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Cowboys and Indies: The Epic History of the Record Industry
Gareth Murphy
€ 17.99
€ 12.92
FREE Delivery in Ireland
Description for Cowboys and Indies: The Epic History of the Record Industry
Paperback. Num Pages: 400 pages. BIC Classification: AVC; HBT; KNTF. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 130 x 198 x 27. Weight in Grams: 350.
COWBOYS AND INDIES is the story of the 'record men' - the mavericks and moguls who have shaped the music industry from the first sound machines of the 1850s through to today's digital streams. Men like John Hammond, who discovered Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen; Sam Phillips and Berry Gordy, founders of the Sun and Motown labels; Chris Blackwell, who brought Bob Marley and reggae music into the mainstream; Geoff Travis who built Rough Trade and launched The Smiths; or genre-busting producer Rick Rubin, who recorded Run DMC, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Johnny Cash. Gareth Murphy has drawn on more than 100 interviews with music business legends, as well as extensive archive research, to bring us the behind-the-scenes stories of how music gets made and sold. He explains, too, how the industry undergoes regular seismic changes. We may think the digital revolution is a big deal, but in the 1920s the arrival of radio and the Wall Street Crash wiped out 95 per cent of record sales. But, as we all know, you can't stop the music ...
Product Details
Publisher
Profile Books Ltd
Format
Paperback
Publication date
2015
Condition
New
Weight
350g
Number of Pages
400
Place of Publication
London, United Kingdom
ISBN
9781781254356
SKU
V9781781254356
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 5 to 9 working days
Ref
99-99
About Gareth Murphy
Gareth Murphy was raised in Dublin surrounded by music and the musicians his father worked with as a concert promoter. He has worked at various record companies and produced thirty electronic compilations. He now runs his own company, Atlantis Recordings. As well as composing and producing original music, he is a freelance writer and researcher for journals and think-tanks. Murphy lives in Paris with his wife and three-year-old son.
Reviews for Cowboys and Indies: The Epic History of the Record Industry
A fascinating account of the way recorded music has evolved, touched people and helped shape popular culture as we know it today.
Sir George Martin, legendary record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, audio engineer and musician If this book was a group, I would definitely sign them. It is that good.
Geoff Travis, founder of Rough Trade A fascinating trawl through music industry history ... thoroughly researched
Will Hodgkinson
Times
An all encompassing history of not only what might be termed the hardware of popular music from Thomas Edison's cylinders to the MP3 downloads of today, but the machinations, artistic high jinks and public scams that accompanied it
John Clarke
Independent
Compendious and tantalising ... The research is solid ... His original interviews - with Elektra's Jac Holzman, Def Jam/American impresario and super-producer Rick Rubin, Sire boss Seymour Stein, and Virgin's Simon Draper among many - are candid and insightful.
Kitty Empire
Observer
Entertaining ... comprehensive ... an illuminating history that throws new light on familiar landmarks ... excellent.
Graeme Thomson
Mail on Sunday
Enjoyable ... colourful ... Murphy paints lively portraits
Helen Brown
Telegraph
This lovingly written book ... is a celebration of the indie heroes who shaped the industry while giving groundbreaking artists a platform ... Like the Last Shop Standing of record labels, Cowboys And Indies tells their story
Record Collector Magazine
A fascinating read. Murphy has written an almost immaculate account of the rollercoaster that is the industry, and how the recording industry developed from its beginnings at the end of the nineteenth century. It will surely be an eye-opener for anybody who has ever purchased one of its artefacts, whether on a seven-inch single, a CD or a download, and wondered how and where the whole process started.
Bookbag
Extremely readable ... A fascinating fare about an intriguing industry and Murphy's Cowboys and Indies pans out as the most rewarding book of its kind to date. One suspects there are plenty more tales for another volume.
Fred Dellar
Mojo
An entertaining glimpse behind the scenes, and an informative overview of how the industry has evolved
Ian Critchley
Sunday Times
Greed, ambition, genius and idealism coalesce to create a vibrant and compelling narrative - a must for music fans and culture vultures alike
Roisin Dwyer
Hot Press
This passionate compendium ... is the tale of the moguls who have twisted the melons of musicians, profited from them, created them, ripped the gullets from plenty. Often these days - with musicologies, Wikipedia and Discogs doing it faster - books can take too long, but this book busts through the platinum disc-plated houses with interviews from the megalords of the industry ... Strangely mirroring the music industry perfectly, this tale of Cowboys and Indies is thorough on each glorious era of debauchery and blag.
DJ Magazine
Sir George Martin, legendary record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, audio engineer and musician If this book was a group, I would definitely sign them. It is that good.
Geoff Travis, founder of Rough Trade A fascinating trawl through music industry history ... thoroughly researched
Will Hodgkinson
Times
An all encompassing history of not only what might be termed the hardware of popular music from Thomas Edison's cylinders to the MP3 downloads of today, but the machinations, artistic high jinks and public scams that accompanied it
John Clarke
Independent
Compendious and tantalising ... The research is solid ... His original interviews - with Elektra's Jac Holzman, Def Jam/American impresario and super-producer Rick Rubin, Sire boss Seymour Stein, and Virgin's Simon Draper among many - are candid and insightful.
Kitty Empire
Observer
Entertaining ... comprehensive ... an illuminating history that throws new light on familiar landmarks ... excellent.
Graeme Thomson
Mail on Sunday
Enjoyable ... colourful ... Murphy paints lively portraits
Helen Brown
Telegraph
This lovingly written book ... is a celebration of the indie heroes who shaped the industry while giving groundbreaking artists a platform ... Like the Last Shop Standing of record labels, Cowboys And Indies tells their story
Record Collector Magazine
A fascinating read. Murphy has written an almost immaculate account of the rollercoaster that is the industry, and how the recording industry developed from its beginnings at the end of the nineteenth century. It will surely be an eye-opener for anybody who has ever purchased one of its artefacts, whether on a seven-inch single, a CD or a download, and wondered how and where the whole process started.
Bookbag
Extremely readable ... A fascinating fare about an intriguing industry and Murphy's Cowboys and Indies pans out as the most rewarding book of its kind to date. One suspects there are plenty more tales for another volume.
Fred Dellar
Mojo
An entertaining glimpse behind the scenes, and an informative overview of how the industry has evolved
Ian Critchley
Sunday Times
Greed, ambition, genius and idealism coalesce to create a vibrant and compelling narrative - a must for music fans and culture vultures alike
Roisin Dwyer
Hot Press
This passionate compendium ... is the tale of the moguls who have twisted the melons of musicians, profited from them, created them, ripped the gullets from plenty. Often these days - with musicologies, Wikipedia and Discogs doing it faster - books can take too long, but this book busts through the platinum disc-plated houses with interviews from the megalords of the industry ... Strangely mirroring the music industry perfectly, this tale of Cowboys and Indies is thorough on each glorious era of debauchery and blag.
DJ Magazine