Okay here's the list. I spend some time on this. If you have any specific questions, let me know:)


***

On Composition:

Making Music: 74 Creative Strategies - Dennis DeSantis
Amazon Link
This is a fantastic book. Each page has a general idea on boosting creativity, workflow, and designing sounds and tracks. I recommend you read and digest one of the tips per day and really think about applying them.

Music Theory for Computer Musicians - Michael Hewitt
Amazon Link
Really easy to digest book on music theory, as it applies to your DAW. Each DAW is used in the examples, so it is not limited to a specific program. Highly recommend this for someone starting out with theory to improve their productions.

Secrets of Dance Music Production - David Felton
Amazon Link
This book I recently picked up and so far it's been quite good. It goes over all the different elements of what make's dance music, and get's quite detailed. More geared towards the beginner, but it was engaging nonetheless. It is the best 'EDM specific' production book I have read.

Ocean of Sound - David Troop
Amazon Link
Very well written and interesting book on ambient music. Not only does David go over the technical side and history of ambiance and musical atmospheres, he speaks very poetically about creating these soundscapes and how they relate to our interpersonal emotions.


***

On Audio Engineering:

Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio - Mike Senior
Amazon Link
In my opinion, this is the best mixing reference book for both beginners and intermediate producers. Very in-depth book that covers everything from how to set-up for accurate listening to the purpose of each mixing and mastering plug-in. Highly recommended.

Zen and the Art of Mixing - Mixerman
Amazon Link
Very interesting read in that it deals with the why's more than the how's. Mixerman, a professional audio engineer, goes in detail to talk about the mix engineer's mindset, how to approach projects, and how to make critical mixing decisions. Really fun read.

The Mixing Engineer's Handbook - Bobby Owinski
Amazon Link
This is a fantastic companion book to keep around. Not only does Owinski go into great technical detail, he includes interviews from various audio engineers that I personally found very helpful and inspiring.


***

On the Industry:

All You Need to Know About the Music Business - Donald S. Passman
Amazon Link
This book is simply a must read for anyone hoping to make a professional career out of music, anyone wanting to start their own record label, or anyone interested in how the industry works. It's a very informative book for any level of producer, and is kept up-to-date with the frequent revisions. Buy it.

Rick Rubin: In the Studio - Jake Brown
Amazon Link
Very interesting read that is a semi-biographical book on Rick Rubin. It is not so personal as it is talking about his life, experiences, and processes. It does get quite technical when referring to the recording process, but there are better books for technical info. This is a fun read on one of the most successful producers in history.

Behind the Glass - Howard Massey
Amazon Link
A collection of interviews from a diverse range of musicians who speak about creativity, workflows, and experiences in the music industry. Really light, easy to digest book.


***

On Creativity:

The War of Art - Steven Pressfield
Amazon Link
This is a must-read, in my opinion, for any creative individual. It is a very philosophical book on dealing with our own mental battles as an artist, and how to overcome them. Definitely pick this one up, all of you.

This is Your Brain on Music - Daniel S. Levitin
Amazon Link
A book written by a neurologist on the psychology of music and what makes us attached to it. It's a fairly scientific book but it is a very rewarding read with some great ideas.


***

On Personal Growth and Development:

How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
Amazon Link
Although this seems like an odd book for a music producer, personally I think this is one of the most influential books I've ever read. Knowing how to be personable, effectively network, and form relationships is extremely important in our industry. Whether it be meeting and talking to labels, meeting other artists, or getting through to A&R, this book helps with all these areas and I suggest this book to all of you.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey
Amazon Link
Similar to the recommendation above, although not directly linked to music, I assure you reading this book will change your views on life. It is a very engaging and practical book, and gets you in the right mindset to be successful in your life and music career. Trust me on this one and give it a read.

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Amazon Link
You know the feeling when you're really in the groove of jamming out and all worries tend to slip away for those moments? That is the 'Optimal Experience' according to the author. This book will teach you about that experience, and how to encourage and find it in your work. This is a very challenging, immersive, and enlightening read, which deals with the bigger picture and finding happiness in your work and life. Very inspiring book that puts you in a good mindset when you're doing creative work.

The Art of Work - Jeff Goins
Amazon Link
A very fascinating book that looks at taking your passion (music in our case) and making the most of it. It guides you on how to be successful and turn your passion into your career. Some very interesting sections touching on dealing with failure, disappointment, and criticism, yet listening to your intuition and following your passion. Inspiring and uplifting book to say the least.


***


Phew. That was a lot of work. Hopefully you guys get some usefulness out of this list. This is put together after years of reading dozens upon dozens of books on these topics.


Enjoy!

Mics- 414s are fantastic mics no doubt. But there are many,many other more affordable options out there that are competitive in quality. I'd suggest checking out some higher end MXLs, they are super versatile and pretty too.

don't worry about thunderbolt. people were recording low latency drums and etc....long before thunderbolt came out.

monitors...well, the NS10s are pretty standard. if you can make a mix sound good on those it will sound good on anything.every major studio but one (studio a in dearborn) I've been in has them. If you are really burning for something new I'd suggest some genelic 1030a there the older model but they were used on pretty much every hit song in the early 2000s. Everybodys got them. I know the speakers and trust thier response. and they're affordable.

preamp- This is where I personally invest the most money... there are as many preamps as snowflakes. I like the Focusrites ISAs, Rupert Neve designs, go high end... but honestly I have been fooled by the stock original MBOX pres. You're not a true engineer till you have fiddled with a non functioning micpre and thought "that sounds better" lol.

compressers- plug in compressors are great. which is why i suggest spending the money on the preamp. however it never hurts to have a hardware tube compressor/limiter handy. I recommend the ART VLA II.

plugins- trident EQ, fairchild 660, old timer, PSP vintage warmer, 1176, LA2A, smack!, MC77, there are a TON of good plug ins to choose from.

headphone monitoring? Not to sure about that one, Headphones are for performing only. I have the 80 dollar sonys for clients. ,they come with a nice bag to store them in. I don't mix with headphones( thats a whole can of worms dealing with psychoacoustics)

drum mics- shure makes good durable kits, I see them in use all over the place. CAD aren't to bad either. don't go cheap..but don't go overboard either. Approach it like preamps, go with a trusted brand name, they're selling a set of mics specifically for drums, kinda hard to fuck that up right? (IMO its more important to have a good room.)
this kind of reminds me of a joke.

how many drummers does it take to change a lightbulb?
none. they have machines for that now. just throwing it out there.

computer and software- I say go protools. but thats all i know, i was certified in 2002 and havent had a need for anything else. I have never been in a studio that wasnt using it, there are a couple in nashvile that use sonar...well, that was a few years ago.

I am not here to shit on mac. but i have used both in the industry throuought the years and they both perform fine. The last studio I was at used a quadcore w 4 gigs on XP with PT8 and never had so much as a hiccup, recording 24 tracks at once @ 24/96. I take the policy of if it isnt broken, don't fix it. I also have a person issue with avid, I refuse to upgrade to 9 or 10 because they allow any interface to be used...except there older ones. bullshit.

Trust me on this one...the client isnt going to give a shit what OS you are using until it your computer crashes. if you load up your computer with tons of cracked plugins and have poor organization and maintenance, its gonna take a shit on you.

further reading- this is probably the most important advice i can give you. read a little bit and get a total understanding on what everything does, because there is a lot of bullshit in this field.

http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Engineers-Handbook-Audio-Series/dp/0872887235

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008/ref=pd_sim_b_10

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Handbook-Acoustics-Alton-Everest/dp/0071603328/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348852030&sr=1-1&keywords=room+acoustic+music

http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Glass-Record-Producers-Softcover/dp/0879306149/ref=pd_sim_b_24

good luck

Along the notes of what BlerpityBloop said: hire a legal rep, or at least if you have a friend/family that's a lawyer look over it (they can translate all the legal jargon no matter what their specialty). Management isn't necessary but it's helpful.

Yes, always remember that if someone is offering YOU a recording contract it's because they want something from you (whether it's % of ownership, publishing, etc etc). Not saying that's a bad thing- you inevitably have to give up something to gain something, unless you're one of those rare youtube stars that burgeon overnight. And even then, when the labels come running, they still end up giving away part of their creation to make even more $$$.

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS read what people put in front of your face, especially the fine print.

READ BOOKS ABOUT THE MUSIC BUSINESS- mainly what 360 deals are, how advances work (this screws SO many artists), and copyright/publishing ownership. This book is great to start with if you don't already have it.

A basic understanding of how the industry operates and how royalty streams flow will help you out tremendously, and just a little bit of research can save you a lot of heartache in the future.

