gls_merch 's review for:

How Music Got Free: The End of an Industry, the Turn of the Century, and the Patient Zero of Piracy by Stephen Richard Witt

4.5

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While digital music is ubiquitous today, I am sure few of us know the story behind its rise. The author, Stephen Witt, admittedly downloaded gigabytes of music from ABBA to ZZ Top during his college years. Curious about the story, he began a three year investigative journey which resulted in this Michael Lewis-esque book. Stephen weaves together three disparate and fascinating storylines about music, technology, business, and people. While the book is a complete narrative, it leaves readers plenty to think about as the music business model and technology (streaming) are still evolving, and asks some interesting questions regarding piracy and patents.