Research Guides: MELE: Music & Entertainment Learning Experience: Find Books

FEATURED BOOKS & MEDIA

Rockin' the Free World! How the Rock & Roll Revolution Changed America and the World by Sean Kay
Call Number: ML3918.R63 K39 2017
The book is built around primary interviews with prominent American and international performing artists ranging from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees and Grammy winners to regional and local musicians. The interviews include leading industry people, management, journalists, heads of non-profits, and activists. The book concludes with a look at how musical artists have defined the American experience and what that has meant for the world.

How Music Got Free: The End of an Industry, the Turn of the Century, and the Patient Zero of Piracy
Call Number: ML3790 .W59 2015
* Named one of Time magazine's Best Books of 2015 So Far * Journalist Stephen Witt traces the secret history of digital music piracy, from the German audio engineers who invented the mp3, to a North Carolina compact-disc manufacturing plant where factory worker Dell Glover leaked nearly two thousand albums over the course of a decade, to the high-rises of midtown Manhattan where music executive Doug Morris cornered the global market on rap, and, finally, into the darkest recesses of the Internet.

Sam Phillips: the Man Who Invented Rock 'n' Roll
Call Number: ML429.P54 G87 2016
Sam Phillips, the visionary genius who singlehandedly steered the revolutionary path of Sun Records. The music that he shaped in his tiny Memphis studio with artists as diverse as Elvis Presley, Ike Turner, Howlin' Wolf, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash, introduced a sound that had never been heard before.

Rolling the R's by R. Zamora Linmark
Call Number: PS3576.A475 R65 2016 (Hawaii Pacific)
Illuminated by pop fantasies, Donna Summer disco tracks and teen passion, the fiercely earnest characters in Rolling the R's come to life against a background of burning dreams and neglect in a small 1970s Hawaiian community. In his daring first novel, R. Zamora Linmark treats the music of the Bee Gees and schoolyard bullying as equally formative experiences in the lives of a group of Filipino fourth-graders living in Kalihi, Honolulu, who call themselves the "Farrah Fawcett Fan Club." The characters' stories unfold largely in the documentary detritus of their lives--their poems and prayers, book reports and teacher evaluations--all written in carefully observed, pitch-perfect vernacular.

The Story of Music: From Babylon to the Beatles: How Music Has Shaped Civilization by Howard Goodall
Call Number: ML160 .G58 2015
Music is an intrinsic part of everyday life, and yet the history of its development from single notes to multi-layered orchestration can seem bewilderingly complex. In his dynamic tour through 40,000 years of music, from prehistoric instruments to modern-day pop, Howard Goodall leads us through the story of music as it happened, idea by idea, so that each musical innovation--harmony, notation, sung theatre, the orchestra, dance music, recording--strikes us with its original force.

Original Gangstas: Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and the Birth of West Coast Rap by Ben Westhoff
Call Number: ML3531 .W48 2017
A monumental, revealing narrative history about the legendary group of artists at the forefront of West Coast hip-hop: Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and Tupac Shakur. Amid rising gang violence, the crack epidemic, and police brutality, a group of unlikely voices cut through the chaos of late 1980s Los Angeles: N.W.A. Led by a drug dealer, a glammed-up producer, and a high school kid, N.W.A gave voice to disenfranchised African Americans across the country. And they quickly redefined pop culture across the world.

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ITake-Over: The Recording Industry in the Digital Era by David Arditi
Call Number:
(1) ML3790 .A76 2021
(2) E-Book
iTake-Over: The Recording Industry in the Digital Era sheds light on the way large corporations appropriate new technologies related to recording and distribution of audio material to maintain their market dominance in a capitalist system. All too commonly, scholars have asserted too confidently, how the rise and reign of digital music has diminished the power of major record labels. In iTake-Over, music scholar David Arditi argues otherwise, adopting a broader perspective by examining how the recording industry has strengthened copyright laws for their corporate ends at the expense of the broader public good, which has traditionally depended on the safe harbor of fair use.