Hope that helps. If you have more specific questions, feel free to ask. That's what reddit is for, right? :)

Best of luck!
-NNXT
(qualifications: signed artist/songwriter)

(yes, sometimes "we" make ourselves known.)

You have the grand total of what I know about stock music. I can give you advice about most else but I didn't learn anything about stock music until i was already out of the game and even then, not much. If you don't have it already, get this book by Donald Passman. Seems like a scam but it's really a great resource. a couple kids, some talent and instruments plus this book can be a pretty formidable force in the world. I don't remember him doing much on stock music though but I could have glossed over it in my young and zealous days.

My other key advice I give everyone (and I'm probably repeating myself - for good reason) is to meet people doing this. Nothing scummy, just network and make friends. You don't have to be all businessy right away. It's better if you establish real relationships with some folks. Plenty of time for less casual relationships later. Just keep in mind that these cats will be auditioning for a lot of the same work you are so keep the salt handy when the advice comes in. A lot of it will be genuine and helpful and in your interest but every now and then some sabotage (usually unintentional) will slip in there. Any big move needs to be bounced off musician friends AND non-musician friends just for balance. Usually exposes the bad advice.

I did a little research. I don't know this guy but this blog post seems relevant. He started out with no experience in commercial music and seems to have had more success than he anticipated. Lots of links and real world experience. Can't imagine you'll get a bigger boost than this at this stage. Hopefully some of the other commenters with experience can boost you too.

Good luck and can't wait to hear your work in a really great movie someday.

I mean first off I don't think you've been following modern music closely at all because there has been plenty of innovative stuff going on as this poster put nicely and he didn't even touch on hip-hop. Sure there's no 'Bohemian Rhapsody" or "Stairway to Heaven" on the radio today (and I for one am very thankful for that as a guy in my early 20's) - but there was no "Sing for Me, I'm Dying of Thirst" or "Runaway" on the radio back then either so I'm not sure what point you're making other than "Music I like used to be on the radio and now it's not".

>You get some 80's and 90's in there, but by and large, the popular music today is dictated by record labels and not by raw talent.

I highly recommend this book that's very revealing about how corrupt the music industry has been for decades, including since the 1960's and 70's. You realize that every artist on the radio was paid for in order to get on there right? As for implying that popular music back then was dictated by "raw talent" - I just don't think that's true otherwise bands like Henry Cow or Gentle Giant would have dominated the airwaves as opposed to the relative mediocre, speaking strictly in a compositional and technical viewpoint, Led Zepplin or the Beatles. Hell why were the less exciting rock bands dominating pop culture over the wonderfully bold and talented free jazz maestros like Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor? An entire generation of people who ignored the exciting electroacoustic experimentations of guys like Stockhausen and Varese. The masses have always chosen the flashy and accessible over the truly talented and innovative.

I love hip hop and read a ton of books. Unfortunately the genre's literary canon isn't particularly spectacular. Here is a list of a few books that are actually really good reads on hip hop.

Ego Trip's Big Book of Rap Lists Tons of trivia and a great balance of being informative and entertaining/funny. It's clear that all the contributors really love hip hop. It was written in 1999 and primarily focuses on stuff from 1988-1996, which is totally fine by me.

Check the Technique Rappers and producers giving a track-by-track analysis of their classic albums. Quality of individual chapters is somewhat contingent on the rapper's writing ability and willingness to share (Slick Rick's portion was unfortunately pretty lacking in detail) but there are some gems. Features the Wu-Tang Clan, Tribe Called Quest, the Roots, and a lot more. The sequel was just released in November (featuring 3rd Bass, Company Flow, Ice Cube, among others) and I thoroughly enjoyed that one too.

The Big Payback If you have any interest in the history of the business of hip hop. Traces everything from Rapper's Delight to the present. A long read that is only worth seeking out if you care about the business of the genre, but if you find that appealing you will really enjoy it.

Hip Hop Family Tree Comic series about history of rap. I don't know how far the artist plans to go but right now he has completed 1977-1983. A lot of history and it looks good too.

How to Rap About the craft of rhyming from the rappers themselves. Features contributions from Kool G Rap, Q-Tip, Pharoahe Monch, Chuck D, and others. I liked this one more than Book of Rhymes which touches upon similar subjects. How to Rap 2 is also very good and touches upon some advanced flow concepts.

Apple Loops - royalty free I'm pretty sure.

If you sample a song, it depends (sort of). You technically should credit and clear all samples with whoever owns the master (thus owing them royalties and owing royalties to whoever owns the publishing rights for any performance of it I believe), but if you sample and process a snare or something, saying you stole it is going to be a pretty difficult case to make (assuming anyone even notices).

That being said, if you were to make a bootleg remix of a song or take a lead vocal/melody and put it on the internet - there's a good chance someone/an automated system might notice and it could get taken down. The chances of getting sued however are extremely slim in the case of the making a freely available remix or track containing samples from commercial music. I'm no legal expert, but from I've watched and read, basically if the record companies care enough to sue you for this, that means you should celebrate because you've already made it big.

If you're distributing copies commercially (thus generating revenue) where the sample is obvious, however, legal action is probably more likely and less cause for celebration. If you want to learn more, https://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1501104896 is a fantastic resource for all the relevant details.

All this being said, if you are just making songs for practice or to play live in a DJ set, I wouldn't think twice about sampling something - just go for it. If you're worried something might be so good you want to release it, trust that it's worth clearing the sample or that you're creative enough to replace it with something else (EDM producers will do this often with bootleg remixes that do better than they expected in their live sets).

1. It's different. I know how Kanye works better than the others, mostly because my former band mates work with him quite a bit. It's a very collective event in the studio. Kanye brings in various creators (of beats, sounds, melodies, etc) into the studio. Kanye approaches music creation in a much different way. He's kind of a post modernist in that sense. Almost more like a film director than a typical composer. He curates the songwriting. In an ideal world, everyone who is involved in the creation of those songs should be getting songwriting credits and performance royalties. But it's not always the case. People can also be paid "for hire" as it's called. Where you're paid a fee up front to relinquish your publishing/songwriting rights. But I want to stress, what he does is very particular...and also, in my opinion, pretty amazing...creatively speaking.
   
   As for the others, many of them have songwriters that they regularly work with, or the producers they work with know other songwriters that pitch material too. I don't work with those people on any kind of substantive basis. So I can't speak for how they work. But I would assume that most of them are singing other people's songs. So the way royalties get distributed is split between the performer (ie Ariana Grande) and the songwriter (whoever). And it gets even more complicated than that (the songwriter's publishing is split between the "writers" side and the "publishing" side). There are whole books that have been written about the complexities of royalty payments. But suffice it to say, the reason it's complicated is specifically to screw songwriters out of their publishing. See: Ray Charles, and pretty much every other black songwriter/performer from 1900-1975.
   
   (also worth noting, this is incredibly simplistic explanation...I'm sure someone else can explain more eloquently)
   
   
2. The people who create the songs dont necessarily also know how to launch the careers of artists. Those are two completely different skill sets. That's a marketing genius vs a songwriting ace. Different parts of the brain at work there. And often, songerwriters aren't particularly interested in developing a performer's career. That involves management, PR, etc. Very quickly becomes not about songwriting. Also, there are way more songwriters than pop stars. Once a star is established, there are alot of talented songwriters out there that can write a hit. I promise you.
   
   Also, keep in mind, that's just one very narrow understanding of songwriting. Most any band you listen to on a college radio station, or on a Zach Braff soundtrack, wrote and performed those songs. So they are also affected by all this. This is not an issue limited to the people who write hits for Lady Gaga (though I think she writes a bit herself as well).
   
   
3. Labels dont control what gets played on the radio. At least not directly. Of course, their influence is pretty overwhelming. But they aren't literally telling people what to play. That's called payola. And it was a thing. And then it was made illegal. Also, keep in mind major radio is really just controlled by a couple of very powerful companies.
   
   So is it possible to get on major radio as an independent artist? Yes. But it's incredibly difficult. Major labels definitely have the lion's share of control of what gets played. But they aren't literally making the playlists. At least not to my knowledge. But admittedly, I know less about major radio politics. Bc it's gross and terrible.
   
   
4. Major labels do NOT control everything. This really needs to be made very clear. I, and many many others, exist in a music world that is completely independent from that model. And that's the point I'm trying to make. Indie record labels actually DO pay their artists. College radio actually DOES pay alot more in royalties than streaming services. There's a whole music economy that exists independent of major labels and commercial radio. And streaming is crushing us. At least financially. It's still unclear how beneficial it is in the long-run. But for sure, the payment structure (roughly 1/1000 of a penny per play) seems pretty nuts compared to the royalty rates for college radio plays.
   
