Customer Reviews

Stiffed: A True Story of MCA, the Music Business, and the Mafia

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The sordid story of how MCA Records got "mobbed up" during music biz mogul Irving Azoff's tenure as company president. Knoedelseder starts off with a powerful narrative, but as it shifts from an industry expose into a Mafia fetish, and then into a trial book, it starts to drag. Still, the first third tells you a lot about the underside of the record business economy, in particular, how "cutout" records and counterfeits get into the stores. After that, you'll learn that mafia strongmen and government prosecutors can both be bad for your health and livelihood, lessons which are always good to keep in mind, even though they're almost self-apparent.

Knoedelseder's "Stiffed" is the definitive book on Record/Movie Industry politics. The book reads like a mystery novel, but is all true. The book centers around a bunch of "cutouts," these are records that did not sell due to over supply and were returned to the record company. Cutouts are usually sold to a second party at a steep discount and end up on the
shelves of Walmart for $2.99. The artist does not receive any money, no royalties
whatsoever on these items.

"Stiffed" tells the story how millions of "cutouts" were sold, by way of mafia henchmen
working out of the offices of MCA records in Universal City, California. This is a story
of "follow the money." And a story of how Reagan's Justice department interfered in the
process of trying to prosecute MCA record executives.

At one point in the book, a prosecuting attorney wonders if he is stepping on the toes
of some strange alliance of some sort of MCA/Mafia/CIA/Iran Contra connection as
Reagan's Justice department puts the kibosh on his investigation.

Every student of politics should have this book as a reference book. You will see how
"spin control" is really worked in government, and in a powerful corporation.

I recommend this book highly.

Having known some of the people mentioned in this book it makes me want to get out of the industry, or at least go it on my own. At least now in the digital age that is possible. Hopefully the industry has been cleaned up, but I know a lot of it still goes on.