April 13, 2019 - 12542 views
This is a quick plug for kindred muso and "low-grade polymath" Neil March's excellent new book, The Independent Music Sector 2019, which was published earlier this year. Regular listeners to The Monday Night Ride-Out will be aware of Neil's passion for, and commitment to championing, previously unheard sounds - including through his weekly MNRO "Vanishing Point" feature. His writing is clear, pragmatic, and engaging, guiding readers through the practicalities and emotional turbulence of musical creativity and promotion.
"[T]he purpose of this book is not to offer a catch-all definition of what constitutes genuine independence in the current music industry. Its purpose is to offer as much useful advice, information and experience as possible to anyone who aspires to make some form of living (full or part time) from his or her involvement in, mainly but by no means exclusively, what is very broadly categorised as popular music" (p. 5)
Chapter titles include "Royalties: How they work and what you will get", "Social Media", "Designing an Electronic Press Kit", "Live Music - Playing and Promoting Gigs", and "Applying for Funding", to name just a few. We are especially proud to note the references to ExileFM in Chapter 11 ("Promoting your music to radio and other media") and Appendix A ("Radio Shows supporting independent music").
The Independent Music Sector 2019 is available as an e-book for £8.98 and as a paperback for £10.00 through Demerara Records. Written with an insider's eye (and ear) for detail, it is an invaluable, contemporary travelogue to an exciting and rapidly-changing world.
