What do you think?
Rate this book
Family-First Composer: Proven Path to Escape 9–5 and Support Your Family Composing Music for Film, TV, & Video Games
"Since the beginning of my composition career, I’ve worked exclusively with companies and on projects that are family-oriented. I want my kids to be part of everything I do, so I only bring positive art into our house that we can experience together. Practically, that means I score a lot of casual games and work with companies like Disney who understand that my schedule revolves around my family first. I drive my son to soccer practice and my daughters to theater and cheerleading. Weekends are set aside for my family. I don’t work crazy crunch hours. A vital piece of my life is having a wonderful assistant who helps organize my business. I regularly outsource tasks because my goal is to maintain a healthy life balance. I set aside time for my family first because I only have another 10 years left with my kids before they leave my house. I’m not going to squander that.When composers refuse to focus on their families first, they pay a terrible price in mental health, resulting in guilt and resentment. Your career should never be the focus of your life; instead, it should be the tool that allows you to fully enjoy your family. This is at the core of what it means to be human.There are countless music business courses, school programs, and books you can consume for knowledge, but what composers are really seeking is to be part of a team; part of a family. When you treat your team and family with the same respect, it becomes a mutual exchange of information and ideas. When I develop relationships with clients, they're not on the opposite side of the table. I call them “partner clients” because we’re all working towards the same goal and growing together.Young composers often believe that they need to start their career with advanced negotiation skills, psychological tactics, and academic pedigree. Yet when I hire composers, all I'm looking for is a talented team player with work ethic to support our vision. When I sell to clients, I'm not selling music; I’m selling the experience of working with me. There are plenty of other composers that do great work. I’m selling a positive experience full of mutual respect. When a project closes, my clients don’t focus on the music assets. They mention how great it was to work with “He’s fun, focused, and dedicated, so we’re going to hire him again!”If you desire to have a successful career as a composer, you must be willing to sacrifice. This investment may not cost monetarily but will certainly require a significant amount of time and energy. You need to weigh the costs with your family and determine what you’re willing to pay. If you can find a mutually respectful way to honor your family time, you’ll be equipped to devote the extra hours to building a career.If you desire to be a Family-First Composer, you're not alone. You're not the only one feeling lost and disconnected from your family. You're not the only one wondering how to fulfill your passions while trying to nurture the most important piece of your world. Your family wants you to be happy and successful. Don’t compromise your core beliefs for a career. Honor your family first and they’ll trust that your work time is devoted to benefit them. What do you dream for? Express that to your family. If you lie to yourself and pretend like these desires don’t exist, you're going to breed resentment and instability. Let your family know that they’re more important than your work. Then focus on balance.You don’t have to grind 24/7 to be a successful screen music composer, but you do have to be intentional with your time. I’m proud that Steven Melin has fought for this balance at an early age, and he’ll show you how you can too.
187 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 6, 2021
11 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 21, 2019
As someone who has an education in music and has performed forever but neglected the business side, this book helps a ton! My dream is to be able to make a full living composing my own music and setting my own terms and Family-First Composer has given me a bunch of great tools for that.
A problem I have with music business books is that they tend to tell you to do something but not give specific links to websites to visit or other companies that can help. Most of the content of this book is from Stevens own experience, so he gives links to pretty much everything that he uses and tells you what is the industry standard!
Definitely read this if you are trying to find a one stop shop with all of that information!
A problem I have with music business books is that they tend to tell you to do something but not give specific links to websites to visit or other companies that can help. Most of the content of this book is from Stevens own experience, so he gives links to pretty much everything that he uses and tells you what is the industry standard!
Definitely read this if you are trying to find a one stop shop with all of that information!
April 10, 2019
I'm a composer with a wife and children, so the title of this book caught my attention right away. That said, I'd recommend this book to anyone looking to get ahead in their music composition career.
Steven offers simple and straight-forward advice for composers in the form of business tactics, gear recommendations, and other nuggets of wisdom. There's more emphasis on the business side of things than anything else, which is nice since I imagine most musicians (myself included) struggle with that more than anything. This book won't solve all your problems, but it definitely lays out some essential tools to get you started.
If the book was missing anything, I'd wish Steven went a little more in depth on his process of transitioning from working a 9-5 to being an autonomous worker. But as they say, everyone's path and story is different.
Family First Composer is a pretty quick read, but well worth it for anyone who is trying to get ahead I their online music business.
Steven offers simple and straight-forward advice for composers in the form of business tactics, gear recommendations, and other nuggets of wisdom. There's more emphasis on the business side of things than anything else, which is nice since I imagine most musicians (myself included) struggle with that more than anything. This book won't solve all your problems, but it definitely lays out some essential tools to get you started.
If the book was missing anything, I'd wish Steven went a little more in depth on his process of transitioning from working a 9-5 to being an autonomous worker. But as they say, everyone's path and story is different.
