How to Make It in the New Music Business: Lessons, Tips and Inspiration from Music's Biggest and Best

by Robert Wolff

Overview

In How to Make it in the New Music Business, author Robert Wolff welcomes you to today's new high-tech digital universe by taking you to school. In 13 lessons, Wolff teaches you why you no longer have to play by old music business rules. Offering information, inspiration, and advice, Wolff and his famous friends show you how to take complete control over your music, your product, and your dream

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823079544
Publisher:	Crown Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/28/2004
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.75(d)

Table of Contents

	Introduction	13
Part 1	Welcome to the New Music Business	21
Lesson 1	Old School vs. New Reality: The Digital Revolution Levels the Playing Field	22
	Welcome to the Old School Music Business: What Your Record Earns and What You Get to Keep	23
	Start with the Royalty Rate	23
	Here Come the Deductions	24
	What's Left?	27
	Now Consider an Even Worse Scenario	28
	Welcome to the New Reality	29
	New School vs. Old School: Your Decisions vs. Corporate Structures	29
	New School vs. Old School: Home Studio vs. Big Studio	30
	New School vs. Old School: Internet Radio vs. Traditional Radio	31
	New School vs. Old School: Your Label vs. Their Label	32
	New School vs. Old School: Your Marketing vs. Their Marketing	32
	New School vs. Old School: Your Profits vs. Their Profits	33
	New School vs. Old School: Your Control vs. Their Control	33
Lesson 2	Radio and Records: How to Play the Game	35
	The Radio/Record Company Dance	35
	Making Radio Work for You	40
	Pay-for-Play	41
	Basic Calls to Action	42
	Another Call to Action: The Power of 200 Letter and Request	43
	Create the Right Ad and Start Small	44
Lesson 3	The Illusion of Needing a Record Deal: Courtney Love's Real-World Wake-Up Call	47
	Courtney Does the Math on Record Contracts	48
	Artists, Copyright Law, and the RIAA	50
	Technology Is Not Piracy	52
	Artists Have Options	54
	Equity for Artists	56
	Music Is a Service to Its Customers	57
	New Models for the Record Business	58
	An Open Letter to Steve Case	58
	Corporate Sponsorships	59
	Money as Incentive	60
	In Conclusion	66
Lesson 4	A View from Both Sides of the Fence: Steve Lukather on What's Right and What's Wrong with the Music Business	63
	Lukather on the Music Business, Yesterday and Today	64
	Musicians and Their Craft	69
	Signing with a Major Label or an Independent	71
	Keeping It Real	72
	Making a Hit Record	73
	Enjoying Your Gift of Music	74
Lesson 5	Building Your A-Team: Who You Need and Who You Don't	75
	Attorneys	75
	It's All about Billable Hours	76
	Finding and Hiring the Right Attorney	78
	Get It in Writing	79
	Negotiating a Fee	81
	Setting Deal Parameters	82
	When You Need an Attorney--And When You Don't	83
	Great Advice and Free Stuff You Can Get in Seconds	85
	Good CPAs: Worth Their Weight in Gold	87
	A Cautionary Tale	87
	Tracking Expenses on Your Own	90
	Agents: Do You Really Need One?	91
Part 2	Writing Your Songs, Getting Your Sound, and Mixing, Mastering, and Recording Your Music	95
Lesson 6	It's All About the Song: Advice and Inspiration from Diane Warren	96
	Diane on Starting Out	97
	The Big Break	99
	The Learning That'll Never End	99
	The Diane Warren Songwriting Process	100
	Protect Yourself and Your Music	101
	Radio and the Music Business Today	102
	A Song Is a Part of Who You Are	103
Lesson 7	Developing Your Sound: Advice from Bob Bradshaw	105
	Bob Bradshaw on Starting Out	106
	Great Combinations = Great Sounds	108
	The Bob Bradshaw Sound Philosophy	108
	Getting a Great Sound	111
	Amps and Speakers: The Keys to a Great Sound	112
	Getting a Professional Sound on a Modest Budget	116
	Going the Custom Route	116
	Twenty Ways to Get Great Sounds	117
Lesson 8	Finding the Best Recording and Creating Platform: Using What the Pros Use	122
	Your Computer: The Hub of Your System	123
	Your Computer/Audio Interface	124
	Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs)	126
