Within the first few chapters of his new book Ripped, Kot summarizes what happens when record companies-aided and abetted by government deregulation and profit-hungry media outlets-morph into huge conglomerates more concerned with quarterly profits than artists or consumers. Sound familiar? Well, this time the fallout isn't people losing their pensions, but an industry promoting more marketable music, airwaves dominated by a pay-to-play culture and a public offered increasingly limited music options. Kot will outline how the music industry has nearly killed itself tonight when he appears at the Boswell Book Co., the old Schwartz Bookshop on Downer Avenue.
Greg Kot
Tonight @ Boswell Book Co., 7 p.m.