Everything I'm Cracked Up To Be

admin — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 18:22:00 +0000

Everything I'm Cracked Up To Be is a rock and roll fairytale. Jen Trynin is trying to find her place in the world of music. Her thirtieth birthday is just around the corner and she wants to be a rock star by then. Sending her tapes out to radio stations and playing in clubs is just the start.

After her songs get recognized on the radio she pulls together a band. With a new bass player and drummer her band is complete. When critics recognize her as the next big thing, many entertainment lawyers and record labels try to sign her. There is even a bidding war.

Trynin picks an entertainment lawyer, Neil Krakow, and a record label, Warner Brothers, and things really begin to heat up. She is sent all across the United States to video shoots, photo shoots and radio interviews. After a while she decides to go on tour, so with her band, manager, soundman, and a van she sets off.

When the tour is over her bass player quits and her drummer gets injured. She fires her drummer and puts together a new band. She even hires a lead guitarist so she can focus on just singing. In the end Trynin realizes that fame isn’t all its cracked up to be.

This story is inspiring to those who want to get in the music business. Although the story is from a humorous point of view, it still gives off that "never give up on your dreams" message. Trynin didnt give up on her dreams and neither should you.

The story also grounds your dreams. Fame isn't everything we expect. Most people think you get loads of money and a good life. This book puts that into perspective so you aren't too dissapointed. Everything I'm Cracked Up To Be is a hit.

Written by: Demara Austin, March 30th 2007

Swimming with Sharks: A Real World How to Guide to Success [and Failure] in the Business of Music

admin — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 18:31:00 +0000

By Bernadette Giacomazzo, Melissa Deskovic

Music will always be a part of one’s life, with or without instruments. Just a simple humming of a tune or even tapping a foot, a song is made, a chord is struck and melody is made. Music soothes the soul and brings a wonderful feeling to the heart. In almost every home there is someone with musical capabilities dying to make it big in the music world. Most bands are even started in a bedroom or a garage. From there it starts with finding the right places to play the gigs, to look for the person in the music world who will offer that one contract that will make good business sense.

Swimming with Sharks is a terrific guide to learning about the business side of rock and roll. With many people trying to make the mighty buck through scams, this book will show the prospective musician the ends and outs of spotting those cons, while showing the other side of the business - the contracts and making sure they are the ones that won’t leave you penniless. Face it, being a musician and trying to find the right source where one is not being cheated, means finding the right person who doesn’t act like a jerk.

This book is a resourceful guide to any musician wishing to take a step into the world of music. The down to earth authors even stress how one should realize just because they feel they have great music and could possibly be the next great singer or band, it doesn’t always mean others will fall down at their feet, think they are a super bomb, run out and buy all their albums, or see their concerts.

Swimming with Sharks carries the musician and reader into a wonderful path of learning the right way to achieve success. This beginners’ guide has some great tips on preparing the musician for the work that lies ahead. Professionalism is always the best key to any success by remembering to be kind and learning the ways to not burn oneself out over any situation. There are many vicious hunters out to scam people in the music world and the distinctive voices of Bernadette Giacomazzo and Melissa Deskovic lend many great pointers that will give a great jump start to the musician in this wonderful book.

Written by: Linda Lattimer, March 28th 2007