I'm not much for formulas. They tend to oversimplify things more than necessary. But when people ask me what it takes to succeed in the music business, it's always a formula that comes to mind. Out of everything I've lived and everything I've learned I think it all boils down to this. And it's a formula that applies to any business and to any career. Here it is:

TALENT + INFORMATION x ENERGY = SUCCESS

Talent plus information multiplied by energy equals success.

Now there's certainly no lack of talent out there. And there's plenty of energy. The missing ingredient is most often information : Who should I know in the music industry and why? How does this industry work? Where should I submit my songs? Why do "sharks" prey on young songwriters? How can I be assured that I'm doing everything necessary to grow a successful music career? Answers to these questions come in the form of information and, fortunately, information is yours for the reading.

What follows are a number of recent titles designed to empower you with the best information available. Use them and grow!


I. The Biz
Off the Charts: Ruthless Days and Reckless Nights Inside the Music Industry by Bruce Haring (Birch Lane Press, 1996, $19.95 ). Oh boy, here we go again. In the tradition of Frederick Dannen's Hit Men Haring, a music journalist, seeks to once again blow the lid off music industry corruption. In his account it's Charles Koppelman, head of EMI Records North America, who becomes the pariah embodying all that's wrong (and occasionally right) with the contemporary music industry. While Off the Charts lacks the investigative depth and cogent writing style of Hit Men, it succeeds in tearing the veil of appearances away from industry protocol and penetrating to why things pan out the way they do.

The theme is familiar: major record labels are mere "divisions" of multinational corporations whose interests range well beyond music to products like refrigerators and defense hardware. While mouthing platitudes of artistic integrity, company executives are under constant pressure to deliver quarter-by-quarter sales, maintain market share or risk losing their fancy expense accounts and/or jobs. How this kind of constraint played out in the careers of musicians like Vanilla Ice, Wilson Phillips and Arrested Development (remember them?) is detailed in the second half of the book.

Haring opens up the thinking (or lack thereof) behind the "merger mania" currently gripping the industry. He explores overall goals and strategies that animate companies like EMI, Capitol and Warner Bros., providing telling insights into how decisions are really made. How these decisions and guiding values affect artists is the author's primary concern. A sobering read; get out your handkerchiefs.

After Frederick Dannen's Hit Men blew the lid off industry corruption a few years back, another investigative journalist, one William Knoedelseder, set off to light some more dynamite. The result is Stiffed: A True Story of MCA, the Music Business and the Mafia (Harper/Collins, 1993, $23.00). The book combines a detective story, a bird's-eye view of record industry business practices, and vibrant, memorable characters; all of which make it more interesting than anything a talented fiction writer could come up with. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. Stiffed makes painfully clear the reality that the core music industry is no more than a "division" of immense entertainment conglomerates with interests that stretch way beyond mere entertainment. Sobering and sick.

Moguls and Madmen: The Pursuit of Power in Popular Music by Jory Farr (Simon & Schuster, 1994, $23). In the tradition of "Hit Men" and "Stiffed", Farr sets out to expose some of the seamier sides of the biz. Unlike those works, however, Farr's book is breezy in style, though perhaps a bit shallow in analysis. All through the book I kept wondering if the author was stretching the data to fit his own assumptions about what he thinks the the industry is all about. With that said, I think it's still worth a read if for nothing else but the glimpses Farr provides into the lives of some of the industry's younger moguls, namely: A&R hotshot Tom Zutaut who signed Guns N' Roses; Crazed Management/Megaforce Records head Jon Zazula; gangsta-rap impresarios Jerry Heller and Eazy-E; Nashville kingpin Jimmy Bowen; and Def Jam Records (now American Recordings) founder Rick Rubin among others. Violence, sexism, egomania, drug abuse, greed--they're all here, but take it all with a grain of salt.

