I will tell you up front that I loved this book. There is a huge gap between, say, getting a few shows and actually building a career in music that you will be able to stick with for years. Most people don't address the things that actually fill that gap. In this book, Jeffers does. Each of these 25 notes is a short and easy to read, and each offers a piece of advice that will help you sustain your music career - and your sanity in the process. Even music fans will appreciate this behind the scenes look at what life is really like for musicians, and if you are trying to figure out how to make your living in music, these lessons are words to live by.

Although the  book is incredibly practical, it is also charming. Jeffers knows he has a cool job, and his love for what he does leaps off the page. His enthusiasm will get your equally revved up about putting his tips into action. (My favorite story is about the tour manager with the "Be nice or go home!" sign in his office. You might be surprised how many people in the music industry forget that lesson.)

If you are a touring musician - or if you want to be - this book is highly recommended. Learn more.

Sure, the music industry can be a lot less formal than other businesses. For instance, yes, you've caught me, I AM watching Judge Mathis as I write this post. You may also go to work in your casual gear and count attending a show with beer in hand as work time. These are all good things, but the important balance to strike is between the sometimes casual work culture and professional communication. When you are calling someone or emailing someone for work purposes, put your best professional foot forward. Be clear about what you want, stay on point, respect time and boundaries, and no text speak. Get more tips for communicating like a pro.

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It is a pretty exciting time in the music industry right now, what with all of the changes and new technology on deck giving people more control over their careers. The less exciting thing is some of the rhetoric that surrounds it. Sure, ok, major labels are struggling and the internet gives musicians a direct connection to their fans. Cool. But all of this grand, groundswell of the people sticking it to the man stuff always rings a little empty to me - not because I don't believe musicians shouldn't have control over their music or anything like that, but because I think it is just a little bit simplistic. OK, so you're going to do it all yourself now. Great. Now, what exactly are you going to do?

Let's back up a minute and consider DIY. They say every generation thinks they invented sex, and I'd say the same holds true for DIY. A newcomer to the music industry might be fooled into thinking no one ever self-released any music until the advent of social networking, but I assure you, nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, the internet makes the whole thing a lot easier, but DIY is a very old fashion concept that happens to have come back into style right now the same way my teenage sister is now wearing all of the same things I wore growing up in the 80s. Although I'm not minimizing the importance or value of DIY in the music industry - I am a big believer in it - don't let the fact that it is a very cool thing to embrace right now stop you from objectively evaluating what it really means to you.

And what does it really mean? This is really my point. Sticking to the man is a full time job. There could be all of the resources in the world at your fingertips, and if you don't use them - and have a plan for using them effectively - then it doesn't mean anything. DIY is very, very, very, VERY hard work. Unless you are releasing music just for kicks, without any interest in making it a full time concern or your career, then there are certain things you need to be prepared to do. In other words, record labels could crumble around you, mainstream radio stations lose their signals, and print media publications go OOP for good, and there are certain fundamental basics you will need to do if you want to get your music to listeners, build a fan base and make a living. At a minimum, you need:

• Some method of distribution
• Some method of promotion

Those are two major things - companies have thrived specializing in just one of those jobs - and those are just the basics. You should ideally have the ability to book shows and tours (and the means to play the shows), an understanding of basic industry business matters like royalties and publishing, maybe some merch...well, the list could go on and on. Most importantly, you need a proactive plan. Simply reacting to opportunities that come your way isn't enough. Neither is randomly chasing opportunities. Let's say you invest months into getting a track on a big deal soundtrack...and you get it....and then what? Do you have a plan to promote your involvement? Have you kept up the other parts of your empire while you were at it? If not, you'll almost invariably learn a very hard lesson - that your song was included on a very successful soundtrack...and you are still right where you started.

You CAN do this stuff for yourself. Although ultimately a successful DIY campaign will mean that you can no longer manage to do it all yourself, you can certainly build your music career the way you want it with your own two hands. Just don't kid yourself. It is going to take hard work, long hours, patience, dedication, and a little bit of luck. If you're serious about making a career in this brave new music industry, don't believe the hype.

