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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
- Sprache: Englisch
Start your music career off right with this fun guide to the music industry Music Business For Dummies explains the ins and outs of the music industry for artists and business people just starting out. You'll learn how file-sharing, streaming, and iTunes have transformed the industry, and how to navigate your way through the new distribution models to capitalize on your work. It all begins with the right team, and this practical guide explains who you need to have on your side as you begin to grow and get more exposure. Coverage includes rehearsing, performing, recording, publishing, copyrights, royalties, and much more, giving you the information you need to start your career off smart. Music industry success has never been easy to achieve, and recent transformations and disruptions to the business side have made the whole idea even more daunting than before. This guide gives you a roadmap around the landmines, and provides expert advice for starting out on the right foot. * Find the right players, agents, and business managers * Make more money from your work with smart distribution * Build your brand and get people talking about you * Get gigs, go on tour, and keep on growing If music is your calling, you need to plan your career in a way that sets you up for success from the very beginning. Put the right people in place, get the most out of your investments, and learn how to work the crowd both virtually and in person. Music Business For Dummies is your companion on your journey to the music career you want.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015
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Music Business For Dummies®
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2015941027
ISBN: 97-811-1904965-4
ISBN: 97-811-1904946-3 (ePub); ISBN: 97-811-1904944-9 (ePDF)
Music Business For Dummies®
Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/musicbusiness to view this book's cheat sheet.
Table of Contents
Cover
Introduction
About This Book
Icons Used in This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here
Part I: Getting Started in the Music Business
Chapter 1: Getting on the Path to Results
Differentiating between the Music and the Music Business
Practicing Responsible Career Tactics
Weeding out the Myths, Scams, and Scammers
Committing to, Reinforcing, and Running a Career
Chapter 2: A Change is Gonna Come: Changes in the Music Business
Changes for the Better
Changes for the Worse
Promoting and Marketing Gone Bad
Making Change Work for You
Chapter 3: Getting Your Music Business Job Options On
Finding Your Best Fit
Self-Assessment Questions
Looking at Your Options in the Music Business
Eyeing Options Out of the Spotlights
Chapter 4: Creating a Music Business Plan
Defining Your Success
Projecting Your Time Frame
Reviewing the Requirements and Costs of Success
Looking at the Keys to Planning Success
Funding Your Music Business Plan
Handling the Organization and Legal Parts
Promises, Percentages, Ownership, and Durations
Part II: Making Music and Creating Your Brand
Chapter 5: Writing, Rehearsing, Recording, and Performing
Creating and Writing Music with Others
Rehearsing For Production and Performance
Chapter 6: Creating and Following a Production Plan
Pre-Producing Your Production
Your Recording Process —Picking Your Producer, Mixer, and Musicians
Mastering Your Music
Your Pre-Release and Post-Recording Part
Chapter 7: Creating Your Brand
Understanding the Importance of Your Name
Getting Your Logo and Font Working for You
Branding Yourself
Crafting Your Tagline and its Viability
Applying Your Logo, Font, and Tagline
Chapter 8: Getting Noticed: Your Keywords, Bio, and Call to Action
Creating Keywords and Phrases for Your Bio
Making a Keyword-Rich Descriptive Bio
Adding a Call to Action: Give Fans Direction
Optimizing Your Message
Chapter 9: Securing Your Music and Brand
Finding the Best Types of People to Work With
Copyrights, Publishing, and Ownership
Working with Publishing Companies, Labels, Managers, and Investors
Part III: Marketing and Promoting For the Long Haul
Chapter 10: Building Your Website and Social Media Presence
Graphics Designed For Everything Online
Home Base for Everything: Your Website
Keeping a Website and Social Media Template Form
Links, All the Links, and Nothing but the Links
Best Practices and Tips for Social Media Sites
Chapter 11: Planning for Content Marketing throughout the Year
Maintaining Best Website and Content Practices
Formatting Your Content
Deploying Prepared Content around the Calendar
Chapter 12: Combining Online and Physical Marketing
Cross-Marketing for Optimal Fan Reach and Sales
Creating Promotional Items
Setting up Promotional Graphics
Buying and Running Advertisements
Getting Your Marketing Further Out There
Getting and Giving Reviews for Marketing
Chapter 13: Planning Music, Merchandise, and Event Drops
Creating Well-Planned Promotions and Releases
Running a Productive, Well-Promoted, and Profitable Event
Applying Your Branding for Announcements
Buying Advertising: Physical and Digital
Part IV: Maintaining Your Successful Career
Chapter 14: Touring and Performing
Booking a Tour
Tour Preparations
On-the-Road Responsibilities
Before, During, and After the Show Checklists
Chapter 15: Securing Sponsorships and Endorsements
Defining a Sponsorship or Endorsement
Different Levels of Sponsorships and Endorsements
Preparing to Solicit for an Endorsement/Sponsorship
Showcasing the Benefit to Endorsers
Promoting Endorsements and Products
Promoting Localized Sponsorships
Chapter 16: Considering Additional Opportunities
Making the Most Out of All Opportunities
