Review (book): Rhythm & Business

R&B -- Rhythm & Business: The Political Economy of Black Music.
Edited by Norman Kelley. Akashic Books, 2006. $16.00 326 pp.

Review written by Tom Wilmeth August 19, 2006

This book should be read by every musician who has ever played a gig for money. The title stresses the “black” thread that runs through these 20 essays, but Norman Kelley’s updated collection of articles on the music industry often provides clear-eyed assistance to all performers trying to make a living in the business, regardless of their color. Topics addressed range from artists’ rights and royalty payment theft to the problem jazz currently faces of competing with its own past. The record companies are usually the villains here, but Kelley rarely allows his useful book to become shrill or pointlessly bitter.

#30# 101 words