100 Best Music Business Books of All Time
We've researched and ranked the best music business books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more
Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan there is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times. Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, or just living more and working less, The 4-Hour Workweek is the blueprint.
This step-by-step guide to luxury lifestyle design teaches:
How Tim went from $40,000 per year and 80 hours per week to $40,000 per month... more
Eric Weinstein[Eric Weinstein recommended this book on Twitter.] (Source)
Tim DraperWith this kind of time management and focus on the important things in life, people should be able to get 15 times as much done in a normal work week. (Source)
Marvin LiaoSUCH a hard question to answer because there are so MANY favorite books of mine. For Business, i'd say either 80/20 Principle (Koch) or 4 Hour Work Week (Ferriss) for the principles it teaches on how to optimize work & life. (Source)
Artist Management for the Music Business gives a comprehensive view of how to generate income through music and how to strategically plan for future growth. The book is full of valuable practical insights. It includes interviews and case studies with examples of real-world management issues and outcomes.
Updates to this new... more
Whether you're recording an album, budgeting a tour, or insuring your vintage guitar, you need solid information to make the right legal and business choices.
Music Law is the all-in-one guide you need. Written by musician and lawyer Rich Stim, it explains everything you need to:
write a partnership agreement
buy, insure, and maintain equipment
use samples and do covers
register your band's name
sell and license your music
get royalties for streaming and downloads
deal with... more
We first meet Sasha in her mid-thirties, on her therapist’s couch in New York City, confronting her... more
Adam RobertsI love this novel. It is wonderfully written, brilliantly imaginative and engaging, funny and sad and smart. I also love it because of what it says about SF. That in a genre often caricatured (by those who don’t know it very well) as being about the wish-fulfillment fantasies of adolescent boys – huge space weapons, scantily clad astro-girls and so on – some of the very best work is being written... (Source)
Adam RobertsI love this novel. It is wonderfully written, brilliantly imaginative and engaging, funny and sad and smart. I also love it because of what it says about SF. That in a genre often caricatured (by those who don’t know it very well) as being about the wish-fulfillment fantasies of adolescent boys – huge space weapons, scantily clad astro-girls and so on – some of the very best work is being written... (Source)
In 2008,... more
Nate Maingard@amazon hiya, I received a water-damaged, slightly battered delivery of @ariherstand's -amazing- new book over here in South Africa 😢. I don't want to waste paper, fuel or time by getting a replacement, just thought y'all would want to know 💝. Thanks for the great book, Ari! https://t.co/oQFRe6hWDe (Source)
How Music Works is David Byrne's incisive and enthusiastic look at the musical art form, from its very inceptions to the influences that shape it, whether acoustical, economic, social or technological. Utilizing his incomparable career and inspired collaborations with Talking Heads, Brian Eno, and many others, Byrne taps deeply into his lifetime of knowledge to explore the panoptic elements of music, how it shapes the human experience, and reveals the impetus behind how we create, consume, distribute, and enjoy the... more
Don't have time to read the top Music Business books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Social Media Promotion for Musicians shows artists, bands, engineers, producers and songwriters the latest techniques and strategies to increase your online presence more effectively and efficiently than you ever thought possible.
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I'm a media manipulator. In a world where blogs control and distort the news, my job is to control blogs--as much as any one person can. In today's culture...
1) Blogs like "Gawker," "Buzzfeed" and the "Huffington Post" drive the media agenda.
... more
Timothy FerrissRyan is part Machiavelli, part Ogilvy, and all results. From American Apparel to the quiet campaigns he's run but not taken credit for, this whiz kid is the secret weapon you've never heard of. (Source)
Dov CharneyBehind my reputation as a marketing genius there is Ryan Holiday, whom I consult often and who has done more for my business than just about anyone. (Source)
Tucker MaxThe strategies Ryan created to exploit blogs drove sales of millions of my books and made me an internationally known name. The reason I am standing here while other celebrities were destroyed or became parodies of themselves is because of his insider knowledge. (Source)
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Bare Bones, host of the marquee morning program “The Bobby Bones Show,” comedian and dedicated philanthropist delivers an inspirational and humorous collection of stories about his biggest misses in life and how he turned them into lessons and wins.
