The following is from Bob Lefsetz, wanted to share with everyone.
Enjoy
ARTIST DEVELOPMENT
Is about taking chances.
When oldsters complain that there's no more artist development, what they're really saying is labels are no longer interested in signing the outsiders, the weird, the risky, and staying with them for four or five LPs to see what they turn into.
Once upon a time, most record labels weren't multinational corporations focused on the lowest common denominator in order to generate profits. Rather they were the hobbies of fans. You couldn't even call these fans entrepreneurs. The only business they had in mind was staying in business. Selling enough records to be able to make more. Oftentimes they recorded artists just because they wanted to hear the finished product.
Today's major labels get the lion's share of the press, but they're the last place you'd go for innovation. At best, they purchase the rights to successful indie acts. The concept of hearing something raw and vital and signing it on a whim, an inner desire as opposed to an Excel spreadsheet/calculation, is completely history.
And the major labels control the major press.
It's like there's a constant disinformation campaign.
If the major labels were interested in surviving, they'd change their tactics. They'd split in two. One entity would be the usual hit machine, signing malleable acts for airplay on Top Forty radio. The other would be a nimble enterprise focused on signing that which is interesting, that which can grow. Can you tell me how Ke$ha grows?
And this second entity must be manned by fans, with one suit to keep the books balanced. And salaries must be minimal. Any further financial rewards must be based on success. But the real reward is being able to work in music.
But the major labels won't do this.
So where does this leave us?
With a lot of bands vying for attention. Some good, most bad, and too many playing by the major label rules to little success.
So if you're a new act, stay indie. You've got to, in order to be control of your own artistic destiny. If you can't change direction on inspiration, chances are you won't connect for more than a moment, if that.
And indie is about forgetting everybody else and focusing on your fans. If your fans are burned out on your music, you must make more, even though others have never heard it.
Albums are big statements. Hooks upon which to hang your marketing. But marketing doesn't work for anyone but the major label acts. Artist development is not about growing your audience. It's about writing, recording and playing, and finding out if someone is interested. Your music is your calling card. What the majors call marketing is luck. If you've got a buzz, someone will write about you. Their passion will shine through and you might garner some new fans, especially if the writer has a following himself. Maybe NPR will even do a story. But a passionless squib in the local paper is worthless. As are advertisements. People are only attracted when they can feel the passion and the excitement, which doesn't come from hype, but people, testifying one to another and occasionally in media. In other words, there are no shortcuts.
And if you're really good and have success, business people will come to you. Like flies to sherbet. That's when you hire a lawyer and decide who to play with. Please hire a lawyer. A bad deal can kill a career.
And a lawyer can craft a deal that allows someone to run with your music for as long as he or she generates success, otherwise you're free again.
And you don't want to be with the usual suspects. Not unless you make Top Forty music. The usual suspects only know how to do it the old way. They're all about the money, and you're all about the music. It's a bad fit. They're about instant stardom, you're about paying your dues, discovering exactly what it is you do that appeals to people.
Take a chance on someone your age. Young and tech-savvy. Someone who'll work 24/7 on your behalf. Someone who's of the same demo as your fans, who understands them.
And sure, work Facebook and Twitter and... But all of that is secondary to your music.
In other words, you're in charge of your own artist development. We live in a DIY world. If you're waiting for someone to rescue you, to make you famous, you're delusional. Yes, in the old days Warner Brothers gave five album deals to nobodies. But they really weren't nobodies. They had friends, they were connected. Which means you probably never would have gotten your chance anyway. Now, you've got a chance. Don't play with the usual suspects and kill it.
There will always be a few superstars, culture demands it. But the new era is about tons of journeymen. Your goal should be to make a living playing music. If this is not enough, give up.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Orion and Amp Merchandising Teaming up
Orion Entertainment and Amp Merchandising have teamed up to work on several projects. In case you are not familiar with Amp Merchandising, here is a little info on them...
http://www.ampmerch.com/
AMP Merchandising Ltd is a full service merchandising company with long-standing roots in Western Canada. Founded over a decade ago in Langley, B.C., AMP has developed into one of Canada’s leading special event merchandise companies, with clients across North America and around the world. Specializing in merchandise for sporting events, promotion, music concert tours, and special events, AMP has become a leader in these markets. The experience gained through merchandising dozens of international concert tours a year has given AMP a unique knowledge of consumer behaviour at a variety of venues and environments. We feel this experience is invaluable in bringing both, an exciting look to the merchandise line and the delivery of a professional appearance to all our clients vending opportunities.
Check out our first 2 lines
Motivationalspeaker Tony Gaskins - "NO Groupies" http://bit.ly/af47H6
Original Dirty Dancing Demos writer Frankie Previte http://bit.ly/8Zct0B
More projects to come!
http://www.ampmerch.com/
AMP Merchandising Ltd is a full service merchandising company with long-standing roots in Western Canada. Founded over a decade ago in Langley, B.C., AMP has developed into one of Canada’s leading special event merchandise companies, with clients across North America and around the world. Specializing in merchandise for sporting events, promotion, music concert tours, and special events, AMP has become a leader in these markets. The experience gained through merchandising dozens of international concert tours a year has given AMP a unique knowledge of consumer behaviour at a variety of venues and environments. We feel this experience is invaluable in bringing both, an exciting look to the merchandise line and the delivery of a professional appearance to all our clients vending opportunities.
Check out our first 2 lines
Motivationalspeaker Tony Gaskins - "NO Groupies" http://bit.ly/af47H6
Original Dirty Dancing Demos writer Frankie Previte http://bit.ly/8Zct0B
More projects to come!
