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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
A very readable account of the rise of the mp3 and its impact on the music industry and consumers.
Witt deftly interweaves the narratives of the scientists and engineers who birthed the new technology and struggled to get it accepted, with music company executives (primarily Doug Morris who worked for several different labels during this tumultuous period) and geeklings on the ground floor of the new fangled internet who were pirating tunes all over the place, much to the chagrin of music bigwigs determined to get those pesky kids. While mostly clear and easy to follow, the author has this dreadful habit of referring to people in multiple ways; the greatest offense is perpetrated against the late Tupac Shakur, who is sometimes Shakur (last name being the standard nomenclature for most individuals most frequently), sometimes Tupac, and sometimes just Pac (as though he is a personal friend who merits a nickname). There's also an intermittent tendency to sound like a snarky bitch, which is intended to be funny but instead sounds like snide insecurity. Nevertheless, the pros outweigh the cons by plenty in this informative chronicle.
This was my first GoodReads FirstReads win (exciting, no?) so thank you to the nice folks at Penguin who sent me an advance review copy.
Witt deftly interweaves the narratives of the scientists and engineers who birthed the new technology and struggled to get it accepted, with music company executives (primarily Doug Morris who worked for several different labels during this tumultuous period) and geeklings on the ground floor of the new fangled internet who were pirating tunes all over the place, much to the chagrin of music bigwigs determined to get those pesky kids. While mostly clear and easy to follow, the author has this dreadful habit of referring to people in multiple ways; the greatest offense is perpetrated against the late Tupac Shakur, who is sometimes Shakur (last name being the standard nomenclature for most individuals most frequently), sometimes Tupac, and sometimes just Pac (as though he is a personal friend who merits a nickname). There's also an intermittent tendency to sound like a snarky bitch, which is intended to be funny but instead sounds like snide insecurity. Nevertheless, the pros outweigh the cons by plenty in this informative chronicle.
This was my first GoodReads FirstReads win (exciting, no?) so thank you to the nice folks at Penguin who sent me an advance review copy.
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
informative
slow-paced
As a younger millennial who just missed the peak of pirating culture, this was a fascinating read. A little repetitive at points and focuses exclusively on the men behind the Scene, but touches on important issues around IP law and ethics
For the last 10,000 people still flying the audio jolly roger in the age of Spotify, this book will be utterly fascinating. For everyone else, it will be plain fascinating.
How Music Got Free is the story of the near-aborted birth of the mp3 file format, the monopolistic dominance of major music labels in the '80s and '90s, and the emergence of piracy, which made the mp3 format holy and the godly music labels considerably less holy. Like every good story , it's told as a tale of people--a frustrated group of perfectionist German audio engineers , a factory floor worker who stole tens of thousands of CDs, a power-hungry music label titan, plus a huge coterie of other musically inclined folks.
The book explains the history of a phenomenon--music piracy--which nearly everyone has participated in at some time or another, but few have likely thought hard about it. At its best points, the story touches on the motivations of key characters who started the fire of piracy; at its worst point, it tells the story in unforgettable entertaining passion.
Plus, since the author reveals that he's pirated a thing or two in his day, you (not me) might decide that it's okay to grab this book for free somewhere. And what's better than free knowledge about free stuff?
How Music Got Free is the story of the near-aborted birth of the mp3 file format, the monopolistic dominance of major music labels in the '80s and '90s, and the emergence of piracy, which made the mp3 format holy and the godly music labels considerably less holy. Like every good story , it's told as a tale of people--a frustrated group of perfectionist German audio engineers , a factory floor worker who stole tens of thousands of CDs, a power-hungry music label titan, plus a huge coterie of other musically inclined folks.
The book explains the history of a phenomenon--music piracy--which nearly everyone has participated in at some time or another, but few have likely thought hard about it. At its best points, the story touches on the motivations of key characters who started the fire of piracy; at its worst point, it tells the story in unforgettable entertaining passion.
Plus, since the author reveals that he's pirated a thing or two in his day, you (not me) might decide that it's okay to grab this book for free somewhere. And what's better than free knowledge about free stuff?
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
An entertaining mix of music industry drama, tech geekery, and nostalgia over the radical changes in music consumption over the last 30 years. Insightful and informative. Missed out on a fifth star because it didn't quite seem to cover the ground that the title might suggest, and instead honed into a few key players that the author interviewed. Also, the writing style seemed a little forced at times. A worthwhile read for anyone remotely interested in the music industry or the tech side of music trading.
This is a fascinating and engaging book about the invention of the .mp3, the recent history of the music industry and its reaction to piracy, and the pirates themselves. Witt does an amazing job making the stories personal, focusing on a generation of men who got rich off of music in some way, and how they fared as the industry changed.