• FOOD FOR THOUGHT

• FEATURE: Organizing A Record Release Party

• GENRE SPOTLIGHT: Film Music

• CAREER RESOURCE: Online Music & Entertainment Job Listings

• ILLUMINATING TRIVIA

• BIZ SMARTZ: Money-Saving Wisdom

Watch for the sixth issue of MUSIC CAREER JUICE, coming late April to all MUSIC BIZ INSIGHT subscribers.

NEWS & VIEWS

• FLASH -- BOOK RELEASE

At long last, my new book "The Self-Promoting Musician: Strategies for Independent Music Success" is out! Best place to order it is from Barnes & Noble online (www.bn.com).

I’ll be embarking on a string of speaking engagements beginning in April. Mainly I’ll be hitting colleges, universities, and Borders Books stores.

First stop:

April 15, NYU Music Management Seminar Series (1-3pm), New York University, NYC. This one’s not open to the public.

I’ll also be doing a workshop on "The Future of Music Careers" in Nashville for Indie Music Week (July 13-15). Any Nashvillians who want to produce their own workshop, seminar or consultation appointment for/with me, please contact me.

I’ll keep a running itinerary going in these infoletters.

• NEW MBS WEB SITE

Well, not yet but it’s getting there. It should be up and running by (dare I say?) late April. It will include a new feature that I mentioned in the last Music Career Juice:

"The Musician’s Resource Directory": the BEST in books, magazines, journals, organizations, and web sites chosen by Peter Spellman and organized by musical area of interest. The seven areas are organized along music career paths and activities (music recording, music performing, music technology, music education, music composition and songwriting, music industry, and music therapy) and will be continually updated as new resources come to light. The purpose of the Directory is to provide the best information sources for musicians.

• MUSIC BUSINESS MODEL OF THE FUTURE?

Whew! Just when you thought you’d seen everything in mergers with the Time-Warner/AOL joining, up along comes another M&A thunderclap.

In case you haven’t heard about the SFX/Clear Channel deal...

SFX has been busy these past three years buying up every premier music performance venue in the country. From Bill Graham presents on the West coast to Don Law Presents on the east coast, and everything else worthwhile in between, SFX has positioned itself as numero uno on a now very uneven playing field.

Simultaneously, a company out of Florida called Clear Channel Communications (CCC) has been doing the same in the relaxed regulatory climate of commercial radio. Within two years it brought almost a thousand key commercial stations under its rule, firing scores of DJs and local program directors in its wake. In order to satisfy the prying eyes of the Justice Department, CC recently shed about 75 stations. However this still left the group with about 875 commercial radio stations in key markets around the country.

Now they are planning together to start a record label.

In a Webnoize news report on the merger, it was observed:

"While NARM-member retailers and major record companies fight to assert relationships with consumers, SFX and Clear Channel have worked in the background to design what could be the standard music model of the future.

Historically, labels have provided three essential elements of the music sales chain: financing, marketing and distribution. All three elements are as necessary as ever, but given the rapidly evolving ease of digital Internet distribution, the entity resulting from Clear Channel's takeover of SFX produces all three sufficiently.

Could Clear Channel acquire management companies, to develop a stable of top-name artists to promote, merchandise and showcase through its venues? Could a Clear Channel wireless property facilitate distribution to mobile phones and PDAs around the world?

This month’s announced $4.4 billion deal suggests Clear Channel sees significant potential in long-term diversification."

• MEDIA MONOPOLY

At the end of World War II, 80 percent of American newspapers were independently owned. When Ben Haig Bagdikian published the insightful, ''Media Monopoly'' (Beacon Press) in 1982, 50 corporations owned almost of all of the major media outlets in the United States. That included 1,787 daily newspapers, 11,000 magazines, 9,000 radio stations, 1,000 television stations, 2,500 book publishers, and seven major movie studios.

By the time Bagdikian put out the revised edition in 1987, that was down to 29 corporations.

