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{{Short description|Non-fiction book by Stephen Witt}}
'''''How Music Got Free''''' is a non-fiction work by journalist [[Stephen Witt]]. The book chronicles the invention of the [[mp3]] format for [[audio]] information, detailing the efforts by scientists such as [[Karlheinz Brandenburg]] to analyze [[human hearing]] and successfully [[Audio compression|compress songs]] in a form that can be easily transmitted. Witt also documents the rise of the [[warez scene]] and spread of [[internet piracy]] while detailing the campaigns by [[music industry]] executives such as [[Doug Morris]] to adapt to changing technology.<ref name=post/>
{{Infobox book
| name = How Music Got Free: The End of an Industry, the Turn of the Century, and the Patient Zero of Piracy
| title_orig =
| translator =
| image = How_Music_Got_Free_-_Book_cover.jpg
| border =
| caption =
| author = Stephen Richard Witt
| illustrator = <!--Daniel Lagin?-->
| country = United States of America
| language = [[English language|English]]
| series =
| subject =
| genre = [[Non-fiction]]
| publisher = [[Viking Press|Viking]]
| release_date = June 16, 2015
| english_release_date =
| media_type =
| pages = 296<!--296 highest page number used, but 304 according to Amazon-->
| isbn = 978-0-525-42661-5<!--0525426612-->
| dewey = 381'.45780266-dc23
| congress = ML3790.W59 2015
| oclc =
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
| website = http://stephenwittbooks.com/books/how-music-got-free-hc
}}

'''''How Music Got Free: The End of an Industry, the Turn of the Century, and the Patient Zero of Piracy''''' (Also published as '''''How Music Got Free: What Happens When an Entire Generation Commits the Same Crime?''''', '''''How Music Got Free: The Inventor, The Mogul and the Thief''''', and '''''How Music Got Free: A Story of Obsession and Invention''''') is a [[non-fiction]] book by journalist Stephen Witt. The book chronicles the invention of the [[MP3]] format for audio information, detailing the efforts by researchers such as [[Karlheinz Brandenburg]], [[Bernhard Grill]] and [[Harald Popp]] to analyze [[Hearing|human hearing]] and successfully [[Data compression#Audio|compress songs]] in a form that can be easily transmitted. Witt also documents the rise of the [[warez scene]] and spread of [[Copyright infringement|copyright-infringing efforts]] online while detailing the campaigns by [[music industry]] executives such as [[Doug Morris]] to adapt to changing technology.<ref name=post/>

The publisher [[Viking Press|Viking]] distributed the work on June 16, 2015.<ref name=kirkus/> The book has received praise from publications such as ''[[Kirkus Reviews]]'' and ''[[The Washington Post]]''.<ref name=post/><ref name=kirkus/>


==Background and book contents==
==Background and book contents==
The book notes that, at a presentation to the [[Fraunhofer Society]], Brandenburg and his team's presentating of the technology that could re-create the fidelity of a recording on a CD at one-twelfth the size created a stir. "Do you realize what you’ve done?" asked a listener to the team. "You’ve killed the music industry!"<ref name=post/>
The book notes that, at a presentation to the [[Fraunhofer Society]], Brandenburg and his team's presentation of the technology that could re-create the fidelity of a recording on a CD at one-twelfth the size created a stir. "Do you realize what you’ve done?" asked a listener to the team. "You’ve killed the music industry!"<ref name=post/>

"On websites and underground file servers across the world," Witt states, "the number of mp3 files in existence grew by several orders of magnitude. In dorm rooms everywhere incoming college freshmen found their hard drives filled to capacity with pirated mp3s". He also writes, "Music piracy became to the late ’90s what drug experimentation was to the late ’60s: a generation-wide flouting of both social norms and the existing body of law, with little thought of consequences."<ref name=post/> The book recounts how many people wound up building massive archives of music for little other than the thrill created by finding and sorting the information.<ref name=kirkus/>

