The Endless Refrain - by David Rowell (Paperback)

About the Book

"A veteran music journalist illustrates how culture has recycled music from the past In The Endless Refrain, former Washington Post writer and editor David Rowell goes deep into the psychology of the average listener - as well as the algorithms that function as today's tastemakers - to explore the devastating effects of technology run amok on musicians and fans alike. Making an incisive analysis of the economic and technological forces behind the rise of streaming services like Spotify and iTunes, Rowell examines how contemporary currents of music consumption and production shut the doors on the organic creation of new music and trapped us in a whirlpool of repetition and stale nostalgia. Combining personal memoir, interviews, industry research, and good old-fashioned critical passion, Rowell's book is a pungent indictment of a music culture gone awry, crippled by nostalgia and subverted by the sinister hive minds of the internet"--

Book Synopsis

A veteran music journalist argues that the rise of music streaming and the consolidation of digital platforms is decimating the musical landscape, with dire consequences for the future of our culture ...

In The Endless Refrain, former Washington Post writer and editor David Rowell lays out how commercial and cultural forces have laid waste to the cultural ecosystems that have produced decades of great American music. From the scorched-earth demonetizing of artist revenue accomplished by Spotify and its ilk to the rise of dead artists "touring" via hologram, Rowell examines how a perfect storm of conditions have drained our shared musical landscape of vitality.

Combining personal memoir, intimate on-the-ground reporting, industry research, and cultural criticism, Rowell's book is a powerful indictment of a music culture gone awry, driven by conformity and subverted by the ways the internet and media influence what we listen to and how we listen to it.

Review Quotes

A The Los Angeles Times "Most Anticipated Books" for Fall 2024

"David Rowell is the kind of music fan who scares us musicians. He really gets it, maybe even more than we do." --Stewart Copeland, the Police

". . . impassioned manifesto. . . Readers will be captivated by Rowell's fine-grained music criticism and sharp analysis of the culture industry, rendered in evocative prose. . .The result is a provocative and entertaining critique of the music industry." - Publishers Weekly

"A musical road trip with that friend who knows just about everything and has control of the radio. David Rowell's deep knowledge of music--and sense of humor--make you feel at least some hope that somebody's still listening. If Rowell didn't write with such energy and humor, you might forget how depressing it is that that so many choose Bananarama over Beyoncé. And who else would call up McDonald's management to find out why they pump endless '80s songs into his local chain? David Rowell is the cultural anthropologist we need in a society that is forgetting how to listen."

--Geoff Edgers, author of Walk This Way: Run-DMC, Aerosmith, and the Song that Changed American Music Forever.

"David Rowell's quest to examine the relationship that some Americans have with popular music today lands him in a kind of cultural funhouse, in which tribute bands are more successful than original artists; middling songs from the MTV era have become evergreen; 'hologram' tours put dead rockers back on stage; and fans cop to not really wanting any new music. A wild ride indeed, fueled by deft reporting, genuine curiosity, and Rowell's irrepressible belief in the power of music to transform our lives."

--Howard Fishman, author of To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse

About the Author

David Rowell grew up in North Carolina and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For nearly 25 years he was an editor at The Washington Post Magazine and has taught literary journalism in the MFA department at American University. He is currently a senior editor at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. His previous books include the novel The Train of Small Mercies, and Wherever the Sound Takes You: Heroics and Heartbreak in Music Making. He lives just outside of Chapel Hill.