How To Make It in the New Music Business: Practical Tips on Building a Loyal Following and Making a Living as a Musician

by Ari Herstand

Hailed as an “indispensable” guide ( Forbes ), How to Make It in the New Music Business returns in this extensively revised and expanded edition. When How to Make It in the New Music Business hit shelves in 2016, it instantly became the go-to resource for musicians eager to make a living in a turbulent industry. Widely adopted by music schools everywhere and considered “the best how- to book of its kind” ( Music Connection ), it inspired thousands to stop waiting around for that “big break.” Now trusted as the leading expert for “do it yourself” artists, Ari Herstand returns with this second edition, maintaining that a stable career can be built by taking advantage of the many tools at our fi ngertips: conquering social media, mastering the art of merchandising, embracing authentic fan connection, and simply learning how to persevere. Comprehensively updated to include the latest online trends and developments, it offers inspiring success stories across media such as Spotify and Instagram. The result is a must- have for anyone hoping to navigate the increasingly complex yet advantageous landscape that is the modern music industry.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Business, Art, Unfinished, Self Help, Reference

528 pages, Hardcover

Published November 5, 2019

Reviews

[Milan B · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main reason for 4 stars is that Ari insists on using words like "dough", "moola" and "cheddar" for money. It was distracting at best.

The book is also very US-centric. I don't fault him for this, it's his experience after all, but maybe 10% of the book was confusing because of this, especially since you don't know if the legal and financial arrangements that work in US still affect you if you're from the 95% of the rest of the world.

Also, a mixed blessing was Ari reading urls with "eighe-tee-tee-pee colon slash slash" and reading meaningless numbers digit by digit like "artist you've never heard of made 7'624'863.48$ on their one-off hit" instead of saying "seven million dollars". Again, distracting.

Ari gives very competent tips for using social media and technology, and admits these change rapidly, and as if to underline this point, makes numerous mentions of Vine. Point proven.

One thing that I felt was important and was slightly overlooked was mentioning that one-off success is just that. Any clever trick or a lucky streak that has worked for a year or two will fade away eventually. Ari does explain that hard work and innovative approaches to marketing do matter, so it's not like he was naive about it, but, you know. I'm nitpicking. It's a good book.

[Fipah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars = I liked it, do read this if you're a country/rock/pop-rock US-based touring musician or a band or if you already are playing venues

However, if you're a solo act not playing venues yet, not from the US, there is not that much to benefit from here. The best advice is given on:

- how to play venues and organise everything
- how to pick a manager
- how to network
- how to organise your band
- how to press releases, promos, buzz, music blogs
- how LA music scene works and how to make it work for you

However, most of the information is nothing new, nothing surprising, though you will definitely get practical info – even with email examples. This really is helpful when you're learning how to pitch and promote your music. I was disappointed that the royalties section was very basic. Again, the focus of this book is the practicalities of actually playing venues, working well as a band/business (organising Google spreadsheets) and pitching music blogs and writers. It is not rocket science, though you will sure benefit from someone actually showing you in layman's terms how to organise your musical journey.

It is not bad, however, to me it still feels very PDF-ish. You know the feeling. Everyone today has their own PDF e-book. This has that vibe. Also, the author's underlying experience comes from a rock/pop-rock/jazz/country-ish background (my oversimplification, read: not EDM, not Bjork, not classical), he is very knowledgable there.

He also is a bit wiser (i.e. not in his twenties) and you can... feel it. Nothing against the author, it just does not work for me. The vibe is a bit dated, I can't help it, the advice feels like as if your dad wrote a book for teens about being a teen while not being a teen himself. Gosh, this is so hard to phrase. It just feels... safe. Nostalgic. Older. Like as if he studied what works but there still is his dated background and foundation that no longer can keep up with all that the present can offer?

Don't get me wrong, Ari sure offers up-to-date advice. But the book is basically a handbook for a band from the 90's or early 2000's who suddenly appeared in 2020 and have to learn how to tour, pitch their work, learn about handy music websites and 101 organise their band business structure. Like a handbook from someone who writes about how things are now, while being one tiny step behind. It lacks that innovation aspect. It has that nostalgia feelings of how music was played back in the days. As such, it also serves well a demographic trying to stay in that era while still utilising today's perks like the internet.

Maybe this simplification will help: this book is for those who want to go on a tour with their band and gain traction, find their rock/pop-rock/jazz/country fans. This is not a book for musicians in the vein of Arca, Bjork, Sophie, PC Music etc. (probably because the innovators do not need to read books about how to make a living as musicians).

