Music Business Helps and Perspectives

Comment

Comment by Kate Ashby-Craft on August 26, 2009 at 6:42pm

Hello Everyone,
It is nice to be part of this group and I look forward to reading your comments.
It is certainly a challenge being in the music business today and I am finding that one has to wear many hats to make a go of it.I myself am doing several different musical things from being in a musical tribute show, to putting on my own concerts,performing a musical appreciation series as well as being a guest soloist at several churches.To be sure some days are overwhelming but as the saying goes you gotta do what ya gotta do !

Comment by Kick The Ashes on August 26, 2009 at 1:38am

Great group! Thanks!

Comment by Jomo Lyles-Belton on July 15, 2008 at 5:13pm

Hello to all!!! glad to be apart of this group. Anyone ever want to network and connect or if there is anything I can offer it would be my pleasure. I have a network call Promoteyourbizz.ning.com where you can network, promote, learn music business from each other or simply just tell people what's on your mind. Would be an honor if you want to join. I wish everyone the best in all of their positive endeavors. Below is just some of my companies work(Jomo-N-Keys Entertainment)...One



www.Myspace.com/JomoKeys
Jomo-N-Keys Entertainment
http://promoteyourbizz.ning.com

Comment by Ray Withrow on May 12, 2008 at 12:10pm

Chip, Yes, I agree - each artist IS unique, & we are NOT competing with each other! You stated that, in the old days, record companies made a LOT, & the artists didn't! This may come to be a surprise to some, but you know WHY? The record company or label usually 'gave' the artist an up-front advance on future sales! Here is the 'kicker'! You, as an artist', ain't gonna make a dime until ALL of this 'advance' is PAID IN FULL!! Sad, but true! I think this is WHY most artists don't make it - they can't pay back the $$$ that was 'given' to them! This 'practise' has NOT changed (to my knowledge)! Does this mean that you, as an artist should give up? NO!!! It means that, as you stated, it's NOW up to you - to promote YOUR songs, demo them as best you can, package it, market it - all of the above! You see, the music 'business' is just a business to these exec's - you are just like a Fuller Brush man to them! IF the song can make THEM $$$, they might be persuaded! The riches for doing a really good job CAN be very lucrative - even for the artist! That's why we must do our homework!! Just my comments - hope this helps, & I, too, am glad to be a part of this group! Ray Withrow, President of No Creek Music (ASCAP)

Comment by 'E' thaproduca on May 7, 2008 at 7:11pm

Glad to be in any group you are part of Chip.
Hope we can do some creative things in the future.

Comment by Chip on April 29, 2008 at 10:01pm

The business practices in the music industry are changing dramatically and rapidly in the last few years. Why? My view is that digital forms of music is the root cause. The electronic format allowed sharing over the internet, easy duplication and viral distribution that has made obsolete the old model of sales of records/tapes/CDs at the local music store.

The old business model for record companies used to be identifying promising artists, putting them through a development and refinement program and then getting behind them with promotion dollars and effort to develop a fan base to which they could profitably sell recordings and make money on appearances. They took measured risks for often very lucrative financial rewards. The artist often made very little unless they were very good or one of their songs became a big hit that got play over long periods of time.

With the loss of revenue and profit that accompanied the digital age, record companies are moving to a business model with far less risk. For their profits, they are moving toward being agents of mass distribution, licensing and merchandising for artists that already have developed a substantial following and book of work.

This increasingly puts the onus for "product development" on the artist. They need to write or find a song, record it, produce it, package it, promote it to develop a sufficient buzz (as well as promoting themselves as performers and creating a fan base), and then, only then, are the traditional recording companies wiling to get involved.

So, is this good or bad? Well a case can be made in both regards. An artist is a lot freer to shape their material and their artistic focus than when the record companies used to "shape" them. There is also a more natural sorting of what people really want to hear by seeing whose stuff is getting hits on MySpace and requests on digital radio. Now the record companies don't have to guess what's going to be popular, there are reliable feedback mechanisms in place already. Also, the record companies felt the need to "slot" artists into strict genre's like pop or R&B Now thw world is exposed to a much wider range of sounds and musical stylings.

The downside is that a musically-talented individual has to have a whole lot of support early on to create an opportunity to get their works heard. Somehow they need to understand how to promote themselves and their work in this digital age -- not a simple task, especially for the computer challenged.

In these days promotion means a complex maze of fan development through a digital presence along with performances, publicity AND talent development in conjunction with a phalanx of independent resources including graphic artists, publicists, other musicians, recording engineers, producers, managers, lawyers, etc.

Well, that's my view of the situation. Let's use this forum to share best practices, lessons learned, resources we can endorse and ideas for how to help each other. I think we can all agree that we ARE NOT IN COMPETITION WITH EACH OTHER -- each artist brings something unique to the world, so sharing HOW we support that process of bringing music to the world only helps us all.

This should be fun! Let's hear your thoughts!

Chip