Now (early 2000) there are nine, and by year’s end, that number will be down to seven. All of the major media outlets owned by just seven corporation.

Think about it...

ORGANIZING A RECORD RELEASE PARTY

You’ve worked real hard recording your new CD and now it’s time to let the world know about it. But before you start the big push, be sure to give locals a chance to celebrate your achievement with you by throwing a record release party.

Keep two target audiences in mind when planning your party: your fans and the media/industry. It’s advisable to schedule a media/industry gathering before your fans arrive, so plan accordingly.

Here are some tips to help you put a fun and effective record release party together.

BEFORE THE PARTY

• Think at least 3 months in advance!-- If your manufacturer says your discs will be ready April 1, translate that into May 1, just in case there’s a snafu along the way. And if anyone’s released a CD you know what I’m talking about. Promises like "quick turnaround" often crash against the rocks of wrong color tones, misspellings and poorly fitted graphics. Allowing an extra month’s buffer will help forestall the debacle of having a party with no discs to sell. Not good!

• Book/rent a venue(s) -- If you’re a regional act covering several states, you should plan to schedule a party in all the places within that region that make sense. Pick venues where you’ve drawn well before and where you have good relationships with venue owners and employees. That can make all the difference in terms of support and smooth execution. Also, be sure the venues have a good sound system.

Record release parties normally go from 7-9pm. This allows the club to open afterward for its normal night’s crowd.

Ideally, you want the club or venue to be available for free, though you may want to throw the party in a more high-profile room where a rental fee will be required. This is completely up to you.

• Start with invitations to all your friends and fans, and a specialized mailing to media, industry representatives and other "tastemakers" in that particular area. Let them know they can also bring a guest if they wish. And don’t forget the venue owner.

Hand-addressed is better than printed and be sure the invites go out at least a month before the party. Include an RSVP phone number or email address. A follow-up call or email reminder one week out from the party is also recommended.

• At the same time, be sure to send news releases to all your media and industry contacts everywhere, as well as calendar listing notices to all print and internet media that allow these kinds of announcements.

Promote it, promote it, and promote it some more!!!

AT THE PARTY

• Make sure you station someone reliable a the door with guest list in hand. Name tags are optional but sometimes help strangers make connections.

• Feed the Masses-- A party without food is not a party. You need not hire a caterer but you should definitely rise above the chip-and-dip mentality.

It’s in your best interest to have a special pre-show "eat & greet" for just the media and industry, and then put the food away. This can last anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and your VIP guests will love it. Sometimes it’s advisable to hire a publicist to do the inviting and work the media crowd.

• Consider selling your CD for a specially discounted "party price" as a "thank you" to your supporters.

• Drink & be merry: A cash bar is fine. You may want to serve up some inexpensive champagne and plan a special toast, acknowledging and giving thanks to all those who’ve supported your act over the years.

• The Key to a great party: Make every guest feel special. A party does not make itself a success. It’s up to the host or hostess to constantly do what’s necessary to ensure that the event is running smoothly and people feel comfortable.

AFTER THE PARTY

• Something for Nothing: Provide your guests with a party favor, something functional with a long shelf-life.

• Say thank-you. Be sure to send out thank you notes to all who came.

Remember, "Only a fool thinks he can be a guest at his own party".

MUSIC BIZ RESOURCES TO HELP YOU DO-IT-YOURSELF!

• MBS Business Media now has available a 36-page RECORD COMPANY BUSINESS PLAN, complete with mission statement, executive summary, company description, industry analysis, marketing & promotion plan, management description, complete financials and tips for hunting down financing. This particular plan is for a multi-genre label that puts out a broad spectrum of music, from jazz to contemporary Christian, to rock, but you’ll find it applicable and relevant to any label venture. $25 postpaid to MUSIC BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, P.O. Box 230266, Boston, MA 02123-0266. Credit card orders (MC, VISA or AmEx) call 978-887-8041. Please leave full acct. number, expiration date and address you would like the plan shipped to.

