Straight Ahead:
A Comprehensive Guide to the Business of Jazz

Without Sacrificing Dignity or Artistic Integrity

By Marty Khan

Drawing on 35 years of experience in virtually every aspect of the jazz and performing arts business, Marty Khan has created a comprehensive guide for jazz musicians and professionals.

This book offers highly detailed information and advice about everything they need to know to successfully navigate the difficult, mysterious, and often treacherous waters of the jazz business. It also focuses strongly on the Performing Arts business, and the role that jazz plays in relation to it.

Purchase the Book

Straight Ahead... Physical Book
$97.00

Drawing on 35 years of experience in virtually every aspect of the jazz and fine arts business, Marty Khan has created a comprehensive guide for jazz musicians and professionals. This book offers highly detailed information and advice about everything they need to know to successfully navigate the difficult, mysterious, and often treacherous waters of the music business.

(price includes shipping and handling)

Note: We currently do not ship outside the contiguous US and Canada. If you are not located in either of these regions, please consider the Straight Ahead eBook as an alternate option.

Straight Ahead.... e-book
$25.00

This is information that no musician or music business professional should go without. Move your career forward with clarity, strategic planning, and a solid foundation of practical understanding. (includes PDF, kindle, and eBook/iPhone/iPad files)

Straight Ahead... Teacher's Guide
$13.00

The music business teacher's companion to Straight Ahead..., complete with lesson plans, suggested assignments, and overviews of how to use each section of the book within classroom activities.

(price includes shipping and handling)

  • Check/Money Order:

    Hard copies of Straight Ahead are available within the contiguous U.S. only. Make your check or money order in the amount of $73. payable to Outward Visions ($60 for the book and $13 for shipping).

    To purchase the Teacher’s Guide within the contiguous U.S., make your check or money order in the amount of $13.45 payable to Outward Visions ($9.95 for the book and $3.50 for shipping).

    Make sure you also include the shipping address (no P.O. boxes). We would also appreciate having your telephone number and e-mail address in case we need to contact you.

    Send your check or money order to:

    Outward Visions
    PO Box 86533
    Tucson AZ 85754

    We are sorry but we can no longer ship hard copies of Straight Ahead… outside of the contiguous United States.

    For orders of more than one book, or if you have any questions, please contact us via e-mail at outwardvisions@gmail.com

    Thank you.

  • “Marty Khan is the master of the way in which the business of the arts is conducted. No classroom course, convention panel, or self-serving industry hype will present the truth in the way this book presents it. Practicing music industry judo for over three decades, Marty knows more about this topic than anyone I have known in my over 65 years as an artist. This book distills his extraordinary perception and experience, and is a must for the musicians/artists who wish to survive, create, and control their work and their lives in the twenty-first century.”

    George Russell

  • “…if anyone can offer useful, competent advice, it’s Khan…Straight Ahead is a musician’s lifesaver, a vehicle to aid safe passage through the shark-infested waters of the music business… This compendium should be on the bookshelf of every musician (and not just jazz musicians)…”

    Don Heckman – Los Angeles Times – 3/27/05

  • “Finally, a book that really tells it like it is, from someone who has clearly been through and seen it all. One of the earliest chapters (Ten Disturbing Facts That Must Be Understood) reads like a manifesto on what is wrong with the system as it currently exists. But far from merely a scathing critique, Straight Ahead is especially invaluable because of the paths around those treacherous corners he maps. Particularly compelling is Khan’s chapter on The Concept of Self-Empowerment, in which he advocates forming one’s own non-profit as a key potential method for presenting oneself competitively and effectively to others. But really for anyone out there trying to negotiate the jazz business, there will be ample gems of world-weathered wisdom to be gleaned from this book, and I highly, highly recommend it.”

    D.D. Jackson – Jazz pianist/composer

  • “The 35 years of real world business experience shared with you in this book will guide you throughout your career. A MUST HAVE.”

    Craig Harris

  • “I can only hope that today’s young musicians will take advantage of the opportunity to learn about the Business of Music from Marty Khan’s exciting book Straight Ahead. Growing up in Indianapolis during the 40’s 50’s and 60’s I soon realized that we knew very little concerning the business end of Jazz which we loved so much. Our music education was gained from listening to many great musicians who came through town from New York, Chicago, Kansas City, Oklahoma, Texas, and many other places. Although these fantastic musicians provided our Jazz education experiences, we knew very little about how they came to be where they were at any given time. The business part of the music was done by the seat of our pants. It was all glamour. Straight Ahead provides the most important missing link in this business we know as Jazz. This is a blessing for today’s musicians as well as those of the future. Congratulations and thanks Marty.”

    Dr. Willis F. Kirk Jr.- Educator, Composer, Drummer

  • “I’ve worked with Marty Khan for over 30 years. His commitment to jazz musicians and their self-empowerment is unparalleled. By utilizing his methods and ideas, I’ve been able to successfully pursue all of my artistic goals entirely under my own discretion, while maintaining ownership and control of my own artistic creations and career. This book is an invaluable tool for all musicians and professionals who wish to follow that path.”

    Oliver Lake

  • “I have a tendency to go on and on about your book to anyone who will listen. It truly is the best music business book I’ve ever read, and has changed my career path and life in ways I never thought possible.”