If you've ever wondered what goes on inside a record company check out, Producing Pop: Culture & Conflict in the Popular Music Industry by Keith Negus (Routledge, 1993, $15.95pb). Written by a former professional musician turned scholar, Producing Pop offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at one of the world's major entertainment industries and the personnel running it. With a sociologist's eye, Negus describes the discovery of artists, the production of recordings and videos, and the promotion of artists through radio, television, magazines, clubs and personal appearances from the record company's perspective. Meaty and insightful.

The Global Jukebox: The International Music Industry by Robert Burnett (1996, Routledge, $16.95), is a comprehensive look at the maturing music industry in this time of great change. The big change, of course, is that major record companies no longer see themselves as such. Instead they are increasingly viewing themselves as entertainment companies in a global marketplace. The new goal of these companies is to exploit their artist/stars on a global scale and create "synergies" (i.e. powerful alliances) across other "divisions" within the parent Corporation. Ideally they want stars who can sing a song, star in a video, perform on stage, act in a movie, write a book, schmooze with TV culture and, if at all possible, develop clothing, perfume and food-product lines as well.

This desire to create and own as many parts of the entertainment food chain as possible is radically transforming the music industry as we've known it. Add to this the relentless push of new media technologies and ways of distributing information (read: music) and you've got a formula for acute disruption and short-term chaos. The Global Jukebox is an insightful snapshot of this ever-shifting landscape. It will give you the "lay of the land" and, perhaps, some creative paths through it.


Off the Charts, Moguls & Madmen, Stiffed , The Global Jukebox and Producing Pop cover the mainstream music industry but what about that rich terrain known as the "indies"? An excellant reference book for indie insight can be found in The Ultimate Guide to Independent Record Labels and Artists: An A-to-Z Guide to the Indie Music Scene by Norman Schreiber (Pharos Books, 1992, $15.95pb). The key word when describing the indies is "variety". It is where hundreds of niche-music styles find their support and this book is a treasure map to these musical riches. Organized alphabetically, Schreiber gives a brief history of over 400 labels along with their artists, style of music, available formats, address, phone number, as well as contacts for A&R, licensing and sales. Artist, Format and Category indices increase the book's usefulness. Great for your market research. It's hard to find but I hear he's goinf to release a revised version shortly.

National Directory of Record Labels & Music Publishers, 5th ed. Edited by Barbara Taylor (Rising Star Music Publishers, 1996, $25.95). There are a number of these directories in print but none with the architecture and features of Rising Star's. Not only a great alphabetized contact database of labels and publishers, but each are assigned a code indicating which styles of music they work with. The directory is further enhanced by separate indices organized by music style and by state. Entries are quickly searchable and the type is easy on the eyes. Besides a great database, they include an introductory guide on how to submit your music to labels and music publishers for consideration. Nothing pioneering here but rock solid advice any deal-seeking band or artist can use. Rising Star also makes its cool database available on mailing labels 30-to-a-page at $5 per page broken out by style or state. Updated anually.

Music, Money & Success: The Insider's Guide to the Music Industry by Jeffrey and Todd Brabec (Schirmer, 1994, $30.00). The Brabec brothers (both entertainment attorneys) are writing here about the place where the rubber hits the road in music: the real money-generators, and that inevitable leads to publishing. Musicians are always warned not to "give up all their publishing" and this book illuminates why. Ever wonder how much money is generated by a 30 second national commercial that uses a popular song? How about the music behind the end credits of a motion picture? What about the background music to your local forecast on the Weather Channel? I imagine some publishers will be miffed that the authors share so much inside information about the workings of music publishing. But musicians and songwriters will lick their lips and feel more confidence in the fact that the real gold in this industry lies with them and their songs.

The Art of Music Licensing by Al Kohn and Bob Kohn (Prentice Hall Law & Business, 5th ed., 1994, $95). Today music is used on record compilations, video games, singing greeting cards and talking dolls. All of these uses are accomplished by a variety of licenses which must address a complicated set of legal and economic issues. This 1,000 page guide walks you through the process of granting licenses and obtaining permission to use music. But don't let the book's size (or price) scare you. It's the best thing out there on the subject and, with all the emerging opportunities in multi-media and on-line music transmission, we'd better start getting a handle on the subject! The book also contains over 70 model forms and agreements adaptable for use in a wide variety of licensing transactions. Use it!

