Music Career Guide

"As students begin finalizing college and career decisions, they are faced with tough choices that impact the next 2 to 42 years of their lives. While career decisions can be challenging for anyone, they seem more difficult for students who are considering careers in music. Although there are many viable music career options, there is considerable uncertainty regarding the types of jobs available, and the skills and other traits that help student musicians determine if they will be a good fit in their chosen careers. As a result, music students commonly feel lost regarding music career decisions, turning to parents and teachers who feel just as ill-equipped to provide insight."

Music Career Advising: A Guide for Parents Students and Teachers answers the most common music career questions through research-based career advising strategies, a comprehensive inventory of music careers, bibliography of print and on-line music career resources, and additional information gathered through interviews with leading musicians in the field, and faculty members in some of the most prestigious university music programs in the country.

"Forget everything you think you know about the odds of “making it” in the music industry. Today, odds mean nothing and success is not about lucky breaks. It’s about conquering social media, mastering the art of merchandising and simply working harder and being smarter than everyone else. We are living in the midst of an industry renaissance, one that has left the record companies desperately struggling to maintain their prominence, as a subculture of dedicated, DIY (do-it-yourself) musicians have taken over. These days talent is a given and success has to be earned.

In 2008, Ari Herstand boldly turned in his green Starbucks apron to his manager, determined to make a living off his craft as a singer/songwriter. Almost a decade later, he has become a founding member of the new DIY movement and a self-sustaining musician, all without the help of a major label. Now, drawing from years of experience, Herstand has written the definitive guide for other like-minded artists, the ones who want to forge their own path and not follow the traditional markers of success, like record sales, hits on the radio or the amount of your label advance. Incredibly comprehensive and brutally honest throughout, How to Make It in the New Music Business covers every facet of the "new" business, including how to:

Build a grass-roots fan base―and understand the modern fan
Book a profitable tour, and tips for playing live, such as opening vs. headlining etiquette, and putting on a memorable show
Become popular on YouTube, Spotify and SoundCloud
Get songs placed in film and television
Earn royalties you didn’t know existed and reach your crowdfunding goals"

The Best Jobs in the Music Industry is an essential career guide for those who love music and are exploring different areas of the music industry beyond the obvious performer route. Michael Redman boils down the job requirements, skill sets, potential revenue, longevity, benefits, and challenges of a variety of music careers both direct and indirect, spanning from performer to label executive to recording engineer and music producer. Each description of a job starts with a short summary designed to help you decide right off the bat whether this might be something you want to explore further, followed by the real stories, paths to success, and challenges you may confront all in the words of real pros. Read and learn from people who have lived the music industry, navigated it well, and been successful. Redman interviewed over 70 pros in the business, including Lee Sklar (sessions and touring musician), Damon Tedesco (scoring mixer), Brian Felsen (CD Baby CEO), Mike Boris (worldwide director of music for McCann), Louis Clark (MTV/VH1 Music Supervisor), David Newman (composer), Michael Semanick (re-recording mixer), Conrad Pope (orchestrator), Todd Rundgren (musician), Gary Calamar (music supervisor), Mark Bright (producer), and Scott Matthews (producer).

New technologies have revolutionized the music business. While these technologies have wreaked havoc on traditional business models, they've also provided new opportunities for music business entrepreneurs, as well as new challenges for musicians, recording artists, songwriters, record labels and music publishers. The Future of the Music Business provides a road map for success by explaining legal fundamentals including copyright law's application to the music business, basic forms of agreement such as recording, songwriting and management contracts, PLUS the rules pertaining to digital streaming, downloading and Internet radio. This book also shows exactly how much money is generated by each of these models, and details how the money flows to the principal stakeholders: artists, record labels, songwriters and music publishers.

Do you want to pursue a career and succeed in the lucrative area of music publishing? The Art of Music Publishing provides real inspiration and a tangible hands on perspective to this exciting side of the high-risk, high-reward music business. Prepare yourself for a career in music publishing and understand this complex but profitable part of the music business. Author Gammons walks you through all you need to know * understanding the role of the publisher * copyright * managing rights * income streams * contracts*. Learn how, when and where income is generated in all the current areas of business as well as exploring the new industries offering new income streams and the business models that are developing. The supporting website includes video interviews and podcasts with music business legends. 'If there is anything that Helen Gammons doesn't know about music publishing, it's probably not worth knowing! If you want to take it to the next level in music publishing - read this book. I know I'll be referring to it often.' David 'Hawk' Wolinski Composer of "Aint No Body" (Rufus and Chaka Khan) and one of the most covered songs ever. "Whether you're already a music publisher or would like to be one, this book will give you a mass of useful information - fresh ideas, up-to-date legal opinions, video interviews with music biz legends, provocative thoughts about where the business is heading, and plenty of good anecdotes." From Simon Napier Bell Manager: The Yardbrids, George Michael and Wham, Marc Bolan. Japan.

The Musician's Journey escorts musicians, performing artists, music teachers, and advanced music students along the road toward a successful career, offering a vast array of resources to guide them from envisioning the process to achieving the practical details. Jill Timmons provides key tools throughout the journey, from sources as diverse as the world of myth to current brain research, which illuminate compelling real-world examples of music entrepreneurs who forged their own paths to success. Included are chapters on careers in higher education; guidance in how to develop a business plan; general tips on grant writing and financial development; a separate section exploring the stories of other successful musicians; and personal narrative taken from the author's work as a professional musician and consultant. The book includes an extensive bibliography of additional resources, and the companion website offers downloadable worksheets and questionnaires to help readers along their way.

The Music Business and Recording Industry is a comprehensive music business textbook focused on the three income streams in the music industry: music publishing, live entertainment, and recordings. The book provides a sound foundation for understanding key issues, while presenting the latest research in the field. It covers the changes in the industry brought about by the digital age, such as changing methods of distributing and accessing music and new approaches in marketing with the Internet and mobile applications. New developments in copyright law are also examined, along with the global and regional differences in the music business.