Review of The Indie Band Survival Guide

I recently read The Indie Band Survival Guide by Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan. This book is extraordinarily readable, but is also a great reference for independent artists.

First of all, Chertkow and Feehan know what they are talking about. They experienced it first hand as part of their rock group, Beatnik Turtle. They have produced eighteen albums and they have written music for television and films, all without a label.

Right away, these guys do a great job of defining indie artists as well as the various support roles in the new music business. They also do a great job of describing the changing landscape of the music business.

This book is also honest and forthright regarding the challenges facing the indie artist. It places appropriate emphasis on the role of people in the development of any successful campaign.

I am particularly impressed with the layout of this great reference book and the use of specific examples that are woven into the detailed fabric of instruction. This reference provides an excellent overview of topics that include many marketing principles such as branding and creating effective web sites. There are many tips and resources that any indie artist should find useful in their endeavors to build a fan base. I especially like the section of the book devoted to getting noticed as it provides specific strategies.

The book provides sufficient information for developing a ground game, including how to get booked and how to make the best of each appearance. There is ample information about other elements of a successful ground campaign including pitching and various forms of direct promotion and publicity.

The Indie Band Survival Guide does a great job of describing intellectual property and rights.

The only issue that I have with this book is the application of The Long Tail to the product side of music. I read Chris Anderson's book, and I believe that it does apply to the distribution side of the music business. However, I am skeptical that it will apply to the production side of the music business as there is little justification to produce anything for one or two sales. If there are multitudes of distributors selling low volumes, then perhaps it might make a little more sense. Overall, on the production side, the tail needs to be more representative of the natural relationship between sales and quality. This, I believe, would be best represented by a linear relationship between popularity and quality. Of course, quality in this context must integrate the quality of the actual product with the quality of marketing and promotion in the real world.

In summary, if you have a great product (songs and ability to perform them) and you can apply the principles outlined in The Indie Band Survival Guide, then you have a reasonable chance of success. This book is well worth the $15 and I would consider it a must have for any indie artist.