The Hours Are Long, but the Pay Is Low: A Curious Life in Independent Music

"The music business is not a meritocracy: it is a crapshoot taking place in a septic tank balanced on the prow of the Titanic, a venal snake pit where innovation, creativity, and honest business practices are actively discouraged."<BR><BR>Rob Miller arrived in Chicago wanting to escape the music industry. In short order, he co-founded a trailblazing record label revered for its artist-first approach and punk take on country, roots, and so much else. Miller's gonzo memoir follows a music fan's odyssey through a singular account of Bloodshot Records, the Chicago scene, working with such seminal artists as Neko Case, Old 97's, Justin Townes Earle, Alejandro Escovedo, Andre "Mr Rhythm" Williams,  and dozens of others, and thirty years as part of a community sustaining independent artists and businesses.<BR><BR>Hilarious and hundred-proof, The Hours Are Long, But the Pay Is Low delivers a warm-hearted yet clear-eyed account of loving and living music on the edge, in the trenches, and without apologies.

Rob Miller is the cofounder and former co-owner of Bloodshot Records. His website is robmillerwriting.com.