Unleash Your Musical Genius: The Best Books for Musicians to Elevate Craft and Creativity

Discover the ultimate collection of the best books for musicians. Dive into our curated list of transformative reads that promise to enhance your musical journey and empower your artistic growth.

 Welcome to “I Empower You To Empower You,” where your musical mastery is our mission. As musicians, we’re on a never-ending quest for growth, inspiration, and the perfect harmony between skill and soul. It’s no secret that knowledge is power, and for the musically inclined, the right book can be as transformative as the sweetest melody. 

With 77% of adults believing that music benefits their overall well-being1 and research showing that reading about music enhances both the cognitive and emotional aspects of musical development2, it’s clear that the best books music offers are more than just pages—they’re passages to excellence.

The Best Books for Musicians

These are the best books for musicians to read to create successful careers in the music business.

To be successful in anything, you must be willing to remain a continual learner.

Let’s face our reality as musicians: reading is fundamental, regardless of genre! I’m not speaking of reading sheet music.

If you know how then that would be good for you. If you want to learn, you should. However, I’m referring to reading books.

Reading is an essential habit to becoming a great musician. The best way to keep growing is to stay thirsty for knowledge. And one of the best ways I know to quench this thirst is reading.

Time is a precious commodity. Musicians may sometimes need more time, but the most successful are usually insatiable readers.

But if you personally can’t commit to reading dozens of books a year, commit to just this short list of books every musician must read.

Why Musicians Should Read Everyday?

In my experience, you can’t go wrong with taking the time to read.

I nearly always learn something new from every book I read!

Knowledge is power. Reading gives you knowledge that can make you a powerful individual based on the information you’ve learned.

There are several benefits of reading every day.

Some benefits are mental stimulation, stress reduction, knowledge, vocabulary expansion, memory improvement, more vital analytical thinking skills, better writing skills, improved focus and concentration, tranquility, and free entertainment.

Take the time now and check out this video on “Why You Should Read Books and The Benefits of Reading More”!

In our internet-crazed world, attention is drawn in multiple directions simultaneously as we multi-task daily.

In a single 5-minute span, the average person will divide their time between working on a task, checking email, chatting with a couple of people (via Google chat, Skype, etc.), keeping an eye on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, monitoring their smartphone, interacting with co-workers, etc.

This ADD-like behavior causes stress levels to rise and lowers our productivity.

Studies have shown that staying mentally stimulated can slow the progress of (or possibly even prevent) Alzheimer’s and Dementia since keeping your brain active and engaged prevents it from losing power.

Just like any other muscle in the body, the brain requires exercise to keep it strong and healthy, so the phrase “use it or lose it” is essential to your mind.

Reading a book is found to be helpful with cognitive stimulation.

When you read a book, all your attention is focused on the story—the rest of the world falls away, and you can submerge yourself in every fine detail you’re absorbing.

Try to read for 15-20 minutes before you begin anything on your to-do list, and you’ll be surprised at how focused you will be once you get to work on your tasks for the day.

Even if you just read ONE book on the business of music, it will probably double or triple your understanding of the music business… and that can take your career to places you’ve never even imagined.

Consistency is critical when you desire to improve a skill, regardless of the skill.

Consistent daily practice of reading books that matter to musicians is the key to being much more efficient and keeps you much saner.

I invest time in several tasks daily. Reading is one of them!

Everybody’s priorities and daily schedules will vary from time to time, but you must make time for reading daily, along with the other things every severe musician should do.

What Are The Best Books for Musicians to Read?

There’s a reading genre for every literate person on the planet. Whether your tastes lie in classical literature, poetry, fashion magazines, biographies, religious texts, self-help guides, street lit, romance novels, music theory, or music software, there’s something to capture your curiosity and imagination.

Ultimately, it is my choice as a musician. I could watch TV, play a computer game, or read a book to help me work and improve my craft.

As a fellow musician, please consider these choices.

If you have a severe dream you want to pursue in music, you must spend many hours working at it, reading, and practicing.

