Rock Brands: Selling Sound in a Media Saturated Culture, a book of 17 essays exploring how popular music and bands market themselves in today’s digitally driven society, is now available. Dr. Elizabeth Barfoot Christian, editor of Rock Brands, is an assistant professor of journalism at Louisiana Tech, and this is her first book. “The book explores how different genres of popular music are branded and marketed today, including a look at specific artists as well as examining how new media have changed and continue to change how music is both recorded and sold,” Christian said “It’s fascinating to me when I think about how a group with the hardcore reputation of AC/DC has found a home on every aisle at family-friendly Walmart, and how a cable television news outlet (FOX) can be a driving force in the country music genre.” The three sections of the book explore how and why branding works, how religion and politics play a significant role in pop music culture, and staying relevant in a culture in which everyone has their 15 minutes of fame.  Artists profiled include: KISS, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Ozzy Osbourne, Miley Cyrus, Phish, Marilyn Manson, Kanye West, M.I.A., Elvis Presley, and Michael Jackson.  Country and Christian heavy metal are also explored, along with new music venues of reality television and video games. Christian writes a monthly blog on music marketing for the Rowman and Littlefield Publishing Group, as a result of the book.  Christian’s most recent blog entry: “KISS This: The Biggest Rock Brand in History Still Gets Dissed from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”  Her January blog, “I’ll have a medium popcorn, Junior Mints and a soundtrack please: Music Marketing in the Dark” will be published Monday, Jan. 10. Rock Brands is available for purchase on Amazon.com and other online book retailers or from Lexington Publishing.