Tapping Into Various Events, Experts, Deals, and Options
Supplementing Opportunities Outside of Music
Supporting Your Music with Music
Considering the Cost of the Conversion for Every Opportunity
Due Diligence and Fact-Checking the Opportunities
Chapter 17: Tracking and Analyzing Your Progress
Detailing Your Detailed Account
Understanding Your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats
Tracking to Showcase All Things at All Levels
Tracking Website Traffic and Social Media
Tracking Physical and Digital Revenues
Tracking your Publishing from A to Z
Performance Tracking
Tracking Expenses Breakdown
Chapter 18: Persevering, Problem-Solving, and Retiring
Keeping on when the going is good … or bad
Staying Aware of Trends and Changes
Finding the New Fan While Keeping the Old One Interested
Testing New Products and New Methods
Working to Streamline the Workload
Staying in Control and Watching Others Who Share Control
Clarifying the Financial Channels and Return on Investment
Knowing When It’s Time to Stop or Change Careers
Part V: The Part of Tens
Chapter 19: Ten Habits of Successful Musicians
Humility
Excellent Social Respect Skills
Attention to Detail
Acting Like a Student of Science
Problem-Solving
Honor
Wearing a Thick Skin
Frugal Penny Pincher
Endurance
Patience
Chapter 20: Ten Tips on Presenting Yourself Professionally
Posture
Your Volume Speaks Volumes
Uhs, Ums, Ohs, and Stuttering
Education for the Presentation
Pre-Production for Pre-Presentation
Adapting, Improvising, and Resonating with a Room
Other Side of the Coin: Empathy
Confidence without Arrogance
The Little Things
Talking With, Not To or At, People
About the Author
Cheat Sheet
Advertisement Page
Connect with Dummies
End User License Agreement
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Begin Reading
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Introduction
There’s nothing else quite as incredible as being able to make a living in music. Mixing up a schedule that includes making music, recording music, performing music, and handling the business side of music is more obtainable than ever. Whether writing, performing, recording, marketing, studying, or just listening to music, as a fan, a hobbyist, or an aspiring full-time musician, make the most out of every element.
By taking the most responsible steps on the business side of music as you experience all the fun and enjoyment the creative side can bring you, you can find a true joy and a security in the world of music.
Becoming a full-time musician or working in the music business today is easier than ever with recent changes. It’s now easier to record music more affordably. You can reach people through social media on a daily basis where you never could before. And there are simple ways to connect and network, as well as promote and market yourself to venues, investors, and record labels.
All you need is a basic understanding of the different elements of the business of music. And that’s exactly what this book is about. I cover the array of all the fundamentals for a successful career in the music business of today.
About this Book
This book contains the tools and the basic blueprints to help you build the specific and personalized career you want. This book isn’t a lecture, however. You don’t have to read it from beginning to end unless you want to. The chapters are organized in a way that most music business careers progress — in other words, what needs to be done first before continuing to the next step.
This book
Encourages you to explore the many different aspects of the music business
Gives you ideas on where the music business is going
Deals with the branding, promotional, and marketing requirements both online and off
Helps you decide on the right logo, font, bio, and basic branding content to describe you and your music
Discusses the security concerns around copyrights, publishing, contracts, and agreements
Shows how to create content and market it to connect with new audiences while you maintain the relationship with your existing fans
Provides different pieces and line items to include in a recording production plan
Takes a detailed look at music business plans with the costs and the profits
Teaches you the basics of securing sponsorships and endorsements
Gives you a step-by-step approach for tracking and analyzing your progress to better understand what’s working and what needs to be changed
Covers an array of problem-solving ideas and basic information on how to persevere, thrive, and survive in today’s music business
I also include the best habits to build and maintain success as well as the top ways to present yourself so you can impress industry professionals.
Icons Used in This Book
Peppered throughout this book are helpful icons that present special types of information to enhance your reading experience and help with your forward motion in the music business.
Think of these tips as words of wisdom that — when applied — can make the music business that much easier and less stressful.
These warnings alert you to potential music business problems that could make your experiences unpleasant, rough, and troublesome. Take note and take them to heart!
I use this icon to point out things that need to be kept in the forefront of your mind when making decisions about your career, the music business as a whole, and the choices you make. Remember these aspects before making decisions to help you make the best choices.
Foolish Assumptions
If you have never looked at the business side of music, this book covers all the different aspects that need to be addressed, considered, and applied for success. I assume you have no prior knowledge on the business side of music … the contracts, the terms, the marketing, and the business techniques.
