While many dream of a career as a singer/songwriter, few know how to go about getting bookings, copywrighting and protecting their songs, making promotional recordings, getting radio and print coverage and negotiating contracts for appearances. This book covers all of these topics and more, aimed at everyone from the absolute beginner to the more seasoned performer, to help them avoid the common pitfalls and problems encountered along the road to success.

The authors draw on years of experience as songwriters and performers. They have conducted interviews with many singer/songwriters who share their experiences, both good and bad, as they've worked their way up from local gigs to full-time careers. Throughout, practical tips are highlighted and real-life stories help illuminate common issues faced by all performers/songwriters.

"Blues: The Basics" gives a brief introduction to a century of the blues; it is ideal for students and interested listeners who want to learn more about this treasured American artform. The book is organized chronologically, focusing on the major eras in blues's growth and development. It opens with a chapter defining the blues form and detailing the major genres within it. Next, the author gives the beginning blues fan points on how to listen to and truly enjoy the music. The heart of the book traces blues's growth from its folk origins through early recordings of city blues singers like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith and country blues stars like Robert Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson. Finally, the author gives an overview of the blues scene today. The book concludes with lists of key recordings, books, and videos.
"Blues: The" "Basics "serves as an excellent introduction to the players, the music, and the styles that make blues an enduring and well-loved musical style.

In recent years an almost overwhelming number of books have appeared on various aspects of American folk music and its history. Before 1970, most comprised collections of songs with a sprinkling of biographical information on noted performers. Over the last decade, however, scholars, journalists, and folk artists themselves have contributed biographies and autobiographies, instructional books and historical surveys, sociological studies and ethnographic analyses of this musical genre. 100 Books Every Folk Music Fan Should Own by performer and historian Dick Weissman finally offers a reliable route through the growing sea of book-length studies, establishing for future scholars a foundation for their research. Beginning with early 20th century collections of folk songs, it brings readers to the present by selecting for exploration modern studies of important events, critical collections of primary sources, the most significant musical instruction guides, and in-depth studies of traditional and contemporary American folk musicians.For each title selected, Weissman provides his own brief summary of its contents and assessment of its significance for the reader-whether fan or scholar. Folk music fans, scholars, and students of the American folk music tradition-indeed, any intelligent reader seeking guidance on the best books in the field-will want a copy of this vital work.

In today's fast-moving music industry, what does it take to build a life-long career? Now more than ever, all those working in music need to be aware of many aspects of the business, and take control of their own careers. Understanding the Music Business offers students a concise yet comprehensive overview of the rapidly evolving music industry, rooted in real-world experiences. Anchored by a wealth of career profiles and case studies, this second edition has been updated throughout to include the most important contemporary developments, including the advent of streaming and the shift to a DIY paradigm. A new "Both Sides Now" feature helps readers understand differing opinions on key issues. Highly readable, Understanding the Music Business is the perfect introduction for anyone seeking to understand how musical talents connect to making a living.

Music Publishing covers the basics of how a composition is copyrighted, published, and promoted. Publishing in the music business goes far beyond the physical sheet--it includes live performance and mechanical (recording) rights, and income streams from licensing deals of various kinds. A single song can generate over thirty different royalty streams, and a writer must know how these royalties are calculated and who controls the flow of the money.

Taking a practical approach, the authors -- one a successful music publisher and attorney, the other a songwriter and music business professor -- explain in simple terms the basic concept of copyright law as it pertains to compositions. Throughout, they give practical examples from "real world" situations that illuminate both potential pitfalls and possible upsides for the working composers.

For everyone in the music industrya "record labels, managers, music publishers, and the performers themselvesa "it is important to understand the world music marketplace and how it functions. Yet remarkably little has been written about the music business outside of the U.S. The Global Music Industry: Three Perspectives gives a concise overview of the issues facing everyone in the international music industry. Designed for an introductory course on music business, the book begins with an introduction to the field around the world, then focuses on global issues by region, from bootlegging and copyright to censorship and government support. It will be a standard resource for students, professionals, and musicians.

For many beginning-to-intermediate level guitarists, guitar tunings are a mystery. Everyone begins with "standard" tuning and knows its basic strengths - and limitations. But, once a guitarist gets beyond basic skills, the desire to play in different styles and achieve individual sounds leads inevitably to exploring alternate tunings. Guitar Tunings: AComprehensive Guide is the first book to offer practical advice for how to use the most common special tunings for the greatest creative and musical effect. Illustrated throughout with examples in standard notation and guitar tablature, the author introduces different musical styles through the use of appropriate tunings. Including downloadable resources, this book gives clear and concise instruction for the guitarist who has mastered basic skills but wants to go beyond them. It will appeal to guitar students of all ages, and can be used for individual self-instruction or in one-on-one or group teaching situations. In short, Guitar Tunings: A Comprehensive Guide offers a comprehensive approach for all guitarists to enhance their playing skills and creative music making. Also includes 75 musical examples.

