Sonic Boom - Softcover

Alderman, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0738207772 ISBN 13: 9780738207773

Publisher: Basic Books, 2002

Synopsis

Sonic Boom is a fascinating narrative of the controversy that's sending shock waves through the music industry. It reveals how even as the star-maker machinery of record companies remains in the hands of the old guard, innovators are finding ways to route around it. Part industry exposé and part music history, Sonic Boom presents a candid and entertaining account of how digital compression technologies such as MP3 have brought out the best and worst in artists and consumers alike, and how the end result can be nothing less than a cultural and economic transformation. Peopled with a sensational cast of characters that includes rock stars, music moguls, teenagers, and Internet entrepreneurs, Sonic Boom exposes the recording industry's plight as a fascinating microcosm of the vast cultural, ethical, and legal issues that all industries face in the information age.

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Review:

Napster may or may not be a factor in the music scene of the future, but its extraordinary rise--and the attention it focused on the MP3 digital audio format--has ensured its status as a key figure in bringing this new type of sound recording to public consciousness. Sonic Boom, by veteran cyberjournalist John Alderman, cogently recounts the brief but tumultuous story that led up to this upstart song-trading exchange attracting 500,000 users each night--along with the wrath of the traditional recording industry. But Napster is hardly the entire story when it comes to the MP3 revolution, and Alderman is wise to focus significant attention on other important players. These include the Internet Underground Music Archive, an early Web site launched to help bands reach a wider audience; MP3.com, whose domain name initially made it the central gathering point for online music fans; Liquid Audio and RealAudio, two of the first established efforts to facilitate sound transmittal over the Net; the Grateful Dead, Todd Rundgren, and Beastie Boys, a few of the independent-minded, techno-savvy musicians whose connection vastly boosted interest; and the Recording Industry Association of America, the old-line trade group that squeezed Napster and put its very future in question. Hardcore tune traders may not be interested in all the machinations Alderman describes, but those drawn to the business side of music and the Internet, as well as the debate over intellectual property rights in the electronic world, should find his account of the still-unfolding drama an engaging and illuminating read. --Howard Rothman

About the Author:

John Alderman has worked in the trenches of the on-line revolution since the launch of HotWired, the world's first commercial Web site. As the culture editor for Wired News, Alderman began covering the explosion of on-line music just as the MP3 phenomenon gathered steam. He has written for Wired, Details, Salon, I.D., and Mondo 2000, and is a frequent speaker on the subject of new media.

About this edition

• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0738207772
• ISBN 13: 9780738207773
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256