Monday, August 16, 2010
How to Get Your Music into Pandora Internet Radio
Repost from CDBaby
Michael Zapruder is an award-winning musician who serves as Music Curator for Pandora, the Oakland-based internet radio service based on the Music Genome Project. As curator, he directs all aspects of music collection, curation, and cataloging for Pandora’s stations. Zapruder has been with Pandora nearly since the inception of the Music Genome Project and was appointed as Pandora’s music curator in 2004.
There are any number of ways to get your music on Pandora. We’re always looking for new music to play for our listeners, so we watch all kinds of blogs, radio stations, show listings, charts and things like that. And while we don’t automatically add everything we see in those places, when an artist reaches a certain level of visibility we like to try our best to make that music available on Pandora.
So that’s the first thing you need to know. If you are connecting with an audience or community in a strong way; if you’re playing good rooms and getting attention, you will have a fine chance of getting into our collection.
We know we can’t find everything, though, so for the many deserving bands that we miss for one reason or another (and for bands that are just starting out), we offer a web-based music submission process that is free and open to everyone.
Here’s how it works:
1. Register for Pandora (the submission process is connected to listener accounts, so you can use your existing account if you have one).
2. Go to http://submitmusic.pandora.com and follow the directions for submitting.
3. If your CD meets the requirements for submission (you have to have a valid UPC code and the record has to be for sale in the Amazon CD store), you’ll be prompted to upload two songs along with any biographical or press information and any links you’d like us to know about.
4. When we get to your submission, we listen and make a decision about whether your submission is right for us. (This takes time, so be patient.)
5. If you’re accepted, we send you an email with a customized mailing label that you’ll use to send us your record. If we pass on your record we let you know on your submission page and we encourage you to keep us posted on your future work.
Lots of people ask us about the Amazon requirements, so here’s the skinny:
We use UPC codes as identifiers to display the right artist information and album art when something plays on Pandora. We want to be able to show as much information about the artists we play as we can, and UPC codes make that possible.
Requiring albums to be available in the Amazon CD store guarantees that we will have usable metadata for every album we accept, which in turn frees us up to spend our time listening to your submissions instead of entering song titles and such. It also means that interested listeners will be able to find and buy your music by clicking the Amazon link in the Pandora tuner.
You can get your music into the Amazon CD store for free using a service called CreateSpace. They press on-demand CDs for Amazon purchases. For people who have CDs for sale already, there is a vendor program that Amazon offers that charges an annual fee as well (and in case you’re wondering, we don’t have any financial stake in the above services).
So, what are we listening for when we get to your submission?
Well, for unknown bands the fundamental question we have to answer is: will fans of this kind of music be excited to discover this on Pandora stations?
We also consider how the submission might add to our existing collection. We may have more of a need for Black Metal, a less visible genre, than for something more common like Indie Rock (that’s not to say that we close the door on any genres, but the state of our collection sometimes comes into play).
We have a few basic internal guidelines for listening to every submission.
For one thing, our reviewers never have to give a reason for accepting music, but they always have to explain their decision if they are rejecting something. This only seems fair to us.
Also, we try to keep our personal musical preferences out of the decision-making process. The fact that a reviewer may not enjoy Darkwave or East Coast Hip hop or anything else really has no place in the decision about whether our listeners would embrace that music.
We are looking for excellence. Tim, Pandora’s founder, often says: “You have to earn your way into Pandora.” We try to make good decisions about whether the music lives up to that high standard.
When it’s all said and done, though, we know that with music and art we can’t ever be 100% sure we’re making the right call. We can never completely transcend our own subjectivity. Our way around that is to keep it simple: we try as hard as we can to give your music a fair hearing. We do our best to be conscientious with your work.
If we do get it wrong (and we do sometimes), we’ll find out about it; and when we see your music being reviewed or appearing on a chart somewhere, or when you’re playing the Fox Theater here in Oakland, we’ll make sure to get it into the collection right away!
Best of luck to everyone who is considering submitting their music or has already done so, and thanks from all the reviewers here for your interest in being a part of Pandora.
_______________________________
Note: this article was written by Pandora’s Music Curator Michael Zapruder and originally appeared on KnowTheMusicBiz.com. Thanks to both of them for allowing us to re-post it here. We should mention that CD Baby distributes our artists’ music to Amazon (one of the Pandora requirements). Here are a few steps you’ll need to take to ensure this requirement is met before submitting your album to Pandora-
1. In your CD Baby member account area, sign up your album for physical distribution through Super-D (No CD-Rs allowed) and for digital distribution to Amazon MP3.
2. Once you’ve confirmed that Amazon is selling both physical CDs and MP3s, contact our customer service team by writing cdbaby@cdbaby.com and ask that we “link up” both products so that Amazon houses them together under one UPC.
3. At that point, you’re free to submit your music to Pandora. Follow the guidelines below from there!
- Chris R. at CD Baby
Michael Zapruder is an award-winning musician who serves as Music Curator for Pandora, the Oakland-based internet radio service based on the Music Genome Project. As curator, he directs all aspects of music collection, curation, and cataloging for Pandora’s stations. Zapruder has been with Pandora nearly since the inception of the Music Genome Project and was appointed as Pandora’s music curator in 2004.
There are any number of ways to get your music on Pandora. We’re always looking for new music to play for our listeners, so we watch all kinds of blogs, radio stations, show listings, charts and things like that. And while we don’t automatically add everything we see in those places, when an artist reaches a certain level of visibility we like to try our best to make that music available on Pandora.
So that’s the first thing you need to know. If you are connecting with an audience or community in a strong way; if you’re playing good rooms and getting attention, you will have a fine chance of getting into our collection.
We know we can’t find everything, though, so for the many deserving bands that we miss for one reason or another (and for bands that are just starting out), we offer a web-based music submission process that is free and open to everyone.
Here’s how it works:
1. Register for Pandora (the submission process is connected to listener accounts, so you can use your existing account if you have one).
2. Go to http://submitmusic.pandora.com and follow the directions for submitting.
3. If your CD meets the requirements for submission (you have to have a valid UPC code and the record has to be for sale in the Amazon CD store), you’ll be prompted to upload two songs along with any biographical or press information and any links you’d like us to know about.
4. When we get to your submission, we listen and make a decision about whether your submission is right for us. (This takes time, so be patient.)
5. If you’re accepted, we send you an email with a customized mailing label that you’ll use to send us your record. If we pass on your record we let you know on your submission page and we encourage you to keep us posted on your future work.
Lots of people ask us about the Amazon requirements, so here’s the skinny:
We use UPC codes as identifiers to display the right artist information and album art when something plays on Pandora. We want to be able to show as much information about the artists we play as we can, and UPC codes make that possible.
Requiring albums to be available in the Amazon CD store guarantees that we will have usable metadata for every album we accept, which in turn frees us up to spend our time listening to your submissions instead of entering song titles and such. It also means that interested listeners will be able to find and buy your music by clicking the Amazon link in the Pandora tuner.
You can get your music into the Amazon CD store for free using a service called CreateSpace. They press on-demand CDs for Amazon purchases. For people who have CDs for sale already, there is a vendor program that Amazon offers that charges an annual fee as well (and in case you’re wondering, we don’t have any financial stake in the above services).
So, what are we listening for when we get to your submission?
Well, for unknown bands the fundamental question we have to answer is: will fans of this kind of music be excited to discover this on Pandora stations?
We also consider how the submission might add to our existing collection. We may have more of a need for Black Metal, a less visible genre, than for something more common like Indie Rock (that’s not to say that we close the door on any genres, but the state of our collection sometimes comes into play).
We have a few basic internal guidelines for listening to every submission.
For one thing, our reviewers never have to give a reason for accepting music, but they always have to explain their decision if they are rejecting something. This only seems fair to us.
Also, we try to keep our personal musical preferences out of the decision-making process. The fact that a reviewer may not enjoy Darkwave or East Coast Hip hop or anything else really has no place in the decision about whether our listeners would embrace that music.
We are looking for excellence. Tim, Pandora’s founder, often says: “You have to earn your way into Pandora.” We try to make good decisions about whether the music lives up to that high standard.
When it’s all said and done, though, we know that with music and art we can’t ever be 100% sure we’re making the right call. We can never completely transcend our own subjectivity. Our way around that is to keep it simple: we try as hard as we can to give your music a fair hearing. We do our best to be conscientious with your work.
If we do get it wrong (and we do sometimes), we’ll find out about it; and when we see your music being reviewed or appearing on a chart somewhere, or when you’re playing the Fox Theater here in Oakland, we’ll make sure to get it into the collection right away!
Best of luck to everyone who is considering submitting their music or has already done so, and thanks from all the reviewers here for your interest in being a part of Pandora.
_______________________________
Note: this article was written by Pandora’s Music Curator Michael Zapruder and originally appeared on KnowTheMusicBiz.com. Thanks to both of them for allowing us to re-post it here. We should mention that CD Baby distributes our artists’ music to Amazon (one of the Pandora requirements). Here are a few steps you’ll need to take to ensure this requirement is met before submitting your album to Pandora-
1. In your CD Baby member account area, sign up your album for physical distribution through Super-D (No CD-Rs allowed) and for digital distribution to Amazon MP3.
2. Once you’ve confirmed that Amazon is selling both physical CDs and MP3s, contact our customer service team by writing cdbaby@cdbaby.com and ask that we “link up” both products so that Amazon houses them together under one UPC.
3. At that point, you’re free to submit your music to Pandora. Follow the guidelines below from there!
- Chris R. at CD Baby
When is a Pro Studio the Right Choice?
Repost from CDBaby
We listen to tons of albums every day, and the recording and production quality tends to vary just as much as the styles of music do. Ultimately, it’s up to you (the artist) to decide what sort of sound you’re going for, and of course, cost is always a concern. Yes, in a perfect world, we’d all have the time and money to spend weeks tinkering in a professional studio. That’s not a reality for most of us. But are you sacrificing pro-sounding results for the convenience of home recording? Again, it all depends on what your goals are with your music, and the means at hand. But unless you really know what you’re doing, getting that “radio-ready” pro sound of polished tracks at home can be a struggle.
So, when is a pro studio the right choice for your project?
We’ve heard a lot of different stories from musicians: some swear by the studio, others prefer the freedom of working at home and could never imagine shelling out big bucks and dealing with time constraints. For others, booking studio time is a motivator: you know exactly when you’re going in, and you’d better have your tracks up to snuff by the time that day rolls around. With the advent of pro-quality (HD, even) home recording, a lot of musicians are doing basic tracking at home, and only going to the studio to lay down the major elements of their record. (Why record tambourine at the studio when you can do it at home?)
What are your thoughts on this? Can you get the sound you want from your DAW/home studio? Do you think a pro studio is a must for a serious musician, or a waste of money? Let us know in the comments below.
We listen to tons of albums every day, and the recording and production quality tends to vary just as much as the styles of music do. Ultimately, it’s up to you (the artist) to decide what sort of sound you’re going for, and of course, cost is always a concern. Yes, in a perfect world, we’d all have the time and money to spend weeks tinkering in a professional studio. That’s not a reality for most of us. But are you sacrificing pro-sounding results for the convenience of home recording? Again, it all depends on what your goals are with your music, and the means at hand. But unless you really know what you’re doing, getting that “radio-ready” pro sound of polished tracks at home can be a struggle.