   As for what criteria is used to create a pop star, hell if I know. Who would've thought that Kesha would be a star if you saw her sing or walk down the street? Some are more obvious choices. I've seen Katy Perry in really early video when she was 16. She had a powerful voice. Good personality. Good stage presence. And obviously good looking. It's not rocket science. And even in the pop world, most of it is still very much a bout luck. For every Katy Perry, there's 10 people you've never heard of who are playing at some rinky dink carnival right now trying to drum up some "viral content." It's still a crap shoot, even at that level. No one knows what will stick.
   
   They used to say that the music business is the only business where 1% of your business makes up for the rest of the 99% failure. Major labels are set up for handling either massive successes or huge failures. They've always had a hard time managing the careers of modest/middle-of-the-road musicians. They're just not built for that.
   
   Definitely not dumb questions at all. It's all super confusing. And deliberately so. But the overarching point is, most musicians are writing their own music. And they more than likely still own at least part if not all of their publishing rights. So when you stream music or steal it, you really are taking money out of their pockets in a substantial manor.
   
   I use Spotify. I get it. It's great. But people need to know how the business works before they start making assumptions like "well, they make tons of money touring." It's not true. But anyway.
   
   Check this out if you want to know more

If you want to get into some basic theory AND develop your ear, I highly recommend a book called Hearing and Writing music by Rob Gorow. It starts under the assumption that you know nothing and starts with the basics (intervals, then scales and chords and all that).

I’ve never gotten through the whole thing but I’ve gotten a lot of mileage just by learning those fundamentals. There are exercises that ask you to sing, but if you sing and add your bass into the equation, you’ll accomplish more in less time.

If you wanna check it out here’s an Amazon link:

https://www.amazon.com/Hearing-Writing-Music-Professional-Training/dp/0962949671/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=hearing+and+writing+music&qid=1571203949&sprefix=hearing+and+w&sr=8-1

Also, like many others have said, check out YouTube channels like Scott’s Bass Lessons to learn proper technique as you start out. Adam Neely is also amazing, his videos cover everything from technique to more heady musical concepts which are fun to chew on after you’ve familiarized yourself with some theory.

Learn some songs you like, and start by aiming low, but aim ever higher. The results are more than worth the effort. I’ll never forget the moment I learned Tommy the Cat by Primus, or School Days by Stanley Clarke, or The Lesson by Victor Wooten. Those breakthrough moments where you learn a new technique or style of playing will stick with you and fuel your desire to keep playing!

Good luck, have fun and most importantly...


BASS

Edit: grammar lol

Holy shit, 888s? Man, those are old. What version of OSX and ProTools are you using? Those are generation one hardware.

Anyway, I think you really need to read these books:

http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Glass-Record-Producers-Softcover/dp/0879306149/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449791777&sr=8-1&keywords=Behind+the+Glass

http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Glass-II-Record-Producers/dp/0879309555/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1449791777&sr=8-2&keywords=Behind+the+Glass

Those 2 books seriously affected me when I was just starting out.

A list of tips on mixing wouldn't really help you. I could tell you things I typically do, but that's not necessarily the right answer. I might say something like "For vocally driven music, I like to throw up my drums and vocals first, and fit everything else around them.". But is that the right way to mix? No. It's how I do it.

You need to get a sense of the craft and art behind mixing. The different ways to approach this problem, and how the best among us have discovered it works for them, so that you may stand on their shoulders and hopefully reach just a bit higher.

These books cover extensively this topic by serious in depth interviews with some of the best engineers, mixers, and producers that have ever walked the face of the planet. I would start there, and come to reddit with more specific questions once you've covered the basics with the guys who invented the art.

Enjoy, if the bug bites you you'll keep going. I will say this, you are running on VERY old hardware and software. Not that it's not possible to make good records on this stuff, as it's been done before, just be aware of this. You may run into certain limitations and frustrations that would be solved easily with an upgrade. And to be honest, I don't know what resources you're using to learn PT, but be aware that a large number of the features you'll be learning about simply don't exist for you, shortcut keys may be different, I honestly don't even remember what ProTools version 7 was like, and I'll bet you're way earlier than that. Those 888's are more than 15 years old.

I've seen a few posts recently saying that A&R 'doesn't really exist anymore'. I have no idea where that comes from. A&R is THE main component of any record label, independent or major label. Not even sure how to address this sentiment, it's so incorrect.

Most people do not go to school for anything related to music. I did and I know maybe a handful of people who did but 80-90% of the industry went to school for something generic and unrelated (or didn't go at all).

There's two paths to getting into the music industry, one is DYI. Become an artist manager. You don't need a degree or experience or even connections early on (these come with time and work). Find bands you believe in and approach them - be real - and explain you're interested in helping them grow and build. Figure it out as you go along. Be prepared for their egos; every artist thinks they're bigger than they are. Other DYI routes are promoting parties (just putting on events), freelance marketing/PR, etc. MOST people starting out in this lane have NO experience and just pick it up as they go, build a portfolio (for lack of a better word) and snowball experience until it's substantial. This route is hard, there's little money in it for the foreseeable future, but if you're aggressive pursuing it and strategic with your trajectory then it can work. This is how some of the biggest figures in music have started.

The other route is more formal, closer to a normal job route. Get an internship or assistant position at one of the 4 traditional sub-industries: label, publisher, management, booking agency. These aren't hard to get you just have to have a nice clean resume - they don't expect a ton of experience - and present yourself well, have a savage work ethic, have thick skin and great attention to detail. I can tell you from looking at tons of resumes for entry level that having a music related education/major is a very small component of the process. If I see some kid who has been promoting parties in college, shows a proclivity to pursuing music, with or without my help, and seems like he's ripe to learn and grow then they often get a shot. Having a "music business" degree, for example, will do the same thing - it just gets you in the door. My point is it's not necessary. This path is long and the money sucks, just like the DYI path, but there's some structure in it and a path towards progressing. My colleagues at my current job all started as assistants and interns and are now running major parts of the company. My point here is that hiring managers want to see people who are already TRYING to do things on their own and seem to be the kind of person who will continue to make progress with our without the position in question.

The moving around a lot will be a huge hurdle. Unless you're in LA or NYC (or Nashville and Austin to a lesser extent) it's going to be VERY hard to make progress, I'm sorry to say. But now that you know that, perhaps you can work around it. Perhaps your path is a DYI one in the digital space where you build artist platforms, manage their social media and digital marketing, etc. Stuff you can do remotely. It'll still be hard as people really work with people they've personal relationships with but a quick productive trip to NYC or LA and you can shake enough hands to leave with a client or two hopefully. Just a thought. Or perhaps you work in local venues as marketing and talent buying.

Get Donald Passman's book: http://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1451682468

I am finishing up law school and have studied mostly entertainment and interactive media law. A guy I studied with graduated last year and has started his solo practice representing some bands, venues, and a music studio and we will be partnering up once I graduate and hopefully get my bar number. I would suggest starting with the basics and taking copyright, trademark, intellectual property licensing, and whatever other IP classes you can. Don't worry too much about patent unless you want to expand into there. Besides the classes, the best advice I can give is go to some professional events that you are legitimately interested in. For me, I want to focus most on interactive media (videogame) law and music as second so I go to game developer conferences and the events meant for the people in the industry as often as possible. For you, this may actually mean going to shows and talking to bands, promoters, venues, studios, anyone and everyone just to see what they do and how they do it so you can really know what kind of legal help they will end up needing. Also, there is a book called All You Need to Know About the Music Business and I highly recommend buying it.

http://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1439153019/ref=pd_sim_b_1

It is meant for everyone and my entertainment law professor used this book in conjunction with our casebook for the class. You get to know a lot about how the business came to be what it is and why mechanical royalties and other considerations are in a lot of transactions. With your interest in digital you also want to find a good industry website where you can keep current on how people release music because there is becoming less and less of an accepted "standard" record deal or distribution deal. If you are genuinely interested in this stuff then it will show and you will blow past a lot of other lawyers who throw their hat into entertainment law. And don't forget to reach out to any lawyers who practice entertainment law around you. Your state's bar website might have lawyers listed by practice area and you can see if any are near you. At worst they will not be available to meet up, at best they are flattered and will get some lunch with you. Hope this helps and feel free to ask any more specific questions.

One resource is /r/diyaudio. It's mostly hi-fi enthusiasts, but there are lots of tube lovers and instrument amps are very welcome there.

