The Daily Swarm

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November 19, 2009

Should Books on the Music Biz Move to the Web?

Digital Music News examines the problem with print, as All You Need to Know About the Music Business releases it’s 7th edition:

Either way, All You Need is hardly a lightweight reference, despite the lightweight tone of the author. This is an incredibly complicated business, and few have the capability to offer such a comprehensive guide without writing a Brittanica companion set. And, at $21 (on Amazon at least), this is an easy investment decision. In a few hours, the book offers a fantastic top-level, and at the same time, delivers a great reference for future problem-solving.

But perhaps ahead of the eighth edition, or in lieu of it, Passman might consider a totally different approach. Why not develop a more dynamic, online guide, complete with up-to-date revisions and developing sections – in other words, a living, breathing reference that changes in real-time, as needed? Maybe the online reference could coexist with the print edition, and even require a subscription fee for access. Passman would undoubtedly have to experiment with monetization approaches (buy the book, get a free online account, etc.), though the online guide (or companion) might help to create a more complete and authoritative ‘industry Bible’ for modern times.