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Cowboys and Indies: The Epic History of the Record Industry
Cowboys and Indies is nothing less than the first definitive history of the recording industry on both sides of the Atlantic.
From the invention of the earliest known sound-recording device in 1850s Paris to the CD crash and digital boom today, author and industry insider Gareth Murphy takes readers on an immensely entertaining and encyclopedic ride through the many cataclysmic musical, cultural, and technological changes that shaped a century and a half of the industry.
This invaluable narrative focuses especially on the game changers---the label founders, talent scouts, and legendary A&R men. Murphy highlights:
· Otto Heinemann's pioneer label Okeh, which spread blues and jazz "race" records across America
· how one man, Henry Speir, discovered nearly all the Delta blues legends (Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton, Son House, Tommy Johnson)
· Sam Phillips's seminal work with Chess and Sun Records
· John Hammond's discoveries (Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen)
· the behind-the-scenes players of the British Invasion
· Clive Davis, Ahmet Ertegun, David Geffen, and the corporate music machine
· the Machiavellian moves of punk impresario Malcolm McLaren (Sex Pistols)
· Chris Blackwell's triumphs for Island Records (Bob Marley, U2)
· Sylvia Robinson and Tom Silverman, the hip-hop explorers behind the Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, and Afrika Bambaataa
...and much, much more. Murphy also offers a provocative look at the future through the ruminations of such vanguard figures as Martin Mills (4AD, XL Recordings, Matador, Rough Trade) and genre-busting producer Rick Rubin (Run-D.M.C., Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Johnny Cash).
Drawing from memoirs, archives, and more than one hundred exclusive interviews with the legends of the record industry, including the founders and CEOs of Atlantic, Chrysalis, Virgin, A&M, Sub Pop, and Sire, this book reveals the secret history behind the hit-making craft. Remarkable in scope and impressive in depth, Cowboys and Indies chronicles the pioneers who set the stylus on the most important labels and musical discoveries in history.
From the invention of the earliest known sound-recording device in 1850s Paris to the CD crash and digital boom today, author and industry insider Gareth Murphy takes readers on an immensely entertaining and encyclopedic ride through the many cataclysmic musical, cultural, and technological changes that shaped a century and a half of the industry.
This invaluable narrative focuses especially on the game changers---the label founders, talent scouts, and legendary A&R men. Murphy highlights:
· Otto Heinemann's pioneer label Okeh, which spread blues and jazz "race" records across America
· how one man, Henry Speir, discovered nearly all the Delta blues legends (Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton, Son House, Tommy Johnson)
· Sam Phillips's seminal work with Chess and Sun Records
· John Hammond's discoveries (Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen)
· the behind-the-scenes players of the British Invasion
· Clive Davis, Ahmet Ertegun, David Geffen, and the corporate music machine
· the Machiavellian moves of punk impresario Malcolm McLaren (Sex Pistols)
· Chris Blackwell's triumphs for Island Records (Bob Marley, U2)
· Sylvia Robinson and Tom Silverman, the hip-hop explorers behind the Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, and Afrika Bambaataa
...and much, much more. Murphy also offers a provocative look at the future through the ruminations of such vanguard figures as Martin Mills (4AD, XL Recordings, Matador, Rough Trade) and genre-busting producer Rick Rubin (Run-D.M.C., Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Johnny Cash).
Drawing from memoirs, archives, and more than one hundred exclusive interviews with the legends of the record industry, including the founders and CEOs of Atlantic, Chrysalis, Virgin, A&M, Sub Pop, and Sire, this book reveals the secret history behind the hit-making craft. Remarkable in scope and impressive in depth, Cowboys and Indies chronicles the pioneers who set the stylus on the most important labels and musical discoveries in history.
382 pages, Hardcover
First published June 17, 2014
48 people are currently reading
793 people want to read
About the author
Gareth Murphy
7 books6 followersI was born in London in 1974, but before I could remember anything, we moved back to Dublin where my father became a promoter. In 1977, he organised Ireland's first outdoor stadium concert featuring Thin Lizzy and the Boomtown Rats. He ran gigs for Tom Waits, the Ramones, Ian Dury, Dr Feelgood, The Specials, the Clash and many others. He also managed arguably the most important ever traditional Irish group, the Bothy Band. Meanwhile, my mother had a vintage clothing stall at the Dandelion Market (where U2 played their very first gigs.)
