Customer Reviews

All You Need to Know About the Music Business 6th Edition

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this book as soon as I saw it's release, figuring that Don Passman would have had significant updates regarding digital distribution. Specifically I expected a detailed analysis of iTunes's agreement with artists/labels as it currently sells about 80% of purchased digital downloads (also not a mention of CD Baby). I also expected some analysis of the ins and outs of digital distribution agreements, as there are now many digital music aggregators, such as IODA and DMGI. No such luck. While there are some updates, they were pretty light, and this book is still mired in the mainstream music business. Worse, it apparently assumes the bricks-and-mortar world of music selling will continue to be the norm.

Mr. Passman seems to dismiss the brevity of his coverage by explaining that digital sales still represent less than 10% of the sales market. Even so, look at the trend lines -- digital sales has moved from early adopters to mainstream; CD sales are dropping (and sales no longer tell the big story in music -- file-trading probably rivals CD sales in volume of music distributed). There is a difference between technological innovations and a paradigm shift--most people recognize we are in the latter with respect to music.

The earlier editions were comprehensive at the times of their releases; but this edition is not, in my humble opinion, justified as a new edition. What is particularly disappointing is that the music market has been going through dramatic changes since the release of the previous edition; but you wouldn't know it by this book--which has very little in the way of new content. Alas, there is no mention of Creative Commons licensing -- this is a huge, worldwide phenomenon.

It would get 5 stars if the title were "All You Need to Know about the Traditional Music Business", but it terms of addressing the leading-edge trends that will be of interest to most artists starting out, this book falls short.

If you don't have a previous edition, this is still a GREAT book to get you started. Mr. Passman covers a lot of territory and has a friendly, familiar writing style. However, this book is not nearly as valuable, nor comprehensive in terms of being an updated new edition.

Author Passman has created something of a journalistic feat: his book is an attorney's look at the mechanisms of the music industry-usually not a particularly fascinating subject-yet he's made it great fun to read. An LA-based music attorney since the seventies, Passman is boyishly enthusiastic about his subject, and says the book is an outgrowth of his professional need to explain the basic workings of the industry to his artist clients. Though he says he is not writing technically (as if for fellow attorneys), he has nevertheless included virtually all of the checkpoints, or "deal points," that come up in contract negotiations today. The point of view being marketed here is that it pays to be an informed artist or songwriter, even if you think you don't care that much about the business side. Passman's "blurbs," or endorsements, are almost overkill: the likes of artist Don Henley, producer Quincy Jones, and longtime Warner Communications Chairman Mo Ostin. In the light of all this prestige (even the publisher, Prentice Hall, is an old-guard New York house), I couldn't believe that beneath Joe Smith's back- cover endorsement, Capitol-EMI, of which Smith was chair, was misspelled as "Capital." Minor flaw, all things considered, and happily not a predictor of sloppy work inside. Passman is an excellent choice for either personal learning or university-level classroom study. On first hearing, the title seems a bit arrogant, but Passman just about does cover it all. The 1994 second edition is virtually identical to the first, except for a welcome expansion of the opening "First Steps" section, and a detailed explanation of legislation the entire music industry lobbied long and hard to achieve: the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992 (the "home taping" legislation). Passman explains the projected flow of revenues from this act back into the music industry: one third to songwriters and publishers, and two thirds to record companies. Among the nineties books on the business of the music industry, this is one of the very best. Ron Simpson, School of Music, Brigham Young University. Author of MASTERING THE MUSIC BUSINESS.

All You Need to Know About the Music Business by Donald S. Passman is by far the best book to read for insight into the pros and the cons of the music business. Passman's knowledge is superior to any other music book that I have had the pleasure of reading. Many authors have released pertinent information about the realities of the business but Passman's approach is not only insightful but it is relaxing as well. His knowledge coupled with his humor, wit and enthusiasm soothes the anxiety of the reader. Instead of the reader being bombarded with only facts and figures, Donald Passman appears to display a more personal address. In reading All You Need to Know About the Music Business, I felt it was more of a close consultation instead of a structured manuscript. This is why this book is so powerful! It is wonderfully structured to assist the aspiring musician to take control of his or her own career. He reveals the dangers & advantages of advances, royalties, cross-collateralization, publishing, merchandising and touring. Passman gives the reader tips on getting the best record deal possible. He teaches us how to protect our passion, production, music and money! I highly recommend that all aspiring songwriters, producers and musicians read this book. Kudos!

