Pennies from Heaven: The American Popular Music Business in the Twentieth Century

by Russell Sanjek

The technological and economic revolutions of the twentieth century have transformed the music business many times over. Pennies from Heaven is the definitive account of those transformations, from Thomas Edison's cylinders to Digital Audio Tape, from the rise and fall of vaudeville to the advent of the huge entertainment conglomerates, from the sale of sheet music to the marketing of music videos. The book describes the workings of the performing rights organizations ASCAP and BMI; the growth of new genres, from rock to rhythm-and-blues, rap, and metal; the transformation of music radio from AM to FM; the strange career of the FCC; and trends to watch for in the music business as it enters the twenty-first century. The product of years of research, Pennies from Heaven undoubtedly ranks as one of the most essential and comprehensive books on American popular culture.

Genres: Music

790 pages, Paperback

First published August 21, 1996

Reviews

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Call it 2.49 stars. Probably would have continued to read this book if I had not also checked out a book (American Popular Music Business in the 20th Century) by the author's son David that is somewhat of a condensation covering the same ground in less detail, thus in a more accessible fashion.

The subtitle contains the word "business" -- should be all-caps, because BUSINESS means business. If you want numbers, here's where to get them!

[John Vanek · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is nothing out there like Sanjek's Pennies from Heaven. It's more comprehensive than any other history of popular music. However, it is completely unsourced (a major problem), and many readers will find that it is often so detailed as to be monotonous. This isn't light reading.