    Amanda Monaco – Guitarist, Composer

  • “I strongly urge you to order Straight Ahead – the best and most comprehensive guide to an understanding of how to function and improve your business acumen and awareness. Every musician and music student aspiring to make a living and be a factor in the ‘jazz’ and music business needs to read this, add it to their arsenal and utilize its advice as a tool for clawing and chipping away at the fortress of inequality and injustice amassed against us…Kudos to Marty Khan for telling it like it really is. Kudos for anyone who is courageous enough to read it and apply it instead of avoiding and denying what has to be done.”

    Fred Ho

  • “Marty guided my husband, George, and me through the mine field of the music business for over 25 years. I have observed firsthand his negotiations with record companies and presenters; his determination and insistence on the rights of the artist and the protection and best presentation of the art, itself, make him a person to be respected and, in the eyes of certain individuals, feared. Through his clarity and understanding of how things work, he illuminates the truth and eliminates the hype. His take on matters is usually the polar opposite to that of others; when they say stop, Marty says Straight Ahead. This book omits nothing: Clear away the myths, mysteries, and rumors which surround the business of jazz – read it.”

    Alice Russell

  • “I am not a musician – I am a lawyer who has worked with many musicians over many years and this work has brought me the privilege of working, collaborating, and ‘plowing the road’ with Marty Khan. It would have been easy for Marty to download his vast experience in the Jazz business and tinge it with bitterness and regret. But, through this book, he has chosen another route, and I am proud of him and this very significant result. Rather than warning his audience to learn from the mistakes of the past, he urges musicians not to make these mistakes in the first place. This book clearly shows the way, not out, but through that maelstrom that some call the music business — by going STRAIGHT AHEAD. For any jazz musician out there, or for anyone who cares about where all of this stuff is going, the information in this book is absolutely essential.”

    Leonard Easter – Attorney and Professor of Law

  • “Marty’s book has been a long time coming – exactly what our jazz students, as well as many of us older pros, need to know about the business of jazz. The book covers virtually everything the jazz musician needs to understand to make a living in this business without having to compromise his or her artistic integrity. And it speaks in a ‘straight ahead’ manner, a way in which even the least business-savvy among us can understand. Definitely a must-own for any jazz musician’s library.”

    J.B. Dyas Vice President for Education and Curriculum Development at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz

  • “Marty Khan’s insight into the true dynamics of the business of jazz coupled with his fierce integrity makes Straight Ahead a must-read for anyone pursuing a livelihood in this field. He makes clear there is no such thing as ‘business as usual’ if you want to succeed with purpose and integrity. As always, Khan tells ‘the whole truth and nothing but the truth’ with an unparalleled intelligence. After reading this book, you’ll strive for no less.”

    Lauren Iossa – Vice President–Marketing – ASCAP

  • “I knew immediately from the excerpts on the website, that this was an essential book. There were too many situations being described here that I had experienced, or conversed with many musicians about – that indicated a greatly experienced author. And more importantly someone describing numerous solutions and possibilities – that I still don’t think are common currency yet. In order to make it so – and if you are a musician – of any genre, that is creative and filled with integrity – get hold of this book now. Not tomorrow – download it straight away!”

    Robert Mitchell – Composer, Pianist, Steinway Artist

  • “If a musician or music professional is looking to understand the Jazz business, start with this book. Application of the knowledge contained in this book enabled me to raise nearly $750,000 for Jazz-related projects for musicians including Oliver Lake, Reggie Workman and Makanda Ken McIntyre.”

    Michael Herbst – Fundraiser

  • “Straight Ahead, as the title implies is a straight forward, clear and concise look into the business of Jazz. A must for jazz musicians and professionals either in the business or considering entering the business. If you want to learn the true nature of this business, Straight Ahead is a must.”

    Darrell E. Bridges – Manager/Agent

  • “Marty Khan’s music business bible — Straight Ahead — is a beacon of truth for the twenty-first century musician.”

    Ned Otter – Musician

  • “Finally! Marty Khan’s Straight Ahead reveals a road map for creative musicians to take control of their careers and learn to survive and prosper while, simultaneously, feeding their families and creating music they believe in. Imagine that!”

    Mark Taylor – Musician

  • “Read it! Written from an insider’s point of view, Straight Ahead is the truth!”

    Giacomo Gates

  • “As a young musician, I have found the information presented in Straight Ahead to be invaluable. Before Marty Khan’s book became available, factual information about the jazz business was virtually inaccessible. The only business information I ever really got was to sacrifice my artistic vision and become a well-rounded generic musician. Reading Marty’s book has given me the confidence and direction I need to avoid that path and follow the path that I know is right for me.”

    Subhraag Singh – Musician

BOOK UPATE: There is a change in section F of Part IV, Chapter 1: the very last question about when the organization has to file for the first time. It now has to file from its first year of existence (due the 15th day of the 5th month following the end of the fiscal year – so May 15 for an organization whose FY is the regular  Jan 1 – Dec 31 calendar year). But now, if the budget is below $50,000, you don’t have to file a formal 990 report. You can file a 990N e-postcard that simply states that you didn’t have enough income to file. There are variations on this state-to-state by local rules, but that’s it as far as the IRS is concerned.

Also, in section B, question 4, the IRS filing fees have been raised from $150 – 400 to $400 – 800.