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MUSIC BIZ INSIGHT #9 Power Reading for Busy Music Professionals Hope you're hungry! MUSIC BIZ INSIGHT is published for musicians, songwriters, managers, label reps, booking agents, entertainment attorneys, studio owners, music publishers, and all others involved in the music business. Its purpose is to help boost your business, find new markets, make the right connections, develop professionally, work smarter and improve your bottom line. "As a general rule, the most successful people in life are those who have the best information." Benjamin Disraeli Published bi-monthly by Peter Spellman, Director MUSIC BUSINESS SOLUTIONS: Turning Music Business Data into Useful Knowledge. Career and Business-building books, articles, consulting and more. P.O. Box 230266, Astor Station, Boston, MA 02123-0266, USA Phone: 978-887-8041 Email: success@mbsolutions.com Website: www.mbsolutions.com © 1997 - 2003, Peter Spellman, Music Business Solutions
!CALLING ALL MUSICIAN ENTREPRENEURS! MUSIC BUSINESS SOLUTIONS IS SEEKING STORIES FROM MUSIC ENTREPRENEURS who work for themselves for a book titled, "The Merchant Musician: Tools & Tactics for Entrepreneurial Music Success". Looking for stories from bands, individual artists, songwriters, label owners, music publishers, booking agents, teachers, retailers, software developers, jingle writers, recording engineers, producers, music therapists, etc. The only requirement is that you derive most of your income from your business and that you are a musician too. I have a questionaire I will send you if you are interested. Please send a private email to >peter@mbsolutions.com<. Publication date for the book is June '98. This is a great publicity opportunity for your company and a chance to share some of your hard-won wisdom with the independent musician community!
Entertainment Industry News Sources Brought to you by The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard Magazine. and on the lighter side... Cyber-Sleaze is a daily gossip column, updated every weekday. Each opinionated report brings you your up-to-the minute dose of doctor-recommended "sleaze" from the sordid worlds of music and entertainment.
)))UPCOMING SEMINARS ((( "NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS", Saturday, January 24, 1998, 10am-4pm. This one-day course will cover the varieties of music-related careers, strategies for breaking in, and tips for making the most of it. For both musicians and non-musicians interested in working in the music business. Taught by MBS Director Peter Spellman through the Boston Center for Adult Education. Class limit: 50. For further information please call (617)267-4430. "ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RELEASING YOUR OWN CD", a full-day career-building seminar will be held on April 25, 1998 in Boston. It will cover all you need to know about successfully releasing a CD or tape today. Taught by Peter Spellman and Feather Records' president/ producer Lauren Passarelli. Cost is $75 for the whole day and includes a seminar binder packed with terrific information you can put to immediate use. For details see the MBS website (www.mbsolutions.com/eduhom.html) or call 978-887-8041.
FEATURE/ MEDIA POWER: HARNESSING THE MEDIA TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS Part I of a 3-part series When psychobilly rockers The Cramps signed their first recording contract they didn't do it in the standard office setting like everyone else. Instead they marched over to the cemetary where Bela Lugosi is buried and ceremonially signed it on his grave. Needless to say a photographer and journalist were in tow and the event received major media attention. With such a creative idea how could the media resist? "Publicity" is the art of using the media (radio, press, tv, whatever) to expose your cause or event. Publicity includes all of the ways you can get noticed without buying expensive ad space or time. Publicity makes people talk, think, read, and hear about you. And it costs little or nothing. One thing all bands have in their favor as far as publicity is concerned is this: The media has space to fill and depends on us to provide the filler. Did you know that 75% of what you read in magazines and newspapers is "planted"? That is, it came to the media vehicle from outside, from people like us. Publicity is an open door for music promotion. The key to successful publicity is having a strategic plan that leaves no stone unturned. In this article we'll lay out the ingredients for a successful media plan. In Part 2 we'll look at developing this plan into a powerful ongoing publicity schedule along with a treasure of useful resources. Part 3 will offer tips for hiring professional publicists to assist you in your publicity efforts. Know Thy Audience The first ingredient for a successful publicity plan is a clear idea of your market audience: who they are, what they read and listen to, where they go. Each style of music encompasses a subcultural world with its own outlook, values, organizations and media. Your job is to understand this world inside and out. For example, a jazz musician should be aware of the publications "Downbeat", "Jazz Times" and "Coda"; organizations like the Jazz World Database and various cable tv and radio shows specializing in jazz performance as well as the hundreds of generalist outlets for jazz music. Likewise a reggae band will be acquainted with "The Beat", "Reggae Report" and "The Reggae Quarterly", record labels like Mango, Heartbeat and Shanachie, and organizations like Reggae Ambassadors Worldwide. The same thing applies to folk, metal, alternative, blues, classical, country, latin, world, experimental