So, when is a pro studio the right choice for your project?
We’ve heard a lot of different stories from musicians: some swear by the studio, others prefer the freedom of working at home and could never imagine shelling out big bucks and dealing with time constraints. For others, booking studio time is a motivator: you know exactly when you’re going in, and you’d better have your tracks up to snuff by the time that day rolls around. With the advent of pro-quality (HD, even) home recording, a lot of musicians are doing basic tracking at home, and only going to the studio to lay down the major elements of their record. (Why record tambourine at the studio when you can do it at home?)
What are your thoughts on this? Can you get the sound you want from your DAW/home studio? Do you think a pro studio is a must for a serious musician, or a waste of money? Let us know in the comments below.
Is Your Band/Artist Name Holding You Back?
Repost from CDBaby
When choosing the name that’s going to represent you and your music, don’t take the decision lightly. The moniker is going to follow you wherever you go, and it will be forever associated with any music you release under the name. So choose wisely: picking a good name can not only be a great tool in promoting your band/brand, but it can also help you avoid fan confusion, online hassles, and possibly even lawsuits.
How about a stage name? If you’re a solo artist, the thought of using anything but your real name may not have occurred to you. And honestly, most of the time, using your given name is going to work just fine. After all, what represents you better than the name you’ve been using your whole life? But if you have a really common name, one that might be overly hard to pronounce, or even one that you simply feel doesn’t suit your music – for whatever reason – don’t shy away from the idea of adopting a stage name. You won’t be the first musician to do it. I think we’ve all heard the theories on how Bob Dylan might have fared had he stuck with Robert Zimmerman. And you can’t help but wonder if Iggy Pop would have had the same impact had he gone by James Osterberg.
Does it match your music? Picking a band name is trickier, because unless you choose to go the Van Halen route and use your last name as your band name, you’re probably starting from scratch. (If you have a last name as cool as “Van Halen,” you may want to consider just going with that. Just sayin’.) There are many schools of thought when it comes to picking a band name, and there are no hard and fast rules that universally apply. Some folks would tell you that you should go with a name that directly evokes the feelings you’re trying to get across in your music, but if you’re a fan of irony and/or sarcasm, maybe choosing something completely incongruous with your sound is the way to go. But be wary of picking quirky or jokey names: what may seem funny at the time may seem old and tired down the road.
Use the internet! When picking your name, the internet is going to be your best friend. Think you’ve thought up the best band name ever? Give it a quick Google and see if somebody already beat you to it. You’d be surprised how many artists we see on CD Baby with the same band names. In the pre-internet days, you could claim ignorance when it came to another band having the same name as you’re using, but nowadays, you’ve got no excuse. Make sure you’ve chosen a name that no one is using, or no one has used. The last thing you want is someone badgering you online for taking their name, or even worse, taking legal action against you. So go original. When it comes to online promotions, you’ll be glad you did.
Online advantages of a highly original name:
- Search engine-friendly. Nothing like being the top result in Google when someone types your name in, instead of making people search through stuff to find you.
- Easier access to ideal domain names. If you name your band something no one else has ever thought of using, you’ve got a great chance of slapping a “.com” on the end of it and claiming the domain for yourself.
- Same goes for MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc. While there’s nothing wrong with facebook.com/yournamemusic, facebook.com/yourname looks sharper. Choose an original name, and you’ve got better odds that no one’s using the URL you want.
Some common mistakes we’ve seen artists make:
- Using a first name only. If you just call yourself “Steve,” you’re never going to show up when people are searching for you online.
- Using overly common words. You ever wonder if the band Train gets tired of seeing locomotives pop up when they Google themselves?
- Using excessive punctuation and/or symbols, purposeful misspellings, or any other tweak that will constantly have you saying, “It’s spelled…” This one certainly has some exceptions (hey, it worked for !!!) but you might consider doing yourself a favor and leaving out the bells and whistles.
The bottom line: When picking a name, look to the future. Is it going to set you apart from the crowd, or is it going to fill you with regret and assure that you’re lost in the muck of the web? Use Google to do some research, and make an informed decision. You’ll be glad you did.
When choosing the name that’s going to represent you and your music, don’t take the decision lightly. The moniker is going to follow you wherever you go, and it will be forever associated with any music you release under the name. So choose wisely: picking a good name can not only be a great tool in promoting your band/brand, but it can also help you avoid fan confusion, online hassles, and possibly even lawsuits.
How about a stage name? If you’re a solo artist, the thought of using anything but your real name may not have occurred to you. And honestly, most of the time, using your given name is going to work just fine. After all, what represents you better than the name you’ve been using your whole life? But if you have a really common name, one that might be overly hard to pronounce, or even one that you simply feel doesn’t suit your music – for whatever reason – don’t shy away from the idea of adopting a stage name. You won’t be the first musician to do it. I think we’ve all heard the theories on how Bob Dylan might have fared had he stuck with Robert Zimmerman. And you can’t help but wonder if Iggy Pop would have had the same impact had he gone by James Osterberg.
Does it match your music? Picking a band name is trickier, because unless you choose to go the Van Halen route and use your last name as your band name, you’re probably starting from scratch. (If you have a last name as cool as “Van Halen,” you may want to consider just going with that. Just sayin’.) There are many schools of thought when it comes to picking a band name, and there are no hard and fast rules that universally apply. Some folks would tell you that you should go with a name that directly evokes the feelings you’re trying to get across in your music, but if you’re a fan of irony and/or sarcasm, maybe choosing something completely incongruous with your sound is the way to go. But be wary of picking quirky or jokey names: what may seem funny at the time may seem old and tired down the road.
