Pop Song Piracy

The music industry's ongoing battle against digital piracy is just one chapter in a long conflict over who has the right to distribute music. Since 1929, music publishers have sought to control the distribution of songs, but their efforts have been met with resistance and innovation. In "Pop Song Piracy", Barry Kernfeld explores nearly a century of disobedient music distribution, from bootleg compilations of lyric sheets to MP3s. Kernfeld reveals how song sheets gave way to fake books in the 1940s and '50s, and how music publishers responded by publishing their own unofficial volumes. He argues that this pattern of disobedience and assimilation has repeated itself throughout history, with pirates and musicians adapting and evolving in response to changing technology and industry practices. Ultimately, Kernfeld contends that the music industry's lagging behind in creating innovative products led to the very piracy it sought to eliminate. "Pop Song Piracy" offers a fascinating insight into the complex give and take between distribution methods, and how they have shaped the music industry over nearly a century.