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R&B (Rhythm & Business): The Political Economy of
Black MusicEdited by Norman Kelley (author of The Big Mango, Black Heat) Nonfiction | Hardcover 
 Norman Kelley joins hip-hop luminary Chuck D and others to dissect the history of black music -- from blues to hip hop and all points between. Click here to see the new, revised (and cheaper!) paperback edition. Who profits most from the spectacular success of black music? For generations, African-Americans have created and driven varied musical genres: gospel, blues, jazz, r&b, rock & roll, funk, hip hop, and others. Black musical creativity has, in fact, fueled the modern music industry. Yet, of the country's ten largest black businesses, not one is a record company. Given that hip hop music alone has generated more than a billion dollars in sales, the absence of a major black record company is disturbing. (Even Motown is now a subsidiary of the Universal Music Group.) Nonetheless, little has been written about the relationship between African-Americans and the music industry. Here, for the first time, is a collection of voices and perspectives that provides a nuanced investigation into this structure of stealing. In R&B, Public Enemy's Chuck D, author Norman Kelley, and other journalists and musicians combine forces to examine how black music has been developed, marketed, and distributed within the structure of American capitalism. The anthology dissects contemporary trends in the music industry, and explores how blacks have historically interacted with the business as artists, business-people, and consumers. R&B also considers how the changes and developments within the music business--from the frontier of digital technology to the consolidation of the giant music conglomerates--might affect the future roles of African-Americans in the industry. Norman Kelley lives in Brooklyn, and is the author of Nina Halligan political mystery series, which includes The Big Mango (Akashic) and Black Heat (Amistad/HarperCollins). Other contributors include: Chuck D, Danny Goldberg, Courtney Love, Brian Ward, Frank Kofsky, David Sanjek, Yvonne Bynoe, Charles Mann, Michael Roberts, Reebee Garofalo, Mark Anthony Neal, Richard B. Woodward, Karl Hagstrom Miller, William Phillips, Future of Music Coalition, and more. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction PART 1: The Structure of Stealing * Notes on the Political Economy of Black Music by Norman Kelley * Big Music's Post-Fordist Regime and the Role of Independent Labels by Michael Roberts * The Discordant Sound of Music, The NAACP report, 1987 * Tell Me Something I Don't Already Know: The Harvard Report on Soul Music Revisited by David Sanjek * The Ballad of the Mid-Level Artist by Danny Goldberg PART 2: The Politics of Race Music * The Anatomy of a "Race" Music Label by Stephen Calt * Crossing Over: From Black Rhythm & Blues to White Rock 'n' Roll by Reebee Garofalo * "All for One, and One for All": Black Enterprise, Racial Politics and the Business of Soul by Brian Ward * Soul for Sale: The Marketing of Black Musical Expression by Mark Anthony Neal PART 3: Do Plantains Go with Collard Greens? The Political Economy of Jazz and Salsa * If You're Black Get Back: Double Standards in the Recording Industry by Frank Kofsky * Kind of Blue: Jazz Competes with Its Past, Settles for the Hard Sell by Richard B. Woodward * Crossover Schemes: New York Salsa as Politics, Culture, and Commerce by Karl Hagstrom Miller PART 4: The Politics of the Noise * Money, Power, and Respect: A Critique of the Business of Rap Music by Yvonne Bynoe * How Not to Get Jerked! The Hip Hop Elementary Roundtable by Adams Mansbach et al. * Interview: Wendy Day, Advocate for Rappers by Norman Kelley * Death of a Nation--Where Ignorance Is Rewarded for a New Race Creation: The Niggro by Chuck D PART 5: The Future of Music * The Heavenly Juke Box by Charles C. Mann * Music and New Technology: Making Music in the Digital Age by William Phillips * Senate Testimony of the Future of Music Coalition, April 3, 2001 Artist Rights and Record Companies: A Letter to Fellow Recording Artists by Courtney Love * Big Music's Post-Fordist Regime and the Role of Independent Labels by Michael Roberts * The Discordant Sound of Music, The NAACP report, 1987 * Tell Me Something I Don't Already Know: The Harvard Report on Soul Music Revisited by David Sanjek * The Ballad of the Mid-Level Artist by Danny Goldberg Critical praise for Norman Kelley: "Want a scathing social and political satire? Look no further than Norman Kelley's second effort featuring 'bad girl' African-American PI and part-time intellectual Nina Halligan--itıs a romp of a read . . ." - Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Big Mango |
