How Music Got Free

A very readable account of the rise of the mp3 and its impact on the music industry and consumers.

Witt deftly interweaves the narratives of the scientists and engineers who birthed the new technology and struggled to get it accepted, with music company executives (primarily Doug Morris who worked for several different labels during this tumultuous period) and geeklings on the ground floor of the new fangled internet who were pirating tunes all over the place, much to the chagrin of music bigwigs determined to get those pesky kids. While mostly clear and easy to follow, the author has this dreadful habit of referring to people in multiple ways; the greatest offense is perpetrated against the late Tupac Shakur, who is sometimes Shakur (last name being the standard nomenclature for most individuals most frequently), sometimes Tupac, and sometimes just Pac (as though he is a personal friend who merits a nickname). There's also an intermittent tendency to sound like a snarky bitch, which is intended to be funny but instead sounds like snide insecurity. Nevertheless, the pros outweigh the cons by plenty in this informative chronicle.

This was my first GoodReads FirstReads win (exciting, no?) so thank you to the nice folks at Penguin who sent me an advance review copy.