Use the internet! When picking your name, the internet is going to be your best friend. Think you’ve thought up the best band name ever? Give it a quick Google and see if somebody already beat you to it. You’d be surprised how many artists we see on CD Baby with the same band names. In the pre-internet days, you could claim ignorance when it came to another band having the same name as you’re using, but nowadays, you’ve got no excuse. Make sure you’ve chosen a name that no one is using, or no one has used. The last thing you want is someone badgering you online for taking their name, or even worse, taking legal action against you. So go original. When it comes to online promotions, you’ll be glad you did.
Online advantages of a highly original name:
- Search engine-friendly. Nothing like being the top result in Google when someone types your name in, instead of making people search through stuff to find you.
- Easier access to ideal domain names. If you name your band something no one else has ever thought of using, you’ve got a great chance of slapping a “.com” on the end of it and claiming the domain for yourself.
- Same goes for MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc. While there’s nothing wrong with facebook.com/yournamemusic, facebook.com/yourname looks sharper. Choose an original name, and you’ve got better odds that no one’s using the URL you want.
Some common mistakes we’ve seen artists make:
- Using a first name only. If you just call yourself “Steve,” you’re never going to show up when people are searching for you online.
- Using overly common words. You ever wonder if the band Train gets tired of seeing locomotives pop up when they Google themselves?
- Using excessive punctuation and/or symbols, purposeful misspellings, or any other tweak that will constantly have you saying, “It’s spelled…” This one certainly has some exceptions (hey, it worked for !!!) but you might consider doing yourself a favor and leaving out the bells and whistles.
The bottom line: When picking a name, look to the future. Is it going to set you apart from the crowd, or is it going to fill you with regret and assure that you’re lost in the muck of the web? Use Google to do some research, and make an informed decision. You’ll be glad you did.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
The Music Industry's Funny Money
The Root Investigates Who Really Gets Paid in the Music Industry
http://www.theroot.com/views/how-much-do-you-musicians-really-make?GT1=38002
Still think a music career is an easy path to a blinged-out life? Don't believe the hype. A whole lot of folks have to get paid before the musician does. The Root traces the money trail. Plus, try our customized calculator to find out how much you would make as a musician.
http://www.theroot.com/views/how-much-do-you-musicians-really-make?GT1=38002
Still think a music career is an easy path to a blinged-out life? Don't believe the hype. A whole lot of folks have to get paid before the musician does. The Root traces the money trail. Plus, try our customized calculator to find out how much you would make as a musician.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Are You Ready For a Manager?
Blasko posted this today and I wanted to share it as well. Please read and be sure to follow Blasko, he also has a blog with amazing info!
http://blasko666.blogspot.com/
Are You Ready For A Manager?
~ Hmmm, do you think you need a manager? Well if so, this little piece by Rick Goetz I found on Musicthinktank.com might be the info that you are looking for. Enjoy...
Let’s start at the very beginning – do you have anything to manage? I know – sounds like a stupid question, but is it? I’m not asking you if you have lots of work that you could use help with, nor am I making light of the pure volume of work that is the creation of both recorded and live music. What I am asking you is do you have something ready to bring to market that needs managing or are you still building out your product? There is no shame (I’ll repeat it again) NO SHAME in being in the developmental phases of your career. We live in an instant gratification kind of world, which is why when I write articles like this I know statistically that a majority of people won’t have made it this far because they were looking for a “get famous now” button. Take your time and develop your product – this will help you rise above the MILLIONS of other people who went out to guitar center purchased their first instrument and recording gear and had the first song they ever wrote up on MySpace the next day hoping for some kind of miracle won’t ever come.
Back to management – let’s talk about what you should have together before even considering approaching someone to invest in your career. *** Notice I said invest because whether or not they spend a dime on you management is an enormous expenditure of someone’s time*** Before approaching anyone to manage you- have most of these together:
1.No apology recordings of your music
2.Professional looking photos of you or your group
3.A basic – findable website (custom URL) you can update yourself
4.A Mailing list and a place where people can sign up on said list
5.A social network presence (twitter, facebook, myspace, youtube)
6.Live performance footage (preferably in front of a crowd)
7.A well written bio highlighting your accomplishments
These are the building blocks and the marketing materials you will use over and over and over again. There are no words, no email sales pitch and probably not even naked photos of an executive in compromising positions that will get you taken more seriously than having the items above in place. Many of these items can get pricey so do your homework and shop around if you feel that any of these items are best done by work for hire. Having these materials will get your more gigs, will get you taken more seriously by your peers and potential fans and ultimately (if you have a product people want) will help you build a business in music.
“Okay – wait – isn’t this super basic? Does he think we are Idiots?” No, absolutely not. All I can tell you is that if you buy into Google querries as a representative sample of the population (I do) it would seem that aspiring musicians are searching for the wrong things to get ahead. Check out what people search for online for music related terms according to a Google AdWords querry in June 2010:
Term: “Get My Music Heard Online” Global Monthly Searches: less than 10
Term: “Get more people to my shows” Global Monthly Searches: less than 10
Term: “Make a Living In Music” Global Monthly Searches: 46
Term: “Marketing My Music” Global Monthly Searches: 110
Term: “Get a Music Manager” Global Monthly Searches: 590
Term: “How to Get A Record Deal” Global Monthly Searches: 18,100
Draw your own conclusions but I think too many people are looking for a shortcut to fame that barring an act of God or Justin Bieber just doesn’t exist
http://blasko666.blogspot.com/
Are You Ready For A Manager?
