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University of California Press

About the Book

Create, Produce, Consume explores the cycle of musical experience for musicians, professionals, and budding entrepreneurs looking to break into the music industry. Building on the concepts of his previous book, Making Money, Making Music, David Bruenger provides readers with a basic framework for understanding the relationships between the artist and audience and the producer consumer by examining the methods underlying creation-production-reception and creation-consumption-compensation. Each chapter offers a different perspective on the processes and structures that lead listeners to discover, experience, and interact with music and musical artists. Through case studies ranging from Taylor Swift’s refusal to allow her music to be streamed on Spotify to the rise of artists supported through sites like Patreon, Bruenger offers highly relevant real-world examples of industry practices that shape our encounters with music. Create, Produce, Consume is a critical tool for giving readers the agile knowledge necessary to adapt to a rapidly changing music industry. Graphs, tables, lists for additional reading, and questions for further discussion illustrate key concepts.
 
Online resources for instructors and students will include sample syllabi, lists for expanded reading, and more.

About the Author

David Bruenger is the founding director of the Music, Media, and Enterprise Program at The Ohio State University. He is the author of Making Money, Making Music: History and Core Concepts.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. Inception: Creation, Production, Reception

2. Production: Art, Science, Enterprise

3. Reception: Listeners, Fans, Consumers

4. Commodification: Product, Process, Culture

5. Monetization: Publishing, Performing, Recording

6. Location: Scenes, Venues, Labels

7. Diffusion: Here, There, Everywhere

8. Disruption: Pattern, Deviation, Adaptation

9. Connection: Artists, Audiences, Networks

10. Incorporation: Production, Monetization, Affiliation

11. Aggregation: Consumption, Production, Prediction

12. Simulation: Creation, Production, Consumption

Notes
Bibliography
Index

Reviews

"The music industry has changed dramatically in the past two decades. Bruenger . . . has written another very useful book for those seeking a framework for understanding those changes. . . . The underlying theme of the book is that music is not just about making and spending money but also about experiences that can change people's lives."
CHOICE
"This clear-eyed, comprehensive guide to today’s music business stands out from the pack, steering clear of both cheerleading and doomsaying. Bruenger’s structured approach systematically covers all aspects of the industry, taking the perspectives of artists, audiences, and entrepreneurs into account. Each carefully constructed chapter moves from theoretical models through case studies to contemporary issues, ending with further reading and exercises for self-study or class discussion. A music industry degree between two covers."—Robert Fink, Professor of Musicology and Chair of the Music Industry Studies Program at UCLA 

“This is what those interested in the topic have been waiting for. This book is the holy grail of Music Industry Studies.”—Gary Beckman, Director of Entrepreneurial Studies in the Arts, North Carolina State University

"Conveys a textured and many-layered approach. David Bruenger is an expert in unfolding big ideas to best grasp many moving parts.”—Mitchell Korn, Senior Lecturer of Music and Educational Outreach, Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music