Hit Men is the shocking, highly controversial expose of the venality, greed, and corruption of many of the assorted kingpins and hustlers who rule over the music industry. "A sobering, blunt, and unusually well-observed depiction of the sometimes sordid inner workings of the music business."--Billboard. 4 pages of photographs.

Pursuing the dream of a musical vocation-particularly in rock music-is typically regarded as an adolescent pipedream. Music is marked as an appropriate leisure activity, but one that should be discarded upon entering adulthood. How then do many men and women aspire to forge careers in music upon entering adulthood? In Destined for Greatness, sociologist Michael Ramirez examines the lives of forty-eight independent rock musicians who seek out such non-normative choices in a college town renowned for its music scene. He explores the rich life course trajectories of women and men to explore the extent to which pathways are structured to allow some, but not all, individuals to fashion careers in music worlds. Ramirez suggests a more nuanced understanding of factors that enable the pursuit of musical livelihoods well into adulthood.

The widespread perception of singers and musicians as free individuals doing enjoyable and fulfilling work obscures the realities of their occupation. In Unfree Masters Matt Stahl examines recording artists' labor in the music industry as a form of creative work. He begins by considering the television show American Idol and the 2004 rockumentary Dig!, tracing the ways that popular music making is narrativized in contemporary America and showing how such narratives highlight musicians' negotiations of the limits of freedom and autonomy in creative cultural-industrial work. Turning to struggles between recording artists and record companies over laws that govern their working and contractual relationships, he reveals further tensions and contradictions in this form of work. Stahl argues that media narratives of music making, as well as contract and copyright disputes between musicians and music industry executives, contribute to American socioeconomic discourse and expose a foundational tension between democratic principles of individual autonomy and responsibility and the power of employers to control labor and appropriate its products. Stahl asserts that the labor issues that he discloses in music can stimulate insights about the political-economic and imaginative challenges currently facing working people of all kinds.

What links Taylor Swift to a factory worker? Kanye West to a German engineer? Beyonce to a boardroom mogul? They've all changed the face of the music business, in the most unexpected ways. How Music Got Free is the incredible true story of how online piracy and the MP3 revolutionised the way our world works, one track at a time. 'This brilliant book tells you exactly how the perfect storm that forever changed the way we consume music took shape. Like many great works of investigative journalism it makes it clear that this is one of those stories you think you know. Until you realise you don't' John Niven, The Spectator 'Reads like an underworld crime story... concise and very funny... The most remarkable thing about Witt's book is that virtually none of the names is familiar... Witt finds unlikely heroes in unlikely places' New Statesman

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. This second edition includes updates and even more interviews, giving a look at how music jobs have changed and the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on the industry. Michael Redman boils down the job requirements, skill sets, potential revenue, longevity, benefits, and challenges of a variety of music careers, from performer to label executive to recording engineer and music producer. Each description of a job starts with a short summary, followed by stories of the paths to success and the challenges you may confront-all in the words of real pros. Redman interviews over sixty professionals in the business, including Lee Sklar (session and touring musician), Damon Tedesco (scoring mixer), Brian Felsen (CEO of CD Baby), Mike Boris (worldwide director of music for McCann Advertising), David Newman (composer), Michael Semanick (re-recording mixer), Conrad Pope (orchestrator), Todd Rundgren (musician), Gary Calamar (music supervisor), Mark Bright (producer), and Scott Mathews (producer).

As traditional music career paths become increasingly scarce, 21st-century musicians must reach out to new and diverse audiences to ensure career success and sustainability. Many universities and conservatories now offer entrepreneurship courses for their students, but musicians already in the working world must also learn to build relationships with their communities, jumpstart and fund new initiatives, engage new audiences, and ultimately create successful and meaningful careers. Creating the Revolutionary Artist challenges performers to build increased audiences through creative action and community involvement. Based on Mark Rabideau's revolutionary online text The 21CM Introduction to Music Entrepreneurship, this book will jumpstart the careers of musicians and artists in all styles and at all levels as it lays out business and project management acumen within a talent-driven spirit of civic-mindfulness. Drawing together the real-world wisdom of world-class musicians and educators, the book includes strength identification and idea creation exercises, inspiring case studies, and a toolkit of how-to guides to lead the reader through a successful community-based project and on to a rewarding career in the arts.

