Reality Check

If you create music, or work with artists who do, there's a way to expose your talent and give yourself a chance. In this common sense guide, industry veteran Matthew Walt explains how anyone with a voice and passion can break into the business. The music industry is bursting with opportunities for talent. This is due, in part, to new technologies to cultivate and expose your craft. As a result, an independent movement is burgeoning, and the number of artists making a living in the business has grown. What's more, alongside the artists, their agents and managers, and those that fill traditional roles, there are bloggers, computer programmers, and (best of all) fans who are driving the industry's future. This shifts power from the privileged to the masses. Realistically, this shift favors the creative and independent (but business savvy) musician. Drawing on his experiences from the trenches, Matthew presents the nuts and bolts of breaking into the industry, from understanding the business realistically and building your business with practical considerations to presenting yourself and finding your it factor. In a straightforward yet very passionate way, Matthew takes you from dreaming big to taking chances until your moment finally arrives. Your reality check is between these covers.