"Confessions of a Record Producer"
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Wow, what a great book! Quite a way to start a review, but this one is worth it. Producer and engineer in New York City for Warner Brothers, Atlantic Records, and BMG as well as many independent labels, Moses Avalon gives an excellent profile of the music industry. For one thing the book is written in plain, easy to understand, conversational English. Considering the convoluted nature of the subject matter, Avalon manages to explain the music industry so that even novices can understand. The book is in two parts, Part One being "The Game." The first two chapters describe who the pros are (lawyers, A&R, managers, publicists, etc); who the creators are (musicians, songwriters, engineers, producers), and how each player fits into the industry as a whole. Avalon gives great descriptions of who’s who, who does what, and who to watch out for. The third chapter is a great family portrait of the music industry as a whole. And what an inbred family it is! There are explanations of what everyone does, what they usually take from the top and what tasks they perform. Chapter Four is entitled "Understanding Distribution, or Why Are There So Many Logos on the Record." This chapter requires a second or even third read to understand how these entities are all related. The following Part One chapters discuss what to expect from deal to release and beyond. There are some interesting stories of how artists made their money and how they lost it. In particular, there’s a little behind the music business story of how M. C. Hammer went from Mr. Poop Pants of the 80’s to telephone salesman in the ‘90’s. The above chapters give examples from the point of view of the business person and the artist. They tell the musician what to expect from a deal, and what artists can do to defend themselves. Part One also covers touring, radio play, promo; and who covers the costs for each. The final chapter of Part One gives real number spreadsheet examples (on a four album deal) of who made what. From artist to producer, record company, radio, advancers, and promoters, its all documented in a plain accounting language. It’s amazing the artists get anything! Part Two is entitled "Scams and Shams," which you would think Part One covered pretty well, but, there’s more. The first chapter in Part Two gives some copyright horror stories in several genres. Cases involving Mick Jagger, Michael Bolton, New Kids on the Block, and others are cited. The reader learns how artists sued big names, proved their cases, and still lost. This chapter also explains the problems inherent with suing stars and what the artist’s rights are. Also covered are sound-alikes, samples, and copyright concerns. Sneaky scams are covered in the next chapters, some perfectly legitimate, some not. This book is a must read, not just for musicians and artists, but, for anyone interested in the music trade itself. Its nice to know what all those listings on the back of my CDs mean. Plus this book puts into context the fight the recording industry is still (even after a Napster win) having with the Internet. The World Wide Web may be the worst nightmare to ever present itself to the industry. Besides direct delivery from artist to consumer the still virginal medium stands to make great strides in alternative marketing that the industry won’t be able to get its hands all over. Moses Avalon says in his intro that when he revised this current edition he hoped that many of the scams from the first edition would need to be revised. This is not the case. If you’re ever in the position to need this book it is a "must read." As trite as it may sound a truly local indie artist may be in an especially good position at this time in recording history. By the time you read this article California Senate hearings on accounting practices should have already started. We'll see if this movement gains momentum in the coming months. The Avalon site is excellent. It offers free advise, "Pay per" advise, and other excellent articles and even a royalty calculator. The author also has periodic seminars, if you've got the cash there is one in November. If anything like the book, the seminars should be well worth the money |
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