Road Warriors: Dreams & Nigtmares Along the Information Highway by Daniel Burstein & David Kline (Dutton, 1995, $24.95 hb). With all the noise about the Internet, telcom bills, entertainment mega-mergers, online censorship and multimedia it's becomming more and more important to be able to stand back from the individual trees and take a good look at the forest. How do all these things relate to one another? Where do they fit in the "Digital Revolution"? And what does it all mean for me and my music?

It's no joke that moguls in the core of today's music industry are shaking in their Guicci's at the prospect of losing their role as dominant mediators of music product. Digital developments threaten to take the rug of necessity out from under vast sectors of the traditional music business while upstart independents continue to steal market share.

Gaining extraordinary access to some of the most powerful CEOs and visionary architects of the Information Highway, the authors take readers on a gripping tour of what is perhaps the greatest battle in history: the fight for supremacy in the new media and information markets of tomorrow. This is the Bigger picture in which the big picture takes place. It's an exciting story and one which every serious musician should understand.


II. Music Career Building
Anyone attempting to create a career in the music business finds out early that the industry is multi-faceted and fairly complex. Trying to dicipher, for example, the relationship of record sales to publishing revenue, agents to managers, and distribution to retail can make the novice's brain hurt.

One recent book that eases this education is Star Tracks: Principles for Success in the Music and Entertainment Business by Larry Wacholtz (1996, Thumbs Up Publishing, Nashville; $21.95), a blow-by-blow of how the major label recording industry works today. After a brief summary chapter on the variety of industry components (players, publishers, producers labels, managers, etc.), Wacholtz launches into chapter after chapter of topics ranging from copyrights to music business economics, the songwriting craft to creating a successful music business career. He helps the reader navigate through the industry tangle with informative charts and illuminating diagrams, serving up hard-to-find information that turns "data" into useful knowledge. Mini-dictionaries for key industry terms and "Sage Windows" consisting of interviews with successful music insiders, add lots of extra value to the book.

Music Business & Career Handbook, 6th edition by David Baskerville (Sage Publications, 1995, $27.95 hb). One of the best (albeit dry) overviews of all the different areas of the music industry with a decidedly career-driven perspective. Covers songwriting & publishing (craft, income sources, tips for breaking in, publishing options, music copyright), business affairs (music licensing, music unions, agents, managers, concert promotion, music merchandising, and musical theater), the recording industry (record markets, record companies, music production, record promotion) and music in broadcasting & film (radio, television, advertising, and film scoring). Also includes chapters on audio engineering, arts administartion, unions & guilds, and artist management. Scanty, however, when it comes to new media and music. A closing section on career planning and development explores the various points of entry into the music business for would-be aspirants. Every chapter includes detailed charts helping unravel often confusing issues. If you feel you need to get a bird's-eye view of the biz, look no further. This is it.

The Musician's Business & Legal Guide, 2nd ed. Compiled & edited by Mark Halloran (Prentice-Hall/Jerome Hedlands, 1996, $29.95). OK, so you're trying to decide how much of a royalty share the drummer gets for his arrangement of one of your tunes; or you're stumped over what to do when you find out another band in Idaho has the same name as yours; or you're wondering if it's the right time to seek personal management. Prominent entertainment lawyers and business experts provide clear information on these and other vital legal and business issues relevant to musicians in this completely revised edition.

All the nitty-gritties are covered: legal implications of group breakups, setting up money deals, music licensing, performance contracts, music unions, management and agent agreements, the varieties of recording deals, sampling, copyright and more. The cool feature of this book is the way the authors dissect contracts and interepret "legalese" in lucid commentaries inserted throughout the running text of the document. Six brand-new chapters have also been added for extra value: "Collaborator/Song-writer Agreements", "Contracts and Relationships Between Independent and Major Labels", "Mediation for Musicians", "Music and New Media", "Sampling: Legal Overview and Practical Guidelines", and "Using the Internet to Promote Your Music," (by yours truly). An excellent "Resource" directory closes the book. Thick and juicy.