Just my feelings, again, this will be helpful if you're a touring US-based band 100%.

[Minna · Rating 5 out of 5]

As promised Herstand delivers “practical tips on building a loyal following and making a living as a musician,” in a flowing style easy to read cover to cover. This is the music industry book for right now, with current information on social media, crowdsourcing, merch, video, digital distribution, and much more. A recurring theme is the necessity of consistently putting in a mountain of hard work to succeed. He recommends twelve hour days. But the prerequisite to success is having outstanding original material and musicianship.

[Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an independent recording artist, I had been looking for a book that could provide me with the essential, up-to-date information on how to pursue a career in music. Look no further. Ari does a great job in covering all the essentials in the modern music world in an engaging way. I'll keep referring to this book in the future.

[January · Rating 5 out of 5]

How To Make It in the New Music Business: Practical Tips on Building a Loyal Following and Making a Living as a Musician by Ari Herstand
19h 47m narrated by the author, 656 pages

Genre: Nonfiction: Music — Vocational guidance — United States.

Featuring: Quotes, Vocational Guide, Band, Artist, Promotion, Types of Managers, Roles, Types of Producers, When to Sign and When Not to Sign, Record Companies, Independent Route, Music Lawyers, Getting All of Your Coins, Digital Music, Fans, Videos, Music Streaming, Digital Distributors, Copyright Registration, Types of Producers, Mixers, Music Scenes in - Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, and London; Spotify, Tik Tok, How to Get Your Song to Break Social Media, Playing Live, Touring, College Shows, Sponsorships, Social Media, Artist Website, Where You Need to Be Online, Live Streams, SoundCloud, Music Industry Jobs, Glossary

Rating as a movie: PG-13 possibly R for above permitted use of profanity

Songs for the soundtrack:

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 🎼🎶🎵🎛

My thoughts: 📱7% 1:23:40 in the middle of Chapter 1 - These chapters are loooong so, I'm stopping here! So far it's mostly about the mindset you need to be a successful musician and I disagree with most of it. 🤷🏾‍♀️
📱24% 4:49:57 Ch. 4 - Once you get past his opinions on jobs it's pretty insightful. I think it's interesting how he stated most of what was written in the previous edition about record contracts is obsolete because the record labels have restructured them in the last 3 years. I didn't realize how badly they were screwing these artists. It's much worse than I originally thought, and I've always thought it was a raw deal.
📱34% 6:46:38 Ch. 5 - Since my kid bailed on me during chapter 4 I'm hoping I'll make faster progress now.
📱46% 9:00:48 Ch. 6 Playing Live - Now we're down to the nitty-gritty. It is amazing how much has changed in the last decade. It's a lot to take in the new ways music is shared and gets attention.
📱61% 12:05:03 Fifty minutes before Ch. 9 - Very insightful but I need a break. A lot goes into booking venues and getting your coins. I recommend this book to anyone who thinks they are serious about a career. Also, my son is continuing on his own, so I will have someone to discuss it with.
📱71% 13:59:50 Ch. 11 - At this point, I hope this book comes with checklists, and templates, and will possibly add a workbook.
📱79% 15:40:46 Ch.12 The New Asking Economy: The Difference Between Asking and Begging - Wow that's a lot of information. I didn't realize there was this much going on online.
📱83% 16:28:47 Ch. 13 How to Get All of the Royalties You Never Knew Existed and Other Business Things You Knew To Know - Taking my time with this one since my son is going to take a week. I'm planning on being done by the end of the weekend. You really have to soak it all in like a class, and I don't even need this information, I just want to know.
📱95% 18:43:26 Ch. 17 Outro - Yay! I will finish this tonight.

This book was awesome, a lot of information to digest. There was like an hour of glossary and acknowledgments, so that should give you an idea of how much he put into this book. Very insightful. I think some established artists may need to read it.

Recommend to others: Yes. Anyone interested in the music industry should read this book.

[SY77 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this if you're considering a career in music or just curious about the music business

Read this if you're considering a career in music or just curious about the music business in general. I learned a few things from this book!

[Chris Turnbaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. An exhaustive guide to virtually every aspect of the music business as it is now. I've played a lot of gigs and worked a lot of sessions in my time, but this goes into details I didn't know and discusses topics I hadn't considered. It is shaded mostly towards solo artists and bands, but anyone in the music business could benefit from reading this book. I highly recommend it.

