Analysis of Jacob Slichter's So You Wanna Be A Rock & Roll Star - Book Report/Review Example

Jacob Slichter "So You Wanna Be A Rock & Roll Star" Currently, the musical shows in the televisions create an impression that it is easy to become a recognized musician. Jacob Slichter in his book “So You Wanna Be A Rock &Roll Star” moves to discredit that it is that easy to attain the heights of stardom. The book covers his experience as a musician. It covers his memoirs of his old days as a drummer of a band he started and named Semisonic. Through his experience, the reader gets the impression of what most of e starts in the music industry go through to get their desired stardom. He develops his story in step by step show proceedings from when he was just an ambitious drummer up to when he becomes a globetrotting musician with many fans. Generally, the book addresses all those who have dreams of attaining superstardom by showing how one can transform from being a mere drummer to making records that are rated platinum. Slichter was a Harvard graduate who was doing simple temporary jobs and doing random singing gigs when two of his friend from a performing group approached him with the idea of singing together. They worked out their roles and after a show at a comrade’s graduation party, the band semisonic was created. Recording and releasing tracks was not as easy as they expected. It was difficult maneuvering through the complexity of the music industry. Already, they were over 30 years and seemingly not the ideal ages of people who were on their way to seek stardom by becoming rockstars. He was also feeling overshadowed by the prowess of the two band mates and initially felt stage freight when he was performing. They struggled to get recording deals and having their records played over the radio. He says that they had numerous “suck up” meetings with production executives and radio program directors. The band had to deal and eventually held as the payers of huge sums of money and remuneration paid to program directors from some independent producers. They costs of hiring expensive limos were eventually billed to the revenues of the bank. This aspect of avoidable expenses in the music industry all in the name of getting them to become famous vexes Jacob and perplexed that they owed their record label more than one million dollars. It was disappointing that even after garnering commendable revenues, the band still owes its record label quite a lot. The sales from their first album were luke warm. The second album made over a million sales and put them in the limelight for a short time. All this time, the expenses were being charged against their royalties, the radio stations music directors were selecting the type of music to play and MTV was not playing the music videos they produced. The third album dismal sales was the break point of their deal with the record label, MCA. Their short stint at the top was over as soon as their record label dropped them. Evidently, their struggles in their musical careers are synonymous with every other individual or band seeking to become a world renowned musician. The underhand dealing perpetuated by a group they trust to manage their careers is something all so common. It is also evident that consistency during the time when musicians are in the limelight is the key to staying there. Perseverance is a good trait for emerging musicians as not many radio stations or producers are willing to set aside time to listen to what they have to offer. Role of the book as a guide to “Inner workings” of the music industry” The book has instances where it exposes what really happens in the musical industry especially before and after one hits stardom. First, the book provides insights that act as guide to those who want to become musicians by addressing their future incomes. There are dirty dealings in the music industry all in name of “recoupable debt” (Page 36). This is where the bands are weaseled out of making money by the officials producing their music. They end up even paying the personal bills of the musical executives. This is a lesson for musicians to employ cautious dealing with who they engage as their produces, programs developers and the marketing team. They are supposed to have a watchful eye or better yet have sound financial assessment skills to keep tract of their earnings and band expenses. There are politics in the musical industry especially involving what to play. The book highlights this as an important lesson to upcoming musicians. In page 173, Jacob states that there were “Lambaste MTV horrid gender politics”. These are elements that have the potential to derail the musical path a musician takes. Musicians may produce music but due to standards set by the stations set to provide air play, their work may be compromised and turn out to be futile. Potential superstars are supposed to be aware of this and be Conscious that such changes can show up. It becomes clear that some radio stations conduct their business in an unethical manner by demanding payments to play certain music. This is addressed in page (37-39). It is better for musicians to comprehend that there is injustice when it comes to airplay. That knowledge helps them in choosing the best label to represent their interests. In most case, the radio executives wo0rk hand in hand with the top management of the record labels. The inner workings of the music industry tend to commodify the subjects so as to put them in a place of exploitation. As Jacob puts it down in page 76, they were made comfortable initially but they were to realize later that despite walking on the red carpet, sometimes the stars are made to be carpets. This guides one to acknowledge that there are practices that may seem genuine and well times but they may sometimes be intended to lure individuals with a musical dream. They are later turned to be the money makers. This instance shows the need to be cautious and scrutinize any development. There is a culture of “ass kissing” in the inner circles of the music industry. This is depicted in page 34-37). This is where aspiring musicians are subjected to beg or succumb to the demands of potential record labels. The managers of the music firms have created for themselves a “god” status. It is only with perseverance that aspiring superstars get recognition from them. This serves to inform aspiring musicians in their decision making regarding which labels to consult and predict their future relations. References Slichter, J. (2004). So you wanna be a rock & roll star: how I machine-gunned a roomful of record executives and other true tales from a drummer's life. New York: Broadway Books. 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