This text examines every aspect of the music industry functioning in contemporary American life. Part 1 traces the business and artistic processes of popular music from songwriting through publishing, recording, marketing, and performing; Part 2 covers special issues in music and the media; Part 3 surveys Muzak and background music, and the retail store; and Part 4 describes American theatrical and concert traditions, as represented by Broadway musicals, opera, and the managament of symphony orchestras and opera companies. The book heightens student's awareness of the great variety of musical experience available in everyday life and leads them from familiar subjects to the complex details of behind-the-scenes operations in the industry.