Witt writes about the obscure online community known as '[[Warez scene|The Scene]]', particularly describing the efforts of the [[Rabid Neurosis]] (RNS) group to illegally spread [[Copyright|copyrighted material]]. A North Carolina manufacturing plant employee named Dell Glover, his life described in detail by Witt, discovers that he has the ability to get his hands on albums before their official release dates and goes on to work with RNS [[Music leak|leaking]] hundreds upon hundreds of discs.<ref>Walmsley, Derek [http://www.lrb.co.uk/v38/n01/derek-walmsley/brandenburgs-dream Brandenburg’s Dream] ''London Review of Books''. January 27, 2016</ref> Artists such as [[Mary J. Blige]], [[Mariah Carey]], [[Eminem]], [[Kanye West]], and [[Jay Z]] have their material distributed online due to Glover's actions. Witt states that Glover and RNS became the world’s premier music pirates, possibly costing the [[record industry]] millions of dollars.<ref name=post/>

The book describes how the then [[CEO]] of [[Universal Music Group]], [[Doug Morris]], attempted to weather the storm created by technological changes given the evolution of social culture. Witt comments that "the uniform blandness of the corporate sound wasn’t helping" and gives a mixed picture as to how Morris and other executives dealt with falling sales.<ref name=kirkus/>


==Reviews and responses==
==Reviews and responses==
''[[The Washington Post]]'' published an article by writer Louis Bayard praising the book, with Bayard commenting that he found the work "whip-smart, superbly reported, and indispensable".<ref name=post>http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/stephen-witts-how-music-got-free-explains-just-that/2015/06/18/4885108e-09fd-11e5-9e39-0db921c47b93_story.html</ref>
''[[The Washington Post]]'' published an article by writer [[Louis Bayard]] praising the book, with Bayard commenting that he found the work "whip-smart, superbly reported, and indispensable". Bayard additionally stated that technology has created a period of "uneasy times, and no one should go too easy on himself", finding the recent trends troubling himself.<ref name=post>{{cite news|title=Stephen Witt's 'How Music Got Free' explains just that|accessdate=August 20, 2015|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/stephen-witts-how-music-got-free-explains-just-that/2015/06/18/4885108e-09fd-11e5-9e39-0db921c47b93_story.html|first=Louis|last=Bayard|author-link=Louis Bayard|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=June 19, 2015}}</ref> ''[[Kirkus Reviews]]'' ran a praising response to the book, with it labeled as a "propulsive and fascinating portrait of the people who helped upend an industry and challenge how music and media are consumed".<ref name=kirkus>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Kirkus Reviews]]|title=How Music Got Free|date=April 18, 2015|accessdate=August 20, 2015|url=http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/stephen-witt/how-music-got-free/}}</ref>

==Documentary==
In June 2024, a two-part documentary based on Witt's book was released. Directed by [[Alex Stapleton]], it features interviews with musical artists [[Eminem]], [[Timbaland]], and former record executive [[Jimmy Iovine]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/how-music-got-free-trailer-1235904820/|title='How Music Got Free': Watch the Trailer for the Paramount+ Doc|first=Lesley|last=Goldberg|date=May 21, 2024|work=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref>

''The Guardian'' reviewer writes: "Today, everyone knows just how bad a thing that turned out to be for the music industry, nearly destroying it by the early 2000s. What most people don't know, however, is the story behind the people who created the technology that made this revolution possible, as well as the group of kids who first figured out how to use its tools so enticingly. That’s the tale told by a thought-provoking and highly entertaining new docuseries titled How Music Got Free."<ref name=Guardian>{{cite news|title=From stealing to Spotify: the story behind how music got free|accessdate=June 13, 2024|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/jun/11/how-music-got-free-docuseries-paramount#:~:text=That's%20the%20tale%20told%20by,directed%20the%20two%2Dpart%20series.|first=Jim|last=Farber|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=June 11, 2024}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
{{portal|Books}}
*[[Rabid Neurosis]]
*[[Warez scene]]
*[[2015 in literature]]
*[[Data compression#Audio|Data compression of audio]]
*[[Legal aspects of file-sharing]]
*[[Music industry]]
*[[Music piracy]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


{{Authority control}}
{{stub}}


[[Category:Non-fiction]]
[[Category:2015 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:Books about the Internet]]
[[Category:Economics books]]
[[Category:Technology books]]
[[Category:Books about pop music]]
[[Category:Viking Press books]]
[[Category:J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize–winning works]]

Latest revision as of 19:26, 2 November 2024

How Music Got Free: The End of an Industry, the Turn of the Century, and the Patient Zero of Piracy
AuthorStephen Richard Witt
LanguageEnglish
GenreNon-fiction
PublisherViking
Publication date
June 16, 2015
Publication placeUnited States of America
Pages296
ISBN978-0-525-42661-5
381'.45780266-dc23
LC ClassML3790.W59 2015
Websitehttp://stephenwittbooks.com/books/how-music-got-free-hc

