If there's two things I'm addicted to, they're music and learning. I've fallen head over heels in love with this book already and I'm only about 30 pages in!

Donald Passman's book, All You Need to Know about the Music Business 9th Edition, is packed with tips, tricks, steps, and info. Katy Perry said that she "read this book at thirteen and then things turned out okay." Adam Levine said, "If you want to be in music, you have to read this book." The author claims that music lawyers have gotten mad at him for giving advice away that usually costs clients thousands of dollars! Even if I stopped reading now at page 30, it would be worth the thirty bucks I paid for it on Amazon.


Here's what I love about it and why YOU should read it if you want to be in the biz:

1. It's up to date. I almost got an older version to save a buck, but my recording teacher at Tri-C said to go for the newest, because the music business changes fast, especially with the age of the internet. It's worth it to have the 9th edition!

2. It's written in regular human language - it carefully decodes and explains fancy shmancy lawyer talk.

3. It's organized in such a way that you can read the book thoroughly or skip around to get the facts fast if you are short on time.

4. He discusses how to choose which lawyers and managers to go with - this is essential so that you don't get screwed over by a sleezeball.

5. He gives ENDLESS resources! I've already bookmarked multiple website suggestions on my computer. Everything from advertisement sites, to file sharing sites, to music insider sites!

6. He gives an attorney checklist. I love lists!

7. The book includes breakdowns of record deals and deal points.

8. He spells out the intricacies of royalties and copyright and publishing law.

9. TIPS TIPS TIPS on everything! I started making a list of tips on how to get my music heard more and how to get more fans to follow me via social media!

10. And so much more.


This book is definitely worth the read. Educate yourself. Learn. Read. Work. Hustle.

That's what successful people do.

Woooooow! What a great night! The Brenna Lynn, Kristy Lee Burky, and Once Again show at the symposium was awesome. About 50 people were dancing and having a great time in the black lights. I loved sharing the stage with the other artists - I've seen Kristy play before, and she was even better this time! I knew some of the words of her songs since I purchased her CD at the last show. Talk about talented! Once Again played after me and they were incredible. They played great throwback songs and had the whole crowd dancing and drinking. I loved when they threw my name into some of the songs they sang. lol. Not only did I get to play great music, I got to listen to great music!

I played from 9 - 10:30. This show rocked for a lot of reasons. The first being that a lot of my friends that have never seen me live were there to watch me perform. Another was that I had some audience members crying at some of my more touching songs. I got to play some BRAND new songs that I've written. It was the longest I'd ever played. People were dancing to my voice. And the coolest moment of my night: someone asked for my autograph on their ticket!

People complimented me on my variety - I played some great covers like Irreplaceable by Beyonce, Only the Good Die Young by Billy Joel, and Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. I belted and I hit some high notes. I rocked some high-energy originals. And I had two original songs that were very quiet and deep - it was incredible how the entire world seemed to stand still and the whole club became silent as I sang. It was surreal.

I hope those who came out had as much fun as I did! Be sure to make my next show!!

xoxo Brenna Lynn

Cuyahoga Community College is where it's at. They have a Recording Arts Technology (or RAT) program - which I'm lucky enough to be a part of this summer! My "Survey of the Recording Industry" class was $300 to take, but I'm learning so much from it. I've learned a lot about the history of the recording industry, and have even started learning about revenue streams in the music industry. I hope that in the near future I can get a little demo CD, and maybe get in touch with a publisher that can help me get some of my original songs into the hands of some professionals. I'd love for Miranda Lambert to hear my song, Arm Candy ;)  
I'll be sharing some of the cool things I've learned in the RAT program class that I'm taking, so stay tuned for some good songwriting and music business tips!

On June 17th I had the pleasure of playing at the Symposium for the first time.
WOW! What a place! My converse lit up the in blacklight and the whole place was cool and clearly very music focused! The stage was awesome with a cool circle window in the background. The sound was blaring and the other acts sounded awesome. Kristy Lee Burky opened for me, playing awesome originals and a couple of classics. I loved when she played her song "I know" and couldn't help but sing along to "Linger" by The Cranberries. The band that played after me was "Mildred Hits the Afterburner." They were interesting to say the least. They had me up and dancing in no time. The whole place was laughing, singing, and even occasionally dancing while I played my show. It was an awesome time. Make sure you're at the next show on July 22 at 8pm so that you can experience the awesome vibes at the Symposium. Any requests on songs? Comment below!