Music producer Sam Phillips and his landmark studio, Sun Records, hold a unique place in the history of rock 'n' roll - by many accounts, before Phillips recorded 'Rocket 88' by Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats in 1951, rock 'n' roll as we know it didn't even exist. Phillips is simultaneously hailed as the man who discovered Elvis Presley and derided as the man who sold the same artist to RCA for a paltry $35,000. The list of musical legends that passed through the doors of Sun Records is simply astounding, including BB King, Ike Turner, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and more. SUN KING strips away the glossy veneer of legend around the Phillips story - which, like his signature sound, was much the result of his own careful crafting - to reveal a man who, from a very young age, heard a musical sound that no one else heard. Complete with a full Sun Records discography, 'Sun King' is an indispensable document in the history of rock music.

The first full account of legendary music producer Neil Bogart's life and meteoric career Neil Bogart was the founder of Casablanca Records and made the top acts of all 70's music's defining genres: stadium rock with KISS, disco with Donna Summer & the Village People, and funk with George Clinton's Parliament-Funkadelic. Written by his close nephew, who draws extensively on family archives and anecdotes, the book will capture all the glitz and glamour of Bogart's disco empire. Bogart literally brought KISS with him out to LA where they had a long but contentious relationship. He had a perhaps too close relationship with Donna Summer, and turned both the Village People and Parliament into superstars. Bogart died of cancer in 1982, but his influence on music reverberates to this day. The man who would become a mega music mogul came from the projects of Brooklyn, New York and an abusive home. Bogart's is a story of redemption, of making it big, and ultimately, of a dream come true. He succumbed in part to the excesses of his triumphs. This account, the first complete Bogart biography, is full of exclusive information and interviews about Neil's life along with family archives and photos.

The music business is an exciting, rewarding, confounding, treacherous, and exhilarating way in which to make a living. For those interested in following their dreams to enter this dynamic and ever-changing industry, nothing less than a road map is needed to navigate and strategize the journey. Music Business Essentials will take musicians and beginning business students on a journey which imparts not only vital "nuts and bolts" information about the business of music, but provides inspirational and practical tips from a veteran traveler who has successfully navigated his own music business path to success for over 25 years. This book is the perfect, easy-to-read introduction to the music industry and will be an invaluable handbook for reference time and again.

Richard James Burgess draws on his experience as a producer, a musician, and an author in this history of recorded music, which focuses on the development of music production as both art form and profession. This comprehensive narrative begins in 1860 with the first known recording of an acoustic sound and moves chronologically through the twentieth century, examining the creation of the market for recorded sound, the development of payment structures, the origins of the recording studio and those who work there, and, ultimately, the evolution of the recording industry itself. Burgess charts the highs and lows of the industry through the decades, ending with a discussion of how Web 2.0 has affected music production. The focus remains throughout the book on the role of the music producer, and Burgess offers biographical information on key figures in the history of the industry, including Fred Gaisberg, Phil Spector, and Dr. Dre. Undergirding Burgess's narrative is the argument that while technology has historically defined the nature of music production, the drive toward greater control over the process, end result, and overall artistry came from producers. In keeping with this unique argument, The History of Music Production incorporates clear yet in-depth discussion of the developmental engagement of technology, business, and art with music production. Burgess builds this history of music production upon the strongest possible foundation: the key transitions, trends, people, and innovations that have been most important in the course of its development over the past 136 years. The result is a deeply knowledgeable book that sketches a critical path in the evolution of music production, and describes and analyzes the impact recording, playback, and disseminative technologies have had on recorded music and music production. Central to the field and a key reference book for students and scholars alike, it will stand as a companion volume to Burgess's noted, multi-edition book The Art of Music Production.

What's the secret to writing a hit song? It's as simple as 1-2-3-4-5-6! Innovative, practical, and inspiring, "Six Steps to Songwriting Success" presents a surefire step-by-step approach to mastering the elements consistently found in hit songs. Author Jason Blume, a songwriter with the rare distinction of having had songs on the Country, Pop, and R&B charts simultaneously, has packed this book with such key aids as the three-step lyric writing technique used by the pros; lyric, melody, and demo checklists; and tools for self-evaluation-plus many other exercises that work. Blume's warm, humorous style features motivational anecdotes and entertaining stories of how hit songs came to be written and recorded. Get "Six Steps to Songwriting Success," and get on the charts!