and all other music styles. Through learning about the who, what and where of your music's audience you also learn about the best ways to reach that audience. This is the foundation for an effective publicity plan. How do you find out about your audience's preferences? Observe. Ask questions. Another good way is to go through one of the better industry directories ("The Recording Industry Sourcebook" and "The Yellow Pages of Rock" are excellent) and look for listings of organizations relevant to your style of music. These groups often serve as general information clearinghouses that can make your job easier. Also, don't overlook local sources relevant to your style-audience. Know Thy Media As you're doing this research take notes. This leads to the second component of a successful publicity plan: developing your media contact list. By "media" I mean print, radio and television primarily. Here is where a computer comes in real handy. Contact management programs like Act!(Symantec, 800/365-0606) and Touchbase Pro (Aldus Corporation, 619/695-6956) help keep all your publicity information organized and intelligent. I highly recommend you become acquainted with one of these programs in your own publicity efforts. Short of this, get yourself a Rolodex for phone numbers and addresses; separate file folders for newspapers, magazines, radio and television; and a big year-at-a-glance wall calendar. Staying organized is essential! A media list will forever grow and change based on your coverage needs. The best approach is to start locally and then branch out from there. You'll be surprised at the wealth of publicity opportunities lying right at your doorstep. When checking out local print media watch for names of music editors, writers, and record reviewers relevant to your particular area. Pay special attention to those writers who help break ground for new acts and companies. Go to your local library to reference city newspapers, alternative weeklies, suburban publications and other regional papers you may not be familiar with. While there check out the various media directories in the reference section. Two good ones are "Bacon's Publicity Checker" listing over l8,000 newspapers and magazines, and "Gale's Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media" which additionally covers radio, TV and cable outlets in the U.S. and Canada. Always call first before sending in your material to verify contact information. When you call, find out the names (with correct spellings!) and direct phone numbers of all editors and writers in the areas of music, entertainment and the performing arts. Also request a copy of their editorial calendar for upcoming months. This will alert you to what themes and topics it is planning so you can scope out possible story tie-ins with your band or act well in advance. Radio also requires some research. Learn about the different formats of the various stations in your area and the types of programs they air. Consider who their target audiences are. Listen to the stations. Consult program guides (a station will send you one upon request). Check media reference books like the ones above for station contact information. Talk with program and/or music directors, producers and DJs. Always ask if they feature local and new artists in any special programming section. Write it all down. Information about commercial and college radio stations and the types of music they play can be found in "The M Street Radio Directory" (304 Park Ave. S., 7th flr., NY, NY 10010; 212/473-4626) and "The Yellow Pages of Rock" (Album Network, 818/955-4000). There are also fairly complete lists of college stations online here, here and there. When you discover which radio stations play music from independents (usually called "open" or "varied" formats), phone to inquire about the configuration they use. Some will play only CDs. Others will also play cassettes. Some still play vinyl. Record all this information into your database. When it comes to television forget about MTV (at least for now). It has the tightest playlist on the planet catering exclusively to major label and high-charting artists. Focus instead on your own best bets: public television, local cable stations and community programs. If your research shows that there are specialized programs devoted to issues that appeal to your target audience (environmental, women's issues, etc.) add the names of the producers to your lists. If your project is "newsworthy" the person to contact is the Assignment Editor. His or her job is to weed through the news and prioritize it for news programming. You can find out who these people are by phoning the station and requesting their names. If you're involved with a non-profit cause, organization, or event, you can get your event or program listed in broadcast public service announcements ("PSAs") for free. Check radio and TV (network affiliates and local cable) station deadlines and requirements. Submit all pertinent information to Public Affairs or the PSA Director. Work with the benefit coordinator to make sure he/she has your band's or artist's information. This article was excerpted from, Music Biz Know-How: Do-it-Yourself Strategies for Independent Music Success by Peter Spellman (1997, MBS Business Media). Stay tuned for PART 2 when we'll look at some publicity tools you can use to harness media attention.
))) ILLUMINATING TRIVIA ((( Did you know... ...that for five years Bob Dylan did not publish songs in order to avoid sharing an exorbitant percentage of the income with his manager Albert Grossman? For the whole story see, Rockonomics: the Money Behind the Music by Marc Eliot (1989, Franklin Watts), chapter 11.
