In Working Musicians Timothy D. Taylor offers a behind-the-scenes look at the labor of the mostly unknown composers, music editors, orchestrators, recording engineers, and other workers involved in producing music for films, television, and video games. Drawing on dozens of interviews with music workers in Los Angeles, Taylor explores the nature of their work and how they understand their roles in the entertainment business. Taylor traces how these cultural laborers have adapted to and cope with the conditions of neoliberalism as, over the last decade, their working conditions have become increasingly precarious. Digital technologies have accelerated production timelines and changed how content is delivered, while new pay schemes have emerged that have transformed composers from artists into managers and paymasters. Taylor demonstrates that as bureaucratization and commercialization affect every aspect of media, the composers, musicians, music editors, engineers, and others whose soundtracks excite, inspire, and touch millions face the same structural economic challenges that have transformed American society, concentrating wealth and power in fewer and fewer hands.

Preparing Musicians for Precarious Work: Transformational Approaches to Music Careers Education promotes career counselling-informed techniques that encourage and guide musicians to drive their careers in necessary new directions. In exposing the ‘dark side’ of precarious work in the arts sector, these approaches acknowledge the high levels of risk many musicians face and focus on the fundamental and urgent skills they need to navigate uncertainty and hardship. The author calls for a greater recognition of the psychological magnitude of managing such work, drawing upon training as a career counsellor and the lived experience of a career musician to advance transformative learning principles as pathways for artists, students, and educators alike. Representing a radical shift from the content-knowledge approach to career development, a counselling-informed method is fortified by a broad range of ideas from vocational psychology and narrative therapy, emphasising the importance of change readiness and flexible identities while identifying the need for a post-portfolio paradigm. Preparing Musicians for Precarious Work proposes a new model for musicians’ career learning – the CHOICE model – in a timely and practical guide for 21st-century musicians looking to future-proof their careers.

Musicians in Crisis is a music ethnography of contemporary Athens, before and during the infamous economic and political crisis. It spans two contrasting periods in Greece: the last few years of relative economic prosperity and social cohesion (2005–2009) and the following period of austerity and socio-political turmoil (2010–2017). Based on the author’s participation and professional involvement in the local music scenes since 2005, the monograph untangles a web of creative practices, economic strategies and social ideologies through the previously unheard voices of Athenian music professionals. The book follows the life stories of freelance musicians of different genders, ages, educational backgrounds and musical genres, while they ‘work’ and ‘play’ in Athenian venues, recording studios and classrooms. Adding to the growing literature on precarity and resistance in the creative industries, it traces the effects of unprecedented socioeconomic circumstances on musicians’ everyday experience, as well as the actions and solidarities that help them to navigate personal and collective devastation. Through rich and evocative testimonies from the labourers of an industrious popular music scene, Musicians in Crisis contests popular narratives of the Greek predicament as they are reported by political and financial elites through international media. In this process, the book tells a story about how popular music is made in the liminal spaces between East and West, affuence and poverty, harmony and turmoil.

Today, when artists are empowered to take greater control of their careers and earnings, the need for musicians to understand the business of music has never been greater. In a digital age overflowing with confusing and ever-changing information, musicians need trusted business advice from a veteran artist who can break down the basics in language they understand. Written by a professional musician for other musicians, Business Basics for Musicians is the laypersons guide to the music industry. In this must-have manual, music industry veteran Bobby Borg presents vital info in a conversational tone and an easy-to-scan format regarding five vital areas that musicians need to succeed: Career Execution, Business Relationships, Pro Teams, Deals and Dollars, and Future Predictions. Everything from copyrights to record deals, to managers, to merchandising, to doing it yourself is covered. With pro interviews, anecdotes, and review quizzes, Business Basics for Musicians is the complete handbook from start to success. Updates for this edition: Changes in copyright laws Summary of the Music Modernization Act Updates on record, merch, publishing, and live performance deals New trends in sponsorships and partnerships with product brands New interviews with industry professionals, including managers, producers, and agents New stories paralleling current events and industry happenings Updated business resources, industry contacts, and URLs

In The Musician's Way, veteran performer and educator Gerald Klickstein combines the latest research with his 30 years of professional experience to provide aspiring musicians with a roadmap to artistic excellence. Part I, Artful Practice, describes strategies to interpret and memorize compositions, fuel motivation, collaborate, and more. Part II, Fearless Performance, lifts the lid on the hidden causes of nervousness and shows how musicians can become confident performers. Part III, Lifelong Creativity, surveys tactics to prevent music-related injuries and equips musicians to tap their own innate creativity. Written in a conversational style, The Musician's Way presents an inclusive system for all instrumentalists and vocalists to advance their musical abilities and succeed as performing artists.

From Marx to Murakami and Beethoven to Bacon, 'Daily Rituals' examines the working routines of more than a 160 of the greatest philosophers, writers, composers and artists ever to have lived. Filled with fascinating insights on the mechanics of genius and entertaining stories of the personalities behind it, it is irresistibly addictive and utterly inspiring

(Book). Getting more gigs doesn't just happen. Musicians have to make it happen. Despite a myriad of convenient excuses to choose from the economy is off, money is tight, unemployment is high, not as many clubs are hiring, budget cuts mean fewer corporate gigs there are always some musicians who do exceptionally well and work constantly, regardless of the month, year, season, economy or their location. A collection of Bob Popyk's most talked-about columns from International Musician magazine, The Business of Getting More Gigs as a Professional Musician will clue you in to what the musicians mentioned above already know and do. Covering in detail topics such as attitude, gig etiquette, business basics, money and diversifying, Popyk gives practical pointers to help you have a plan, network effectively, promote your assets, and market yourself constantly. He points out the need to treat gig-seeking like a business, and take it just as seriously. Musicians who take his advice will soon be well on their way to more and better-paying gigs. Also available by Bob Popyk: How to Find Gigs That Pay Big Bucks 00320370 DVD $19.95