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To Feel the Music: A Songwriter's Mission to Save High-Quality Audio Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

4.5 out of 5 stars 182 ratings

Neil Young took on the music industry so that fans could hear his music - all music - the way it was meant to be heard.

Today, most of the music fans listen to is streamed via online services and highly compressed. It’s convenient, but, frustratingly, this comes at the cost of quality. Gone are the days when it was technologically necessary to compress music into the smallest possible file size, yet this remains the industry standard.

The result is music that is robbed of its original quality - muddy and flat in sound compared to the rich, warm sound artists hear in the studio. It doesn’t have to be this way, but the record and technology companies have incorrectly assumed that most listeners are satisfied with these low-quality tracks.

Neil Young is challenging the assault on audio quality - and working to free music lovers from the flat and lifeless status quo.

To Feel the Music is the true story of Neil’s quest to bring high-quality audio back to music lovers - which he considers the most important undertaking of his career. Inside, follow Neil as he discovers the step by step deterioration of recorded sound as analog is methodically replaced by digital CDs, MP3s, and low-price, low-quality streaming; gathers others committed to his goal of delivering music the way artists intend for it to sound; and eventually develops the Neil Young Archives, a high-res streaming site that gives users unprecedented access to all of Neil’s music - in the best quality their devices can handle - videos, photos, and more.

Neil’s efforts to bring quality audio to his fans garnered media attention when his Kickstarter campaign for his Pono player - a revolutionary music player that would combine the highest quality possible with the portability, simplicity and affordability modern listeners crave - became the third-most successful Kickstarter campaign in the website’s history. It had raised more than $6M in pledges in 40 days. Encouraged by the enthusiastic response, Neil still had a long road ahead, and his Pono music player would not have the commercial success he’d imagined. But he remained committed to his mission, and faced with the rise of streaming services that used even lower quality audio, he was determined to rise to the challenge.

An eye-opening listen for all fans of Neil Young and all fans of great music, as well as listeners interesting in going behind the scenes of product creation, To Feel the Music has an inspiring story at its heart: One determined artist with a groundbreaking vision and the absolute refusal to give up, despite setbacks, naysayers, and skeptics.

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Product details

Listening Length 5 hours and 36 minutes
Author Neil Young, Phil Baker
Narrator Keith Carradine
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date September 10, 2019
Publisher Brilliance Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B07WG3YNLX
Best Sellers Rank

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
182 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and keep them intrigued throughout. They appreciate its enlightening content, with one customer noting it serves as a great history of the Pono player.

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5 customers mention "Interest"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging, with one describing it as a fascinating read for music lovers.

"...I read this whole book in two sittings!! It is inspirational and fun to read. Highly recommended...." Read more

"...Still, the book kept me intrigued in a way that most novels fail to do...." Read more

"...This book is well written and will keep your interest from start to finish...." Read more

"...of starting a business with members of various loyalties is very interesting and should instill caution...." Read more

4 customers mention "Enlightened content"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enlightening, with one describing it as a great history of the Pono player.

"Enlightening account of how a great idea for Hi resolution Music preservation runs into the record companies and Apple resistance to maintain..." Read more

"Great tone and storytelling, and an insightful business book...." Read more

"Revelatory, page turning book for anyone who loves listening to music..." Read more

"Great as a history off the Pono player, less interesting as a soapbox for Neil Young..." Read more

An Enlightening Look at What Digital Has Done to Music
5 out of 5 stars
An Enlightening Look at What Digital Has Done to Music
Absolutely amazing book, and a great read.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2021
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    This is a great book! If you are a fan of Neil Young or consider yourself a fan of music in general, I don't see how you would not agree. I own a Pono player and am a fan of high res music and vinyl, so the topic already intrigued me, but I wasn't sure if it would be too technical and boring. I read this whole book in two sittings!! It is inspirational and fun to read. Highly recommended. Thank you Neil Young and Phil Baker for trying to make music sound and feel better.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2019
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    I'm not really into rock music, but Pono was an iconic event in the progression of portable hires audio. Sadly, we are not there yet. There are lots of portable players out there now, but none of them reach the golden ring. One player that has it all, terabytes of storage, fast processing, an outstanding DAC with upsampling and filter options, Wifi streaming, and Bluetooth 5.0 AptxHD, balanced and single ended headphone jacks, and 24 hours of battery life. Pono was far from the mark, but it triggered a movement and the story about that movement is pretty well told by the authors. Pono died a sad death at Apple's hands, but the movement lives on. Now even Amazon is going down the hires download road. It's a cool book if your into high end audio. However, I agree with the Audiophile Style reviewer who took issue with some of the technological myths presented in the beginning. Personally, I loved the book even with all its faults. Reads well.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This book excels when recounting the history of the Pono music player but falls down when presenting Neil Young's opinions on digital music. I'm not saying he's wrong, and I've been a lifelong fan, but opinions don't really count for much, although i think his cause is noble.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2020
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Neil and Phil have told a story that we all need to know. This is an educational opportunity for not only music lovers but also for anyone who wonders how and why decisions are made as technology evolves, business models change and consumers are dragged along without their permission. In every respect, this is a book about the creation of authentic human artistic expression, and what happens to it after that point. Neil and Phil are screaming the truth from the rafters, so that we might actually apply the force of the market to demand true fidelity in a digital world. As a lover of music, and as an amateur musician, I applaud these two evangelists for their passionate mission.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2024
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Almost read the entire book the first day I got it. Couldn't put it down. Great read!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I know a couple of Neil Young's best-known albums and I had heard about Pono, but that is about all I knew from the lead author and it's venture. Still, the book kept me intrigued in a way that most novels fail to do. In "To feel the music", Neil tells the story of how he embarked on a mission to save music and audio quality. Together with Phil Baker, they share a dream and the struggles to fulfill it.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2019
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    The latest book by Neil Young goes into detail about his efforts to improve the quality of music that you listen to and how he...and his team...are getting the best possible audio to the consumer. This book is well written and will keep your interest from start to finish. If you are a Neil Young fan this one will be a great addition to your library!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2020
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    I regret that i did not fond musical samples..or Links to them.

Top reviews from other countries

  • Leapfrog
    5.0 out of 5 stars The book is exactly as shown
    Reviewed in Canada on January 6, 2020
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    This book was a gift for our son-Inlaw who is a fan of Neil Young. He is enjoying reading it.Our son-in-law is a musician & was thrilled to receive this book.
    One person found this helpful
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