• And don't forget about our NEWLY REVISED other resources: HOW TO START & GROW YOUR OWN RECORD LABEL OR MUSIC PRODUCTION COMPANY (4th edition), PROMOTING & MARKETING MUSIC IN THE 21ST CENTURY (3rd edition) and MUSIC BIZ KNOW-HOW -- three books packed with strategy and resources to help you sucked in the commercial world of music. You can get full info on these at: http://www.mbsolutions.com/books/

!!!!!!! MUSIC BIZ KNOW-HOW: DO-IT-YOURSELF STRATEGIES FOR INDEPENDENT MUSIC SUCCESS is available for $10 (+ $4 S/H) EXCLUSIVELY for subscribers of MUSIC BIZ INSIGHT at the address above. The regular price is $26 with shipping. SAVE $12!

INTRODUCTION

Music and film have been intertwined since the earliest days

of the cinema: one of the first major composers to write music for a movie was Saint-Saens. Even "silent" films were not silent-- whether it was an eager pianist in the pit (Shostakovich was one such) or a small orchestra playing a primitive collection of mood pieces, there was always music.

As the cinema acquired sound and developed in sophistication, the scoring did the same. Some great names wrote for films: Walton, Vaughan Williams, Copland, and Prokofieff. Other composers, no less distinguished, made writing for the screen their primary careers; their work is only now attracting the attention it deserves. For there are scores whose terrors rival those of the Bald Mountain, and whose beauties approach the gentleness of a faun's afternoon. And more people have heard--and accepted--12-tone music in films than in all the country's concert halls.

Film music is music, primarily instrumental, which works in conjunction with dialogue and image to establish the mood and tone of a movie; classical, jazz, electronic -- regardless of genre, any material composed or scored expressly for use in a motion picture can be defined as film music.

A soundtrack album, on the other hand, is not necessarily film music, as many of the songs which make up the record (as with those for American Graffiti, The Big Chill, Dirty Dancing and so forth) were not originally intended for use in the movie, and other times (as in Batman Forever) don't even appear in the actual feature at all. In this article, however, I’m speaking with both of them in mind.

FILM MUSIC MARKET TRENDS

The Motion Picture Soundtrack:

Over the last few years, as entertainment conglomerates have acquired both record labels and film studios, the bond between the film and music industries has tightened. Motion picture soundtracks have become a magnificent cooperative marketing opportunity for movies and music, in which each drives sales of the other.

Some happenings of note:

• In 1997 Space Jam (Atlantic) was the year’s top-selling soundtrack with sales of 4 mill., followed by Romeo & Juliet (Capitol, 3 mill.). And of course, Titanic (currently at 10 mill) is destined to break all records for soundtrack sales. Just as an aside, there are currently (3/16/00) 16 soundtrack albums on the Billboard 200.

• Four soundtracks went double-platinum (2 million) during the year: Evita (WB), Gang Related (Priority), Men in Black (Columbia) and The Preacher’s Wife(Arista). What did all these movies have in common?

All of the movies scoring double-platinum albums starred pop music stars (respectively, Madonna, Tupac Shakur, Will Smith and Whitney Houston).

• Film soundtracks that feature an original film score are becoming less common. Of the soundtracks mentioned, only Evita featured a score.

• Labels are taking advantage of this hot market by using popular movies to market only peripherally related compilations. "Music inspired by the motion picture" is a phrase that appears on several alleged soundtrack albums (Batman & Robin, K2, Dangerous Ground, The Nutty Professor).

• Why are soundtracks so appealing to record labels? They entail low overhead and have a built-in promotion dimension. Why are soundtracks so appealing to movie studios? A hit song that sells a million copies all but guarantees an opening weekend of $10-20 million in box office receipts.

