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Some notes on Jonathan King as music entrepreneur
just in case anyone who reads the Daily Mail is reading.
Currently I'm reading some sub-pop-as-sociology oddity from the 1970s and there's an interview with (insert media monstern prefix) Jonathan King, who before he was discovered to have been keen to have his name on the sex offenders register, was a genius pop entrepreneur. Of course I was aware of a lot of his scams, record labels, one off hits etc and attitude to the music industry but was particulary fascinated to read about how he manipulated artists and record companies whilst remaining staunchly independent and comparatively anonymous DIY-ing all over the place with writing and producing, doing his own plugging etc and bascially changing how records are made and how bands or managers should deal with major labels. In other words, a man who was barely out of his teens in the 1960s(are you reading this OMM?) was slowly becoming a pop genius. Sadly the last 30 years of arrogance, bad taste and serving a prison sentence has probably put all this out to pasture.
So, how do you place someone who'd been discredited in the pantheon of pop if there contribution is significant?