Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business

by Fredric Dannen

Copiously researched and documented, Hit Men is the highly controversial portrait of the pop music industry in all its wild, ruthless glory: the insatiable greed and ambition; the enormous egos; the fierce struggles for profits and power; the vendettas, rivalries, shakedowns, and payoffs. Chronicling the evolution of America's largest music labels from the Tin Pan Alley days to the present day, Fredric Dannen examines in depth the often venal, sometimes illegal dealings among the assorted hustlers and kingpins who rule over this multi-billion-dollar business. 

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History, Business, Pop Culture, Crime, True Crime

432 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 1990

Reviews

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you come into it expecting tales of rock-star debauchery, you'll be disappointed. Actually, you'll be disappointed if you're expecting anything more than passing mention of actual musicians; here, they're little more than names on Billboard charts, or clients of superstar lawyers. In fact, the juiciest "rock star" story here involves an irate Paul Simon tersely suggesting Clive Davis should read a particular book. "Backstage Passes" this is not.

What you will find is an involving story about the true power brokers of the record business - at least as far as it existed before Kurt Cobain came along and temporarily rearranged the rules of the game. Indeed, reading this made me realize that Sean Parker, in his role as the inventor of Napster, is truly one of the most consequential figure in the history of recorded music.

[Carla Remy]

06/2020

I just don't seem to be reading this. Someday perhaps. It was interesting but boring and I am not going to force myself.
From what I did read: men in meetings, payola, cuts, bribes and mafia connection. Also Alan Freed and fascinating things. It was cool, but I have the actual book and I was ignoring it.

[Jon]

In some ways, Fred Dannen's rock-industry expose HIT MEN is less compelling than Marc Eliot's similar ROCKONOMICS: it covers only the 70s and 80s (with a bit of dirt about earlier eras) while Eliot surveys the entire history of the recording industry (through the late 80s). In one way, it's better: unlike Eliot, Dannen documents his sources, leaving you feeling that events really happened as he says they did, instead of thinking (as all too often with Eliot's book) "How interesting--wonder how true it is." (Though not everything is right; Dannen gets wrong the date of the Beach Boys' signing with Columbia, for instance.) The story about the head of TK Records "giving" TK artist George MacRae a RENTED Cadillac in lieu of royalties, when MacRae had the #1 disc in the country ("Rock Your Baby") is truly sickening. And I'm sorry I saw the overrated movie RISKY BUSINESS in a theater, now that I know some of my cash went into the pocket of CBS Records sleazeball Walter Yetnikoff.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and totally slimy look at the music industry.

[Byron · Rating 5 out of 5]

You sometimes see this book atop lists of the best music books of all time, and with good reason. It's everything you always wanted to know about the music industry, including whether or not it's run by the mafia, how payola works and the many ways labels rip off artists. This was written back in the early '90s, based mostly on things that happened back in the '70s and '80s, but the version I have was updated maybe 10 years ago, i.e. after the industry fell apart but pre-Spotify, and it didn't seem like things had changed much at that point.

[Jonny Brick · Rating 5 out of 5]

The music industry was a mafia-like domain of crooks and charlatans who did anything for big bucks. Scary stuff in a seminal book.

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

A legendary book, I suppose, and the first half or so lives up to it--yeasty, contentious, endlessly quotable shtick from a legion of record execs, all variously self-justifying, crap-talking, defending themselves, lying, and constantly deploying abundant traditional Yiddish invective to explain why the opponent at hand is a goniff, shlemiel, causes shpilkes, etc., etc. The narrative hook for that section is about the growth of, and subsequent occasional fumbling attempts to rein in, what was essentially Payola 2.0, which had now been subcontracted to indie promoters rather than being run by the labels, the prices for which were driving out independents left and right. Glorious lines of both narration and dialogue abound: "Geffen had advanced from one of the industry's top managers to one of its foremost label bosses. Another man did the same. He was more ruthless than Geffern, probably more powerful, and even shorter. His name was Irving Azoff." "While [Neil] Bogart [of Casablanca] made himself wealthy and launched many hit acts, he was not a model businessman. Said Art Kass, one of Bogart's earliest partners, 'If it cost him three dollars to make two dollars, he would do it.'" And of course piles of stories about Walter Yetnikoff, the professionally blustery label head who eventually alienated everyone and got cashiered, after which he had to make do with his piddling $25M (in the early 90s) severance. Even though the promo underworld gets spotlighted by investigative journos and briefly waved around in Congress, nothing happens, and the second half of the book, for me, was something of a slog through more c-suite musical chairs, corporate infighting, and occasional m & a action. Definitely a valuable period piece, in capturing an industry that had opposed LPs, cassettes, and CDs and was trying to decide if DAT was the future, which I suppose it wasn't.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes you wonder how we have any music industry left. Record companies were a bit slow to pick up on the rock n roll era, with the big labels sticking mainly to middle-of-the-road, pop, classical artists.
OK, so they got on the bandwagon and things were going pretty good. Then they veered off into the Disco fad, and when that suddenly went bust, it was a real financial hit.....
So then they hit on the Compact Disc technology, which really saved their bacon when it caught on because now they could charge four times as much for an album.
Repeated scandals over payola or related promotional practices ultimately came to little, legally, but tied up the industry in knots until they played out.
Personally I think the Mergers and Acquisitions craze did more to damage the American music recording industry than anything else. How was Sony (Japan) or Polygram (Germany) supposed to know what American young people wanted to listen to? How could they possibly respond in a timely way to changing trends and emerging groups? They couldn't, that's how. (my opinion, just my opinion)
PS-- I know I read this book several years ago, but did not recall much of the material. Was helpful to re-read this in view of how the business has changed since it came out. (originally came out in 1990, which was eons ago, lol)

