Reviews

“Yes, I read it. Good, simple and to the point. An essential manual for any band looking to get ahead and avoid the obvious pitfalls…”

Kerrang! Radio’s Johnny Doom

“Excellent book… Some obvious stuff in there, but stuff that folk don’t always think about. Do like the style in which you’ve written it.”

“My life would be so much easier if folk read this book before trying to send music for possible airplay. Packed full of great tips for emerging bands.”

Jim Gellatly, XFM Scotland

“My current bedtime reading. Cool book by Emma Scott. Great tips, advice and anecdotes for bands starting out”.

Clint Boon, XFM Manchester and Inspiral Carpets

A lot of it is common sense but at the same time it’s those things that musicians don’t think of – or just plain forget.  Sometimes you need someone to state the obvious and If It Was My Band states the obvious very well.

There are rules new bands should be putting in place – never look a gift horse in the mouth – buy this book from Emma Scott.

Wyatt Wendels, Planet Rock Radio Presenter

“Brims with advice and tips for aspiring bands and artists”

The Unsigned Guide

“A top read!  A straight forward, to-the-point book about what you should be doing. Enjoyed it.  The book is full of simple things bands should be doing but sadly overlook”.

Mr Peeps, Radio Presenter

“As a radio presenter who specialises in unsigned artists, I receive lots of music on a weekly basis to be played on my show. After reading “If it was my band…” I wholeheartedly recommend musicians follow the excellent advice given, as I, as well as lots of other radio presenters, have a full-time “day job” and therefore review time is limited, hence the need for short, snappy and informative information to catch my attention and guarantee airplay.”

Bill Horncastle – Vixen 101

‘Being a manager of a band is tough work and we need a helping hand sometimes! The new book by Emma Scott; ‘If It Was My Band’ is a must read for any unsigned, self-signed or independent band out there who is serious about what they do and wants to make their mark in an increasingly competitive industry. This book will give ‘your band’ the advice needed and an honest perspective from someone vastly experienced. It’s insightful and so much to the point that even the drummers should be able to understand!’

Chris Hale, Eagle Two Management

Emma Scott is an experienced member of the music world; she has worked as a radio and tv presenter, promoter and most recently a radio plugger. the contacts she has amassed over the years must be priceless and to read her thoughts on what she would do ‘if it were her band’ are brilliant.

Whether you’re thinking of forming or are already an established act/band, this book is a must read, packed full of essential hints and tips and reminders to do the ‘simple things’ will go a long way to ensure that you are invited back to venues, gain more work and generally be the best you can be in this cut throat world of all things musical.

The book is written from the point of view of a band member doing what they SHOULD be doing instead of what they think is the right way, it delves into various areas of the music world including forming the band, management, venues, promoters, pluggers and gaining airplay on internet/radio stations. There is a high level of content in the book that you may think is common sense (being polite, thanking promoters and fans) but often, these simple yet essential things often go amiss in the hectic world in which we live!

If you read just one book this year, make sure it’s ‘If It Was My Band’ by Emma Scott!

MusicMuso.com

“Great book! Had so many ideas in there which I would have never ever thought about doing myself! Great mix between pictures and text, the check list at the back is an amazing idea! It’ll help me and the band develop so much. We have actually already taken the advice about finding new members and social media”

Luke Williams

A must read book for unsigned bands, artists, music promoters and anyone new to the music industry Common sense, good advice and some great tips bundled into a humorous and interesting read. You wont be able to put it down!

Anne Jobling, EGH Radio

Yeah I’m really liking the book – empowering stuff to read and does reassure me I’m doing a lot of the right things too! :)

Rupert Stroud

“A fantastic, fact-filled joy to read. A must-have I really liked the ‘long way to the top’ and ‘the rest is history’ parts, makes you realise that no matter how successful people are they all started where we are too. My favourite illustration has got to be page 94 it’s the only one where the drummer looks like he is smiling :-)

Richard Wyatt

“An excellent read, with so much common-sense. ANY budding band, whichever genre, should really give this volume full attention because the information & approaches are totally relevant!”

Big Jim from The Rock Show

“I really enjoyed Emma Scott’s “If it was my band…”! It’s full of great insight and tips. I look forward to implementing many of these ideas with my band in the future.”

Tom Butler

“We sat round in our lock up on Sunday and read it and took notes. It has deffo given us a morale boost and new directions to go..”

Sevendaze

“Your new book has arrived and is FAB!  Yes yes yes!!! Love the fact I can read it page after page or just dip into it. The “turn up” ethic on page 86 with that pic says it all….had that drilled into me at music college and it’s spot on!”

This should be every musician’s bible! Honest, to-the-point and IMMENSELY useful advice for anyone wanting to forge a career in the industry. The book’s unique format and light-hearted narrative makes it an easy and informative read.

I think it’s FAB Emma!  BE PROUD Emma! Love the “it’s a long way to the top” anecdotes too!”

Annabel Revell

“I’m up to “Making Music a Full Time Job” … It’s a very good read! Some of the ‘tips’ are obvious but those are the exact things us musicians forget…”

Timm Rutland

“I really like the way the way the book is presented in terms of both size and illustration. It tells you straight away that it’s a light and manageable read which is important if you’re not a big reader like myself. The book is packed with brilliant, insider knowledge from an obviously experienced author. This knowledge is then broken down into a list of invaluable advisory points. What really appealed to me is that the advice can be implemented straight away, easily and effectively.

The ‘Making it a Full Time Job’ section was particularly helpful for me. It’s helping me utilize the time I have to concentrate on the right things going forward.

Final words on the book: Experienced or inexperienced Unsigned bands will benefit from this book!”

Paul Hale

“I found that reading this book reminded me of a few things my old band learned (sometimes the hard way), and explained and reaffirmed why some things didn’t quite work out. I have learned some new things too from reading this book.

It’s great to see a music industry professional giving advice to musicians. The book outlines some of the hard work needed at any level in the music industry. Speaking from a little experience, everything that I am familiar with in the book correlates to my own experiences, so I would imagine some of the things in the book that I have not experienced are all correct and relevant.

This book is a must for new artists who have questions about how the music industry works or how to get into the music industry and how to progress further.”

Theo Lawrence

If it Was My Band is a must-have guide for any musician who wants to move their band forward. It has helped me personally in a variety of important ways, from getting gigs to getting airplay, to promoting the band. After reading it once, I re-read it, highlighter pen in hand and created a master plan with tips that would never had occurred to me had I not read this book and it is already reaping rewards with gigs and airplay.

It’s a big world out there with millions of bands in it – you need all the weapons at your disposal and if I were you I`d choose If it Was My Band, you will get results!

Kevin Pugh