We lived down a dark, ivy-covered lane in a suburb called Shankill, which back then, was almost countryside. As a result, my sister and I didn't have many friends until we were teenagers. Our big old house was beside a crumbling mill and converted barn where my grandparents lived. We climbed trees in the surrounding fields, rode bikes through the long grass. We saw plenty of concerts, famous musicians, and ran around our mum's market. The little school we attended, St Ursuline's, was run by nuns.
At the age of four, my first big musical discoveries were Electric Light Orchestra, War of the Worlds and other big-sound records. From the New Wave acts my dad was promoting, I got into 80s pop, then my first records, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, U2. Watching Live Aid in the summer of 1985, Dad got an idea for a stage and roof system that would enable faster tour scheduling. He presented his model to U2 who had just started recording what would become the Joshua Tree. They invested in a company which built three of these rigs. Within a year, we were standing in stadiums around Europe looking up at a real-life version of dad's matchstick model - now one thousand times bigger - as Bono sang "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" to 60,000 people.
That windfall bought us an art deco house in the beautiful seaside village of Dalkey. Meanwhile on tour, my father's relations with the U2 manager soured. A long legal battle was settled on the steps of the Dublin High Court in 1990.
Being a teenager isn't easy at the best of times, and those years were tense at home. It wasn't all bad, however. I was writing songs, studying the albums of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, the Velvet Underground, the Doors. Friends, girlfriends, hanging out in record stores and cafés on Saturday afternoons, even busking on Grafton street... Dublin was a great place to grow up. I rarely watched TV and spent most of my evenings looking out to sea from our big bay window, playing guitar, listening to music or reading poetry: Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Garcia Lorca. Aged 15 and 16, I started writing experimental prose for my bemused English teacher.
Aged 20, I graduated from University College Dublin with a degree in History and Philosophy. The night we all got our exam results, I had somehow drunk myself sober.On that windy walk home, I vowed to travel the world and yes, live for art! I travelled all over India twice: my second trip was five months long. Through a series of accidents, I ended up in the French city of Lyon, where I joined an indie fashion brand, MU:E, part of an emerging niche of young, dance-culture designers. Having grown up around my mother's vintage clothes store, I found I could design and create business. These were colourful times: watching the streets of Europe, zany trade fairs. I got an inside view of the electronic music scene bursting out of London, Paris, Vienna, Copenhagen, Berlin.
In 2001, I moved to Paris to work for the Buddha Bar, a nightclub, record company, and world famous compilation series. Negotiating contracts and track hunting, I learned the mechanics of the music business, eventually learning how to produce. Here, I began exploring the similarities between traditional Irish and Moroccan music - how I met my wife. Once again, music brought had me to my next destination; fatherhood, quickly followed by my first book, Cowboys & Indies.
We lived down a dark, ivy-covered lane in a suburb called Shankill, which back then, was almost countryside. As a result, my sister and I didn't have many friends until we were teenagers. Our big old house was beside a crumbling mill and converted barn where my grandparents lived. We climbed trees in the surrounding fields, rode bikes through the long grass. We saw plenty of concerts, famous musicians, and ran around our mum's market. The little school we attended, St Ursuline's, was run by nuns.
At the age of four, my first big musical discoveries were Electric Light Orchestra, War of the Worlds and other big-sound records. From the New Wave acts my dad was promoting, I got into 80s pop, then my first records, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, U2. Watching Live Aid in the summer of 1985, Dad got an idea for a stage and roof system that would enable faster tour scheduling. He presented his model to U2 who had just started recording what would become the Joshua Tree. They invested in a company which built three of these rigs. Within a year, we were standing in stadiums around Europe looking up at a real-life version of dad's matchstick model - now one thousand times bigger - as Bono sang "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" to 60,000 people.
That windfall bought us an art deco house in the beautiful seaside village of Dalkey. Meanwhile on tour, my father's relations with the U2 manager soured. A long legal battle was settled on the steps of the Dublin High Court in 1990.
Being a teenager isn't easy at the best of times, and those years were tense at home. It wasn't all bad, however. I was writing songs, studying the albums of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, the Velvet Underground, the Doors. Friends, girlfriends, hanging out in record stores and cafés on Saturday afternoons, even busking on Grafton street... Dublin was a great place to grow up. I rarely watched TV and spent most of my evenings looking out to sea from our big bay window, playing guitar, listening to music or reading poetry: Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Garcia Lorca. Aged 15 and 16, I started writing experimental prose for my bemused English teacher.