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read this book three times now and each time I seem to appreciate the experience more. The first time was in 1995 and I didn’t care about any of it because I wanted to learn about the Nashville music business. Nashville and its players are referenced maybe three times here in total.

Subsequently, the names in this book have become part of music industry lore; it’s not so much about the Network or payola as much as it’s about the unbridled heyday of the music business. (Less than a decade after this book was published the industry would reach both its apex and downfall, surprisingly within a short one or two year window). But this book is about excess, and *really* it’s forced me to re-evaluate specific songs of my youth, now in terms of their corporate handlers, managers, lawyers, radio, and their relationships, with the artist and the content playing a very distant secondary role.

And we have the luxury now to set the book down at any point and search through Spotify to listen again to the music on these new terms.

This has to be one of my all-time favorite books.

[Don Gorman · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2). A terrific glimpse into the record business in the 70's and 80's. Dry as it can be, but full of all kinds of interesting information and insight into a portion of organized crime's association with the music industry. Combined with a rare inside look at how the corporate conglomerates dealt with goings on makes this an important book for true music nuts like myself. Lots of pages on CBS and Walter Yetnikoff, his associates and rivals, with a touch of David Geffen, Irving Azoff and some Larry Tisch at the end. Fun for me.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though it is heavily implied to revolve around the industry’s connections to organized crime, the book mostly delivers a captivating read on petty, egomaniac man-babies and their various, often borderline or straight up hilarious common feuds. Oh, and litigation. So, so much litigation.
The author does an amazing job building and describing these larger-than-life characters through research, unforgettable quotes and his own dry commentary without taking too pointed of a sympathetic stance towards any of them.

[Corey Lynn Fayman · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the rise of music streaming this book may not be as relevant as it used to be, but if you're interested in how the music business worked in the old days, it's a sobering read. The payola of the eighties and nineties was just as prevalent as it was in the 1950s, but more sophisticated and the rise of "independent promoters" who provided kickbacks and payoffs to radio stations in return for putting artists into regular rotation is every bit as criminal. A fascinating read for anyone interested in popular music and/or organized crime.

[Speck Rejk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unenjoyable though comprehensive ,repetetive /sic/ telling of faceless execs' egos back and forthing with their jobs. Unsavory revealing of strongarm bullies controlling what got played on the radio (not inc college radio) through bribery paid to " promotion" men which explains why the same ten songs got played til they sounded like nauseating shit for a decade or two and thousands of great songs , which couldve been hits ,did not. The only fun part in this book is the lurid chapter on Casablanca.

[James Doughty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The quintessential book on the American music business

Fredric Dannen's Hit Men chronicles the music business in America from the invention of the phonograph all the way to the introduction of the CD. He devotes a great deal of attention to the influence of organized crime and independent promotion but never bogs down the story with extraneous detail. It's a riveting read and the new epilogue continues the story into the 21st century.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

All record company executives are low-life scum. This book exposes the way record companies regularly cheat and scam their artists out of tens of thousands of dollars and the payola schemes of the 1980s. An update explain the wrecking ball effect that Napster had and why nobody shed any tears for the large companies.

[Sonny Dyon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for research for something I’m working on

Undoubtedly an exhaustive and thoroughly well researched account of a bunch of pricks who hate music.

