"All respect to Chris Schwartz. He is a great visionary."-Nas "Fans of these artists will love the insider information."-Library Journal Before he started one of the most pivotal labels in hip-hop history, Chris Schwartz was a musician struggling to catch a break in 1980s Philadelphia. Ruffhouse divulges how he navigated the crime-infested, morally bankrupt music industry to found and build one of the world's most successful hip-hop labels and debuted some of its biggest stars. Ruffhouse Records launched the careers of Nas, The Fugees, Wyclef Jean, Cypress Hill, Kris Koss, and others, dominating the charts and generating global revenues of over one billion dollars. A saga of money, greed, envy, betrayal, violence, addiction, loss, and redemption, not to mention a whole lot of music, Ruffhouse reveals the inside story of the record companies, recording studios, tour buses, private jets, mansions, radio stations, and concert halls at the height of hip-hop's 1990s heyday while also uncovering the industry's darker side, from police stations to rehab clinics, courtrooms to prisons. Narrated in Schwartz's own candid, searing prose, Ruffhouse is a gripping portrayal of hip-hop culture at its tipping point, as it transitioned from urban curiosity to a global commercial platform. "Schwartz's insider tale will appeal."-Publishers Weekly

Picking up where Under the Big Black Sun left off, More Fun in the New World explores the years 1982 to 1987, covering the dizzying pinnacle of L.A.'s punk rock movement as its stars took to the national -- and often international -- stage. Detailing the eventual splintering of punk into various sub-genres, the second volume of John Doe and Tom DeSavia's west coast punk history portrays the rich cultural diversity of the movement and its characters, the legacy of the scene, how it affected other art forms, and ultimately influenced mainstream pop culture. The book also pays tribute to many of the fallen soldiers of punk rock, the pioneers who left the world much too early but whose influence hasn't faded. As with Under the Big Black Sun, the book features stories of triumph, failure, stardom, addiction, recovery, and loss as told by the people who were influential in the scene, with a cohesive narrative from authors Doe and DeSavia. Along with many returning voices, More Fun in the New World weaves in the perspectives of musicians Henry Rollins, Fishbone, Billy Zoom, Mike Ness, Jane Weidlin, Keith Morris, Dave Alvin, Louis Perez, Charlotte Caffey, Peter Case, Chip Kinman, Maria McKee, and Jack Grisham, among others. And renowned artist/illustrator Shepard Fairey, filmmaker Allison Anders, actor Tim Robbins, and pro-skater Tony Hawk each contribute chapters on punk's indelible influence on the artistic spirit. In addition to stories of success, the book also offers a cautionary tale of an art movement that directly inspired commercially diverse acts such as Green Day, Rancid, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Wilco, and Neko Case. Readers will find themselves rooting for the purists of punk juxtaposed with the MTV-dominating rock superstars of the time who flaunted a "born to do this, it couldn't be easier" attitude that continued to fuel the flames of new music. More Fun in the New World follows the progression of the first decade of L.A. punk, its conclusion, and its cultural rebirth.

Payola is as old as the music industry and continues today. Contrary to popular belief, the acceptance of payola is legal. (Only the nonreporting of it would be illegal.) The recipients of payola and the reasons behind it are discussed decade-by-decade. The early bribes to the minstrel groups and vaudeville players are traced, as are modern-day payments to disc jockeys and radio station programme directors, where drugs are often given instead of cash. Particular attention is paid to 1959 and 1960 when federal investigators attempted to eradicate the practice.

'Literally changed the course of my life' James Murphy 'The chapter on Larry Levan alone transformed me into wanting to be your favorite DJ' Questlove 'The original and still the best' Gilles Peterson 'We can't tell the story of dance music without speaking the names of Sharon White and Judy Weinstein, so I welcome this vital update' The Blessed Madonna When someone says, 'You have to know your history...' this is it. This classic book is the whole unruly story of dance music in one volume. It recreates the dancefloors that made history, conjuring their atmosphere with loving detail and bringing you the voices of the DJs and clubbers at their heart - from grime, garage, house, hip hop and disco, to techno, soul, reggae, rock'n'roll, and EDM. Whether musical outlaw, obsessive crate-digger or overpaid superstar, the DJ has been at the spinning centre of nightlife for a century, making parties wilder, pushing clubbers harder, and driving music into completely new shapes and styles. In 1999 this was the first book to do justice to the DJ's rollercoaster ride. Twenty years later, it's fully refreshed, carefully updated and filled with even more stories, including two brand new chapters. This edition comes with a new foreword by James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem).

