So compelling. Much intrigue.
“How Music Got Free” tells the story of how the music industry went from experiencing epic highs in sales to never before seen lows seemingly overnight, and it’s one of the most captivating books I’ve ever read as well as a true page turner.
The two most important people in this book are Dell Glover, a factory working and thrill seeker responsible for the vast majority of leaks in the early 2000s and Doug Morris, the top man at Universal Music Group with an ear for talent but a lack of understanding when it comes to technology.
On the surface, these two guys are about as far from each other as possible. Glover is picking up as many OT shifts as possible at the warehouse so he can support interests in computer building and souped-up cars.
Morris is living a lavish lifestyle brought on by the success of signing bands like Hootie and the Blowfish and Limp Bizkit.
Damn you, Morris!
But author Stephen Witt does an incredible job of weaving their stories together to create a singular narrative that ultimately ends in the decimation of the music biz.
Witt wisely doesn’t cast judgement on the two men, leaving that up to the reader. From my perspective, Glover seems like a decent guy, but he’s also a crook, legally speaking. Morris seems like an ass but I can sympathize with the fact that his business is in jeopardy. But seriously. He seems like an ass.
You know what I mean.
The creation of the Mp3, the launch of Napster and iTunes, the creation of the iPod and the rise in torrent sites like Oink and PirateBay are also covered and are equally fascinating.
The pace is brisk and the story fascinating, especially for people like me that were in college when file sharing first broke. This right here is “The Wire” of file sharing nonfiction crime stories.
-Emily Matview
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