All You Need to Know About the Music Business: Revised and Updated for the 21st Century

Now in its fourth edition, All You Need to Know About the Music Business is universally regarded as the definitive guide to the music industry. Called "the industry bible" by the Los Angeles Times, this newest edition is filled with vital information on the technological advances that are reshaping the business, and how novices and experts alike should manage such changes. In the music business, the key to success lies in knowing how to protect yourself. To do that, you need the best and most up-to-date advice available. Whether you want a career as a performer, writer, or executive, Donald Passman's comprehensive guide to the legal and financial aspects of the business is an indispensable tool. Drawing on his unique professional experience as one of the most respected advisors in the industry, Passman offers authoritative, up-to-the-minute information. You'll learn how to:

Select and hire a winning team of advisors -- personal and business managers, agents, and attorneys -- and structure their commissions, percentages, and fees in a way that will protect you and maximize your success

Master the big picture and the finer points of record deals

Understand the ins and outs of songwriting, music publishing, and copyrights

Maximize concert, touring, and merchandising deals

Plus, this latest edition includes information on:

The power of the Internet -- from promotional and com- mercial web sites such as Amazon or CDNow to the publicity advantages of chat rooms, bulletin boards and ever-improving Webcasters (the Internet's answer to radio), and the serious dangers of piracy

The new and changing laws of the electronic frontier, including copyright infringement, illegal downloads, and the challenges to intellectual property rights

Recognizing the opportunities offered by digital downloads, MP3, and other new media which will be the future of music

There are also updates on traditional industry matters such as royalties, advances, video budgets, and copyright law. The music industry can be a gold mine, a minefield, or both, but with a small investment of time in learning the business, you can reap huge benefits. All You Need to Know About the Music Business shows you how.

An entertainment lawyer whose clients include many from the top of the music charts, Passman has written a book that sets out to give musicians, performers, and songwriters the tools to hire advisers, market their careers, protect their creative works, and generally cope with a complex industry in a state of flux. Passman explains boilerplate language, the complexities of royalties and advances, and label and distribution deals; a section on record deals begins with an overview of the business and works through all the steps. The "Adventures in Cyberspace" chapter is a helpful summary of the way CD-ROMs and the Internet are affecting the business. Included here is information on recent legislation and a look at how digitizing music delivery will continue to change things. Packed with illustrations, sample calculations, and definitions, All You Need To Know is humorous and accessible enough for those who just want to understand the business while being detailed and documented enough for those who make a living from it.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.