HOW TO MAKE A HIT RECORD

by Mike Jahn ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1976

The title's a sure hook, and though the procedure is only a daydream at this level, Jahn does a convincing job of seeming ""in"" on each step of the way. Effectively fusing interviews with a real singer/songwriter (Carly Simon), club owner (The Other End's Paul Colby), talent agent, etc., with the success story of fictional writer/performer Steve Harrison (a cleancut type on John Denver's wavelength), Jahn takes his hero from a Cincinnati coffee house. . .to a New Year's Eve opening act in New York. . .to agent-arranged appearances in other cities. . .and, at last, to the recording studio where technical procedures are explained. (Later, in the mixing room, ""the producer and engineer create a work of art"" from the ""clay"" provided by the musicians.) From there, the promo man takes over. For Steve, the hit single nets about $33,000 and, more important, leads to an album. Jahn tells us that Steve never made another hit but that his career stabilized at about $40,000 a year in gigs and royalties. Jahn makes it believable; he doesn't have to make it enticing.

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1976

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Bradbury

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1976

Categories: NONFICTION