TIPS FOR BREAKING INTO TV AND FILM MUSIC WORK

1/ Hang around film schools, find the most talented director and offer to put your music on his movie. The UCLA Graduate Film Students Program approaches Warner Bros. for someone to score first-time director Jeff Fines’ "No Easy Way," and ended up with American Music Club Mark Eitzel.

2/ Take a movie by a director you’d like to work with and create your own score for it. When Robert Rodriguez first asked Los Lobos to do the score for his movie Desperado, he suggested they get a tape of his first album, "El Mariachi," and put their own music to it as an exercise.

3/ Find out who the leading film and video editors are and send them your music. Editors often put their own "temp" music track on films they’re working on to liven up the cuts and sometimes they and the directors become so enamored of it, they end up using the music and the final score. See MusicBizInsight #6 (http://www.mbsolutions.com/biz/Info6.html) for some helpful resources.

4/ Learn how to work on a computer. We’ve come a long way from the first synthesized movie soundtracks, but now everybody is using a PowerMac and Midi sequencers. Get used to it.

5/ Let your publisher, ASCAP or BMI know you are interested in film work. Performance Rights agencies are in touch with the film community and know if a movie is coming up that is looking for someone to do a soundtrack.

6/ Establish a distinct musical identity, but be prepared to abandon it in favor of diverse vocabulary. Sound like yourself. Artists like Hispanic-American Los Lobos and Irish-American Seamus Egan originally broke into films of very specific ethnic genres but have managed to convince directors they can either work outside that style or make the style work apart for its normal connotations.

7/ Be able to work as part of a team and accept direction. Your typical modern pop artist is used to being his own boss, answering to no one and having absolute creative freedom. In movie, TV or commercial soundtrack work, the musician must answer to a director, a producer or a client.

8/ You must communicate with people who know nothing about music. Says Lobos’ Steve Berlin, " You have to forge a new language to reach that common ground."

9/ Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines. A rock star can work on a record for as long as he wants. Soundtrack and score composers are working on strict timetables. Usually, they need it "yesterday."

FILM MUSIC WEB HUBS:

Soundtrack.com: The Art of Film and Television Music

http://www.soundtrack.net/

Film Music: The Industry’s Source for Information, Education and Communication

http://www.filmmusicmag.com/

Jump site for Film Music Magazine, Film Music Network, Film Music Store, Film Music Institute, and Film Music Online.

Film Music Resources

http://www.filmmusicsociety.org/resources/

FURTHER RESOURCES

MovieTunes.com

http://sites.hollywood.com/movietunes

The premier source of information about film soundtracks, composers and movie music news.

Film Music Collections in the United States: A Guide

http://www.filmmusicsociety.org/guide/

Originally published as an issue of The Cue Sheet, this important resource is now available in electronic form here on the Web. H. Stephen Wright's Guide lists nearly fifty different film music / manuscript collections located at libraries, universities, and museums throughout the United States. Also included are contact information, and, where possible, information about the type and degree of cataloging that has been done for each collection.

MAGAZINES

Film Score Monthly, English, Monthly / Edited by Lukas Kendall.

Information and suscriptions: 5967 Chula Vista Way #7 - Los Angeles, CA 90068 - USA

New Zealand Film Music Bulletin, English, 24 pages A5, Quarterly / Edited by Colin A. Adamson. Information and

suscriptions: 35 Jenkin Street - Invercargill, New Zealand

Score, Dutch, 20 pages 17x24 cm, Quarterly / Edits Julius J.C. Wolthius. Information and suscriptions: Postbus 406 - 8200

AK Lelystad, Netherlands

SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS

Pro Musica Sana, English. Official magazine of the Miklós Rózsa Society which is sent to their members. Edits John Fitzpatrick. Information: 319 Ave.C, Apt.11-H - New York, NY 10009 - USA.

Quarter Notes, English. A brief leaflet edited by the International Film Music Society, reviewing his activities on the preservation and remembrance of the music from the movies. Information and suscriptions: 112 Harvard Avenue, Suite 223 - Claremont, CA 91711 - USA.

