“[Avalon's books] destroy any lawyer's version of how the business works.” -- Courtney Love Artist – Los Angeles
"I've worked with Aerosmith, and Bobby Brown. [Avalon’s] book is the only one that I made the class I taught at Northeastern University in Boston buy!"
John Luongo, Producer/engineer, NYC
Moses Avalon is currently a top-selling author of music business books and educational tools in the US music industry. He is also a top business consultant and artists’ rights advocate who has lectured about the music business at Harvard Law, NYU, UCLA, and dozens of other venues.
Since 2000 The Moses Avalon Company has helped 100s of artists realize their dreams and get out of bad deals. The Company has also consulted for three government agencies in thier effort to get major labels to make thier royalty acounting more transparent, and trained dozens of artists’ attorneys and mangers to better protect their rights of their clients.
Moses Avalon began his career as a New York record producer and recording engineer. His combined work with Grammy® award-winning recording artists has earned him several RIAA Platinum record awards. His soundtrack compositions have been used in films that went on to win outstanding achievement awards at Cannes, The New York Expo and WorldFest.
Today he is an artist’s rights activist and the author of a best selling music industry reference, Confessions Of A Record Producer which is required reading in the music business curriculum of over 35 schools, including UCLA Extension, Loyola Law School and NYU.
Mr. Avalon has also acted in an advisory capacity to the Senate Judiciary Committee in their campaign to help legitimize areas of the music business. His award winning website which discusses controversial issues in the music business and his advocacy efforts can be visited at www.MosesAvalon.com
His syndicated newsletter, Moses Suppposes, which features informed editorials on the inner workings of the music business, reaches thousands of subscribers each month.
Achievements: In 1997 Mr. Avalon noticed that all the "how-to" books on the music industry were written by attorneys and were not accessible to musicians. He took the opposite approach.His first book, Confessions of a Record Producer: How To Survive the Scams and Shams of the Music Business. It has been selling in the top 5% of all books on Amazon.com since its release in 1998.
In the fall of 2001 Mr. Avalon released a follow-up book, Secrets of a Negotiating a Record Contract.
His third title, Million Dollar Mistakes: Steering Your Music Career Free of Lies, Cons, Catastrophes and Landmines, was released in January of 2006.
Based on his books Mr. Avalon has created the coveted Confessions of a Record Prodceur Workshop for artists, producers, managers, and small label owners, awarding 13.5 CLE credits and 4 Ethics credits to all attending attorneys.
He is an active lecturer around the world, CEO of The Moses Avalon Company and writes books about the music industry, as well as other topics.
Some noted advocacy efforts of The Moses Avalon Company :
• In September of 2004 Mr. Avalon, was asked by a European Neighboring Rights Organization, SENA to be the exclusive facilitator to help locate US artists who were owed approximately $1,000,000 in undistributed royalties. This unusual trust on the part of PRO resulted in US artists receiving long over-due money earned from European performances.
• In August 2003 Mr. Avalon, via articles and community pressure, focused on several online companies that fraudulently took exclusive rights from artists, while offering to distribute their music through Apple iTunes. After four months of consistent attention, one such company announced that they intend to return $200,000.00 to their clients and admitted that no actual deal with iTunes existed at the time in which they took the money.
• In September 2002 Attorney Generals in New Jersey and California used Mr. Avalon as a noted consultant to help build a case against RIAA-affiliated labels, regarding price-fixing of CDs in retail chains. This effort resulted in the return of over $150,000,000.00 in cash and goods to consumers from major labels.
• In August 2002 the Senate Judiciary Sub-Committee on Record Industry Accounting Practices spoke with and quoted Mr. Avalon in their preparatory brief to the committee. This information was used to impeach the RIAA at the Sacramento hearing, and has resulted in much attention on reform in the area of artist royalty reporting.
• In February 2002 a Moses Supposes article drew out a “secret” agreement between the Harry Fox Agency and the RIAA. The morally-questionable agreement to create a blanket license for internet use had the potential to deprive songwriters of millions in royalties. This focused much attention on the conflict of interest created buy RIAA ownership of SoundExchange, the agency chosen to collect and distribute these royalties. SoundExchange is now separated from RIAA.
• In March2001 a Moses Supposes article exposed Pacific Coast One-Stop, a California Distributor responsible for default of payment for the sale of millions of records. Pacific was forced out of business five months later.
For more info, please check out the official website for Moses Avalon
Hey Moses! I've read your book,"Million dollar mistakes",and I think it's great.There's some great advice in there that I'm following.I love the story about Meredith and Geza X. Best of luck! MARLENE
WHATS UP MOSES DOWN HERE IN DIEGO STAYING FOCUSED!!! CHECK OUT MY NEW MUSIC WHEN YOU CAN!!! I DID A TRACK CALLED "VERBAL ASSASSIN" AND IT WON PRODUCER FLIP MATRIX "BEST OF THE BEST" MC CONTEST, $500 BUCKS!!! FLIP HAS PRODUCED FOR ICE CUBE, SCARFACE, XZIBIT, MC REN, WC, JAGGED EDGE, PLUS MORE!!! I BEEN BUSY...GOT SOME TIME NOW...IMA START TO WORK ON A LOGO FOR YOU!!! STAY FOCUSED...
Hey Moses, we just wanted to wish you and your family the most wonderful and blessed of holidays. May the funk be with you in the new year. It's gonna be a good one.
I really enjoyed your article in the March 2008 issue of EQ Magazine: "The Final Nail In The Major Label Coffin? (What the 'New Model' of Record [360] Deals Means to You. Part One." In Part One you highlighted an interesting paradox, given current trends in the recording industry. I can't wait to see what you unearth over the next two months. Great coverage Moses... keep it coming. Ciao for now.
Brilliant coverage of the Apple/Universal debacle in your August 2007 "Moses Supposes: UNI B$%^T Slaps Apple" newsletter! S. Jobs should have done a better job with EMI when he had the chance. Keep it coming Moses! There are still Red Seas to part!
Got to give you maximum props for your last Moses Suposes....phenomenal..really impacted over the pond here in Manchester UK. You the Morpheus, and the man. Thanks. Peace. SP.
Stopping by to congratulate you on reaching another plateau in your life, wish you many more to come. Thanks for all the newsletters, and allowing me to post them up at my MSN Group, the emails with attached advice, and allowing me to be in your circle of network friends. Ejoy your day!
Ruth aka RnBMistress
Singer/Writer/Music Publisher
Sultry Ware Music (BMI)
http://members.soundclick.com/rnbmistress
Moses,
I always enjoy your perspective and reading your emails. Sending a little holiday cheer from the Las Vegas desert. May the new year treat you and your family well!
Cheers,
TRJ (The Reunion-instrumental music for the next generation)
I hope everyone will read your "The Future of Music And it’s Enemies: 2006" article before they buy into the media hype and declare the music business doomed! My thought: Change=opportunity.
Hi Moses, thanks for adding us. Hope you are well. Don't know what else to say after that ginormous email I sent you last time. The sleeper has awoken!
Nina Zsa Zsa & Ashley Griffith
THE LITTLE EARTHQUAKES
![John Sussewell [a/k/a Suss!]](http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/25/s_23a8fa90dc7d4decb5027ec932464609.jpg)