Aged 20, I graduated from University College Dublin with a degree in History and Philosophy. The night we all got our exam results, I had somehow drunk myself sober.On that windy walk home, I vowed to travel the world and yes, live for art! I travelled all over India twice: my second trip was five months long. Through a series of accidents, I ended up in the French city of Lyon, where I joined an indie fashion brand, MU:E, part of an emerging niche of young, dance-culture designers. Having grown up around my mother's vintage clothes store, I found I could design and create business. These were colourful times: watching the streets of Europe, zany trade fairs. I got an inside view of the electronic music scene bursting out of London, Paris, Vienna, Copenhagen, Berlin.
In 2001, I moved to Paris to work for the Buddha Bar, a nightclub, record company, and world famous compilation series. Negotiating contracts and track hunting, I learned the mechanics of the music business, eventually learning how to produce. Here, I began exploring the similarities between traditional Irish and Moroccan music - how I met my wife. Once again, music brought had me to my next destination; fatherhood, quickly followed by my first book, Cowboys & Indies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
June 9, 2016
This is a book which tells the stories of the recording industry from the very beginning and takes us through to the present and, indeed, the future of the music industry. The story begins in Paris in 1853 with the idea for the first sound-recording device. Eventually, research led to the graphophone, which was marketed as a dictating machine. However, when Columbia began recording cylinders, it soon became clear that the talking machines future lay not in local government offices, but in entertainment…
This takes us from the founding fathers of the recording industry, through Edwardian times and into the roaring Twenties. If we imagine that the music industry is now threatened by the internet and downloading, we soon learn what any lovers of history of always aware of in great historical events – this is nothing new. Indeed, the 1920’s saw the recording industry spiralling into depression with the advent of radio and it never really recovered throughout the inter-war years.
Of course, after the second world war, we enter a new era and the 1950’s saw the advent of rock and roll. Before long we are thrown into an unfolding story of great music – Sun Records, Motown, Phil Spector, The Beatles and more… Much of this part of the book was known to me and, in a book which attempts to cover so much, you can obviously just touch on all of these figures. Still, anybody who is anybody, is covered here – from major record labels, to indie labels, from record producers to managers to artists. This also, as I said at the beginning of this review, looks at the future of recorded music and gives a good overview of its history. I found the whole book interesting; particularly those early years – and fascinating characters – which I knew little about. A good read for all music fans.
This takes us from the founding fathers of the recording industry, through Edwardian times and into the roaring Twenties. If we imagine that the music industry is now threatened by the internet and downloading, we soon learn what any lovers of history of always aware of in great historical events – this is nothing new. Indeed, the 1920’s saw the recording industry spiralling into depression with the advent of radio and it never really recovered throughout the inter-war years.
Of course, after the second world war, we enter a new era and the 1950’s saw the advent of rock and roll. Before long we are thrown into an unfolding story of great music – Sun Records, Motown, Phil Spector, The Beatles and more… Much of this part of the book was known to me and, in a book which attempts to cover so much, you can obviously just touch on all of these figures. Still, anybody who is anybody, is covered here – from major record labels, to indie labels, from record producers to managers to artists. This also, as I said at the beginning of this review, looks at the future of recorded music and gives a good overview of its history. I found the whole book interesting; particularly those early years – and fascinating characters – which I knew little about. A good read for all music fans.
June 1, 2014
In his first book, Irish writer Gareth Murphy has tried to do the impossible and almost succeeded. COWBOYS AND INDIES tries to tell the entire story of the recording industry, from the inventions of A. G. Bell and T. Edison, through the onset of a thousand small companies selling recordings and through into today’s major labels, and for a book that comes in at 400 pages, does a remarkable job.
There is a lot of information here about the early days of sound recording, and how important litigation was almost from the very beginning of the business. The music recording industry has always struck me as being about the money with little regard to the actual music itself and this book did nothing to sway my opinion. What it did do is collect many of the behind-the-scenes stories of the industry insiders and their relationships with the artists, both good and bad. There are stories about Sam Phillips and Elvis, the Beatles and the Stones, and how Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones almost single-handedly saved the entire industry with ‘Thriller’.
