The Performing Arts Business Encyclopedia: For Individuals and Organizations as Well as the Attorneys and Business Advisors Who Assist Them

When I left a nearly 20 year newspaper career to become a ventriloquist and run around with a bunch of dummies (wait -- isn't THAT called political reporting??) I had absolutely no idea about the business side of show business. As a newspaper reporter I learned about "intellectual property" only when I did a story about it. And once I went into ventriloquism fulltime I had(and have) folks constantly urge me to set up a non-profit group for my extensive work with kids...but I had absolutely no idea what "non-profit" even meant, except perhaps some months of the year when it seemed as if I was in fact running a non-profit enterprise. In all SERIOUSNESS: this wonderful concise book answers any questions you have. Entertainment actually involves having to deal with lots of complicated legalisms (contracts, kinds of insurance, what managers do, legal requirements on record keeping, leases, social security, etc.) This book covers them all (and more) and topics are alphabetized. Each topic is dealt with with the absolute number of words necessary -- not an overkill, not an oversimplification. It's a reference for any kind of performer, as well as anyone involved with or interested in the arts. At the end there's even a listing of trade organizations, mailing list brokers, volunteer lawyers for the arts, and other associations and groups dealing with the arts. Each listing has an address and phone number. This book could save you LOTS of time -- and painful mistakes -- and free up LOTS more "creative time"!