When Tim Renner applied to the German record company Polydor in 1986, he intended to write an exposé about the music industry. However, things went differently and he turned this exposé into a career. For eighteen years his biography has been intermeshed with the development of the music industry, he led bands like Element of Crime, Rammstein, Tocotronic and Philip Boa to sucess. He raised up higher and higher on the ladder, finally reaching the top of Universal Music Germany. He witnessed how musical development has been hampered by the pressure of the markets, how pop and commerce diffused, and importantly, he witnessed the rapid dissolution of old comercial structures through the forces of digitalzation and globalization. But the ponderous giant labels kept their eyes shut in front of these developments and Renner finally quit. After his leave from Universal in 2004 he described his point of view on what he found were wrong tracks and challenges of contemporary pop music."Death is not bad!" is a profound analysis of culture and music in times of digitalization, based on the vison that creativity, consumption and capital could find a way of coexistence.Ten years after the German edition of this book was published some passages read like a history book about a long forgotten time. Some passages pointing to developments which are fully manifested today and look to evolve further in the future. The book shows the changes of a whole industry and the first steps of a society on it's way into the digitalized future.

Tim Renner, born 1964, was a musical writer when he started working for the German Record Company Polydor, part of the multinational trust PolyGram. His intention was to write an exposé about the "EVIL" major label. But he found the music industry provided him with the means to carry artists out of their niche into mainstream.After an argument with the international top management about the future course of market leader Universal Music Renner resigned from his job as head of Universal Music Germany in early 2004.He founded his own company Motor Entertainment providing management and label-services for independent artists.

PART ONE: THE OLD TESTAMENTPARADISEParadise - saved by Herbert von Karajan and Jan TimmerParadise - created by Emile Berliner and Fred GaisbergParadise - defended by Ahmet and Nesuhi ErtegunParadise - humanized by Chris Blackwell and Alfred HilsbergParadise - made possible by Element of Crime and John CaleParadise - broadcast by Klaus Wellershaus with the help of Karol WojtylaParadise - filmed by Mike Leckebusch and presented by Ray CokesParadise - described by Julie Burchill and Tony ParsonsParadise - summed upTHE FALLPolyGram on the stock market - "Have a tense time"Techno-boom and own label - at least we were all young thenThe PolyGram/Universal merger - "You shoot them, you shoot them, you shoot them"Compilations and one-hit wonders - "There's the tail wagging the dog"The Fall - summed upTHE EXPULSION FROM PARADISEThe workshop of the future - "That's communism"The World Wide Web - Smells Like Teen SpiritMP3 - "Do you know that you will destroy the music industry?"Music on demand - "It will become far more expensive to buy music, but far less convenient too"CD burners - the Rasta in the madhouse makes things betterOnline sales - Bitches Brew and the need for sound adviceJimmy& Doug's Farmclub - orgies on Stage 42Corporate e-business - we learn a lot and do littleNapster - two bottles of Phelps Insignia that could have saved the industryiTunes and Popfile - before the delugeTalent quests - the search for the perfect son-in-lawRecord stores - first Germany, then the worldThe expulsion from Paradise - summed upPART TWO: THE NEW TESTAMENTCONTENT - CAPITAL - RESPONSIBILITYBrands - having an attitude and selling itTV - create, broadcast and improve your own rightsRadio - the way back into the foregroundPrint - own content is worth far more than advertisementsMovies and photographs - better to be on the net with ideas than in the movie theater with night vision gearDigital rights management - a good offer is the best protectionE-commerce - if you can't beat them, join themM-commerce - no network in LA and UMTS in MaliWorld Wide Web - the net learns to talkRESURRECTIONManagementIdentityNetworkDepthLuxury