1996 FILM/TV Music Guide / English, 90 pages 24x28 cm / Stupendous and complete Guide of Labels, Publishers, Music

Departments, Composers and their Representatives, all oriented to the professional sector / Edited by Music Business Registry,

it can requested from the editor at 7510 Sunset Blvd. #1041 - Los Angeles, CA 90046-3418 - USA for $80 + shipping.

U.S. Soundtracks on Compact Disc - The First Ten Years / English. Absolutely complete catalog of all CDs issued on USA between 1985 and 1994. Includes market value for each CD in American dollars. Written by Robert L. Smith, and edited by Lukas Kendall, its a limited and numbered edition of 1000 copies which may be requested from the editor at RFD 488, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 - Estados Unidos for $9.95 + shipping.

McNally's Price Guide for Collectible Soundtrack Records / English, 240 pages. Centered exclusively on collectible LPs published between 1950 and 1990, not only the American ones but also from the rest of the world. Includes market value for each LP, black & white image for most of them, and a complete and interesting article about how to price a private collection. Very useful. Written by Keith y Dorie McNally, and edited by West Point Records, it may requested to the editor at 24325 San Fernando Road, Newhall, CA 91321 - USA for $29.95 + shipping.

BOOKS

The ART of Film Music:

Risky Business. Rock in Film by Denisoff, R. Serge and Willia D. Romanowski.(1991) Transaction Publications

Settling The Score: Music and the Classic Hollywood Film by Kathryn Kalinak (1992)

The Celluloid Jukebox. Pop Music and the Movies since the 1950s by Michael Romney & Adrian Wootton (Eds.) (1995).

The CRAFT of Film Music:

The Art of Film Music by George Burt (1996, Northeastern University Press).

Complete Guide to Film Scoring by Richard Davis (1999, Berklee Press).

The Composer in Hollywood by Christopher Palmer (1992, Marion Boyars).

Film & Television Composer’s Resource Guide: The Complete Guide to Organizing and Building Your Business by Mark Northman & Lisa Ann Miller (1998, Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation).

Film/TV Music Guide, The Music Business Registry, 800-377-7411.

Getting the Best Score for Your Film : A Filmmakers' Guide to Music Scoring by David A. Bell (1994, Silman-James Press).

How to Make Money: Scoring Soundtracks and Jingles by Jeffrey P. Fisher (1997, Emeryville, CA: MIX Books).

Music on Demand: Composers and Careers in the Hollywood Film Industry by Robert R. Faulkner (1983, New Brunswick, NJ: Transactions Publications).

RECORDING FILM MUSIC

(thanks to Chris Malone’s "Fascinating World of Film Music" web site.)

• What exactly is a film music recording engineer?

(http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/9045/engin-desc.html)

• An in depth look at some film music recording engineers

(http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/9045/engineers.html).

• Why are some scores re-recorded for album?

(http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/9045/rerecord.html)

• Digital Re-Mastering - what is it?

(http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/9045/dremaster.html)

Did you know that...

...since 1957, Chuck Berry has always toured solo, demanding that promoters supply him with a backup band? Things were rocking at Hollywood’s Palladium in 1972, until the lead guitarist swapped with another guy. The new guitarist played so loud that Berry stopped in the middle of the song and asked the first guy to come back out. Later, Berry’s girlfriend told him that the guitarist he had kicked off the stage was "that Rolling Stones guy," also known as Keith Richards. "Since then," confesses Berry, "I have never invited anyone off the stage without asking who it is."

From, "Rock Stars Do the Dumbest Things" by Margaret Moser and Bill Crawford (Los Angeles: Renaissance Books).

Prepared by Peter Spellman (www.mbsolutions.com)

ASCAP Jobline

http://www.ascap.com/jobline/jobline.html

Check out this job board, mentioning opportunities with this huge performing rights organization.

Bose Corporation

http://www.bose.com/company/employment/

This speaker manufacturer's site allows you to search jobs by category, keyword or location.

