Author Description

Where did today's music business come from? Where is it headed? This book answers these and other pertinent questions. It is a comprehensive examination of the industry that drives the music business. This book is about how and why the industry is now centralized in six international entertainment conglomerates. From both a macro and micro perspective the forces that drive the industry are explained in an economic (and often historical) context. It portrays a realistic, bottom-line assessment of the industry from musicians and audio engineers to studios and producers, with information on labels, distributors, retailers, songwriters, music publishers, performers, promoters, and concerts. It is organized around the central concept of three income streams: the sale of recordings, music publishing, and live performances. Written in a clear, straightforward style, the book explores the relationships of these three streams to each other, to other media, and to the overall recording industry. Music historians, music business people. Part of the Allyn & Bacon Series in Mass Communication.