A very enjoyable read which none-the-less gives a very comprehensive overview into an industry that has touched every person to some degree. It would be difficult to compact 130 years of a history along with countless thousands of contributing individuals into a smarter, more palatable read than this. This is just the thing to give an insight to an outsider such as myself.
I won this book through Goodreads.
There is a lot of information here about the early days of sound recording, and how important litigation was almost from the very beginning of the business. The music recording industry has always struck me as being about the money with little regard to the actual music itself and this book did nothing to sway my opinion. What it did do is collect many of the behind-the-scenes stories of the industry insiders and their relationships with the artists, both good and bad. There are stories about Sam Phillips and Elvis, the Beatles and the Stones, and how Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones almost single-handedly saved the entire industry with ‘Thriller’.
A very enjoyable read which none-the-less gives a very comprehensive overview into an industry that has touched every person to some degree. It would be difficult to compact 130 years of a history along with countless thousands of contributing individuals into a smarter, more palatable read than this. This is just the thing to give an insight to an outsider such as myself.
I won this book through Goodreads.
July 16, 2014
Uninspiring, underresearched book about the record industry. For the most part, the author only includes material about people and companies that have already had books written about them (Columbia, Elektra, Island, Warner, Asylum) and virtually ignores other major labels like RCA, Decca/MCA,and even Reprise which was started by Frank Sinatra and included Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa and Neil Young on its roster). Granted, I've read a few book about the music industry, but the only new material in here that I found interesting was about Herb Alpert's label A&M, and a couple of gossipy tidbits about cocaine use at Casablanca Records. Not recommended unless you know absolutely nothing about pop/rock music of the past 50 years.
September 13, 2016
Gareth Murphy's poetic telling of the magnificent history of the record industry is a gem waiting to be discovered by historians and summer beach readers alike. A work of art in it's own right, Cowboys and Indies preserves the emotion and splendor in the events of it's telling with effortless prose. If you are on the fence about this one, don't be. Murphy circles the wagons of truth, while still managing to excite and delight with a compelling narrative of some overlooked warriors of industry.
December 16, 2014
pretty good overview of the recorded music industry from a us/uk/european perspective. covered most of the bases, although the last chapters lost some momentum trying to cover the newer indie labels: Sub>Pop, 4AD, Beggar's okay but what about Epitaph, Dischord, Merge and Touch & Go?
i do love reading about the "record men" of the 60s and 70s and there's plenty of sordid stories here. when you retrace the steps, you realize it's not enough to be good, you have to be damned lucky.
i do love reading about the "record men" of the 60s and 70s and there's plenty of sordid stories here. when you retrace the steps, you realize it's not enough to be good, you have to be damned lucky.
December 22, 2014
There are several other books that overlap the companies and stories here, but the author is well aware of this and stays away from going into too much detail. As a result, this is an excellent companion piece to Hit Men and spends much more time and depth on the areas not covered by that excellent book. In particular, there is detailed history of the competitive businesses that developed the record player (or "Talking Machine" as they were originally marketed) . These were the companies that became the first major labels including RCA and Columbia.
He then cruises through the well documented history up until the late 60s when the modern record industry really blossoms but focusing on the independent labels like A&M, Atlantic, Island and Virgin. Best of all, he goes deep on the indies that developed out of the british punk scene. One short coming is that with the exception of Subpop, he doesn't discuss the US indies. I assume this is primarily because it was the only US indie label that had a massive mainstream hit with Nirvana. Indies like SST and Matador don't have a gold record in their catalog with the exception of Interpol.
He's appropriately tough on the major label executives in the 90s giving them little to no credit for their successes which were primarily driven by reselling their predecessor's catalogs on CD.
Highly reccommended
He then cruises through the well documented history up until the late 60s when the modern record industry really blossoms but focusing on the independent labels like A&M, Atlantic, Island and Virgin. Best of all, he goes deep on the indies that developed out of the british punk scene. One short coming is that with the exception of Subpop, he doesn't discuss the US indies. I assume this is primarily because it was the only US indie label that had a massive mainstream hit with Nirvana. Indies like SST and Matador don't have a gold record in their catalog with the exception of Interpol.
He's appropriately tough on the major label executives in the 90s giving them little to no credit for their successes which were primarily driven by reselling their predecessor's catalogs on CD.