California Job Opportunities

http://content.ubl.com/jobs/more_jobs.html

The Ultimate Band List brings you this list of openings - mainly starter positions, but it's a step in the right direction.

Capitol Records

http://www.hollywoodandvine.com/employment/

Current job postings broken down by category.

Creative Labs

http://www.soundblaster.com/

The Soundblaster.com human resources page offers listings and a "Hot-Jobs Newsletter" to keep you informed of the latest openings.

Dolby Laboratories

http://www.dolby.com/career/

Current openings throughout the company can be found here.

House of Blues

http://www.hob.com/business/jobs/

See what jobs are available at this musical restaurant chain.

Los Angeles Music Network (now called Music Business Network)

http://www.lamn.com/

A "grand central station" of music industry jobs. National spread. Requires annual subscriber fee (currently $95) to access the full database of job opps.

MTV

http://www.mtv.com/jobs.html

Radio Station Help Wanted

A listing of openings across the US from 440 International.

Rhino Records

http://www.rhino.com/AboutUs/Jobs/Employment.html

Roland

http://www.rolandus.com/CURRENT/JOBOPP.HTM

Occasional postings of jobs available at Roland/BOSS electronic musical instruments.

Rykodisc

http://www.rykodisc.com/RykoInternal/AboutRyko/About_Jobs_01.asp

Mostly internships but an occasional job opening too.

ShowBiz Jobs

http://www.showbizjobs.com/

Covers film, television, multimedia, recording and amusement park jobs.

Skywalker Sound

http://www.ldlhr.com/jobs/depts/sky.main.html

Check out what's available at George Lucas' state-of-the-art audio post production company in Marin County, California.

Sony Music Online

http://www.sonymusic.com/world/jobs/

Their Job and Employment Opportunity Board is busy, and includes information about in-house work as well as local opps.

Warner Bros. Records

http://www.wbr.com/cmp/job.html

A listing of employment opportunities from this huge label, and where to send your resume.

• Pitney Bowes, a leading maker of mailing equipment, is a great source of mailing efficiency tips; the company offers a free booklet: "35 Timely Tips to Get the Most from Your Mailing." Call (800) MR. BOWES.

• To get a low cost feel for how it all works, try test-driving a desktop publishing system at a local print shop. National chains such as Kinko’s, Alpha Graphics, Sir Speedy, and PIP offer self-serve desktop systems in many of their locations. some also conduct training sessions on using desktop systems (they hope that once you design your materials, you’ll bring it to them for printing). Good idea!

That's all for now folks. The HTML version of this issue will be up at the MBS web site in about three weeks. Issue #22 will appear in May. Watch for MUSIC CAREER JUICE #5 in late April.

Did you know that MBS offers both music career and business consulting as well as career-building publications? Check out the MBS web site at www.mbsolutions.com. Discover some powerful tools and leads to help you grow your music career and business!

TO SUBSCRIBE to MUSIC BIZ INSIGHT: To subscribe just send email with the message in the body, "subscribe" to success@mbsolutions.com

It’s not an autoresponder so feel free to include any other comments, ideas, suggestions, etc. you may have.

PETER SPELLMAN is Director of MUSIC BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, a business and marketing consultancy to the music industry, and Director of Career Development at Berklee College of Music, Boston. He is the author of several books for music entrepreneurs and teaches music industry courses at Northeastern University (Boston) and the University of Massachusetts (Lowell).

A musician since he was ten, Peter continues to spin riddims in the improvisational collective, Friend Planet and sing Cat Stevens' songs to his kids every night before bed.

BLOOM WHERE YOU'RE PLANTED!

Quote of the Month--

E-mail: success@mbsolutions.com

© 1997 - 2003, Peter Spellman, MBS Business Media, www.mbsolutions.com

MUSIC BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

P.O. Box 230266, Boston MA 02123-0266

978-887-8041

Rise up!