KEY CHANGES

Most recent books on the music business have focused on the Internet, and specifically Napster, as the defining change in the modern music industry. But the business has actually shifted dramatically many times over the last century, disrupted by a series of technological innovations.

Those innovations are concentrated in the distribution formats for recorded music: starting in the early 20th century with piano rolls, then moving through vinyl, radio, tapes, CDs, music videos, digital downloads, streaming, and into the future with AI, voice response, and other emerging technologies. For each of these, there's a story to be told about innovation, disruption, creativity, consumer behavior, economics, and intellectual property.

The authors employ a novel tool for analyzing how the industry has responded to change: what they call the "6C Framework". This model examines the entire ecosystem of the music business, from creator to channel of distribution to consumer, and the role of cutting-edge technology, cash, and copyright as each change is absorbed and responded to. The authors, both of them industry veterans and adjunct faculty at NYU's Music Business program, augment their decades of experience in the industry with research, including interviews with artists, producers, and music label executives.

The music industry has led many of the technological changes affecting other creative industries (including publishing) - it's a fascinating history, told with insight, expertise, and verve.

Howie Singer and Bill Rosenblatt are music industry experts; both of them teach in the Music Business program at New York University.