Tells a new story about the history of the music business and the ten technological advances that disrupted it over the last century. In recent years, narratives about the music industry tend to hew to a common theme: it was humming along for decades until the Internet and Napster came along and disrupted it. Key Changes shows that this view is incorrect: the industry was actually shaken up not once in the 1990s, but ten times over more than 100 years. These ten disruptions came with the introduction of new formats for enjoying recorded music: starting with the cylinders and discs played on early phonographs; then moving through radio, LPs, tapes, CDs, television, digital downloads, streaming, and streaming video; and then into Artificial Intelligence (AI), which enables a wide range of new capabilities with profound impacts upon the business. This book devotes a chapter to each of these formats, illustrating how such innovations beget shifts in creativity, consumer behavior, economics, and law.
Each of the technological innovations covered in this book not only disrupted the music business, but also fundamentally altered the industry's character. And while the technologies themselves have evolved in unique and varied ways over the decades, the changes within the business follow a clear pattern. Veteran music industry professionals and music technology experts Howie Singer and Bill Rosenblatt illuminate this pattern through a framework they term "the 6 Cs" cutting edge technology, channels of distribution, creators, consumers, cash, copyright. This framework provides insight into how such disparate innovations similarly disrupted and transformed the music business in each era. Extensively researched and supplemented by interviews with Grammy-winning artists, producers and executives, the book provides an insightful perspective on the ways technology has fundamentally altered the music industry, throughout history and into the present era.
Industry Reviews
"They've actually done it. Singer and Rosenblatt have written an indispensable new resource for anyone teaching, learning or just curious how the music industry evolved. Utterly comprehensive, meticulously researched and completely accessible, this is a book for fans, budding executives and experienced practitioners as well as historians, educators and policy experts." -- Larry Miller, Clinical Professor and Director of NYU Music Business Program
"The music industry has been and will forever be on the forefront of technological change. Key Changes gives a comprehensive, thoughtful and engaging account of the technologies that have been fundamental in defining music and sets the foundations for what comes next." -- Oana Ruxandra, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, Warner Music Group
"Music matters because it got there first. It was the first to suffer, first to recover from disruption. In this rhythmically engaging book, Rosenblatt and Singer hold your hand and dance you through where each 'key change' took us along the way." -- Will Page, Author of Tarzan Economics, fellow of London School of Economics and Former Chief Economist of Spotify and PRS for Music
"This book is essential reading for those looking to thrive in the ever-evolving music industry. Here we have a clear and concise roadmap for understanding how artists, technology and business are shaping the next reinvention of music." -- Frances Moore, CEO, International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
"A great read. What a pleasure to have the history of recorded music laid out so clearly and succinctly." -- Albhy Galuten, Technology executive, Grammy Award-winning record producer, composer, musician, orchestrator, and conductor.
"Key Changes is particularly valuable in tracking recent economic developments, where the authors undoubtedly do have expertise." -- Andy Hamilton, The Wire
