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The music business still beckons. American Idol, for better or worse, embodies the eternal appeal of a career in this industry.
Many musical aggregations -- bands, duos, singing groups -- come together by happenstance. When they coalesce in a premeditated and deliberate manner, it's often the result of a shrewd manager seeking to manufacture a musical entity like the boy bands from Orlando several years back. Either way, they're at the mercy of fickle fate.
Regardless, it never hurts to know as much as you can about a given topic, especially when money and art intersect. Ignorance may be bliss, but there are thousands of swindled songwriters and ripped off recording artists wondering where the money went. Even more mundane concerns regarding equipment, promotion, production and personnel also need to be addressed before the cash begins flowing. A musician's best chance of survival still depends on gaining a thorough understanding of how the business works.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting a Band. Mark Bliesner and Steve Knopper. Alpha. 321 pages. $18.95.
Bliesner and Knopper do a good job laying out the possibilities for beginners and wannabees in simple and comprehensible terms. One could quarrel with some of their asides (like their claim that bebop was invented by Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. Really? Don't tell Diz, Monk and the rest!), but most of their advice and observations are safe and sound. And in the absence of personal experience, it's a good source of possible scenarios.
In some ways, this book reminds me of a sex manual: It's a nice intro for neophytes, but when the real thing happens, passion, excitement, instinct and improvisation kick in, and book learning will only take you so far. But you gotta start somewhere. (Bliesner's website is www.Band Guru.com).
30 Years of Peace & Music & Other Things. Artie Kornfeld. Kornfeld at Woodstock. 129 pages. $35.
On the other hand, there's a lot to be said for following your heart. True innovators often make things up as they go along. In 1969, Artie Kornfeld gained international fame as one of the four young guys who put on Woodstock, the legendary rock festival in upstate New York. But before and after Woodstock, Kornfeld was also a prolific songwriter, producer and music executive. This book, written several years back, but just published a couple of months ago, is a pleasantly discursive oral autobiography in the Studs Terkel sense. Lessons abound on life, art and business. Kornfeld literally grew up in rock 'n' roll, learning the secret codes, handshakes and processes of the often bizarre music business as he went along.
A preternaturally charming go-getter, he parlayed his considerable talent and growing connections into a stellar career. One of his biggest successes before Woodstock, the epitome of hipness, was with, ironically, The Cowsills, the wholesome-appearing family that played and sang together, serving as the template for television's Partridge Family. Kornfeld wrote and produced most of their debut album, including the hit single The Rain, The Park and Other Things, which enjoyed new prominence as part of a recent television commercial.
Kornfeld's story would make a terrific movie or, at least, a fascinating biography by a professional author. But his self-told tale, accompanied with contemporaneous photography by some of rock journalism's best lensmen, including Henry Diltz and Baron Wolman, and an enhanced CD with words and images, makes for a unique and valuable historical testament by a big-hearted pioneer who changed the world. Take a look at his website: www.artiekornfeld-wood stock.com for excerpts.
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