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heykstan's review against another edition
5.0
This book is nuts. I knew that there were songwriters and "hit makers" in the music industry but I have NO idea what an impact they have had on the pop landscape. Like, pretty much every modern pop song I've ever loved. If you give a shit about pop music, or even if you despise it, this is a fascinating book.
dcmr's review against another edition
4.0
Dense, detailed, illuminating, and well-written — and I wasn't really even interested in this subject; it's so well done that I spent the day reading the book, and ended with appreciation for valuable insight into the music industry.
jcpdiesel21's review against another edition
4.0
A captivating look at the current state of the music industry and how it has dramatically changed over the past three decades. Seabrook shines a welcome spotlight on the musical geniuses during this time period that have meticulously crafted some of the biggest hits and earworms in popular music as well as innovations that have modified the songwriting process and shaped methods of reaching consumers. The only part that doesn't quite fit with the rest is the chapter on K-Pop, which is paradoxically both too brief and too lengthy; the material could easily spawn its own book, yet aside from also being associated with pop music, is too far removed from the rest of the material included here. Otherwise, this is a very informative read that helped me appreciate the complicated mechanics involved in creating a song.
dkai's review against another edition
4.0
It provides exactly what I wanted in a basic understanding of the modern history of pop music. Neither too detailed nor too concise, the chapters follow specific artists and producers (Martin, Rihanna, Ester Dean, Dr. Luke/Kesha, etc.), blending interviews, background info, and anecdotes into highly readable stories that together give a decent picture of pop music. In other words, it's informative, but far more story-like than many informative books. This is a great starting place for learning about the song machine.
cynicalnovas's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.75
mmqd's review against another edition
5.0
Such a captivating and in-depth look into the production and songwriting geniuses behind today's mainstream pop music hits. From Ace of Base to Katy Perry, the decline of album sales and emergence of streaming services like Spotify, Seabrook does an incredible job telling the story of pop music over the past 20 years with extensive research and interviews. For any pop music lovers, this book is a must read.
heatherbermingham's review against another edition
4.0
I was expecting this book to be a little more like the "Switched on Pop" podcast - real breaking down of individual songs - and there's a little bit of that, but a lot of it is more big picture: how the music business is changed, how it's more reliant than ever on hit songs, and most importantly, how the songwriting process has changed, why there are often 5 or 6 songwriters on a song, and how that's affected artists. I'm a process geek - I love knowing how things work, especially with creative endeavors - so I really enjoyed this a lot.