Designing The Music Business

American Nile Rodgers (b. 1952) is a Grammy-winning guitarist, songwriter, and producer with whom everyone would like to collaborate. He has the golden touch of Midas, producing some of the most iconic songs of the last 40 years for artists like Diana Ross, Duran Duran, Sister Sledge, Madonna, David Bowie, Daft Punk and Avicii. In 1976, Rodgers formed Chic with Bernard Edwards, whose disco song Le Freak was a giant hit. Chic still works under Rodgers and also releases new music.

Nile shares a lifetime of experience on how to make it in the music business. Using his songs as a guide, he explains the secrets of his success, his longevity and how he's stayed relevant.

Series in which three music industry insiders reveal how the business really works.

by Paul Allen (Author)
Anyone managing an artist’s career needs to be well versed and have a savvy understanding of the moving parts of the music business. You’ll learn how and why those moving parts "move," as well as how to manage and navigate a music-based career

On February 13, 1914, a group of the nation's most distinguished and popular songwriters gathered together in New York City to support the mission of ASCAP, a new organization for publishers and songwriters. A few years later, ASCAP received its mandate from the Supreme Court to collect royalties for the public performance of copyrighted material. Over the course the next century, ASCAP has been as prominent a force for the advancement and nurture and financial well-being of songwriters as any record label or publishing outfit one would care to name.

This book provides rare insights into the difficult and complex dialogues between stakeholders within and outside the music industries in a time of transition. It builds on a series of recorded meetings in which key stakeholders discuss and assess options and considerations for the music industries’ transition to a digital era. These talks were closed to the public and operated under the Chatham House Rule, which means that they involved a very different type of discussion from those held in public settings, panels or conferences. As such, the book offers a much more nuanced understanding of the industries’ difficulties in adjusting to changing conditions, demonstrating the internal power-struggles and differences that make digital change so difficult.