A review by jcpdiesel21
The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory by John Seabrook

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.