The Longform Guide to the Music Business
The man who made Bieber, how Nickelback cashes in, and the story of Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun—a collection of classic articles about the music industry.</p>
In the Jungle
How legends of the American music industry made millions off the work of Solomon Linda, a Zulu tribesman who wrote “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and died a pauper.
Rian Malan Rolling Stone May 2000 45min
Eclectic, Reminiscent, Amused, Fickle, Perverse
A two-part profile of Ahmet Ertegun: son of the Turkish ambassador, teenage collector of ‘race’ music, producer and pseudonymous songwriter for records by Ray Charles and Big Joe Turner, founder of Atlantic Records, confidante to Mick Jagger, impeccable dresser.
George W.S. Trow The New Yorker May 1978 1h10min
Genius: The Nickelback Story
How a loathsome band makes gobs of money.
Ben Paynter Businessweek Nov 2012 10min
Mad About the Boys
Lou Pearlman, the guy responsible for the Backstreet Boys and ‘NSync, bilked his investors of $300 million and fled the country. But the boys say he was interested in more than just money.
Bryan Burrough Vanity Fair Nov 2007 45min
Does a Sugar Bear Bite?
A profile of Suge Knight, 29 and CEO of Death Row Records, before the deaths of Tupac and Notorious BIG.
Lynn Hirschberg New York Times Magazine Jan 1996 35min
Teen Titan
A profile of Scooter Braun, the man who made Justin Bieber.
Lizzie Widdicombe New Yorker Aug 2012 30min
California Schemin'
How did a pair of young rappers from Scotland, laughed off the stage for their accents, land a deal with Sony and start partying with Madonna? They pretended to be American.
Decca Aitkenhead The Guardian May 2008 20min
May 1978 – Nov 2012 Permalink