Step away from your computer or instrument momentarily, break open a book, replenish your craft, intellect, soul, or spirit for a little while, and do this every day.

Most book recommendations often swerve towards mundane self-help books or the latest fiction novel. This is different from that list.

These books will broaden your knowledge of music history, build your character and skill, and inspire you.

Whether you need something to inspire you or help you learn something new about your craft, technique, technology, laws, wisdom, or financial literacy, these books are perfect for any musician.

In this post, I want to share a list of books every musician should read who is thinking seriously about creating a successful music career.

Check Out The Best Books for Musicians to Read

“All You Need to Know About the Music Business: 10th Edition” By Donald S. Passman, Fred Sanders.

The essential guide to the music industry, “All You Need to Know About the Music Business,” written by music attorney Donald Passman, is in its 10th edition.

The book covers every topic, from changes over the past two decades to music lawyers, marketing your band, and how to be successful in the music industry.

“Understanding Your Potential Expanded Edition: Discovering the Hidden You” by Myles Munroe

Myles Munroe helps you to discover the untapped wealth of your potential ability and rise above your past experiences to unearth the hidden treasure within yourself.

“This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession” by Daniel J. Levitin

This book combines science and creativity. Daniel J. Levitin’s This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession discusses how we and those around us recognize music, how and why musical tastes form, and what it takes to make a great song.

“Everything You’d Better Know About the Record Industry” By Kashif

This book offers information for musicians, songwriters, performers, singers, and producers, including hiring managers and accountants, establishing a budget, copyright, and contract law.

“Six-Figure Musician: How to Sell More Music, Get More People to Your Shows, and Make More Money in the Music Business: Music Marketing” by David Hooper

This is an open letter to any musician who wants to make $100,000 (or more) in the music business. In this book, David Hooper details how to sell more music, get more people to your shows, and make more money in the music business.

“Indie Business Power: A Step-By-Step Guide for 21st Century Music Entrepreneurs” by Peter W. Spellman

Indie business power focuses on serving this fast-growing “micro” music business population, from booking agencies and indie record labels to web services and music production houses.

A coalition of music entrepreneurial activity is inspired by segmenting markets, loads of small business support resources, and empowering digital tools and media.

This book will guide you through becoming a successful music entrepreneur.

“Automatic Wealth I: The Secrets of the Millionaire Mind-Including: As a Man Thinketh, the Science of Getting Rich, the Way to Wealth & Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill and James Allen

The bestsellers in this book give sound advice about money or how to obtain it.

If we stay focused on our dreams, there is nothing we can imagine that we can’t do. So, what are you waiting for? Begin the journey of self-fulfillment with this book.

“The Savvy Musician: Building a Career, Earning a Living & Making a Difference” by David Cutler

The professional marketplace is flooded with outstanding musicians, forced to compete for a shrinking number of “traditional” opportunities.

The Savvy Musician helps balance three overriding aspects of your professional musical life: (1) building a career, (2) earning a living, and (3) making a difference.

With this book, you will discover how to build an immediately recognizable “brand,” capitalize on technology—from Internet tools to the new recording paradigm, expand your network, and raise money to fund your dreams.

The Savvy Musician is an invaluable resource for performers, composers, educators, students, administrators, industry employees, musicians, and others interested in a thriving musical future.

“Awakening Your Business Brain: A Guide to Launching your Music Career”  by Jennifer Rosenfeld and Julia Torgovitskaya

Can you be an artist and a businessperson at the same time? Jennifer Rosenfeld and Julia Torgovitskaya, founders of Cadenza and Cadenza Artists, are here to share the lessons of their music career coaching business and talent agency with you and help you awaken your business brain.

Artists often receive misconceptions about the business side of art, such as that focusing too much on self-marketing is detrimental to their artistic growth or that making sacrifices for a big contract is “selling out.”

Along the way, musicians are taught that they can be artists or businesspeople, but not both.

Jennifer and Julia say that not only is it possible to be both, but it’s also essential for survival in today’s music world.

“Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music” by Angela Myles Beeching 

This book is a guide to mentoring yourself into a successful career in music.

