Read every document. Look at every contract that goes in and out for show performances. Run spreadsheets to see what the gross is going to be, what the costs are going to be, what the net is going to be. Become really involved in the business side of the music business.
That is the advice of legendary musician Don “fingers” Felder, who played lead guitarist and sang back up for The Eagles. The classic band has sold over 150 million albums worldwide, and their record the Eagle’s Greatest Hits, was the best selling album of the 20th century. The band accumulated five number-one singles, six Grammy Awards, five American Music Awards, and six number-one albums.
Felder is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and writer of the Eagle’s biggest hit, Hotel California — #3 on the all-time best-selling albums. The Eagles are the only band that have 2 albums in the top 10 best sellers (The Beatles have two in top 20). His latest album is “American Rock ’N’ Roll.” The album was an opportunity to jam with some of his closest musical pals, including Sammy Hagar, Slash, Richie Sambora, Peter Frampton, Joe Satriani, Mick Fleetwood, Bob Weir, and more.
His favorite books are here; A transcript of our conversation is available here.
You can stream/download the full conversation, including the podcast extras on Apple iTunes, Bloomberg, Overcast, and Stitcher. All of our earlier podcasts on your favorite host sites can be found here.
Next week we speak to Dave Goetsch, executive producer and writer of CBS’ The Big Bang Theory, the highest ranked sitcom on TV. After a 12-year run, the show’s series finale airs this week.