Another book covering the broad spectrum of indie activity is Networking in the Music Industry by Jim Clevo and Eric Olsen (Rockpress, 1993, $19.95). Featuring interviews with over 100 music industry professionals (including a few core industry workers), the book is a virtual tour de force through the variegated indie music scene. A guiding principle of the book is "the further a musical style is from the mainstream, the more vital networking becomes." How true it is. Clevo and Olsen spoke with artists, managers, publishers, lawyers, agents, label execs, editors, writers, convention organizers, corporate sponsors and computer hackers with questions designed to shed light on the workings of the music business. At this they admirably succeed. The only criticism I have is that the book lacks stylistic cohesion. But then so do the indies. Dense with insight. Dive in.

Networking in the Music Industry is long on industry dynamics but short on nuts-and-bolts ways to actually network. For example,how does one approach a label with a new artist? What can one say in a "cold call" that will warm up the other end? How does one handle rejection in the music biz? These and other questions are more than answered in another book with a similar name, Networking in the Music Business by artist manager Dan Kimpel (Writer's Digest Books, 1993, $17.95). As the author says in his introduction, it's a matter of "what you know, who you know and who knows you." Once you've got the "what you know" nailed down, this book will help you improve your odds with "who you know" and "who knows you." The chapter on assessing your goals and skills is alone worth the price of the book. Empowerment at its finest!

Networking has a way of bringing all our unique personal challenges to the forefront. How can I sell myself? Are not business and art diametrically opposed? Isn't rejection of my music rejection of me? These are just a few of the dozens of questions musical artists must face as they attempt to promote their music. Other questions might be: Do I have the talent to make it? What does success mean to me? How can I overcome creative blocks? Why do I feel so misunderstood? So depressed?

If you feel you can use a good dose of reality on this score as well as a boost to your psyche (who doesn't?), then read Staying Sane in the Arts: A Guide for Creative and Performing Artists by Eric Maisel (Jeremy P Tarcher, 1992, $22.95). Maisel is not only a psychotherapist specializing in helping artists but also an artist himself. In lucid style, he explores the "puzzle" of the artistic personality, what artists can do to remain balanced, how artists can better understand the world of business and develop personal strategies to succeed, and why artists must complement their need for isolation with a healthy dose of community building. He includes a number of illuminating exercises to help artists work through these issues as well as a great list of resources for further exploration. Sensitive and informative.

All You Need to Know About the Music Business by Donald S. Passman, rev. ed. (Simon & Schuster, 1994, $25.). One of the industry's most sought-after lawyers returns with an updated version of his well-received book. Passman's goal is to turn "legalese" into legal ease and he does so admirably. In conversational style he gives the lowdown on putting your team together for music career success, understanding the finer points of deal-making, unravelling the complex knot that is music publishing, and maximizing concert, touring and merchandising deals. He also provides rare insights into the overlap between the music and film industries. Incorporating the feedback he's received from the first edition, as well as all the latest developments, Passman includes tips on new laws regarding sampling, advice on updated royalty computations, and insights into new technologies that are transforming the way we make and sell music. If the key to success in the music industry is knowing how the business works and how it can work for you, then this book will be a key building-block in that process. Highly recommended.

Everything You'd Better Know About the Record Industry by Kashif (Brooklyn Boy Books, P.O. Box 3029, Venice, CA 90294; 1995, $39.95 spiral softcover). Kashif Michael Jones, sometime writer for Whitney Houston among others, condenses many years of traffic with the biz into a pep talk/handbook on the building blocks of music career success with a BIG emphasis on songwriting and production careers. The repeating refrain: artists must do all they can to understand what makes the music business tick. Only then will they find their own satisfying niche and begin to blossom.

Organized around the four catalysts of The Dream (career vision), Your Dream Team (strategic partners like managers and lawyers), Making Your Dream Come True (the mechanics of making money) and Keeping Your Dream Alive (the mechanics of making your money). Lots of wisdom but short on low-budget, guerilla tactics for breaking in. Best for those a few years into the craft (and business) of songwriting and/or producing. Personal and illuminating.

