FEATURE:
Turn Back the Pages
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The Music Book Club
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WHILST there are plenty of great…
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vinyl subscription services and there is a lot of focus on record shops, how often does one spend the same timer extolling the virtues of music books?! Maybe people hold their own music book clubs, but I cannot find any subscription services or sites that provide music lovers with monthly recommendations. What would be cool is a website that recommended the best new music books and put together packages and gifts that could be sent out. I think music literature is fascinated and varied, and it can be as immersive and as addictive as vinyl. From splendid biographies to reference books and those that look at particular periods of music, there is a vast wealth of music literature available! I love subscription services where one can get vinyl bundles and single albums and, every year, we highlight the best albums. Whilst one does see similar lists for music books, there is not the same sort of exposure and prominence. I would be interested to hear whether people hold virtual music book clubs and meetings where they can discuss a biography or reference book, but one suspects that it is quite rare. I think some of the most pleasurable and enlightening moments around music have come when reading an engrossing book.
There are some great book subscription boxes depending on your tastes but, again, I am not sure there are music-specific ones. Whilst one can find music books in record shops and many dedicate a section of the store to the best new ones out, one mostly has to look online when it comes to getting music literature. I try and keep abreast of the new music books by checking websites like The Guardian, but there are so many that I am missing out on. I always get a bit annoyed when I behind everyone when it comes to stumbling upon a must-read music book. Last year was a good one for music books and, looking at best of lists from Rolling Stone, to Pitchfork, there were some magnificent one released! Maybe it would be a case of doing a mixed subscription or bundle where one gets a vinyl and book every month. I would like to see a podcast or series appear online that focuses on music books, as I feel they are vastly underrated and overlooked compared to albums. I shall leave things in a minute but, whether it is a biography or a book that concentrates on the New Romantic era like Dylan Jones’ Sweet Dreams, one can learn so much and be educated in a way that you cannot when hearing an album. Perhaps it is just me, but I feel there is an appetite for music books. Whether you are a casual music fan, or someone obsessed by it, there are amazing new and older books that you’ll want to own. With a world of choice out there, having a service or website that exclusively refers to music books and tailors suggestions to each music lover would be amazing! It does not (as far as I can see) exist right now but, if a music book club or subscription service were to exist, I feel that so many people…
WOULD be up for it!