[Szymon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must-read for any band leader/manager or just any artist really. Some stuff is pretty obvious and some of the content describes really advanced processes. One slight disadvantage: heavily targetted on the USA - i would say around 30% of the tips won't apply if you live outside the USA.

[Ada]

just finished this book as 'required' reading for an upcoming internship, it was an overwhelming amount of very specific information at once but could definitely be useful for independent artists looking to increase their online presence !!

[Jack Harvie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievably well written book about the music industry. I have recommended this book to multiple artists that I work with due to the stripped back, raw, and straight to the point advice for artists. This book is written by an artist for artists. Music professionals still have a lot to gain from this book too. I will be applying many of the ideas from this book to the careers of my artists.

[Michel Mario · Rating 5 out of 5]

Increíble libro que me hubiera gustado leer mucho antes en mi carrera artistica/musical, siempre había buscado el consejo de alguien con experiencia y que pudiera brindar de una manera real los temas como: promoción, distribución, marketing, lo que debes cuidar siendo artista, etc. Te brinda de igual manera consejos prácticos de como mantener relaciones de trabajo y conseguir que la gente te apoye monetariamente. De verdad le recomiendo mucho este libro a las personas que quieran crear una vida de la música, aplica para todas las personas (productores, músicos de sesión, artistas, ingenieros de audio, bookers, etc.) 5/5

[Jesus · Rating 5 out of 5]

The density of information in this book is effectively counterbalanced by Herstand's direct but affable tone. So for a comprehensive handbook, it's a pretty easy read.
If you are an independent musician, buy this book and read every page. Then go back and read it again, this time with sticky tabs to mark the pages or paragraphs to which you'll be returning.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard of Ari Herstand before listening to him read his book, How to Make it in the New Music Business, but now I’m definitely a fan. His book is comprehensive—who knew there were so many ways to get paid—and his style witty and hip. He reads the material in an upbeat, street-smart and engaging way, with plenty of humor and heartfelt “I survived it and so will you” attitude. It’s clear that he’s a consummate entertainer. So who is Ari Herstand? A 30-something singer-songwriter and multi instrumentalist based in LA, who has successfully toured, recorded, developed a youtube presence, had his music featured in TV, commercials, and films, and who is also a staff writer at Digital Music News.

One of the first points that Herstand makes is that a musician must define his/her own success, what it means personally to “make it in the music business.” The vision must match the musician’s lifestyle; for example a parent in a young family might not find a 6-month tour very fulfilling. Any musician who doesn’t yet have a defined scenario of what would feel successful will find plenty of ideas in this audiobook. Some of the most successful indie artists rely more on youtube, collaborations, and royalties than on personal appearances (not a path I would choose, but interesting). Herstand guides the would-be pro through every phase of developing each income stream. And yes, success depends on a LOT of focused work, networking, planning, record keeping, and in some cases cash outlay. Herstand also gives specific and helpful advice about where NOT to spend money to build a music career.

As entertaining as this audiobook is, the serious musician will benefit by also buying a hard copy. There is literally too much information to remember, and Herstand points out specific places where law or protocol changes frequently—for which updates are available on his website, Ari’s Take (aristake.com). Everything you need to know about getting into preferred clubs, planning a successful tour, promotion, breaking into the college scene, crowdfunding, claiming royalties as a songwriter and/or performer, selling music to moviemakers, TV shows, and commercials, becoming a youtube sensation, finding patrons, making and promoting recordings, making crowd-pleasing videos, writing press releases, how to contact the right person in each industry, and when you’ll need a lawyer is included. The information on how to make your website and social media work for you without wasting time on nonessentials, and how to deal with your day job are relevant to any musician, even part-timers like myself.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough to any musician who wants to up his or her game. There is absolutely no down-side to this book. Kudos, Ari!

[christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aims to be comprehensive. Succeeds in breadth, but falls short in depth.

For a book touting "practical tips," much of what is presented is high-level. Perhaps most disappointingly, given the social media success of the artists Ari Herstand has worked with, the book fails to present anything more than the basics of digital marketing and branding.

To make it in the new music business, as the title states, I'd argue that digital marketing is the most important element. You can't book tours if you have no following.

As a former marketing consultant, I can tell you that there IS a science behind virality. There IS a method behind drawing attention and converting viewers into fans. There is no indication that Herstand understands this.

