D.I.Y.

What Books Should Every DIY Musician & New Music Industry Pro Read?

image from hypebot.typepad.comWe're updating our music industry and musician's book store, and want your suggestions.  We've got a pretty strong list, but who better to add to it than Hypebot and MusicThinkTank readers? Visit the store, and let us know what you think we should add in the comments below. 

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23 Comments

  1. Hey Bruce,
    I’m big on learning through story and history. Some great reads along those lines that aren’t in the list are:
    Have Gun Will Travel (Ronin Ro)
    Hammer of the Gods (Stephen David)
    Hit Men (Fredric Dannen)
    So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star (Jacob Slichter)
    I realize these don’t fall under marketing but I still find them to be very helpful.
    Also, while not books I can suggest some great perspective can be taken from the films “Before the Music Died” and of course “Spinal Tap”. The latter is the best and most accurate documentary ever.

  2. I’m wondering if some of those books cover the same ground as others and could be removed due to repetitiveness. I love reading about the music industry, but that just seemed like a lot. I’m sure it can be streamlined.
    With that being said How Music Works by David Byrne was a good source of info and Here, There, and Everywhere by Geoff Emmerick changed the way I viewed the recording and mixing process as a whole. The second is also a nice slice of general unbiased Beatles history from someone who worked with the band, but wasn’t in the band.
    http://www.chancius.com

  3. Surprised “Blink” is on the list but not “Tipping Point.” I recommend “Bill Graham Presents” as a good historical music biz read, especially for anyone looking to be a promoter or agent.
    You can probably take the 6th edition of Passman’s book off the list since the 7th is on there.

  4. Thanks for the suggestions. Keep ’em coming.
    I’ve wondered how far outside of music business books we should go – general business, marketing, philosophy? Thoughts?

  5. My bestselling book Advance Your Image (http://amzn.to/rbmRPJ) provides advice and tips specifically for recording artists on giving media interviews, presenting oneself to a label or publisher, and putting together an image that works with your music and personality. The index includes a list of questions artists should expect when meeting with a label for a potential record deal, and questions he or she should themselves and the label to determine if a label deal is necessary or makes sense for their career.

  6. No particular order:
    Anything You Want—Derek Sivers
    Contagious: Why Things Catch On—Jonah Berger
    Disrupt: Think the Unthinkable to Spark Transformation in Your Business—Luke Williams
    Evil Plans: Having Fun on the Road to World Domination—Hugh MacLeod
    The Filter Bubble: How the New Personalized Web Is Changing What We Read and How We Think—Eli Pariser
    Free Ride: How Digital Parasites are Destroying the Culture Business, and How the Culture Business Can Fight Back—Robert Levine
    Freeloading—Chris Ruen
    I Live in the Future & Here’s How It Works: Why Your World, Work, and Brain Are Being Creatively Disrupted—Nick Bilton
    Killing Giants: 10 Strategies to Topple the Goliath in Your Industry—Stephen Denny
    The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses—Eric Ries
    The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business—Charles Duhigg
    Ticket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Public Got Scalped—Dean Budnick, Josh Baron

  7. How to Get a Job in the Music Industry – Keith Hatschek
    All You Need To Know About The Music Business – Donald S. Passman
    The Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell

  8. Hey guys, I appreciate the list.
    But I’m afraid that any list that is missing the following books I can’t take completely seriously…
    1: Your Band is a Virus – James Moore
    2: How Music Works – David Byrne
    3: The Impact Equation – Chris Brogan & Julien Smith
    4: The WAR of ART & Do the Work – Steven Pressfield
    5: Contagious – Jonah Berger
    6: Anything You Want – Derek Sivers

  9. The way the industry is now there should be a book called How to Autotune for Fun and Profit.

  10. Some of my favorites that haven’t already been mentioned are:
    “Musician’s Business & Legal Guide” by Mark Halloran
    “Good to Great” by Jim Collins
    “Your Band Is a Virus – Behind-the-Scenes and Viral Marketing for the Independent Musician” by James Moore
    Your Band Is a Virus – Expanded Edition” by James Moore

  11. “Your Band is a Virus – Expanded Edition” by James Moore must, must be included on this list!!!
    Also, how the heck did “How Music Works” by David Byrne and “Anything You Want” by Derek Sivers not make the list?
    @joshdiymusic

  12. On your list I’d update the 6th edition of “All you need to know about the record business” to the 8th. I have to check into some of the other ones you have I haven’t heard of half of them before.

  13. ‘The Lean Startup’ by Eric Ries.
    ‘Don’t Make Me Think’ by Steve Krug.
    ‘The Startup Owner’s Manual’ by Steve Blank / Bob Dorf.
    ‘Free’ by Chris Anderson.
    None are about the music industry specifically, but all are about useful ways of thinking in today’s digital marketplace.

  14. How to Get a Job in the Music Industry – Keith Hatschek
    All You Need To Know About The Music Business – Donald S. Passman
    The Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell

  15. Thank you for the great list Hypebot – anything by Seth Godin is recommended; his latest “Linchpin” is one of his best. Just bought “The Operator” from this list. Great recommendations everyone, thank you!

  16. BTW I have yet to read a book that talks about distribution other then lip service or fawning over digital options. Yet, like every other industry music goes from the supplier to a distributor then to outlets (digital or physical) . Has anyone read a book about how Farmers can reinvent their business by driving produce to the stores, no they innovate how they farm distribution is still distribution and it’s the service, music is not a service. If it was it wouldn’t be music it would be a wigit that large corporation could manufacture at will (24/7/365) and not pay a dime to creators.

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