Hit Men is the shocking, highly controversial expose of the venality, greed, and corruption of many of the assorted kingpins and hustlers who rule ...
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reviews
Aug 02, 2011
In some ways, Fred Dannen's rock-industry expose HIT MEN is less compelling than Marc Eliot's similar ROCKONOMICS: it covers only the 70s and 80s (with a bit of dirt about earlier eras) while Eliot surveys the entire history of the recording industry (through the late 80s). In one way, it's better: unlike Eliot, Dannen documents his sources, leaving you feeling that events really happened as he says they did, instead of thinking (as all too often with Eliot's book) "How interesting--wonder
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Jul 26, 2010
Richard
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An essential read for anyone in the music business, a tale of the 20th century birth of the 'record business' which starts with shellac and ends up in the late 20th century.
All the greed, drugs and corruption, all the big names and scams, deals and hustles.
People being hung out windows, drug crazed bosses, sex, booze, glamour and greed.
Delicious.
All the greed, drugs and corruption, all the big names and scams, deals and hustles.
People being hung out windows, drug crazed bosses, sex, booze, glamour and greed.
Delicious.
Dec 05, 2008
Anna
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I would love to reread this now, in light of the major-label profit hemorrhaging of the past few years. Less gloating than there could be, though, as the indies are catching up. Amazing stories of rich, corrupt, powerful men who were responsible for all the popular music of the Woodstock generation and beyond.
Nov 21, 2010
Lord
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Recommended by a fellow music fan, this was an absolutely fascinating look at the inner workings of the (now faded) music industry. There was stuff I'd read before, stuff I'd suspected and then whole new vistas of nepotism, corruption and general slime that I hadn't quite expected. Great read.
Sep 18, 2009
Matt
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This book was informative and helped understand what it was like to be a part of CBS Records in the 60s through 80s. It really framed the payola scandals of the 80s as a power play between labels and independent radio promoters. If that sounds interesting to you, you'll like the book.
Jul 31, 2011
Tim
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Whether you are in the music biz or not, this is a racy, entertaining read that, amongst other things, explains why Phil Collins had such enoumous success despite being worse than a rectal haemorrhage.
Oct 22, 2008
Darin
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This book is an intriguing history of major players and executives in the music business. It primarily focuses on CBS records and its subsidiaries, including direct quotes and interviews with a lot of those executives. The spark that seemed to inspire the book was a resurgance of payola charges in the late 80's. The end of the book highlights some court cases that were beginning to be filed against independent promoters for payola charges. The only disappointment about the book is that the court
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Jan 23, 2011
Lawrence
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classic. read it if you work in music, are intrigued by it, are a fan of dylan, springsteen or neil young
Jan 13, 2009
corey
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a textbook for music industry history, i'm just thankful that i don't work for walter yetnikov
Feb 15, 2008
kebya
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A little like the Bible in it's history ("Clive begot Walter who betrayed Dick. . .") but still an interesting account of the '70s-'80s music biz. I only paid attention to some of this from a distance, since I was in the small indie world at the time, but it's still fascinating today. It reminds me that the music industry has faced challenges before (though it's looking pretty bleak in 2008).
Nov 26, 2011
Hit men is a very entertaining read bout certain aspects of teh music industry in the US in the 1970s and 1980s. Probably quite dull to anyone who couldn't care less about the music industry. But it is surprisingly impartial and not overly critical of what must have been a very fun time.
Apr 04, 2011
Amy
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This book is exactly what the subtitle states. It looks at the big power brokers behind the major record labels in the 1970's and 1980's. It was published in 1991 so it is rather dated, but it does show how the record industry is dominated by personalities rather than musicians or businessmen. (and they're all men, too).
Jun 22, 2010
Miguel
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I found this book very engaging. Enough so that I'm reading it again two whole years later. The behind the scenes corruption, drug use, and manipulation exposed by this book will change your view of the music industry.
Apr 10, 2008
Mario
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the key to learning that the music industry is all about fucking people over to get to the top!
Dec 16, 2009
Jeremy
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If you want to understand the promotions side of the music business, this is the book for you.
Jun 05, 2007
the harsh realities of the record business - how it became the giant it is today.
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