Cowboys and Indies is the definitive record-businessbible, chronicling the pioneers who set the stylus on the most important labelsand musical discoveries of the last century. The narrative follows all themusical trends and developments from the phonograph to the Internet age as itdelves behind the big business of corporate hit machines and the diligentindustry of small, curated labels. Drawing from memoirs, archives, and over onehundred exclusive interviews with legends of the record industry—including thefounders and CEOs of Virgin, United Artists, Atlantic, andA&M Records—this book reveals the secrets behind the hit-making craft.

Cowboys and Indies focuses on the game changers—theindie founders, talent scouts, legendary A&R men—believers who understoodthe music business was two distinct parts: first music, then business. Anindustry insider himself, Gareth Murphy culls numerous behind-the-scenesanecdotes to bring together a clear genealogical map of the record industry's 130-year international history. Among its revelations, Cowboys and Indieshighlights the remarkable similarities between the industry crash of the 1920sand '30s and the recent CD crash.

Witty and evocative, Cowboys and Indies offers afresh panoramic view of the cycles and grooves of pop music and is sure to topthe charts with music industry classics like Hitmaker and The Mansionon the Hill.