Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to How Music Works

How profoundly music is shaped by its time and place

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. How Music Works launched in 2015; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   How Music Works by David Byrne▲61

   The joy, physics and business of making music

   2015 · its alternatives →

2. 2
   How Music Works▲65

   Everything David Byrne knows about music

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

3. 3
   This Is Your Brain on Music▲63

   Exploring the connection between music and the human brain

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

4. 4
   How We Listen Now▲63

   Essays and conversations about music and technology

   2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

5. 5
   How Music Works▲6

   Updated with a new section on digital curation

   2017 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

6. 6
   Why You Love Music▲63

   From Mozart to Metallica. The power of beautiful sounds

   2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

7. 7
   How music works by David Byrne▲3

   10 Great Books for Music Lovers

   2015 · its alternatives →

8. 8
   How the Mind Works▲71

   Tackles the workings of the human mind

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

9. 9
   The Shape of Time▲62

   Remarks on the history of things

   2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Musicophilia▲8

    How music can affect the brain

    2015 · amazon.co.uk · its alternatives →

11. 11
    How We Learn▲64

    The surprising truth about when, where, and why it happens

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

12. 12
    This Business of Music▲62

    The music business Bible

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

13. 13
    Ableton: Making Music▲124

    A book of creative strategies for electronic music producers

    2015 · makingmusic.ableton.com · its alternatives →

14. 14
    The Way the World Works▲61

    What troubles us, what brings us joy?

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Daily Rituals▲80

    How artists work

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

16. 16
    Daily Rituals: How Artists Work▲11

    How inspiring minds get done the work they love

    2015 · audible.com · its alternatives →

17. 17
    The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory▲16

    A history of how music is made

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Music Theory Cheat Sheet▲106

    Keys, scales, chords, notes & intervals - all on one page

    2022 · its alternatives →

19. 19
    The Geography of Genius▲61

    A search for the World's most creative places

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

20. 20
    #MusicTech▲69

    Data science, music discovery, and lots of fun use-cases!

    2015 · leanpub.com · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Hamilton: The Revolution▲66

    Book version of the groundbreaking musical

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

22. 22
    How to Read a Book▲92

    The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    The Craft of Words - Part One: Macrocopy▲70

    Looking at words in design and how writing shapes users exp…

    2015 · fivesimplesteps.com · its alternatives →

24. 24
    Metaphors We Live By▲58

    How your brain uses metaphor to understand the world

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →