Rockonomics
A Backstage Tour of What the Music Industry Can Teach Us about Economics and Life

Quotes

"An absolutely brilliant mind. The definition of left and right brain balance!!" 
—Quincy Jones

"The music biz has been down a twisted path, but Alan Krueger brings it all together in a smart, relatable way.  Rockonomics has lessons far beyond the music industry, so fasten your seat belt and come along for the ride."
—Donald Passman, music industry attorney and author of All You Need to Know About the Music Business
 
"Krueger has produced something special here. With reference to Lady Gaga, Bono, Dylan, and Springsteen, he tells us a ton about how the modern economy works, and also about the human spirit. Oh, he has something to say about human happiness, too. Brilliant, surprising, and fun -- a bit like rock music itself."
—Cass R. Sunstein, Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard University and Author of Conformity: The Power of Social Influences
 
"When it comes to rock and roll, not even the musicians who play your favorite songs know where the money goes, which makes Alan Krueger’s outstanding book Rockonomics all the more essential. Through his accounts of show-business dealings and interviews with artists, Krueger unpacks and explains subjects of maddening complexity—record deals, concert ticket sales, streaming revenues, and much more—with the mind of an economist and the heart of a music lover."
—Jacob Slichter, Drummer for Semisonic and Author of So You Wanna Be a Rock and Roll Star
 
"If you like music (we learn here it would take six lifetimes just to listen to every song once) and going backstage to see how things work (touring, streaming, scalping) and the stories behind the stories (how Reginald Dwight met Bernie Taupin and became Elton John) – then rock on!  Or, in this case, RockOnOmics!"
—Andrew Tobias, author of The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need
 
"The music business keeps re-inventing itself (from records, to tape, to CDs to streaming) and Alan Krueger covers all the bases. As one former LSE student once sang: ‘its only rock and roll but I like it, like it, yes I do.’ That applies to this book too."
—Richard Thaler, Nobel Prize Recipient in Economics and Charles R. Walgreen Professor at University of Chicago Booth School of Business

"If you like music (we learn here it would take six lifetimes just to listen to every song once) and going backstage to see how things work (touring, streaming, scalping) and the stories behind the stories (how Reginald Dwight met Bernie Taupin and became Elton John) – then rock on! Or, in this case, RockOnOmics!"
—Andrew Tobias, Author of The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need
 
"Rockonomics is entertaining, educational and enlightening. Alan Krueger gives us a backstage tour of the music industry — and in doing so, he creates a brilliant metaphor for our entire economy.  Highly recommended."
—Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Don’t Let Go
 
"Read this book—whether you are a rock fan or, like me, think the Beatles and Stones were the last good groups. Read it because Alan Krueger makes the subject fun and demonstrates how the workings of this 0.1 percent of the US economy beautifully illustrate upcoming changes in the US and global economies."
—Daniel S. Hamermesh, Distinguished Scholar at Barnard College and Author of Spending Time and Beauty Pays
 
"I actually majored in economics in college. A few years later, I bumped into a former classmate who asked me what I was doing. I told him I was handling rock radio promotion for Mercury Records.  He said, ‘What a waste of your education.’

I hope he reads Rockonomics, so he'll find out I didn't end up as a total loser."
—Cliff Burnstein, Co-Founder of Q-Prime with Peter Mensch, Management Firm for Metallica and the Red Hot Chili Peppers