All You Need to Know about the Music Business: 10th Edition

Product Information

Donald Passman’s iconic music guidebook was first published in 1991. Nine editions later, this book is still a go-to bible of the business, providing advice for musicians, managers, promoters, and publishers alike.

All You Need to Know About the Music Business: Canadian All You Need to Know About the Music Business: Canadian

You mentioned the digital landscape has experienced the biggest change of all the music industry areas in the past few years. Are there any other major changes about how to make it in the music industry that you outline in the Eighth Edition of All You Need to Know about the Music Business? Musicians understandably don’t like dealing with the business side, for the most part. Some of them are really good at it, but most do not enjoy it. And that’s really why I wrote the book: There are a few key concepts that, if you understand them, can really help you understand how your money comes in and where it’s supposed to come from. And then you can more intelligently participate in the decisions in your life. For more than twenty-five years, All You Need to Know About the Music Business has been universally regarded as the definitive guide to the music industry. Now in its tenth edition, Donald Passman leads novices and experts alike through what has been the most profound change in the music business since the days of wax cylinders and piano rolls. For the first time in history, music is no longer monetized by selling something—it’s monetized by how many times listeners stream a song. And that completely changes the ecosystem of the business, as Passman explains in detail.

Retailers:

Thank you so much for taking some time to talk, Don. How did you find your way to the music industry? I was also told that Van Halen actually didn’t have a lawyer during their biggest touring years. This allegedly cost them millions of dollars. Start Your Music Business by Audrey Chisholm Esq. is a brilliant, easy-to-read guide for all those in the industry who wish to start a music business. The author is a well-known music attorney who has seen a lot. This book is her way of presenting her knowledge and ultimately helping out new music entrepreneurs.

All You Need To Know About the About Donald S. Passman - All You Need To Know About the

All three may offer different viewpoints, but one key driver of success they all share: hard work. Talent is necessary, but will only get you so far. The rest relies on focusing your efforts on the right places — like establishing a constant presence on social media — playing frequent shows, and building a strong and loyal fan base from scratch.Don has been listed in the Best Lawyers in America for more than twenty years, as well as the Top 100 Lawyers in California, the Top 500 Attorneys in America, Billboard’s Power 100, Hollywood Reporter’s Top 100 Entertainment Attorneys, Billboard’s Music’s Most Powerful Attorneys, and Southern California’s Super Lawyers. Certainly in the beginning, whether you’re going to do it entirely on your own or attach to a label, you have to build a fan base, a presence and an audience. Start with three of the most popular books about the music business, written by authors who all speak from experience and offer a road-map to success, based upon their own unique perspectives. There you have it. My top 10 essential readings when it comes to the music business. Of course, there are many more to read, including various articles and online courses. But these, I feel should empower you a lot and come to your aid when you step into the music world.

All You Need to Know about the Music Business: 10th Edition

Herstand walks you through everything here from the ground up, citing his own personal experience, quitting his barista job and diving in fully to be an independent musician. The book explains the importance of things like establishing a constant presence on social media, getting songs placed in film and TV shows, and building a grassroots fanbase. And of course, earning money to keep your career going for the long haul. Can you give some solid examples of people who were really taken advantage of because they didn’t understand the business side? The only downside to the book is nothing you can't imagine: with industries like music, things are changing quite a bit. Streaming is now how most music is consumed, and that has disrupted the business model quite a bit. There's, for example the advent of Fan Powered Royalties by SoundCloud, which was an ideal at the time he wrote the book (2019), but became a reality in early 2021. But this doesn't take away from the usefulness of the book. The Realist’s Guide to a Successful Music Careerpairs a successful indie musician, Umphrey McGee’s Joel Cummins, with author Matt DeCoursey. The book pulls no punches when it comes to practical steps to becoming a professional, with testimonials from celebs like Robbie Williams and Huey Lewis. The book was first published in 1991. It is now in its tenth edition. Over the years, it has charted the extreme change that the music industry has undergone. From the addition of MTV to the MP3 revolution and now streaming services, the book has updated itself to the point that it’s still very relevant.The book contains a lot of interesting chapters including protecting your name and music, sampling legally, avoiding legal issues, and how to collaborate with other musicians. You should look into this one. Conclusion And that passion element is really interesting. I work in marketing, so I talk to people all the time about what really makes them unique. “Dude Releases Record” isn’t really press worthy. Of your most successful clients, would you say that most of them had interests and passions outside of music that they also pursued? With an endless pool of talent out there — not to mention countless ways to share and release your music — what does it take to break in? You have a number of name brand artists as clients. Could you point to anything that those people do differently from the average musician that is not as successful as they have been?

MUSIC INDUSTRY GUIDE - The British Library MUSIC INDUSTRY GUIDE - The British Library

I definitely want to get more into aspects of the digital world, but having been involved with music and entertainment law for so many years, which areas in the music business do you think are the most commonly misunderstood by artists and others? When I was trying to make it as a musician, it was publishing that always baffled me. Some of them do and some of them don’t. A lot of them are just completely dedicated to their music career, even to the detriment of their family and personal life. But you get that in any business. If you read the Steve Jobs book, you’ll see that his family wasn’t his top priority. I don’t think that’s unique to the music business. Some people have a lot of interests, others are more focused on one thing.

2. The Realist’s Guide to a Successful Music Career

Heritage artists are mostly making their money off touring. It’s very difficult if not impossible for them to get on the radio, because their audience is older and not that interested in new music. They will have some success with it, but not at the level they enjoyed in their heyday. They also make money off their catalogs, which still sell quite well and make some money for them as well. Yes. They definitely do things differently. And this is something I’ve been a student of, because I have been very fascinated by why some artists are huge and others aren’t. The funny thing is, it’s not about talent, because I’ve known some incredibly talented people that have had only moderate careers or no careers at all. The real keys to success are drive and determination. You need to be willing to walk through walls to get to where you need to go and not get discouraged. I think that is something really big they have all had in common.