Talent is something you can nurture through constant practice.

Success is a different game requiring much more than talent and practice.

This book by Angela Myles takes you through the different aspects of how you can make a successful career in music without losing the soul and heart of your creativity.

Musicians can use this book as a step-by-step guide to succeeding in establishing a music career.

“The Autobiography Of Gucci Mane” by Gucci Mane/Neil Martinez-Belkin

The Autobiography Of Gucci Mane is a raw, pure, and compelling biography intended for both fans of hip-hop and those interested in America’s modern society.

There will be no sugar-coated words or extravagant language here, just honesty, pain, struggle, reflection, and redemption.

This long-anticipated book started while Gucci served in a maximum-security federal prison. It is an insightful and vulnerable look at one of America’s most exciting artists.

Passionately anticipated and widely praised, Gucci Mane’s autobiography records the dubious rise of a rapper who, from day one, was overwhelmed with several challenges, from drug addiction to incarceration.

But at the end of the day, he managed to overcome them all.

The Perfect Day to Boss Up: A Hustler’s Guide to Building Your Empire

A captivating and inspiring guide to building an untouchable empire from mud to marble, no matter what obstacles stand in the way

Rick Ross is a hip-hop icon and a towering figure in the business world, but his path to success was challenging.

Despite adversity and setbacks, Ross held tight to his vision and never settled for anything less than greatness.

Now, for the first time, he shares his secrets to success, offering his life as a road map to listeners looking to build their own empire.

Along the way, he reveals: 

• How to turn your ambition into action 
• Tips for managing and investing your money 
• Inside stories from his business and music ventures 
• Why failure is central to success 
• Secrets to handling stressful situations 
• How to build the perfect team 

As Ross explains, “It doesn’t matter what’s going on. Even the direst situation is just another opportunity to boss up.

Intimate, insightful, and with no-nonsense advice, The Perfect Time to Boss Up is the ideal book for hustlers everywhere.

”The Music of Black Americans: A History” by Eileen Southern

Eileen Southern was the first black woman appointed a tenured professor at Harvard. Her book is a monumental work of scholarship, drawing on memoirs, ledgers, newspaper slave advertisements, and other sources to reconstruct the history of African-American music-making from 1619 to the age of hip-hop.

Southern is a musicologist who is strong on music and its history, expertly shaping a story of exile, oppression, and resistance.

“The Recording Angel: Music, Records, and Culture from Aristotle to Zappa” by Evan Eisenberg

Music has existed for millennia, but recorded sound only arrived with Thomas Edison in the late 19th century.

How did the arrival of records change music? It’s a vast, perplexing question, and Eisenberg’s book remains the classic treatment.

He approaches his subject from both philosophical and psychological standpoints, discerning the difference between collective and private listening, examining how records function as assets, and explaining how people define themselves by the records they listen to.

“Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting” by Jimmy Webb

Jimmy Webb offers a master course on how to write a song. It’s fascinating to follow his unusual approach, and the book excels because it describes inaccurate detail and the thought patterns of a guy who writes entirely outside the box.

“One Nation Under a Groove: Motown and American Culture” by Gerald Early

Motown’s shrewd founder, Berry Gordy, used the drive toward desegregation in the ’60s as his highway to the substantial white market.

To get there, he walked tricky lines: Early argues that the crossover brand of soul Gordy shaped was “neither bleached nor blackened,” and though Motown produced a long string of hits, Gordy ruled his music factory-like, Henry Ford, keeping Motown’s musicians and writers anonymous, setting up schools to prepare his acts for middle-class white venues and conceal ideas he didn’t like.

Yet, as the author beautifully illustrates, the music became immortal.

“Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age” by Steve Knopper

When the record business messed up through its early-21st-century aftereffect, Steve Knopper wrote an insightful look at the mistakes that set the industry up to deteriorate.

In hindsight, maybe 20/20, Knopper’s careful recounting of the music business’s errors—beginning in the post-disco bust years and ending with iTunes’ rise—lays out a clear case for what the higher-ups missed while celebrating their successes.

“Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook: 201 Self-Promotion Ideas for Songwriters, Musicians & Bands on a Budget ” by Bob Baker

This is a classic guide to independent music promotion. With this manual, you’ll discover that music marketing doesn’t have to be expensive or flashy to be effective.

Whether you’re promoting a fast-growing indie band, record label, or solo act from your basement, the Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook gives you the tools you need to get the most out of your music career.

“Music Law: How to Run Your Band’s Business” by Richard Stim

Music Law provides all the legal information and practical advice musicians need.

This edition thoroughly updates the latest copyright and trademark law changes, including guidance on filling out “Form CO.” Plus, find expanded information on musical collaborations between DJs and other musicians.

You’ll also get the most up-to-date legal forms available.

“Get More Fans: The DIY Guide To The New Music Business” by Jesse Cannon Todd Thomas

The popular music business guide has added 20 pages, including a bonus chapter, to its fifth edition for 2017. 

With every day that passes, the power the major labels once had dies a little more.

The chance to get the same exposure as your favorite musicians gets more manageable and more accessible.

The difficulties that would have prevented you from becoming popular if the right people said your music was good enough are gone.

You can now get exposed to thousands of potential fans without investing 1% of what musicians used to do by building a fanbase based on listeners who love your music.

No more writing letters. I hope that A&R writes back to you. This book explains how you do it.

“Music Money and Success 7th Edition: The Insider’s Guide to Making Money” by Jeffrey Brabec

This priceless book tells you how the business works, what you must know to succeed, and how much money you can make in films, television, video games, ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC, record sales, downloads and streams, advertising, ringtones and ringback, interactive toys and dolls, Broadway, new media, scoring contracts and synch licenses, music publishing, foreign countries, and much more.

This essential reference is written by industry insiders Todd Brabec, educator, entertainment law attorney, former ASCAP executive vice president and worldwide director of membership, and Jeff Brabec, vice president of business affairs, Chrysalis Music Publishing.

“Music Marketing: Press, Promotion, Distribution, and Retail” by Mike King

This Berklee expert speaks on marketing and distributing your songs and group. Sell more music!

Learn the most effective marketing strategies available to musicians, leveraging the necessary changes and opportunities the digital age has brought to music marketing.

This versatile and unified approach will help you to develop an effective worldwide marketing strategy.

Step by step, you will develop an active marketing plan and timeline tailored to your unique strengths and budget.

You will learn to time your marketing campaign effectively, publicize your music to traditional print outlets and emerging online opportunities, understand the current opportunities for online, satellite, and terrestrial radio play as well, and navigate various retail and distribution options, both at brick-and-mortar and online options, such as iTunes, Amazon Music, and other services.

“The Plain & Simple Guide to Music Publishing – 4th Edition“ by Randall D. Wixen with a Foreword by Tom Petty

In this expanded and updated third edition, the author adds greater depth to such increasingly essential topics as the rapidly shifting industry paradigms, the growing importance of streaming and subscription models, a discussion of new compulsory license media, the impact of copyright terminations and reversions, updated advice on current license prices, and all the basics of copyright and rights management.

“Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business” by Fredric Dannen

Hit Men is a highly controversial portrait of the pop music industry in all its wild, ruthless glory: the insatiable greed and ambition, the enormous egos, the fierce struggles for profits and power, the vendettas, rivalries, shakedowns, and payoffs.

Chronicling the evolution of America’s most prominent music labels from the Tin Pan Alley days to the present, Fredric Dannen thoroughly examines the often dishonest, sometimes illegal dealings among the assorted hustlers and kingpins who rule this multi-billion-dollar business.

“Music Business For Dummies” by Loren Weisman

Start your music career with this fun guide to the music industry.  

Music Business For Dummies explains the ins and outs of the music industry for artists and business people just starting out. You’ll learn how file-sharing, streaming, and iTunes have transformed the industry and how to navigate the new distribution models to capitalize on your work.

