The Craft of Contemporary Commercial Music
2nd Edition by Greg McCandless and Daniel McIntyre
Discover engaging digital resources to help you study and teach music theory, composition, audio engineering, and music business.
Students can explore chapter-specific resources including:
- Spotify playlists containing the music examples discussed in the book
- Audio examples for several of the musical selections
- Figures
- Flashcards to test your knowledge of key terms
As well as screencast videos to walk you through key music production concepts and workflows inside the DAW environment.
Instructor resources are password protected and can be found on our Instructor Hub. These include chapter exercises and homework keys.
About the Book
The role of the commercial composer has grown to include a wide range of new responsibilities. Modern composers not only write music, but also often need to perform, record, and market their own works. The Craft of Contemporary Commercial Music prepares today’s music students for their careers by teaching them to compose their own music, produce it professionally, and sell it successfully. The textbook integrates three areas of concentration—music theory and composition, audio engineering, and music business—allowing students to understand and practice how to successfully navigate each stage of a score’s life cycle from concept to contract. Students will learn how to:
- Translate musical ideas into scores utilizing music theory and composition techniques
- Transform scores into professional audio through the production stages of tracking, sequencing, editing, mixing, mastering, and bouncing
- Market works to prospective clients
The textbook assumes no prior knowledge of music theory or audio topics, and its modular organization allows instructors to use the book flexibly. Exercises at the end of each chapter provide practice with key skills. This second edition includes:
- Enhanced and new images throughout the book
- Updated technology examples, including greater integration of Ableton Live
- Discussions of industry-standard equipment, featuring companies such as Universal Audio, FabFilter, and iZotope
- More focus on popular music examples throughout the book, particularly in the context of music theory
- An expanded section on the music business, with new information on contracts, royalties, and digital play-tracking services
Combining a grounding in music notation and theory concepts with a foundation in essential technologies, The Craft of Contemporary Commercial Music offers an innovative approach that addresses the needs of students preparing for music careers.
About the Authors
Greg McCandless is Associate Professor of Music Theory and Composition in the Hayes School of Music at Appalachian State University, USA. His research encompasses theories of rhythm and meter, music theory pedagogy, and popular music analysis. In addition to his academic work, Dr. McCandless is an active songwriter for television, with original productions featured on CBS broadcasts of sporting events (such as NFL games, NCAA football contests, and the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament, among others) as well as various cable shows on the Warner/Discovery family of networks.
Daniel McIntyre is Associate Professor of Contemporary Writing and Production at Berklee College of Music, USA. He is also an award-winning composer with extensive experience as a producer, celebrating placements on national networks and cable stations on a regular basis. McIntyre worked with collaborator and friend Steve Cox on the PlayStation virtual reality game Farpoint, which became the highest selling VR game in history. The score won a Hollywood Music in Media award for best soundtrack and was nominated for a Jerry Goldsmith Award for best video game score of the year in 2017.