Northeastern music industry majors have found the answer to their prayers. This answer comes in paperback form and is entitled “Getting Signed: An Insider’s Guide to the Record Industry.”

This guide into the entertainment business was written by George Howard, a former producer and musician. Howard doesn’t only have those two titles under his belt; he can now add lecturer (he teaches at Northeastern and the Berklee School of Music) and author to his resume. What sets Howard apart from other veterans in the industry is the fact that he has accomplished all of the above by the tender age of 34. Howard spent 15 years in “the biz,” and now wants to share his knowledge with eager students.

On Wednesday, Dec. 10, Howard will be on hand at the Virgin Megastore on Newbury Street to talk about his book, as well as listen to demo tapes. Howard previously made an appearance at the record store on Nov. 11 and due to the success, of the event, he’s going back for more.

So what does Howard plan to do at the store?

“[I plan to] read a bit from my book and try to be constructive and informative so people can get a sense of how best to create a demo and what to do with it in a short period of time,” Howard said.

He said he was inspired to write this book so he could clear up any misconceptions artists may have about the music business.

“I realized I wanted to disabuse people of the idea that the record industry was full of blockades. It’s actually a fairly simple business; it’s just that no one has really bothered to explain it in an understandable manner,” Howard said. “I wanted to try to show people there are ways to deal with the industry in which artists aren’t taken advantage of by labels.”

Howard said he hopes students will be open to his advice regarding their demo tapes. He wants to give the audience a sense of how demos are listened to and he also wants to stress important factors like sound quality and packaging – things most artists don’t take into account before submitting their demos.

“I think artists need to understand — regarding packaging — that people always see the package before they hear the music therefore, the package can really impact on how the music is listened to,” Howard said.

Howard’s other purpose is to give students an inside look into the other side of the business.

“In general, I think that most musicians are woefully ignorant when it comes to the business side, Howard said. “Ask 100 songwriters to define a mechanical license and I would bet maybe one of them would be able to. This is horrifying, as it keeps the power dynamics weighted far too heavily in favor of the labels,”

George Howard will appear at Virgin Megastore at 6 p.m. in the caf