The Man Who Broke The Music Business

[-13 Amp-]

It's a great read even if you aren't from this area (Shelby/Kings Mnt)

Its about a dude that worked at the Polygram/Universal plant in KM and leaked all the major albums of the late 90's and early 2000s (Eminem, Jay Z, Blink 182, Kayne West, 50 Cent, Fall Out Boy etc)

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/04/27/the-man-who-broke-the-music-business

[Doyle]

It's a great read even if you aren't from this area (Shelby/Kings Mnt)

Its about a dude that worked at the Polygram/Universal plant in KM and leaked all the major albums of the late 90's and early 2000s (Eminem, Jay Z, Blink 182, Kayne West, 50 Cent, Fall Out Boy etc)

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/04/27/the-man-who-broke-the-music-business

 

I had never heard about this story.   Thanks for sharing it was interesting to say the least.

[Zaximus]

Great read.  Brought back memories.  I remember RNS releases and all those groups.   IRC was still a great place to get stuff, and I knew Napster would bring attention so I skipped that when it got popular.   IRC is still a legit source for stuff.    I always wondered why releases started leaking later and later but it makes sense now.    It's kind of funny the main guy got off at the end.

[Hotsauce]

Remember BMG?

12 CDs for a penny...plus S&H

I got in trouble with my parents for signing up for those one time

[Zaximus]

Remember BMG?

12 CDs for a penny...plus S&H

I got in trouble with my parents for signing up for those one time

 

 

I did this too.  They were dumb because as a minor you can't legally sign a contract anyway,so they took their chances.   I remember them finding me years later as an adult and I was like "I don't remember this, I would have been 15" and they stopped calling lol.

[Shufdog]

I had forgot about this story, I'm in Shelby too. Thanks for bringing it back!

[Anybodyhome]

I'd say the kid who made Napster broke it.

 

Yep, Napster broke the music industry before most of the artists you listed were even in the business. It was a good read, though.

[-13 Amp-]

they talk about Napster, and Napster came after the IRCs and the IRCs are still around...Napster debuted in 1999...Music was being leaked out of the plant since before 1996 when Glover got the job there, Napster just helped spread it around the internet and stopped just being a local thing...(mainly the internet was growing, so as it got better, so did file sharing)

Also it debuted 6 months after Universal merged with Polygram and the Kings Mnt plant started pressing the Jay Z and Eminem albums

if Napster had a leaked album, it came from Glover and the Kings Mnt plant most likely...

Napster was just the most famous, but leaking albums and fuging up release dates was Glover

[-13 Amp-]

he was the major source material for the major albums for those programs though, thats the point of the article...

[Darth Biscuit]

That was a very compelling article... I honestly had no idea.

[Zaximus]

With no leaks, there probably wouldn't have been a Napster.

 

No one would have been that interested in getting music out there on the web if it wasn't leaked music period.   

 

That means we wouldn't be more digital right now, CDs would still reign supreme.

 

So yes, they did break the industry.  

[Jangler]

Pretty sure Rick Dees broke music with Disco Duck.

[TimTom]

Almost taken down by Microsoft auto-authoring ... wow ... Registering his warez with his scene name, not good

[Scrumtrilescent]

IRC & Napster...reminds me of college.