Conglomerate Rock: The Music Industry’s Quest to Divide Music and Conquer Wallets

Conglomerate Rock examines how the music industry is creating a new distribution infrastructure by dividing access to exclusive releases through different subscription services, hardware, and new media like audio DVDs in order to maximize profits. Author David J. Park argues that while these changes make it easier to see and hear artists from a handful of transnational corporations in commercial culture, access to music is becoming more dispersed, expensive and difficult to acquire. In addition, music and performers are increasingly being cross-promoted in films, television shows, commercials and other media owned by the Big 4 corporations. Conglomerate Rock critically analyzes these and other trends in order to provoke public discussion concerning the interaction between industry practice and music consumption. The present strategies employed by the industry will have long-term effects on the way consumers experience and access music, as well as how culture is viewed and portrayed in the United States and throughout the world.