However, if you want to be a musician and are ready to jump into the business side of music, this book is a great resource for you. You’ll find concepts and ideas to apply so you can protect yourself, your music, and your career. In short, this book is for any musician who realizes there’s a business side to music, and it’s a business that you want to learn.
Beyond the Book
There is much more information available from your author, and from the Dummies brand, for your learning pleasure. Check out these resources to learn more about the music business:
Find the Dummies Cheat Sheet for this book
www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/musicbusiness
Dummies Extras are available at
www.dummies.com/extras/musicbusiness
And, although this book includes information about the basics of the music business, this author gives you more in depth from
The Artist’s Guide to Success in the Music Business
, published by Greenleaf Book Group
.
Where to Go from Here
You can start anywhere with Dummies books, but there’s a logic to the motion of the book. If that’s not in your personality, consider starting with Chapter 4 to see what your music business plan needs to look like. Then head to Chapter 7 to learn about the basic branding steps you need to take and what you will be presenting both artistically and content wise.
You might have some apprehension about the business side of music. Check out Chapter 2 to get some ideas on what has changed in recent years and how that can help you.
Chapter 14 takes a deep look into the touring and performing elements of the music business, which for many people is the best part. This chapter gives you ideas and angles on how to get out there that much more so you can play that much more often.
Chapter 10 digs in to the website and social media presence elements, which are a very large part of your marketing and promotion. Read this chapter to get the best ideas for creating the best content, and learn how to post it to reach, engage, and stay connected with your current fans as you connect with new ones.
My advice is not to rush through the book, but let the different ideas set in. There’s a lot of information here, and all of it will help you have a greater understanding of the music business. Look a little deeper, don’t buy into the rumors or hearsay, and look at the bigger picture of the music business. You don’t have to be a business expert, but the more you understand, follow, and comprehend the business side of your creativity, the more success you can find.
Part I
Getting Started in the Music Business
Visit www.dummies.com for great Dummies content online.
In this part …
Learn the difference between the music and the music business, and discover how to separate the two to get a greater understanding of how they both work together.
Understand recent changes in the music business and how they affect the industry as a whole.
Examine all the different options — such as musician, recording engineer, manager, and more — to find the perfect fit for you.
Learn about different options for funding your career, and how to create a music business plan to wow investors.
Chapter 1
Getting on the Path to Results
In This Chapter
Discovering the best musical path for you
Jump-starting your plan to get what you want
Knowing who to listen to and who to avoid
Differentiating between the music and the music business
The journey into the music business starts with two steps. The first step moves you forward toward the creativity, writing, performing, and love of the music and the art. The second step takes you toward the organization, optimization, planning, and structure of the business side. The best path to achieving the greatest results in the music business mixes the creativity of the music with the budgeting and organizational nature of the business side. It combines the spontaneity of the music with the planning and contractual structuring of the legal side; a yin and yang mix of freedom to create with the conformity of recordkeeping.
This chapter gives you an overall look at the two sides of the music business. I talk about social media and a little about the legal stuff you need to know about conversions and your music business plan. Odds have it, you’re already familiar with the creative side of this industry, and you now need an insight into the business aspects. Throughout this chapter (and the book, actually), I stress that the music business is a career. Hopefully it’s your career.
Differentiating between the Music and the Music Business
There’s a big difference between your music and the music business. That might sound like a “big duh” statement, but take a minute to think about it. As much as you’re already established on the creative side of music, you might have little to no experience in the business world or the business side of music. A great musician might have no knowledge about or experience in business — one discipline encourages freedom to create; the other demands left-brain practical thinking. Music and business are truly two entirely different forms and practices.
All too often, the lines blur between the two and cause musicians to make big career mistakes that cost them in the moment and often in the long term. As much as the lines get blurred, always remember that your music is your art. Whereas you might be in the beginning stages of business, never let anyone make you doubt the music you create and love. That’s the creative part, not the business part.
Some claim there are formulas to writing hit songs, and million-dollar successes bring all the fame in the world. But the reality is that for every formula presented or example of how the ten best songs of any given year were hits, there are millions of other songs that went nowhere that followed the same exact structure and at least another ten songs that did just as well in completely different molds.
Even though you need to know the business side of the music industry, regardless of the job or role you take, trust in your art and your creative side so you can learn and grow in your craft. Don’t make the music all about business, or there will be nothing creative to it.
Many different tasks are presented to and required from you throughout your career, but those activities make up the business side. When you separate and differentiate the two, both are much easier to do and give you a greater understanding of how they both work together.
Why you need to grasp the business
You don’t need to go to business school and get an MBA, just like you don’t need to learn every aspect of the music business to succeed. Still, taking business and accounting classes as well as intellectual property, copyright, and marketing courses can help to supplement your knowledge. Learning about each position, each expense, each revenue, basic legal and copyright information as well as the fundamentals of contracts inside and outside of your music, your band and the people involved with you gives you a better understanding of everything happening around you. Also, networking and connecting with the right people can also help. Never feel bad about asking questions regarding contracts, copyrights, and other legal aspects.