You might be interested in The Tube Amp Book. It has the schematics for hundreds of guitar amps - you can clone pretty much anything you want from that book. One of my favorite suppliers of parts is Antique Electronic Supply. They carry almost everything you need to build a guitar amp.

If anyone is interested in building hi-fi gear, from amps to DACs to speakers, please stop by /r/diyaudio. If you have woodworking tools, you can build some amazing projects. DIY gear is as good as or better than a lot of commercial audio gear. You can build high-end speakers for a fraction of the cost of the commercial stuff. Building the cabinets is usually the hardest part, and woodworkers already know how and have the right tools. The rest is easy.

Don Passman's All You Need To Know About The Music Business has the answers to pretty much all of your questions and it's very well written and funny. Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1451682468

That said, it's extremely hard to get signed by a major unless you have a big following or very good connections in the industry - and it might not be wise either since they're most likely gonna fuck you over when negotiating the contract since you will have little or no bargaining power.

For example, Porter Robinson only recently signed to a major (Astralwerks). All in all a lot of big name producers are delaying signing as long as possible to build up their name to get clout that can get the best possible deal. All the majors are looking for is money, and the more you and your brand can (seemingly) offer them, the better off you will be when negotiating.

So it might be best to concentrate on building up your name, because when you have good music, proper branding and a decent following, industry people will get interested. Personally, I'd first look into getting a manager that can get you remix jobs at majors and at the same time get your stuff released at the right places. The best way to find one is either to know somebody or - surprise - being a big enough deal so that somebody wants to work with you.

Hope this helps! I have a couple of years of experience with the industry so please let me know if there's anything in particular I can help you with.

Edit: thought I'd add a little personal story too - a friend of mine had been sending stuff to a big EDM-centric branch of a major label. He sent them things three times and never even got a response (and the music was absolutely amazing). Then, he puts out an EP on a small label and all of a sudden gets a message from the head of the major saying that he loves the EP and would like to sign him. So I guess moral of the story is, keep on both sending and releasing good stuff and something will happen eventually.

Honestly, you could just be a freelancer, so you can have a lot of free time to work on music when you want to. I freelanced about 25-30 hours a week at peak "work" (still leaves a lot of free time for music) and these days I rarely take on clients now that the music side is paying off. :)

Also, if you're 17, and music is your first love, you should really consider a career in the industry. It's not a pipe dream like so many would have you believe. If you like pop music, especially. Get out to LA, learn to produce, write, or sing (ideally all 3) and, if you're good, you'll get hired. 6-7 digit salaries aren't uncommon in the music industry out here. Publishers will put a good composer/producer on salary, and royalties on a major hit pay very well (if you have a decent deal in place).

Also, outside of production & writing, you can get a job in the industry doing a whole lot of other stuff: A&R, management, publishing. Passman's book is a good starting place for learning about that stuff. Max Martin can be one inspiration on how to completely dominate the pop scene.

Also in the intersection of music + tech is Techstars Music Accelerator, a startup incubator for music industry ideas.

Seriously, don't discount how much money is in the music industry. Behind every rich artist is a huuuuge mass of songwriters, producers, managers, engineers, and publishers also getting pretty rich.

In my opinion, it's better to spend your money on music rather than books.

There are some banjo books that are important. I used to own these. I really should build my library back up. Currently I only have the "Hot Licks," "Banjo Styles by Bela Fleck" and "Masters of the Five String" as I've leant out the other ones and never got them back.

Earl Scruggs and the 5-string banjo has already been mentioned. I would recommend trying to find an older version, simply because I'm a nerd.

Masters of the Five String Banjo. A very cool, very informative piece on bluegrass banjo players, their set-up, and some tablature. Obviously dated, but an incredibly insightful book.

Melodic Banjo: by Tony Trishka. Again, I like the older cover

Hot Licks for Bluegrass Banjo, another book by Tony Trishka, is pretty good.

Banjo Picking Styles: Bela Fleck is also a pretty interesting book. And not just for the 80s shirt that Bela is wearing on the front.

If you're looking for specific bluegrass songbooks.

Bluegrass Songbook, by Pete Wernick. Seriously, this is a great book.

Bluegrass Fakebook. This covers most of the standards.

And though you didn't ask, here are some other books that may be of interest to bluegrass/banjo nerds:

Bluegrass: A History Neil Rosenberg's very thorough history of Bluegrass music

Spann's Guide to Gibson 1902-1941. If you're interested in prewar Gibson banjo, this is an incredible resource.

Gibson Mastertone: Flathead Five-string Banjos of the 1930s and 40s. For the prewar nuts.

Can't You Hear Me Calling: The Life of Bill Monroe Father of Bluegrass Music. An interested read.

What I Know 'Bout What I Know: The Musical Life of An Itinerant Banjo Player. This is an autobiography of Butch Robins. It's... interesting.

There's plenty of research, data and interviews with current musicians and label owners in these books:

https://www.amazon.com/Freeloading-Insatiable-Content-Starves-Creativity/dp/1935928996
https://www.amazon.com/Free-Ride-Parasites-Destroying-Business/dp/0307739775
https://www.amazon.com/How-Music-Got-Free-Obsession/dp/0143109340

Steely Dan for an example stopped touring in 1974, they broke up in 1980. They were able to sustain themselves and pay studio musicians for 6 years with JUST record sales.

A band like Steely Dan could be viewed as indie imo despite selling millions, they do not have a lot of catchy songs, they never catered to their audience and became less and less catchy as their career progressed.

Bands that are viewed as indie today (St. Vincent, Mac DeMarco, whatever) would have had a lot more money if they had careers in the 70s/80s/90s, they wouldn't have to tour so much. They'd lead more balanced lives and focus on songwriting more and not just endless touring.

In the UK you had a band like 10cc which is similar to Steely Dan, they didn't tour much, just lived in the studio and made records. Not possible anymore.

So, ok, we lost these kind of studio bands. What did we gain exactly? Amateurs being able to upload their bad songs on Soundcloud and get fake likes/comments from bots?

Sure it is cheaper to record today, but since there is little money in music, a musician has to play the role of the songwriter, recording engineer, arranger, mixer, businessman. He can't afford to get help from people who specialize in recording, or writing lyrics, or arranging. People who are amazing at songwriting, lyrics, recording and mixing all at the same time and extremely rare.

Now a guy that just wants to write songs has to waste his time learning how to record cos' there's no music industry to support him anymore. He has to learn about how to connect stuff together, about acoustics, about some electrical stuff related to audio... In the past he could have just focused on his songs, his record label would get him help from audio engineers and producers and pay for the recording of his songs.

I am talking about bands that I personally like the music of, bands that can't exist anymore in today's music climate. How much more indie can you get than that? They were not outliers back when they were in their prime. They often lived from JUST record sales.

I don't know what kind of indie musicians you talk about? Local bands or something? I mean, every artist starts locally and if they have good enough songs and are promoted well, they start making actual money.

I'm saying that even those local bands would have been better off in the past than today, the average payout per gig today is almost the same as it was in the 90s... the money local live musicians earn hasn't even adjusted for inflation. This data is presented in one of these books I think, but there's also data about it on the net.

Either transpose the songs to keys you are comfortable with or use a capo. Most 'pop' song follow the I IV V (sometimes with a minor chord) format, which is not too far off bluegrass.

Trying to take the banjo outside the typical structure of bluegrass could turn into a life long pursuit as you develop techniques and styles to allow you to play with more freedom, and not be confined to the open tuned glory of traditional bluegrass banjo. Obviously, Bela is the trailblazer in this endeavor. Get some tab by him and clear your schedule. Learn melodic style and single string licks. Tony Trischka's Hot Licks book has great wisdom.

Start with playing reggae songs in a bluegrass style. Should be real easy since both reggae and bluegrass have the upbeat rhythmic emphasis on the 2 and 4, and the chord progressions won't be anything too radical. Play with some Bob Marley to practice playing in different tempos and different feels. You probably know the songs already.

Mods, this shit should be on the sidebar. I've personally explained it here like 10 times over the years and I've read it explained by others in great detail dozens and dozens of other times and I'm not even on here that often.

If you give your own music away for free no one cares what you do.

If you sell your own music you are talking about two things: ownership of the recording and ownership of the composition. This is called publishing rights. You can be your own publisher (composition) and your own label (recording). It's smart to start thinking of it this way now to get your head around it. Start thinking like a business.

Labels sell the recordings they own. Publishers collect publishing royalties and they split them with the artists. The composition royalties get split between the publisher and the artist. The recording royalties get split between the publisher and the label, and then the label may further split that shit out to the artist if the artist is smart when they sign.