~ Hmmm, do you think you need a manager? Well if so, this little piece by Rick Goetz I found on Musicthinktank.com might be the info that you are looking for. Enjoy...
Let’s start at the very beginning – do you have anything to manage? I know – sounds like a stupid question, but is it? I’m not asking you if you have lots of work that you could use help with, nor am I making light of the pure volume of work that is the creation of both recorded and live music. What I am asking you is do you have something ready to bring to market that needs managing or are you still building out your product? There is no shame (I’ll repeat it again) NO SHAME in being in the developmental phases of your career. We live in an instant gratification kind of world, which is why when I write articles like this I know statistically that a majority of people won’t have made it this far because they were looking for a “get famous now” button. Take your time and develop your product – this will help you rise above the MILLIONS of other people who went out to guitar center purchased their first instrument and recording gear and had the first song they ever wrote up on MySpace the next day hoping for some kind of miracle won’t ever come.
Back to management – let’s talk about what you should have together before even considering approaching someone to invest in your career. *** Notice I said invest because whether or not they spend a dime on you management is an enormous expenditure of someone’s time*** Before approaching anyone to manage you- have most of these together:
1.No apology recordings of your music
2.Professional looking photos of you or your group
3.A basic – findable website (custom URL) you can update yourself
4.A Mailing list and a place where people can sign up on said list
5.A social network presence (twitter, facebook, myspace, youtube)
6.Live performance footage (preferably in front of a crowd)
7.A well written bio highlighting your accomplishments
These are the building blocks and the marketing materials you will use over and over and over again. There are no words, no email sales pitch and probably not even naked photos of an executive in compromising positions that will get you taken more seriously than having the items above in place. Many of these items can get pricey so do your homework and shop around if you feel that any of these items are best done by work for hire. Having these materials will get your more gigs, will get you taken more seriously by your peers and potential fans and ultimately (if you have a product people want) will help you build a business in music.
“Okay – wait – isn’t this super basic? Does he think we are Idiots?” No, absolutely not. All I can tell you is that if you buy into Google querries as a representative sample of the population (I do) it would seem that aspiring musicians are searching for the wrong things to get ahead. Check out what people search for online for music related terms according to a Google AdWords querry in June 2010:
Term: “Get My Music Heard Online” Global Monthly Searches: less than 10
Term: “Get more people to my shows” Global Monthly Searches: less than 10
Term: “Make a Living In Music” Global Monthly Searches: 46
Term: “Marketing My Music” Global Monthly Searches: 110
Term: “Get a Music Manager” Global Monthly Searches: 590
Term: “How to Get A Record Deal” Global Monthly Searches: 18,100
Draw your own conclusions but I think too many people are looking for a shortcut to fame that barring an act of God or Justin Bieber just doesn’t exist
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Independent A&R – The New Music Industry Career
This is a post from Gian Fiero that I wanted to share. It gives an interesting look at a situation more are faing every month in this industry. This offers a positive look at it. Check it out;
Every year hundreds of music business professionals lose their jobs. Some are laid off. Others are fired. The end result is the seasonal carnage that results in unemployment.
Many of those who are unceremoniously dismissed will encounter various obstacles in their search for new jobs such as age, race, and sex discrimination. Some will fair better than others due to their network of associates or nepotism. Some people will go on to become consultants. Others will start companies. Many if not most will leave the music industry altogether.
For those in the minority who really understand the business and see the big picture, they are faced with their most daunting task: re-inventing their jobs and finding ways to get paid doing it.
Enter Independent A&R into the equation.
Over the years, A&R (artist and repertoire) reps have been enigmatic figures that have been misrepresented and misunderstood because their roles vary so greatly from company to company. One fact is absolute: A&R reps employed by record companies act on behalf of the record company.
Historically, A&R reps would create songs for artists to record and perform. They were musicians and songwriters who helped find a home for goods songs with the appropriate artists, and they would also help artists get signed to labels that would be good homes to develop their careers in.
Then artists started writing their own songs. That’s when the A&R professionals had to modify their job description. Now, it’s industry consensus that A&R people do everything and nothing – often simultaneously. How can they? Or rather, how can they not? The artists that they endorse are often dropped in the blink of an eye when they don’t generate enough revenue to make a profit for the label to which they are signed.
The argument of whether or not record companies will survive or become extinct like dinosaurs is tired and should be put to rest. Record companies – or companies functioning in a record company capacity -will always exist. What no longer can exist is prehistoric thinking (which is no doubt how dinosaurs used to think) that we take in our approach, as professionals, to doing business in the music industry.
We are now dealing with intangible commodities as our product in the music industry (music, which is an intellectual property, and talent, which is associated with brands). The new digital/wireless era that we live in allows us to strip away the fat (excess) and the BS (politics) that plague and undermine the business. What we will have left when the smoke clears are the very things that the music industry was founded on: music, talent, and entrepreneurship. This represents a golden opportunity for Independent A&R professionals.
Independent A&R professionals facilitate the commercial use of that music and talent as entrepreneurs. By facilitate I’m referring to the process of helping others find, and/or negotiate the use of, music and talent in any revenue generating capacity e.g. (licensing/performance/recording, etc.).
Most artists think of their success vertically, viewing it in terms of “levels” they are on, an Independent A&R professional looks at success horizontally; basing it on a multiplicity of income streams across multiple platforms.