Unfortunately, Herstand demonstrates what I see often with other successful influencers - they may have gotten there themselves, but heck if they know how they did it. This is the dirty secret of the coaching industry as well.

While this book is a solid survey of the music industry, it falls well short of the bold claims in its title. Aspiring professionals should treat this book as a primer, but nothing more.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Ah, brilliant. I am about to start managing my boyfriend's music career, and from following the author's blog posts on Patreon I knew this would be the best book out there. I do feel a bit overwhelmed from having read it all at once, but I just need to remind myself that Ari himself took about ten years to work out and apply all these tips to his own career. One step at a time...

My only wish is that he lived in the UK, as a lot of the tips are tailored to the US. However, I'm sure the principles are sound and I will find equivalent markets to approach (which I would never have thought to search for) with just a bit of Googling.

I expect I'll be turning back to this book regularly for the next few years! :)

[Paige Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome! Ari’s writing never got boring even though he does delve into some really nitty gritty stuff. He keeps it lighthearted and related enough that you never really feel like you’re reading any sort of instruction manual, even though the info you’re getting is really that detailed! Ari covers nearly every question I’ve had about making a living as a musician and overall this book is hugely informative and encouraging! Anyone aspiring to make a living in the new music business should DEFINITELY read this book!

Favorite Quote: “Your goal should be to sustain as a full-time musician…You have officially ‘made it’ when you’re using your creative talents to pay all of your bills.”

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and detailed book. I read it, not because I am a musician, but I love music and am curious how independent artists can survive in an era where many illegally download their music.

The author is a working musician and has a legal background, so he is ideally qualified to write this book. There is a lot of good information for anyone who wants to make it in the music business, or anyone who is just curious about it.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the most comprehensive book I have come across on the music industry. We received this book after we took Ari's webinar on the college market ( which was very informative and well worth the money). If you are looking to further your career this book will serve as a great resource. Keep in mind that the industry moves lightning-quick so you will need to cross-reference Ari's suggestions. What works for one band may not necessarily work for the next.

[pianogal · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had had this book 10 years, I would now rule the world. Ok, maybe not, but it certainly would have been helpful. Instead of paying $20K for an MBA in music business (like I did), just take $20 and go buy this book. Seriously - it was way more helpful and targeted to what I wanted to know. I've started a lot of music business books in my life and this is the first one I've ever finished. Very excellent read.

[Kostas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ari is a singer/songwriter, and I am into extreme metal. Yet I don't think I have ever read a more comprehensive book covering pretty much all aspects of being a DIY musician, regardless of your genre and background. It is therefore highly recommended to everyone who takes their musical career seriously, including those who don't necessarily want to make a full-time living out of it, but would still love to use sound business principles in the way they approach their artistic careers.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ari's book is a straight forward "results may vary" "How To" for aspiring musicians. The tone makes it feel like you're talking to a friend, who's definitely not a lawyer- but has been around the block. There are other books out there, on this topic (one, even, with the same title)... but I found this one highly accessible and down to earth, which helps set it apart.

[Justin Fitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty full proof guide to the DIY musician. Incredibly informative for a time when the industry is changing so dramatically. Like most books that have opinionated bases, this one should be taken similarly. It is not the end all be all of information by any means. Experience is (even as stated in this book) the best teacher. But this is certainly an amazing guide.

[Tim B · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easily readable handbook full of implementable ideas of achieving success is the new digital music age. The author provides experiences, insights, and concrete strategies. Some of the areas are a little more lean than they ought to be, but overall an interesting and inspiring read. The glossary is useful and fun...

[Liudas · Rating 2 out of 5]

90% is just common sense if you already in the band and doing something. Most of the stuff will be dated very soon. If you're complete beginner - it's fine, other than that not very good book. It's mind boggling how can someone write a book out of simple things.

[OrdinaryVisionary · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book. All the information is incredibly useful, right on point and I just love the checklists! It really helps organize your thoughts and make a plan. Before throwing your money at anyone offering paid online classes and webinars, seriously consider buying this book first.

[Brooklyn James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Packed full of essential information!

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

didn't finish. it's mostly common-sense stuff, and the stuff that isn't can be googled very easily.

[Glory Reinstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for any independent musician.

[Josh K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been using this book not for music, but for any indie creative project. From software to indie publishing. Real helpful book!

[Phiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an essential read for all musicians. Some content may seem obvious but he covers all the bases.