Highly reccommended
July 27, 2016
An insightful look at the recording industry from its inception through (almost) present-day. From Thomas Edison to David Geffen and beyond, meet the rogues, swindlers, and ne'er-do-wells who've offered us recorded music for over a century.
February 11, 2024
Very instructive read, it helps clarifying the picture of those who decide what artists we have been listening to since the beginning of recorded music. And it's mostly people driven by greed, but thats hardly a surprise, isn't it- money makes the world go round, the world of music included. It has a few flaws and misses too, like completelty ignoring the cassette tape influence on the history of music- the medium barely gets mentioned; a brief incursion into the analog vs digital sound superiority debate, subjective and without proper documetation; blatantly leaves out the whole heavy metal scene and the independent labels that survived the crash of the 90s and so on. At times it gets very confusing with so many new names being thrown at you every 3 pages, but it has been a very interesting read nevertheless.
October 26, 2014
On a cursory level, this is an enjoyable history of the invention and evolution of the record business. As an introduction to the major players and trends, it is adequate, and at times, insightful. However, as the book went on, it became clear that, conscious or not, Mr. Murphy seems to be advancing an anglophile agenda here.
From reading this book, one would get the impression that every major musical trend and business advancement in the second half of the 20th Century was the result of white British innovation. The book represents itself to be a straight-forward history of the record business, but in the end I felt like I was reading a propaganda book. R&B, Motown, disco, house, hip-hop, and alternative rock are all dismissively glossed over, while movements and labels like the British Invasion, Island Records, the Sex Pistols, and ’80s indie labels like 4AD and Rough Trade are dissected with fawning detail. Certainly all of these stories deserve to be told, but the balance that the book strikes struck me as single-minded.
Had Mr. Murphy openly presented the book as an argument for British musical ingenuity, I would have appreciated it more. But the continued surprise I felt with his choice of certain subjects over others was ultimately distracting. As a result, I found this book strange and unsatisfying.
From reading this book, one would get the impression that every major musical trend and business advancement in the second half of the 20th Century was the result of white British innovation. The book represents itself to be a straight-forward history of the record business, but in the end I felt like I was reading a propaganda book. R&B, Motown, disco, house, hip-hop, and alternative rock are all dismissively glossed over, while movements and labels like the British Invasion, Island Records, the Sex Pistols, and ’80s indie labels like 4AD and Rough Trade are dissected with fawning detail. Certainly all of these stories deserve to be told, but the balance that the book strikes struck me as single-minded.
Had Mr. Murphy openly presented the book as an argument for British musical ingenuity, I would have appreciated it more. But the continued surprise I felt with his choice of certain subjects over others was ultimately distracting. As a result, I found this book strange and unsatisfying.
July 1, 2014
For what it is, this book is packed full of interesting music and recording related tidbits and little-known facts that will probably surprise a lot of readers like myself who love music but do not particularly pay attention to the seedy underbelly of the The Record Industry. It's accessible, well written, and entertaining throughout.
It was very interesting to read that the industry had experienced and almost fatal blow once, and recovered stronger than ever, which means there is hope for the current state of the today's precarious and unpredictable industry.
Overall, a satisfying and informative read that I would recommend to anyone interested in the music business.
I won this book through Goodreads.
It was very interesting to read that the industry had experienced and almost fatal blow once, and recovered stronger than ever, which means there is hope for the current state of the today's precarious and unpredictable industry.
Overall, a satisfying and informative read that I would recommend to anyone interested in the music business.
I won this book through Goodreads.
July 31, 2014
As a person who worked in Music Retail for most of his life, I found this book to be a very complete historical roadmap of the Record Industry. To understand the present state of Music industry we must follow and try to understand the past. There are Heroes and Villains, some are known and some are unknown. Each chapter breaths a life on their own, almost like a short-story collection. I have read the book from start to finish, but now I leave it nearby my bed, to spot up the book anywhere to read a few pages. I think that this book would also work well as a college textbook for a business course on the music industry.
July 24, 2014
An author could fill a multi-volume set with a detailed history of the record industry. Short of that, author Gareth Murphy has done an admirable job of highlighting just the key moments, from the very development of recorded sound to today's issues with downloading and digital file sharing. It's a very reasonable length for readers looking for a quick overview, and it won't leave you feeling you've missed out on anything. One of the best books of its kind.
