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All You Need to Know About the Music Business: 10th Edition?
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Hiring an experienced manager seems like the right move. Aside from that, anyone in the biz should read this:
All You Need to Know About the Music Business: 10th Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501122185/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_034Q77JFYTJ4NN3AMZ3H
not really, this is really more of a contract guidance thing for different types of deals, such as labels, publishers, merch, live shows etc. most people in the biz agree that it's incredibly important to understand all of these things. look at the chapter titles to see what's inside https://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1501122185/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_0/136-9916319-3929358?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1501122185&pd_rd_r=09d51abe-1a60-4255-a3c0-c4380e1ebaed&pd_rd_w=QKuBP&pd_rd_wg=XzSZ1&pf_rd_p=5cfcf...
This is all incorrect.
You own the Copyright as soon as you write the song down or record it.
Uploading a track to a service like SoundCloud does nothing to protect your copyright as this is not admissible evidence in a U.S. Court. Same with the old school "mail yourself a copy" trick.
Registering a Copyright takes about 10 minutes at Copyright.gov.
Copyright registration has value to you because it is the ONLY way you can prove ownership if someone steals your song.
Most labels do not accept unsolicited materials specifically so they cannot be sued for copyright infringement. If someone at a label did steal a song a Cease and Desist letter sent to their Business Affairs Dept. with proof of your Copyright registration will shut them down pretty quickly.
If you'd like to learn more about protecting both your songs and your audio recordings (there are 2 Copyrights in music) you might read Don Passman's book.
Source: I own a label and a publishing company.
The craft books have been covered well, though I would also add The Art of Film Music by George Burt.
That being said, one of the most important books you can possibly read to prepare yourself is the most up to date version of Passman's All You Need To Know About The Music Business.
Film music is equally craft and business. If you're not prepared you will fail.
- u/portagenaybur covered this one well enough.
- If you don't own it, don't use it. That's the best way to CYA.
Ownership rights can be a bit crazy, so unless you know what you're doing or have written permission from the owner of the work, just stay away.
3) Not exactly, many times you are actually buying a license to use the clip, which they would retain the complete rights to. Unless the deal/contract specifically states that you own all of the rights, you still need to be careful.
I highly recommend everyone who is serious about making a living in the industry read this book.
It will help make these kinds of issues a lot more clear for you.
Edit: My formatting has gone wild, I apologize for the wonkiness.
Not trying to be a dick. I'm just an old, bitter man. You have a better attitude than me but touring is the ONLY way you make money. In the artistic sense of music, touring is whatever, but if you're trying to sign contracts and make money aka be a part of the music business you need to play live shows and bring people out. Record labels are businesses first and foremost. There is a difference between making art and selling art. If you want to join a collective of creatives that support each other, that's a different story.
I'd recommend this book to give you a better idea of what it takes to exist in the music industry space beyond releasing random projects. Selling music is an art in itself.
https://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1501122185
As many times as you can and read Donald Passman’s book on Music Business. It is the best tool any artist, producer, music business person, or anyone involved in the music industry can ever have in his or her arsenal. It is like a Bible that will guide you through stuff like this. Trust me. And email and tell him that his student Jonah recommended him to you and that you need his help with such and such and please make sure to make your email extremely formal. I hope that helps.
The most important person in your career as a musician is your personal manager. Start reading books about the music business and figure out the most secure way to start building your team
I highly recommend this book to start
All You Need to Know About the Music Business: 10th Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501122185/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_59GQJ0805D7BF3347HB3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Realize this will seem like a plug, but the book All You Need to Know about the Music Business by Donald Passman is worth a read, the most recent edition is the 10th, gets updated after most major changes in music trends (streaming for example). The book is written for artists, not for legal people. Link below, but also available by audiobook:
https://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1501122185
Pick up part time work at a music venue - ticketing, merch, concessions, security, promotions etc. Radio stations also have street teams that usually hire people with no experience to sit at a table at events and hand out t-shirts. This will set you up to meet people at every job. If you discover live music is not your favorite, having this experience will be enough to get you in interview somewhere for an office job like at a record label, management company, talent agency, tour promoter or even streaming service.
If you'd like to be closer to the artist, start with reaching out to local acts and offer to help out but be upfront about your intentions and lack of experience. It helps to offer general assistance bc you don't know their specific needs but also offer suggestions on what you might do for them and they'll more likely respond. Examples depend on your personal skills: Put up posters when they have shows, help load/unload gear, update their social media, create strategic fan accounts, start a tiktok trend, design merch, have a photoshoot etc.
If you're looking for knowledge, you need this book: All You Need To Know About The Music Industry - Donald Passman. There is a chapter on each component of the music industry and discusses how they intricately work together. This is good if for example you don't know the difference between agent and manager or publishing rights and performing rights. The book was recommended to me when I was first starting as an intern because it is incredibly well known by music professionals and it often gets brought up casually in conversations because most people I know have at least heard of it.
just a heads up that “minor” labels do not exist, its majors and indies
this may seem obvious, but have you tried cold messaging people on LinkedIn? Especially 1st/2nd connections & alumni? remember when you reach out initially that you arent asking for a reference, youre asking to learn more about their work, their company, the industry, etc. once you build a meaningful connection, then you can start asking for referrals / sending them job openings you want to pursue.
also, what’s your financial experience? if youre trying to do finance at a major, most people in my experience work at a bank for a bit and then pivot out into music. also keep in mind that you can quite easily make 3-4x the money at any midsize bank in NYC as you can in the music business at an entry level role, and orders of magnitude wayyy higher in later years.
if youre not trying to do finance, it would really help if you narrowed down what youre trying to do. “marrying my business acumen and love for music” is the most stale, overused pitch in the world. what unique skills do you bring to the table? are you skilled in analytics or data science? do you have a valuable network of successful upcoming artists? you mentioned photography, how’s your portfolio? graphic design skills? etc
would also recommend to read this book if you havent already, and start browsing sites like [music business worldwide](musicbusinessworldwide.com) to dive deeper into industry happenings.
good luck!
