A Lesson From The Inaudible Sound Of The Invisible Sun

(originally published on PowersPercussion.com)

The Inaudible Sound of the Invisible Sun.
I sure learned a lot from that guy.

“That . . . guy?” you ask.

Yep- that what he’s called. By some, anyway. Rakalam (which somehow translates into “the inaudible sound of the invisible sun”) is a moniker that was given to legendary drummer, Bob Moses, by his spiritual guide. Although (or maybe, because) my lesson with him partly felt as though I were inside of a lost chapter from an old Carlos Castaneda book, Rakalam altered my musical and non-musical life.

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Pay To Pitch? Money In The Ditch? Good Idea Or Bad For Licensing Music?

HI I am Michelle Lockey, award winning songwriter and composer for Film & TV.  You can see a breif bio below.  I write a blog on Writing & Licensing songs for Film & TV.  In this weeks episode I am talking about the Pay to Pitch model. Is it a good idea or bad? This is my experience and opinion only.  Here you go!

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Innovation, Our New Job As The Music Industry

I released my first music video, “Rocket to the Moon” today. As a new artist with a low starting fanbase I understood I wouldn’t be able to get much press write up for my music video unless I presented something never seen before. So that’s what I did, I created “The World’s First Portrait Music Video”, and the press followed. It is our new job as the Music Industry to lead innovation.

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Rap Promo Files: A Story From The Road

I’ve been working with a very talented independent rapper from the midwest for about nine months now. We’ve been building his following and fanbase up from nothing. This artist has several investors who pooled together the budget for a proper run - and a lot of the time was spent preparing this artist for the “industry” and the shenanigans these fcukboys try to pull.

He’s been on and off the road since November, working very hard to win over new fans and spread his music. Sometimes he has to bring his kids with him, other times I have to stop him from attacking certain “industry” people who are obvious scammers. But for the most part he’s been doing a great job building his brand.

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What question do YOU have about creating success in today's music industry?

What questions do you have as you pave your path in the music industry?

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Teamwork In The Music Industry

One individual can never be allowed to undermine or destroy a successful business. If a player isn’t happy and wants to leave – they should be allowed to continue their career elsewhere. Each team needs players who will benefit the team as a whole – this benefits the business as well – because the team IS a business.

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The Ultimate Gig Booking Guide | Phosphene Productions

Booking regular shows is an essential part of being a musician when expecting to be heard by the public, and a question we here at Phosphene Productions get asked a lot about. Though everyone has their own technique when it comes to finding the perfect show, many artists new to the scene should devise a “template” to work by and to keep yourself organized when contacting so many different people.

Our goal in this article is to give you a sort of template to use when beginning to develop your own booking strategy, and by the end you should have all the necessary information to kick off your gig.

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In "Raging Bull" Case US Supreme Court Opens The Door To Even Long-delayed Copyright Infringement Lawsuits

     In a copyright dispute over the movie “Raging Bull”, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the case can continue dispite the substantial passage of time. In a 6-3 decision the Court held that plaintiff Paula Petrella, daughter of the late screenwriter Frank Petrella, did not wait too long to file her lawsuit against MGM claiming an interest in the film.

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New Start-Up Provides Independent Musicians and Labels with One-Stop Solutions

Happy Dog Music is one of a handful of marketing centered music start-ups that are a product of the seismic shift that has taken place in the music industry in the last ten years. Happy Dog Music crafts and implements custom marketing campaigns and provides any other ancillary support clients may need during the course of the agreement. Unlike the typical record label deal, Happy Dog Music clients retain 100% of all rights. Happy Dog Music provides major label support without all of the strings that come attached to a major record deal.

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Post-Show Procedures: 8 Things Every Band Should Do After the Performance

Do you have a post-show plan? Is there a set of procedures that you work on after each performance? Or, does your band simply work on the next upcoming event – the next show, the next rehearsal, time in the studio, etc.?

In almost every professional endeavor, there is some kind of routine or review period to measure performance or follow-up with customers:

• In sports, the coach diligently sits down with the entire team to review footage of the previous game. Team member celebrate successes and most importantly, look for areas of improvement.

• In corporate business, the board of directors and executive staff look over stock performance and make decisions to keep their shareholders satisfied.

• In the arts, performers carefully review each element of the show to see what delighted audiences and what could use work.

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The One (and Only) Thing A DJ Should Ask For In Return For DJ Mixes

You’re creating boatloads of amazing mixes - yippee! So, it’s only natural that for every piece of music you deliver people should automatically make people want to come to your gigs or buy your latest release …right?

Errrr..wrong.

One singular piece of music isn’t going to translate into an immediate purchase or attendance to your event.

But, I have good news.

Building trust and BFF-worthy relationships with people so that they do backflips of joy when you make an offer is something you can do.

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One Book To Rule Them All! The Elusive "It" Factor in the Music Industry

I have always been a creative entrepreneur, and not allowed the world to get the better of me, but instead, let the world fuel me. Throughout 13 years in the music industry I’ve worked with some of the best in the business: Anita Baker, KC Porter, Jim Henson Studios, Never Land, OK GO, George Duke, Lauren Mayhew, Pomplamoose, and as far as I can remember, I’ve heard of “it,” this elusive thing setting apart the extraordinary from the ordinary. These people encapsulate: auras, energy, and empower all that are near; you’re drawn to them.

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Artist or Project Management?

I have been pondering a lot lately on the concept of “artist management” in the proper sense of the word, or at least what the industry is experiencing.  As the music industry evolved, the role of the artist manager must deal with changes in order to evolve as well.
 
The image of the manager who dictates the directions to take and strategies to use is an image that I think is outdated. “Manager” is rather an ally that is part of the project where the artist must look at his career as a multi-phase project (the concept of releasing an album and make its marketing is in itself a project phase). The “manager” must become a manager of this project.
 
The role of the project manager, according PMI (Project Management Institute), is “a person assigned by the performing organization [eg artist] to lead the team that is responsible for achieving the project objectives.” Already, this definition changes the role’s dynamics. In this optics, the “Manager” is no longer responsible for the artist but instead responsible to lead the team to achieve the defined objectives. Lead and manage are two distinct concepts.  You lead the artist and manage the project.
 
It therefore becomes important to talk about the maturity of the artist since an artist starting in the industry will not necessarily have the skills to run a business and have the vision for it. In this scenario, it is important that the two components (artist + manager) have some experience to manage a project (project manager) and for the artist to head a performing organization… [To be continued]

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These are my first steps with this theory that I shall explore with you.  In the next few months, I will elaborate and analyze these two worlds - project management as described by PMI (Project Management Institute) and the music industry.

FeedTheArts.com and FREE TIME Funding

- FeedTheArts.com is a new website introducing a way to raise money for Artists of all kinds (musicians, actors, writers, painters, etc.) using a new trade marked platform called Time Funding.

- Time Funding is a concept using virtual currency people earn on our website to fund artists’ projects (recording, marketing help, art supplies, publishers and more).  Think crowd funding without having to donate actual money.  Fans can come to our site and play games, watch videos, clip coupons and earn virtual currency called “Helping Hands”.  They can then turn around a donate those helping hands to any Artist registered to our site.  It’s free for everyone—Artists, Fans and Service Providers.  Artists no longer have to beg for money to buy those new guitar strings or pay for head shots.  They can raise the money to reach their goal at FeedTheArts.com.

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