Music Is Your Business: The Musician's FourFront Marketing and Legal Guide

For musicians and independent record labels This book takes the mystery out of the music business. You need to know how the music industry works, and you need accurate legal information targeted to your career—whether you’re an experienced performer or just starting out.

Music industry veteran Christopher Knab is a DIY pioneer. His honest, no-nonsense information empowers you to sell, promote, publicize, and perform your music. Learn how to work with industry professionals, prepare a career plan and publicity campaign, connect with your fanbase, grab the attention of distributors, get radio airplay, negotiate offers for live performances, and create a demand for your music with traditional methods and social networking strategies.

Entertainment law attorney Bartley F. Day’s straight-to-the-point legal chapters include: Making Sense of Music Industry Contracts, Recording a Cover Version, Trademarking Band Names, Insider Tips for Hiring a Music Attorney, Filing Copyright Applications, Recording Contract Advances and Royalty Rates, and a chapter on the controversial 360 Deals now offered by many record labels.

This edition is filled with topics, including: Radio’s Reasons Not to Play a Record, and favorites like, Ten Reasons Why Musicians Fail (and How Not To), and Con Jobs: Watch Out for the Flim-Flam Man. There’s a sample Four Front Music Marketing Plan, a Distributor One-Sheet, a Band Tour and Work Schedule, a Band Bio, and much, much more.

At 343 pages, this edition is over 70 pages longer than the 3rd edition. Revised, illustrated, and indexed, the 4th edition of Music Is Your Business is the essential book for independent musicians and record labels, and is used as a college and university textbook.

CHRISTOPHER KNAB is the owner of FourFront Media and Music, a Seattle-based consultation service dedicated to helping musicians help themselves with the business of music. He is the former owner of the Aquarius Record store in San Francisco and was president of the Northwest Area Music Association. He served as the Station Manager of Seattle’s alternative radio station KCMU (now KEXP 90.3FM), and was the co-founder and Vice President of 415/Columbia Records. He was on the faculty of the Music Business and Audio Production programs at the Art Institute of Seattle for 20 years.

He co-wrote a chapter on distribution options for independent labels in the book The Musician’s Business and Legal Guide (Prentice-Hall Publishing/Beverly Hills Bar Association). His website was founded in 1995 and continues to feature articles and podcasts to help bands and artists learn how to promote, market, and sell their music. Christopher can be reached at chris@chrisknab.net

BART DAY is a partner in the entertainment law firm of Day and Koch LLP, Portland, Oregon, and has a national entertainment law and copyright/trademark practice. He has been involved for over twenty-five years in a wide array of music, film, and television projects, and has represented many nationally-known musicians, songwriters, producers, record companies, and distributors. Bart previously worked as an attorney for a Honolulu concert promotion company, as VP of Business Affairs for a Los Angeles entertainment company, and as outside counsel for Universal Studios.

From 1986 to 2005, Bart wrote a monthly legal advice column for a music business magazine. He has also co-authored a chapter about record companies in the book The Musician's Business and Legal Guide (Prentice-Hall Publishing/Beverly Hills Bar Association) and was recently elected as a member of the Board of Governors of the Recording Academy (Pacific Northwest Chapter), presenter of the Grammy Awards. He has also been a panelist and speaker at many national entertainment industry conferences over the years, including SXSW and the Sundance Producers Conference.