Best Book on the Business I've Ever Read

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

Confessions of a Record Producer

This book provides some useful information, but contains quite a few errors. It seems Mr. Avalon (who for some unexplained reason is apparently afraid to use his real name) has a bone to pick with the music industry. Maybe he's one of those guys who just couldn't make it and is resentful. For a more accurate take on the music biz, check out Don Passman's "All You Need To Know About The Music Business" and "The Musicians Business and Legal Guide (by various authors). Also, there's a really good, easy to understand book on copyright law called "Music Copyright For The New Millennium" which is worth a read as well.

excellent book

read this book! I heave read it many times and still go back to it regularly, excellent resource nice job! the other contract book is good to, (a little more difficult to read due to its nature) but also an excellent resource!!

this guy is really good!

did i mention i record music for a living.