in the mid-Sixties, a writing credit from Holland Dozier Holland was virtually a guarantee of chart success. From Stop! In The Name Of Love to How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You, they were the songwriting and production dream team responsible for some of the greatest songs of the twentieth century. In this compelling autobiography, brothers Eddie and Brian Holland share their story for the first time, starting with growing up in Detroit raised by a single mother and their grandmother, before shining a light on their early musical careers. A gifted lyricist, Eddie started out as a solo singer with Berry Gordy as his manager before partnering up with his brother Brian and Lamont Dozier, both talented arrangers and producers. When Holland Dozier Holland came together, they helped transform Motown Records from a local soul label into a worldwide hit factory, home to international superstars such as Marvin Gaye, Martha & The Vandellas, The Supremes, Smokey Robinson, The Miracles, The Four Tops and The Isley Brothers. After an awe-inspiring tenure they left Motown in 1968, continuing their successes at new labels and with new collaborators for years to come. Featuring honest and open first-hand accounts, Come and Get These Memories is more than just a behind-the-scenes look at Motown Records at its peak: Eddie and Brian set the record straight on both their personal and professional lives and offer a revealing slice of pop-music history.

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Book SynopsisTHE ILLUSTRATED STORY OF SUN RECORDS AND THE 70 RECORDINGS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD Sun Records: the company that launched Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins. This is where Rock 'n Roll was born. Written by two of the most acclaimed music writers of our time, The Birth of Rock n' Roll: 70 Years of Sun Records looks at this history of this legendary label through the lens of 70 of its most iconic recordings. Accompanying the recordings is the label's origin story and a look at the mission of the label today, as well as fascinating dives into subjects such as the legendary Million Dollar Quartet, and how the song "Harper Valley, PTA" funded the purchase of the label. Featuring hundreds of rare images from the Sun archives as well as a foreword by music legend Jerry Lee Lewis, this is a one-of-a-kind book for anyone who wants to know where it all started.

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Book SynopsisChosen as one of the Best Architecture and Design books Summer 2022 by the Financial Times. Why British record store carrier bags are graphic design icons: While they’ve never carried the kudos of sleeve designs and music posters, record shop bags offer a fascinating insight into 20th century British music culture, high-streets and more. – Creative Review Jonny Trunk’s extensive collection of record shop bags weaves together a less conventional history of British music, celebrating the shops where musicians and fans bought and sold their first LPs. This book is a love letter to these forgotten spaces, accompanied by a juicy selection of anecdotes and little known facts about the record shops and their bags. Readers, gear up for a “brilliant ride down the old British high streets and low streets too.” – It's Nice That Jonny Trunk and FUEL present A-Z of Record Shop Bags – a publication celebrating the humble record store bag. This exhaustive collection of the record shop bag provides a unique perspective of record shopping in the UK over the last century, bringing together over 500 incredible bags (some possibly the only surviving examples) to document the fascinating story of British high street record shopping. Bags from famous chains such as NEMS, Our Price and Virgin (the amazingly rare Roger Dean bags), sit alongside designs from local shops run by eccentric enthusiasts. Packed with stories such as the first Jewish ska retailer, the record sellers who started the premier league, famous staff (David Bowie, Dusty Springfield, Morrissey, etc.) and equally infamous owners, these anecdotes of mythical vinyl entrepreneurs will entertain and delight. With vinyl record sales at their highest ever for decades (outselling CDs in the US), this publication acts as an amazing insight into the history, culture and visual language of record collecting. Following Own Label, Wrappers Delight and Auto Erotica – A-Z of Record Shop Bags: 1940s to 1990s is the next book in the series by Jonny Trunk and FUEL, examining overlooked aspects of our collective past.

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Book SynopsisThe book’s focus is on successful music entrepreneurship and career development in the global music and entertainment industry. The list of specialized occupations filled by musicians is lengthy, e.g. performer, producer, arranger, composer, songwriter, lyricist, music editor, publicist, recording engineer, conductor, sound technician, manager, entertainment lawyer, promoter, booking agent, tour manager, music educator, vocal coach, private instructor, music supervisor, music programmer, electronic DJ, etc. There are also careers ancillary to music, such as event organizer, music therapist, radio station director, or entertainment director. Music plays an important role in advertising, marketing, video games, film, and digital media as well, and there are tie-ins to tourism, restaurant, and the hospitality industry. Music as an industry is multifaceted, and is a subset of the broader entertainment industry which includes sports, cinema, broadcasting, and creative digital media. The entertainment industry in aggregate is viewed as a potential growth area by governments and by commercial concerns, and often targeted and supported as a tool for sustainable international economic, social, and cultural development. There is even such a thing as music diplomacy, as a component of cultural or “soft power” diplomacy. As with many professions, the set of skills, knowledge, and strategies required to become successfully employed in the music and entertainment-related fields are not the same set of skills needed to do the actual jobs. Young musicians and others with the ambition to work in the music industry are often baffled by the many options available, conflicting information, and the lack of a clear path to success. They are thirsty for balanced and reliable knowledge about and clear direction on how to prepare for a career in the industry. Universities, colleges, and specialty training schools offer programs designed to help individuals prepare for careers in music, leading to certificates, diplomas, or degrees, including at the graduate level. But the focus of the trainings and curricula are most often only on the skills needed to perform the work and not on how to access the work through careful career preparation and entrepreneurial thinking. There is a dearth of relevant information about how to access the opportunities, leverage the training and the networks gained in school, and how to succeed through meeting the true demands of the industry. This book aims to fill this need.

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Book SynopsisSo wird das Showbusiness Ihr Business Tauchen Sie ein in die Welt der Musik und entdecken Sie, wie Sie als leidenschaftlicher Musiker oder Produzent den Sprung auf die große Bühne schaffen! Christoph Klein führt Sie durch den Dschungel von GEMA, GVL und Künstlersozialkasse, wirft einen Blick auf die juristischen Feinheiten und entwirrt den Knoten von Plattenverträgen und Co. In diesem Buch erfahren Sie alles über die wichtigsten Player der Musikindustrie, wie Sie effektives Marketing betreiben und was bei professionellen Aufnahmen und Liveauftritten zu beachten ist. Zahlreiche Checklisten, Musterverträge und hilfreiche Adressen machen es zum unverzichtbaren Begleiter auf Ihren Weg zum Erfolg. Sie erfahren Wie Sie sich auf dem Musikmarkt erfolgreich positionieren Wer im Musikbusiness alles mitwirkt Was Sie bei GEMA und Co beachten sollten Wie Sie Social Media optimal für Ihre Musik einsetzen

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Book Synopsis

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