Genre Spotlight: REGGAE Genre Spotlight covers "niche" music styles that are either ignored by or don't always receive the marketing push they deserve from the larger record companies. (I was planning on doing Americana music but, being such an amorphous style, I just couldn't dig up enough pertinent and focused content for a Genre Spotlight. Maybe a future issue...) INTRODUCTION New music styles are spawned in sometimes wonderfully mundane ways. It is said that reggae's predecesor, ska, was the result of Jamaican guitarists reversing the rhythms they heard in American R&B music over the airwaves. Then during one particularly hot Carribean summer around 1968, musicians slowed the rhythm down and reggae was born. Reggae came out of the daily struggles of a group of Jamaicans and their need to voice their issues of survival. Reggae is coming on strong again. That may be news to many pop fans in the United States, where the Jamaican-born music has been largely relegated by the record industry to the limbo of cult audiences and specialty radio since the music's greatest figure, Bob Marley, died of cancer in 1981. It's unlikely that anyone else in reggae will ever enjoy his level of popularity and acclaim. Marley was a once-in-a-lifetime artist and reggae was a new, developing style almost totally unknown outside Jamaica when he brought it to the world. "Legend," a 1984 greatest-hits album, has sales of more than 9 million in the United States alone, and Marley has become an international icon. Today, reggae--like rock and R&B--has generated many different styles and seen its audience split along generational lines. It has also weathered periods of creative drought. But there's also revitalization taking place, thanks to a new crop of Jamaican artists who blend tradition with innovation, most notably Bounty Killer, Buju Banton and Luciano. SOME REGGAE SUBSTYLES: Dancehall, Dub, Dub Poetry, Ragga (raggamuffin), Rock Steady, Ska, Yardcore. See, "The All-Music Guide" for helpful descriptions of each sub-style along with a list of artists for each. GENERAL INFORMATION SOURCE FOR REGGAE MUSIC: An unbelievably comprehensive site containing links to Sound Sample files of recent CD releases; Catalogs, Tour Schedules, Lyrics, Discographies, Articles, Mailorder, Periodicals and Picture directories, Stage Names, Radio Show File, Record Shops, Clubs, Books, Artists, Interviews, Video clips, Charts, Reviews, and MORE. Whoia! KEY ORGANIZATION Reggae Ambassadors Worldwide (RAW) The closest thing to a reggae trade group, RAW is composed of Performing Artists, Committed Reggae Fans, Deejays & Veejays, Managers, Promoters & Producers, Record Labels, Writers & Reviewers Publishers, Publications, Magazines & Newsletters, Shops & Vendors, Distributors, Photographers, Travel Agents and more. Contact: Papa Pilgrim -- pilgrim@xmission.com. - Voice / Fax: 1-801-355-1405. Rastaman Nane' -- rastaman_nane@compuserve.com - Voice / Fax: 1-702-256-4532. KEY REGGAE RECORD LABELS REGGAE FESTIVAL GUIDE A helpful guide with links to over 30 reggae festivals. Just watch out for that white type on yellow background. Ouch!
Did you know that MUSIC BUSINESS SOLUTIONS offers one-on-one consulting to help you plan your next release, scope out new markets and develop promotions that get noticed? Rates are reasonable. Call (617) 639-1971 or email success@mbsolutions.com to boost YOUR next project!
BIZ SMARTZ ORGANIZING YOUR BUSINESS LIFE FOR SUCCESS So much of our business success will depend on how well we organize and manage the things around us. Here are 15 tips for bringing order to the normal chaos of buisiess life. 1. Get Rid of "Stuff" Paper, publications and possessions require maintenance; maintenance costs time, energy, space and money. How long do you really need to keep your old project files, seminar flyers, reference materials, association or business journals, etc.? Dispose of seldom or never-used items. Ask yourself, "What will happen if I let this go?" If the answer is "Nothing," get rid of it. Keeping it requires the same decisions over and over. Remember: It's okay to make a few mistakes; that's a small price for the contentment of having less "stuff." 2. Limit Your Reading Material Realize that you can't read, know, or retain all the information your receive. (That's why we have public libraries!) Set up a read folder or other limited space for holding unread information. Pitch the oldest material (read or not) when that space is full. 3. Touch It Once! Be decisive: Handle mail only once and move on. If later action is needed, put it in an action file. Indecision is "organizational death" - yet most people aren't even aware of their inability to make decisions. Don't shuffle papers with the vague "I-don't-know-what-to-do-with-this-so-I'll-put-it-here-for-now" Syndrome. Use the simple DRAFT technique - Delegate, Read, Act, File or Toss - the first time you touch it. Draft spells death to ever-growing, work-in-process clutter. 4. Think Before Acquiring More Evaluate before buying/accepting new items. Get off mailing/routing lists which serve no purpose; drop subscriptions to periodicals you seldom read.. Ask yourself if you really NEED this item - or are you simply acquiring it because it looks interesting; because someone passed it on to you; or because "it might come in handy sometime"? Where will you store it? Items must DO something more than collect dust! Accept as few papers and possessions as possible. For each item you do acquire, purge two! 5. Organize Before Increasing Space Adding storage space is often a disservice to yourself. The more space you have, the more inclined you are to be a saver. Keep things as simple as possible by retaining as few items as you absolutely need. Stamp out redundancies. Return supplies to your central supply area. Purge file folders and storage space before adding more. 6. Don't Leave Things Out As Reminders Leaving items out as reminders is a common mistake which creates clutter and distractions. 