Description

COWBOYS AND INDIES is the story of the ‘record men’ – the mavericks and moguls who have shaped the music industry from the first sound machines of the 1850s through to today’s digital streams. Men like John Hammond, who discovered Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen; Sam Phillips and Berry Gordy, founders of the Sun and Motown labels; Chris Blackwell, who brought Bob Marley and reggae music into the mainstream; Geoff Travis who built Rough Trade and launched The Smiths; or genre-busting producer Rick Rubin, who recorded Run DMC, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Johnny Cash.

Gareth Murphy has drawn on more than 100 interviews with music business legends, as well as extensive archive research, to bring us the behind-the-scenes stories of how music gets made and sold. He explains, too, how the industry undergoes regular seismic changes. We may think the digital revolution is a big deal, but in the 1920s the arrival of radio and the Wall Street Crash wiped out 95 per cent of record sales. But, as we all know, you can’t stop the music …

Publisher Review

A fascinating account of the way recorded music has evolved, touched people and helped shape popular culture as we know it today. -- Sir George Martin, legendary record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, audio engineer and musician If this book was a group, I would definitely sign them. It is that good. -- Geoff Travis, founder of Rough Trade A fascinating trawl through music industry history ... thoroughly researched -- Will Hodgkinson * Times * An all encompassing history of not only what might be termed the hardware of popular music from Thomas Edison's cylinders to the MP3 downloads of today, but the machinations, artistic high jinks and public scams that accompanied it -- John Clarke * Independent * Compendious and tantalising ... The research is solid ... His original interviews - with Elektra's Jac Holzman, Def Jam/American impresario and super-producer Rick Rubin, Sire boss Seymour Stein, and Virgin's Simon Draper among many - are candid and insightful. -- Kitty Empire * Observer * Entertaining ... comprehensive ... an illuminating history that throws new light on familiar landmarks ... excellent. -- Graeme Thomson * Mail on Sunday * Enjoyable ... colourful ... Murphy paints lively portraits -- Helen Brown * Telegraph * This lovingly written book ... is a celebration of the indie heroes who shaped the industry while giving groundbreaking artists a platform ... Like the Last Shop Standing of record labels, Cowboys And Indies tells their story * Record Collector Magazine * A fascinating read. Murphy has written an almost immaculate account of the rollercoaster that is the industry, and how the recording industry developed from its beginnings at the end of the nineteenth century. It will surely be an eye-opener for anybody who has ever purchased one of its artefacts, whether on a seven-inch single, a CD or a download, and wondered how and where the whole process started. * Bookbag * Extremely readable ... A fascinating fare about an intriguing industry and Murphy's Cowboys and Indies pans out as the most rewarding book of its kind to date. One suspects there are plenty more tales for another volume. -- Fred Dellar * Mojo * An entertaining glimpse behind the scenes, and an informative overview of how the industry has evolved -- Ian Critchley * Sunday Times * Greed, ambition, genius and idealism coalesce to create a vibrant and compelling narrative - a must for music fans and culture vultures alike -- Roisin Dwyer * Hot Press * This passionate compendium ... is the tale of the moguls who have twisted the melons of musicians, profited from them, created them, ripped the gullets from plenty. Often these days - with musicologies, Wikipedia and Discogs doing it faster - books can take too long, but this book busts through the platinum disc-plated houses with interviews from the megalords of the industry ... Strangely mirroring the music industry perfectly, this tale of Cowboys and Indies is thorough on each glorious era of debauchery and blag. * DJ Magazine *