May 6, 2018
An amazing (and amazingly thorough) book that covers all the way from the first competing Bell and Edison inventions, all the way up to the slow and painful demise of numerous dinosaur major distributors. While there tends to be a primary focus on rock music from about halfway through onwards, it still reminds us of all the other genres out there and how they've fared over the decades. Highly suggested if you're a music nerd like me.
June 29, 2014
**Received Goodreads giveaway copy**
This is an interesting, in depth look at the record industry. Definitely would recommend it to anyone interested in the record industry and its dramatic past. It sometimes gets a bit too inside baseball, but still has some really interesting facts and tidbits for even a casual reader.
This is an interesting, in depth look at the record industry. Definitely would recommend it to anyone interested in the record industry and its dramatic past. It sometimes gets a bit too inside baseball, but still has some really interesting facts and tidbits for even a casual reader.
June 24, 2014
A somewhat choppy but entertaining overview of the history of the music-selling business. Starts with Alexander Graham Bell and ends with the current homogenization of dozens of former influential indies by the international conglomorates that swallowed them up. The industry has always seen boom and bust times. Makes you wonder if there'll be another boom.
December 20, 2014
Interesting overview of the invention of the record and the record industry
September 19, 2015
fascinating
August 18, 2021
Very interesting topic and while I enjoyed reading about the history of the gramophone and victrola, as well as learning about the complex background of the record industry, with its ego wars, flash in the pan successes and giant failures... I quickly lost interest...
November 21, 2019
Great, easy to understand overview of how the record industry came to be and a glimpse of the ins and outs of it.
April 25, 2018
Cowboys and Indies, by Irish music journalist Gareth Murphy, was sitting on the 'new books' shelves for quite a while before I finally decided to take it out. As it was recently written I thought I'd have a look to see what the current views on punk are. It didn't help, really, but I ended up reading a good portion of Murphy's book in any case.
Murphy offers a superficial account that whizzes from the origins of the recording industry up to the first decade of the 21st century. (It is not a terribly long book, about 300 pages, and easy to read.) Like all such books, it allows one to feel superior to the author in those areas where one has deep knowledge, while at the same time seeming plausible enough where one doesn't. I honestly think he bit off a bit more than he could chew, as he clearly has a solid background (having been a music journalist) in, say, the last thirty years or so of the industry, but doesn't really cover the pre-rock days all that well. He does have some important insights into the relationship between the British pop scene and the US one, and what is interesting is his treatment of the relative influence of The Beatles versus Bob Dylan. He sees Dylan as a far more important factor in the US pop music business than I had concluded, and his case is solid. In retrospect, The Beatles look much more like a fad than they did twenty years ago. Of course, these sorts of things are the stuff of History Wars, as emphases shift every so often, reflecting changes in the broader socio-cultural background.
Britain has this habit of absorbing something going on in the US scene and reinventing it in a British context before selling it back, but this has taken on less and less significance as the Creole class (in the technical, not the Louisiana, sense) turns its back on Europe in the post-Cold-War environment of the last twenty-five years. The British are perplexed by this, as their whole existence since 1941 has been dependent on a relationship with the US that is no longer of interest to Young America. Dylan thus looms larger in significance than he might have done thirty years ago, when British post-punk electronica had a strong presence on MTV. Indeed, both countries have been drawing apart quite rapidly during the 21st century, apart from some residuals like Downton Abbey playing on the geriatrically inclined PBS network (renowned for its Lawrence Welk repeats).
Cowboys & Indies is probably worth a look if you don't expect too much from it. Certainly I found parts of it hard to put down, while others I just skipped over. Best of all, though, it did make me think.
Murphy offers a superficial account that whizzes from the origins of the recording industry up to the first decade of the 21st century. (It is not a terribly long book, about 300 pages, and easy to read.) Like all such books, it allows one to feel superior to the author in those areas where one has deep knowledge, while at the same time seeming plausible enough where one doesn't. I honestly think he bit off a bit more than he could chew, as he clearly has a solid background (having been a music journalist) in, say, the last thirty years or so of the industry, but doesn't really cover the pre-rock days all that well. He does have some important insights into the relationship between the British pop scene and the US one, and what is interesting is his treatment of the relative influence of The Beatles versus Bob Dylan. He sees Dylan as a far more important factor in the US pop music business than I had concluded, and his case is solid. In retrospect, The Beatles look much more like a fad than they did twenty years ago. Of course, these sorts of things are the stuff of History Wars, as emphases shift every so often, reflecting changes in the broader socio-cultural background.