It all begins with the right team, and this practical guide explains who you need to have on your side as you grow and gain more exposure. Coverage includes rehearsing, performing, recording, publishing, copyrights, royalties, and much more, giving you the information you need to start your career off smart.

“The Music Business Contract Library: Music Pro Guides” by Greg Forest

This essential resource is for anyone in the music business.

Every business arrangement in the music industry comes down to the written agreement between the parties engaged in the project.

When you co-write with other songwriters or make publishing agreements, recording agreements with independent record labels, or film sync license agreements for music used in TV, film, the Internet, and commercials, what is in writing ultimately governs the deal with you and your business.

Whether you are the publisher, label, studio, producer, engineer, or artist, The Music Business Contract Library contains over 125 contract templates and forms you need, along with Greg’s professional experience in a commentary on how he has used them and why.

This massive library comes with online media, which delivers over 125 forms in fully editable Microsoft Word format for use in your own business.

“Effortless Mastery: Liberating the Master Musician Within, Book & CD” by Kenny Werner

Playing music should be as simple and natural as drawing a breath, yet most musicians are hindered by self-consciousness, awareness, self-doubt, and stress.

Before honestly expressing our inner self, we must learn to be at peace and overcome the distractions that make performance difficult.

Kenny’s unique work deals directly with these hindrances and presents ways to let our natural creative powers flow freely with minimal stress and effort.

It includes an inspiring CD of meditations designed to teach positive thought. This book has become a favorite of many musicians, who credit it with changing their lives! Many are so impressed that they buy copies for their musician friends as gifts.

“Harmony and Theory: A Comprehensive Source for All Musicians” by Carl Schroder and Keith Wyatt

This book is a step-by-step guide to a well-known Harmony and Theory class. It includes complete lessons and analysis of intervals, rhythms, scales, chords, key signatures, transposition, chord inversions, key centers, harmonizing the major and minor scales, and more!

Here are 126 Shortcuts that will take your songs from good to great!

“Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting: 126 Proven Techniques for Writing Songs That Sell” By Robin A Frederick

Here are 126 Shortcuts that will take your songs from good to great!

Discover today’s top songwriters’ melody and lyric writing techniques and learn how to use the same secrets to give your songs the power and edge to make listeners want to hear them repeatedly.

“The Complete Rhyming Dictionary: Including The Poet’s Craft Book” By Clement Wood

This simple-to-use, complete reference work has been updated, expanded, and redesigned to meet the needs of today’s most demanding wordsmiths.

Here are over 10,000 new entries–over 60,000 in all—in sight, vowel, consonant, and one-, two-, and three-syllable rhymes.

How To Be Your Own Booking Agent: The Musician’s & Performing Artist’s Guide To Successful Touring by Jeri Goldstein

How To Be Your Own Booking Agent THE Musician’s & Performing Artist’s Guide To Successful Touring tackles such topics as The Art of Negotiating; How to Eliminate Cold Calls—Make Friendly Calls; Setting Long-Term Goals; New, more Effective Telephone Techniques; Creating An Effective Promotional Package; Contracts; The Art of Touring; Managing the Road; Conferences; Trade Shows and Industry Events; Funding Sources; Crossing Borders–U.S./Canada Touring; Marketing Your Act; Accessing the Media: Print, Radio, Television and Internet Marketing; The New Record Industry; Working with Managers and Agents; When to Quit Your Day Job; Hiring Help and Ethics and Attitudes.

It also offers current immigration regulations for touring artists, new scripts for contacting potential presenters, strategies for contact relation management, crowdfunding, and a completely revised chapter on The New Recording Industry.

The Artist’s Guide to Success in the Music Business: The ‘Who, What, When, Where, Why & How’ of the Steps That Musicians & Bands Have to Take to Succeed in Music, Second Edition by Loren Weisman

The Artist’s Guide to Success in the Music Business, 2nd edition, is a detailed analysis of the subjects that all musicians should understand and apply to pursue a successful and sustainable career in music today.

This music industry book contains practical advice and comprehensive details on achieving self-empowerment and optimizing success in today’s music business.