"Career Opportunities in the Music Industry, Sixth Edition" provides current information on more than 90 specific jobs, including job duties, salary ranges, skill and education requirements, helpful organizations, tips for entry, and much more. This new edition includes updated salary ranges and employment opportunities, as well as comprehensive, updated appendixes of organizations, periodicals, associations, schools, and resources.

Widespread distribution of recorded music via digital networks affects more than just business models and marketing strategies; it also alters the way we understand recordings, scenes and histories of popular music culture. This Is Not a Remix uncovers the analog roots of digital practices and brings the long history of copies and piracy into contact with contemporary controversies about the reproduction, use and circulation of recordings on the internet. Borschke examines the innovations that have sprung from the use of recording formats in grassroots music scenes, from the vinyl, tape and acetate that early disco DJs used to create remixes to the mp3 blogs and vinyl revivalists of the 21st century. This is Not A Remix challenges claims that 'remix culture' is a substantially new set of innovations and highlights the continuities and contradictions of the Internet era. Through an historical focus on copy as a property and practice, This Is Not a Remix focuses on questions about the materiality of media, its use and the aesthetic dimensions of reproduction and circulation in digital networks. Through a close look at sometimes illicit forms of composition-including remixes, edits, mashup, bootlegs and playlists-Borschke ponders how and why ideals of authenticity persist in networked cultures where copies and copying are ubiquitous and seemingly at odds with romantic constructions of authorship. By teasing out unspoken assumptions about media and culture, this book offers fresh perspectives on the cultural politics of intellectual property in the digital era and poses questions about the promises, possibilities and challenges of network visibility and mobility.

Popular Music in the Post-Digital Age explores the relationship between macro environmental factors, such as politics, economics, culture and technology, captured by terms such as 'post-digital' and 'post-internet'. It also discusses the creation, monetisation and consumption of music and what changes in the music industry can tell us about wider shifts in economy and culture. This collection of 13 case studies covers issues such as curation algorithms, blockchain, careers of mainstream and independent musicians, festivals and clubs-to inform greater understanding and better navigation of the popular music landscape within a global context.

This book is your guide to the study and practice of music management and the fast-moving music business of the 21st century. Covering a range of careers, organisations, and practices, this expert introduction will help aspiring artists, managers, and executives to understand and succeed in this exciting sector. Featuring exclusive interviews with industry experts and discussions of well-known artists, it covers key areas such as artist development, the live music sector, fan engagement, and copyright. Other topics include: Managing contracts and assembling teams. Using data audits of platforms to adapt campaigns. Shaping opinions about music, musicians, events. How the music industry can be more diverse, inclusive, and equitable for the benefit of all. Working with venues, promoters, booking agents, and tour managers. Branding, sponsorship, and endorsement. Funding, crowdsourcing and royalty collection. Ongoing digital developments such as streaming income and algorithmic recommendation. Balancing the creative and the commercial, it is essential reading for students of music management, music business, and music promotion - and anybody looking to build their career in the music industries. Dr Chris Anderton, Johnny Hopkins, and James Hannam all teach on the BA Music Business at the Faculty of Business, Law and Digital Technologies at Solent University, Southampton, UK.