This book explores the fundamentals of popular music performance for students in contemporary music institutions. Drawing on the insights of performance practice research, it discusses the unwritten rules of performances in popular music, what it takes to create a memorable performance, and live popular music as a creative industry. The authors offer a practical overview of topics ranging from rehearsals to stagecraft, and what to do when things go wrong. Chapters on promotion, recordings, and the music industry place performance in the context of building a career. Performing Popular Music introduces aspiring musicians to the elements of crafting compelling performances and succeeding in the world of today's popular music.

Everywhere you look, musicians are creating, recording, and selling their music without the help of big-name studios, producers, or labels. This book offers tangible-and visually stunning-proof that self-recording is a path to artistic freedom. Each chapter takes on a specific aspect of self-recording through original interviews with musicians and all new photography, revealing the joys and complications of recording music on one's own terms. You'll learn how some of your favorite musicians charted their path to self-recording and how they use emerging technologies to make exceptional music. The book features intimate shots of artists recording in living rooms, backyards, and garages-such as Eleanor Friedberger, Mac DeMarco, Vagabon, Tune-Yards, Yuka Honda, and more. The first book devoted entirely to the practice of self-recording, Mirror Sound charts a way forward for any musician who aspires to make their own music and those who just love to listen.

This book is intended as a survey history of the American record business as it developed during its first full century. It already existed, just barely, when the century began, and by the start of the twenty-first century, whatever its troubles, it had become a very big business: 785 million albums in 2000 might not have represented much of an increase over the previous year, but it was still a lot of records. The story of the industry's development is a financial and commercial one, concerning sales, competition, and economic forces, and it is also a musical one, concerning musicians and songwriters. The history of a country's music is, to an extent, the history of the country itself, and much more could be said-indeed, much more has been said-about that than can be attempted here. But it is hoped that with this overview the reader will gain a certain perspective on that history and the way that the creation of an art form interacts with the machinery of its distribution-or has, thus far, anyway.

Innovation in Music: Performance, Production, Technology and Business is an exciting collection comprising of cutting-edge articles on a range of topics, presented under the main themes of artistry, technology, production and industry. Each chapter is written by a leader in the field and contains insights and discoveries not yet shared. Innovation in Music covers new developments in standard practice of sound design, engineering and acoustics. It also reaches into areas of innovation, both in technology and business practice, even into cross-discipline areas. This book is the perfect companion for professionals and researchers alike with an interest in the Music industry. Chapter 31 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license. https://tandfbis.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/rt-files/docs/Open+Access+Chapters/9781138498211_oachapter31.pdf

Since the turn of the century, the impact of digital technologies on the promotion, production and distribution of music in the Philippines has both enabled and necessitated an increase in independent musical practices. In the first in-depth investigation into the independent music scene in the Philippines, Monika E. Schoop exposes and portrays the as yet unexplored restructurings of the Philippine music industries, showing that digital technologies have played an ambivalent role in these developments. While they have given rise to new levels of piracy, they have also offered unprecedented opportunities for artists. The near collapse of the transnational recording industry in the Philippines stands in stark contrast to a thriving independent music scene in the county's national capital region, Metro Manila, which cuts across musical genres and whose members successfully adjust to a rapidly evolving industry scenario. Independent practices have been facilitated by increased access to broadband Internet, the popularity of social media platforms and home recording technology. At the same time, changing music industry structures often leave artists with no other option but to operate independently. Based on extensive fieldwork online and offline, the book explores the diverse and innovative music production, distribution, promotion and financing strategies that have become constitutive of the independent music scene in twenty-first-century Manila.

