Rating: 
Summary: More than just an excellent "now-to"
Review: $30 Dollar Music School by Michael W. Dean is not a typical "how to succeed in music" book, although it has much of the kind of info found in those books. $30 Music School is a product of the author's experiences as a musician, (as well as his background as a filmmaker and writer which are the basis for $30 Film School and $30 Writing School.)
Dean will not teach you how to become the next Avril Lavaigne or the next Garth Brooks. He has no formulas for "writing hits". And he does not cover how to make it in music by kissing butt or messing over people foolish enough to trust you.
Dean writes for the serious independent-minded musician who has music in his or her soul trying to come out. His focus is on developing musicianship, business smarts, people skills and building an audience for your work - without compromising artistic integrity or personal decency. He gives tips to avoid being eaten by predators without yourself becoming a predator.
Dean is an advocate of "D.I.Y." (Do It Yourself) in which artists use innovative ways to produce and distribute their work without the support of mega-corporations. He produced and distributes the well known documentary of the D.I.Y. music scene "D.I.Y. or Die".
When I discovered this book, I was a non-musician who was trying to get a good introduction to the world of aspiring musicians and the music business. I would haunt the shelves at the local Borders and spend hours reading the growing number of musical self-help books by current or former players in the industry. Some were quite good, and a lot were pretty awful. When I opened up $30 Music School, I realized I had found something special. Dean gives tips on everything from negotiating used equipment purchases, to audio porduction (analog and digital) to boooking gigs, to learning chords and writing lyrics, to promoting on the Internet and more, more, more. And the man is not dumb! This is a guy with a lot of smarts who could be making megabucks in some giant corporation, except that he doesn't like lying to people (a fatal character flaw in today's business world).
And the thing that shines through every page is Dean's ethic of "give something back". It's actually larger than that. Michael Dean understands how Music works, which is how Art works which is how Life works. We're all here together. We need to be good to each other and support each other's best dreams. Anything else is stupid.
Rating:
Summary: Funny, Real, Useful, and Practical.
Review: $30 Music School is a comprehensive and practical book on how to be a professional musician, provided you are doing it because you genuinely love music and not just because you aspire to be rich and famous. It's humorous and fun to read while being very well written and organized. It contains excellent nuts and bolts advice on forming a band, equipment, gigging, recording, promotion, business, touring, and more, and what makes it great is Michael's emphasis on doing what you love and loving what you do with generosity and integrity.
Rating:
Summary: Look no further
Review: Every human being should be a musician. Sound crazy? Well, get over it! All you need is your own desire and the assurance from a great book like "$30 Music school" to let you know that it's all right there for you. Michael Dean gets right down to it. D.I.Y. (do it yourself) or DIE is the only way. Don't ever let anyone tell you your art isn't good enough. Follow your heart and when you falter or think it just won't work, pick up this book, read it, believe it and get back to work. It's up to you. That is what I learned from this book and the $30 Film school.
Rating:
Summary: First Time Film Maker Finds $30:00 Film School Invaluable!
Review: Hi,
I bought $30:00 Film School about one month ago. I am currently producing my first documentary. This book had absolutely every bit of information I will need to make my film. Michael Dean presents his information in a straight forward easy to understand manner with a splash of humor. He leaves nothing out.This is the only book I purchased and the only one I need.
$30:00 Film School was interesting to read and will give me the background to produce an incredible documentary film. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: First Time Film Maker Finds $30:00 Film School Invaluable!
Review: Hi,
I bought $30:00 Film School about one month ago. I am currently producing my first documentary. This book had absolutely every bit of information I will need to make my film. Michael Dean presents his information in a straight forward easy to understand manner with a splash of humor. He leaves nothing out.This is the only book I purchased and the only one I need.
$30:00 Film School was interesting to read and will give me the background to produce an incredible documentary film. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome read...(not just for DIY-ers)
Review: I am a graduate of the $30 Music School.This is simply an awesome book for anyone into ot just getting into music, no matter if you just want to play for yourself or are preparing to embark on your first world tour.Excellent tips on buying gear, finding musicians as well as recording. All in true DIY spirit. Also has interviews with many other DIY-ers who made it big! Read this book and get your $30 music degree today!!!
Rating:
Summary: $30 music school better than $30,000 music school
Review: i can guarantee you that i've learned more in this 500 plus page book (that i read in two days, by the way, couldn't put the thing down) than i've learned in many years of music classes, internet searches, private interviews with musicians, and so forth. this isn't your average "buy this book and we'll make you famous" contraption you see in the back of your conformo-rock magazine, this is a true book written to inform you of some of the mistakes that many bands make, and how to avoid them. plus this thirty dollar (21 on amazon) book could save you thousands. you catch my point BUY THIS BOOK!!! (i ain't makin' a dime off this, i just hate seeing musicians lose money and get screwed)
Rating:
Summary: Musician's Note
Review: I highly recommend Michael Dean's, $30 Music School. It is the most comprehensive book I have ever read about the music industry and making your own music. Dean covers every aspect of the creative process from writing and recording songs to promoting, marketing, and eventually making a living from the art that we as musicians thrive to produce.
What I found particularly unique about $30 Music School was the fact that Dean makes no assumptions in his presentation of the material. Further there are underlying lessons to be learned from the many examples Dean presents from his own experiences as an independent artist. It is both inspiring and encouraging as Dean's writing style made me feel as if he were giving me advice as a friend and fellow musician.
One of the most important lessons I've learned during my 15+ year career as an independent musician and songwriter is that there are many aspects of music and the industry that can be learned. When put into practice, they can only help to improve the overall quality of an artists' work and help them achieve goals that once seemed far-fetched. This book puts it all out there for you. $30 Music School has helped me not only identify areas of my art and approach to marketing music that need improvement, but it also helped me confirm many of things that I'm doing to help facilitate success.
The book comes with a free CD-ROM which has some great sample files, software demos, electronic press kits, and a songwriting tutorial-all of which help strengthen the content of book. My experience reading this book also prompted me to check out some of Dean's other work including the DVD D.I.Y. or Die: How To Survive as an Independent Artist and $30 Film School, both of which I thought were excellent.
Regardless of your musical ability or experience in the music industry there are lessons to be learned from this book for every musician both young and old. The price and title of the book only represent a tiny fraction of what this book is worth to me. Buy it, read it, learn it, use it, read it again, and LIVE it.
Rating:
Summary: Invaluable Advice for a Song!
Review: Michael Dean is the quintessential self-made man, and we can all learn a lot from him. I thought he was formally educated with a PHD in writing but it turns out that he is entirely self-taught, which speaks volumes about his credibility as a do-it-yourself expert.
Rating:
Summary: Practical and philosophical at the same time!
Review: Michael Dean's "$30 Music School" is highly valuable and should enjoy many printings and updated editions over the next few decades. Here are 500+ pages that are jam-packed with insights, practical tips, and philosophical musings to uplift the creative spirit. The work is simply outstanding -- one of the best music books out there. This shows you how it is possible to take charge of your music career and manage it yourself.
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