The music industries are fuelled by statistics: sales targets, breakeven points, success ratios, royalty splits, website hits, ticket revenues, listener figures, piracy abuses and big data. Statistics are of consequence. They influence the music that consumers get to hear, they determine the revenues of music makers, and they shape the policies of governments and legislators. Yet many of these statistics are generated by the music industries themselves, and their accuracy can be questioned. This original new book sets out to explore this shadowy terrain. While there are books that offer guidelines about how the music industries work, as well as critiques from academics about the policies of music companies, this is the first book that takes a sustained look at these subjects from a statistical angle. This is particularly significant as statistics have not just been used to explain the music industries, they are also essential to the ways that the industries work: they drive signing policy, contractual policy, copyright policy, economic policy and understandings of consumer behaviour. This edited collection provides the first in-depth examination of the use and abuse of statistics in the music industries. The international group of contributors are noted music business scholars and practitioners in the field. The book addresses five key areas in which numbers are employed: sales and awards; royalties and distribution; music piracy; music policy; and audiences and their uses of music. The authors address these subjects from a range of perspectives. Some of them test the veracity of this data and explore its tactical use by music businesses. Others are helping to generate these numbers: they are developing surveys and online projects and offer candid self-observations in this volume. There are also authors who have been subject to statistics; they deliver first-hand accounts of music industry reporting. The digital age is inherently numerical. Within the music industries this has prompted new ways of tracking the usage and recompense of music. In addition, it has generated new means of monitoring and engaging audience behaviour. It has also led to increased documentation of the trade. There is more reporting of the overall revenues of music industry sectors. There is also more engagement between industry and academia when it comes to conducting analyses and offering numerical recommendations to politicians. The aim of this collection is to expose the culture and politics of data. Music industry statistics are all-pervasive, yet because of this ubiquity they have been under-explored. This book provides new ways by which to learn music by numbers. A timely examination of how data and statistics are key to the music industries. Widely held industry assumptions are challenged with data from a variety of sources and in an engaging, lucid manner. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in how the music business uses and manipulates the data that digital technologies have made available. Primary readership will be among popular music academics, undergraduate and postgraduate students working in the fields of popular music studies, music business, media studies, cultural studies, sociology and creative industries. The book will also be of interest to people working within the music industries and to those whose work encounters industry statistics.

Who produces sound and music? And in what spaces, localities and contexts? As the production of sound and music in the 21st Century converges with multimedia, these questions are critically addressed in this new edited collection by Samantha Bennett and Eliot Bates. Critical Approaches to the Production of Music and Sound features 16 brand new articles by leading thinkers from the fields of music, audio engineering, anthropology and media. Innovative and timely, this collection represents scholars from around the world, revisiting established themes such as record production and the construction of genre with new perspectives, as well as exploring issues in cultural and virtual production.

"[Chertkow and Feehan] are the ideal mentors for aspiring indie musicians who want to navigate an ever-changing music industry." --Billboard Magazine You can make a living with music today. The secret is to tap multiple income streams. Making Money With Music gives you over 100 revenue streams and the knowledge on how to tap them. Whether you're a solo artist, band, DJ, EDM producer, or other musician, this book gives you strategies to generate revenue, grow your fan base, and thrive in today's technology-driven music environment. Plus, it lists hundreds of services, tools, and critical resources you need to run your business and maximize income. Making Money With Music will show you: How to tap over 100 income streams 7 business strategies you can implement immediately How to start your music business for $0. How to register your music to collect all of the royalties you are owed worldwide. 13 ways to compete with free and build experiences to drive fan loyalty and engagement into everything you do to increase your revenue. 45 categories of places to get your music heard and videos seen so you can get discovered, grow your fanbase, generate royalties, and boost licensing opportunities. 10 methods for raising money so you can fund your music production and projects. ...and more. Written by the authors of the critically-acclaimed modern classic The Indie Band Survival Guide (1st & 2nd Editions), Making Money With Music is the third installment in The Indie Band Survival Guide series, and will help you build a sustainable music business no matter what kind of music you make, where you live, and whether you're a novice or professional musician. Improve your income by implementing these ideas for your music business today.

The untold story behind one of the most controversial album releases in modern music history, for fans of the Wu-Tang Clan, hip-hop music, and all those interested in the music industry. Take a kid with a dream. A legendary hip hop group. 6 years of secret recordings. A casing worthy of a king. A single artifact. Hallowed establishment institutions. An iconoclastic auction house. The world's foremost museum of modern art. A bidding war. Endless crises of conscience. An angry mob. A furious beef. A sale. A villain of Lex Luthor-like proportions. Bill Murray. The FBI. The internet gone wild. In 2007, the innovative Wu-Tang producer, Cilvaringz, feeling that digitisation increasingly supported the perception of music as disposable, took an incendiary idea to his mentor, hip hop legend, RZA: create a unique physical copy of a secret Wu-Tang album, to be encased in silver and sold through auction as a work of contemporary art. The plan raised a number of complex questions: Would selling one album for millions be the ultimate betrayal of music? How would fans react to an album that's sold on condition it could not be commercialised? And could anyone justify the ultimate sale of the album to the infamous pharmaceutical mogul Martin Shkreli? "An epic battle between colorful, creative maniacal heroes and one of the blandest beta-villains of our time. Couldn't put it down."Patton Oswalt, comedian and bestselling author of Silver Screen Fiend

