The Hours Are Long, But the Pay Is Low
A Curious Life in Independent Music
The hard-won pleasures of putting heart over brains, conviction over caution, and madness over market share
Paper – $24.95
978-0-252-08896-4
eBook – $14.95
978-0-252-04840-1
Publication Date
Paperback: 11/25/2025
Series: 3 Fields Books
About the Book
“The music business is not a meritocracy: it is a crapshoot taking place in a septic tank balanced on the prow of the Titanic, a venal snake pit where innovation, creativity, and honest business practices are actively discouraged.”Rob Miller arrived in Chicago wanting to escape the music industry. In short order, he co-founded a trailblazing record label revered for its artist-first approach and punk take on country, roots, and so much else. Miller’s gonzo memoir follows a music fan’s odyssey through a singular account of Bloodshot Records, the Chicago scene, and thirty years as part of a community sustaining independent artists and businesses.
Hilarious and hundred-proof, The Hours Are Long, But the Pay Is Low delivers a warm-hearted yet clear-eyed account of loving and living music on the edge, in the trenches, and without apologies.
About the Author
Rob Miller is the cofounder and former co-owner of Bloodshot Records. His website is robmillerwriting.com.Reviews
“I don’t think anyone could have done a truer job of describing the times we all had in the Chicago music scene as Rob does here. He is gifted with such a sincere and un-jaded (no matter how hard he pretends. . .) appreciation of what music and community can do and where it can take you. He has never forced the wide-eyed music fan inside him to ‘grow up.’ Thank goodness!”—Neko Case, musician, author, and producer
“The Hours Are Long, But the Pay Is Low delivers a gripping insider’s account of a truly special moment in music and culture. Thanks, Rob, for living to tell the tale.”
—Rhett Miller, Old 97’s
“Wow, what a great read/ride. I found Rob Miller’s journey through the music industry fascinating and fun, and when not giggling I was laughing out loud. While obvious in hindsight, the marriage of punk and country was anything but. Yet Miller and his cohorts identified with the punk attitude coursing through many of their favorite bands in Chicago’s underground country scene and thought they could help introduce their music to a wider audience. With instinctual grassroots marketing and a commitment to treat their bands fairly, they outmaneuvered the corporate vultures circling overhead. The musical husbandry of Bloodshot Records produced many musical masterpieces over the next twenty-five years. Bloodshot made the world a better place, and Miller was at the center of it all.”
—Jeff Nelson, Minor Threat and cofounder of Dischord Records
“A vibrant, informative, and often hilarious look at a crucial—if undervalued—slice of the music industry. Rob Miller’s book also serves as a moving coming of age story and a richly detailed description of life in Chicago during the 1990s, a time of upstart artistic explosions and the last vestiges of venerable institutions. The Hours Are Long, But the Pay Is Low stands above the slew of books by bigger-name record company founders. While those entrepreneurs seem driven by egos and cash flows, Miller sharply focuses on what the music is all about.”
—Aaron Cohen, author of Move on Up: Chicago Soul Music and Black Cultural Power
Supplemental Links
Rob Miller's WebsiteRelated Titles