How Music Got Free: The End of an Industry, the Turn of the Century, and the Patient Zero of Piracy (Also published as How Music Got Free: What Happens When an Entire Generation Commits the Same Crime?, How Music Got Free: The Inventor, The Mogul and the Thief, and How Music Got Free: A Story of Obsession and Invention) is a non-fiction book by journalist Stephen Witt. The book chronicles the invention of the MP3 format for audio information, detailing the efforts by researchers such as Karlheinz Brandenburg, Bernhard Grill and Harald Popp to analyze human hearing and successfully compress songs in a form that can be easily transmitted. Witt also documents the rise of the warez scene and spread of copyright-infringing efforts online while detailing the campaigns by music industry executives such as Doug Morris to adapt to changing technology.[1]

The publisher Viking distributed the work on June 16, 2015.[2] The book has received praise from publications such as Kirkus Reviews and The Washington Post.[1][2]

Background and book contents

[edit]

The book notes that, at a presentation to the Fraunhofer Society, Brandenburg and his team's presentation of the technology that could re-create the fidelity of a recording on a CD at one-twelfth the size created a stir. "Do you realize what you’ve done?" asked a listener to the team. "You’ve killed the music industry!"[1]

"On websites and underground file servers across the world," Witt states, "the number of mp3 files in existence grew by several orders of magnitude. In dorm rooms everywhere incoming college freshmen found their hard drives filled to capacity with pirated mp3s". He also writes, "Music piracy became to the late ’90s what drug experimentation was to the late ’60s: a generation-wide flouting of both social norms and the existing body of law, with little thought of consequences."[1] The book recounts how many people wound up building massive archives of music for little other than the thrill created by finding and sorting the information.[2]

Witt writes about the obscure online community known as 'The Scene', particularly describing the efforts of the Rabid Neurosis (RNS) group to illegally spread copyrighted material. A North Carolina manufacturing plant employee named Dell Glover, his life described in detail by Witt, discovers that he has the ability to get his hands on albums before their official release dates and goes on to work with RNS leaking hundreds upon hundreds of discs.[3] Artists such as Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Eminem, Kanye West, and Jay Z have their material distributed online due to Glover's actions. Witt states that Glover and RNS became the world’s premier music pirates, possibly costing the record industry millions of dollars.[1]

The book describes how the then CEO of Universal Music Group, Doug Morris, attempted to weather the storm created by technological changes given the evolution of social culture. Witt comments that "the uniform blandness of the corporate sound wasn’t helping" and gives a mixed picture as to how Morris and other executives dealt with falling sales.[2]

Reviews and responses

[edit]

The Washington Post published an article by writer Louis Bayard praising the book, with Bayard commenting that he found the work "whip-smart, superbly reported, and indispensable". Bayard additionally stated that technology has created a period of "uneasy times, and no one should go too easy on himself", finding the recent trends troubling himself.[1] Kirkus Reviews ran a praising response to the book, with it labeled as a "propulsive and fascinating portrait of the people who helped upend an industry and challenge how music and media are consumed".[2]

Documentary

[edit]

In June 2024, a two-part documentary based on Witt's book was released. Directed by Alex Stapleton, it features interviews with musical artists Eminem, Timbaland, and former record executive Jimmy Iovine.[4]

The Guardian reviewer writes: "Today, everyone knows just how bad a thing that turned out to be for the music industry, nearly destroying it by the early 2000s. What most people don't know, however, is the story behind the people who created the technology that made this revolution possible, as well as the group of kids who first figured out how to use its tools so enticingly. That’s the tale told by a thought-provoking and highly entertaining new docuseries titled How Music Got Free."[5]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f Bayard, Louis (June 19, 2015). "Stephen Witt's 'How Music Got Free' explains just that". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e "How Music Got Free". Kirkus Reviews. April 18, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  3. ^ Walmsley, Derek Brandenburg’s Dream London Review of Books. January 27, 2016
  4. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (May 21, 2024). "'How Music Got Free': Watch the Trailer for the Paramount+ Doc". The Hollywood Reporter.
  5. ^ Farber, Jim (June 11, 2024). "From stealing to Spotify: the story behind how music got free". The Guardian. Retrieved June 13, 2024.