American Popular Music and Its Business in the Digital Age: 1985-2020

American Popular Music and Its Business in the Digital Age: 1985-2020 by Rick Sanjek is the sequel to his father Russell Sanjek’s American Popular Music and Its Business: the First 400 Years. This book offers a detailed and objective history of the popular music industry from the introduction of the compact disc to the shift to streaming, with particular emphasis on the creators, the consumers, and the music business professionals who, in Sanjek’s telling, form the three major axes of the industry.

Each of the book’s three sections--1985-1995, 1996-2006, and 2007-2019--has five chapters covering the same areas and issues. The first chapter in each section outlines the competition between the Big Six music conglomerates, their corporate structures, leadership, finances, and market share. The second chapter traces the synergy between the labels, the retail sector, radio, and the trade magazines whose charts are the pacemaker for the entire industry. Third comes music publishing, licensing, copyright, and legal issues including legislation, litigation, and infringement, followed by a focus on creators and how they earn their money. Each final chapter examines how, how much, and where consumers--who lead in adopting new technology--spend their money.

Underlying it all is an insider’s perspective on the role that the CD, Napster, Apple, Spotify, YouTube, SoundScan, electronic ticketing, and other innovations had in redefining the business structure and revenue flow of the entire industry. Digital technology also affected the regulations, contracts, and financial transactions that define the complex business of music, as live performance transitioned from clubs, concert halls, and theaters to arenas, amphitheaters, and stadiums. Concurrently, recorded music evolved from analog to digital sound carriers through MP3 downloads and then to on-demand streaming files, ultimately affecting consumers, creators, and the music business infrastructure that connects them.

Finally, an epilogue includes the effects of COVID-19 in 2020 on all involved, closing with a glimpse into the digital future with the emergence of TikTok, livestreaming, immersive media, and artificial intelligence.

Rick Sanjek is a former BMI Vice President of writer/publisher relations, national trustee and chapter president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, A&R director at Atlantic Records, artist manager, and independent publisher and producer. He learned the music business basics working directly with five Hall-of-Fame mentors: BMI’s Frances Preston; Atlantic Records’ Jerry Wexler; the incomparable Willie Nelson; legendary Sun Records producer, publisher, and songwriter Jack Clement; and producer, label owner, and steel guitar legend Pete Drake. Over his career he has worked as a producer, music supervisor, publisher, songwriter, and/or licensing consultant on hundreds of music, film, and television projects. Preface
Acknowledgments
Illustrations
Contents
Prologue

Part One: 1985 to 1995
Chapter One: The Game of Musical Thrones
Chapter Two: Records, Retail, Radio, and the Charts that Bind Them
Chapter Three: Publishing, Copyright, Legislation, and Litigation
Chapter Four: The Creators of Music: Getting Paid
Chapter Five: The Consumer: From Whom, How, and Where the Money Flows

Part Two: 1996-2006
Chapter Six: From Big Six to Big Four
Chapter Seven: Digital Technology Rocks the Record/Radio/Retail Relationship
Chapter Eight: Publishing, Copyright, Legislation, and Litigation
Chapter Nine: The Creators’ Side of the Money Equation
Chapter Ten: Emergence of the Digital Consumer: 1996-2006

Part Three: 2007 to 2019
Chapter Eleven: The Game of Musical Thrones: Riding the Digital Wave
Chapter Twelve: Records, Radio, Retail, Streaming, and the Charts
Chapter Thirteen: Publishing and Copyright: The Digital Effect
Chapter Fourteen: The Creators: A Bigger Piece of a Bigger Pie
Chapter Fifteen: The Consumer: Leading the Digital Transition

Epilogue: 2020--Into the Future

Acronyms
Bibliography
Index