Customer Reviews
The Future of Music 
2008-06-26
This is a polemic with both feet on the ground. For such a small volume, it carries a great deal to think about although much of that thought will be utopian. There are a few, but too few, ideas about how to bridge the gap from the "old" ways of doing business and the "new" ways of doing future enterprises. In my opinion, technology is an opportunity, not an answer.
I would suggest to get a better picture of what is going on in the music business, one should read both Don Passman's book and The Future of Music. The music industry models that are sketched here are exciting and provocative but the realities of business will remain: those with the greatest investment in the industry will not give way to the young Turks without a significant fight. The Future of Music is a manifesto that urges the young and/or the brave to join the revolution.
Viva la revolucion!
Meh 
2008-03-28
This was by far the worst book I've ever read. Irrelevant quotes from famous people that aren't necessarily educated on the topic, extremely redundant, real basic info without any straight answers, some hypothetical situations that aren't pertinent to it, it's just 200 pages of fluff. If you've never once thought about the future of music then maybe this would give you an idea of what's happening.
Good read, 2007-11-28
This is a good read for musicians and producers alike. It gives an insight into the prospects of the future of music, but it lacks the practical advice of The Future of the Music Business.
The future is now 2007-03-19
For the most part, whenever authors write about new media and the Internet, the book is dated by the time the ink dries. For the most part "The Future of Music: Manifesto for the Digital Music Revolution" is still ahead of the curve. David Kusek and Gerd Leonhard take chances. Most futurists do. Some of their visions are hitting the bull's eye now in March, 2005 although the book was published two years ago. That's pretty good aim. It reads well too.
Alright already! 2007-02-28
This is a case of a lot of filler to make what could be communicated in a short essay into a book. The basic message "The music industry has to embrace digital technology." This and a few other salient points are made early in the book and then repeated with different wording ad nauseum. I would suggest standing in the store, reading the introductory stuff and skimming the rest. Too many authors are doing this these days. It should have been a magazine article.
Not factual enough. 
2007-02-11
For the next generation of players and downloaders, a provocative scenario from a music industry think tank. From the Music Research Institute at Berklee College of Music comes a manifesto for the ongoing music revolution. Today, the record companies may be hurting but the music-making business is booming, using non-traditional digital methods and distribution models. This book explains why we got where we are and where we are heading. For the iPod, downloading market, this book will explain new ways of discovering music, new ways of acquiring it and how technology trends will make music "flow like water," benefiting the people who love music and make music.
Stirs ideas, but repetitive and overreaching 
2007-01-19
I bought this book because I am getting into the digital music business. I enjoyed reading it, but I didn't much care for the wording in the book, and I think the authors are overreaching in the sense that they are expecting too much from artists in the industry.
This book clarifies the differences between the record and music industry, and emphasizes the effect of file sharing on digital medias (Limewire, Bearshare, programs) and the record industry. It makes some significant points, and makes the same points again later on in the book. The author states that artists should be able to sustain careers rather easily without "getting signed" and that is not the case today. Artists still need capital for marketing on the internet, and in marketing it is possible, but still costly.
This book is worth reading if you are getting into the business. I don't regret buying it, but I think other books may have a more definite impact on the reader. What it boils down to is opinion, and mine vary slightly in some cases and greatly in others.
Helpful and Inspiring 
2006-11-10
I haven't finished reading this book yet, but so far it's been inspiring. The writers create very feasible scenarios for where the music industry is headed in the next few years. In fact, the book is about 2 years old now and some of the predictions are already coming true. For example; mobile devices like phones and PDAs converging and becoming delivery services for music, social networking services like Myspace (not mentioned in the book, presumably because it had not yet become popular) coming to the foreground as a way to listen to and exchange music, the idea of music as a utility or a subscription which has recently become a more popular option with various download services. I'm looking forward to finishing this book and taking my new-found inspiration online.
A true visionary 2006-06-13
As a music industry vet, I can say without hesitation, that Gerd is one of the few people I have run across that GETS the reality of where music business is going. This is a must read for anyone who wants the inside track in succeeding on all levels in the business.
Great so far 2006-06-06
This book is very easy to understand, but my copy is missing pages 100-117. Plus, pages 177-133 are repeated later in the book. Something must have gone wrong in the printing press!