Britain has this habit of absorbing something going on in the US scene and reinventing it in a British context before selling it back, but this has taken on less and less significance as the Creole class (in the technical, not the Louisiana, sense) turns its back on Europe in the post-Cold-War environment of the last twenty-five years. The British are perplexed by this, as their whole existence since 1941 has been dependent on a relationship with the US that is no longer of interest to Young America. Dylan thus looms larger in significance than he might have done thirty years ago, when British post-punk electronica had a strong presence on MTV. Indeed, both countries have been drawing apart quite rapidly during the 21st century, apart from some residuals like Downton Abbey playing on the geriatrically inclined PBS network (renowned for its Lawrence Welk repeats).
Cowboys & Indies is probably worth a look if you don't expect too much from it. Certainly I found parts of it hard to put down, while others I just skipped over. Best of all, though, it did make me think.
February 25, 2019
I got about three-quarters of the way through before checking the index to see when I was going to read about Pink Floyd. But alas! Only two mentions, both of which were so brief that I glanced to the page number thinking that it couldn't be the reference mentioned. That's a sad, since there was so much content about the Beatles and the Stones. (In saying that, I've read enough books on Pink Floyd and zero on either of the others, so maybe it's time.)
The first half of this was the most valuable. It was so intriguing hearing about the creation of the first sound reproducers--I had never known music was sold on cylinders! The evolution of music in general was also fascinating there, and I wish there had been more of that in the second half. The latter part I was more invested in (give me my 80s music!) but it did feel like an explosion of name, name, big sale, name, band, big sale, and I'm not sure how much I'll retain from that.
The first half of this was the most valuable. It was so intriguing hearing about the creation of the first sound reproducers--I had never known music was sold on cylinders! The evolution of music in general was also fascinating there, and I wish there had been more of that in the second half. The latter part I was more invested in (give me my 80s music!) but it did feel like an explosion of name, name, big sale, name, band, big sale, and I'm not sure how much I'll retain from that.
September 12, 2016
This book was chock full of information about the record industry. It starts off with Edison and the patents for the first phonograph machine and takes you through the entire music industry up to present day.
What I found most interesting were the record company executives who were in charge of what music would be produced and how many huge bands almost missed out due to being rejected numerous times - The Beatles, The Doors, and The Rolling Stones to name a few. The author also talks about the artists and the pay they [didn't] receive through royalties. (Something I've always known. Record companies take a huge portion of royalties. The Beatles were broke the first decade of their celebrity).
The only thing that I found confusing about this book was the astronomical amount of names and record labels and who belonged to what. I wish a diagram or a "family tree" was included so that I could keep the names straight.
However, if you want an in depth look into the record industry, how bands were found, and how artists make it big, this book has some great insight to that. I would recommend this to any music buff.
What I found most interesting were the record company executives who were in charge of what music would be produced and how many huge bands almost missed out due to being rejected numerous times - The Beatles, The Doors, and The Rolling Stones to name a few. The author also talks about the artists and the pay they [didn't] receive through royalties. (Something I've always known. Record companies take a huge portion of royalties. The Beatles were broke the first decade of their celebrity).
The only thing that I found confusing about this book was the astronomical amount of names and record labels and who belonged to what. I wish a diagram or a "family tree" was included so that I could keep the names straight.
However, if you want an in depth look into the record industry, how bands were found, and how artists make it big, this book has some great insight to that. I would recommend this to any music buff.
September 25, 2014
This is a hodge-podge collection of mini biographies. Focusing on behind the scenes players in the industry rather than the machinations of the music industry. The good information in this book is buried deep inside mountains of blather.
To save you the read, the author does highlight the apathy felt by the consumer towards the industry before the dawn of the MP3. Consumers were tired of buying a full CD for 1 good song. So artists lamentations about losing control of the album as their artist collection thrust on the public, only have themselves to blame. I did like the quote, the first person to compare his love to a rose is a genius, the second person is an idiot. It was interesting to read that Country & Western came out of Irish folk music. And lastly, how Music, Fashion, Politics, Books, Movies and sports are all cultural, with music being just a small piece of someone's cultural identity.