	Digidesign Pro Tools	127
	MOTU Digital Performer	131
	Emagic Logic	135
	Steinberg	138
	Plug-ins	144
	Ableton Live	145
	Antares	147
	Cycling '74 pluggo 3	150
	IK Multimedia	151
	MOTU MachFive	153
	Native Instruments	155
	Propellerhead	160
	Sibelius	163
	Sonic Solutions	167
	Spectrasonics	169
	Steinberg	172
	TASCAM GigaStudio	174
	Waves	176
	Outboard Gear, Sound Controllers, and Mixers	177
	Sound Controllers	178
	Mixers	178
	Storage Systems	179
	Tape Storage	179
	Hard Disk Storage	180
Lesson 9	Mixing Your Music: Advice from Bob Clearmountain	184
	Bob on Starting Out	185
	Being Successful in Music Is Doing the Best You Can	187
	A Constantly Changing Approach to Recording and Mixing Music	188
	The Bob Clearmountain Mixing Process	190
	It Doesn't Take a Lot of Money to Mix Great-Sounding Records	192
	Bob Clearmountain's Mix This! Studio Equipment List	197
	On How Long It Should Take to Make a Record	201
	How Making Music and Records Has Changed	201
Lesson 10	Mastering Your Music: Advice from Bob Ludwig	203
	Bob on Starting Out	204
	The Music Business, Yesterday and Today	205
	The Importance of Mixing in the Recording Process	206
	The Importance of Mastering in the Recording Process	207
	The Biggest Mistakes People Make in Recording	210
	Tips on Setting Up a Recording Studio Workstation and Recording Platform	211
	Some Advice on Internet and Remote Broadcasting	212
	The Future of Recording	213
Part 3	Your Business in the New Music Business	215
Lesson 11	Launching the Business of You, Inc.: Five Steps to Incorporation	216
	The Benefits of Incorporation	216
	Tax Advantages	217
	Other Advantages	219
Step 1	Determine the Type of Business You Want	221
Step 2	Choose a Business Name	222
Step 3	Get Good Advice	222
Step 4	File with the IRS	224
	Form SS-4	224
	Form 2553	225
Step 5	File a Business in My State	225
	After Incorporating	226
Lesson 12	Real-World New Music Business Boot Camp: What You Need to Know about Copyrights, Music Publishing, and Licensing	227
	The Get Smart Quick Guide to Copyrights	228
	Your Copyright Is All Yours	229
	How to Copyright Your Work in Three Easy Steps	230
	Copyright Issues Regarding Employment	231
	The Basic Ins and Outs of Music Publishing	232
	How Music Publishers Generate Revenue	233
	Writer-Publisher Relationships	235
	How Your Publisher Works for You	236
	Administrative Agreements	238
	Negotiating the Best Agreement	239
	Forming Your Own Music Publishing Company	240
	Joining the Right Organizations	241
	Licensing and Protecting Your Work	242
	Key Points in a Licensing Agreement	243
Part 4	Marketing, Selling, and Distributing Your Music All Over the World: Tapping into the Big Money Potential of Niche Markets, the Internet, and Webcasting	247
Lesson 13	Premiering Your Music: Three Steps to Broadcasting and Selling Your Music to a Global Audience	248
Step 1	Get a Domain Name	249
Step 2	Get a Web Site	253
	Decide on the Basics: Size and Layout	254
	Personalizing Your Site	254
	Go Global	255
Step 3	Begin Broadcasting Your Music	255
	Personalize Your Music and Message	257
	Know Who's Listening to Your Music	258
	Learn How to Promote Your Music	259
	Select the Broadcast Package Best Suited to Your Needs	259
	Create Your Internet Radio Station	260
	Questions about Internet Broadcasting	260
	Promoting and Selling Your Music and Web Site	264
	Use Search Engines and Metatags to Direct Traffic to Your Site	264
	Create Tie-ins with Other Sites and Companies	265
	Associate Yourself with a Powerful Brand	265
	Do Deals with Other Web Sites	265
	Sell Your Music on the Internet	265
	Sell All Forms of Your Music on Your Site	266
	Cool Ways to Record, Send, and Receive Music from Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime	266
	Lessons of Inspiration	269
	Learning from Greatness: The Tommy Tedesco Story	269
	On Selling Your Creative Ideas to Noncreative People	272
	On How to Make Yourself Wanted	273
	Shattering the Myth of the Must-Have Music Town: The Studio on Music Row	275
	On What Inspires Greatness	276
	On Getting to Where You Want to Go and Suprising Ways It Can Inspire You	278
	Index	282