Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music

A decade ago the vast majority of mainstream music was funneled through a handful of media conglomerates. Now, more people are listening to more music from a greater variety of sources than at any time in history. And big corporations such as Viacom, Clear Channel, and Sony are no longer the sole gatekeepers and distributors, their monopoly busted by a revolution -- an uprising led by bands and fans networking on the Internet. Ripped tells the story of how the laptop generation created a new grassroots music industry, with the fans and bands rather than the corporations in charge. In this new world, bands aren't just musicmakers but self-contained multimedia businesses; and fans aren't just consumers but distributors and even collaborators. As the Web popularized bands and albums that previously would have been relegated to obscurity, innovative artists -- from Prince to Death Cab for Cutie -- started coming up with, and stumbling into, alternative ways of getting their music out to fans. Live music took on an even more significant role. TV shows and commercials emerged as great places to hear new tunes. Sample-based composition and mash-ups leapfrogged ahead of the industry's, and the law's, ability to keep up with them. Then, in 2007, Radiohead released an album exclusively on the Internet and allowed customers to name their own price, including $0.00. Radiohead's "it's up to you" marketing coup seized on a concept the old music industry had forgotten: the customer is always right. National radio host and critically acclaimed music journalist Greg Kot masterfully chronicles this story of how we went from $17.99 to $0.00 in less than a decade. It's a fascinating tale of backward thinking, forward thinking, and the power of music.

Review :
"Mr. Kot, who writes in an engaging but highly anecdotal style, does a nimble job of showing how the Internet has lifted the careers of particular musicians."--Michiko Kakutani "The New York Times " "[Ripped] is the best kind of journalism, even-tempered and provocative, factual and soulful." "A perceptive, unblinking, and up-to-the-minute take on the seismic transformations of the recording industry in the digital age. . . Kot's breezy, entertaining, journalistic style and sympathetic tone consistently draw in the reader. Essential for all those interested in the intersection of music and technology." "A well-researched and highly opinionated history. . . . This book makes for provocative reading, but Kot is above all a music lover and that comes across nomatter which side of the issue you're on." "Clear, concise and entertaining account of the tectonic shift in the recording industry over the past decade . . . Indispensable for anyone who wants to understand popular music in the 21st century." "Greg Kot tell us what happened . . . in his well-reported book about music in the Internet Age. . . . Kot understands that it's always entertaining to detail the thrash and roar of a carnivorous dinosaur in its death throes, as small and clever mammals--in this case, music lovers--win the day." "If you're looking for a big-picture guide to music, and how you interact with it, right-this second, "Ripped "is a good way to go." "Kot is a talented critic." "Stands out for its sturdily constructed prose and command of up-to-date facts. . . . The book thankfully avoids the technology and industry gossip possibilities inherent in the subject and instead focuses on the sometimes unexpectedly wonderful mutations in the way that musicians and listeners think about popular music." "Thought-provoking . . . enlightening . . . [a] substantive examination of the chaotic music world." "Kot understands that it's always entertaining to detail the thrash and roar of a carnivorous dinosaur in its death throes, as small and clever mammals--in this case, music lovers--win the day." --"The New York Times Book Review" "The best kind of journalism, even-tempered and provocative, factual and soulful." --"Christian Science Monitor"