Congratulations on the collaboration! Now is the time to learn about the business you are entering. Pay special attention to master and publishing rights. Once you have a grasp on the basics it'll be easier to answers to your questions.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501122185/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_EQAJVZN87BB5T5664E0S
This is incorrect, but I understand that it is confusing. The MLC pays out to owners of publishing rights, not master recordings. In fact, labels pay mechanical royalties to publishers for physical copies sold. If artists were to share in mechanical royalties it is through owning their own publishing rights, nothing to do with a record label. When producer's get points on an album they are being paid a percentage of revenue before recoupment, not from mechanical royalties. A great resource to learn about these things is Don Passman's Book
> Ourbandname Music LLC) not work as our publisher AND as our band business
Possibly. Our "Ourbandname Music LLC" could own "Ourbandname Publishing LLC" That way if there is ever a change in personnel it'll be clean to divide up ownership.
> Why did you say to register with SoundExchange though?
SoundExchange is a PRO but they collect different performance royalty streams than ASCAP. The opposite of redundant.
> whole reason I'm making a company and registering it with a PRO as a publisher is to collect mechanical royalties.
No. Your PRO collects Performance Royalties, NOT mechanical royalties. You must register with a separate collection agency or agencies to collect mechanicals.
> We each need a PRO as writers, an LLC with a PRO as a publisher, a distributor, trademark and copyrighting, an agency, another company for our band, Songtrust for international revenue, and maybe SoundExchange too?
Yes this is correct. that said, SongTrust is optional for a U.S act and SoundExchange is not a maybe.
And yes, it is VERY confusing at first. I suggest reading Don Passman's Book to learn more about the business side of the music industry.
Source: I own a studio, a label, a publishing company and I manage 3 acts.
Not exactly like a loan but basically when you get an advance you have to "recoup" the amount given to you. Meaning until your album sells the amount given to you, you will not receive any money from units sold. And that amount carries over when you make the second album. Some labels also have you sign a 360 deal which takes percentages from other income streams like touring, merchandise and brand deals.
I've heard something crazy like 9/10 artists on a label do not ever recoup. Most of the time the largest artist on one label funds the other artists on the label. That's why labels ask for rights cause they're essentially taking all the financial risk.
You should read this book by Donald Passman it explains everything in detail in a pretty accessible way
Read Don Passman's Book
I highly recommend this book. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501122185/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_JSizFbQ86YM50
Depends on what type of music book youre lookong for.
For songwriting/performing i suggest:
Writing better lyrics by pat patterson Songwriting without boundaries by pat patterson Take the mic by marc smith
For music creation:
Processing creativity by Jesse Cannon
Never get stuck again by Tom Frampton
How pros make hits by tom Frampton
For music business stuff:
Get more fans: the diy guide to the new music business by Jesse Cannon
all you need to know about the music business by Donald S. Passman
All you need to know about the music business
Read this book:
All You Need to Know About the Music Business: Tenth Edition, by Donald S. Passman
Seriously! Just buy the bible on this topic and ignore this garbage bundle.
The bible: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501122185/
Start here https://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1501122185 for some basic knowledge.
Try to find a mentor.
>Whenever I watch YouTubers that give music business advice something always seems sort of gimmicky and cheesy about them to me?
The entire music business is gimmicky and cheesy. At best. Realize that you are stepping into a snake pit.
It is possible to study Artist Management in university or junior college. Personally I suggest you look into educational programs.
As an artist manager you have to know more than just "This band is so so cool! They oughta be famous!" You need to be able to read and understand contracts, deal with labels and festivals, confirm riders, plan release schedules, know about psychology so deal with various types of peoples, be organized to set social media uploads or press release send-outs, be able to write reviews and tour releases, understand the backline setup and what to expect from venues based on region, bands good merchandising, price points, what makes a decent promo kit, how to schmooze with radio or podcasters, etc.
So look into some junior colleges or universities that offer music business.
Grab yourself some books like these and read through them:
I went to community college for general music first then I transferred to University of Hartford (The Hartt School of Music) for Music Management. They also have Performing Arts Management (you don't have to audition for that one) and Music Production and those 3 programs have a lot of crossover. They all require an internship.
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I graduated in 2019, but then Covid happened and there wasn't many job opportunities for a while. Recently, though, I got a job at a local performing arts venue that's slowly getting back into the swing of things. Personally, my heart lies in music publishing and licensing, but I'm still so happy that I'm working there now.
If you're serious about going into the industry as a major, get a head start by buying the Donald Passman book "All You Need To Know About the Music Business". The 10th edition came out 2 years ago, right after I graduated. That will be your bible.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501122185/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_EQAJVZN87BB5T5664E0S
It feels like you need to start with a broad overview of how the music business works. I'd pay particular attention to master rights vs publishing. Good luck!
It's really tough.
Promotion is basically a full time job in itself.
Build a loyal audience that is really into your stuff, and it'll grow from there.
Otherwise, you'll just be fishing for casual listens that won't result in people buying your stuff, streaming, merch, etc. ...
Also, I suggest you read this seriously comprehensive book:
Read Don Passman's Book
Read Don Passman's book
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