When you have a basic knowledge of what goes on in your career, you have a better idea if you’re going in the right or wrong direction. In turn, you can make better decisions when things are going wrong and make things grow even larger when things are going right.
When you let others take care of your career, you have no idea if your business matters are being handled in your favor or to benefit others. Many artists who have lost money and prestige, more often than not, let it happen to themselves by being ignorant or uninvolved in decisions that directly affected them.
Understanding the basics of the music biz buffet
The music business can be compared to a buffet composed of tables with platters of copyrights, publishing, sync licensing to television and movies, CDs, performances, digital downloads, download cards, T-shirts, hats, glassware, posters, bags, performance royalties, mechanical royalties, online advertising revenues, and many other revenue-generating and tasty choices.
Sitting at these tables with you are producers, mixing engineers, managers, publicists, publishers, promoters, graphic designers, SEO people, mastering engineers, lawyers, investors, web designers, distributors, photographers, videographers, consultants, songwriters, talent buyers, venue owners, booking agents, insurance agents, radio promoters, fundraisers, and others who want their share of each dish.
It can seem overwhelming and intimidating; many avoid it all together. But the best way to simplify everything while still addressing every detail is to make sure the following five elements are covered for every person and every product.
Understanding and planning:
Make sure everyone has a clear understanding of what each person is doing, what they’re getting, and how long they’re involved. Also make clear how monies are spent and how work is being done. I discuss more of this in
Chapter 9
.
Protection and contractual obligation:
This is where you and your legal team draw up and sign binding contracts that clarify each role and what each gains from revenues also discussed in
Chapter 9
.
Problem solving and preventative maintenance:
Make certain that you have an emergency preparedness and readiness plan in place and that you have solutions ready to resolve the issues. I go deeper into this in
Chapter 18
.
Education and updating your learning:
Stay up to date with new products, old contracts, and changes in the law for entertainment, intellectual property, and other related issues.
Due diligence and fact checking:
Before working with anyone or signing any agreement, making sure to verify your information, and check up on the people giving you that info before you go into business with them. From calling references to checking reviews and past clients, make sure the people you’re working with and the path they want to walk leads you where you want to go.
You don’t need to know every aspect of every job and every detail, but the more familiar you are with the basics of all the different people, jobs, companies, and requirements, the better the decisions you make and the more you’re able to take for yourself at the music biz buffet.
Disconnecting the business from the music
Understand that on any given day, you have to focus time on the business side of things to make your music thrive and succeed. This takes time and effort away from actually making music. Just keep in mind why you’re in the music business and the business side will be less stressful and tedious.
It’s okay to get lost in the creative side of your music and let it take you to another place, somewhere carefree, inspiring, and almost like you’re lifting off and flying. But don’t let that happen with the business side. Keep a firm grip on all things and all people around you, and you won’t have to feel the sensation of your legs being swept out from under you.
Practicing Responsible Career Tactics
Creating the plan for your career or any career in any business is a great first step, but if you aren’t using responsible tactics in your plan as you begin to execute that plan, it could cost you a lot in the long run. By asking all the questions that you need to know, preparing for the best and worst-case scenarios and getting everyone working with you on the same page, both conceptually and legally (signed contracts), you can keep the confusion, misunderstandings, and potentially devastating problems to a minimum. At the same time, you reinforce the clear expectations you have with others and what they can have with you. More about the plans and the planning in Chapter 4.
Planning for the plan and creating the blueprint
A great number of musicians work from the mindset that after they connect with the right people, agent, manager, label, or investor, everything gets taken care of as far as the business side is concerned and they get to live the rock-star life.
Not to completely discredit that view, but less than half a percent live that dream, which actually is a nightmare. Never forget that when you have someone doing everything for you, they can take everything from you.
Your music, art, and creative vision are priceless to you. When you bring that to the music business, however, what it takes to get you, your music, and your brand out to the world without your help means the bulk of profits end up with those who had control. Plan to stay involved in the business side of your career.
Create a basic music business plan that you can begin to implement immediately, regardless of where you are in your career. This blueprint helps to map the path of where you want to go while showing others just how far you can go. The organization early on helps you start on the best path to lead you to the most opportunities and the most connections to get you where you want to be. More details about music business plans are discussed in Chapter 4.
Building your own foundation first
The more you can put together and the more you can take care of yourself, the less you require from others. Sounds simple, right? But think about it — if you can create the basics for others to work from, you create and have the rights to that much more of your branding, graphics, and foundational elements. You’ve done that much more work that you don’t have to pay others to create.
The more you do, the less you need others to do, and the more you can keep for you. When you handle the basic business structure, as well as the basic plan, the logos, content, one liners, bios, and preliminary branding elements, you can move forward that much faster with people who can work with what’s already been put in place. More about this is Chapter 7.
