Sonic Boom: Napster, P2P and the Battle for the Future of Music

Sonic Boom: Napster, P2P and the Battle for the Future of Music

by JohnAlderman (Author)

Synopsis

The first book to tell the inside story of the MP3 revolution and Napster, which has made headlines around the world, as the record labels, musicians, Internet entrepreneurs and fans battle for control over the future of music. John Alderman has been part of the online revolution since the launch of HotWired, the world*s first commercial Website. As the culture editor for Wired News, Alderman began covering the explosion of online music just as the MP3 phenomenon gathered steam. He has written for Wired, i-D, Details and Salon, and is a frequent speaker on the subject of new media. "Sonic Boom" is a narrative of the phenomenon that's affecting musicians, such as the Beastie Boys and Public Enemy, who are reaching fans without record company support; entrepreneurs, who are distributing MP3 files without licensing agreements; and record industry executives, who are fighting for their business at every turn. Peopled with a sensational cast of characters that includes musicians, moguls, teenagers, and Internet entrepreneurs, "Sonic Boom" both exposes the recording industry's plight and also highlights the issues that all industries face in the information age.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 224
Publisher: Fourth Estate
Published: 06 Aug 2001

ISBN 10: 1841155128
ISBN 13: 9781841155128

Media Reviews
The fate of music download operation Napster is in the balance, having faced a legal avalanche from the record industry giants. This, then, is a timely book on the battle for control of the music industry, explaining the development of the MP3 music format, its future and the various intellectual property issues. One of the problems of tracking such a fast-moving target is topicality, and so Alderman is still working on his manuscript. But on the basis of some sample chapters, he has a sure grasp of the issues and an accessible writing style. The battles between the cigar-chomping record company bigwigs and the t-shirted slacker software developers such as MP3.com's Michael Robertson are all covered in detail, with most of Alderman's sympathy being bestowed on the latter, mainly because of the potential for empowerment that the technology holds. He understands the giant companies' need to protect their revenues, but is deeply sceptical of their claims to be looking after the rights of their recording artists, pointing to the punitive nature of most recording contracts and the majors' dismal history of continuing to develop artists over a long career. Potentially a very thought-provoking book.
Author Bio
John Alderman has been part of the online revolution since the launch of HotWired, the world's first commercial Website. As the culture editor for Wired News, Alderman began covering the explosion of online music just as the MP3 phenomenon gathered steam. He has written for Wired, i-D, Details and Salon.