The Internet Of Musical Things & You

From the audience’s perspective, it can be easy to think that the music industry doesn’t change a whole lot. Sure, there are shifts from one popular musician to another and the occasional change of primary medium, but apart from that, there’s not too much movement. Those of us who are deeply embedded in the industry, hustling to make a living from something we love, know that reality is quite different. The music business is in an almost constant state of flux, and that’s a huge challenge.

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Don't Forget The Other Half

Can you see that in the distance?  That “thing” that keeps getting further and further away in the rear-view mirror?  That’s the shrinking visibility of a distant entertainment microcosm that forced amateurs and professionals alike to be aligned with financially prosperous partners in order to fund, market, and distribute quality content.   

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What "Entrepreneurship" Really Means For Musicians, Part 3: Looking Towards The Future

In the first two parts of this series of brief articles on entrepreneurial musicianship, I provided a definition of entrepreneurship, and a model for critical reflection to practice entrepreneurial musicianship. In this final installment of the series, I am going to begin to discuss how we can apply this rethinking to our planning for the future, and why looking towards the future is one of our fundamental responsibilities as artists and arts leaders. This discussion will open from two major viewpoints—the artistic, and the business—then culminate in a synthesis of how these two viewpoints relate to one another, through the principles of the new economy.

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What "Entrepreneurship" Really Means For Musicians, Part 1: Rethinking Entrepreneurial Musicianship

We are fortunate to live in a time where we have an incalculable amount of information at our fingertips. “How do I distribute my music?” “How do royalties work?” “Why won’t Logic save my volume levels?” Just about any problem can be solved when a musician knows what questions to ask. However, when it comes to bigger questions about artistic and business growth and direction, it can become hard to find the next step. There are many resources for artists that cover the topic of entrepreneurship, but they are often near-sighted or just blatantly covering a topic other than entrepreneurship altogether—such as how to gain Facebook followers, or how to make a killer set list. My aim with this series of three brief articles is to clarify what entrepreneurship actually means, and hopefully empower artists towards harnessing their natural—or unnatural—entrepreneurial spirit to make change in their world(s).

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How Real Entrepreneurs Update And Manage Their Music Hall

Did you know that music halls date back to the 18th century? Yes. According to history, music halls can be traced back to coffee houses and the inns where people met to do business, eat, and drink. Artists entertained while the audience watched and sometimes sang along, ate, drank, and had a good time. Later on, these inns created rooms devoted to music. The music rooms soon became very popular through music performances being scheduled twice or thrice a week to become what we know today as music halls.

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4 Pieces Of Equipment Every Entrepreneur Needs When Building A Music Venue

Opening your own music venue will be a great entrepreneurial venture that will allow you to explore your love for the performing arts. Having the right equipment can help make your venue successful and keep large crowds continuously coming through the doors. Here are four pieces of equipment that you will want to have when building your music venue.

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10 Common Mistakes Young Entrepreneurs Or Professionals Make

If you are young and reading this blog, you are probably grinding your teeth with rage at the sight of the headline alone. Don’t fret. I’m not some old crusty geezer here to teach you a lesson or put you in “your place.” I’m 25 and have been working in the music, marketing, and communications industry for 10 years. I started my company, AB Co., 6 years ago and have grown it into Canada’s leading music marketing and communications agency. I manage a team of 13 and started my company at the age of 18 with a whole lot of balls. 

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