Back in the day there were publishers and there were labels and very rarely were they merged into the same company, but nowadays the idea of an indie label that acts as both, or a licensing company that does a little of both here and there, or an artist who does it all for his/herself is very common because lots of cool people and technology dudes and dudettes have made it so easy.

When you are in your situation, you can self-release to an aggrigator like CDbaby or TunrCore who distributes for you and collects a fee for offering this service. THIS IS WHAT I SUGGEST DOING. It's been a while since I've done this but back in the day you had to have a whole album to do it because it makes financial sense for them. That may be different now. There are other aggrigators that allow you to just release singles, but I don't know which ones are still around.

You can also self-release directly to iTunes but I think that's silly because using an aggrigator is so fucking amazing.

To bottom-line this, lets discuss business. In business, when you own something, you can do WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT WITH SOMETHING YOU OWN. So it doesn't matter what you do as long as you aren't under contract with someone else. If you self-release and then somehow get picked up by a label (yes, labels have their own distribution who sometimes are just aggrigators like CDbaby) then they'll make you write up a contract with them and who cares? They certainly won't. You just pull your shit off iTunes and relist with them. Of course you'll want to read all the shit you sign with iTunes, etc. to make sure that that's possible to do before you self-release. I can't keep up with it.

Starting a label is easy. Getting attention is hard.

Read this like 5 times:

https://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1451682468

Learning "everything" about amps would require an EE degree or a shit ton of reading and hands-on building/repair.

For how they work and effects and stuff, Dave Hunter is great at explaining these things and wrote a couple of books pertinent to this exact topic.

Dave Hunter. With bonus Champ/Princeton clone build instructions in the back.

Honestly, building an amp will help most, but if you could find a schematic of the Mustang 3, that would help.

Oh, learn to read schematics.

Most major manufacturer amps these days use PCBs and for the lower end amps, surface-mount components, though there are some things in them you can still mod/repair.

It might be helpful to dig through the Fender Amp Field Guide to work through the history of how Fender got to the Mustang 3 amp.

Other possibly useful resources:

Aspen Pitman.
Read the reviews. It's a good book, but it's not a "how to" for amps.

Robert C. Megantz.
Specific to tube amps, but it got great reviews.

TAN. User forum for the Two Stroke amp in Daves book.

AX84. High gain, low wattage open-source amp.

Fender Amp Field Guide.

The Amp Garage.

EL34World.

Red Circuits.

Vintage Amps Forum.

Watts Tube Audio schematics.

Schematic Heaven.

Root For The Villain: Rap, Bull$hit, and a Celebration of Failure by J-Zone (who, if you're familiar with his music, is equally funny in his book)

Hip Hop Family Tree by Ed Piskor (it's a graphic novel focusing on the early days of hip hop done in the style of 90s Image comics)

How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC by Paul Edwards (this is full of interviews with some of the greatest of all time discussing every single aspect of rapping)

The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop by Dan Charnas (haven't read this one yet, but I've heard great things about it.)

Also, if you're interested in books on specific albums, the 33 1/3 series has quite a few: Illmatic, Paul's Boutique, Donuts, People's Instinctive Travels And the Paths of Rhythm, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. If you're a Nas fan you may enjoy Born to Use Mics: Reading Nas's Illmatic, which is a more scholarly approach to Illmatic

As an engineer and business owner of a ticketing company, man does this topic get me going.
I'll recommend a book called Ticket Masters: Rise of the concert industry... (http://www.amazon.com/Ticket-Masters-Concert-Industry-Scalped/dp/1550229494)

I've made it a near purpose in my life - because I believe that the way these guys do business is fundamentally unsustainable. It's all about back-door business deals - contracts - it's never been about an end to end experience for the fan.

I guess the thing I've learned is that you can't beat TM at it's own game: money. You see all these ticketing companies pop up, eventbrite, ticketfly ... they're all raising massive amounts of capital. To do what? Buy business - the same way ticketmaster does.

I don't have the answer yet, but I'm working hard to offer an alternative, based on a product vision and staying as lean as possible (funding it myself, living in a closet). Piece by piece I'm hand-building a product to compete. I ticketed my universities annual festival (6,000 people, UBC in Vancouver BC)... offering features such as one-tap ticket purchases via an app, instant ticket transfers to friends (using email, phone number, or facebook). I have to charge a 'convenience fee' to survive - as it's simply the industry standard - but eventually I want to be able to offer my product as a service, paid for by my venue/event clients, NOT the end consumer. I believe that is the base for a healthy business relationship

tl;dr the business of professional event ticketing is America's great monopoly, I am trying to fix it.

Also, Live Nation loses money. They won't be around much longer, in my opinion. Until they pass the shit-baton to the next person

I don't think they would have a choice. The record companies have always been incredibly greedy and have made 360 deals pretty standard. I agree with you though. I would NOT sign one. Who wants to give a piece of their $ to the record companies for doing things that have absolutely nothing to do with them.. Hey guy, we own your music but but you want to write songs for other people? we want a piece of that too..your making a motivational video about excercising and want to sell it? We want a piece of that too! ....no thank you. I'm learning and learning and learning trying to figure out, make, dream up, try, test, etc.. new music business models where artists are now a brand...I can't stand the thought of music having no monetary value in the future otherwise musicians can never make a living. I'm halfway through this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1501104896/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1511475778&sr=1-1&keywords=donald+passman

It is awesome and i'd definately recommend it.

https://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1501104896

I read an older version of this series but it was written by the same author, this newer one should have more information on streaming and other current industry trends. I’m also studying music business for my major in school so if you have any other questions feel free to message me and i’ll see if I can help. Best of luck to ya!

The Behind the Glass series isn't exactly centered on mixing/recording but offers some detailed perspectives from some notable producers. I'm reading through the first one and they talk a good deal about their mixing philosophies, mic placement, and how to get the best take possible from their artists. Pretty good stuff so far.

http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Glass-Record-Producers-Softcover/dp/0879306149/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420423311&sr=8-1&keywords=behind+the+glass

Not bad for 14 at all. What really is going to improve the quality of your beats is mixing. A couple quick tips.

Put Fruity Compression on the kick and snare (If you need help with assigning plugins to channels, I can help.) Hit the preset arrow left once and the preset should be called "vintage" (it has been a while)

Experiment with compression on the piano too. This not only makes things a bit louder and crisper, it also creates a plane for dynamics, as it stands everything sits in the mix at the same level and it's boring to the ear, aside from your melodic ideas.

If you've got a few bucks to spend, check out this book. I read it when I was like 16-17 and it helped create a nice foundation for learning how to mix. I used FL for a long time, and it's a great program. If you ever have any questions, holler at me.

Congrats on your first recording! Your friend is right about not needing to copyright your songs right away. That really becomes important if you start getting licensing deals and stuff. However, it's never a bad idea, just expensive. You should go ahead and create a PRO profile on BMI or ASCAP if you haven't already. That way you can use discmakers digital distribution package so your songs will be on Spotify, Apple Music, etc. You can do this all yourself, but since it's your first time I recommend using what they offer you.

As far as ordering CDs, most people prefer digipaks these days, and the first price point is at 100. You'll end up paying more per CD if you only order 50, so I'd gi ahead and get 100.

I recommend getting a copy of this book. I've been in the industry for 15 years, I still use it every once in a while. Also, it's not boring to read, so that helps haha.

Alright, ideally my dream job would be a music supervisor, but those are few and far between. I wouldn't mind doing some sort of analytics or PR, and I realize all my options are pretty different. I've got two book recommendations for you. Cool Jobs in the Music Business and All You Need to Know About the Music Business. All of my mentor type figures have recommended these to me, and It really helps to clarify the different careers and definitely helped me get a hold of the language of the music industry.

Hey. There is nothing anyone can tell you that will turn you into a producer in a day. As people have said, its mainly practice, experimentation, and research.

Read the manuals for your hardware.

Play around in Logic. If there are options/tools/effects/instruments you dont know how to use, do some reading. The DAW/studio is an instrument in itself. Like any other instrument, its going to take alot of study and practice to produce a great sound. Well worth the effort though.

