Producing Pop

Culture and Conflict in

the Popular Music
Industry

Keith Negus
Department of Music
Goldsmiths
University of London
SE14 6NW

Producing Pop was first published in 1992 by Edward Arnold. It is

now out of print and the rights have reverted to Keith Negus.

Producing Pop by Keith Negus is licensed under a Creative

Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
License.
Introduction 2011

Producing Pop is based on research carried out between 1988 and 1991, with The ‘records’ that the companies are now investing in, archiving and
much of the material derived from interviews conducted with music exploiting are far more than sound recordings. And the return on
industry personnel in London, and during a short 3 week trip to New York investment may come from a percentage of an artist’s CD sales and digital
and Los Angeles. In many respects it is a snapshot of the recording industry downloads, or income derived from T-shirts, DVDs, films, books, song
at a particular historical moment – a time when the business was structured publishing, synchronisation across games and adverts, or a plethora of
around the manufacture and distribution of physical artefacts. It was a time merchandise. The music corporation may be ‘active’ and the artist may
when I could while away an afternoon wandering around the large and have assigned their song publishing, an autobiography or live promotion
small record shops that were then to be found in close proximity to each directly to the corporation, and make use of the in-house merchandising
other in central London - stores selling albums as vinyl, cassette or CD, and operation. Or, the company and artist may have struck a deal for certain
offering a mind boggling array of single formats. activities with publishing, for example, assigned to another company (the
360 degree deal allowing for a ‘passive’ cut of profits made elsewhere).
Much has changed. Most obviously, digital technologies have redefined the Whilst such arrangements keep managers on their toes, accountants
way repertoire is packaged and distributed. But, much has endured. Record balancing the books and lawyers in work, they are the logical outcome and
companies still place considerable emphasis on artist and repertoire (A & intensification of a type of cross-collateralisation that was being structured
R) – finding, acquiring and exploiting individual tracks, or back catalogue into contracts when I was writing this book, an effort to take advantage of
or the creative outputs of individual musicians and bands (‘discovering ‘media synergies’ (a buzzword of the 1980s). In turn, this is traceable back
talent’). to the commercial possibilities introduced by the links between recordings,
radio and film, connections that were used in business practices adopted by
Record companies (or, music companies as they are increasingly called) are Bing Crosby (such synergies are referred to briefly in Chapters 1 and 2
still engaged in marketing; still recruit or subcontract staff to work on here).
publicity and public relations; and musicians still make music in studios –
even if the physical space of the ‘studio’ has become far more flexible (from Any book on the recording industry is bound to be partial and shaped by
bedroom to cabin in a forest to luxury facility on a Caribbean island). the times and circumstances in which it was researched and written. I am
Despite numerous apocalyptic warnings lamenting or celebrating the aware that Producing Pop has certain shortcomings (some of which I tried to
demise of the record company, the major music and entertainment address in Music Genres and Corporate Cultures, 1999, and others that I am
corporations, and numerous independent labels, are still here – albeit with still thinking about). I have some reservations about my use of the notion of
recording occupying a much more integrated and nuanced location within the ‘cultural intermediary’ as a way of characterising and framing the work
a bundle of rights; and revenue generated in multiple ways rather than of music industry personnel. I adopted the idea because it allowed me to
through the direct purchase of sound recordings (an intensification of move away from a model of music industry personnel as ‘gatekeepers’ and
processes that were apparent and described, if briefly, in this book). gave me a route into debates about the ‘cultural economy’ of production.
But it meant that I downplayed and devoted less attention to how the
I have heard and read many times that the so-called 360 degree deal (the workers I discuss in this book are contributing to the commodification of
‘multiple rights’ contract) – by which a company takes a cut of all revenue musicians and their music. Despite these reservations about the theoretical
streams from an artist’s earnings – is becoming an industry standard, framing of the book, I believe that the details are historically valuable and
whether a musician is negotiating for the first or fifth time. As they have practices still relevant to the way the industry operates. I know that the
always done, the labels provide finance upfront along with knowledge and book continues to be used in teaching and research. I am happy for this
expertise, and then seek a return on that investment. Whilst musicians have copy to be circulated and made available in any freely accessible locations.
(in recent years) gained economic support from alternative sources –
private equity firms, distillers, sportswear manufacturers – many deals of
this type have benefited neither party, and the major companies have Keith Negus
consistently continued to take the gamble of investing upfront in new March 2011
music and ‘unknown’ musicians (in many respects, this continues by
default rather than design – no one else seems to be prepared to take the
risk).

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