Focusing on conversions and rules of engagement
Many musicians get so wrapped up in the idea of numbers that they don’t create any real or pertinent numbers for them or their careers. The amount of friends, followers, likes, views, plays, and shares builds nothing other than numbers if there’s no conversion. Would you rather have 100,000 followers on Twitter or $100,000.00 in conversions to revenues for albums, downloads, product sales and so on? More about your conversions as well as tracking them in Chapter 17.
Social media has helped reach many people and yet at the same time has taken some musicians backward with the idea of how to engage all those people and convert them to fans who buy music, merchandise, and show tickets. In the past few years alone, artists boast and brag about the number of views on YouTube, the number of followers on Twitter, or the number of likes on Instagram like they measure success. When they’re asked, however, how much music has been sold, how many gigs they have lined up, or what opportunities are coming from those numbers, most give a blank look and answer with very low numbers.
How to use social media summary
Simply summed up for the music or any other business, regardless of having the biggest budget in the world or not having a penny in the bank, it’s the same — using social media for marketing and promotion is a requirement that most understand. Still, using social media with the most responsible tactics to create the best engagement and conversions comes from thinking of every post as a marketing and promotional tool that helps you today, and reinforces and compounds what you posted yesterday as it helps to push tomorrow’s post and solidifies all posts in the future.
Those who just sell, sell, sell and bore their existing fans with the same pitch over and over, with the same videos or posts over and over, end up losing their existing audience as they reach to grow it larger. The content is key and with the addition of an editorial calendar and basic posting plan for online marketing, you can keep the existing fans engaged, reach for new fans, and continue to sell without spamming, boring, or pressuring your existing or new audiences. Chapter 11 goes deeper into organizing and posting content.
Acting and behaving in the music business
Responsible tactics also include how you behave and present yourself in emails, phone calls, and in person. An arrogant approach and a rock-star persona attitude are all too often presented to music industry people who have seen it all too much and are sick of it.
Take that extra second before you post online or send that email to make sure your Is are dotted and your Ts are crossed. Thinking about not only what you are presenting, asking for, or looking to discuss, but also thinking about your communication, the volume of your voice, the confidence in your tone by mixing humility, integrity, and respect helps you be seen as that much more of a professional. From how you dress to your posture, and even your eye contact, a great deal of your first impression creates that many more opportunities for you.
What you’re asking for or what you want in most cases has been heard a million times before by the people you’re pitching to. Keep that in mind and formulate a pitch that’s strong in its delivery and shows that you understand the people you’re talking to. This individualized approach helps industry personnel see you as more of an individual, instead of just another musician thinking they’re the best thing since sliced bread.
Taking the high road on your music path
Even as things go wrong or when others do wrong by you, take the high road. Going online to bash whoever you feel did you wrong is usually not going to help you get what you need. It also presents an immature and reactive image and a lack of professionalism that may drive away potential music business professionals and companies. No one wants to work with those who hang their dirty laundry out to be seen by everyone.
Keep that stuff offline and out of marketing, and handle your business like a professional business person. That doesn’t mean being taken advantage of or letting the business steamroll you. It means that you will contact the right people the right way to try to make things right and stay offline and quiet about it. Your existing fan base and the new fans you are reaching out to don’t need to see this side, so don’t show it to them.
Letting go of the things that aren’t going to change
There are times when letting go is the better option over continuing after something that will never get fixed, never get you paid, and never be right. It’s good to right the wrongs; righting a wrong from someone who wronged you is even more desirable. Still, if you spend a hours, money, and energy to chase after something from the past, it can end up stalling you from moving forward.
Pick and choose your battles wisely. You can’t win them all; if you try, you could end up losing everything.
Keeping your online info in check
Responsible marketing and sharing both online and in interviews can help keep your fans interested in you. Social media has turned into a cesspool of over-sharing, however, both with celebrities and normal people alike. Then bring in the paparazzi, TMZ, and rumor trains, and you have way too much over-saturated information that has infected the online world.
Keep your pages about your music and your business. Whereas sharing personal aspects about yourself can work in your favor, make sure the info ties directly to something that can lead these people to want to find out more about you. Just sharing, “I like scrambled eggs” and showing a picture of scrambled eggs is pretty boring, mundane, and pointless.
From doctor’s appointments to private jokes to other pictures of food, keep the personal stuff personal, and keep the marketing for your music pages. Think before you post and stay responsible! Is this post going to be good for marketing, promotion, and helping to reinforce your branding for new and old fans, reviewers, booking agents, investors, and other music business professionals? Can this post be effective in two years? If the answer is no to these questions, don’t post it and keep it private, or put it up through personal channels.
