I Don't Need a Record Deal!: Your Survival Guide for the Indie Music Revolution (Paperback)

~ (Author) "I interviewed about 150 industry people for this book..." (more)
Key Phrases: indie artists, grassroots promotion, indie musicians, Beth Wood, New York, Ezina Moore (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Thousands of people want to be recording stars, but lack a deal with a record label. While today's musicians have all the tools they need to build a recording career on their own-pro-tools for inexpensive recording and home recording, marketing on the Internet, and opportunities to license their music for use in films, television, advertising, and video games-they don't always have the skills to use them. I Don't Need a Record Deal! is a completely comprehensive step-by-step guide to the new world of independent recording. Drawing on interviews from over 150 musicians and industry pros, Schwartz shows readers how to put out a CD and market it through the media, radio, clubs, and retail. But more importantly, she shows musicians how to create a business around music and to develop opportunities for earning a living. Truly a survival guide for novice and professional musicians alike, I Don't Need a Record Deal! brings information on developing one's own independent music career together, adding new resources and taking the reader into the future of music.

About the Author

DAYLLE DEANNA SCHWARTZ is a music industry consultant, self-empowerment counselor, and successful author of many books including I Don’t Need a Record Deal and The Real Deal: How to Get Signed to a Record Label. She has appeared on more than 300 television and radio shows, including Oprah and Howard Stern, and has been quoted in many publications, such as the New York Times and Billboard. Schwartz lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Billboard Books (June 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823079481
• ISBN-13: 978-0823079483
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #227,074 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not such a good deal.., September 13, 2007

By	K. B. Parks "Truth in Advertising" (U.S.A.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you are looking for a book to tell you, "..don't get discouraged..keep trying..look people in the eye..give a firm handshake..don't forget to say thank you..", and other various cliches and platitudes, then this might just be the book for you. It will even help you decide what fast food to eat. As for me, after the first hundred pages of fluff, I felt that I was seriously wasting my time.

If you are looking for solid, detailed business advice, you are sure to be disappointed. For example, when discussing whether to use ASCAP or BMI, you are advised to use whichever one you think will do the best for you. That is not advice. How about a real comparison between them? When should you join? What might be a possible negative against joining? What is the difference in their perspectives? What is the difference in their payment formula? You can get more information from a Google search than from this book.

I am suspicious when I see shallow books getting wall-papered with flowery five-star reviews. It is hard enough to select books online, without having to deal with all that glowing misrepresentation.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING BOOK for indie artists!, September 12, 2005

By	A new fan (New York) - See all my reviews

This book is a MUST READ for any indie artist, not only because of the solid advice and suggestions from people who are doing it themselves and having success, but because as artists we forget that the game has changed, and if we do what we love, we'll be able to make music AND keep more of the money from CD sales, and not be swayed by thinking we NEED the major labels to be successful. Daylle Deanna Schwartz is a godsend for reminding us of this in such a powerful way. She doesn't just talk the talk, she's actually walked the walk, and doesn't stop there. She interviews people who have had the "big deal" and are well known, and she also interviews people who aren't household names, but have been making a good living at what they love, and getting their music out into the world, allowing them to grow a bigger and bigger fan base. She also makes a point that the book isn't 'anti-major record deal', but just 'pro-artist', and encourages a record deal if it's a GOOD one. I've read a few of Daylle's books, one of them a relationship book, and she makes the same life-defining point in that book as well: if you want a record deal OR a man, get a life that you love first! This way you can choose wisely, and walk away if the 'right one' doesn't come along!

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What you need to know to survive the music biz, September 26, 2005

By	James E. Hearn "James Hearn" (Between the North Star and the Old Country) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ms. Schwartz is exactly right. You always hear about the big name artists on the big name labels, but that's not most of us. MOst of us will never have that chance, nor do most of us want that chance anymore. "I Don't Need a Record Deal" is great for anyone looking to have a serious go at the music industry. It IS possible to make a living in the record business without having to sell your veritable soul in order to succeed.