Bobby Bones is the youngest inductee ever into the National Radio Hall of Fame alongside legends Dick Clark, Larry King, and Howard Stern. As "the most powerful man in country music" (Forbes), he has... more
Marina HydeI’ll start with An Empire of Their Own, because it’s just so difficult for us to understand what Hollywood was like then, particularly for these guys who were either first generation, or immigrant German, or East European Jews, who’d come largely from running things like nickelodeon outfits on the East Coast, and ended up creating this extraordinary confection out in California. Bearing in mind... (Source)
With The Rolling Stones, Keith Richards created the songs that roused the world, and he lived the original rock and roll life.
Now, at last, the man himself tells his story of life in the crossfire hurricane. Listening obsessively to Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters records, learning guitar and forming a band with Mick Jagger and Brian Jones. The Rolling Stones's first fame and the notorious drug busts that led... more
Harry KhachatrianBinged Keith Richards’ autobiography, LIFE in about 3 days. Great book! Highly recommend it to anyone remotely interested in the Rolling Stones, blues, or music in general https://t.co/trzEHkvBgE (Source)
Packed... more
Despite touring and releasing music, many successful artists still have to work a day job to stay afloat. However, fans have more say in the music industry than ever, and it is up to these fans to contribute to building a new industry that... more
Don't have time to read the top Music Business books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
What happens when an entire generation commits the same crime?
How Music Got Free is a riveting story of obsession, music, crime, and money, featuring visionaries and criminals, moguls and tech-savvy teenagers. It’s about the greatest pirate in history, the most powerful executive in the music business, a revolutionary invention and an illegal website four times the size of the iTunes Music Store.
Journalist Stephen Witt traces the secret history of digital music piracy, from the German audio engineers who invented the mp3, to a North Carolina compact-disc... more
Paolo GregolettoGreat book about it all https://t.co/hFLhiZOwRo (Source)
As a child, Bill Graham fled Europe to escape Hitler's armies. He grew up on the streets of New York and in the dining rooms of the hotels in the Catskills. After failing as an actor, he headed for San Francisco right before the Summer of Love where he founded the Fillmore and launched the rock icons of a generation--Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, Jefferson Airplane, Cream, the Grateful Dead, and more. He was a... more
James MurphyBill Graham Presents My Life Inside Rock and Out because I think it’s very important for young people to understand the history of the concert business before trying to jump into it. You need to have a clear understanding of where it’s been to know where it’s going and how you can help take it there. (Source)
In the years after World War II, music was evolving from big-band jazz into rock ’n’ roll—and these louder styles demanded revolutionary instruments. When Leo Fender’s tiny... more
The truth is that we’re all players in the “game of money.” Only those who know how to watch the game, identify the levels, and bend the rules can gain the upper hand. In this easy-to-follow guide,... more
Don't have time to read the top Music Business books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
On the Track offers a comprehensive guide to scoring for film and television. Covering all styles and genres, the authors, both noted film composers, cover everything from the nuts-and-bolts of timing, cuing, and recording through balancing the composer's aesthetic vision with the needs of the film itself. Unlike other books that are aimed at the person "dreaming" of a career, this is truly a guide that can be used by everyone from students to technically sophisticated professionals. It contains over 100 interviews with noted composers, illustrating the many technical points made...
moreToday's pop music--genre-crossing, gender-bending, racially mixed, visually stylish, and dominated by dance music with global appeal--is the world that Nile Rodgers created. In the 1970s and 1980s, he wrote and produced the songs that defined that era and everything that came after: "Le Freak," "Good Times," "We Are Family," "Like a Virgin," "Modern Love," "I'm Coming Out," "The Reflex," "Rapper's Delight." Aside from his own band, Chic, he worked with everyone from Diana Ross and Madonna to David Bowie and Duran Duran... more
In WHEN I STOP TALKING, YOU'LL... more
Ryan HolidayI've been meaning to read this book for a while, and after I did I bought copies for everyone at my company (since we produce books and other kinds of content). In the book, Seabrook explains how just a few men and women are responsible for producing nearly every hit song you hear on the radio, see on YouTube or listen to on Spotify. He explains the economics of the music industry in a way that... (Source)
Readers learn about the opera industry's structure, common pathways and entry points,... more
The Starving Artist Is a Myth
We’ve heard it a thousand times: There’s no money in art. It’s too risky. You’ll starve. So, we end up chasing more stable careers. We become lawyers and doctors and bankers instead of poets and filmmakers and painters. We settle. And in the end our best work suffers.
