Key Changes: The Ten Times Technology Transformed the Music Industry Paperback – 6 Nov. 2023

This is a very thoughtful, well-researched history of the music industry from the first days of the phonograph to the streaming of digital files today. As described by the authors, technology impacted not just the physical formatting of music (LP and 45 vinyl records, tapes, CDs, digital files) but also industry business models including artist compensation and copyright laws, the evolution of different music genres, consumer listening devices and modes. The battles between established "record companies" and technology-driven startups such as Rhapsody, Napster and Spotify are critical parts of the story.In the end, the authors speculate on what the next major transformation will be (e.g. generative AI music creation?), but with the rigorous framework through which previous transformations are analyzed, the reader is given ample opportunity to ponder what is coming next.The authors both have much personal experience in the music industry and have supplemented this with extensive research and thoughtful analysis. This is a fascinating read for music industry professionals and music lovers equally.

This book looks at 10 great innovations of the music business of the last century through 6 different lenses. The 10 innovations are: the phonograph, radio, vinyl, cassettes, MTV, CDs, MP3s, streaming, video, and A.I. The 6 lenses are: technology, channels, cash, consumers, creators and copyright. Altogether, these 10*6=60 sections explain why the music business is what it is today. Anyone interested in "disrupting" will learn the logic of how the music business has been connecting artists and their audience throughout history. It is an altogether inspiring and entertaining read. Highly recommended!

Two industry veterans at the frontlines have written and engaging and compelling account of a century of technological upheaval in the music and recording industry. Detailed as a reference book, engaging as a historical novel. As a lawyer who participated in many of these events for more than thirty years, I can attest that their accounts are extremely accurate and reliable. Their insightful observations prove valuable to anyone interested in the subjects, from those learning them for the first time to those of us who have lived it. And importantly, what they teach us about the past provides object lessons about the motivations and antagonisms that await the battles over the next technologies, AI and beyond. A must read and ready reference for anyone interested in how technology, artistic creativity, and business initially collide, find a way to coexist, and ultimately symbiotically prosper.

As a 17 year executive in the music tech industry I found this to be a great book of how we got here. I’ve heard all these stories anecdotally, but here they are pulled together in print with some great analysis by two industry veterans.Definitely worth a read for anyone who has an interest in how technology can change an industry, especially the impact the business side of a creative industry can have on the whole.

An absolute tour de force covering over a century of music innovation. Written by two of the leading experts in digital music, copyrights, college radio and music production, “Key Changes” takes a tour from the early player piano and phonograph to TikTok, AI generated music and streaming services. Their model for evaluating how each technology introduction impacted the full ecosystem of artists, consumers, channels (and their lawyers) sometimes tilts toward the academic, but the model itself and the distillation of technology waves that reach the edges of the ecosystem can be applied to other markets as well (for me it’s healthcare and sustainability). There is quite a bit of humor and some subtle cultural references sprinkled throughout. You’ll understand where “put a sock in it” and “album” derived from early days of phonographs and (unless you are a copyright lawyer) begin to grasp the tangled web of regulations, payments and contracts that control the flow of funds in the music world.