The payola stuff and reading about Walter yetnikoff’s ruin certainly did make me salivate but I’d say the other 70% was what I used to fall asleep at night

[Alexandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure how accurate all of the information is, but it was very interesting to understand how the behind the scenes of the music industry works. The most powerful people in the game aren't always the artists so it was fascinating to read about the individuals that paved the way for musicians.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too in depth for me; this focuses on record executives over the past decades and there was just too many names and characters that I didn't really care about. Found parts of it interesting but wasn't particularly useful information. More of a history book for people who are super interested in the industry.

[Bridgette Buck-Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The music biz A to Z......

Fredric Dannen and his loyal staff did a bang up job covering the various label bosses and their excesses....The research in this book is outstanding, and is a must read for all music lovers....

[Jamie Lyon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well researched book, but it sure is depressing.

[Natalie DiPietro · Rating 2 out of 5]

I work in the music industry so I thought it was pretty interesting. Not sure anyone not in the business would care.
So many names to remember throughout the book. My head was spinning!

[Hanniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The “insides” to the music industry. Focused more on one label particularly throughout the book but a good idea of the business back in the day.

[Jacob Shelton · Rating 3 out of 5]

this really changed my pov (point of view ) on corporations

[Speck Rejk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring except for part about casablanca records. Just petty back and forths of faceless execs and their mob ties. Does show it's all payola

[Rob LeDonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intricately researched and incredibly dense-- for better or worse.

[Nile · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm usually not one to hate on people I've never met, but Walter Yetnikoff was a terrible person.

[Andrew Tollemache · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super interesting read about the importance of record promoters in the 70s and 80s to drive album and singles sales. Dannen sets out to tell the story of how the industry began to turn against paying these promoters as those expenses ate up more and more of the revenue. Payola, in which cash (and drugs and women) payments were made to DJs and program directors, had been around for decades, but many had assumed that the big Federal crackdown in the early 1960s had killed it. Dannen describes how the practice had just morphed into another version. Networks of promoters, many tied to the Mob, would lobby thru all means to get songs on the air and in heavy rotation.
The Dannen book also becomes a tale of 2 giants of the record industry, Clive Davis and Walter Yetnikof, and how their rise and fall was tied to the tale of record promotion.
Record promotion as a practice fell apart due to a combination of more Federal (and media) investigations and the now more consolidated record industry's ability to force artists to pay for the service out of their end not the labels.
A couple stand out thoughts from this read are: (1) Someone needs to write a version of this book covering the market structure and practice of the music biz since 1990 and (2) It is spooky that all the iconic big name acts in this tale from 25 years ago have few new additions. Sure there were some losses like Jacko and Whitney Houston, but the inability to create many long lasting acts over the last 30 years is amazing. Try naming 5 acts in the last 30 years to attain any staying power. U2...maybe? Madonnna....not as much staying power as I would have thouhgt 10-15 years ago. People seem to like Pearl Jam still, but they are in a weird self imposed exile.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Despite being published 20 years ago, this paperback edition of Dannen’s explosive music industry exposé is an enthralling read. Dannen casts a wide net in detailing the shady practice of goosing record airplay and sales — going back to the payola scandal of the ’50s and earlier — but mostly the book focuses on a ring of sleazy 'independent promoters' who racked up millions in the freewheeling late ’70s and early ’80s. The book has a large cast of colorful characters (too large, to be honest), and everyone from thuggish bodyguards to pampered label execs gets a vivid portrait. The main thing I got from this book is that a good old boy mentality pervades the entire industry, and even the highest of label heads have the double-dealing oiliness of mob bosses. Dannen reserves his sharpest barbs for ’80s CBS Records head Irving Azoff, who here seems like the ultimate gladhanding sleazebag. A real eye-opener, and I wonder if it would be all that different for today’s music climate. Given what currently hits the charts, payola must continue being an essential part of the biz. The chapter on disco label Casablanca alone is worth its weight in gold." - Scrubbles.net review, June 13, 2010.

[Darin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an intriguing history of major players and executives in the music business. It primarily focuses on CBS records and its subsidiaries, including direct quotes and interviews with a lot of those executives. The spark that seemed to inspire the book was a resurgance of payola charges in the late 80's. The end of the book highlights some court cases that were beginning to be filed against independent promoters for payola charges. The only disappointment about the book is that the court cases it mentions at the end did not have a conclusion at press time, so the final resolution of its topics somewhat looms.

[Katy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this account of corruption in the music industry more; the subject matter is really interesting. But it was a little too inside baseball for me. The book was at its best when it focused on the larger-than-life personalities of the music industry in the 1970s and '80s, but when it got into excruciating and unnecessary detail on the minutiae of the business transactions, it lost me.