For everyone interested in starting a record label-to market new talent or to release and promote their own music-there has never been a better time to do it
Music can be released, distributed, and promoted for a fraction of traditional costs. Veteran author and music-business consultant Daylle Deanna Schwartz (who started and ran her own label) has rewritten and expanded her classic, "Start & Run Your Own Record Label," to reflect industry changes and new opportunities for marketing music in today's climate.
"Start & Run Your Own Record Label" is a comprehensive guidebook to building a record label, packed with how-to information about market trends and revenue streams for music releases. In addition to updated information on physical distribution, generating publicity, marketing, and promotion, it also has new information about key issues including:
-Balancing on and offline promotion and marketing
-Making the most of online resources (social-networking sites, blogs, ringtones, videos, radio, and more)
-Using digital distribution profitably
-Licensing your recordings for use in the media
-Marketing music overseas
Ms. Schwartz has compiled new interviews with top industry professionals and independent labels-including recording artist CJ Baran (Push Play), Jed Carlson (founder, ReverbNation), Daniel Glass (founder, Glassnote Entertainment), blogger Perez Hilton, Scott Lapatine (founder, Stereogum), recording artist Ingrid Michaelson, Jeff Price (founder, Tunecore), MP3 bloggers, music-magazine editors, publicists, and others-for the most up-to-date, authoritative, and practical compendium available.

This book presents the days of live music production in the UK spanning the late '60s to the mid-'80s, when rock music was enjoying a meteoric rise in popularity. The author, Richard Ames, will take you on a true behind-the-scenes journey of discovery. You'll learn who the people were, where they came from and how they went on to pioneer the first companies that would become the lifeblood of a unique industry. The interviews contained in this book record and present the raw stories of a few of the original innovators who set the stage for their performers but also for the hundreds of technicians who would tour the world following in their footsteps. The pioneers presented in these interviews share with the reader countless candid anecdotes that convey how their curious enthusiasm, energy, dedication, and general can-do attitude was the driving force behind the creation of the many companies we know of as common place today. The book presents interviews that span varied aspects of live music production including lighting, sound, rigging, staging, trucking, bussing and catering. Live Music Production captures a piece of social history that promises to inform, entertain and delight.

The Music Business and Recording Industry is a comprehensive music business textbook focused on the three income streams in the music industry: music publishing, live entertainment, and recordings. The book provides a sound foundation for understanding key issues, while presenting the latest research in the field. It covers the changes in the industry brought about by the digital age, such as changing methods of distributing and accessing music and new approaches in marketing with the Internet and mobile applications. New developments in copyright law are also examined, along with the global and regional differences in the music business.

A music-career book like no other, The Music Producer's Survival Guide offers a wide-ranging, exploratory, yet refreshing down-to-earth take on living the life of the independent electronic music producer. If you are an intellectually curious musician/producer eager to make your mark in today's technologically advanced music business, you're in for a treat. This new edition includes industry and technological updates, additional interviews, and tips about personal finances, income, and budgets. In this friendly, philosophical take on the art and science of music production, veteran producer, engineer, and teacher Brian Jackson shares clear, practical advice about shaping your own career in today's computer-centric "home-studio" music world. You'll cover music technology, philosophy of music production, career planning, networking, craft and creativity, the DIY ethos, lifestyle considerations, and much more. Brian's thoughtful approach will teach you to integrate your creative passion, your lifestyle, and your technical know-how. The Music Producer's Survival Guide is the first music-production book to consider the influence of complexity studies and chaos theory on music-making and career development. It focuses on practicality while traversing a wide spectrum of topics, including essential creative process techniques, the TR-808, the proliferation of presets, the butterfly effect, granular synthesis, harmonic ratios, altered states, fractal patterns, the dynamics of genre evolution, and much more. Carving out your niche in music today is an invigorating challenge that will test all your skills and capacities. Learn to survive-and thrive-as a creative-technical professional in today's music business, with the help of Brian Jackson and The Music Producer's Survival Guide!

Gender, Branding, and the Modern Music Industry combines interview data with music industry professionals with theoretical frameworks from sociology, mass communication, and marketing to explain and explore the gender differences female artists experience. This book provides a rare lens on the rigid packaging process that transforms female artists of various genres into female pop stars. Stars-and the industry power brokers who make their fortunes-have learned to prioritize sexual attractiveness over talent as they fight a crowded field for movie deals, magazine covers, and fashion lines, let alone record deals. This focus on the female pop star's body as her core asset has resigned many women to being "short term brands," positioned to earn as much money as possible before burning out or aging ungracefully. This book, which includes interview data from music industry insiders, explores the sociological forces that drive women into these tired representations, and the ramifications for the greater social world.

London 1968:
The Unstable Boys are the name on every music insider's lips and tipped to follow in the footsteps of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. This is their chance to hit the bigtime. They don't know they're about to be obliterated by a series of tragedies and a chaotic breakup that puts paid to the band's starry-eyed dreams of stratospheric success. One day you're the dog's bollocks; the next day you're a nobody - fame is a fickle friend.