Create personal pages for personal information or the over-sharing information if you really want to put it out there, but make sure that those pages are named something other than your stage name. For example, if your real name and stage name is Nerol Namsie, and you already have http://nerolnamsie.com/ as well as a number of pages on social media tied in to that name, try using a nickname for your personal page and make it private. This helps to avoid confusion from both new and old fans searching you.
Keeping the personal stuff private and not sharing too much can also add to a mystery and a mystique about you. It’s that much more refreshing for new and old fans to know that when you post, it’s something they might want to see, as opposed to being inundated with too many posts that don’t give them the information to build better engagement.
Think of the brand new fans who have come upon you by accident. Do you want to have to make them scroll through page after page of meaningless posts that have no tie to your music or marketing? Or should they immediately get a sense of your music and you?
Marketing for musicians: Basic anatomy of a good post
Jumping back to the scrambled eggs update (see the earlier section, “Keeping your online info in check”), each social media site has different best practice rules for posting.
As shown in the earlier section, the post was eggs and just “I like scrambled eggs” for content. And, yes I have seen this come across my feed from a musician in the past. This isn’t made up. Now, if you shared a picture of scrambled eggs shaped in your band’s logo, the logo next to scrambled eggs, or on a plate with your logo super-imposed over it, then band’s the caption, you get what’s seen in Figure 1-1. Nice, hm?
Figure 1-1: This attention-grabbing social media post gives the reader all the info they need.
Here is the breakdown:
You start with a headline that jumps out, even if it comes off a bit weird.
The band name is clearly mentioned — Kitty Likes Avocado.
You give a vivid description of the track.
You include the call to action and accompanying URL where fans can listen to the track and access your main web page.
The image upload of the eggs is named (scrambled-eggs, funk-music, kitty-likes-avocado.jpeg).
You finish with a couple hash tags that tie into the topic and the post.
In Google+, you can get some pretty amazing optimization on words and photos if you post correctly. They offer this as a push to get more people on Google+, so take advantage of that! The post can still be shared to all your other pages, as well.
The post can draw in a new fan, keep an existing one engaged, and help with search engine optimization (SEO) and the uniform branding that needs to be there. Taking those extra steps to come up with a post and then tailoring it for the best results gives you a serious leg up in social media.
Weeding out the Myths, Scams, and Scammers
There are a lot of people with a lot of claims that promise you the world, fame, riches, and success as long as you listen to them. Unfortunately, the truth usually boils down to anyone who’s promising the world, fame, riches, and success right out of the gate is most likely a scammer or part of a scam. There’s money to be made in the legitimate music business, but it doesn’t come close to the totals that have been made off fake record labels, consultants, coaches, producers, studios, managers, and agents who prey on the sensitivity, lack of experience, and ego of many artists.
From taking money to getting these artists signed into contracts that can have a negative effect for years to come, one of the most important elements of thriving and sustaining in the music business is to clarify and watch out for the scams/scammers who are all over it and a major part of it.
Take it all in, but choose wisely who you listen to and what advice you choose to follow. From research to references to due diligence, things can still go wrong, but the chances are much more in your favor that they’ll go right if you know what to look for.
The old quote “Born on third base and you think you hit a triple” has been credited to a number of different people, but it’s absolutely true. When you choose to buy into the hype of someone who has a very successful career but delivers information from second guesses instead of backing it up with the numbers and the proof, you are headed toward a model that will hurt more than help.
These people present themselves by feeding in to a musician’s dreams, their weaknesses, and their desires as they look to make money off them. There are some with the best intentions to make things go that big, but their lack of experience, knowledge, and problem solving mixed with their abundance of ego, ignorance, and foolishness set themselves and the artists up for failure.
You don’t need a life coach or cheerleader
Let me repeat this section heading — you don’t need a life coach or cheerleader. If you need someone to help you find the drive to do the work that’s required to be successful in music, you might be in the wrong profession. You do need those who can guide you, who have the experience and proof to help in today’s music business. You need to track the results of what you’re doing to see what’s working and what isn’t. You need you more than anyone else to ask the questions, follow up on the claims, do your due diligence, and be patient with what you’re creating.
Opinions, facts, theories, and proof
Watch for the morphing of opinions that turn into facts, just as you keep an eye on those who discuss theories that somehow shift into proof. You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for. By taking simple steps to ask questions and then question the answers you get, you can to surround yourself with honest people and make better choices about the direction to take your career.
The music business has changed dramatically over the decades and continues to change each year. Certain facts that were once true are now expired; certain proven theories that were once right are now wrong. Differentiating between what was and what is needs to take place with every decision you make for your career and every piece of advice you choose to follow or take. With so many people sharing so much information — from the creative elements of what it takes to write a hit song to the budgeting elements of how much it costs to record that song to the performance elements of what kind of team it will take to put you on tour performing that song and everything in between — make sure for each concept, tip, approach, or piece of advice you get, ask the following:
What made it work?
When did it work?
What was the budget?
Who made up the team?
How long did it take?
What are the similarities to you and your situation?
