Volume 1: The Book of Lists

Volume 1 focuses on helping artists understand how the music industry works and how to generate income and visibility. It begins by demystifying the industry itself, with extensive music terminology and genre definitions that allow artists to speak the same language as labels, licensors, radio programmers, and media outlets.

From there, the book guides readers through:

• Songwriting and ownership fundamentals, including splits, registrations, copyrights, and why proper documentation is essential.
• Business planning for musicians, showing how to treat a band or solo project as a real enterprise with goals, budgets, branding, and long-term strategy.
• Royalties and licensing, including mechanical, performance, streaming, and synchronization royalties, current U.S. statutory rates, the role of the Copyright Royalty Board, and how to register with organizations such as PROs, SoundExchange, and the Mechanical Licensing Collective.
• Marketing and promotion strategies, including how to prepare professional EPKs, write effective press releases, and decide when to pitch music versus when to build an audience first including 50+ Creative and non-conventional Marketing Ideas
• Sales and exposure pathways, with detailed guidance on submitting to college and independent radio, approaching major music media outlets and magazines, and understanding how airplay and press translate into career growth.
• List of Sync Licensing Agencies and Music Libraries - places to sell your music
• Major Music Media and Magazines - places to promote you or your band.
• Musician Support Groups 
• Music Supervisors and Licensing Agencies - places to sell your music
• U.S. College/Indie/Community Radio Station Directory - places to get radio airplay and exposure
• Regional Filmmaker Organizations - places where you can partner with filmmakers to sell or license your music
• Sync and media opportunities, including how to pitch to music supervisors, work with licensing agencies, and collaborate with independent filmmakers using real-world directories and outreach examples.

Volume 1 emphasizes education, visibility, and opportunity—giving artists the tools to get heard, get paid, and get taken seriously.