Cummings, Alex Sayf - Democracy of Sound

Democracy of Sound tells the story of the pirates, radicals, jazzbos, Deadheads, and DJs who challenged the record industry for control of recorded sound throughout the twentieth century. A political and cultural history, it shows how the primacy of intellectual property gradually eclipsed an American political tradition that was suspicious of monopolies and favored free competition.

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CONTENTS

Introduction
Part One: The Birth and Growth of Piracy, 1877-1955
1. Music, Machines, and Monopoly
2. Collectors, Con Men, and the Struggle for Property Rights
3. Piracy and the Rise of New Media
Part Two: The Legal Backlash, 1945-1998
4. Counterculture, Popular Music, and the Bootleg Boom
5. The Criminalization of Piracy
6. Deadheads, Hip Hop, and the Possibility of Compromise
7. The Global War on Piracy
Conclusion: Piracy as Social Media
Notes
Index