ABSTRACT

Simon Frith has been one of the most important figures in the emergence and subsequent development of popular music studies. From his earliest academic publication, The Sociology of Rock (1978), through to his recent work on the live music industry in the UK, in his desire to ’take popular music seriously’ he has probably been cited more than any other author in the field. Uniquely, he has combined this work with a lengthy career as a music critic for leading publications on both sides of the Atlantic. The contributions to this volume of essays and memoirs seek to honour Frith’s achievements, but they are not merely ’about Frith’. Rather, they are important interventions by leading scholars in the field, including Robert Christgau, Antoine Hennion, Peter J. Martin and Philip Tagg. The focus on ’sociology and industry’ and ’aesthetics and values’ reflect major themes in Frith’s own work, which can also be found within popular music studies more generally. As such the volume will become an essential resource for those working in popular music studies, as well as in musicology, sociology and cultural and media studies.

chapter 1|8 pages

Introduction

part I|64 pages

Sociology and Industry

chapter 3|14 pages

‘Nobody Expects to be Paid … Nobody Asks, “What is the Fee?”'

Making a Living from Music in a Time of Economic Crisis – the Icelandic Experience

chapter 4|16 pages

Revisiting ‘Music Industry Research'

What Changed? What Didn't?

part II|72 pages

Frith and His Career

chapter 6|16 pages

A Double Life with Low Theory

Notes Toward a Professional and Intellectual Biography

chapter |12 pages

Short Takes

chapter 7|14 pages

‘You Can't Not be Political'

Frith, Politics and Policy

chapter 8|12 pages

Rock and Role Playing

Sociological Themes in the Work of Simon Frith

chapter 9|16 pages

Simon Frith

Crossover Critic

part III|80 pages

Aesthetics and Values

chapter 10|18 pages

‘Not the Sort of Thing You Could Photocopy'

A Short Idea History of Notation with Suggestions for Reform in Music Education and Research

chapter 11|16 pages

Playing, Performing, Listening

Making Music – or Making Music Act? 1

chapter 12|14 pages

Awards, Prizes and Popular Taste

Organising the Judgement of Music

chapter 13|14 pages

More Than a Performance

Song Lyrics and the Practices of Songwriting

chapter |2 pages

Afterword