Career Opportunities in the Music Industry ,3rd ed. by Shelly Field (Facts on File, 1995, $23.95). A "music career" doesn't necessarily mean you have to be an artist in the the standard rehearse-record-perform sense of the word. There are dozens of other avenues music lovers can pursue in music which offer equally creative challenges. Shelly Field offers indispensable and realistic information on more than 80 music industry jobs ranging from A&R Coordinator to Staff Publicist. In between you'll find career descriptions for Booking Agent, Music Publisher, Field Merchandiser, Orchestra Manager, Instrument Sales Representative, Session Musician and plenty more.

The standout feature of this book is the succinct "Career Profiles" for each job which summarize the salient features of the position: duties, alternate titles, salary range, employment prospects, advancement prospects, and prerequistites (education, experience, and special skills). A "Career Ladder" shows jobs frequently leading to and from the one under discussion. Ten appendices close the book including ones covering degree and non-degree music business, music education and music therapy programs in the U.S. Good solid overview but if you're interested in working in the music business you should always supplement book info with informational interviews with the real people doing these jobs in the real world. A good companion handbook to thios one might be Dan Kimpel's Networking in the Music Business (Writer's Digest Books).

Studio Business Book: A Guide to Professional Recording Studio Business & Management , 2nd ed. by Jim Mandell (MIX Books, 1995, $34.95). This updated and enhanced edition of The Studio Business Book is a necessity for anyone who wants to run a studio for hire, whether it's a project setup in the basement, a mid-range commercial facility or a world-class complex hosting the stars. Mandell provides in-depth, specific information on all aspects of putting together and managing a recording studio, including: writing a business plan, getting funding and finding partners, choosing and buying equipment, determining monthly expenses, setting hourly rates and bidding on projects, developing new income sources, advertising and PR, even studio politics and psychology.

Interspersed throughout the text are numerous "ProFiles", mini-interviews and advice from experts in every facet of the business. These ProFiles reinforce points from the text and paint a realistic picture of the modern studio landscape. A studio Glossary of audio engineering terms and recommended reading close the book.

The world of the freelance musician has its unique demands. Myriad gig possibilities require players to rapidly switch gears (sometimes more than once a day) and also to have at their fingertips details that will make any particualr gig shine: choice of appropriate repertoire, clothing selection, level of performance intensity, sensitivity to audience cues, etc. Such details and their practical applications usually take years to acquire-- unless you have How to Make a Living as a Musician So You Never Have to Have a Day Job Again ! by Marty Buttwinick (Sonata Publishing, P.O. Box 250790, Glendale, CA 91225-0790; $29.95). Buttwinick pulls out the stops as he discloses all (or most) freelance trade tips and secrets he's used over a successful twenty year stint as a self-employed musician.

While covering obvious areas like equipment needs, types of gigs and engagement contracts, it's in those "second level" areas where particularly valuable knowledge is shared. Here's where you'll find lucid sections on managing rehearsals,

balancing the colliding worlds of multiple musician tasks, and dealing effectively with "bad attitudes" in band settings. If you're a frelance musician this book is essential reading. Compliments (and often supersedes) James Gibson's Playing for Pay: How to Be a Working Musician (Writer's Digest Books). Get it.

The Right to Imagination & Madness: An Essential Collection of Candid Interviews with Top UK Alternative Songwriters by Martin Roach (Independent Music Press, 1994, $17.95 pb). Songwriting is a strange and fascinating occupation. On the one hand the writer is expected to produce material that will evoke emotions, thoughts, arguments and memories, while on the other hand to talk about this aspect of pop music is frequently considered pretentious at best. So it's to author Martin Roach's credit that he was able to pull off these interviews so successfully. His book runs the gamut from Billy Bragg to Richard James (aka Aphex Twin among other alter egos), Mike Edwards (Jesus Jones) to Ian McCulloch (remember Echo & the Bunnymen?). The book details the myriad approaches to songwriting but also touches on scores of contemporary topics that are important to us all. Each chapter is rounded out with a detailed band biography to complement the interview itself. A delicious and unique read.


