Sonic Boom

A compelling blend of cultural criticism and business writing…and the first full-length look at the [on-line music] revolution…Alderman’s detailed, unflaggingly entertaining book sets a dizzying standard. “—Publishers Weekly (starred review). Sonic Boom is a fascinating narrative of the controversy that’s sending shock waves through the music industry. It reveals how even as the star-maker machinery of record companies remains in the hands of the old guard, innovators are finding ways to route around it. Part industry expos and part music history, Sonic Boom presents a candid and entertaining account of how digital compression technologies such as MP3 have brought out the best and worst in artists and consumers alike, and how the end result can be nothing less than a cultural and economic transformation. Peopled with a sensational cast of characters that includes rock stars, music moguls, teenagers, and Internet entrepreneurs, Sonic Boom exposes the recording industry’s plight as a fascinating microcosm of the vast cultural, ethical, and legal issues that all industries face in the information age.

Author Biography

John Alderman has worked in the trenches of the on-line revolution since the launch of HotWired, the world’s first commercial Web site. As the culture editor for Wired News, Alderman began covering the explosion of on-line music just as the MP3 phenomenon gathered steam. He has written for Wired, Details, Salon, I.D., and Mondo 2000, and is a frequent speaker on the subject of new media.