It’s the first month of the New Year and we’ve gathered a list of 6 inspiring books for the new You. These books cover various aspects of one’s creative & business endeavours whether you’re a songwriter, music producer, instrumentalist, artist manager, PR & marketing agent or even a venue programmer. I’ve placed them in a certain order but you can skip it and jump to the ones that interests you the most. Without further ado, here are the Six books that you should check out this year:
The Art of Songwriting by Ed Bell
So the first one on the list is also something I’m reading currently and what I really like about this book is that although the cover of the book suggests the nitty gritty in songwriting, it’s more about how to think and live like a songwriter on a daily basis. Some basic understanding of music theory will be required to make the most out of this book. But even if you’re a complete newbie to songwriting you can still benefit a lot from this book as it doesn’t delve deep into technicalities of music making but rather the art behind it.
Indie 101 by Ritnika Nayan
This is a must read at least once in your life book. You could treat it like a bible for your music career and keep it under your pillow. It covers literally everything in the Indian music industry such as starting out as an Artist, Booking agents, Recording & publishing deals, Intellectual property, Public relations & marketing, touring and many more topics. It’s a comprehensive book on the ever-growing music industry specially written for the Indian indie market.
Moving to Higher Ground by Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis is famously known as a Pulitzer prize-winning musician and composer. This book is surely a joy to read for those who’d like to take a close look in the life of Jazz & Blues musicians and the life they choose to lead. Marsalis passes down great wisdom and life-changing messages with a witty narration. It’s an inspiring book written by a brilliant and an experienced artist to share the richness of music with the world.
Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon
Some might roll their eyes with the title of this book but it’s got some honest opinions about art & creativity which would give you a new perspective or even help you overcome a writer’s block. It’s definitely an easy read, something you can keep on your coffee table with minimal texts and more of pictures, graphs, smileys (not really), hand written/drawn journals. You’ll come across many things that you’re already doing but never paid that much attention to it. It could help you organise your projects better or start one if you’ve been procrastinating it for whatever reason.
On Emotional Intelligence by HBR’s 10 Must Reads
This one has nothing to do with music or art but emotions. As artists or professionals involved in the entertainment industry we’re constantly working with people, new or old. And at times it can get pretty chaotic working on a project that involves multiple creative individuals. Hence it becomes almost like a new life skill that’s required to interact and network better with colleagues. This book will also be helpful if you work in a band, manage artists/bands, work in a label or plan to start your own company in the future. Let’s face it, we live in a small world and it’s always nice to work with people who have better emotional agility.
Real Artists Don’t Starve by Jeff Goins
This one will definitely shake you up and give you pragmatic solutions to your career goals as an Artist. The chapters within this book takes you through topics such as building the right mind-set, market and increase visibility of your work, value of your craft/work and lastly on building a diverse portfolio and the idea behind making money to make art. It is definitely a must read for every aspiring artist living in the New Creative Age.
