"An utterly satisfying examination of the business of popular music." —Nathaniel Rich, The Atlantic There’s a reason today’s ubiquitous pop hits are so hard to ignore—they’re designed that way. The Song Machine goes behind the scenes to offer an insider’s look at the global hit factories manufacturing the songs that have everyone hooked. Full of vivid, unexpected characters—alongside industry heavy-hitters like Katy Perry, Rihanna, Max Martin, and Ester Dean—this fascinating journey into the strange world of pop music reveals how a new approach to crafting smash hits is transforming marketing, technology, and even listeners’ brains. You’ll never think about music the same way again. A Wall Street Journal Best Business Book

Many DJs, gigging musicians, and electronic music producers understand how to play their instruments or make music on the computer, but they lack the basic knowledge of music theory needed to take their music-making to the next level and compose truly professional tracks. Beneath all the enormously different styles of modern electronic music lie certain fundamentals of the musical language that are exactly the same no matter what kind of music you write. It is very important to acquire an understanding of these fundamentals if you are to develop as a musician and music producer. Put simply, you need to know what you are doing with regard to the music that you are writing. Music Theory for Computer Musicians explains these music theory fundamentals in the most simple and accessible way possible. Concepts are taught using the MIDI keyboard environment and today's computer composing and recording software. By reading this book and following the exercises contained within it, you, the aspiring music producer/computer musician, will find yourself making great progress toward understanding and using these fundamentals of the music language. The result will be a great improvement in your ability to write and produce your own original music!

Celebrates the lives of two extraordinary musicians who influenced Canadaa s cultural life for more than 50 years.

Unleash your creative potential and start producing hip hop music today. This beginner’s guide breaks down the basics of music production and gives you the tools to start creating. Beat making isn’t a linear process, and there’s no exact science or method. Slime Green Beats provides a complete overview of the equipment, strategy, and mentality that you need to produce mind-blowing music, all without stifling your creativity. Whether you’re looking to produce your own music or start a career in music production, this handbook is a must-have. Learn beat making rules for different genres and musical styles, including hip hop, trap, R&B, and rap. You’ll learn: Setup - How to set up your home beat making studio - Tips for sound selection and melody creation - What drum layers make up a hip-hop beat - The stylistic difference between 808s and basslines Finishing - An introduction to mixing instrumentals - How to create vibrant, clean beats without over-compressing - Music theory rules for arranging - How to find and implement reliable feedback Sharing - Online marketing strategies for self-promotion - Email marketing tips to build industry connections - How to license, lease, and sell your beats - What to expect when selling exclusive beats, including track outs …And more! How to Make Beats explains music theory and technical software in easy-to-understand terms. The language of music production often feels elite, but Slime Green Beats breaks down barriers for new creators. Learn the lingo with an extensive terminology section in the back of the handbook and links to suggested resources. About the authors Slime Green Beats is led by 3E Wave and Stunna, two highly acclaimed music producers with an extensive fanbase on YouTube. With nearly a decade of beat making experience between them, their technical tips and recommendations are proven to work in the real world.

Cloud-Based Music Production: Samples, Synthesis, and Hip-Hop presents a discussion on cloud-based music-making procedures and the musical competencies required to make hip-hop beats. By investigating how hip-hop producers make music using cloud-based music production libraries, this book reveals how those services impact music production en masse. Cloud-Based Music Production takes the reader through the creation of hip-hop beats from start to finish – from selecting samples and synthesizer presets to foundational mixing practices – and includes analysis and discussion of how various samples and synthesizers work together within an arrangement. Through case studies and online audio examples, Shelvock explains how music producers directly modify the sonic characteristics of hip-hop sounds to suit their tastes and elucidates the psychoacoustic and perceptual impact of these aesthetically nuanced music production tasks. Cloud-Based Music Production will be of interest to musicians, producers, mixers and engineers and also provides essential supplementary reading for music technology courses.

Gender, Branding, and the Modern Music Industry combines interview data with music industry professionals with theoretical frameworks from sociology, mass communication, and marketing to explain and explore the gender differences female artists experience. This book provides a rare lens on the rigid packaging process that transforms female artists of various genres into female pop stars. Stars—and the industry power brokers who make their fortunes—have learned to prioritize sexual attractiveness over talent as they fight a crowded field for movie deals, magazine covers, and fashion lines, let alone record deals. This focus on the female pop star’s body as her core asset has resigned many women to being "short term brands," positioned to earn as much money as possible before burning out or aging ungracefully. This book, which includes interview data from music industry insiders, explores the sociological forces that drive women into these tired representations, and the ramifications for the greater social world.