2001 48 min 1-893521-55-9 This film has subtitles English

Money for Nothing

Behind the Business of Pop Music

or

Synopsis

Of all mass cultural forms, popular music has historically been characterized by the greatest independence for artists and allowing access to a broader diversity of voices. However, in the contemporary period, this independence is being threatened by a shrinking number of record companies, the centralization of radio ownership and playlists, and the increasing integration of popular music into the broader advertising and commercial aspects of the market.

Narrated by Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, Money for Nothing features interviews with hip-hop legend and pioneer Chuck D, respected independent artist Ani DiFranco, Michael Franti of Spearhead, and Riot Grrrl co-founder Kathleen Hanna (of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre). It also includes interviews with popular music historian Professor Reebee Garafolo, ex-Rolling Stone editor Dave Marsh, political economist Robert W. McChesney, and Shirley Halperin, editor of BOP magazine.

Money for Nothing succinctly explains how popular music is produced and marketed, and offers an accessible critique of the current state of popular music.

The Music Industry | The Gatekeepers: Radio, MTV, Touring, Retail | Music, Advertising, Marketing | Alternatives

Release Date:2001
Duration:48 min
ISBN:1-893521-55-9
Subtitles:English

Trailers

Watch the trailer

Filmmaker Credits

Executive Producer
Sut Jhally
Producer
Kembrew McLeod
Associate Producers
Thom Monahan, Jeremy Smith
Editor
Jeremy Smith

Film Festivals

Official Selection
2002 Experience Music Project Pop Music

Awards

Rosa Luxembourg Award for Social Consciousness

Resources: Downloads and Related Links

Praise

"Professor and documentary filmmaker Jhally makes short order of the music industry and shows how it systematically deprives all but the most popular pop-culture entertainers of a real wage, career, and the rights to their art. Between Public Enemy's Chuck D., rock critic Dave Marsh, and Island Record's Chris Blackwell, Jhally's digital doc shows how a consortium of mammoth business interests have stifled the creative drive of an entire art form."
- The Austin Chronicle