What are the differences?
What direction do things seem to be going to make it work or not make it work again?
Looking up and addressing those elements and finding out the details can help you in any business, but especially in the music business. Think of yourself as a card-carrying red-flag holder who’s ready to raise that red flag as soon as something sounds too good to be true or hits you the wrong way. And realize there are so many different personal approaches. This is not a one-size-fits-all business.
Find out as much as you can whether an opinion is worth its weight in gold and truly can be justified as a fact or is just an opinion with nothing to truly substantiate it.
Not every opinion can be proven as a fact, but in that case look at the track record of who’s supplying that opinion and other facts they have supplied in the recent past. Although facts and proof are best, the opinions and theories from those who truly know the music business can give you reason to believe them to be true.
It's okay to say I don't know
It’s actually one of the best things you can say and one of the best things you can hear. If you don’t know something, then don’t pretend to know it, and don’t make something up. It’s not cool. Would you want someone to make up something to try to come off cool? Probably not.
Take a path of honor and honesty by being honorable and honest about what you know and what you don’t know. I wasn’t the greatest drummer by far, and I wasn’t the best music producer either. I never claimed to have all the answers and I still don’t claim to. One of the things that got me a lot of work and connections, though, was being the first to say I didn’t know something. That humility you carry in the music business will take you far.
As I shifted to becoming a music industry consultant, speaker, and author, being able to say “I don’t know” got me even more opportunities. It reinforced the belief from others that when I said I knew something, I really did, and it built trust that I wasn’t making things up when I said I didn’t know but I would find out.
Don’t try to be cool by pretending to know something. Be cool by being the first to say that you don’t know, but you’ll find the answer.
Committing to, Reinforcing, and Running a Career
After you get your plan in motion and your music the best it can be, and you supplement it with the efforts to make the music-business side run as smoothly as possible, you’re in the longest stage of your career in the music business: the continuity stage.
This stage consists of the ongoing commitment to both your craft and the business of your craft that allows for sustaining success and continued growth. This commitment is key and needed in both hard times as well as good times. The continued commitment allows for certain aspects of the business to be that much more streamlined and allow for the business and creative sides to flow that much easier. By understanding what worked well, you can repeat it, just as having the understanding of what didn’t work so that you won’t repeat it helps you survive, thrive, and succeed for years to come.
The humility of your business and creative sides
Humility is one of the last pieces of the puzzle that helps you build the best map as you create the smoothest roads and most productive path for your music business career. The humility in the art you write and perform, the business you partake in, and the artists you work with gives you a leg up in a world of arrogance and excessive egos.
Stay centered, stay humble, and understand that not everyone is going to like you, believe in you, or want to work with you. You can always grow in all elements of your craft from the business to the creative sides. Whether it’s handling criticism a little better to keeping that level head when someone is hyping you up, the way you act in front of the biggest fan to the person you’re the biggest fan of should be similar if not the very same. The humility, respect, and drive to stay grounded as you fly high helps you stand out among a sea of egos.
You’re an original, but you aren’t the only one
As new as it is to you, whether your marketing, music, approach, look, lyrics, performance, or anything else you can think of, it has been described before, asked for before, and done before. Maybe not exactly like what you’re doing, but close or at least in the same ballpark.
Don’t get discouraged, and don’t go changing who you are, the music you write, or the way you perform it. That creative side is you. It’s just a key point to keep in mind as you approach booking agents, talent buyers, record labels, investors, agents, and whoever else when you’re looking for support, a connection, or an opportunity. That pause you take and that breath before the send, the ask, or the request can make all the difference. It also helps with your connections and networking with others in and out of the music industry ten fold.
Your endurance and patience
The music business is made for those with the endurance and the patience to make sure that all the pieces are created the right way and presented in the right fashion. From recording the music, to the graphics on the album, the touring plan, marketing, and so on, your endurance to build it the right way yields the best results. Managing your time, multitasking, practicing patience, and realizing there are enough hours in the day is part of the winning formula; how you allocate those hours makes the difference.
Understanding your audience, fans, and customers
There’s a big different between reaching a potential fan and converting them to a fan who comes to see you play, buys your music, and truly stays connected and engaged. As you think about the engagement and connection of each fan over the friend, like, view, listen, or follow, you create the best fan base that stays with you for a long time to come.
Chapter 2
A Change is Gonna Come: Changes in the Music Business
In This Chapter
Understanding the changes and similarities of the past
Defining the music business of today
Educating yourself on the education needed for a career in the business
With ever-changing technology, the music business is more confusing than ever. Many businesses have changed and adapted over the years, but as technology brought affordable and accessible computers, the Internet, and social media, the music business has seen some of the most dramatic changes of them all. From the economy to social media, from music piracy to file sharing, and from a limited number of local radio stations to millions of online music networks, the music business is still shifting each day.