The Bloomsbury Handbook of Music Production provides a detailed overview of current research on the production of mono and stereo recorded music. The handbook consists of 33 chapters, each written by leaders in the field of music production. Examining the technologies and places of music production as well the broad range of practices - organization, recording, desktop production, post-production and distribution - this edited collection looks at production as it has developed around the world. In addition, rather than isolating issues such as gender, race and sexuality in separate chapters, these points are threaded throughout the entire text.

With an example-driven, hands-on approach, New Channels of Music Distribution offers a practical, comprehensive study of the music industry's evolving distribution system. While paying careful attention to the variables that impact success, C. Michael Brae examines the functionality and components of music distribution, as well as the music industry as a whole. This book is a one-stop guide and resource for all musicians, performers, songwriters, and label owners in understanding all the elements and efficiency of music distribution. Through its hands-on exploration of the music business, this book provides insightful strategies for executing marketing, radio, retail campaigns, and much more. Here you will find: * Specific DIY methods and strategies for distributing music throughout every platform possible * Case studies and discussions highlighting wholesale and retail markups, pricing strategies, major chains, rack jobbers, one-stops, mom and pop stores, and other retail outlets * Tips on how to incorporate retail distribution networks supporting Soundscan and employ marketing techniques using cutting-edge web technology * Distribution methods and promotion tactics to help you increase an effective "sell-through" on your music An accompanying website (www.routledge.com/cw/brae) features examples of distribution, licensing, and co-publishing agreements, sample Midem charts, sample proposals, quiz questions, web links and key terms.

Songwriter's Market is the go-to source for songwriters and performing artists who seek career advice and up-to-date information for placing their songs with music publishers, discovering record companies or producers, securing representation with a manager, and much more. With insights from a variety of industry experts and both career and up-and-coming songwriters, this edition features the firsthand and insider knowledge songwriters need to launch their career. You gain access to: Interviews with veterans like Phil Cody, Chip Taylor, and Marc Jordan and rising stars like Simon Wilcox, Francesco Yates, and the Grammy-nominated Erik Blu2th Griggs. Articles on breaking into Nashville, using Twitter to market yourself as a songwriter, and crowdfunding. Hundreds of songwriting-placement opportunities. Listings for songwriting organizations, conferences, workshops, retreats, colonies, contests, venues, and grant sources. + Includes exclusive access to the video "Pat Pattison Masterclass: Rhythm and Form" "Songwriter's Market is the indispensable tool you need to build your songwriting career. From the secrets of hit songwriting craft to an unequaled collection of pitching resources for your final recordings, this book delivers it all." --Robin Frederick, writer and producer of more than 500 songs for television, records, and audio products, and author of top-selling songwriting books

Plug your music career into the lucrative new income streams of the digital marketplace
Record deals are so twentieth century. Today, music licensing is the fastest route to widespread exposure and a steady income. Creators of films, television shows, commercials, video games, ringtones, podcasts and other digital-age media hunger for music perfectly suited to their projects--providing endless, lucrative opportunities for savvy musicians. Whether you're an unknown composer, an up-and-coming songwriter, an independent-label performer, or a big label star, there's a place for you in this fast-growing field--as long as you learn to master the game.
How does music licensing work? Where are the most abundant and rewarding opportunities? Find the answers in this authoritative, up-to-the-moment overview of one of the most effective ways to market your talent. It's all here:
The key players in the music licensing business and the best ways to make contacts and bring your music to their attentionTypes of licensing agreements and how to understand themAn inside look at the licensing selection process and how to get a jump on music requestsNegotiating payment and protecting your music in the open marketplace, including international venuesGetting music licensed for television shows, films, commercials, digital media, and less obvious markets like colleges and universities, theater companies, corporate training videos, and restaurantsFirsthand advice from top music executives, marketers, music supervisors, lawyers, talent managers, and filmmakers