The Live Music Business

The Live Music Business: Management and Production of Concerts and Festivals, Third Edition, shines a light on the enigmatic live music business, offering a wealth of inside advice and trade secrets to artists and bands looking to make a living in the industry. Previously published as The Tour Book, this new edition has been extensively revised, reorganized, and updated to reflect today’s music industry. This practical guidebook examines the roles of the key players – from booking agents to concert promoters, artist managers to talent buyers – and the deals, conventions, and processes that drive this global business. Written by a touring professional with over 25 years of experience, this book elucidates why playing live is crucial to the success of any musician, band, or artist, explaining issues like: what managers, promoters, and agents do and how they arrange shows and tours; how to understand and negotiate show contracts; how to create a contract rider, and how the rider affects the money you earn from a show; how to appear professional and knowledgeable in an industry with its own conventions, language, and baffling technical terms; and a three-year plan using live performance to kickstart your music career Intended for music artists and students, The Live Music Business presents proven live-music career strategies, covering every aspect of putting on a live show, from rehearsing and soundchecks to promotions, marketing, and contracts. In an era when performing live is more essential than ever, this is the go-to guidebook for getting your show on the road and making a living from music.

"Production Management in Live Music: Managing the Technical Side of Touring in Today's Music Industry is a handbook for the aspiring production manager looking to forge a career in the live music industry. This book outlines the role that a production manager performs and their key responsibilities, and takes the reader step by step through the entire process of preparing a show for a tour. From dealing with artists and management to hiring crew, from booking vendors and scheduling the day-to-day of a busy tour, this text covers everything that is needed to take the show into rehearsals and finally on the road. Every aspect of the job is covered, including the very important challenges that face today's industry in the realms of sustainability, inclusion, diversity and mental health. Whether the show be on a festival, in a small theatre or club, or in a modern arena, this book clearly lays out the tasks and challenges and offers practical solutions to ensure the smooth running of a live performance. Production Management in Live Music is written for students in stage and production management courses and emerging professionals working in live music touring"--

A guide to the music business and its legal issues provides real-world coverage of a wide range of topics, including teams of advisors, record deals, songwriting and music publishing, touring, and merchandising.

"Finally a book that can give an honest and realistic approach to working in the live entertainment industry. Roadie, Inc.breaks down some of the myths of working in the live music business without making it sound demoralising. " - Steven Douglas, Show Designer and Lighting Director for The Killers, Watch The Throne Tour with Jay Z & Kanye West, Kylie Minogue and others. Learn how to be a roadie, working with bands on tour, with this simple step-by-step guide! The book details the exact steps you need to take in order to find work as a sound engineer, back line tech, concert lighting engineer, tour manager, touring stylist or driver. The book is written by Andy Reynolds, a veteran concert tour manager and touring audio engineer. Reynolds also wrote 'The Tour Book - How to get Your Music on the Road' which helps musicians to understand the concert touring industry and get more gigs. Inside 'Roadie, Inc.' you will find: -How the live music industry really works - get the information you need to find those road crew jobs -Details of the various back stage jobs - the jobs you want, and the ones you don't! -Industry secrets - why roadie jobs are never advertised -Examples of contracts for freelancers - make sure you get the work and get paid -Step-by-step guides to starting your freelance road crew business -Interviews with pro road crew, artist managers, booking agents and promoters ''This book will definitely be of great assistance to anyone trying or planning to get into the live music /touring world today.'' - Noel Kilbride, Tour Manager for Nightmares On Wax, Pavement, Roots Manuva, The Kills and others. "A fantastic book that helps answer all the questions for a person wanting to join the live music business" - Mark Wynn-Davis, Lighting Designer for Jamiroquai. You will have probably found it difficult to find out how to get work with bands on tour. Road crew jobs don't seem to be advertised and yet, when you look, there are dozens of bands playing gigs in every town, on every single night of the week. And most of these bands will employ at least one road crew person at each show they play. But, if roadie jobs are never advertised, how do these bands find the crew to work for them and, more importantly, how can you get one of those road crew jobs? I have answered those questions, and others, in 'Roadie, Inc.'. I have worked in the live music business for more than 25 years - 'Roadie, Inc.' is the distillation of my experience and the knowledge gained in that time. Now I am here to help you - the road crew of tomorrow -start working for bands on tour. 'Roadie, Inc.' is 195 pages of specific and practical information on how to gain and keep a career in the live music business. The book will tell you how the live music business really works, details of the various backstage jobs and also some of the industry secrets - such as why those road crew jobs are never advertised. So, if you want a comprehensive and realistic guide to becoming a roadie and starting a career in the live music business, 'Roadie, Inc.' is for you!

Explains how to enhance one's musical career by integrating live music, with practical advice, tips, tricks, and hints on every aspect of putting on a live show, essential equipment and technology, the practicalities of touring, the art of working behind the scenes, the future of live music, and other essential topics. Original. (Beginner).

This book addresses the neglect of visual creativities and content, and how these are commercialised in the music industries. While musical and visual creativities drive growth, there is a lack of literature relating to the visual side of the music business, which is significant given that the production of meaning and value within this business occurs across a number of textual sites. Popular music is a multimedia, discursive, fluid, and expansive cultural form that, in addition to the music itself, includes album covers; gig and tour posters; music videos; set, stage, and lighting designs; live concert footage; websites; virtual reality/augmented reality technologies; merchandise designs; and other forms of visual content. As a result, it has become impossible to understand the meaning and value of music without considering its relation to these visual components and to the interrelationships between them. Using design culture theory, participant observation, interviews, case studies, and a visual methodology to explore the topic, this research-based book is a valuable study aid for undergraduate and postgraduate students of subjects including the music business, design, arts management, creative and cultural industries studies, business and management studies, and media and communications.

What 'live music' means for one generation or culture does not necessarily mean 'live' for another. This book examines how changes in economy, culture and technology pertaining to post-digital times affect production, performance and reception of live music. Considering established examples of live music, such as music festivals, alongside practices influenced by developments in technology, including live streaming and holograms, the book examines whether new forms stand the test of 'live authenticity' for their audiences. It also speculates how live music might develop in the future, its relationship to recorded music and mediated performance and how business is conducted in the popular music industry.

Unlike most music-industry books, this guide is a gritty, punky, and irreverent real-life look at what goes into being a musician. Removing the rose-colored glasses, Martin Atkins--a lifelong music-industry professional--delivers the truth about the music business and its struggles with razor-sharp wit. Potential pitfalls are laid bare among illustrations and humor, sweeping niceties away to show readers how to keep from being derailed by band mates, record labels, managers, booking agents, and most importantly--themselves.