Solid Gold

More than 90 record companies release over 9,000 pop records each year-a staggering total of 52,000 songs. Each one competes for the gold record, the recording industry's symbol of success that certifies $1 million worth of records have been sold. Solid Gold explains why, for each record that succeeds, countless others fail. This book follows the progress of a record through production, marketing, and distribution, and shows how a mistake made at any point can mean its doom. Denisoff suggests that a drastic shift in the demographic makeup of the pop music audience during the sixties has resulted in a broader listening public, including fans at every level of society.

R. Serge Denisoff (1939-1994) founded and was editor of the Journal of Popular Music and Society. He is the author of many books, including Inside MTV, Sing a Song of Social Significance, and Solid Gold: The Popular Record Industry.

1 WHAT IS POPULAR MUSIC: A SILLY QUESTION? 2 IN THE GROOVES: THE PERFORMER 3 THE VINYL CRAP GAME: THE RECORD COMPANIES 4 THE COP OUT: INSIDE THE RECORD COMPANY 5 THE GATEKEEPERS OF RADIO 6 PROZINES AND FANZINES 7 "THE STREET," JOHN SINCLAIR AND THE INDUSTRY 8 THE CENSORS: THE RADICAL RIGHT AND THE FCC 9 THE FOLKS OUT THERE