The truth... more
Scott PerryI just dropped reading a book that was not delivering on its promise and pulled Jeff Goins’ Real Artists Don’t Starve out of my “read-next” stack. It was gifted to me by my altMBAAlumni friend Brigitte Anderson Cutshall who would make a great guest in this series! (Source)
Mare Barrow is a prisoner, powerless without her lightning, tormented by her lethal mistakes. She lives at the mercy of a boy she once loved, a boy made of lies and betrayal. Now a king, Maven Calore continues weaving his dead mother's web in an attempt to maintain control over his country—and his prisoner.
As Mare bears the weight of Silent Stone in the... more
Make $100,000 (or More) in the Music Business
You're in a career where it's considered "normal" to be broke. If you were doing anything else for a living, you'd have given up by now.
And I'm sure there are people in your life who wish you'd do just that... They want you to settle down, get a "real" job, and make music a hobby.
Screw 'em. The truth is, if you know what to do, you can make a lot of money as a musician.
This book shows you what to do. You'll learn exactly how to make money with your... more
Don't have time to read the top Music Business books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
THE ULTIMATE BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO STARTING A BUSINESS IN 2019!
Have you ever dreamt of starting your own business and living life on your terms?
This book shows you EXACTLY what you need to know to stand out from the crowd!
Do you have an idea for an amazing product or service but you aren't sure how to build a business around it?
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•Knowing which professionals to consult and when
•Finding and preparing for auditions
•Dealing with the financial... more
In... more
In this comprehensive yet extremely readable book, author Peter M. Thall, a specialist in entertainment and copyright law, takes an in-depth look at all facets of the music industry. From how artists can best maximize their chances for long-term financial health to what snares and pitfalls to avoid when signing an employment contract, Thall discloses... more
Being successful musicians was simply never enough for the three kings of hip-hop. Diddy, Dr. Dre, and Jay-Z lifted themselves from childhood adversity into tycoon territory, amassing levels of fame and wealth that not only outshone all other contemporary hip-hop artists, but with a combined net worth of well over $2 billion made them the three richest American musicians, period. more
Curtiss King: Producer. Rapper. Mentor to thousands of aspiring artists and entrepreneurs through his YouTube channel. His production credits include Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, E-40 and MURS, and giants like MTV, VH1, and VANS.
But once upon a time Curtiss was broke, struggling--and crafting beats on a video game console on his grandma's patio. The Prosperous Hip Hop Producer charts his rollercoaster ride to success from these... more
Don't have time to read the top Music Business books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Subjects covered include copyright; performing rights organizations; mechanical, synchronization, and print licensing; songwriter and composer agreements; publishing administration and foreign sub-publishing; production music libraries; pitching and... more
Stephen Hough is one of the world's leading pianists, winning global acclaim and numerous awards, both for his concerts and his recordings. He is also a writer, composer, and painter, and has been described by The Economist as one of "Twenty Living Polymaths."
Hough writes informally and engagingly about music and the life of a musician, from the broader aspects of what it is to walk out onto a stage or to make a recording, to specialist tips from deep inside... more
Everyone knows the hits: “Hanky Panky,” “Mony Mony,” “I Think We’re Alone Now,” “Crimson and Clover,” “Crystal Blue Persuasion.” All of these songs, which epitomize great pop music of the late 1960s, are now widely used in television and film and have been covered by a diverse group of artists from Billy... more
Michael Jackson is known by many as the greatest entertainer of all time, but he was also a revolutionary when it came to business. In addition to famously buying the Beatles' publishing catalogue, Jackson was one of the first pop stars to launch his own clothing line, record label, sneakers, and video games—creating a fundamental shift in the monetization of fame and paving the way for entertainer-entrepreneurs like Jay Z and Diddy. All told, Jackson earned more than $1.1... more
Don't have time to read the top Music Business books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Fully revised and updated to embrace the new challenges of the Internet downloads, ringtones and the huge changes at the major labels, this indispensable book answers all the questions, demystifies all the jargon, reveals the facts behind the headlines and the... more
Barely out of his teens, David Cassidy landed a role on a new sitcom about a musical family that toured in a psychedelic bus. The critics blasted it—but TV viewers loved it! And the young female audience especially loved Keith Partridge. Not only did they tune in each week, they bought The Partridge Family’s hit single, “I Think I Love You,” in the millions, and plastered David’s image on their bedroom walls.... more
