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I
The inner path
The Artist’s Path
How your inner life shapes your creative and professional trajectory: a human arc from the first creative spark to stewardship.
The Music BusinessBuild a Creative Career and Navigate the Industry
A practical, honest account of how the music business actually functions, and how an artist can build a career within it that is resilient, profitable, and genuinely their own.
Paul Lancaster WiltshireCreator + Entrepreneur
How to use this book
Two paths.
One career.
“The goal is not just to help you follow your dreams. It is to show you how to protect them, by understanding the systems you are already operating inside.”
The book moves from the inner architecture of a lasting creative life to the external systems every artist must understand. Read it straight through, or begin with the practical chapters when you need operational clarity.
II
The outer path
Understanding the Industry
How the music business actually works, and how to work within it. Rights, teams, deals, distribution, streaming, direct-to-fan, touring, and the Artist CEO.
About the author
Paul Lancaster Wiltshire
Music and technology entrepreneur · Songwriter · Record producer
Paul Lancaster Wiltshire is a music and technology entrepreneur, songwriter, record producer, and the founder and CEO of Songtradr, one of the world’s leading music companies. Through Songtradr, he has built a global company spanning music rights, licensing, data, technology, creative services, and direct-to-fan commerce. Songtradr also owns Bandcamp, the world’s leading independent music platform for artists to sell music products directly to their fans.
Before founding Songtradr, Paul spent more than two decades as a songwriter, producer, and mixer, working with artists such as the Backstreet Boys, Human Nature, Delta Goodrem, Vanessa Amorosi, Marcia Hines, Guy Sebastian, and Engelbert Humperdinck. In The Music Business, he draws on his experience as both a creator and entrepreneur to offer artists, songwriters, and music professionals a practical guide to building sustainable creative careers in a rapidly changing industry.
- 12
- No. 1 albums & singles
- 28
- Top 20 releases
- 20+
- Gold & platinum awards
Founder & CEO of
Songtradr owns
Praise for The Music Business
“In providing a detailed explanation of how the industry works, informed by current lived experience, Paul Wiltshire’s The Music Business is an invaluable resource for anyone hoping to make a living out of music. Before you sign a contract, read this book!”
A note on AI and the soul of music
“When supply becomes infinite, meaning becomes scarce.”
The artists who thrive will use technology deliberately, without letting it dilute their voice. Artistry still matters. Intention still matters. The human soul cannot be replaced.