From production and performance tips to marketing and career-building advice, this music business book instructs and empowers artists on how to take the hard-earned lessons of a fellow musician and put them to work in their own careers.

Take your music from passion to profession. From promotion and performance tips to marketing and career-building advice, Loren Weisman uses lessons from his twenty years as a working musician and a music business consultant.

The Musician’s Guide to Theory and Analysis Anthology Fourth Edition by Jane Piper Clendinning (Author), Elizabeth West Marvin (Author)

“The Musician’s Guide to Theory and Analysis Anthology Fourth Edition” by Jane Piper Clendinning and Elizabeth West Marvin is a companion to “The Musician’s Guide to Theory and Analysis”. This anthology features the total musical scores for the pieces discussed in the textbook12.

The anthology is designed to provide students with a practical application of the theoretical concepts presented in the leading textbook. It includes musical scores from different periods and styles, allowing students to apply and see the theory in action12.

This anthology is an invaluable resource for students studying music theory. It allows them to analyze and understand the practical application of music theory in a wide range of musical pieces12.

The Musician’s Guide to Theory and Analysis Fourth Edition by Jane Piper Clendinning (Author), Elizabeth West Marvin (Author)

“The Musician’s Guide to Theory and Analysis Fourth Edition” by Jane Piper Clendinning and Elizabeth West Marvin is a comprehensive resource for the theory curriculum. It covers the essential principles of diatonic and chromatic tonal harmony, systematically developing skills in part-writing, figured-bass realization, melody harmonization, counterpoint, stylistic composition and arranging, and music analysis, including contemporary music1.

The book is designed to speak to today’s students and features a broader, more inclusive repertoire than ever, exploring music that will be relevant to every musician with clear, accessible prose23. It also includes a comprehensive workbook and successful online ‘Know It? Show It!’ pedagogy to help students develop theory skills inside the classroom and out23. The book is part of the Musician’s Guide series, a complete package of theory and aural skills covering everything students need to know for the AP® exam3.

Why These Best Books for Musicians Are Important

Knowledge is power, and what you do with that knowledge is the key to success!

You’ve got an insight into why musicians should read and what kinds of books musicians should read.

Now, you can decide strategically what to read and learn right now. It should be the first book you purchase!

This list is a must-read for musicians in the early stages and seasoned in the music business, trying to overcome distractions, insecurities, and ignorance.

Staying persistent and determined to achieve your goal is the fuel you’ll need to reach your desired destination in life and business as a musician, singer, performing artist, etc.

Reading is an easy way to influence your social circle and create a different environment inside and around you. 

This allows you to meet and talk with great personalities through their books. It is as if you could engage with them virtually while having coffee.

At least, that is what happens when I read a book by someone on a subject that interests me, such as music.

On the contrary, when you’re doing what you love, it doesn’t feel like work at all.

You love every minute of it, lose track of time, and it’s what you live for. This same method is required when reading a book that will help perfect and fine-tune what you love to do.

You learn some things because you have to and some because you want to. It would be best to remember this when choosing a book to read.

Don’t be distracted by your friends who probably aren’t working towards a goal like this one, but know that there are “successful” musicians who are putting in the hours right now in reading.

I hope these best books for musicians inspire you to want to read until you’ve learned all you can to create a successful career in music.

In Conclusion

As we reach the final bar of this symphonic exploration, remember that the crescendo of your musical journey lies within the pages of the best books for musicians. Whether you seek to refine your technique, understand the industry’s intricacies, or find solace in the shared experiences of musical legends, these books are your guiding notes. I encourage you to embrace the ones that resonate with your spirit and aspirations. By purchasing through my affiliate links, you will acquire an inspirational guide to assist you along your holistic growth journey as a musician, and you’ll also support the melody of this blog.

Don’t let the music stop here. Subscribe to my blog, follow me on social media, share this article with fellow maestros, and leave a comment below with your thoughts and experiences.

Do you have any book recommendations for musicians? Post them in the comments section below! Let’s harmonize our knowledge and passion for music, one book at a time. And one more thing, check out my new single, Freedom Love, on all music outlets!