Most of us recoil at the thought that music is a business. The phrase 'Music Business' brings in so many chills! Our music is our art, and we don't want to dull it up with the greasy hands of commerce. But then again you’re probably always in a mind-battle between making music that is true to you and at the same time finding a way to pay your bills. For the longest time, musicians believed that taking this less travelled path, you need kiss your money goodbye. You can either chase money or your dream. That's why Indian parents with their overprotective nature try their best to tame the rockstars within us and push us towards what they think are commercially lucrative careers.
After making it big in music seems to based so much on luck. There are people who get famous overnight without trying anything and some who spend years understanding how the industry works, spend hours polishing their skills and still somehow, find themselves struggling to make ends meet. The music industry in India is complex, fragmented and largely centred around Bollywood music.
There are a lot of misconceptions about the independent music industry and the way that it operates. This is mostly because it seems to follow different rules and most fall flat on their faces, get into bad deals before finding themselves good ones, struggle with business terminologies and operations. Whether you’re an aspiring musician, manager, publisher, booking agent or songwriter - to make the difficult journey, here are 5 go-to guides that are must-haves for your bookshelf.
All You Need To Know About The Music Business by Donald Passman
Deemed by the Los Angeles Times as “The industry bible”, this book has been one of the most essential guides to get an understanding of the industry. This book is suitable for both, people who are starting and for experienced industry folk. You can get the overview with “fast track” or the advanced view depending how deep you want to venture into the woods.
With his experienced eyes, Donald walks us through the dynamic ever-changing stairwells of the music industry. With his humorous writing style and comprehensible diagrams & illustrations, he even makes super technical subjects seem easy and interesting. The book covers subjects like hiring a winning team of advisors(Managers, agents and attorneys), Navigating record deals, publishing and copyrights and exploiting touring and merchandising as well as latest developments with streaming and webcasting.
If you’re a band who love making music but are left flustered when it comes to business then this book is tailor made for you. It’s also a great book for anyone looking to get basic understanding of Entertainment law. It lays down all the practical advice and legal information that bands needs in a language which is easy to follow and not dry unlike many other books out there. It talks about finding the right manager, protecting your copyright and trademark your band’s name, understanding contracts, dealing with taxes, selling your music and doing covers legally. You also get handy legal form templates as well as dozens of sample agreement forms. Since band fights and breakups aren’t unheard of and as much as we want to avoid thinking in that direction, Stim provides advice on solving disputes with members of the band and dealing with managers, record companies, agents and attorneys. Stim also disperses cautionary stories of real musicians and their legal disputes. Music Law can help your band avoid such pitfalls and fall-outs.
This is a book I specifically recommend for songwriters who aim to write for others or perform their own songs rather than bands who want to "get a record deal". This is a step-by-step guide by Jason Blume who has composed songs for many pop and country artists.
Writing good songs is simply not enough to be successful, you need a realistic picture of how your songs can churn in money and how the overall industry works. Jason starts out by breaking down terminologies and then teaches the reader how publishing works and how to pitch songs to publishers, artists, managers and producers. Jason also a details out the process to write and market your songs to TV and films, offering resources for reaching these decision makers. If you want to make a living from writing songs then this book is your definite guide.
This is an extremely helpful guide for people who want to be artist managers.
Allen’s book provides a realistic image of what it’s like to direct the careers of talented artists in this risky but rewarding business. This is perfect read to prepare oneself for a career in artist management as it hands you tools to carve out a name and success for both yourself and your artist. The book showcases artist managers’ profiles, an exclusive and detailed template for an artist career plan, and samples of major contract sections for artist management and record deals. The writing style in plain and direct, Allen doesn’t sugarcoat things and clearly lays out what you can expect in this career. At the end of it you’ll have prepared yourself for a career in managing musicians.
All You Need To Know About The Music Business by Donald Passman
Deemed by the Los Angeles Times as “The industry bible”, this book has been one of the most essential guides to get an understanding of the industry. This book is suitable for both, people who are starting and for experienced industry folk. You can get the overview with “fast track” or the advanced view depending how deep you want to venture into the woods.
With his experienced eyes, Donald walks us through the dynamic ever-changing stairwells of the music industry. With his humorous writing style and comprehensible diagrams & illustrations, he even makes super technical subjects seem easy and interesting. The book covers subjects like hiring a winning team of advisors(Managers, agents and attorneys), Navigating record deals, publishing and copyrights and exploiting touring and merchandising as well as latest developments with streaming and webcasting.
Working in the Music Industry by Anna Britten
This book is flooded with honest, workable and insightful advice on anyone wanting to explore careers in music and unsure of being a fit. Having spent many years working within the music industry, for record companies such as Warner Music and Naxos, as well as in music publishing and journalism, Anna talks about how glamorous and exciting the music industry can be, the books helps its readers identify opportunities for themselves in this intimidating and extremely competitive space. If there’s anyone who is still testing the waters and unsure whether to take their first step, this will prove to be a very realistic and honest guide. It's broken down into sections on record labels, publishing, music journalism, PR and publicity, recording studios, live venue business and music retail. Anna uses a friendly tone as she splurges on insider secrets and discusses case studies.
Music Law: How to run your Band’s Business by Attorney Rich Stim
If you’re a band who love making music but are left flustered when it comes to business then this book is tailor made for you. It’s also a great book for anyone looking to get basic understanding of Entertainment law. It lays down all the practical advice and legal information that bands needs in a language which is easy to follow and not dry unlike many other books out there. It talks about finding the right manager, protecting your copyright and trademark your band’s name, understanding contracts, dealing with taxes, selling your music and doing covers legally. You also get handy legal form templates as well as dozens of sample agreement forms. Since band fights and breakups aren’t unheard of and as much as we want to avoid thinking in that direction, Stim provides advice on solving disputes with members of the band and dealing with managers, record companies, agents and attorneys. Stim also disperses cautionary stories of real musicians and their legal disputes. Music Law can help your band avoid such pitfalls and fall-outs.
The Business of Songwriting by Jason Blume
This is a book I specifically recommend for songwriters who aim to write for others or perform their own songs rather than bands who want to "get a record deal". This is a step-by-step guide by Jason Blume who has composed songs for many pop and country artists.
Writing good songs is simply not enough to be successful, you need a realistic picture of how your songs can churn in money and how the overall industry works. Jason starts out by breaking down terminologies and then teaches the reader how publishing works and how to pitch songs to publishers, artists, managers and producers. Jason also a details out the process to write and market your songs to TV and films, offering resources for reaching these decision makers. If you want to make a living from writing songs then this book is your definite guide.
Artist Management for the Music Business by Paul Allen
This is an extremely helpful guide for people who want to be artist managers.
Allen’s book provides a realistic image of what it’s like to direct the careers of talented artists in this risky but rewarding business. This is perfect read to prepare oneself for a career in artist management as it hands you tools to carve out a name and success for both yourself and your artist. The book showcases artist managers’ profiles, an exclusive and detailed template for an artist career plan, and samples of major contract sections for artist management and record deals. The writing style in plain and direct, Allen doesn’t sugarcoat things and clearly lays out what you can expect in this career. At the end of it you’ll have prepared yourself for a career in managing musicians.
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