Customer Reviews

Confessions of a Record Producer: How to Survive the Scams and Shams of the Music Business

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

IF YOU PLAN TO WORK IN THE INDUSTRY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK. It describes royaties to artist and how you may not see them. Scams pulled on bands.Items that should be in your contracts. How record companies rip you off. Examples on how songs are stolen. How producers hide money for themselves. Independent labels, Majors and Distribution both Major and Indie. Moses Avalon takes you from the first steps through the entire music industry process and tells you how much money you will have at the end(theorectically). This book is the one you should buy before all others.

This book takes you through almost every aspect of the music industry. He tells you of scams of entertainment lawyers to dirty tricks by the big labels. At the same time he opens your eyes to just how successful you have to be to make money of your recordings (more than you think). A must read for people even considering a career in the music industry. All this is done with a sense of humor and language you can understand. Complete with real life examples. Great book.

You dont have to be aiming at a future record deal to be interested in such a book. Even as an avid music fan you will find information and inside knowledge here that will enlighten you in the mysterious and more often than not wicked ways the music industry works.

It's a great eye-opener then, one that will obviously be more useful to musicians who are either looking forward to getting a deal or were not satisfied in their initial one. Written by a producer with years-long experience in the business, it provides crucial info on what to be careful about concerning:

-contracts and the various angles one should be careful in order to avoid a bad deal (a story often read about concerning groups or solo artists).
-differences in signings between majors and indie labels. An in-depth analysis on the difference between an indie label and a major.
-an explanation on the finances of such deals.
-copyright and sampling analysis.

The above are just headlines of course, as each chapter is very comprehensive and covers to a very adequate degree the subject it deals with. Written in simple language so that all the legal mumbo-jumbo becomes understandable for the layman, and with a healthy dose of humour and cynicism to drive the various points home, it's a great book to go through. Categorised according to subject for easy and simple reference.

"Confessions of a Record Producer" demolishes a lot of myths about the music business and reshapes certain false sources of ill-gotten optimism that new musicians nurture and which lead them into well-documented traps. What in fact is introduced here first and foremost is hardcore realism. Without that element anyone entering in negotiations with the music industry is a sheep among wolves.

Before reading this book I was very anxious to enter the music world as a producer, having a slight idea of what I needed to do to accomplish that goal. Well, I realize that I did not even know the difference between a Label, a record company and a distributor and the role each plays in getting a record to the shelves of Sam Goody or HMV at your local mall. Moses breaks down every aspect of the Music Biz, from writer, to artist, to producer, to session musician and even explains how each gets paid! He Even explains why you see so many logos on the back of every record you buy. It is an effort of many people and many different companies in direct collaboration with each other.

This is very valuable information for anyone in the Music Biz. I feel that I am better prepared now than I was 4 days ago..the time it took me to read this book I simply could not put down once I started reading.

Mr. Avalon explains all the "Industry Jargon" in plain simple english anyone with at least a high school level education can understand.

The best part of the book is how he even breaks down the "dirty" scams that everyone tries to impose on an artists/producer or writer.

I Pity the fool who signs a contract with a major record label for 3 Million dollars and 5 albums w/o reading this book. They will, like TLC, file for bankruptcy after selling 11 million records..find out why...

When I picked up this book I expected another boring book from some out of touch "has been" trying to make a buck. Instead I found a book full of insight. Half way through the book I was blown away with the amount of knowledge (and I still had half a book to go).

Fact: the music business is full of weasels. They feed on the excitement of new (naive) artists, get them to sign a poor contract, and milk them dry. Well this book shows you the business from many including the artist, producer, label, and lawyers side (and more).

From assembling your team of managers, lawyers, producers, to payola and kickbacks, to copyrights, publishing royalties, sneaking lawyers tricks Moses covers everything in great detail. Typically when a book is this thorough there are parts that you end up skipping as it doesn't apply, but Moses insights of the "squeezing", back stabbing, and shenanigans kept me glued to every page.
If you are thinking that life would be great if you could just get signed to a major label, you REALLY need to read this. Moses shows you how you can sell 1,000,000 records and still owe money (if you're not careful). He shows you every detail, and then brings it home by breaking down in a table format (making it easy to see exactly where the money goes). The section titled "A Major Label Deal is like having a Credit Card at 66% was extremely eye opening.

OK, anybody can throw number on a page. So who is Moses Avalon? It turns out he has worked with Warner Brothers, Atlantic, and BMG. He has worked Grammy wining artists (he has worked on 5 platinum recordings). He is also a composer who has had his compositions used in commercials, and award winning independent films.

If you are someone looking for management, or getting airplay now and on the verge of breaking, READ THIS BOOK. When snakes surround you, it pays to know which ones are poisonous.

Dave Jackson
Musician's Cyber Cooler

I`m not saying this is a bad book but it is a little on the dry side. The stories are supposedly fact but there seems too be a little too much of the same thing going on so the book could have been 1/2 the length.

Not only is this book (and it's sequel, "Secrets of Negotiating a Record Contract") the real deal, so is the man who wrote it. I was so impressed by this, his first book that I contacted him as a consultant on a producer/artist agreement I was negotiating (I am a producer). My goal was to come up with something that was actually fair to both parties and Moses got us to that point quickly. His suggestions were works of innovation that surprised and satisfied everyone.

I also attended his 2-day seminar which dissects recording contracts. Here he dispelled the many misconceptions I had about record companies and their contracts AND he helped me to understand what is really being said in these contracts (and it's scary!).

He is not a lawyer, but one of the most insightful men I've met. Lawyers pay HIM for his advice. He REALLY understands contracts and explain things in a manner no one else seems to be able to do - it must be a sixth sense.. Highly recommended reading. Both his books should be permanent reference books for anyone in the music business. Besides, they're fun reads, unlike most other "how-to" music-biz books.

This is my new favorite book on the music business, and I've read a lot of them! It went straight to the top of my required reading list for anyone interested in a music business career. This book tells you what the other books won't. This is not a "how to" guide to music business success, but it will tell you what to watch out for, and makes you reconsider if going after the elusive Major Label Record Deal is really worth it or not. It breaks down the numbers of a typical recording deal in terms that everyone can understand and shows you how you most likely will never see ANY record sales royalties from a major label deal as a new artist. This book prepares you so that you won't get taken advantage of by anyone in the music business.

Every one could write rave reviews about this book, and you still wouldn't be sure. I bought the book in 2000, on the advice of some panelists at a music conference. The plain talk translations were amazing. He explained some of the horror stories you hear (I always wondered how platinum artists could be bankrupt, now I know). Shortly afterward, I picked up Secrets of Negotiating a Record Contract. Both books are excellent. Go to a book store or a library; flip through the book yourself. You will be hooked. You'll have to have your own copy. It's the best investment you could make in your music career. Don't get cheated out of all your hard work.

As a songwriter of many years but a relative novice when it comes to the "business" this book is a must read. It covers the topics that are important for people to know like publishing. It arms the reader with the knowledge that gives you the power of confidence when dealing with the business side of the music business. I can see why the lawyer left a less than favorable review. The book gives away some of their secrets and and makes you aware of some of their behaviors that manipulate deals in your favor and not. I can see why the lawyer would take issue. Too bad. The author calls it as he sees it. Well written and keeps you interested chapter to chapter.