Get this book: (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0879306149?*Version*=1&*entries*=0)

Its great

Former touring artist here. Sorry in advance, this is harsh and good advice. Godspeed bro, you picked the wrong half of the country to tour, all the cities are hundreds of miles apart. If I were in your position, the best advice I can honestly give you is scrap the tour now and replan it for the northeast where cities are closer. This will save you 50%+ minimum of your overall costs due to transpo. Read this book immediately, it's LITTLE dated about internet stuff but is otherwise the best tour management guide ever written, the former drummer of Nine Inch Nails is the author: http://www.amazon.com/Tour-Smart-And-Break-Band/dp/0979731305

Also I would kick everyone out of your band. Literally every person but you if you can. I know that sounds crazy, but they massively add to cost at this scale. 4 people instead of 1 is $80 for food instead of $20, per meal. Goodbye merch profit and door takes, but hey you all partied.

Also don't use hotels whenever possible. couch surf as often as you can.

When you're selling merch, ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS. You'll sell 20% to 30% more merch. Use square or something on your phone.

Also have a big merch spread with lots of price ranges, from less than $5 (buttons, etc) to $100+ (high quality clothes, signed custom editions, etc). This way you'll appeal to more people.

Have as few size XXXL t's as possible, and buy more mediums and larges. And babydolls for girls.

Also, ONLY if you're playing colleges, sell FLASH DRIVES preloaded with your content, the students need them for class and would rather have yours than from Staples.

Also, get the bands you are opening for to split the cost of your promo with you, have them take the other side of postcards and then you promote them every time you promote you in club bathrooms or whereever. You'll double your amount of postcards this way.

That's a start. Now seriously stop fucking around or you will die starving and angry and probably addicted.

IANAL, but you might want to check out Section 3 and Section 6 of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial Public License legal code.

A music industry attorney by the name of Donald Passman has an outstanding book that covers the complexities of music licensing, publishing, and practically everything else related to the business. It's really geared towards keeping artists protected.

Exactly. You can not copyright a drum beat, but you can copyright a performance of a drum beat (or anything else). Performance basically just means a recording.

Therefore, if I cover a song, I owe the composer of the song, but not the drummer who played on the original recording. And that is why you make much more money as a songwriter than as a session player.

If you're interested in these kinds of legal issues I'd recommend the following books:

• The Musician's Business and Legal Guide
  
• All You Need to Know about the Music Business
  
  

For anyone interested on this type of thing, I would highly recommend The Big Payback. Some of the best investigative journalism I've ever read. This dude starts with hip hop's roots in the 20's with jazz and works his way to the mid 2000's. One of the most interesting reads I've ever had. You would be amazed at how some of the slang and phrases in hip hop originated. The depth and detail in this book are absolutely unmatched.

I double majored in Physics and Music simply because those were my interests, they didn't really directly apply to my job pursuit. I think as far as getting a foot in the door internships are paramount. Look up some artists you like and see who manages them or who their record label is. If they have an internship application great: apply. If they don't, send an email to whoever you can get a hold of there asking about internships.

Your marketing degree definitely makes you more qualified! I'd advise doing some research on the fields that specifically interest you. For example, if you're looking to get into music, read Donald Passman's All You Need To Know About The Music Business.

Well, knowing the record industry as I do, I'll say neither of the above. You do realize that one of the big 3 labels has ties to the mafia, right?

Most likely it's a record company attempt to reward their best customers (ie the stores that move the most product), as well as certain other "friendlies".

We are the record store's customers, not the record company's. (Independent releases notwithstanding, natch.)

Tons of bands have been working and touring for years not worrying about record labels. There's only a select few that go that route. You make your money on the door and the merch table.

As for recording, if you have a great song and perform it well, a so-so recording won't matter. Most indie albums these days sound like crap. So did early punk stuff. So what.

I have good vintage gear mixed with modern digital stuff and the only limit is me. It's 2010. Anyone can make a good sounding album if the right people help you mix and master.

He's great, he's got tons of cred, but some of his opinions reflect a different era. The Neumann comment is stupid.

I don't get anything out of his criticisms. I get a lot from reading interviews with the great engineers/producers.

1. song
   
2. performance
   
3. recording
   
   This book was extremely helpful to me. I read it as I was learning.
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Glass-Record-Producers-Softcover/dp/0879306149
   
   
   

The companies have large security for all people going in and out of the facilities and track production very well to ensure all copies are accounted for. Before you enter and leave you go through airport like security detectors to see if you're carrying metal or cds out.

How people would get out copies is pretty cool.

You'd take one off the line and tag it as defective and trash it, as per the process for defective cds. Then after your shift you'd slyly sneak over and take it out of the trash. But now security. How to get it past an airport scanner? Be a redneck! You wear a large metal cowboy belt buckle, secretly hide the cd behind it, and when you go through security, they think it's just the big belt buckle.

A huge amount of CDs that got stolen and released online were actually just from one single guy who worked in a North Carolina cd manufacturing plant named Dell Glover. A lot of this is recounted in what is roughly the seminal book on it right now by Stephan Witt called How Music Got Free. It's a great read and ties back how the trends in music changed from physical to digital and the story of stealing pre-release cds is one of the driving forces

Wouldn't hurt to give producing a shot. Having good studio vibe is important for engineers or anyone who works any job in a studio setting. Producing other people's music is a fast track to learning that. Not to mention building a good network. You could get a crack at mixing the artists track to which is great practice.

If I remember correctly the books that head the most impact for me were:

http://www.amazon.com/Critical-Listening-Skills-Audio-Professionals/dp/1598630237

http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Audio-2e-Roey-Izhaki/dp/0240522222

http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Glass-Record-Producers-Softcover/dp/0879306149

I have a pretty good sized collection of vinyl bootlegs, mostly Beatles related. They're fun to collect. I can't really post anything here that hasn't been posted already, but if you're into collecting vinyl like this, I would highly recommend this book, it's all about the 70's bootleg scene: http://www.amazon.com/Bootleg-Secret-History-Recording-Industry/dp/0312142897/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324197607&sr=8-2

IANAL. Assuming you're Each song has a composition and a performance copyright. I believe registering the performance through USCO gives you protection over both. Make sure your contracts reflect songwriter/lyricist ownership over publishing, and representation. Make sure you're with ASCAP/BMI, or another PRO if you're not in the US.

I recommend the following:

• A good IP/copyright lawyer
  
• A good corp lawyer/CPA/accountant
  
• Start and Run Your Own Record Label
  
• Music Law in the Digital Age
  
• Music Law for the General Practitioner

Ok to start, let's get the music industry terminology correct. "Publishing" in music is the management of intellectual property rights for songs. Record labels are not publishers, they manage the intellectual property of audio recordings, not songs.

Rev splits are typically 15-30% to the artists after recoupment.

Don's Book is a good place to start.

Copyright is different than shares. When you get into royalties, the payout for any performance (radio play, tv airing, etc) splits between the writer and the publisher. It sounds like you guys would split writer's share 50%, then the publisher's share might be negotiated.

Copyright just protects your "property" legally if anyone tries to steal it.

Definitely read this book . It'll educate you on this stuff.

Recommended this the other day in another thread...

Guerilla Home Recording ... i used the first edition many years ago when i started recording on a Tascam 424 Portastudio, so it may be a bit long in the tooth now with some dated information since the advent of DAWs, but i think it's still likely to be of value. Plus its now on the second edition so i'm guessing a lot of it has been updated with modern recording in mind. Really great book for the self-taught.

Best thing you can do is pick up a copy of this... http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0979731305/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/192-2889574-1257027

Good luck!

Experience. Get a DAW and some plugins. I reccomend cubase or ableton live. Massive, sylenth, and z3ta+ are all good if you want to learn how to design sounds.

Read this to get you started

http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Mixing-Audio-Series/dp/0918371171

this too, it's free

http://noisesculpture.com/how-to-make-a-noise-a-comprehensive-guide-to-synthesizer-programming

It requires a lot of time and dedication to learn to produce something that doesn't suck so keep that in mind when your first few projects ineveitably end up sucking. Just keep making progress, don't get discouraged, ya know?

I am so happy you posted this. Several years ago, a friend of mine lent me the book Jacob wrote (So You Wanna Be a Rock and Roll Star) and I loved it. He really has a way with words, and as a fellow drummer and music industry scholar, his work really speaks to me. Subscribing and sharing!