For example, in representing my longtime client, producer Cori Jacobs, his core business is producing music. His productions have appeared in television shows and have been featured prominently in many films including Tupac’s biopic, “Thug Angel” and most recently, Tyler Perry’s “Why Did I Get Married.” He is also a musical director for the likes of Lauryn Hill and Malcolm Jamal Warner (yes, as in Theo from the Cosby Show). In addition, he collaborates with numerous songwriters and performs with his band, Clear Soul.
Each transaction related to the use of his music and talent(s) entail a business activity that requires professional attention and handling. I handle these business activities. From interfacing with clients seeking his services as a producer, to people who want to utilize his talent as a musical director, to the negotiation of licensing his songs for use in film and television; I instigate and execute all of these details.
While Independent A&R is a multi-tasking occupation, and there is overlap (as there is in practically every occupation in the music industry), and you do get paid on a commission basis, you are only engaged to handle the resulting business activities stemming from the commercial use of of your clients’ music and talents; not to do hand-holding or talent development.
Perhaps most importantly, Independent A&R has helped me to find a purposeful and relevant place in the music industry that fully utilizes the depth of my experience and the breadth of my knowledge. By helping artists maximize the use of their talents and generate revenue with their songs, I’ve filled a void and found a niche in the process. Independent A&R can do the same for you.
Gian Fiero is a seasoned educator, speaker and consultant with a focus on business development and music/entertainment industry operations. He currently teaches at San Francisco State University where he conducts courses on Music Industry Career Planning and Publicity/Public Relations. His affiliations include National Association Of Record Industry Professionals (associate director); CLA (speaker); West Coast Songwriters (consultant); The Muse’s Muse (producer of the Muse’s Muse Awards); and SBA (business advisor).
Every year hundreds of music business professionals lose their jobs. Some are laid off. Others are fired. The end result is the seasonal carnage that results in unemployment.
Many of those who are unceremoniously dismissed will encounter various obstacles in their search for new jobs such as age, race, and sex discrimination. Some will fair better than others due to their network of associates or nepotism. Some people will go on to become consultants. Others will start companies. Many if not most will leave the music industry altogether.
For those in the minority who really understand the business and see the big picture, they are faced with their most daunting task: re-inventing their jobs and finding ways to get paid doing it.
Enter Independent A&R into the equation.
Over the years, A&R (artist and repertoire) reps have been enigmatic figures that have been misrepresented and misunderstood because their roles vary so greatly from company to company. One fact is absolute: A&R reps employed by record companies act on behalf of the record company.
Historically, A&R reps would create songs for artists to record and perform. They were musicians and songwriters who helped find a home for goods songs with the appropriate artists, and they would also help artists get signed to labels that would be good homes to develop their careers in.
Then artists started writing their own songs. That’s when the A&R professionals had to modify their job description. Now, it’s industry consensus that A&R people do everything and nothing – often simultaneously. How can they? Or rather, how can they not? The artists that they endorse are often dropped in the blink of an eye when they don’t generate enough revenue to make a profit for the label to which they are signed.
The argument of whether or not record companies will survive or become extinct like dinosaurs is tired and should be put to rest. Record companies – or companies functioning in a record company capacity -will always exist. What no longer can exist is prehistoric thinking (which is no doubt how dinosaurs used to think) that we take in our approach, as professionals, to doing business in the music industry.
We are now dealing with intangible commodities as our product in the music industry (music, which is an intellectual property, and talent, which is associated with brands). The new digital/wireless era that we live in allows us to strip away the fat (excess) and the BS (politics) that plague and undermine the business. What we will have left when the smoke clears are the very things that the music industry was founded on: music, talent, and entrepreneurship. This represents a golden opportunity for Independent A&R professionals.
Independent A&R professionals facilitate the commercial use of that music and talent as entrepreneurs. By facilitate I’m referring to the process of helping others find, and/or negotiate the use of, music and talent in any revenue generating capacity e.g. (licensing/performance/recording, etc.).
Most artists think of their success vertically, viewing it in terms of “levels” they are on, an Independent A&R professional looks at success horizontally; basing it on a multiplicity of income streams across multiple platforms.
For example, in representing my longtime client, producer Cori Jacobs, his core business is producing music. His productions have appeared in television shows and have been featured prominently in many films including Tupac’s biopic, “Thug Angel” and most recently, Tyler Perry’s “Why Did I Get Married.” He is also a musical director for the likes of Lauryn Hill and Malcolm Jamal Warner (yes, as in Theo from the Cosby Show). In addition, he collaborates with numerous songwriters and performs with his band, Clear Soul.
Each transaction related to the use of his music and talent(s) entail a business activity that requires professional attention and handling. I handle these business activities. From interfacing with clients seeking his services as a producer, to people who want to utilize his talent as a musical director, to the negotiation of licensing his songs for use in film and television; I instigate and execute all of these details.
While Independent A&R is a multi-tasking occupation, and there is overlap (as there is in practically every occupation in the music industry), and you do get paid on a commission basis, you are only engaged to handle the resulting business activities stemming from the commercial use of of your clients’ music and talents; not to do hand-holding or talent development.
Perhaps most importantly, Independent A&R has helped me to find a purposeful and relevant place in the music industry that fully utilizes the depth of my experience and the breadth of my knowledge. By helping artists maximize the use of their talents and generate revenue with their songs, I’ve filled a void and found a niche in the process. Independent A&R can do the same for you.
Gian Fiero is a seasoned educator, speaker and consultant with a focus on business development and music/entertainment industry operations. He currently teaches at San Francisco State University where he conducts courses on Music Industry Career Planning and Publicity/Public Relations. His affiliations include National Association Of Record Industry Professionals (associate director); CLA (speaker); West Coast Songwriters (consultant); The Muse’s Muse (producer of the Muse’s Muse Awards); and SBA (business advisor).
