So, you want to become a media composer?

by Adonis Aletras, Richard Kraft

Description A music business handbook with a twist: In 'So You Want To Become a Media Composer?', Adonis Aletras provides all the necessary insight for beginners and professionals alike in a very unique way: by utilizing 65 of the BEST composers, performers and industry executives who are currently successful in their respective fields! Offering their 'real world' perspective through 5 custom questions, the participants (including John Debney, Jeff Beal, Bruce Broughton, Deborah Lurie, Steve Vai, Richard Kraft, Dawn Soler and dozens of esteemed others) provide answers that shed light into: film-TV scoring, composing for media, getting hired, the music business, music business marketing, academia, career, success/pitfalls, the media industry, music publishing, etc. It's not a music theory book, however, no stone is left unturned making it a must for anyone interested in pursuing a career in media composition. Presented in a clear and easy to navigate format, this book will be useful to aspiring composers, students and professionals who want to get an insider's view of how the best of the best handle their careers towards a path of success. As the author says: "There are a billion queries going on in our heads about career, business, creative processes, the film/tv industry, the video game industry, the streaming platforms (like Netflix), academia, publishing, income streams, family (even!), temp scores, and so on and so forth. Way too many questions to ask anyone individually, though, so an idea flashed before me: Ask a few questions at a time to some friends who are A-list film/tv composers, game composers, industry executives, audio engineers, editors, performers, publicists, music supervisors, lyricists...questions would be custom made, after thorough research, for each participant. Asking the right questions is quite important but what's even more important is who answers the questions. In other words we need to always consider the source. Experience trumps visibility. We'd rather learn from someone who has done it over and over with a proven track record than a loud mouthed spectator with a YouTube channel." (excerpt from the book)