Talk to Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business like its author wrote you back.
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What it argues
Hit Men is Fredric Dannen's investigative account of the major record labels from the 1950s through the late 1980s, with particular focus on the network of independent promoters who controlled radio airplay through a system of payments that amounted to a legalized — and sometimes illegal — form of payola. Dannen spent years reporting on the industry and produced one of the most detailed and credibly sourced accounts of how the business actually worked behind its public face.
The book's central subject is the "Network" — a group of independent radio promoters, led by figures like Joe Isgro, who served as intermediaries between the record labels and radio stations. Labels paid these promoters substantial fees; the promoters paid radio stations and program directors to add records to playlists. This was the mechanism by which certain records became hits regardless of public demand. Dannen traces how the major labels — CBS Records, Warner, MCA — understood what the promoters were doing, depended on it, and chose not to ask questions that would force them to stop.
What it gets right
- 1.
The 'Network' of independent radio promoters functioned as a payola mechanism that allowed labels to buy chart positions while maintaining enough distance to claim ignorance.
- 2.
Major record labels understood the promotional system they were funding and chose to continue because the alternative — competing for airplay on merit — was less reliable and more expensive.
- 3.
Standard artist contracts in the major label era gave labels the right to recoup recording costs, promotional expenses, and various other charges before paying royalties, making it difficult for mid-tier artists to ever see meaningful income.
What it covers
Who wrote it
Fredric Dannen is an American journalist who spent years writing about the music business for publications including Vanity Fair before publishing Hit Men in 1990. The book was the product of several years of reporting and caused significant controversy within the industry upon publication, with several subjects disputing its characterizations. Dannen subsequently reported on organized crime and other institutional corruption for various magazines. Hit Men remains the most detailed journalistic account of the major label promotional system at its peak and is considered essential reading for anyone interested in the political economy of popular music.