Peter Grant is the most famous music manager of all time. Often acknowledged as the "fifth member of Led Zeppelin," Grant's story has appeared in fragments across countless Zeppelin biographies, but none has explored who this brilliant and intuitive manager yet flawed and sometimes dangerous man truly was. No one has successfully captured the scope of his personality or his long-lasting impact on the music business. Acclaimed author and journalist... more
This rock and roll radio memoir takes you behind the scenes at the nation's hottest station during FM's heyday, from 1973 to 1986. Sex and drugs, music and merchandising--it was a wild time when the FM airwaves were wide open for... more
Don't have time to read the top Music Business books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
This invaluable book tells you how the business works, what you must know to succeed, and how much money you can make in films, television, video games, ASCAP, BMI and SESAC, record sales, downloads and streams,... more
When Fortune 500 companies need to reenergize or reinvent a lagging brand, they call Steve Stoute. In addition to marrying cultural icons with blue-chip marketers, Stoute has helped identify and activate a new generation of consumers. He traces how the “tanning” phenomenon raised a generation of black, Hispanic, white, and Asian consumers who have the same “mental complexion” based on shared experiences and... more
Ryan HolidayJust because I didn’t want this list to be all stuffy old classics, I thought I’d put this interesting (and unofficial) biography of Jay-Z on here. This is a biography that also functions as a business book. It shows how Jay applied hustling techniques to the music business and eventually built his empire. (Source)
You can make a living with music today. The secret is to tap multiple income streams.
Making Money With Music gives you over 100 revenue streams and the knowledge on how to tap them. Whether you're a solo artist, band, DJ, EDM producer, or other musician, this book gives you strategies to generate revenue, grow your fan base, and thrive in today's technology-driven music environment. Plus, it... more
You gain access to:
Interviews with veterans like Phil Cody, Chip Taylor, and Marc Jordan and rising stars... more
Don't have time to read the top Music Business books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
What's behind the phenomenal success of entertainment businesses such as Warner Bros., Marvel Entertainment, and the NFL—along with such stars as Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, and LeBron James? Which strategies give leaders in film, television, music, publishing, and sports an edge over their rivals?
Anita Elberse, Harvard Business School's expert on the entertainment industry, has done pioneering research on the worlds... more
Challenges the stereotypical opposition between 'creatives' and 'suits'.
Draws on the work of management theorists such as Mintzberg and Porter and creativity theorists such as Amabile and Boden.
Draws on the practical experience of individuals working in the creative industries.
Looks at the place of creative organisations and creative business management in a new creative economy, based on ideas, images and information. less
The music industry is a leading indicator of today's economy; it is among the first to be disrupted by the latest wave of technology, and examining the ins and outs of how musicians create and sell new songs and plan concert tours offers valuable lessons for what is in store for businesses and employees in... more
Quincy JonesAn absolutely brilliant mind. The definition of left and right brain balance!! (Source)
Donald PassmanThe music biz has been down a twisted path, but Alan Krueger brings it all together in a smart, relatable way. Rockonomics has lessons far beyond the music industry, so fasten your seat belt and come along for the ride. (Source)
Cliff BurnsteinI actually majored in economics in college. A few years later, I bumped into a former classmate who asked me what I was doing. I told him I was handling rock radio promotion for Mercury Records. He said, ‘What a waste of your education.’ I hope he reads Rockonomics, so he'll find out I didn't end up as a total loser. (Source)
Music can be released, distributed, and promoted for a fraction of traditional costs. Veteran author and music-business consultant Daylle Deanna Schwartz (who started and ran her own label) has rewritten and expanded her classic, Start & Run Your Own Record Label, to reflect industry changes and new opportunities for marketing music in today’s climate.
Start & Run Your Own Record Label is a... more
Don't have time to read the top Music Business books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
* Balances the history of the music business and the impact of social and cultural movements on the story of rock
* Enhanced coverage of contemporary rock music, including the impact of rap
* Integrates lively pedagogy:... more
In a comprehensive, fast-paced account full of larger-than-life personalities, Rolling Stone contributing editor Steve Knopper shows that, after the incredible wealth and excess of the '80s and '90s, Sony, Warner, and the... more
Don't have time to read the top Music Business books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.