Kitty Empire talks to Stephen Witt about his eagerly awaited book charting the rise of the MP3 file, the online pirates who exploited it and the record industry that ignored its cultural impact until it was far too lateExtract: Going for a song: the hidden history of music piracy How Music Got Free is in essence the gripping tale of three men: Karlheinz Brandenburg, the German scientist whose lab cobbled together the MP3; Doug Morris, the old-school record company executive who presided over the rap boom and began the fight-back against piracy; and Bennie Lydell “Dell” Glover, the North Carolina CD pressing plant worker, whose light fingers and computer skills singlehandedly led to a haemorrhage of A-list rock and hip-hop releases – Eminem, Kanye West, Queens of the Stone Age, Björk – being freely available on the internet two weeks before release.The three men never met, but Witt reveals how their lives overlapped and irrevocably changed those of anyone who listens to music. Brandenburg’s genius lay in shrinking sound files down so that they could easily be sent over the internet, back when most files were huge and modems still dialled up. Owing to the bitter internecine rivalries within acoustic engineering, no one recognised the scope of Brandenburg’s technology; the inferior MP2 kept winning industry accolades and commercial applications. Universal executive Morris presided over an industry rich from the obscene profits generated by CD sales, until the secretive... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2015-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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“God no, I don’t want you to read any of these," the former Democratic Georgia gubernatorial nominee told "The Late Show" host. Continue reading at The Huffington Post
[ The Huffington Post | 2019-04-04 09:49:21 UTC ]
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Peloton made a name for itself as a fitness bike purveyor, where consumers could stream their favorite musical artists while cycling in the comfort of their own homes. Now, that reputation is under threat from a copyright lawsuit that accuses the seven-year-old brand of stealing music.On... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With push notifications, there's never been a more direct way for publishers to build brand evangelism and reach their audience. But if the digital publishing community focuses on incomplete metrics, then there's a real risk of breaking the whole system, echoing recent statements from the IAB... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In 'Cannabis: The Illegalization of Weed in America' (First Second, April), Box Brown surveys the history of marijuana and provides an illuminating look at the racist social stigmatization, pharmacological affects and legalization movement surrounding marijuana in North America. A 15-page excerpt. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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London Book Fair 2019 drew to a close with the shock announcement that Faber editor Lee Brackstone will leave the indie after nearly 25 years to run a new, as yet unnamed, music-centric imprint at Orion. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Rachael Ray and Gayle King are among the moderators of the last leg of Michelle Obama's months-long book tour, which is coming to a close this month. The celebrities will join the former first lady as she tours behind her book "Becoming." The memoir quickly became... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The chief of the UK's 90-year-0ld Faber & Faber will tell the Quantum audience at the London Book Fair that however troubling Brexit's confusions may be, publishing holds the world's 'editorial centrality' in its hands: and that means it has a job to do. The post Faber’s Stephen Page Opens... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Suede frontman Brett Anderson and members of the Beastie Boys are among the authors shortlisted for this year’s Penderyn Music Book Prize. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canongate has acquired a second book from singer and author Tracey Thorn, My Rock ‘n’ Roll Friend, about "rock ‘n’ roll love affairs" and female friendship. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thriller author Don Winslow wants to debate Donald Trump about the president's proposed border wall, and Stephen King is willing to pay $10,000 to make it happen. Winslow, whose new novel, "The Border," is slated for release by Harper Collins imprint William Morrow next week, challenged Trump to... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hodder will publish Stephen King's new novel The Institute in September 2019 after the "thrilling and suspenseful" book was acquired by Jamie Hodder-Williams from Chuck Verrill at Darhansoff and Verrill in New York. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The owner of Canadian music business Sunrise Records, Doug Putman, is in rescue bid talks for HMV. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In 2017, the small indie graphic novel house based in New York published a graphic novel about a down-and-out music producer that included a soundtrack. Since then, the publisher has released a series of graphic novels based on music and the bands that produce it. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-01-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chelsea Clinton’s 2017 New York Times bestseller, “She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World,” is heading from the page to California stages next month. Announced on Wednesday, “She Persisted, the Musical” will be brought to life by Bay Area Children’s Theatre in its world premiere... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The author's local newspaper pledges to reinstate book reviews after his fans take out subscriptions. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2019-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Russian book publishers are considering signing on to a new anti-piracy memorandum of cooperation with major tech platforms. The post Russian Publishers Consider a New Winter Effort in Fighting Piracy appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Backed by social media support from author and Maine resident Stephen King, a petition and lobbying effort by the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance has successfully persuaded the 'Portland Press Herald' to reinstate its local book review coverage. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Portland Press Herald in Maine said it would bring back its local book reviews if the author and his followers brought in 100 new subscriptions. They brought in twice that. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Press Herald turns tweet aghast at plan to drop Maine content into chance to attract 100 digital subscriptionsA Maine newspaper that horrified the bestselling author Stephen King by dropping its local book review coverage used his complaint to boost digital subscriptions. Related: 'Judge me by... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2019-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House UK chair Gail Rebuck has paid tribute to Stephen Johnson, the former m.d. of Exclusive Books and Random House South Africa, who died earlier this week. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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