London 2016:
Bestselling crime writer Michael Martindale has reached breaking point. Estranged from his wife and children following the very public fallout of his disastrous affair, he is alone, with only his self-pity to keep him warm at night. Until he makes the mistake of publicly declaring his admiration for his teenage musical obsession, the Unstable Boys. When the band's twisted and feral frontman, the Boy, turns up on his doorstep, Martindale quickly learns that sometimes you should be careful what you wish for.

Razor-sharp and laced with a caustic wit, The Unstable Boys is a dark comic caper with an unmistakeable musicality from legendary music journalist Nick Kent.

"A journey down the rabbit hole of LA's most subtly toxic industry ... funny, brilliant, coy, playful, and wise." - LENA DUNHAM, author of Not That Kind of Girl Musician Hayley Gene Penner tells all in this harrowingly honest memoir. Singer-songwriter Hayley Gene Penner's memoir takes a brutally honest yet humorous look at the dark, intimate truths we spend our lives running from. Like a map of beautiful mistakes, Hayley's stories of questionable sexual encounters, artistic aspirations, and emotional abuse trace her coming of age in the music industry. Hayley explores all her relationships - from her childhood as the daughter of a celebrity, to the destructive and coercive relationship with her boss, to her encounter with the actor we all know but who mustn't be named - and brings them together in a series of sharp, touching vignettes. People You Follow straddles the delicate boundary between ethical and unethical behaviour, self-protection and self-destruction, power and weakness, giddiness and despair.

The Great British Recording Studios tells the story of the iconic British facilities where many of the most important recordings of all time were made. The first comprehensive account of British recording studios ever published, it was written with the cooperation of the British APRS (Association of Professional Recording Services, headed by Sir George Martin) to document the history of the major British studios of the 1960s and 1970s and to help preserve their legacy. Each chapter focuses on a different studio (including Abbey Road, Olympic, and Trident), with complete descriptions of the studio's physical facilities and layout, along with listings of equipment and key personnel, as well as details about its best-known technical innovations and a discography of the major recordings done there. Seamlessly interweaving narrative text with behind-the-scenes anecdotes from dozens of internationally renowned record producers and a wealth of photographs (many never published before), this book brings to life the most famous British studios and the people who created magic there. Meticulously researched and organized, The Great British Recording Studios will inform and inspire students of the recording arts, music professionals, casual music fans, and anyone interested in the acoustically pristine facilities, ground-breaking techniques, and innovative artists and technicians that have shaped the course of modern recording.

In today's fast-moving music industry, what does it take to build a life-long career? Now more than ever, all those working in music need to be aware of many aspects of the business, and take control of their own careers. Understanding the Music Business offers students a concise yet comprehensive overview of the rapidly evolving music industry, rooted in real-world experiences. Anchored by a wealth of career profiles and case studies, this second edition has been updated throughout to include the most important contemporary developments, including the advent of streaming and the shift to a DIY paradigm. A new "Both Sides Now" feature helps readers understand differing opinions on key issues. Highly readable, Understanding the Music Business is the perfect introduction for anyone seeking to understand how musical talents connect to making a living.

An 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' - BONO As 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 Noel 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.

Innovation in Music: Performance, Production, Technology and Business is an exciting collection comprising of cutting-edge articles on a range of topics, presented under the main themes of artistry, technology, production and industry. Each chapter is written by a leader in the field and contains insights and discoveries not yet shared. Innovation in Music covers new developments in standard practice of sound design, engineering and acoustics. It also reaches into areas of innovation, both in technology and business practice, even into cross-discipline areas. This book is the perfect companion for professionals and researchers alike with an interest in the Music industry. Chapter 31 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license. https://tandfbis.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/rt-files/docs/Open+Access+Chapters/9781138498211_oachapter31.pdf

In August 1981, Music Television-now popularly known as MTV-was launched. Within a matter of years it revitalized a struggling record industry; made the careers of leading pop stars like Madonna, Boy George, Cyndi Lauper, and Duran Duran; infiltrated traditional network television and the movie industry; revolutionized the advertising industry; and stimulated purchases in several markets, most notably fashion apparel. The reach of MTV has proven long and profitable. In this book, Jack Banks examines the historical development of music video as a commodity and analyzes the existing structures within which music video is produced, distributed, and exhibited on its premier music channel, MTV. Who controls MTV? What part do record companies play in the financing and production of music video? How do the power brokers in the business affect the ideological content of music video? Given the tight sphere of influence within the music industry, what are the future trends for music video and for artistic freedom of expression? Banks tackles these questions in an intelligent, lively, and sophisticated investigation into one of the most influential media enterprises of our society.