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
When Does An Artist Need a Manager
This is a Blog posted by The Lowery Agency. We were going to post one but this says it all so check it out.
When Does An Artist or Band Need a Manager?
By David Lowry
So often bands or musicians seek out management thinking that they need management from the start or even just too early in their careers. With all that needs to be done for an artist’s career, it can seem very daunting and overwhelming. Artists are often so confused by the amount of information available and most of it not very good, that they are often more paralyzed than when they started due to the staggering amount of info and no clear direction.
The role of a good manager takes on so many forms. Managers require pay for their services and most bands can’t afford their own bills, let alone a manager. A manager is often a business consultant, negotiator, accountant, image consultant, promoter etc. A manager is often needed to achieve almost any measure of success in the music business, even then most bands and artists know that a manager can’t do it all and that success or failure is solely the responsibility of the artist or band. The artist or band have the final say and have to provide the show and content that makes them marketable. If they aren’t able to provide that or aren’t committed to the success of the band then rarely is it the fault of a manager that goals aren’t achieved. The band and artist are the “Founder” of the company and the manager is the “CEO”. This is called the “music business” for a reason. Artists and bands have a ton of responsibility to achieve the success they are seeking. If the band or artist isn’t willing to work as hard as the manager, then it is very hard to achieve anything and the manager is wasting their time at this point. A commitment on both parties is essential to make it work and the band or artist need to trust the manager’s advice and handle their responsibilities whether the band or artist agree or not.
So that begs the question, when does an artist or band need a manager? The answer is simple. Not until there is something to manage. Most artists and bands don’t perform enough or have enough to work with for a manager to do anything with and be effective. The artist or band should be playing 80+ paying shows a year and have a very solid press kit before seeking out management. There should be a solid fan base at least regionally if not nationally. In the beginning stages of a band or artist’s career, it is wise to seek out a good manager who offers hourly consultation to be able to help set the artist or band in the right direction. The manager can then follow up at regular intervals if the goals are being met, before signing the band or artist full-time, when they are ready.
Debra Russell Says:
February 11, 2010 at 6:28 pm |
When I get this question from clients, or on my Ask Coach Debra calls, my answer is this:
“Can you make a living from 15% of what you’re earning?” If the answer to that is no, you’re not ready for a manager. Because any manager worth his/her salt is going to be asking exactly that question.
So it behooves musicians to learn how to run their own business like a pro. And this experience will really serve you well when you are ready for a manager – because while your Manager is managing your business – you have to be managing your Manager. I’ve worked with so many clients who’ve lost all they earned to an unscrupulous manager.
That can only happen if you abdicate your business to your Manager. If you delegate your business with sufficient oversight, it’s much harder to be taken for a ride. So, the more you know about how to manage your business the better you will be able to supervise your manager – helping him/her serve you better.
When Does An Artist or Band Need a Manager?
By David Lowry
4 Votes
So often bands or musicians seek out management thinking that they need management from the start or even just too early in their careers. With all that needs to be done for an artist’s career, it can seem very daunting and overwhelming. Artists are often so confused by the amount of information available and most of it not very good, that they are often more paralyzed than when they started due to the staggering amount of info and no clear direction.
The role of a good manager takes on so many forms. Managers require pay for their services and most bands can’t afford their own bills, let alone a manager. A manager is often a business consultant, negotiator, accountant, image consultant, promoter etc. A manager is often needed to achieve almost any measure of success in the music business, even then most bands and artists know that a manager can’t do it all and that success or failure is solely the responsibility of the artist or band. The artist or band have the final say and have to provide the show and content that makes them marketable. If they aren’t able to provide that or aren’t committed to the success of the band then rarely is it the fault of a manager that goals aren’t achieved. The band and artist are the “Founder” of the company and the manager is the “CEO”. This is called the “music business” for a reason. Artists and bands have a ton of responsibility to achieve the success they are seeking. If the band or artist isn’t willing to work as hard as the manager, then it is very hard to achieve anything and the manager is wasting their time at this point. A commitment on both parties is essential to make it work and the band or artist need to trust the manager’s advice and handle their responsibilities whether the band or artist agree or not.
So that begs the question, when does an artist or band need a manager? The answer is simple. Not until there is something to manage. Most artists and bands don’t perform enough or have enough to work with for a manager to do anything with and be effective. The artist or band should be playing 80+ paying shows a year and have a very solid press kit before seeking out management. There should be a solid fan base at least regionally if not nationally. In the beginning stages of a band or artist’s career, it is wise to seek out a good manager who offers hourly consultation to be able to help set the artist or band in the right direction. The manager can then follow up at regular intervals if the goals are being met, before signing the band or artist full-time, when they are ready.
Debra Russell Says:
February 11, 2010 at 6:28 pm |
When I get this question from clients, or on my Ask Coach Debra calls, my answer is this:
“Can you make a living from 15% of what you’re earning?” If the answer to that is no, you’re not ready for a manager. Because any manager worth his/her salt is going to be asking exactly that question.
So it behooves musicians to learn how to run their own business like a pro. And this experience will really serve you well when you are ready for a manager – because while your Manager is managing your business – you have to be managing your Manager. I’ve worked with so many clients who’ve lost all they earned to an unscrupulous manager.
That can only happen if you abdicate your business to your Manager. If you delegate your business with sufficient oversight, it’s much harder to be taken for a ride. So, the more you know about how to manage your business the better you will be able to supervise your manager – helping him/her serve you better.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
What I learned about life from working in the Music Industry
Treat your life like a guest list at a concert, not everyone deserves an All Access pass, some don't even deserve a ticket!
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