Appetite for Self-Destruction

From records to cassettes and compact discs to digital downloads, the music industry has used whatever it can to sell recordings. The business started out as a venue for musical artists to reach as many fans as possible. It somehow turned into making as much money as possible while doing whatever was conceivable to promote each artist. 'Appetite for Self-Destruction' examines the history behind the recording industry, and what could have been done to prevent the corrupt business it has become.

The prologue to this book is extremely important to read, especially after recent news of Michael Jackson. Not many people of the newer generations have any idea what impact this man had on the recording industry, so this book puts it all into perspective. People begin to realize they do not like disco anymore, so the music industry starts into a downward spiral. MTV has an amazing impact on new music, and Michael Jackson begins breaking racial barriers by being one of the first African-American artists to debut music videos on the station.

The first and second chapters describe the impact of the compact disc on music lovers. People start buying CD players, while cars install the new players as well so listeners can bring their favorite music along for the ride. Then there is corrupt business as usual in such a big industry, and the wrong people start getting rich off of the CD.

Then the teen idol movement begins in the United States, and exploitation of any kind is acceptable as long as the artists get rich and the music executives get even richer. One big change in the '90s was to get rid of the single in music. Record executives realized that instead of selling the big hits by certain artists as a single for a small price, they would put a few good songs on a CD with many not so wonderful songs and sell it for a lot of money. People were eating this up, until one young man decided to fight back.

The chapter about Shawn Fanning creating the Internet sensation, Napster, is the most important section of this book. If you have ever wondered what made the industry shift again, this is the chapter for you. Finally, everyone had a way to download their music, share it with others and take music from others who have downloaded their own music to share. Millions of people around the world were sharing files to spread the music, but those creating the music and the record executives were missing out on the profits. This is when lawsuits began as a way to crack down on illegal Internet music downloads. Many protested the lawsuits, claiming that the government had no right to interfere with their file sharing over the Internet.

Apple came out with the iPod, creating yet another monumental change in the music business. People now had a way to easily carry digital downloads with them wherever they went, and were doing so legally by purchasing the songs from iTunes. The iPod was seen everywhere almost overnight, including new versions of the music player, car installations so consumers could bring their new toy on the road and sound docks to enjoy music without headphones.

Steve Knopper did a wonderful job writing this amazing book. If you have ever been interested in what music has become today, this is a great resource to open a door to music's history. The author has a sarcastic sense of humor at times, but that is another reason why this isn't just a history lesson on the music industry.