I am an artist about to release an album. Even before I started venturing into self-producing my first album along w/ my producer/friend , I was reading this book nite & day & I even lent it to my manager since we're really not that knowledgeable in the business yet. It really is a must for someone to treat the music industry as business or else , if u don't know how to play the game, the ins-outs of this industry - u must read this book or else you're gonna sink. Donald is an industry professional whom I believe wants to share his knowledge to struggling & aspiring artists/musicians/managers/etc. like me. I highly recommend this book to new artists & those who have plans of crossing over the US music industry. Even if I'm a Filipino living in Manila , the knowledge that this book has given me is worth so much.

This book used to be at #1 on my required reading list until I recently read "Confessions Of A Record Producer" by Moses Avalon (also available here on Amazon.Com). The two books compliment each other very well, and they really should be tied for #1 on my list. This book is written by a music biz attorney, Donald Passman, but it doesn't read like it was written by an attorney. Easy enough to read and follow that you will want to read the whole book. I won't bother detailing what the book talks about, since you can find that through the description. I will say that it is very comprehensive and doesn't leave anything out. It's a practical guide to how the music business works that no musician should be without. Combine this with "Confessions Of a Record Producer" to learn all about the bad side of the biz, and you will have a very strong foundation to get you started!

I am a law school graduate and have worked as a legal officer for a major bank and as a pro musician. This book is very clearly written and is full of essential information that a) You just don't get in most law schools and b) Would cost thousands of dollars in legal fees to get from your own music lawyer IF they had the time to run you through it all (which they don't). This book is now my bible. Also you don't need to be a lawyer to understand it. If you are thinking of getting into the biz in any way, musician, lawyer, manager, producer, indie label, composer etc. you should own this book or the industry will chew you up and spit you out! I can't thank the author enough for giving this material out so generously. It is so well written. I've been seeking this sort of info for years. If you buy only one book on the biz make it this one.

Like the title says, this book is a straight-forward no-nonsense guide to all you need to know about the music business. I have read it several times and I recommend it to all my clients in the entertainment industry.

Wandering through the dark catacombs of the music industry without a flashlight and compass would be a pretty ludicrous effort, and yet many an musician and aspiring industry professional attempt to do just that. Breaking down the wall between the darkness of confusion and the light of understanding All You Need to Know... delves into the basics which make up the foundation of the entertainment industry. Everything you have ever heard about the business is true, it is a cat fight, sucker punch of a risk with as huge of a reward as the possibility of complete failure. With those kind of odds one can only imagine the complexities of its nature, spanning from the legal to the business to the creative to the social and everything in between. Grappling the bigger picture in understanding this web of structure which eludes most in defining the entertainment industry, All You Need To Know... maintains a balance of depth and simplicity throughout. Using easy to follow details of real life examples coupled with in-depth explanations of a multitude of entertainment obstacles from understanding the team of artist, manager, lawyer, agent, label artist relations to the basics of releasing a recording independently or through a label deal to copyrights, trademarks and ownership to touring and merchandising to digital media and beyond, All You Need to Know... thoroughly covers the bases in an understandable nature. Although, like most publications of this nature it is no substitute for common sense, a well versed manager, lawyer or teacher on hand, All You Need to Know... does do more than significantly lay the groundwork for understanding and subsequently conquering many of the normal trials associated with succeeding in the music industry in any fashion. In general All You Need to Know... spans the need for both a general reference guide to the industry and a readable, comprehensible book in its ability to possess both staggering

detail and simplistic, well versed writing. It works as easily for the musician just beginning to plan their music business endeavors as it does the more seasoned industry businessman and everyone in-between enduring the often confusing aspects of this world. Chapters are laid out with a multitude of subheads and than grouped into larger parts in the book making it easy to follow a point as it grows from simple to more complex. It has the flow at times of a real-life story, rather than a dry over-detailed reference, while never forgetting it is an educational tool. All You Need to Know... never fails to deliver the field of music with crystal clear insight and thought provoking depth, providing a beacon of light for anyone who wants to better find their way in the complex maze of the music industry.

for anyone who is interested in being part of the music business. Every teacher at UCLA in the Music Business program recommends this book for their class, and I can see why. Even though I am now in the business itself, I STILL go back and re-read sections because of the great info in here.

Passman knows his stuff. Not only is this book a comprehensive guide to all the twists, turns and pitfalls of making a living as a musician, but it is very user friendly, to boot. Heck, even musicians can understand what he is talking about. Passman might earn a bit of criticism for his 'pro-lawyer' bias, but he is also just being honest that without a good lawyer any reasonably successful musician is going to be eaten alive by record company contractual permutations. Finally, Passman deserves credit for being such a smooth and downright funny author. A rare thing in what appears to be a nuts-and-bolts guide. Bottom line? IF YOU ARE A MUSICIAN YOU NEED TO BUY THIS BOOK.