When you're at the bottom of the heap and haven't established a fanbase who always comes out to your local shows (like at least more than 20 people who aren't on the guestlist), it can be tough to demand any kind of money from a venue for playing. That's when it's important to open for bands that are a little bigger than you in your style, stick around for the whole show, talk to people, act professionally, tear down your gear quickly, and generally make yourself as likeable as possible to make up for the fact that you didn't bring the whole world out to see you. That plus going out to other shows to support other people who are doing similar things as you are, doing an appropriate level of promotion, and being a good musician/songwriter will get you to the place where you have a fanbase and can start firmly but politely demanding the money you deserve. Then there's hiring a lawyer to shop a demo, all sorts of stuff. Definitely never pay to play, but playing for free, I'd say sure, maybe at the beginning. Demanding money up front that you can't earn back from ticket/drink sales for the venue the night of the show is just going to make you a pariah of the scene. If you want your soul further crushed about the music business, read this: http://www.amazon.com/This-Business-Music-Definitive-Industry/dp/0823077233

Going to sound harsh, but its because I respect your friend (and you) to tell him what he needs to do if he is serious about music. His vocals are the worst part of most of the songs I would strongly consider taking voice lessons, mixing is off on most of the songs, he over relies on samples to carry some of the songs, his flow is incredibly weak and needs a lot more practice performing. If he is serious he should be practice rapping for at least an hour a day to develop a distinct flow and study the greats. Thats the minimum for what it takes to get somebody to listen to you, let alone for him to make it.

I looked at your post history and saw you are Miles the producer. I think you have a lot more talent then your friend imo. Go try to get into a college for music production, grind at least 1-2 beats a day and use all your free time to study music production. I highly suggest interviews / walk throughs or online classes by experienced producers. Also educate yourself on the business side of music if you are serious, I recommend This Book as a starting point since it will be your bible for the music industry. Keep working hard and look forward to see you grow if you continue to pursue music production seriously.

The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop. It's all about the business of hiphop, from the very beginning up until early 2000's. It is super interesting though and I was amazed how much business affects the art.

You learn by experimenting and studying other amps. Merlin's books are very good.
merlin's books
Also there is another book that is
Tube amp handbook
and
Tube amp book
As for forums, ultimate guitar's diy section, and harmony central. amp garage ect. There are a ton of forums dedicated to just building amps.

In short, microphones. Don't know if you can plug more than one into an iPhone but you need more than one to really make it work.

This book is really good for getting a basic understanding of the recording process and ideas for doing it with what you have.

That said, studio time is cheap these days. Depending on what you want to do it may actually be the easiest route.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Guerilla-Home-Recording-Studio-Leonard/dp/1423454464

http://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1451682468

Donald Passman's book is a great place to start. He details different types of producers. Also, it's a great read.

The biggest struggle you'll have with your style of hip hop is that it's less marketable for television and movies.

For the typical indie artist (rock, pop, etc), you can get in with a good publicist who will get your music into television and movies. You've obviously got talent, I think a good mentor would help push you to that next level.

If you're into some reading, check out All You Need to Know About the Music Business by Donald L Passman. It's golden for musicians in your spot.

Don't be surprised if the unis don't respond. You're basically asking them for help without paying the astronomical fees that now come hand in hand with degree level study in england ;)

Here's a few books that I had that are really good:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Modern-Reading-Text-All-Instruments/dp/0769233775 - We were told to use this book by clapping the 4 beats, and vocalising the rhythms in the book. It starts off simple but gets hard real fast. Full of deliberately obscure notation that smears beats to prepare you for some bad writing as well!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hearing-Writing-Music-Professional-Training/dp/0962949671/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1539085026&sr=1-1&keywords=hearing+and+writing+music

This book is basically the bible of ear training. You could study this book for 5 years standalone, if you wanted to be secure in all the stuff in it.

Aside from that, other stuff was more about production and bass guitar specifically. Those two though, seriously a good combo I think.

There's an excellent book on the history of payola called Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business.

I recommend it to anyone interested in the music/broadcasting/media industry.

Start and Run Your Own Record Label By Daylle Deanna Schwartz.
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/0823084639#productDescription_secondary_view_pageState_1413127367038

She has some other good books that get a little more in depth with marketing the music. I think they would all be a valuable read, she also mentions other worthy books by other authors that I plan on picking up.

[Do Not Sell At Any Price: The Wild, Obsessive Hunt for the World's Rarest 78rpm Records] (http://www.amazon.com/Not-Sell-Any-Price-Obsessive/dp/1451667051/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419696428&sr=8-1&keywords=do+not+sell+at+any+price)

Behind the Glass: Top Record Producers Tell How They Craft the Hits

Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business

Chronicles: Volume One

Waging Heavy Peace: A Hippie Dream

Hitman: Forty Years Making Music, Topping the Charts, and Winning Grammys

How Music Works

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

amazon.fr

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

When I was learning this book was amazing. I read the first edition, but it was excellent.

Guerrilla Home Recording, Second Edition
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1423454464/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_3srbBbW4688W9

At regular pressing plants. The bootleggers would do everything from changing/omitting the name of the artist on the recording to be pressed, to pressing "fan club only" releases, to flat out finding someone with a pressing plant who wanted some $$$.

This book - http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/0312142897 - is a pretty good history of it all.

edit: Another channel, although mostly with CDs, was having them produced overseas, in places where copyright law was a little looser. Or, sometimes, the bootleggers would actually put some money aside, in escrow, for the artist to claim - except the artist, being under contract w/a label, couldn't actually claim the money / be paid for the recordings.

I recommended this book to someone in the No Stupid Questions thread last week...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1423454464/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/177-8544245-5012318

I think it covers fundamental recording basics very well; it teaches you how to think processes through. Some more advanced options that still cover basics:

The Recording Engineer's Handbook, Bobby Owsinski

The Mixing Engineer's Handbook, Bobby Owsinski

The Mastering Engineer's Handbook, Bobby Owsinski
(I must like his writing, or something.)

Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio, Mike Senior

And, of course, the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook... Not specifically for recording, but it's a great resource for a lot of audio information.

Hold up! I have a music business degree and work in the music business. First off I suggest reading This book it's American based, but still relevant.



The long of the sort of it with manager is, they get 15-20% of whatever you make, that they're a part of, which is usually about everything. So you make $1,000 for a show, they get between $150-$200 of that. You never pay them up front. Same with agents, but agents get 10%. The difference between an agent and a manager is, a manger is a part of everything you do, while an agent just books shows, and route tours(so booking multiple shows) with smaller bands the manager and agent can be the same person. Bands I work with(Which is might be specific to my genre, not sure) usually pay managers 15% of live(because agents) and 20% of recorded + deals or whatever else.



OH also labels...labels give you money, not the other way around. The only label that I know that asks for money is Thirty Tigers, but they're adamant that they're not a label they're "label services" and signing a label contact is something that requires a lawyer. I feel like I need to repeat IF YOU WANT TO SIGN TO A LABEL GET YOUR OWN LAWYER. They are worth the $300-$500 it will cost.

If you have any other questions let me know, but really you should read the passman book.

Copyright laws in italy/europe at the time of bootlegs being popular allowed them to be manufactured there easily. If your interested I suggest reading this book

You have two options.

Option 1: Buy and read this book, approach various video game companies until you get interest (perhaps through /u/TheApothecaryAus's method), get a lawyer to help draw up a contract, and licence your music.

Option 2: Buy and read this book, approach a label with a lawyer (go to Universal Music Group first to take advantage of the right of first refusal), and have them market you to video game designers.

The book in question is on the shelf of every music exec at UMG. I mean it - all of them.

All You Need to Know About the Music Business, book by Donald Passman
http://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1451682468

Tickets to SXSW music conference
http://sxsw.com/music/conference/about

This Multi Track Looping Recorder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gKWfvd-chA

Good luck!

This is a pretty good book: http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Recording-Techniques-Sixth-Edition/dp/0240806255/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_4

As is this: http://www.amazon.com/Guerrilla-Home-Recording-Second-Edition/dp/1423454464/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335732446&sr=1-2

360 means you pay for stuff to get made ( either Everything or joint venture ) and also receive a cut from all revenue sources ( live shows , streaming , digital sales , merch )

It’s mainly just a term to state that u cover all bases

Here’s a good book to get you started:
https://www.amazon.com/Start-Your-Record-Label-Third/dp/0823084639

Hope that helps

Hey I actually managed a rapper for a few months so I do have some experience. In terms of DIY and independence I highly recommend you buy this book before doing anything major.

All You Need To Know MBUS

I myself own a copy and was recommended by a mentor and it’s kind of like the Bible in terms of knowing the main ins and outs of the business side.

Tunecore vs CD Baby Publishing

Digital Distro Comparison Chart

I’m sure other people will have more info. But once again that book is golden.

This is the best book on the music business. It might be a little too law-oriented for your needs but it's the bible. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1501104896?keywords=don%20passman&qid=1446768928&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

If you're in LA I'd recommend taking music business classes at UCLA Extension.