7. Keep Frequently-Used Items Handy Keep within easy reach your current working papers and items you'll need when you answer the phone. Don't waste "up front" storage space with infrequently used items - store those further away. Keep like items together so you don't have to take "trips" to gather materials for tasks. 8. Don't Crowd Individual file folders over 3/4" thick need to be first purged, then divided if necessary. Consider box-bottomed files for thick materials. If file drawers are stuffed, papers become mutilated, labels become hidden, and access is difficult. Leave at least 3" of extra space in file drawers. 9. Do The Best Task At The Best Time After selecting the most productive task, do it at a time when you can accomplish it most effectively. Do tasks physically or mentally difficult for you at your own peak energy times; this includes making tough decisions. Do jobs you enjoy most (even if others consider them hard work) at low-ebb times. Don't try to do difficult work against all odds when you know you'll have lots of interruptions, for instance. 10. Be Prepared Like the Boy Scouts, plan ahead for everything you'll need. Gather data and plan an agenda for telephone calls. For a report, assemble all the files, books, forms, copies, special writing equipment, etc., you'll use. For cleaning out, collect extra folders, boxes, cleaning equipment, and trash containers in advance. 11. Don't Leave Until You're Finished If you find items to be delivered elsewhere, put them in specific place and deliver them there only when you're finished with your present task. 12. Do Only What You Set Out To Do Focus on your specified project. Resist the urge to be distracted by what youR eyes see. Instead, like a boomerang, let your brain keep guiding you back to achieving your immediate goal. Put other reminders in an action file and do them when you're finished with this task. 13. Break Your Work Into Units If a project seems overwhelming, "divide and conquer." Break it down into manageable units and schedule the steps to execute it. 14. Empower Yourself Through Delegation Many people are reluctant to delegate. They find it hard to let go - to make decisions to give up a task - or are embarrassed to have others see their disarray. Take heart! Empower yourself with these strategies to most effectively use your support team - peers, employees, supervisor, assistant, etc.: 1) Know what you and they do best (but don't take on their work just because you're good at it). 2) Never delegate tasks that are not essential and should not be done at all. Toss them. 3) Communicate clearly what, why and when. 15. Take Time For Training Just having the right planner, filing system or computer software program doesn't assure your success; knowing how to use them effectively is the key to being well organized. "I don't have time for training" is short-sighted. Actually, you don't have time not to invest in learning!
Reads & Resources... BOOK-- "FILM & TELEVISION COMPOSER'S RESOURCE GUIDE" by Mark Northam & Lisa Anne Miller (Los Angeles, CA: Cinematrax, 1-888-726-7338) $39.95 plus applicable tax and shipping. While the film and television music industry is growing at an astounding rate, it's still a relationship-driven business requiring detailed acquaintance with myriad musical and contractual skills. Northam & Miller have done all who aspire to this field a great service by providing a working handbook to bring us up to snuff on how it all works. Though short on strategy, the authors provide samples of all the various documents you will need to market your company, neogotiate deals, and operate your business smoothly as a provider of music for film and TV. Ready-to-use forms and documents, as well as glossaries and current rate schedules for everyone from composers to orchestrators add tremendous extra values to an already terrific resource. Highly recommended. WEBSITES-- Publicity Resources on the Net Public Relations Online Resources and Organizations A great jump site to PR-Related Services, Organizations and Associations, On-Line Resources, Promoting Your Website, Finding People On The Internet, and On-line Publications. Similar to the above site. Created by Steve O'Keefe as a companion site to his book, "Publicity on the Internet" (John Wiley & Sons, 1997). A terrific labor of love! If you're interested in music career-building handbooks, check out these three from Music Business Solutions:
All of these books are based on our popular seminars by the same names and all are packed with hard-to-find info to help you grow your music business and career. If you like what you see in MUSIC BIZ INSIGHT, you'll love what's in these books.
That's all for now folks. MBI #10 will appear in early February. SUBSCRIBING TO MUSIC BIZ INSIGHT: The email version of MUSIC BIZ INSIGHT appears two weeks before the hypertext version. 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. Have a great Holiday season!
About the Publisher 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-- "See deep enough, and you see musically; the heart of nature being everywhere music, if only you can reach it." -Thomas Carlyle E-mail: success@mbsolutions.com © 1997 - 2003, Peter Spellman, Music Business Solutions P.O. Box 230266, Boston MA 02123-0266 978-887-8041 Rise up!
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