Song Stories: Music That Shaped Our Identities and Changed Our Lives
Publication Date: January 31, 2017
Summary
Songs become a part of the story of our lives. Their lyrics linger inside of us. We recall those words, but what we remember isn't what they meant to the person who wrote them. It's what they mean to us. We relate their lyrics back to the events that have happened in our lives.
What you will read in Song Stories are personal essays written by influential music professionals and independent artists about songs that impacted their lives. Elliott Smith's "Between the Bars" set NYU professor Cortney Harding's romantic notions of adulthood, The Velvet Underground's "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" played one night at a friend's place and changed startup founder Marc Ruxin's musical tastes, and Coldplay's "Lovers in Japan" reminds music writer Caitlin Teibloom of a college breakup and who she became through that experience.
This book will deepen your understanding of music. It'll extend your interpretation of a song beyond what it means to you to how the song has been experienced by another and the meaning it has created in his or her life. Reading each story and playing the song will allow you to hear what music sounds like through ears other than your own.
Promised Land: Youth Culture, Disruptive Startups, and the Social Music Revolution
Publication Date: September 11, 2014
Summary
Promised Land is a collection of essays by Kyle Bylin that chronicles how disruptive startups and digital youth reshaped the music industry from 2008 to 2013.
It begins by showcasing Bylin’s unique take on the piracy debate — how major label thirst for blockbuster artists encouraged fans to file-share music, and why unlimited access to songs makes them feel overwhelmed by the number of options.
The book then explores a wide array of music services and applications that strive to change how people listen to and discover music. Bylin, a North Dakota native turned music technology writer and user experience researcher, takes readers on a journey to the center of the music industry and the social music revolution.
Divergent Streams: Reflections and Explorations of the Modern Music Industry
Publication Date: May 16, 2013
Summary
Divergent Streams is a collection of essays written by influential executives, startup founders, and thinkers in the music industry.
It explores the revenue streams of the musicians who bring music into our world and how technology changed the way in which we discover their songs. It explores the failures of social music and what the ultimate listening experience might be. It explores the live music sector and what opportunities lie ahead.
The new music business has diverged from the old into uncharted territory. Use this collection as your guide to navigating this new digital world and understanding the disruptive forces shaping the modern music industry.