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han_reardonsmith's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
The analysis I’ve wanted for not years but decades (dramatic for a 37yo but nonetheless true), that takes seriously the plight of creatives *as* workers, who represent the canaries in the coal mine of late capitalism. (Cue me yelling at Marxist n union bros in the early 2010s about how they needed to take seriously the struggles of artists in order to understand the gig economy!) Clearly outlines the economics of the exploitation of creative labour, which we’re so often told just doesn’t generate sufficient profit for us to receive living wages, when in fact it’s just that all the wealth we do generate gets cannibalised by the giant landlords of industry. The first half of the book is bleak, but the second provides a series of interesting ideas for other ways of organising artistic production and distribution that better serves actual creators — with examples of some of these put into practice — and ultimately weaken the beast of capitalist monopolies (and fingers crossed capitalism itself).
aebrossbooks's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.75
"Chokepoint Capitalism" by Rebecca Giblin and Cory Doctorow is a harsh look at the reality of the hold that huge corporations like Amazon, Spotify, and Disney have on the "free market" as a whole. Spoiler alert: The free market isn't free. Far from it.
The first half of the book outlines, in great and depressing detail, the depths at which many giants of industry have control over what does and doesn't get seen, heard, purchased, or watched by consumers at large. It is a sometimes depressing demonstration of how we got where we are and the trouble that it poses to ever righting the ship, so to speak, and getting a fairer deal for artists, writers, musicians, and really any part of the working class beholden to these multibillion dollar corporations.
The second half of the book goes into detail on ways that the stranglehold these companies have on the industries they dominate can be broken. Ideas like collective action and radical interoperability have the potential to pave the way towards a fairer and more equitable system. Of course, it isn't going to be easy. Far from it. Still, there are some options.
I'm not going to lie, this book could have been shorter. Don't get me wrong, it is an important read and very informative but the authors go the extra mile to prove to you their case, unfortunately often making the book drag and feel repetitive. I listened to it at 1.85x speed and still felt impatient. Also, the narrator's voice was a lower tone, and because of it, I often had difficulty understanding what was being said (that's more on my auditory processing issues than anything else, though).
Overall I would definitely recommend this read. It's IMPORTANT and I think an excellent way to educate oneself on the evils that have been perpetrated all in the name of stealing labor from the working class. Just be aware that you can more than likely skim a bit if it starts to feel a bit repetitive, and still get a good grasp on what the book is conveying.
The first half of the book outlines, in great and depressing detail, the depths at which many giants of industry have control over what does and doesn't get seen, heard, purchased, or watched by consumers at large. It is a sometimes depressing demonstration of how we got where we are and the trouble that it poses to ever righting the ship, so to speak, and getting a fairer deal for artists, writers, musicians, and really any part of the working class beholden to these multibillion dollar corporations.
The second half of the book goes into detail on ways that the stranglehold these companies have on the industries they dominate can be broken. Ideas like collective action and radical interoperability have the potential to pave the way towards a fairer and more equitable system. Of course, it isn't going to be easy. Far from it. Still, there are some options.
I'm not going to lie, this book could have been shorter. Don't get me wrong, it is an important read and very informative but the authors go the extra mile to prove to you their case, unfortunately often making the book drag and feel repetitive. I listened to it at 1.85x speed and still felt impatient. Also, the narrator's voice was a lower tone, and because of it, I often had difficulty understanding what was being said (that's more on my auditory processing issues than anything else, though).
Overall I would definitely recommend this read. It's IMPORTANT and I think an excellent way to educate oneself on the evils that have been perpetrated all in the name of stealing labor from the working class. Just be aware that you can more than likely skim a bit if it starts to feel a bit repetitive, and still get a good grasp on what the book is conveying.
equleart's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
an informative, current look at entertainment industries and their top players' infuriating grab at ever more power.
at times a bit repetitive and mired in (necessarily) tiring detail but with a latter half that proposes many ways to mitigate and overturn the myriad of harmful practices.
in a genuinely hopeful closing section, Giblin and Doctorow say outright what the rest of the book merely implies: that all these issues and more arise from an economic system that prioritises profit over all.
the book really could've benefitted from more aggressive cutting of examples and detail, it is so mired in them long past conveying a decent understanding of the situation, that I'd hesitate to re-read or recommend it to others.
at times a bit repetitive and mired in (necessarily) tiring detail but with a latter half that proposes many ways to mitigate and overturn the myriad of harmful practices.
in a genuinely hopeful closing section, Giblin and Doctorow say outright what the rest of the book merely implies: that all these issues and more arise from an economic system that prioritises profit over all.
the book really could've benefitted from more aggressive cutting of examples and detail, it is so mired in them long past conveying a decent understanding of the situation, that I'd hesitate to re-read or recommend it to others.
steaksmum's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
An interesting and in depth look at how tech has corrupted creative industries. There were times the book lost me (the authors admitted that certain parts of the book would be heavy on the legalese of music industry contracts). Overall I think they did an excellent job of outlining how the tech marketplace has intentionally morphed into monopsony and actions that can be taken to correct it.