Music Artists

Kill 'Em and Leave: Searching for James Brown and the American Soul
Call Number: ML420.B818 M33 2016
National Book Award winner James McBride goes in search of the "real" James Brown after receiving a tip that promises to uncover the man behind the myth.
Once upon a Time: The Lives of Bob Dylan
Call Number: ML420.D98 B38 2013
In Once Upon a Time, award-winning writer Ian Bell draws together the tangled strands of the many lives of Bob Dylan in all their contradictory brilliance. For the first time, the laureate of modern America is set in his entire context: musical, historical, literary, political and personal.
Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin by David Ritz
Call Number: ML420.F778 R57 2015
Aretha Franklin began life as the golden daughter of a progressive and promiscuous Baptist preacher. Aretha turned the industry on its head by refueling pop with heavy soul. The Queen of Soul had survived, and arrived.
Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went from Street Corner to Corner Office
Call Number: ML420.J29 .G74 2011
An analysis of the business behind the rap artist's hip-hop empire draws on the insights of close friends and associates to cover such topics as his drug-marked youth, musical achievements, and urban-informed business savvy.
Decoded by Jay-Z
Call Number: ML420.J29 A3 2011
A collection of lyrics and their meanings that together tell the story of a culture, an art form, a moment in history, and one of the most provocative and successful artists of our time.
Life by Keith Richards (with James Fox)
Call Number: ML420.R515 A3 2010
Autobiography of the guitarist, songwriter, singer, and founding member of the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards. With the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards lived the original rock and roll life.
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
Call Number: ML420.S77 A3 2016
Born to Run will be revelatory for anyone who has ever enjoyed Bruce Springsteen, but this book is much more than a legendary rock star’s memoir. This is a book for workers and dreamers, parents and children, lovers and loners, artists, freaks, or anyone who has ever wanted to be baptized in the holy river of rock and roll.
Waging Heavy Peace by Neil Young
Call Number: ML420.Y75 W34 2013
An iconic figure in the history of rock and pop culture (inducted not once but twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), Neil Young has written his eagerly awaited memoir.

History & Music Genres

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! The Story of Pop Music from Bill Haley to Beyonce
Call Number: ML3470 .S73 2014
It covers the birth of rock, soul, R&B, punk, hip hop, indie, house, techno, and more, and it will remind you why you fell in love with pop music in the first place. Bob Stanley—musician, music critic, and unabashed fan—recounts the progression from the Beach Boys to the Pet Shop Boys to the Beastie Boys; explores what connects doo wop to the sock hop; and reveals how technological changes have affected pop production.
The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader: Histories and Debates, 3rd ed. by David Brackett
Call Number: ML3477 .B68 2014
Featuring over 100 readings from a wide range of sources and writers, this book provides a rich and engaging introduction to the development of American popular music and the important social and cultural issues raised by its study.
Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation
Call Number: ML3531 .C5 2005
Based on original interviews with DJs, b-boys, rappers, graffiti writers, activists, and gang members, with unforgettable portraits of many of hip-hop's forebears, founders, and mavericks, including DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, Chuck D, and Ice Cube, this book chronicles the events, the ideas, the music, and the art that marked the hip-hop generation's rise from the ashes of the 60's into the new millennium.

ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC BUSINESS

It All Begins with the Music
Call Number: E-BOOK
"Practical information, career blueprints, and a world of wisdom for aspiring artists, managers, and executives on how to make an impact in today's music business. It provides a comprehensive examination of the new methods by which recording artists are discovered, developed, and nurtured in the modern music industry."
Start Your Music Business: How to Earn Royalties, Own Your Music, Sample Music, Protect Your Name & Structure Your Music Business
Call Number: ML3790 .C45 2013
Written by an experienced entertainment lawyer, this book is a guide for songwriters, musicians, producers, music publishers, independent record labels, artists, bands, and individuals in the music industry who want to start and grow a successful music business legally.
The Music Business (Explained in Plain English)
Call Number: ML3790 .N26 2013
An invaluable aid to anyone who feels like they are at the mercy of industry pros. Not only does this book provide practical career-building and money-saving answers for both artists and songwriters, but it is also a must-have deal-making reference guide.
The Insider's Guide to Music Licensing
Call Number: ML3795 .T37 2014
This book takes you through how licensing really works: what type of royalties are expected, digital royalties from companies, receiving royalties from iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster through digital distributors like IODA/The Orchard, and how they pay. Also covered are mechanical royalties from, broadcast radio licenses, how foreign royalties are collected, publishing administration deals, and a breakdown of sync and master licenses. Interviews with major industry players offer advice directly to musicians.
The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-hop
Call Number: ML3918.R37 C52 2011
The Big Payback takes readers from the first $15 made by a "rapping DJ" in 1970s New York to the multi-million-dollar sales of the Phat Farm and Roc-a-Wear clothing companies in 2004 and 2007. On this four-decade-long journey from the studios where the first rap records were made to the boardrooms where the big deals were inked, this book tallies the list of who lost and who won. Read the secret histories of the early long-shot successes of Sugar Hill Records and Grandmaster Flash, Run DMC's crossover breakthrough on MTV, the marketing of gangsta rap, and the rise of artist/ entrepreneurs like Jay-Z and Sean "Diddy" Combs.
Tour Smart and Break the Band
Call Number: EBOOK
From packing the right equipment to keeping enough gas in the tank to get home, every aspect of making a successful tour with a band is addressed in this comprehensive guide. Loaded with hundreds of years' worth of collective hands-on experience from those steeped in the music business, this is a must-have resource for creating an unforgettable tour.
This Business of Concert Promotion and Touring
Call Number: ML3790 .W268 2007
"Concerts are part art, part party--and a big part business. This Business of Concert Promotion and Touring is the first to focus on that all-important business aspect, from creating a show, to selling a show, to organizing the show, to staging the show. Working with venues, personnel, booking, promoting, marketing, publicity, public relations, financial management, and much more are covered in this indispensable one-volume resource."
What They'll Never Tell You About the Music Business
Call Number: ML3790 .T43 2010
"This completely revised and expanded edition is a must-have reference not only for aspiring songwriters, record producers, and performing artists but also for record company executives, personal and business managers, agents, and attorneys."
This Business of Music: The Definitive Guide to the Music Industry
Call Number: ML3790 .S5 2007
"Now in its tenth edition, This Business of Music has been revised and completely updated to reflect the latest changes in the ever-evolving music business. Every chapter has been revised. An entirely new chapter has been added, asking and answering the question "Are there borders in cyberspace?" The answer is yes, and the book clearly and concisely explains what they are and how to maintain them."
Blockbusters: Hit-making, Risk-taking, and the Big Business of Entertainment
Call Number: P96.E25 E53 2013
Explores "what's behind the phenomenal success of entertainment businesses such as Warner Bros., Marvel Entertainment, and the NFL--along with such stars as Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, and LeBron James--[and] which strategies give leaders in film, television, music, publishing, and sports an edge over their rivals.
Brands That Rock: What Business Leaders Can Learn from the World of Rock and Roll
Call Number: ML3790 .B6 2004
Brands That Rock takes you on a bold leap into the world of rock and roll and reveals how great companies can turn customers into fans with the same marketing strategies used by some of the biggest rock stars in history.
Full Frontal PR: Building Buzz About Your Business, Your Product, or You
Call Number: HD59 .L32 2004
"Learn how to hone your pitch, build relationships with the press, and gain strategic placements that will get people talking. These tactics are based on proven methods that are easy to implement and, most importantly cost effective."

Record Labels & People

Cowboys and Indies: The Epic History of the Record Industry
Call Number: ML3790 .M665 2014
Follow the Music: The Life and High Times of Elektra Records
Call Number: ML3792 .H65 2000
Fortune's Fool: Edgar Bronfman, Jr., Warner Music, and an Industry in Crisis
Call Number: ML429.B76 G66 2010
Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business
Call Number: ML3790 .D32 1991
I Should Have Known Better: A Life in Pop Management--The Beatles, Brian Epstein and Elton
Call Number: EBOOK
The Label: The Story of Columbia Records
Call Number: ML3792.C65 M37 2007
The Rise & Fall of EMI Records
Call Number: ML3792.E45 S68 2009

