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78 Tenn. L. Rev. 213 (2010-2011)
Strictly Business: A Historical Narrative and Commentary on Rock and Roll Business Practices

handle is hein.journals/tenn78 and id is 215 raw text is: STRICTLY BUSINESS: A HISTORICAL NARRATIVE AND COMMENTARY ON ROCK AND ROLL BUSINESS PRACTICES JEFF CARTER* The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side. - Hunter S. Thompson' I. INTRODUCTION ........................................ 214 II. INDUSTRY STRUCTURE ............................. ..... 216 A. The Record Company................ ................. 216 B. The Record . ............................. ...... 218 C. Royalties and Accounting Practices............. ..... 219 D. Touring ......................................... 221 E. Music Publishing......................... 222 III. A HISTORICAL NARRATIVE ........................ 224 A. The Birth of the Record Deal ............................... 224 B. The Blues ............................... ..... 225 C. The Blues Had a Baby ...................... ..... 232 D. Rock and Roll Gets Loud-The British Invasion.... ..... 236 E. Success and Excess-The 70's and 80's ............... 240 1. Touring ......................... ............ 240 2. The Live Album ....................... ...... 242 3. Independent Promotion................. .......243 F. You Say You Want a Revolution-The 90's Decline and Digital Delivery........................ ............. 245 G. Panic in the Boardroom-The 21 Century and the 360 Agreement ................................... 246 IV. COMMON CONTRACTUAL POINTS OF CONTENTION.......................... 249 A. A Hard Bargain. ................................ 249 * J.D., cum laude, University of Tennessee College of Law, 2010; Bachelor of Science in Psychology, summa cum laude, Middle Tennessee State University, 2007. In his former life, Carter owned a music publishing company, maintained songwriting contracts with music publishing companies in Nashville and Los Angeles, and worked as a recording and touring guitarist for several multi-platinum, award-winning recording artists. This article is dedicated to Fred Carter, Jr., who passed along an unlimited enthusiasm for, and invaluable experience within, the recording industry. Carter would like to thank Professor Becky Jacobs for her enthusiastic guidance in pursuing an article on the topic. 1. Hunter S. Thompson: in His Own Words, http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2005/ feb/2 1/huntersthompson (last visited Jan. 14, 2011). 213

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