“Musicians & songwriters yearbook” is for the UK market, as opposed to “Songwriter’s market” which is for the USA.

I find it a lot more useful than the “Unsigned Guide”, and it’s a lot cheaper too.  The articles are well written and the layout is pretty neat and clear.

Before buying it, however, i couldn’t find anywhere on the internet with a clear explanation of the contents, so here we go, let’s look at what’s inside so you can decide if this is the right book for you.

Songwriting and composing:

Articles:

“Life as a songwriter or composer” by Chris Bradford

“The evolving role of the music publisher” by Keith Lowde

“Copyright, contracts and royalties” by Ben Challis

“Music and sound effects for games” by Adi Winman

“Music synchronisation: how music licensing departments work” by Jen Moss

Listings:

Companies that commission songwriters and composers: advertising companies, TV companies, film companies, computer games companies, production and library music, dance companies, theatre companies

Music publishers

Courses

Societies

Competitions

Performing

Articles:

“Booking fees and contractual arragements” by Len Bendel

“Dealing with agents and intermediaries” by Bill Bruford

“Health and safety in the live performing industry” by Iain Hill

“FAQs: the role of the musical director” by David Beer

“How to approach a performance” by Stefan Redtenbacher

“How vocal performers communicate” by Penelope Appleyard

“Logistics and the freelance percussionist” by Graham Bradley

“New artistic projects: some methods of proceeding” by Jonathan Little

“Performing and teaching” by Louise Jackson

Listings:

Venues: London, UK outside London

Music festivals

Courses

Societies

Rehearsal studios

DJs:

Articles:

“Making a living as a DJ” by Jim Jomoa

“FAQs: becoming a DJ” by Jim Jomoa

“How the role of the DJ developed” by Venetia Allan

“The basic DJ technique” by Jim Jomoa

Listings:

Equipment manufacturers, retailers and distributors

DJ agencies

Club venues: London, UK outside London

Courses

Glossary of DJ terms

Recording and production:

Articles:

“Contemporary recording processes” by Antony Greaves

“Setting up your desktop studio” by Nic Rowley

“Recording and production agreements” by Len Bendel

“Setting up a studio: business considerations” by JoJo Gould

“Recording acoustic instruments” By Adi Winman

“The A & R department” by JoJo Gould

“The role of the record producer” by JoJo Gould

Listings:

Recording studios

Glossary of terms used in recording

Production companies

Mastering

Glossary of terms used in desktop music

Courses

Societues

Duplication

Labels and distributions:

Articles:

“Music piracy” by Keith Lowde

“Digital distribution” by Keith Lowde

“The evolution of record contracts in the digital era” by Ann Harrison

Listings:

Record labels

Distributors

Marketing, management and finance:

Articles:

“Music marketing and promotion” by JoJo Gould

“Managing a band” by JoJo Gould

“The name game: registering a band name” by Ben Challis

“Setting up as self-employed in the music industry” by JoJo Gould

“Financing new music-business ventures” by Jonathan Little

“FAQs: the management of songs” by JoJo Gould

Listings:

PR companies

Management companies

Lawyers

Accountants

Courses

Web and graphic design

There is also a resources page for each section (with a list of books and magazines).

Related articles:

Top five myths about songwriting

Leonard Cohen on songwriting

Speedlinking - the best of songwriting blogs

Songwriting Apples

Songwriting - rhythm works