Guerrilla Home Recording is great - especially the bit about mic techniques. It's generally about how to do more with less. It can get a bit outdated in parts, but otherwise 10/10 do recommend.

http://www.amazon.com/Guerrilla-Home-Recording-Second-Edition/dp/1423454464

The big payback is good book on the business of hip hop and has a nice section at the start on the origin of hip hop eith djs saying simple ryhmes over breaks.

https://www.amazon.com/Hearing-Writing-Music-Professional-Training/dp/0962949671

This book goes pretty in depth on the subject of hearing well enough to write and transcribe without an instrument. You can search online for a copy.

This is a great book for learning bluegrass banjo licks. I've been using it for years.

https://www.amazon.com/Licks-Bluegrass-Banjo-Tony-Trischka/dp/0825602882

There's a great book I read called, Everything You Need to Know About The Music Business. It is very, very informative.

great book about how ticketmaster gained its market share and the history of the concert business

Sorry to break it to you but this is how the music business works. Take a look at this book, it should give you a better view of the inner workings of the music business.

1. Congrats!
   
   
   
2. Read. This. Book.
   
   
   You'll be able to answer all of /u/aderra 's questions once you do.

For Recording: http://www.amazon.com/Guerrilla-Home-Recording-Second-Edition/dp/1423454464

For Mixing: http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Engineers-Handbook-Second-Edition/dp/1598632515

I recommend both of these books highly, and they are worth buying. But if you look, you can find pdf versions available on the web.

Pretty clear you know nothing about the music industry (or you're a teenager), take some time and read these:

http://djbooth.net/news/entry/young-thug-trapped

https://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1451682468

and watch this:

Thirty Seconds to Mars, had one of the most biggest tours of all time and were millions in debt:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2370718/

for anyone who wants a good look into musician/record company life i would suggest reading this book, written by Jacob Slichter the drummer of Semisonic [remember that song Closing Time?] - http://www.amazon.com/Wanna-Rock-Roll-Star-Machine-Gunned/dp/0767914716/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331036965&sr=1-1

They forgot a really good and essential one: http://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1439153019/ref=pd_sim_b_1

Guys, copyright for a work is automatically embedded in the work once it is manifested in a tangible form.

That's it.

If you've recorded it (even some crappy recording on your phone), written it out or whatever else, that's all you need to do.

These days everything (digital) has a Created Date which will prove who's idea came first. Years ago it was demos in unopened envelopes by recorded delivery (this was just to formalise the date).

You can also register you songs for free with APRA or other copyright entity who'll collect royalties on your behalf should it get played on radio, used in a commercial, film, etc etc.

You just can't copyright a song thats just in your head (cos that's not a tangible form)

Suggest reading Donald S Passman's All You Need to Know about the Music Business

If you're interested, you might want to read Clinton Heylin's "Bootleg: A Secret History of the Other Recording Industry." (http://www.amazon.com/Bootleg-Secret-History-Recording-Industry/dp/0312142897)

Or not.

No opinion, but I'd recommend you look into the book The Big Payback for some background. Talks a lot about the history of the business of hip hop and how it's pretty much been financed or exploited (depending on your perspective) by white dudes since the beginning. It was the textbook for my history of american hip hop class in college.

The drummer wrote a book. good read.

a worthy read: http://www.amazon.com/Ticket-Masters-Concert-Industry-Scalped/dp/1550229494

You do realize that every recording contract is different and each artist has the opportunity to negotiate their deal right? It's not difficult to pick up Donald Passman's book and know exactly what you are able to get and exactly what little tricks a label may or may not try and pull. At the end of the day, if an artist doesn't like the deal being offered, they can just not sign it!

Personally I think branding depends on who you are when it comes to the music business, you are the brand. Define you you are and live it, show it to your fans. For everything else, I recommend this book.

https://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1451682468

Try working with resources like good ear or Hearing and Writing Music and you'll notice a change very quickly.

I'd recommend All You Need to Know About the Music Business.

https://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1451682468

> BREAKING NEWS: Catchy music when played more times than other music is catchy!

Never mind the fact that in their totally scientific and valid history lesson on payola they completely leave out the obvious flaw in their argument: turntable hits. There are plenty of songs that get hundreds of thousands of dollars pushed into them that go nowhere.

If anyone is actually interested in this stuff without a needless VSauce meets Buzzfeed video and obvious conclusions you should check out this book.

the link contains an affiliate link which are automatically removed on most of reddit.

the bot was just giving you a heads up

https://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1501104896/ref=asc_df_1501104896/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312025907421&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13128234371773548498&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003243&hvtargid=pla-405698730845&psc=1


should just be

https://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1501104896/

or even

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501104896

I really enjoyed the book Behind the Glass. Have not read the second one yet, but here's a link to the first:

http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Glass-Record-Producers-Softcover/dp/0879306149/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368636606&sr=8-1&keywords=behind+the+glass

It wouldn't be copyrighting the chords alone, it would be copyrighting the entire foundational elements of the song, of which the chords are a part.

If you haven't read Donald Passman's book on all of this I highly recommend it, if you have any interest in pursuing music as a career: https://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1501104896

Buy This : A must own for someone new. It teaches the most important lesson in music.

Your ears are the final judge not the equipment.

https://www.amazon.com/Guerrilla-Home-Recording-Second-Coryat/dp/1423454464

This book will teach you how to get wonderful from nothing and using just about the worst of everything.

Get this book if you really want to learn more. I'm still working my way through it.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Tube-Amp-Book-Hardcover/dp/0879307676

Yikes. Don't forget ReviewMeta, either.

How Music Got Free: A Story of Obsession and Invention

This book is about the development and distribution of digital music files. It is a unique look at the true crime of warez and music piracy.

Thank yuou! https://www.amazon.com/Behind-Glass-Record-Producers-Craft/dp/0879306149

http://www.amazon.com/Ticket-Masters-Concert-Industry-Scalped/dp/1550229494

IH

Try reading Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business

Really? Take it up with Fredric Dannen then.

http://www.amazon.com/Hit-Men-Brokers-Inside-Business/dp/0679730613

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Guerilla-Home-Recording-Studio-Leonard/dp/1423454464

Read this http://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1439153019 then you can know what you're talking about.

Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry

"This Business of Music."

You should read this book if you haven’t already:
All You Need to Know About the Music Business: Ninth Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501104896/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_pm5XBbEMHZG9Q

This is the essential one: http://www.amazon.com/This-Business-Music-10th-Edition/dp/0823077233

The book "The Big Payback" also makes this claim. It's well-sourced throughout.

Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business

Cowboys and Indies: The Epic History of the Record Industry

The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Best-Kept Secret

And probably way more relevant to the current landscape than any of these other books listed.

Also Hit Men by Fredric Dannen. Touches on the mob's influence on the music industry that still goes to this day. IIRC there's pictures of Jimmy Iovine with the Gambino family? Not to mention Tommy Mottola or any of those other gangsters.

https://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1451682468

It's the record label guys, Read this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Hit-Men-Brokers-Inside-Business/dp/0679730613

Read Me

If you're coming through Philly, maybe we can book a show together?

http://www.amazon.com/Musicians-Business-Legal-Guide-Edition/dp/0132281279/ref=pd_sim_b_8

All You Need to Know About the Music Business: Seventh Edition by Donald S. Passman

Before you do anything, I highly recommend reading two books.
https://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1501104896
This is the industry standard for a music biz 101 crash course. That's the edition I have, I'm not sure if there's a more recent one.

And also
https://www.amazon.com/How-Make-New-Music-Business/dp/1631491504
Ari focuses on building from the ground up, while the Passman book is more of a reference or "state of the industry" kind of thing.

Read these books and you'll have answers to most of your questions.

not a biography, but a huge chunk of the book revolves around him:

http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/0451234782

tons of hip hop knowledge to be learned in that book

So then your theory -- based on your decades in the business, I suppose -- is that the WWE can get the music rights, cheaply, to all the music they want, to use however they want, "under their network" (whatever that means), but they're choosing not to.

Synchronization rights agreements for a piece of music do not always cover all formats. They just don't, especially when said formats didn't exist at the time the music was used. Watch some old TV show on Netflix or syndication, you'll see a lot of redubbed music. It's the same thing with WWE.

But why I am explaining this to you? You're a legend in the business, and I'm just a guy who's making shit up in my head.

(Also, dirt sheets. By which I mean books, like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Need-Know-About-Music-Business/dp/1451682468)

Get a music lawyer and/or manager to overlook any contracts before you sign anything. If they ever demand an answer "Or no more deal" then run run away.

Anyway, there are some books you need to check out If you haven't already and read the relevant sections of.

All you need to know about the Music Business

The Savvy Musician