Music and Business
The ins and outs behind one of the largest industries out there. Get ready to press "play".
Music Manager 101
Having a manager can be a wonderful thing or a huge headache. Let us first look at the latter. An artist needs to have a good working relationship with their manager. There has to be a great deal of trust because this person is taking partial responsibility of your career. It is advisable to take your time choosing a good manager. You may first want to inquire of other musicians and bands you know. See who represents them and follow up on meeting with a few of the managers you discover. Determine your interview questions and treat this just like what it is; a job interview where you are the employer. You do not want to hire someone who does shoddy work. Take your time with this. A bad manager can take advantage of you, steal from you etc. So do your homework. That cannot be stressed enough.
By Tim Ellerbe II8 years ago in Beat
Live Show Preparation
Ah, Live performance. This is the Artist’s best chance to make a good impression and gain more fans, not to mention to remind current fans of why they love you and your music. The key word here is performance. You want that to be memorable, especially if your audience has paid to get in to see you. That does not mean you give a lackluster performance, even for free events. Be on top of your game at all times from start to finish.
By Tim Ellerbe II8 years ago in Beat
Get the Most out of Your Endorsement Relationships
Assuming everyone reading this is either a musician, works with musicians or has at least met a musician in their lifetime, there will come a certain point in your musical journey where your mind will shift towards the realm of endorsements. Those endorsements may come in the form of providing musical instruments, merchandise, food/beverages or even contraception (although with such a long standing history of musicians being model parents, who would really require that?). When that point comes and preparation meets opportunity, there is something to be remembered…endorsing an artist is a relationship and you have to feel it. Most companies will not sign an artist just to sign an artist. Companies sign an artist because they are 100% behind them. Sometimes it just doesn’t happen, like any relationship, but it may work for another company. So it’s not really about a mistake, it’s about it not really clicking. What can you keep in mind as an artist to put yourself in the best possible situation to ensure success with your endorsement? Well, it’s fairly simple…
By Christine Collins8 years ago in Beat
How To Survive a DIY Tour
Eventually, artists that dream of taking their craft to the next level will have to make some moves outside of their home city. Touring can be nerve-wracking and expensive at the best of times, and downright depressing at the worst. But it can also be a lot of fun, and very worth the stress if you can weather it.
By emmett138 .8 years ago in Beat
The Music Industry
As a music promoter, working in a music venue, a musician, and an avid lover of music, it is fair to say that music and the music industry is a rather large and important part of my life. Something that I have noticed and that has been brought to my attention over the years of being a part of my local, and outside my local, music community is that a lot of people, musicians, and non-musicians alike have noticed and understood that the music industry is one of the hardest and most challenging industries to become successful in. But why is this? This article will be broken down into three main subjects, all considered from a local and non-local point of view: the music industry from a promoters point of view, the industry from a musician's point of view, and the industry from a fan's point of view. Also, before we get started, I would like to point out that this will contain none or very little fact apart from what I have witnessed or been told and this will simply be my opinion (I know, opinions on the internet are very scary things).
By Chris Power8 years ago in Beat
What Really Goes Into Writing and Publishing a Song?
People ask me all the time, "How did you get music on Spotify/iTunes? Did you make all the beats and stuff yourself? Is that really you singing, cause it sounds so different from your regular voice!" Or my personal favorite, "Wow, you sang that really good! Who is the original artist?"
By Yasmina Sea8 years ago in Beat
Why Were the Fab Four So Influential on Modern Music?
As a child, The Beatles were not unknown to me. My dad (who is not an avid fan, but in fact prefers the Rolling Stones) owned the 1 Beatles album, and in my unscholarly opinion, music makes the greatest effect on you when you are a child and a certain style imprints on your brain. However, it was many years later that I really started to listen and admire the Fab Four's work.
By Charlie Cowburn8 years ago in Beat
The History of The DJ
I know this might seem like a stretch, but I am going to call Thomas Edison the first DJ ever. He certainly didn't rock parties like the DJs we know today, but it is safe to say that his invention of the phonographic cylinder paved the way for future Disk Jockeys everywhere. The phonographs that followed Edison’s invention were eventually mass produced. This became the first time in history the general public was able to purchase and own recorded music. Prior to this if you wanted to hear music you would have to play it yourself, or listen to someone else play it live.
By Angel Soto8 years ago in Beat
Fifth Harmony Surprises and Sings with Sam Smith and James Corden
OK, so just a few days ago, Sam Smith sang in a karaoke carpool on The Late Late Show with James Corden. I thought it was so cute and sweet that Sam Smith was so starstruck that he died dead when Fifth Harmony got into the car later on and surprised him singing his favorite song, "Work From Home." It’s so cool to see one star really love and appreciate another artist’s work.
By Kathy Lester8 years ago in Beat
Need a Website?
I recently made the decision to invest in a professional website for my music business. As a singer songwriter and now performer, I needed a powerful means of distribution, enticing marketing, and a crisp display across desktop and mobile devices. Wix.com provided all of these things and more. Its drag and drop design was so intuitive that I was able to focus primarily on aesthetics as opposed to the technical logistics. There are other website design platforms that don't require coding such as Weebly, but Wix's music management is like no other. I get an eCommerce store built into my site, which is run through PayPal, so you get super smooth purchases and invoices for a reasonable fee of 3% plus $0.30 per transaction. By the way, I'm only paying $15/month for everything I’m about to talk about, and I still have all the rights to my songs.
By Jonathon Lombardi8 years ago in Beat
You Wanna Make a Music Video?. Top Story - October 2017.
If you saw either of my last two music videos, you’re probably thinking to yourself, “That was pretty cool!” Or perhaps not. Either way, if you’re considering making your own video or are an overly staunch critic, you should know what exactly goes into the making of a music video.
By Jonathon Lombardi8 years ago in Beat
In A Few Years, 15-Year-Old Rappers Will Be The Norm
There's more music readily available to us today than at any point in human history. Rap music specifically has leveraged the internet and gained a larger audience over the years. It’s so much younger in comparison to other genres like rock and jazz, but it is influencing pop culture.
By Rap Disciple8 years ago in Beat