Building on his 2006 book, Which Side Are You On?, Dick Weissman's A New History of American and Canadian Folk Music presents a provocative discussion of the history, evolution, and current status of folk music in the United States and Canada. North American folk music achieved a high level of popular acceptance in the late 1950s. When it was replaced by various forms of rock music, it became a more specialized musical niche, fragmenting into a proliferation of musical styles. In the pop-folk revival of the 1960s, artists were celebrated or rejected for popularizing the music to a mass audience. In particular the music seemed to embrace a quest for authenticity, which has led to endless explorations of what is or is not faithful to the original concept of traditional music. This book examines the history of folk music into the 21st century and how it evolved from an agrarian style as it became increasingly urbanized. Scholar-performer Dick Weissman, himself a veteran of the popularization wars, is uniquely qualified to examine the many controversies and musical evolutions of the music, including a detailed discussion of the quest for authenticity, and how various musicians, critics, and fans have defined that pursuit.

For many beginning-to-intermediate level guitarists, guitar tunings are a mystery. Everyone begins with "standard" tuning and knows its basic strengths - and limitations. But, once a guitarist gets beyond basic skills, the desire to play in different styles and achieve individual sounds leads inevitably to exploring alternate tunings. Guitar Tunings: AComprehensive Guide is the first book to offer practical advice for how to use the most common special tunings for the greatest creative and musical effect. Illustrated throughout with examples in standard notation and guitar tablature, the author introduces different musical styles through the use of appropriate tunings. Including downloadable resources, this book gives clear and concise instruction for the guitarist who has mastered basic skills but wants to go beyond them. It will appeal to guitar students of all ages, and can be used for individual self-instruction or in one-on-one or group teaching situations. In short, Guitar Tunings: A Comprehensive Guide offers a comprehensive approach for all guitarists to enhance their playing skills and creative music making. Also includes 75 musical examples.

"Blues: The Basics" gives a brief introduction to a century of the blues; it is ideal for students and interested listeners who want to learn more about this treasured American artform. The book is organized chronologically, focusing on the major eras in blues's growth and development. It opens with a chapter defining the blues form and detailing the major genres within it. Next, the author gives the beginning blues fan points on how to listen to and truly enjoy the music. The heart of the book traces blues's growth from its folk origins through early recordings of city blues singers like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith and country blues stars like Robert Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson. Finally, the author gives an overview of the blues scene today. The book concludes with lists of key recordings, books, and videos.
"Blues: The" "Basics "serves as an excellent introduction to the players, the music, and the styles that make blues an enduring and well-loved musical style.

For everyone in the music industrya "record labels, managers, music publishers, and the performers themselvesa "it is important to understand the world music marketplace and how it functions. Yet remarkably little has been written about the music business outside of the U.S. The Global Music Industry: Three Perspectives gives a concise overview of the issues facing everyone in the international music industry. Designed for an introductory course on music business, the book begins with an introduction to the field around the world, then focuses on global issues by region, from bootlegging and copyright to censorship and government support. It will be a standard resource for students, professionals, and musicians.

In today's fast-moving music industry, what does it take to build a life-long career? Now more than ever, all those working in music need to be aware of many aspects of the business, and take control of their own careers. Understanding the Music Business offers students a concise yet comprehensive overview of the rapidly evolving music industry, rooted in real-world experiences. Anchored by a wealth of career profiles and case studies, this second edition has been updated throughout to include the most important contemporary developments, including the advent of streaming and the shift to a DIY paradigm. A new "Both Sides Now" feature helps readers understand differing opinions on key issues. Highly readable, Understanding the Music Business is the perfect introduction for anyone seeking to understand how musical talents connect to making a living.

Music Publishing covers the basics of how a composition is copyrighted, published, and promoted. Publishing in the music business goes far beyond the physical sheet--it includes live performance and mechanical (recording) rights, and income streams from licensing deals of various kinds. A single song can generate over thirty different royalty streams, and a writer must know how these royalties are calculated and who controls the flow of the money.

Taking a practical approach, the authors -- one a successful music publisher and attorney, the other a songwriter and music business professor -- explain in simple terms the basic concept of copyright law as it pertains to compositions. Throughout, they give practical examples from "real world" situations that illuminate both potential pitfalls and possible upsides for the working composers.

(Book). Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution is a comprehensive guide to the relationship between American music and politics. Music expert Dick Weissman opens with the dawn of American history, then moves to the book's key focus: 20th-century music songs by and about Native Americans, African-Americans, women, Spanish-speaking groups, and more. Unprecedented in its approach, the book offers a multidisciplinary discussion that is broad and diverse, and illuminates how social events impact music as well as how music impacts social events. Weissman delves deep, covering everything from current Native American music to "music of hate" racist and neo-Nazi music to the music of the Gulf wars, union songs, patriotic and antiwar songs, and beyond. A powerful tool for professors teaching classes about politics and music and a stimulating, accessible read for all kinds of appreciators, from casual music fans to social science lovers and devout music history buffs.

The non-jazz improvisation series is a concept that germinated in Dick Weissman's mind while he was attending music school. He wrote a 15-piece arrangement of the old square dance tune, Cripple Creek, and wanted the trombone to take a solo as part of the arrangement. When the trombonist kept playing a bebop solo that was totally unsuitable for the chart, Dick realized that - in addition to the many musicians who do not improvise - there are even jazz musicians who don't know how to improvise outside the limits of their own stylistic backgrounds. This book approaches the five-string banjo as a musical instrument freed from the prison of specific musical genres. Old-time music, claw hammer, bluegrass and many eclectic adaptations of the banjo are utilized to demonstrate a variety of musical styles. A number of the selections are in different tunings. All examples are written out in traditional and tablature notation.

The non-jazz improvisation series is a concept that germinated in Dick Weissman's mind while he was attending music school. He wrote a 15-piece arrangement of the old square dance tune, Cripple Creek, and wanted the trombone to take a solo as part of the arrangement. When the trombonist kept playing a bebop solo that was totally unsuitable for the chart, Dick realized that - in addition to the many musicians who do not improvise - there are even jazz musicians who don't know how to improvise outside the limits of their own stylistic backgrounds.
Fingerstyle and flatpicking techniques demonstrate the use of the guitar as an incredibly versatile instrument that holds its own in a variety of musical genres. Various guitar tunings are included. All examples are written out in traditional and tablature notation.

Building on his 2006 book, Which Side Are You On?, Dick Weissman's A New History of American and Canadian Folk Music presents a provocative discussion of the history, evolution, and current status of folk music in the United States and Canada. North American folk music achieved a high level of popular acceptance in the late 1950s. When it was replaced by various forms of rock music, it became a more specialized musical niche, fragmenting into a proliferation of musical styles. In the pop-folk revival of the 1960s, artists were celebrated or rejected for popularizing the music to a mass audience. In particular the music seemed to embrace a quest for authenticity, which has led to endless explorations of what is or is not faithful to the original concept of traditional music. This book examines the history of folk music into the 21st century and how it evolved from an agrarian style as it became increasingly urbanized. Scholar-performer Dick Weissman, himself a veteran of the popularization wars, is uniquely qualified to examine the many controversies and musical evolutions of the music, including a detailed discussion of the quest for authenticity, and how various musicians, critics, and fans have defined that pursuit.

While many dream of a career as a singer/songwriter, few know how to go about getting bookings, copywrighting and protecting their songs, making promotional recordings, getting radio and print coverage and negotiating contracts for appearances. This book covers all of these topics and more, aimed at everyone from the absolute beginner to the more seasoned performer, to help them avoid the common pitfalls and problems encountered along the road to success.

The authors draw on years of experience as songwriters and performers. They have conducted interviews with many singer/songwriters who share their experiences, both good and bad, as theya (TM)ve worked their way up from local gigs to full-time careers. Throughout, practical tips are highlighted and real-life stories help illuminate common issues faced by all performers/songwriters.

The Must-Have Guide for Breaking
into the Music Business

Completely revised and updated for the twenty-first century, The Music Business provides essential career advice and information on how to get started and advance in all areas of the music industry—from an author who’s had careers in music as an artist and professor for more than two decades. This comprehensive volume gives you guidance and information on:

• Starting your music career
• The ins and outs of recording contracts
• Record producing and music engineering
• The distribution and sale of records
• The Internet and MP3s, and their effects on the music industry
• The latest computer programs
• Copyright law
• Composing music and songwriting
• Music education
• The international music industry
• And much more . . .

The Music Business is an indispensable reference for anyone who wants to begin a career in any of the industry’s facets, as well as an invaluable aid to professional and would-be professional musicians alike.