Family First Composer is a pretty quick read, but well worth it for anyone who is trying to get ahead I their online music business.
October 28, 2024
So many self-help books promise good info but just give you that "mindset shift" nonsense. While this book does encourage mindset shifts, it gives practical steps to take and countless amounts of resources to further branch out and increase your amount of knowledge.
Just to give one example, most people will tell you to build a website and leave it at that. This book tells you why to build a website and what to keep in mind to build an effective one.
Unfortunately, where I live I can't get a physical copy, but I did listen to the audio version. It was great, but I think I'll get the kindle version to actually have text to study.
Just to give one example, most people will tell you to build a website and leave it at that. This book tells you why to build a website and what to keep in mind to build an effective one.
Unfortunately, where I live I can't get a physical copy, but I did listen to the audio version. It was great, but I think I'll get the kindle version to actually have text to study.
April 5, 2019
This book is such an encouragement for those of us who don't want to sacrifice our love for our families and our passion for making music (and making a career out of that music).
Whether you're single, married, or anywhere in between, and you want to make a career out of composing for media, this book will have something for you. It's a must-have reference volume for your shelf.
Whether you're single, married, or anywhere in between, and you want to make a career out of composing for media, this book will have something for you. It's a must-have reference volume for your shelf.
March 27, 2019
Being a composer and father, the title of this book intrigued me. Steven tackles just about every aspect of running your own business and gives valuable tips, advice, and guidance to maximize your efforts.
It's not always easy to find time to write with kids, dogs, house duties and bills, but Steven gives some great insight into this (with plenty of kids of his own), as well as a great introduction by Adam Gubman.
I did wish there was more conversation about running your business while working around family schedules, distractions and daily routines, but everyone has such different scenarios, what may work for one family may not work for another.
Overall, I highly recommend it to any composer (even those who are single without kids!) as there is a wealth of knowledge here.
It's not always easy to find time to write with kids, dogs, house duties and bills, but Steven gives some great insight into this (with plenty of kids of his own), as well as a great introduction by Adam Gubman.
I did wish there was more conversation about running your business while working around family schedules, distractions and daily routines, but everyone has such different scenarios, what may work for one family may not work for another.
Overall, I highly recommend it to any composer (even those who are single without kids!) as there is a wealth of knowledge here.
March 25, 2019
This is a book that gets straight to the point and debunks various myths, while encouraging hard work and perseverance. Each chapter is concluded with action steps for you to consider where you are in your journey, and to evaluate your business to see if it's ready to move on.
One of my favourite chapters is on building your own website, which Steven highly recommends, no matter what business you're running. He delivers an easy-to-follow step by step formula for you to follow, and eliminates any fluff along the way.
Highly recommended!
One of my favourite chapters is on building your own website, which Steven highly recommends, no matter what business you're running. He delivers an easy-to-follow step by step formula for you to follow, and eliminates any fluff along the way.
Highly recommended!
March 22, 2019
Excellent analysis of the business side of composing! Steven makes it clear in this book that not only are you an artist - you're also a business, and should treat your craft as such. It was terrific to see a guide on where to start in getting your business running, and how you can take clear action towards your goals and any skills that need improvement. Expect to see a ton of eye-opening moments on what works and what doesn't - I certainly was shocked by a few of them!
Whether you're starting out, or are experienced as a composer, you'll definitely get something valuable out of reading this guide. Cannot recommend enough.
Whether you're starting out, or are experienced as a composer, you'll definitely get something valuable out of reading this guide. Cannot recommend enough.
March 23, 2019
The intricacies of the music business are so subtle and so underrepresented in both casual conversation and formal education. Steven Melin does a great job going into detail and laying out a plan for you to follow in order to achieve the dream of being a composer on your own terms. A lot of the concepts can be applied directly to many disciplines but it is a particular service to those who have invested themselves in their art, acting as a guide to those trying to battle the balance between artistic integrity and supporting a family.
May 12, 2023
I borrowed this from a fellow composer, but I think I'll have to buy my own copy with all the extremely useful and practical advice that Melin's book offers for people who want to pursue music composition as a career - a career that actually feeds the family. With a business approach to composition, this book has given me more confidence that I'll be able to survive off my craft and live a versatile and adventurous lifestyle. It drops all kinds of wisdom bombs and really helps out the amateurs to become pros - how to price yourself, invoice tips, tech gear, software, and studio setup, the best platforms and systems of releasing music, how to work consistently and profitably, and how to create multiple passive income sources through your music. There is great networking advice and anything else that a composer needs to learn - this is a must read to not only prevent composers from starving, but to help them flourish in their careers!
April 21, 2019
An excellent insight to the industry
This book gave me the insight and confidence to set up my composing goals.
I can’t wait to share this resource with other composers!
This book gave me the insight and confidence to set up my composing goals.
I can’t wait to share this resource with other composers!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews