Book Review: How to Make it in the New Music Business

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This month, I’m reviewing Ari Herstand’s latest contribution to the independent music scene where he outlines how to be successful as an artist in his new book, ‘How To Make It in the New Music Business: Practical Tips on Building a Loyal Following and Making a Living as a Musician.’

I first came across Ari from a basic web search I had done on a topic relating to the music business some years ago. I landed on his blog, read through one article and spent another few hours reading through more of his articles trying to soak up every tidbit I could. It was a very refreshing take on doing music DIY style that I hadn’t yet come across. He has a no-nonsense down to earth way of giving advice about the business from his own experience as a working musician himself. The point he drives home is that you can be successful as an artist if you put in the work and invest in yourself. The value in his book though, is that he tells you just how to do that in a practical sense giving real life examples that you can use today.

Here’s a snippet from the book’s synopsis…

“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.”

Writing Style

Ari’s writing style is super easy to follow. He delivers his points in a very simple way making the whole book a quick and informative read. I wanted to highlight and take notes with every chapter because he challenges you to think about things differently.  Herstand has a great sense of humor and he keeps you amused throughout the book. He is very relatable. He’s a working musician himself so he shares things from his own experiences and you feel like you’re at a coffee shop with him talking about the music biz. Be cautioned though, there is a bit of crude language in the book.

Who is the Book Written For?

The main folks who would find this book most useful are singer songwriters, people doing solo music, and small bands who practice their craft in the US. However, DJs, big bands, artists, and other performers will get a lot out of it too.   This is a must have resource for new and young artists. Seasoned artists will get a lot of good inspiration out of it. A lot of the tips are good common sense tips that can often spark new ideas or point out things you may not have thought of. There are also gems in the book that will make you question what you’ve been doing and point you in a completely different direction. You may discover a revenue source or tactic you haven’t yet considered.

This book is not for those looking for a lucky break or looking to get ‘discovered’. You must be ready to get down and do some grunt work on your own.

What does it cover?

In a word, everything! Herstand talks about the artistic side of things, how to write songs, best practices in recording, gigging, performing live, touring, traveling, management, contracts, branding, marketing, goal setting, licensing, digital distribution and streaming royalties, actionable plans, mapped out campaigns, TV, film, crowd funding, and more.

My Takeaways

The main takeaway I got from the book is to always question my motives and ask myself ‘why.’ I think doing that for himself was the main guiding tool for his own success and that’s what Herstand imparts in the totality of his writings.  It makes so much sense. When you can stop and take inventory of your own logic and reasonings you can often pinpoint where you’re going wrong and change things for the better. You can pinpoint how to make more money, how to get more shows, how to be more relatable to your fans, how to fill more seats, etc. It’s all too often that we just do things because that’s the way we think it’s supposed to go, but when you stop to ask yourself why, you’ll find that there might be other tactics to try that can produce even better results.

There’s just something about his no-nonsense practical approach that got me feeling like I can conquer the world. His ideas and tips are so incredibly practical and super creative, I literally can go out and do it today and actually did take some of his advice and saw some great changes in results.

I got a lot out of the various income sources and ways you can generate revenue. He enlightened me on the way things work and how you can get a footing in things like TV, film, licensing, college shows, etc.

Does the book share more details than what you will find on his blog? It’s true, a lot of the information can be found on his blog, but the book gives you a mapping of the information in a way that is more easily digestible. You’ll have to search his blog and print out what’s useful to you, but the book compiles everything for you, it’s more convenient, a great reference to go back to over and over again, and often takes things already found in his blog a bit further. It will not disappoint. Buy the book here.

What’s your take? Have you read the book yet? What are your thoughts?

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