

Depending upon who you are as a music professional, it’s either a very scary, depressing time or a very exciting, creative time.
For those who are/were part of the old model of the music business, when record companies ruled the world and getting signed was the way (as in the only way) to make it in the recording industry, things are not going so well. The A & R execs and others tied into the mega-conglomerate side of the biz are finding themselves shut out as the market for recorded music issued on CDs shrinks smaller and smaller.
For those who are part of the new model, developing artists and then creating and marketing their music, merchandise, and live performances directly to the fans, there is a freedom to innovate, to get outside-the-box in monetizing the careers of up-and-coming recording artists.
It is a confusing time, though, for those trying to make the transition from the old model and those just coming into the business, not to mention those trying to understand the evolution of the music business from the outside. The general public is starting to think of music as something you get for free off the internet, or buy a song at a time rather than as a complete album. How can an industry sustain itself with a revenue drip-drip-drip instead of a revenue stream coming in?
Musician/producer/engineer/professor/writer Bobby Owsinski has provided a very readable, comprehensive guide to the current music business, aptly titled Music 3.0: A Survival Guide for Making Music in the Internet Age
. He starts out by introducing the original (or 1.0) version of the business and the subsequent phases (1.5, 2.0, 2.5) and then presents an overview of the 3.0 model, which is essentially a direct link between the artist and the fan, with traditional record labels, as well as record stores and old-school radio stations (and charts) cut out of the mix.
The rest of the book covers the power players in the business, new marketing and distribution, survival rules, examples of artists who are doing it right, and a section that would be particularly well-worn if I were an artist or manager: “How to Make Money in Today’s Music World.” Owsinski is a music industry vet with contacts in all sectors of the business and he provides quotes throughout and one-on-one interviews with them in the last section. This provides a more diverse point-of-view to the book overall and introduces additional tips, expertise, and ongoing resources (since many of these people have companies, blogs and/or books to seek out).
The only downside to the book is that it’s so dense it will require several reads to really absorb the bulk of the key points. This is not a fault of the book, but just a consequence of having so much information to pass along on one topic. But after the initial read, delving into individual chapters as needed will allow budding music industry professionals to take in and apply what they have learned immediately to their own projects and career journey.
In addition to picking up Music 3.0: A Survival Guide for Making Music in the Internet Age I also recommend checking out Bobby Owsinski’s two blogs, Music 3.0: The Blog Behind the Book and Bobby Owsinski’s Big Picture Blog. He also just released The Music Producer’s Handbook: Music Pro Guides
, which I’m sure is just as educational and readable as Music 3.0. If anyone gets to it before I do, let me know what you think!
Note: If you click on the book cover at the top of the post (like most of the books and DVDs pictured on this site), you will be taken to Amazon, where you can buy this book and/or anything else you want and the gremlins that put this blog together while I sleep will get four cents or something. Consider it well-earned.