How To Make It in the New Music Business: Practical Tips on Building a Loyal Following and Making a Living as a Musician by Ari Herstand is our music book of the week. You can download the audiobook for free at Audible when you sign up for a 30 day free trial. You can cancel at any time. Read about the book below and see testimonials about it.
“Ari is at the front of the front. He gets it. I’ve read a hundred how-to-make-it-in-the-music-biz books, and this one is today’s definitive, comprehensive manual.” ―Jack Conte, 150+ million YouTube views, Pomplamoose, CEO of Patreon
Forget everything you think you know about the odds of “making it” in the music industry. Today, odds mean nothing and success is not about lucky breaks. It’s about conquering social media, mastering the art of merchandising and simply working harder and being smarter than everyone else. We are living in the midst of an industry renaissance, one that has left the record companies desperately struggling to maintain their prominence, as a subculture of dedicated, DIY (do-it-yourself) musicians have taken over. These days talent is a given and success has to be earned.
In 2008, Ari Herstand boldly turned in his green Starbucks apron to his manager, determined to make a living off his craft as a singer/songwriter. Almost a decade later, he has become a founding member of the new DIY movement and a self-sustaining musician, all without the help of a major label. Now, drawing from years of experience, Herstand has written the definitive guide for other like-minded artists, the ones who want to forge their own path and not follow the traditional markers of success, like record sales, hits on the radio or the amount of your label advance. Incredibly comprehensive and brutally honest throughout, How to Make It in the New Music Business covers every facet of the “new” business, including how to:
•Build a grass-roots fan base―and understand the modern fan
•Book a profitable tour, and tips for playing live, such as opening vs. headlining etiquette, and putting on a memorable show
•Become popular on YouTube, Spotify and SoundCloud
•Get songs placed in film and television
•Earn royalties you didn’t know existed and reach your crowdfunding goals
•Musicians will not only be introduced to all the tools available today but will be shown how to effectively leverage them to actually make money. More important, they will develop the mindset to be aware of new advancements both online and in the real world and always stay in tune with a constantly evolving landscape.
There has never been a better time to be an independent musician. Today, fans can communicate with their idols by simply picking up their phones, artists are able to produce studio-worthy content from their basement and albums are funded not by “record men” but by generous, engaged supporters. As result, How to Make It in the New Music Business is a must-have guide for anyone hoping to navigate the increasingly complex yet advantageous landscape that is the modern music industry.
About Ari Herstand
Most musicians now know Ari Herstand (pronounced Ar*ee Her*stand) as the guy who has helped them fly with their instruments, book national tours, get songs placed on TV and make more money with their music career – without the help of a label. Herstand’s music business advice blog, Ari’s Take has become the go-to resource for DIY musicians worldwide.
He released the best-selling book on the new music industry entitled, How To Make it In The New Music Business (Norton/Liveright Publishing) on December 20th, 2016. It remains at the top of the Amazon charts and has been widely adopted by music business schools worldwide.
Ari Herstand is a DIY musician who has played over 600 shows around the country, has opened for or toured with Ben Folds, Cake, Matt Nathanson, The Milk Carton Kids and Ron Pope, has performed on Ellen, and has had his music featured in countless TV shows, commercials and films.
Herstand is a staff writer for Digital Music News and has also written for many of the top musician trade magazines and websites including Music Connection Magazine, American Songwriter, Playback Magazine, CD Baby, Tunecore, Reverbnation, Roland, Discmakers, ASCAP, Hypebot and others. He has been a featured speaker at SF MusicTech, SXSW, ASCAP Music Expo, CD Baby’s DIY Musician Conference and Berklee College of Music.
As an actor, he has co-starred in TV shows including Transparent, Aquarius, Mad Men, 2 Broke Girls, The Fosters, Sam & Cat and Touch.
Testimonials via Amazon
Dennis Long
Ari – where were you years ago when I needed you? I love Ari’s no BS style, his depth of wisdom on the topic, his sense of humor and his overall logical approach to the subject. I believe this will help me to actually move to the next level in my musical endeavors. If you are interested in this topic, this is a must-read.
Grant E. Warrens
If you are working to become successful in the music business, either as an artist or producer, AND ON YOUR OWN PERSONAL TERMS, this book is an ABSOLUTE MUST READ. Other reviews say things like, “The best book I’ve ever read on making it in the music business”. I totally agree.
It covers everything you need to know. Let me repeat this for emphasis: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW. And it’s very readable and easy to follow. Brilliant!
Once you’ve read this book, I can also recommend some Udemy courses by Christopher Greenwood on marketing for musicians. (They regularly go on sale for $10). He’s a musician who markets himself brilliantly. ( He also does a monthly online program called Fanbase University. I signed up for the first month which is $20, which gets you access to a lot of great videos, plus you can email him with any questions. I give him five stars, too!
Udemy does a lot of great courses: Social medial marketing, piano, guitar, Logic, ProTools, etc. Plus Office, Word, Excel, Mac and PC tutorials, and a lot more. $10 is a great deal. Five stars for them, too!
Another great book: The Future of The Music Business (How To Succeed with the New Digital Technologies) by Steve Gordon.
But I still recommend you read Ari’s book first. It’s one of the best investments any musician can make in their career.