This work provides a behind-the-scenes analysis of the world's major entertainment industries. Focusing on the recording industry personnel who often remain invisible behind the star names and audience styles, it challenges the simplistic assumption that pop music is merely determined by corporate interests, and argues against writers who portray the music business as a cultural assembly line. Drawing on extensive interviews and research within the industry, Keith Negus describes how artists are discovered, how recordings and videos are produced, and how artists are promoted through radio, television, magazines, clubs and personal appearances.