In 1878, two young stage magicians clash in a darkened salon during the course of a fraudulent séance, and from this moment they try to expose and outwit each other at every turn.
If wars are costly and risky to both sides, why do they occur? Why engage in an arms race when it’s clear that increasing one’s own defense expenditures will only trigger a similar reaction by the other side, leaving both countries just as insecure—and considerably poorer? Just as people buy expensive things precisely because they are more expensive, because they offer the possibility of improved social status or prestige, so too do countries, argues Lilach Gilady. In The Price of Prestige, Gilady shows how many seemingly wasteful government expenditures that appear to contradict the laws of demand actually follow the pattern for what are known as Veblen goods, or positional goods for which demand increases alongside price, even when cheaper substitutes are readily available. From flashy space programs to costly weapons systems a country does not need and cannot maintain to foreign aid programs that offer little benefit to recipients, these conspicuous and strategically timed expenditures are intended to instill awe in the observer through their wasteful might. And underestimating the important social role of excess has serious policy implications. Increasing the cost of war, for example, may not always be an effective tool for preventing it, Gilady argues, nor does decreasing the cost of weapons and other technologies of war necessarily increase the potential for conflict, as shown by the case of a cheap fighter plane whose price tag drove consumers away. In today’s changing world, where there are high levels of uncertainty about the distribution of power, Gilady also offers a valuable way to predict which countries are most likely to be concerned about their position and therefore adopt costly, excessive policies.
The Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Popular Music Volume 1 provides an overview of media, industry, and technology and its relationship to popular music. In 500 entries by 130 contributors from around the world, the volume explores the topic in two parts: Part I: Social and Cultural Dimensions, covers the social phenomena of relevance to the practice of popular music and Part II: The Industry, covers all aspects of the popular music industry, such as copyright, instrumental manufacture, management and marketing, record corporations, studios, companies, and labels. Entries include bibliographies, discographies and filmographies, and an extensive index is provided.
Although somewhat more specialized than the Atlantic set because of Prestige's emphasis on jazz, this work is valuable for record collectors and researchers. American Reference Books Annual
Recent years have seen not just a revival, but a rebirth of the analogue record. More than merely a nostalgic craze, vinyl has become a cultural icon. As music consumption migrated to digital and online, this seemingly obsolete medium became the fastest-growing format in music sales. Whilst vinyl never ceased to be the favorite amongst many music lovers and DJs, from the late 1980s the recording industry regarded it as an outdated relic, consigned to dusty domestic corners and obscure record shops. So why is vinyl now experiencing a ‘rebirth of its cool’?Dominik Bartmanski and Ian Woodward explore this question by combining a cultural sociological approach with insights from material culture studies. Presenting vinyl as a multifaceted cultural object, they investigate the reasons behind its persistence within our technologically accelerated culture. Informed by media analysis, urban ethnography and the authors’ interviews with musicians, DJs, sound engineers, record store owners, collectors and cutting-edge label chiefs from a range of metropolitan centres renowned for thriving music scenes including London, New York, Tokyo, Melbourne, and especially Berlin, what emerges is a story of a modern icon.
You can't be a Miles Davis completist without owning this book; it is a collector's item in and of itself! Miles: The Companion Guide to the Autobiography is an annotated guide to Miles' own book previously released over twenty years ago in 1989. In his autobiography, Miles talks in great detail about all of his recording sessions with all his various labels. He usually mentions things in detail such as when they were done, who was playing with him at that session, whose arrangements the tunes were from and so forth. Use this annotated sequencing companion guide to help you find and listen to those particular tunes within your collection or to help you track down those missing tracks so you can compile your own soundtrack to his life. This guide will give you a perfectly good reason to reread the autobiography, and trust me; it is better the second time around with this.Core content includes:*A listing of 388 jazz tunes and albums as mentioned by Miles Davis himself in his autobiography; Use as a guide to help you find and listen to those particular tunes within your collection or to help you track down those missing tracks so you can compile your own soundtrack to his life.Supplemental features of this book include: *An eleven page summary of the autobiography*An exclusive never before seen article "Miles Davis vs. Wynton Marsalis"*A listing of all Miles Davis Video & Audio Interviews*A listing of all Miles Davis DVDs*A listing of all Miles Davis Concert CDs*A Miles Davis buyers guide for both completists with no spending budget and for conscience spending people. *An appraisal guide of all Miles Davis special edition CDs including: Special edition box sets, special anniversary editions, remastered editions, Japanese editions, rare & out-of-print CDs, 24k gold CDs, Blu-Spec CDs, SACDs, Hyrbrid SACDs, SHM-CDs, and HQCDs.*A listing of Miles Davis jazz standards and author's favorites.
DC BLACK LABEL, the highly anticipated new imprint from DC Comics, starts here! The Joker is dead. There is no doubt about that. But whether Batman finally snapped his scrawny neck or some other sinister force in Gotham City did the deed is still a mystery. Problem is, Batman can’t remember…and the more he digs into this labyrinthian case, the more his mind starts to doubt everything he’s uncovering. So who better to set him straight than…John Constantine? Problem with that is as much as John loves a good mystery, he loves messing with people’s heads even more. So with John’s “help,” the pair will delve into the sordid underbelly of Gotham as they race toward the mind-blowing truth of who murdered The Joker. BATMAN: DAMNED is a bimonthly super-natural horror story told by two of comics’ greatest modern creators-a visceral thrill-ride that proudly puts the “black” in BLACK LABEL.
Following the path of its star musician John Coltrane, Impulse Records cut a creative swath through the 1960s and 1970s. This volume tells the story of the label, balancing tales of individual passion, artistic vision, and commercial motivation--with nearly one hundred interviews with executives, journalists, producers, and musicians. 120 illustrations.