Almost every person in the country has probably thought about becoming a musician at one time or another. Many people pursue this dream but very few make it a reality on a professional level. There can be any number of reasons why that is, but without a doubt, one of the most common reasons is the artist’s own lack of understanding of how the music industry actually works. That’s usually because many artists are strictly creative people. They may be masters of the musical side of their craft, but if they are not knowledgeable about the business side of it, or at least resourceful enough to hire the right people to do the right things, well…you know what happens (and what won’t happen). This is where Focus: The Complete Music Industry Dictionary comes in to fill in the blanks for anyone who's interested in any part of the music industry. Most music industry books are filled with legal jargon because they are written by entertainment lawyers. However, many readers end up confused or frustrated from having to look up many terms, just to understand what these authors are saying. Focus: The Complete Music Industry Dictionary cuts through the idle chatter and simply delivers the definitions of these terms directly.
“I was a musician who was frustrated with the music industry and the fact that I wasn’t doing what I loved, to make a living. I didn’t know, and couldn’t afford an entertainment lawyer or other professional in the business so I literally bought nearly every book about the music industry that I could find! At that time, I had a hard time finishing any of them because they were so discouraging, overwhelming, confusing and at times uninteresting compared to what I was good at…making music! It didn’t help to know that if I wanted to make music professionally (and I wanted to so badly) I’d have to learn the business.” “I decided to get “in” by moving to New York and relying on my talent and work ethic, which had already made me a local star in my hometown. I knew it would be a big challenge but it was much more than I bargained for! First, musicians from all over the world have the same idea, so the competition was always fierce beyond sanity! Second, even though I met many signed artists and professionals, it turns out that most of them are more interested in the business side of the industry than the art! Both of these observations, eventually made me realize that a business savvy artist with little-to-mediocre talent is a lot more likely to succeed in “the biz” than a very talented artist with little-to-mediocre business knowledge.” “I decided to give up making music for a while to study the industry inside-and-out. Originally, I created Focus: The Complete Music Industry Dictionary to help other recording artists that didn’t want to read all those books. However, early on, I realized that it should include information for all music industry enthusiasts, whether they want to start a label, become an entertainment lawyer, songwriter, publisher, etc. Now, Focus is has become such a great and modern reference book that even industry professionals can refer to it! May it serve you all well. I hope it’ll help you achieve success in whatever you choose to do.” -BRUCE LEE ERVIN