1. First, a piece of semi-local news for me. The city of Raleigh, NC, is cracking down on a woman who has been holding informal concerts in her home since 2000. Sometimes, the musicians playing there make some money from the audience - the article is not specific, but it sounds like a pass-the-hat kind of situation. So, says Raleigh city officials, that means that this is a business. Zoning laws prohibit businesses from operating in the concert organizer's neighborhood.  Mind you, the organizer isn't making any cash - just the musicians - and just sometimes. I wonder a few things - first, who sold her out, and second, how Raleigh city officials think they have time to pursue this nonsense. I guess none of them have, say, tried to drive down Hillsborough St. lately. I would think Raleigh city officials would be more interested in focusing their attention on maybe helping to wrap up some of these road construction projects that have literally been going on since I was in high school, but what do I know. Read more about the story.
2. Lots of talk this week about end-of-decade album sales tallies from Billboard, but before we get to that, check out how Billboard arrived at the numbers in the first place.
3. So, the top selling album of the decade? N'Sync ('N Sync?) No Strings Attached. It moved 10 million units. Surprised? If pushed to name some guesses for biggest seller, it would have taken me very long indeed to pull this one out of the vaults, but in retrospect, it is not such a shock. What would your first guess have been?
4. And now, the top selling indie albums of the decade. I think I would have to quibble a little bit with some of the "indies" on their list, but hey, this is Billboard. In their artist promotion guide, they recommended that you try to book a gig on Oprah. They're a little out of touch with the troops in the trenches sometimes.
5. One of my favorite things about the Musician Wages site is the way they offer practical advice for making money as a musician outside of the usual framework most bands consider. Case in point? This list of the top 100 piano bar songs. Learn these songs and watch the tip jar fill.

Before we get to this week's question, here are the results of the last poll. The question asked what part of their team a musician should hire first. There was a tie for first place, with 33% saying manager and 33% saying agent. Second place was "a musician doesn't need anyone but themselves" at 17%. And there you have it.

This week's question stems from an earlier blog post this week about the role of talent in the music biz. (You can read that post here.) So, what do you think? Is talent the most important product we have? Or has talent taken a back burner to looks, marketability and trend chasing? Vote now!

Getting back to our 2009 Wrap-Up series, today we hear from Cameron Mizell of Musician Wages. If you read this site often, you'll know that I'm a big fan of Cameron's work on that site - no fluff, all action music industry advice you can actually use is what he delivers - but calling him "Cameron Mizell of Musician Wages" doesn't really tell the whole story. He is also a consultant and a musician who does what many would tell you is impossible these days - he sells his music. Find out what made a fan out of Cameron in 2009 and his advice for your 2010.

Related Articles:

• Cameron Mizell of Musician Wages 2009 Wrap-Up
• Joanna Quargnali-Linsley 2009 Wrap-Up
• Bruce Houghton 2009 Wrap-Up
• Rick Goetz 2009 Wrap-Up

One of the coolest - and most frustrating - things about the music industry is that there is no one right answer. No magic formula. On the cool side, that means you can always create your own road map and still have a shot at success. On the frustrating side, it means the road maps created by others who have gone before you won't necessarily lead you to where you want to go.

Of course, not everyone shares my opinion that there is no one "right" way of getting things done in the music industry, and I hear about it frequently in my inbox. I always welcome the discussion, and I always come away feeling like I've learned something from these discussions, even though we still might not ultimately see eye to eye. But there is one notion - a theme even - that I hear a lot, that I always find surprising. I need your help figuring it out. This notion is - talent doesn't matter anymore/talent is not enough anymore.

On one hand, I would have to say that talent has never really been "enough". You could be the world's most gifted musician, and if you don't have the drive or the means to let people hear you,  well, it's not really enough (unless of course you play music for your own personal joy and have no need to share it). Nothing has really changed there. Talent has always needed a hard working, business savvy and lucky extra hand on deck. But doesn't matter? Whoa, there. If I could blame the decline on music sales one one thing, I'd blame it on the attitude that talent can be manufactured if the look/style/blah blah blah is right. Talent is our product in the music industry. Why in the world would we think that customers will want to pay for a shoddy product if the packaging is shiny enough?

So I say, ignore talent at your peril if you want to make in the music industry. It may not be enough on its own, but we're nothing without it. But I know not everyone agrees with me. So you tell me - talent - does it matter? Is it enough? Let me know!

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Up today for the 2009 Wrap-Up: Joanna Quargnali-Linsley of Misery Loves Co. Get the lowdown on her 2009 take away points and her advice for you for 2010.

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The 2009 Music Industry Wrap-Up series continues today. On deck now - Bruce Houghton of Hypebot.  If Hypebot isn't already on your "visit several times a day" website list, it should be. I learn from it daily. Find out what Bruce learned this year and what he thinks you should be focusing on for 2010.

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Weekly forum poll time again. First, let's check out the results of the last poll. The question was, "Do Full Length Albums Still Matter?".  They sure do, you say - or at least 80% of you say so. I was expecting that one to be a lot closer. Verrrrry interesting.

So for this week's question - picture it. You're a musician and you want to get some help on board. You can only bring in one part of a team right now, so what's it going to be? Manager? Agent? Label? Now of course, there are tons of variable in play here, but let's assume all potential team members are bring the same level of skill and knowledge to the table. Who do you think can be most pivotal in helping a new musician establish themselves? Vote now!