Customer Reviews

The Musician's Guide to Making & Selling Your Own Cds & Cassettes

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you are looking for practical tips, you hit the jackpot with this book. There is so much useful and instantly usable information here that I happily read it cover to cover several times, each time gleaning new ways I could apply the info to my own budding musical career.

This book is a godsend for independent musicians, for aspiring songwriters, for frustrated singer/songwriters and for anyone who has been unable to break into the traditional, mainstream music biz.

It's inspiring to hear how Jana took control of her own musical career and she shows how we all can do it, too.

It's rare when a book about 'making it' in the music industry doesn't either promise too much (while overlooking the harsh realities of the business) - or - goes too far the other way, focusing on doom and gloom. Jana's book is a fair and balanced look at the nuts and bolts of making and selling your music.

I often go to this book as a reference for the practical tips, but always come away inspired by Jana's unique way of looking at life.

When I purchased Jana Stanfield's book, The Musician's Guide to Making & Selling your own CDs & Cassettes, I had no idea just how appropriate it would be for me. While I have not yet heard Jana's music, I confess immediately that I'm in the choir she is preaching to. I am a singer-songwriter "wannabe", but I also have fifteen years of continuous self-employment as an attorney behind me. The result is that I recognize the business wisdom Jana brings to her topic. And that wisdom is substantial and obviously acquired in the school of hard knocks. Yet she has managed to maintain a very positive and inventive perspective on life as a working musician. A handful of topics addressed in the book could certainly have been dealt with in more detail, such as royalty computations and the companies that collect them, and business tax and accounting matters, to name a few. But given her motivation and qualification, I think Jana has done a very good job of raising flags above these issues so that readers are warned that they require additional attention. Elsewhere, the insights into the daily life of a performing songwriter are wonderfully revealing. Jana dispels numerous myths attached to this world. She makes a powerful case for retiring the dream of major-label stardom in favor of a well-lived life. And she's done it in spite of the fact that there really is no "circuit" that these musicians travel. She offers living proof that anyone can create their own, customized circuit. Her approach to taking the grind out of traveling is refreshing. Above all, I came away genuinely reassured that with inventiveness, persistence, flexibility, a degree of talent, and zero reliance on luck, I could do it too. And without having to ditch my current life and moving to a major music center. Thanks, Jana!

I ran across this book while trying to find ways to market my poetry. The book was packed with "hands on" information and the kind of cheerleading inspiration that helps you believe you can do this. While the book is oriented to the musician, it works for spoken word folks also.
If you are unlucky enough to be stuck in a big city or major metro area, you may find that this is less useful to you. Consider moving to a smaller town to use the ideas.
I have been a performer to supplement my income for many years. Her ideas have helped me open a new marketing opportunity. This is not an idle "thought process" for me. I have recorded and am selling my first CD and did the major recording for my second one earlier today. Her ideas helped me do it.
If you are serious about being creative with your work, this will help you. If you are not serious, it is still a good read and you can pass it on to someone who will use it.

I don't even have a CD to sell, and I love this book by Jana Stanfield. When I first discovered it, I had self-published 2 books that I sold via mail order and at the back of the room when I gave a speech or facilitated a seminar. Even just one or two tid bits of the practical advice in this book made it worth far more than I paid for it. Book sales increased as soon as I implemented Jana's (always simple) suggestions.

Since my first discovery of the book, I have had several books published, including my latest with Harper Collins. And I still never go on the road without using what Jana taught me with Making & Selling Your Own CD's & Cassettes.

This book is for anyone --- author, musician, snake-oil salesman -- who wants to sell what you create. Do what you love, then read Jana's book, and the money just might follow. Thanks Jana.

-Thom Rutledge, author of Embracing Fear

Jana's book is a great asset for any of us who are on the road and desire that our work get in front of our audience. She spells out everything a performer would need to know in order to make their recordings.
Thanks Jana!...

I am one of the working 'pros' quoted in this book. Jana Stanfield, the author, is not only an extremely talented singer/songwriter, she is a brilliant businessperson and has gathered together all the information you'll need to make your own CDs and cassettes. If you are a serious musician who is tired of waiting for the established music business to hand you your big break, use this book to make your own big break. Jana Stanfield shows you how. -- Christine Lavin

This book combines a practical step-by-step walk-through of the independent musician's career with inspirational thoughts and anecdotes. The combination gives current or aspiring independent musicians the tools we need to hone and market our craft, and more importantly, to live off of our music. At the same time, the book's hopeful message gives readers the courage to go for it!

I haven't actually put all of Jana's techniques into practice (yet) but only because I just laid eyes on the book yesterday and have already almost read it cover-to-cover! Because i am not starting out cold (I'm in a working original band), I saw some things that we were already doing outlined, and so i already knew those ideas worked. But we figured that stuff out by trial and error- lots of error!- so it's great to have these things laid out in a (visually well-designed) book...I saw other ideas that we'd never thought of that I immediately recognized would work great for us...and I saw so many nuggets of truth from Jana and the artists & industry insiders she references that immediately spoke to me - actually YELLED at me - "OUR BAND SHOULD BE HANDLING THINGS THIS WAY!" Best of all I can tell that the author really cares about MUSIC more than making money, yet has successfully sought and now is generous enough to share (thank you Jana!) ways to make music a full time living and a successful career without depending on "getting a break." I read this book and it reaffirms that if you want to succeed in music you can't WAIT for it to happen TO you...you can make it happen FOR you because you can have control over your future. This book is nuts-and-bolts, and includes layouts you can use for promotion and legal matters you have to tackle, but in the most palatable format I have seen to date. Write-on, Jana Stanfield!

Jana Stanfield makes a very convincing case for singer/songwriters recording and marketing their own music. After reading this book, I realized that what I wanted was to become more involved with my own destiny and now I have the guide to make it happen. She is very thorough about all of the small details that would slip up someone who is beginning to take on a project such as this. I first read it through my public library system and was so impressed that I had to buy my own copy! Thanks, Jana!

If you're reading this you are most likely well-aware that the music business is one tough, competitive business! But, as the Musician's Guide To Making & Selling Your Own CDs & Cassettes brings out, you don't need a shelf full of Grammys to be a successful songwriter, singer or musician. Jana Stanfield guides you in how you can define your own "outrageous success" and how to have the musical freedom that comes along with producing your own albums.

If you've ever dreamed of getting out there and 'living' what you love the most--your music--this book is for you! If you've always dreamed of playing your music, having people enjoy it, having a large following, making your own albums and, yes, even supporting yourself by doing so, this book is for you!

Even if you're already making your own albums, this book offers creative ways to sell more--and from someone who makes the majority of her income by marketing herself--through concert appearances & the sale of her CDs and cassettes!

Also full of inspiration, this book is written in such a way that you truly feel Jana is speaking directly to you as a friend, telling you, "You CAN define your own outrageous success!" She encourages you to look at your career in a new way that can help you live your dreams faster than you ever imagined!