Music 2.0 -essays by Gerd Leonhard (Paperback)

~ Gerd Leonhard (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

As a fellow digital music advisor/veteran myself, and a collaborator with Gerd, I can wholeheartedly say that his Music 2.0 book is a 'must-read' for those who operate in the trenches of the digital music world. His insights and ideas are well worth reviewing if you're in search of a roadmap to navigate what comes next in this dynamic space. Highly recommended! February 25, 2008 --Kelli Richards, President & CEO, The All Access Group

I had the privilege to read Gerd's book a bit in advance of the official release and I can say I was stricken by his vision, which I largely share. if you want to have in idea of what might happen in the Music business area, I strongly advise you to read Music 2.0! I was really looking forward to read Gerd's Music 2.0 as his Future of Music" book has been really inspiring for me during the last 3 years. Music 2.0 is even better and I'm really convinced that in 3/5 years we will all be saying : Yes , Gerd was right. A must read if you want to work in the music business March 12, 2008 Andrea Rosi, COO, Vitaminic SPA Gerd is terrific. He served on the NFL's special innovator focus group for Turnkey Sports, and provided amazing insights and led the conversation in places we never expected. He's someone who draws creativity from everyone around him. March 10, 2008 David Stys, Project Director, Turnkey Sports & Entertainment I have watched Gerd talking at conferences a number of times and been following his blog(s) for a long time but finally I have his main ideas in one book as oppose to having to looking around in different places on the web. A great read! March 10, 2008 Jonas Woost, Head of Music, Last.fm --Linkedin

This collection of thoughts by Gerd gives a clear vision of where the music and content industry should go: (open std & interoperability)+social networking = more revenues. March 10, 2008 --Fernando Mantovani, Manager of Content Relations, Sony Network Services, Salzburg, Austria

Product Description

Music2.0 is an inspiring and invigorating collection of Music & Media Futurist Gerd Leonhard's best essays and blog posts on the future of the music industry. The book continues and expands on the ideas and models Gerd presented in his first book The Future of Music (co-written with Dave Kusek, published by Berklee Press, 2005), which has become a must-read work within the music industry, worldwide, and was translated into German, Spanish and Italian. Music2.0 clearly describes what the next generation of music companies will actually look like; hence the use of the term Music2.0, a catch-all phrase derived from the increasingly over-used Web 2.0. In this book, Gerd does not mince his words when it s about spelling things out, and his style is both engaging as well as hard-hitting and provocative. Looking back at the raw material for this book - Gerd's 1,000+ blog posts and over 20 long-form essays - it is evident that by far the most often covered subject is what many people have come to call Music 2.0, i.e. the new principles that will define the next iteration of the music business. The Music2.0 term was not invented by Gerd but is now closely connected with many other terms and portmanteaus that Gerd has co-created such as Music Like Water, the Flat Rate for Music, Feels Like Free (FLF), the Usator, Friction is Fiction, and the People Formerly Known As Consumers. Gerd has written and blogged about digital music and the next generation of the music industry for over four years, in airplanes, taxis, trains, busses, hotel lobbies, conference halls, and occasionally, at home. 1000s of other writers and bloggers have linked to or quoted Gerd s work and his writings have influenced many startups and big media companies, alike. During those years, Gerd's message and opinions have evolved but his bottom- lines and visions have not changed a whole lot. While reading the book it is often exciting to see that many of Gerd's predictions have indeed come true, by now, such as the major record labels dropping DRM, in late 2007. Music2.0 presents the best of Gerd's writings from the past four years without altering the original content too heavily in order to preserve the timeliness and context of when it was actually written. As the reader moves from 2003 to 2007, the evolution of various ideas and expressions can clearly be observed, and this will make for an engaging reading experience, as well even as the reader jumps back and forth. Enjoy Music2.0!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 227 pages
• Publisher: Gerd Leonhard, Mediafuturist (February 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0016OP0FE
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #934,397 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great reading!!, April 4, 2009

By	Beni Goldenberg "The Surfer" (Sao Paulo, Brazil) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The music industry should have read Gerd Leonhard articles before.
A lot of his ideas are now standard. The business as a whole could have been more profitable.The record labels and publishers should listen to the costumers instead of old business models.

5.0 out of 5 stars Professor Susan Gaide, October 22, 2008

By	Susan Gaide "Music Biz Prof" (Long Island, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a music business educator at Five Towns College, I use Music2.0 every day. It is the most valuable resource I know of for young musicians who want to achieve success independently in the music industry. In my opinion, it is "must" reading, written by one of the music industry's true genius futurists.

5.0 out of 5 stars Courage and insight, in a book!, September 16, 2008

By	Michael Tiemann (Chapel Hill, NC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Gerd Leonhard's writings come from a position that is both inside the music industry (Gerd was a performing musician for many years) and decidedly outside as well. From his insider's position, he knows well what the ecosystem needs, especially what artists need and what audiences of all kinds need. He courageously speaks truth about the arrogance, indifference, and obdurate ignorance that the music industry displays, day in and day out, as they attempt to hold on to a broken model that existed more as a fluke than because of any genius or intention.

And, as one begins to understand by seeing the timeline of his essays, the music industry, which is collapsing as profoundly as the sub-prime mortgage industry, is Just Not Listening. But just because music industry executives are ignoring his ideas does not mean that you should, especially because the future of music is going to be defined, ultimately, by a political solution. It will be music industry lobbyists vs. the public.

Gerd's book informs what is actually at stake, and how, as a capitalistic society and as a political democracy and as an emergent digital culture, we can define the boundaries and rules that make music at least somewhat sustainable and somewhat fair. Read it and help bring about a bright future for popular music. Or ignore it, and we will see the music industry look more and more like our automotive industry: building cars that nobody likes based on economics that no longer exist, supported by government policies based on hearing only one side of the story.