Making a Living in Your Local Music Market

by Dick Weissman

Book Overview

You can survive happily as a musician, composer and songwriter in your own local music market! The newly revised and expanded edition of this book will show you how. It includes detailed analysis of the latest regional music scenes that have developed; an extensive new section (written by Ron Sobel - vice president of ASCAP in Los Angeles) on opportunities for musicians and composers in developing and selling music in new mediums including the Internet,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0793595622
• ISBN13: 9780793595624
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation
• Length: 286 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Good Introduction to the Business

This book is a good introduction to the local music business. It is really oriented to the musician that is just starting out. What you can expect to find is a fairly complete description of getting started in music. The headline on the back cover says 'You can survive happily as a musician in your local music market.' I think it might better say you 'might' survive happily. Making a living at any of the performing arts is not easy. You can expect a lot of time spent on non-music activities like marketing yourself, like deciding what kinds of music can sell in your area, and so on. As my daughter said before she entered this business (Broadway), 'it's not something you necessarily want to do, it's something you have to do.' If you have to do it, this little book will give you a good grounding in what its all about.

get the low-down

If you've ever played out and are looking to 'expand your horizons,' (whether in the U.S. or Canada,) YOU NEED TO LOOK AT THIS BOOK! Weissman covers so much in here - the advantages and disadvantages of current music centers (Portland, Austin, etc.) and explains everything from contracts to union membership to record label auditions. One of the best features is that he'll give you the pros and cons of any area - he wants you to find the best fit for YOU (whether its the local music scene or major market scene.) Producing, advertising, financing, record deals, agents, polishing your own music skills - the list goes on and on. AND there are some great appendices - contact information for arts councils, songwriter's associations, performing rights organizations, etc. These lists and other sections of the book also include the Canadian music scene.

If music's your career - be willing to do it all!!

I bought this book several years ago, when I first started my "Career" as a professional musician. I knew that to be a working musician, I'd have to hustle, do anything and everythng I could to make a buck. I knew that the road ahead would be rough if I weren't willing to get out there and find out what was available in my area. Most musicians don't make the bulk of their income by record sales. Even with my album doing well, I had to utilize every resource locally, in order to make ends meet. After reading this book, I realized I was doing a lot of things "right," but there were several ideas I hadn't looked into. This book motivated me to squeese every drop of brainstorming I could muster- to really make a name for myself in my home town. So far so good. I still use this book when gigs are down, to remind myself of the things I could be doing out there. After all- this is what I chose as my "profession." From weddings to school presentations, and from studio work to local festivals, I try to remind Sacramento CA. that I'm here!