1 Star: Heavy on inane details of minor celebrities, light on any real industry insights.
To save you the read, the author does highlight the apathy felt by the consumer towards the industry before the dawn of the MP3. Consumers were tired of buying a full CD for 1 good song. So artists lamentations about losing control of the album as their artist collection thrust on the public, only have themselves to blame. I did like the quote, the first person to compare his love to a rose is a genius, the second person is an idiot. It was interesting to read that Country & Western came out of Irish folk music. And lastly, how Music, Fashion, Politics, Books, Movies and sports are all cultural, with music being just a small piece of someone's cultural identity.
1 Star: Heavy on inane details of minor celebrities, light on any real industry insights.
July 12, 2014
Brilliant in places; hilarious elsewhere, choppy mostly. Damned interesting. But the flaw is that it's two different works stapled together: the first, a history of phonograph and radio TECHNOLOGY; the second, a history of record companies, recording artists and agents. I'm nerdy enough to enjoy the first part (which in some ways reminded me of "The Victorian Internet"), and was in the business enough to enjoy the second. But think few would enjoy both. And one would need flow-chart diagrams to keep up with the changing corporate names and Presidents/A & R heads.
Best moment of second half: Dylan introduces the original sin of pot to the Beatles. Worst moments: David Geffen--doesn't matter how wealthy he is, he seems like a Grade A fool. Thought the book did a great job explaining how "the summer of love" turned into a 70s and early 80s of coke that destroyed or even killed the industry. And the book proved its premise: the moguls were more interesting than the musicians.
Best moment of second half: Dylan introduces the original sin of pot to the Beatles. Worst moments: David Geffen--doesn't matter how wealthy he is, he seems like a Grade A fool. Thought the book did a great job explaining how "the summer of love" turned into a 70s and early 80s of coke that destroyed or even killed the industry. And the book proved its premise: the moguls were more interesting than the musicians.
September 2, 2014
A quick overview of the record industry from the first records to the present. From the early format battles, to the impact of radio and the Great Depression to the rise of CD's to iTunes, this book looks at the record companies themselves. For me the pre 60's stuff was interesting but the post 60's stories were great, and the record executives stories were, in some cases, just as wild as the artists. While an entire book could be written on some of the personalities in this book, it was a great overview of the industry and full of insider stories. Well researched and easy to read, I would rate this book a 3.5 if Goodreads allowed half stars. I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads giveaways.
March 31, 2019
This book was much more about the record executives than about the artists themselves. I think I would've found this much more interesting had Murphy delved into the history of the musicians more so than the A&R guys. The book also seemed to gloss over big chucks of what seems to me very important eras in music history i.e. Motown, grunge, and the doo wop of the 60s among others. Perhaps Murphy set out purposefully to focus almost exclusively on the inner machinations of the industry and if so he's quite successful in his effort.
March 20, 2015
Unlike the title suggests, it's not as epic as it makes it seem. Despite its lack of epic-ness I still recommend reading this book about the music Industry spanning from the time of Talking Machines to the mp3's cutting into the majors sales figures. It's a fairly fast read, and a great introduction to the record men of the music industry. It's a good primer before delving into other books about music, the industry, or biographies of the people who were part of it such as the producers and musicians.
February 28, 2015
As someone who played at the periphery of rock music during the formative 60s and 70s, I found this book fascinating. I even liked the beginning, which set up how record companies worked, the business model and the fascinating players. I love how technology invaded the space many times over the years. But of course, I really enjoyed the period I knew and loved, and the author filled me in on some details that had eluded me over the years. Yes, it was quite general. And the title was a bit misleading since "indies" were not mentioned in any great detail. But still enjoyable.
April 9, 2019
This book is a Goodreads First Reads Win---I really enjoyed this book. This author covers a lot of aspects of the recording industry from the beginning (alexander graham bell) to the present. It was informative and I think that it conveyed a really good perspective on the music industry, its up and downs, turnarounds--I would recommend this book to anyone that would like to see inside the music industry.
February 18, 2016
Music history of the major and independent record labels. There have historically been boom and bust periods; the 21st century music era isn't unique. While not the best writing, and told with a UK slant, it's still a worthwhile read to put the music business in perspective. It's all about finding hits.
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