Anything for a Hit: An AR Woman's Story of Surviving the Music Industry [Hardcover]

Dorothy Carvello knows all about the music biz. She was the first female A&R executive at Atlantic Records, and one of the few in the room at RCA and Columbia. But before that, she was secretary to Ahmet Ertegun, Atlantic’s infamous president, who signed acts like Aretha Franklin and Led Zeppelin, negotiated distribution deals with Mick Jagger, and added Neil Young to Crosby, Stills & Nash. The stories she tells about the kingmakers of the music industry are outrageous, but it is her sinuous friendship with Ahmet that frames her narrative. He was notoriously abusive, sexually harassing Dorothy on a daily basis. Still, when he neared his end, sad and alone, Dorothy had no hatred toward him—only a strange kind of loyalty. Carvello reveals here how she flipped the script and showed Ertegun and every other man who tried to control her that a woman can be just as willing to do what it takes to get a hit. Featuring never-before-heard stories about artists like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Steven Tyler, Bon Jovi, INXS, Marc Anthony, Phil Collins, and many more, this book is a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered what it's really like to be a woman in a male-dominated industry.

“Dorothy leaves out nothing from her past experiences. She was there and has told her story unfiltered.”—Diane Warren, songwriter

“Carvello’s memoir is wild, sexy, bold, honest, and brave. If you don’t know about the music business it is illuminating; if you do, it is sure to be revelatory. It is an amazing testament to her experience as a woman in the complicated, fast-moving, abusive, and compelling world of business and rock ’n’ roll. An important read in today’s climate in the workplace.”—Maury Sterling, actor, Homeland

“This book is hardcore. I wanted to put it down a thousand times but I just had to keep reading it. It is not only timely blC%