Music Genres and Corporate CulturesMusic Genres and Corporate Cultures explores the seemingly haphazard workings of the music industry, tracing the uneasy relationship between economics and culture; `entertainment corporations' and the artists they sign. Keith Negus examines the contrasting strategies of major labels like Sony and Polygram in managing different genres, artists and staff. How do takeovers affect the treatment of artists? Why has Polygram been perceived as too European to attract US artists? And how did Warner's wooden floors help them sign Green Day? Through in-depth case studies of three major genres; rap, country, and salsa, Negus explores the way in which the music industry recognises and rewards certain sounds, and how this influences both the creativity of musicians, and their audiences. He examines the tension between raps public image as the spontaneous `music of the streets' and the practicalities of the market, and asks why country labels and radio stations promote top-selling acts like Garth Brooks over hard-to-classify artists like Mary Chapin-Carpenter, and how the lack of soundscan systems in Puerto Rican record shops affects salsa music's position on the US Billboard chart. Drawing on over seventy interviews with music industry personnel in Britain and the United States, Music Genres and Corporate Cultures shows how the creation, circulation and consumption of popular music is shaped by record companies and corporate business styles while stressing that music production takes within a broader culture, not totally within the control of large corporations. |
Contents
1 | |
conditions of musical creativity | 14 |
applying order and enforcing accountability | 31 |
3 Record company cultures and the jargon of corporate identity | 63 |
between the street and the executive suite | 84 |
5 The corporation country culture and the communities of musical production | 104 |
6 The Latin music industry the production of salsa and the cultural matrix | 132 |
international repertoire and world music | 153 |
corporate strategy and creativity within and across genres | 174 |
Notes | 185 |
197 | |
208 | |
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Common terms and phrases
activities aesthetic album alternative rock artists attempt audience Billboard black music broader cent changes chapter circulated commercial company’s connected context corporate strategies country music creative detailed discussion distribution division dynamic economic entertainment example fans genre cultures global highlighted ideas international repertoire investment involved issue jazz judgements Latin music listeners major companies major labels Mari Hamada market share MCA Records music business music companies music division Music Group music industry musical production musicians Nashville Negus organization organizational particular performers Personal interview personnel Peterson playing political PolyGram popular music portfolio practices profits promotion record companies record labels recording industry rhythm and blues rock salsa salsa music senior executives simply social songs Sony sounds specific staff street styles success tion tional tropical ture United various Warner Music Warner Music Group world music Wu-Tang Clan York City