An easy-to-read, jargon-free book that gives the reader a comprehensive social history of popular music in the United States from the heyday of Tin Pan Alley to the current sounds of electronic dance music and teen pop, from the invention of the phonograph to the promise of the Internet. The text focuses on analysis and critique of the music itself and the conditions of its production and consumption. It also explores the different social issues that affect and are affected by music, such as race, class, gender, ethnicity, technology, and copyright.