On a positive note, the changes have been less drastic in the past few years, and the dust is settling as new opportunities and options present themselves. At the same time, some of those rules and basic blueprints of the industry are still there. They’ve just been updated and adjusted for the present as well as the direction of the future.
Whether you’re a musician just starting out or a seasoned pro, a business manager or promoter, or you have another role in this fast-paced but ever-changing business, you need to roll with the changes. This chapter takes a look at how the music industry is changing.
Changes for the Better
Could you imagine what Woodstock would have been like if we had social media and the Internet back in 1969? What if the Beatles could have recorded in a studio like The Sound Kitchen in Nashville, Tennessee, on a digital board with endless tracking capabilities? From a marketing standpoint, wouldn’t it have been amazing for an artist to be able to write an email to an existing fan base to tell them about a show or event back in the 1950s?
Beyond all the different websites, social media pages, sales pages, and the Internet as a whole, the biggest positive change in the music business is the increase in the ability for connection, communication, networking opportunities, engagement, organization, and education. Now more than ever, musicians, artists, record labels, booking agents, representatives, and so on have the ability, technology, and platforms to connect instantaneously and immediately.
The communication and exchange of information and materials that used to take sometimes weeks to send back and forth can now be done in a matter of seconds. Recordings can be zipped and uploaded onto websites like Dropbox and sent as a simple link to a mixing engineer. High-quality posters and marketing materials can be sent with a click and then printed out locally. The ability to expedite and deliver everything from fully digital promotional packages to contracts that once took weeks can now be done in minutes.
Recording
Professional recording engineers, home studio mavens, and everyone in between have been positively affected by recent changes in technology. Gone are the days of needing to travel far and pay a great deal to get in to a recording studio. Gear is much more affordable and delivers high-quality results. This has allowed artists to record great-sounding music for much less money.
With the digital age, the excessive cost of recording on tape and the hefty costs of tape machines have been replaced by a variety of inexpensive programs that can be run on most computers. Both the recording equipment advances as well as the simplified and more affordable methods have opened the door for that many more people to be able to record. The ability to soundproof, the access to microphones, and the variety of digital effects have allowed the recording industry to cut industry-level recordings in home studios and even bedrooms.
Email databases and email newsletters save a fortune on paper and stamps, and allow the task to be simplified and streamlined much faster than all the printing and physical mailing. Record labels, publicists, and promoters can reach out to reviewers, fans, and media with the click of a button. From artist updates to band announcements as well as press releases and email newsletters, artists, bands, promoters, and other music industry professionals save more time and money announcing the new single, the tour, or the album release.
Gear
Musical gear has come a long way, baby! Take a look at musical instruments like guitars, drums, and keyboards as well as recording gear such as microphones, mixing boards, and software programs. Amazing-sounding guitars can be manhandled a little more; hardware used to hold up and position drums exactly where you want them is more durable; in fact, gear as a whole is more durable both sound- and technology-wise.
The advancement in the tools, toys, and items to help keep the vintage instruments sounding their best is outstanding. From the quality of the drum sets to the technology of the new keyboards, even at the beginner levels, artists can afford and purchase musical instruments that have advanced in their quality light years from where they were just a couple decades ago. On the same note, the tools and parts to be able to fix the vintage instruments and be able to maintain or bring some instrument back from the dead are available now, too. For example, guitarists have the option to purchase their own guitar-making kits. They can order them online with all the pieces to custom-build their own with personal touches. For older gear, there are electronic devices you can use to check the angle of a neck and the radius of the fret board. Luthier tools (tools to adjust and fix guitars) have come down in price and are more affordable. And check out online instructional videos on YouTube that can guide you through do-it-yourself maintenance.
Merchandise
Gone are the days when you had to order a bazillion promotional items and then wait weeks for them to be delivered. Now, a couple of clicks, a few days, and your new stuff arrives at your doorstep. What used to cost a fortune and force artists to order in bulk through larger, more expensive sources now is cheaper and faster with promotional merchandise and marketing accessories sites like Vistaprint, 4Print, and Branders.com. These companies, as well as the larger merchandise businesses, have newer equipment that allows for smaller runs of merchandise, and your order can be turned around and shipped that much faster. Then back to email, with the ability to email or FTP designs to a manufacturer as well as review the proofs online, the process has sped up exponentially.
The ability to order CDs, T-shirts, coffee cups, stickers, posters, pens, hats, bags, and all sorts of other merchandise items at a fair cost now enables musicians to expand their products, their product sales, and allows for more profits. Artists, designers, merchandise producers, and distributors all benefit and profit that much more. You’re also able to order these products in smaller runs; for example, you can purchase 25 T-shirts instead of being required to buy 250. Digital downloads of individual tracks to full albums, streaming live shows to previously recorded performances, and even giving away free downloads, have allowed for more music to be made, sold, or shared that much quicker and that much easier.