III. Business & Market Development
People often ask me for advice on starting their own business and how to market their service or product once they've started. Well, there's alot to it but there's also alot of help available in the form of books and other resources. With corporate downsizing has come an explosion of small and home-based businesses, along with an equal explosion of resources to support and inform these new ventures. Out of an overcrowded field here, briefly, are some standout publications to help you hit the ground running and avoid pitfalls along the way.

Working From Home: Everything you Need to Know About Living and Working Under the Same Roof by Paul & Sarah Edwards (Jeremy P. Tarcher, rev. ed., $14.95). The "home office gurus" deliver with this comprehensive reference guide for all self-employed and small business entrepreneurs. Hundreds of ideas, suggestions, tips and information to help you work smarter, not harder. See also their other books, Secrets of Self Employment and Getting Business to Come to You.

Small Time Operator: How to Start Your Own Small Business, Keep Your Books, Pay Your Taxes, & Stay Out of Trouble! by Bernard Kamoroff (Bell Springs Publishing, Box 640, Bell Springs Rd., Laytonville CA 95454; 1994, $14.95). This is the nineteenth edition of Kamoroff's book and each one is an improvement over the last. He cuts to the quick on the subject of bookeeping and taxes, providing a small business person with everything he or she needs to know. More "nut&bolts" than Edwards and eminently practical.

The times are bright for independent music releases. While publications like Billboard & Variety bemoan the current decline of core industry revenue, peripheral music ventures are discovering profitable niches of music fandom: Epitaph, Interscope, Trauma, Ellipsis Arts, Touch & Go, and Green Linnet are just a small handful of successful indies that are grabbing market share from the majors. Each indie developed outside the core, usually by someone with a fervent love for a particular music.

Behind each recording from these labels you'll find a well-thought-out release plan that includes everything from track selection to choice of font for the liner notes, from media awareness campigns to strategies for working retail. Few books address these very real requirements for releasing a record today. Tim Sweeney's Guide to Releasing Independent Records by Tim Sweeney and Mark Geller (1996, TSA Books, 21213-B Hawthorne Blvd., Ste. 5255, Torrance, CA 90503; 310/542-6430; $24.95) covers these and goes way beyond to cover other crucial topics for indies including, the meaning and use of Soundscan, the different levels of "hit success", who the real players are in the music trade press, tips for evaluating your promotional plan, and other "insider' knowledge. Though focused primarily on rock and alternative approaches, this Guide will give anyone releasing a record a powerful blueprint for success.

Some of you may be even more serious than just releasing a record. You also want to start your own music company, record label or production house. If so, you'll need a good dose of entrepreneurial training. The climate is certainly right for do-it-yourselfers. Desktop technology, corporate downsizing, online outlets and vast changes in the way people buy and sell are having a positive effect on small business development. In fact, a new business is started in the U.S. every 15 seconds!

There are a number of high-quality resources anyone of this ilk should get their hands on. One I've found particularly useful for my training seminars is Adams Streetwise Small Business Start-up by Bob Adams (Adams Media Corp., 260 Center St., Holbrook, MA 02343; $16.95). The thing I like about this book is its no-BS approach to strategic business development. Avoiding business jargon and textbook theorizing, Adams delivers "streetwise" guidelines learned in the trenches that get to the essence of what starting your own business is all about: positioning products and services successfully, getting big results from low-budget marketing, finding and keeping customers, mastering accounting, developing a winning team, staying out of legal trouble, and much more. Also included are tips for time management, equipping a home office, and negotiating agreements successfully. Deserves additional kudos for overall creative book design and layout. A winner throughout.

