Climbing the charts: what radio airplay tells us about the diffusion of innovation

Description

Cover; Title Page; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; List of Figures; Acknowledgments; Chapter 1. Introduction; 1.1 The Diffusion of Innovation; 1.2 The Production of Culture; 1.3 Organization of the Book; Chapter 2. How Songs Spread; 2.1 Record Release Dates; 2.2 Corporate Radio; Chapter 3. Buying your way onto the Chart; 3.1 A History of Payola Scandals; 3.1.1 The 1950s Scandal and the Rise of Rock and Roll; 3.1.2 The 1973 Drugola Scandal; 3.1.3 The Gambino Family and "The Network'' in the 1980s; 3.1.4 Corporate Radio, Professionalized Payola, and the 2005 Spitzer Investigation.;Despite the growth of digital media, traditional FM radio airplay still remains the essential way for musicians to achieve commercial success. Climbing the Charts examines how songs rise, or fail to rise, up the radio airplay charts. Looking at the relationships between record labels, tastemakers, and the public, Gabriel Rossman develops a clear picture of the roles of key players and the gatekeeping mechanisms in the commercial music industry. Along the way, he explores its massive inequalities, debunks many popular misconceptions about radio stations' abilities to dictate hits, and.