Audio Production

From Demo to Delivery: The Process of Production
Call Number: ML3790 .F76 2009
ISBN: 0240811321
Mixing Audio: Concepts, Practices and Tools
Call Number: TK7881.4 .I94 2008
ISBN: 0240520688
Mastering Audio
Call Number: TK7881.4 .K38 2007
ISBN: 0240808371
The Recording Engineer's Handbook, 2nd Ed.
Call Number: EBOOK
The Ultimate Live Sound Operator's Handbook, 2nd Ed.
Call Number: TK7881.9 .G53 2011
Master Handbook of Acoustics, 5th Ed.
Call Number: QC225.15 .E93 2009

SPOTLIGHT

The Blues: A Visual History : 100 Years of Music that Changed the World by Mike Evans
Call Number: ML3521 .E94 2014
Publication Date: 2014
Originating in the African-American communities of the Deep South in the late nineteenth century, the blues gave birth to jazz, R&B, rock, punk, and country. The Blues explores the many forms this quintessentially American music has taken.

The Industry, the Internet, and the Future

Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age
Call Number: ML3790 .K57 2010
Recounts for the first time the epic story of the precipitous rise and fall of the recording industry over the past three decades, when the success of the CD turned the music business into one of the most glamorous, high-profile industries in the world--and the advent of file sharing brought it to its knees.
Capturing Sound: How Technology Has Changed Music
Call Number: ML3790 .K277 2010
There is more to sound recording than just recording sound. Far from being simply a tool for the preservation of music, the technology is a catalyst. In this award-winning text, Mark Katz provides a wide-ranging, deeply informative, consistently entertaining history of recording's profound impact on the musical life of the past century, from Edison to the Internet. Fully revised and updated. E-BOOK access
The Future of Music: Manifesto for the Digital Music Revolution
Call Number: ML3790 .K86 2005
"The record industry is terminally ill...This book will show you cool new ways to find music and connect with your favorite artists. Discover the top-10 truths about the music business of the future and how you can benefit from the explosion in digital music, today and tomorrow."
Less Noise, More Soul: The Search for Balance in the Art, Technology, and Commerce of Music
Call Number: ML3790 .L49 2013
The digital revolution has enabled the creation and distribution of music in ways previously unimagined. This title brings together original essays by a select group of industry professionals, who share a wealth of experience, passion, and insight into where popular music has been, where it currently finds itself, and where it's going.
Music 4.0 A Survival Guide for Making Music in the Internet Age
Call Number: ML3790 .O968 2014
Featuring the latest music business and social media concepts as well as brand-new interviews with a variety of the industry's top movers and shakers, this guide has been completely updated. How has streaming music impacted the artist and the industry? Who are the new industry players? Why do traditional record labels, television, and radio have increasingly less influence in an artist's success? How should music be marketed and distributed in this new world? How do you make money when listeners stream your music?
The Music Industry: Music in the Cloud
Call Number: ML3790 .W52 2009
"This is the first major study of the music industry in the new millennium. Wikström provides an international overview of the music industry and its future prospects in the world of global entertainment. They illuminate the workings of the music industry, and capture the dynamics at work in the production of musical culture between the transnational media conglomerates, the independent music companies and the public. "
The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture, and Coolness
Call Number: ML74.4.I48 L48 2007
"Tech-savvy writer Levy takes readers step by step through the research, development, and ultimate domination of the Apple iPod -- today's cultural icon and a massive force in the music industry."
Reformatted: Code, Networks, and the Transformation of the Music Industry
Call Number: ML3790 .L49 2014
Reformatted provides the most accurate and insightful account to date on the upheavals in the music industry over the past two decades. Leyshon traces music's economic geography from the bricks and mortar of recording studios to financial strategies, file-sharing, code and software struggles, and the muddy fields of festivals.
Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music
Call Number: ML74.7 .K68 2010
"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 the fans aren't just consumers but distributors and even collaborators."
Selling Sounds: The Commercial Revolution in American Music
Call Number: ML3790 .S88 2009
Chapters: When songs became a business -- Making hits -- Music without musicians -- The traffic in voices -- Musical properties -- Perfect pitch -- The black swan -- The musical soundscape of modernity