Marketing Without Advertising: Creative Strategies for Small Business Success by Michael Phillips and Salli Rasberry (Nolo Press, 1992, $14.). When we think of marketing we often think advertisement. But advertising is just one way of marketing (and one of the most expensive ways!). Instead of throwing good money after bad in an expensive effort to hype your business, Phillips and Rasberry show you how to use creative promotional techniques to generate sales. (Incidentally, Nolo Press publishes a number of self-help law books that can save a small businessperson thousands of dollars in legal fees. Call for their free catalog: 510/549-2001).

How to Create Your PR Buzz , six audio tapes, $49.95 (The Raleigh Group, 1223 Wilshire Blvd. #502, Santa Monica, CA 90403; 310/998-0055). Alot of what it means to create a buzz is to be seen in print and other media. This can be achieved either by advertising or by being "covered" or written about. The former costs alot of money; the latter is inexpensive and has alot more credibility than an ad because you can't buy it ; it must be earned. Publicity is both an art and a science and Pinskey has mastered both aspects. She lays out a banquet of tried-and true PR wisdom to help musicians set PR goals, create promo materials, initiate press contacts, garner reviews and interviews, and, generally, harness the power of media on their behalf.

Sprinkled throughout are points from her "Hot Tips Hall of Fame" (sample: "The do's will win you only the battle. It's learning about the don'ts that will win you the war"). Follow these PR pearls of wisdom and you can't go wrong. Included on the last tape are informative interviews with media representatives that bring it all down home. Pinskey throws in an extensive PR "Survival Kit" with some of her own work samples on everything from press releases to artist bios. Highly recommended.

Rap: This Game of Exposure (Promoting Your Rap Record/Artist) by Walt Goodridge (a company called W, P.O. Box 618, Church St. Station, NY, NY 10008-0618, 1992, $69.95). Though geared primarily for the rap community, this book will help anyone with an interest in starting their own label or setting up a successful music business. Goodgridge provides real-life anecdotes mixed with business startup and operational procedures, helpful promotional advice, plus all the dos and dont's of the "game" of getting music heard on the radio, seen on video shows and exposed in magazines.

The book is chock full of useful information but that's just part of its value. The author also inserts "mindchecks" throughout the book--questions and suggestions to keep your mind focused on the task at hand and to help you realistically assess your progress thus far--a precious feature I've never seen anywhere else in books on the music biz. Of course, for those involved in rap and hip-hop styles, this book is a goldmine (perhaps even a platinum-mine). Towards this end numerous rap "promotion lists" close the book covering radio, retail, video shows, distributors, press, record pools and conferences. The author is planning future volumes for alternative, reggae, jazz and gospel. All power to you Walt!

Online Marketing Handbook: How to Sell, Advertise, Publicize, and Promote Your Products and Services on the Internet and Commercial Online Systems by Daniel S. Janal (Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1995, $24.95 pb ). O.K, so you have a web site, what now? If you've done any net surfing recently you know that about 75% of what's on the web isessentially "dead" information. Why? Because most people use the Internet to post a roadsign about their business when they should be creating a journey. When you post a home page you become a publisher and like any good publisher you have to publish fresh, living information that both attracts and informs. Remember, you're never going to get more attention from any customer than when they are online. Both their hands are on the keyboard, and both their eyes are on the monitor. You are interacting with them. They have pre-selected you. They want to see you. This is a very intimate selling situation. You want to make them say "Wow!" and "I never knew that!" But how?

Author Janal helps get you into the mindset of interactive marketing where audiences are "pulled in" rather than "pushed at". The use of newsgroups, mailing lists, commercial services (like AOL) and the World Wide Web for product and service promotion are each explored. He has researched the options, dug into the details and presents his findings without a single word of techno-babble. Very practical and full of great ideas.

One last note. Before forking over your hard-earned cash for these books, be sure to first check your public library. If they don't have what you're looking for, do an inter-library loan search. If you still can't turn up the title you want, ask your library to order it for their collection. Your tax dollars keep them afloat so they're usually responsive to patrons requests. Happy reading. Mount up!

by Peter Spellman

Director of Career Development at Berklee College of Music, Boston, and author of The Self-Promoting Musician: Do-it-Yourself Strategies for Independent Music Success (Berklee Press). You can find him at Music Business Solutions.