Remember the "Idiot’s Guide to … " craze from a few years back? It's about to start again, but this time for aspiring musicians.
"The Music Powers That Be … " is exactly what it dubs itself: a guide to success in the music industry. Author C. Cirocco Jones presents one of the most comprehensive guides to understanding how the music industry works and how to make it work for readers. To put it simply, anyone who wants to make it as a musician would do well to pick this up.
Jones himself has a lengthy list of credentials, having worked with everyone from Michael Jackson to Stevie Wonder. Reading over "Music Powers," it's clear that the man knows a thing or two about the inner workings of the business. He manages to explain complex subject matter in language easy enough for a child to comprehend. If this isn't the definitive guide to success in the music industry, it's at the very least a great stepping-stone for all of the wannabe Kanye Wests of the world.
While other books in the same vein tend to simply present the information and expect readers to figure out how to use it, "Music Powers" takes more of a hands-on approach. Jones outlines almost any aspect of the business imaginable, all the way interspersing insightful interviews with big-name players of the industry.
Of particular interest is the interview with Manuel Seal, Jr., who recently won a Grammy for his work on Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" and has worked extensively with Usher. Jones flexes his journalistic muscles, asking the right questions and chiseling his way into Seal's extensive knowledge. Seal explains how he broke into the business, discusses his work with various artists and dishes on his close relationship with Jermaine Dupri.
But where "Music Powers" really differentiates itself from other guides to the music industry is in the sections devoted to would-be producers. Jones intricately details every possible aspect of creating, selling and leasing beats — something truly difficult to find elsewhere. While it can all get a little heavy for anyone not aspiring to be the next Dr. Dre, the sheer depth of this section alone is impressive at the very least. Jones goes over ownership of masters, leasing vs. selling, publishing and royalties in his discussion of producing. The amount of work Jones puts into every aspect is admirable, though it's hard to justify reading over something like "leasing beats 'on spec'" for anyone but the serious professional.
The real beauty of the book is that it's completely self-supported. With other books, the author simply tells readers to get into contact with a lawyer or manager, leaving it up to them to somehow track people down. But Jones takes things one step further: he goes through his own personal address book and puts countless industry contacts' information in the pages of "Music Powers" for readers' use. The number of valuable contacts presented throughout the book is perhaps reason enough to buy the book.
Although "Music Powers" delivers a substantial amount of heavy information, Jones does so with a lot of wit, charm and humor scattered throughout. His writing is easily accessible, entertaining and simply enjoyable to read. Jones takes even the driest topics (hiring an attorney) and manages to somehow make it interesting.
The true highlight in terms of entertaining aspects of "Music Powers" comes in the form of a comic depicting the events leading up to the creation of Usher's 2004 hit "Yeah." While something like this isn't going to be particularly helpful to aspiring musicians, it was oddly the most captivating part of the book — for better or worse.
"The Music Powers That Be … " is good, but it's definitely not for everyone. If it's not already apparent from the title, this book is only for people hoping to make it in the music industry. Anyone who fits into the latter category should undoubtedly pick up the book, as this is easily the most accessible and thorough guide to a typically elusive industry. And at only $30, this is a real steal.
Everyone else? Well, the Usher comic was decent …
Rating: 4 out of 5
