An indispensable step-by-step guide to releasing your own records and beginning a working independent label. Since the boom of homemade records and independently-minded musicians in the 1980s, the alternative music industry has grown from strength to strength, driven by a policy that privileges the music itself over the aggressive marketing and branding strategies of the majors. You can retain all control and rights to the music you release, allowing you to showcase and sell the music that you believe should be heard. There has never been a better time to begin a label for yourself, and this comprehensive title shows you exactly how it's done, including: Devising a business plan Finding and choosing talent Creating and manufacturing records themselves All aspects of promotion and marketing Distribution and radio Get your company organised and get those records out there right now with the help and advice of this informative guide.

Enhance your chance for success as a recording artist by following the real-world advice found within the pages of the book. Step-by-step suggestions for: Setting career goals Developing your songs and stage presence Recording your first demo and full-length album Designing your promotional materials Knowing where to hire an attorney, manager, booking agent, and producer And, of course, getting a record deal! Success depends on talent, hard work, and a little luck. This handbook will help you prepare and increase you opportunities in the music business.

At last, an entertainment attorney offers up the honest truth about becoming a successful recording artist. This book is packed with solid information geared toward anyone who wants to become a musician. It's a terrific primer for parents of kids who are clamoring for music lessons or permission to go to a college of music.The book is divvied up into manageable chapters: practicing, recording your first demo, creating a promo kit, finding a manager, playing a showcase, and much more. This is the first book in the Music Business Made Simple series. These easy-to-digest handbooks cover everything one needs to know about the music business. The second book in the series, Be Your Own Music Mogul: Launch an Independent Record Label will be published in Spring 2005.

Over the last decade, political economy has grown rapidly as a specialist area of research and teaching within communications and media studies and is now established as a core element in university programmes around the world. The Handbook of Political Economy of Communications offers students and scholars a comprehensive, authoritative, up-to-date and accessible overview of key areas and debates. Combines overviews of core ideas with new case study materials and the best of contemporary theorization and research Written many of the best known authors in the field Includes an international line-up of contributors, drawn from the key markets of North and Latin America, Europe, Australasia, and the Far East

Whether you want to start a record label, self-release your own music, or are just an avid music lover, this book will give you information about the business of music. The Label Machine: How to Start, Run and Grow Your Own Independent Music Label is the first book to give music artists practical step-by-step comprehensive instructions for setting up and running an independent music label to successfully distribute and market their music. You will learn all about the music industry business and how to navigate the tricky dos and don'ts. You will finally understand and take control of your music copyright and get to grips with the legalities involved. You will build your music business effortlessly, learning how to professionally market your music and artists - allowing you to reach thousands of fans. And essentially, you will learn how to create multiple label revenue streams to create an established record label. It features a detailed breakdown of how every part of the industry works together, including copyright in the UK and US, record label set-up, record releases, and royalty collection. It also provides in-depth guides on marketing, covering; traditional PR, Facebook and Instagram advertising, Spotify playlisting, and fan growth. Includes templates for record label and management contracts, marketing and promotion schedules, press releases, and fan email automation.

A guide to the music business and its legal issues provides real-world coverage of a wide range of topics, including teams of advisors, record deals, songwriting and music publishing, touring, and merchandising.

Start your music career off right with this fun guide to the music industry Music Business For Dummies explains the ins and outs of the music industry for artists and business people just starting out. You'll learn how file-sharing, streaming, and iTunes have transformed the industry, and how to navigate your way through the new distribution models to capitalize on your work. It all begins with the right team, and this practical guide explains who you need to have on your side as you begin to grow and get more exposure. Coverage includes rehearsing, performing, recording, publishing, copyrights, royalties, and much more, giving you the information you need to start your career off smart. Music industry success has never been easy to achieve, and recent transformations and disruptions to the business side have made the whole idea even more daunting than before. This guide gives you a roadmap around the landmines, and provides expert advice for starting out on the right foot. Find the right players, agents, and business managers Make more money from your work with smart distribution Build your brand and get people talking about you Get gigs, go on tour, and keep on growing If music is your calling, you need to plan your career in a way that sets you up for success from the very beginning. Put the right people in place, get the most out of your investments, and learn how to work the crowd both virtually and in person. Music Business For Dummies is your companion on your journey to the music career you want.

An updated guide to becoming a music mogul explores alternative markets for all musical genres, utilizing the power of the Internet and offering suggestions for marketing overseas.

This book describes the emergence of DIY punk record labels in the early 1980s. Based on interviews with sixty-one labels, including four in Spain and four in Canada, it describes the social background of those who run these labels. Using the ideas of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, this book shows how the field of record labels operates. The choice of independent or corporate distribution is a major dilemma. Other tensions are about signing bands to contracts, expectations of extensive touring, and use of professional promotion. There are often rivalries between big and small labels over bands that have become popular and have to decide whether to move to a more commercial record label. Unlike approaches to punk that consider it a subcultural style, this book breaks new ground by describing punk as a social activity. One of the surprising findings is how many parents actually support their children's participation in the scene. Rather than attempting to define punk as resistance or commercial culture, this book shows the dilemmas that actual punks struggle with as they attempt to live up to what the scene means for them. Book jacket.

Made in Scotland: Studies in Popular Music serves as a comprehensive and thorough introduction to the history, politics, culture, and musicology of twentieth- and twenty-first-century popular music in Scotland. The volume consists of essays by local experts and leading scholars in Scottish music and culture, and covers the major figures, styles, and social contexts of popular music in Scotland. Each essay provides adequate context so readers understand why the figure or genre under discussion is of lasting significance. The book includes a general introduction to Scottish popular music, followed by essays organized into three thematic sections: Histories, Politics and Policies, and Futures and Imaginings. Examining music as cultural expression in a country that is both a nation and a region within a larger state, this volume uses popular music to analyse Scottishness, independence, and diversity and offers new insights into the complexity of cultural identity, the power of historical imagination, and the effects of power structures in music. It is a vital read for scholars and students interested in how popular music interacts with and shapes such issues both within and beyond the borders of Scotland.