In this work, Dave Haslam travels Britain to meet clubbers and promoters: he hangs out with Sasha in Glasgow, Fatboy Slim in Nottingham, Paul van Dyk in Cardiff, Norman Jay at the Southport Soul Weekender, and Lottie in Newcastle. He meets influential DJs like Pete Tong, pioneers including Jimmy Saville, younger DJs, and unknowns. He interviews mod DJs from the 60s, Northern Soul DJs from the 70s and rare groove DJs from the 80s. He follows aspiring turntablists in the DMC mixing championship, from the heats in Birmingham to the world final. Among the exclusive stories and tall tales, we hear about the millionaire DJ who went to a friend's wedding dressed as a bee, the Radio One DJ who emptied a dancefloor in Ibiza, and the DJ who set a girl's hair on fire. A sweeping history of the rise of the DJ industry - from the amateur DJ in the local village hall, through the pioneering DJ's of the 60s and 70s, to the superclub DJ's of the late 1990s.

The music industry offers the opportunity to pursue a career as either a creative (artist, producer, songwriter, etc.) or as a music business "logician" (artist manager, agent, entertainment attorney, venue manager, etc.). Though both vocational paths are integral to the industry's success, the work of calling songs into existence or entertaining an audience differs from the administrative aspects of the business, such as operating an entertainment company. And while the daily activities of creatives may differ from those of the music business logician, the music industry careerist may sense a call to Career Duality, to work on both sides of the industry as a Career Dualist, a concept this book introduces, defines, and explores in the context of the music industry. This new volume speaks to the dilemma experienced by those struggling with career decisions involving whether to work in the industry using their analytical abilities, or to work as a creative, or to do both. The potential financial challenges encountered in working in the industry as an emerging artist may necessitate maintaining a second and simultaneous occupation (possibly outside the industry) that offers economic survival. However, this is not Career Duality. Likewise, attending to the business affairs that impact all creatives is not Career Duality. Rather, Career Duality involves the deliberate pursuit of a dual career as both a music industry creative and music business logician, which is stimulated by the drive to express dual proclivities that are simultaneously artistic and analytical. By offering a Career Duality model and other constructs, examining research on careers, calling, authenticity and related concepts, and providing profiles of music industry dualists, this book takes readers on a journey of self-exploration and offers insights and recommendations for charting an authentic career path. This is a practical examination for not only music industry professionals and the entertainment industry, but for individuals interested in expressing both the analytical and artistic self in the context of career.

The music industry offers the opportunity to pursue a career as either a creative (artist, producer, songwriter, etc.) or as a music business "logician" (artist manager, agent, entertainment attorney, venue manager, etc.). Though both vocational paths are integral to the industry's success, the work of calling songs into existence or entertaining an audience differs from the administrative aspects of the business, such as operating an entertainment company. And while the daily activities of creatives may differ from those of the music business logician, the music industry careerist may sense a call to Career Duality, to work on both sides of the industry as a Career Dualist, a concept this book introduces, defines, and explores in the context of the music industry. This new volume speaks to the dilemma experienced by those struggling with career decisions involving whether to work in the industry using their analytical abilities, or to work as a creative, or to do both. The potential financial challenges encountered in working in the industry as an emerging artist may necessitate maintaining a second and simultaneous occupation (possibly outside the industry) that offers economic survival. However, this is not Career Duality. Likewise, attending to the business affairs that impact all creatives is not Career Duality. Rather, Career Duality involves the deliberate pursuit of a dual career as both a music industry creative and music business logician, which is stimulated by the drive to express dual proclivities that are simultaneously artistic and analytical. By offering a Career Duality model and other constructs, examining research on careers, calling, authenticity and related concepts, and providing profiles of music industry dualists, this book takes readers on a journey of self-exploration and offers insights and recommendations for charting an authentic career path. This is a practical examination for not only music industry professionals and the entertainment industry, but for individuals interested in expressing both the analytical and artistic self in the context of career.