Publishing & Piracy

The Piracy Crusade: How the Music Industry's War on Sharing Destroys Markets and Erodes Civil Liberties
Call Number: K1450 .S57 2013
The author critiques the notion of "piracy" as a myth perpetuated by today's cultural cartels―the handful of companies that dominate the film, software, and especially music industries.
Online Access
Democracy of Sound: Music Piracy and the Remaking of American Copyright in the 20th Century
Call Number: Ebook Central Ebook
An insightful and often entertaining look at the history of music piracy; it offers invaluable background to one of the hot-button issues involving creativity and the law.
The Plain and Simple Guide to Music Publishing, 3rd Ed.
Call Number: ML112 .W58 2014
Since the publication of the first edition in 2005, this book has emerged as the premier guide to the subject. With sufficient depth to be used as a text at major college music industry programs including UCLA, NYU and Northeastern, the book also remains simple and clear enough for the lay songwriter to gain a crucial understanding of musical copyrights and licensing basics.
The Plain and Simple Guide to Music Publishing
Call Number: ML112 .W58 2009
"Publishing is one of the most complex and lucrative parts of the music business. Industry expert Randall Wixen covers everything from mechanical, performing and synch rights to sub-publishing, foreign rights, copyright basics, types of publishing deals, advice on representation and more. Get a view from the top, in plain English."
Pop Song Piracy: Disobedient Music Distribution since 1929
Call Number: ML3790 .K448 2011
Starting with music publishers’ efforts to stamp out bootleg compilations of lyric sheets in 1929, this book details nearly a century of disobedient music distribution from song sheets to MP3s. In the 1940s and ’50s, the author reveals, song sheets were succeeded by fake books, unofficial volumes of melodies and lyrics for popular songs that were a key tool for musicians..

Career Guidance

The Best Jobs in the Music Industry: Straight Talk from Successful Music Pros
Call Number: ML3795 .R414 2013
Each description of a job starts with a short summary designed to help you decide whether this might be something you want to explore further, followed by the real stories, paths to success, and challenges you may confront - all in the words of real pros.
The Savvy Musician: Building a Career, Earning a Living & Making a Difference
Call Number: ML3790 .C88 2010
ISBN: 0982307500
Chapters: So you want to be a musician? -- The entrepreneurial mindset -- Minding your business -- Marketing is everything -- Print materials that scream success -- Pounding the virtual pavement -- The new recording paradigm -- Extraordinary people skills -- Personal finance for musicians -- Nice work if you can get it -- Funding your dreams -- Outstanding performance plus -- Artistry & relevance -- Leaving a legacy
Roadie, Inc. Second Edition
Call Number: ML3790 .R49 2012
Tthe definitive guide to starting out as technician, working for bands on tour. The book details the exact steps you need to take in order to find work as a sound engineer, back line tech, lighting engineer, tour manager, touring stylist or driver. There is also comprehensive information on non-touring roles such as artist manager, music booking agent and concert promoter.
The Artist's Guide to Success in the Music Business, 2nd Ed.
Call Number: ML3795 .W427 2014
A detailed analysis of the subjects that all musicians should understand and apply to pursue a successful and sustainable career in music today. Full of practical advice, this music industry book provides comprehensive details on how to achieve self-empowerment and optimize your success in today's music business. From production and performance tips to marketing and career-building advice, this music business book instructs and empowers artists on how to take the hard-earned lessons of a fellow musician and put them to work in their own careers.
Rocking Your Music Business
Call Number: EBOOK
Introduces the business of music and tells you what you need to do to set up and run your business. As part of this, the book also looks at how you can use your existing tools, such as a desktop computer, a laptop, or a Smartphone/iPhone, to carry your office in your pocket.

Music and the Human Brain

This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
Call Number: ML3830 .L38 2007
In this unprecedented meeting of art and science, rocker-turned-neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin explores the connection between music and the human brain. Drawing on the latest research and on musical examples ranging from Mozart, Ella Fitzgerald, and U2 to Schoenberg, Metallica, and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" Levitin reveals: how composers exploit the way our brains make sense of the world; why we emotionally attach to music we listen to as teenagers; why 10,000 hours of practice - not talent - makes virtuosos; [and] how insidious jingles (aka ear worms) get stuck in our heads.