Popular Music: The Age of Multimedia

An examination of the spectacular growth in the availability of music, this study looks at the ways in which the traditional music industry has fought to retain its control, and how everyone else—anyone who composes, arranges, performs, samples, remixes, playlists, and just plain listens—uses music in this age of abundance. Discussing the rise in personal music with digital songs readily available on cell phones, iPods, portable computers, and more, this work asks Why are music companies suing their customers? Why is there a panic in the mobile phone industry? and Why are so many people afraid of noise?