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What's Up, Dawg?: How to Become a Superstar in the Music Business
Everything you need to know to make it big and take it all the way to the top, from the Grammy Award-winning producer, songwriter, musician, record exec, and American Idol judge.
So you wanna be a superstar? You want the fans? The glitz? The glamour? The money? The bling? American Idol judge Randy Jackson has been the man behind the star-making machine for the past 25 years, producing, recording, managing and performing with the biggest names in the music industry, including *NSYNC, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Elton John,Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Destiny's Child, Bon Jovi and Journey, among many others. If anybody knows the music biz, it's Randy.
Now for the first time, Randy reveals his secrets -- and those of the industry's top experts -- to making it big in the music industry. With his cool, hip, straightforward style, he's going to break it all down for you in layman's terms. He's going to help you find your musical style and how it can mean the difference between scoring a record deal--or going nowhere. He'll give you the 411 on how to land gigs, network with the industry's power players, make a blazing hot demo and snag the all-important record deal -- all while staying true to yourself.
So if you think you have what it takes to be the next Beyonce, Justin Timberlake or 50 Cent, or even the next American Idol, read What's Up, Dawg and let's see if you got What's up!
So you wanna be a superstar? You want the fans? The glitz? The glamour? The money? The bling? American Idol judge Randy Jackson has been the man behind the star-making machine for the past 25 years, producing, recording, managing and performing with the biggest names in the music industry, including *NSYNC, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Elton John,Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Destiny's Child, Bon Jovi and Journey, among many others. If anybody knows the music biz, it's Randy.
Now for the first time, Randy reveals his secrets -- and those of the industry's top experts -- to making it big in the music industry. With his cool, hip, straightforward style, he's going to break it all down for you in layman's terms. He's going to help you find your musical style and how it can mean the difference between scoring a record deal--or going nowhere. He'll give you the 411 on how to land gigs, network with the industry's power players, make a blazing hot demo and snag the all-important record deal -- all while staying true to yourself.
So if you think you have what it takes to be the next Beyonce, Justin Timberlake or 50 Cent, or even the next American Idol, read What's Up, Dawg and let's see if you got What's up!
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
3 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
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March 4, 2008RANDYYYYYYYYYYYYY AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
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January 30, 2026
it's gonna be a no from me, dawg.
very basic advice about the music business, like you have to work at it but also need a bit of a knack for it, and if you're not seeing any progress after a while then maybe being a professional musician isn't for you. i read this years ago; i think i'd only been working as a professional musician for a few years, but it still felt like stuff i already knew. on top of all that, any old advice about "the music industry" is rapidly becoming obsolete with the advent of streaming, etc.
i'd be interested in reading a memoir of his. he's probably got some great stories. i don't remember any great stories from this, though.
very basic advice about the music business, like you have to work at it but also need a bit of a knack for it, and if you're not seeing any progress after a while then maybe being a professional musician isn't for you. i read this years ago; i think i'd only been working as a professional musician for a few years, but it still felt like stuff i already knew. on top of all that, any old advice about "the music industry" is rapidly becoming obsolete with the advent of streaming, etc.
i'd be interested in reading a memoir of his. he's probably got some great stories. i don't remember any great stories from this, though.
October 13, 2007
before he was the black guy with street cred' on 'Idol, Randy was a top-call session bassist. one of his many hit credits is "I Touch Myself" by the Divinyls. this book has good advice but Randy is not a great writer of "books"
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews