A Career In Music, Or Just Fame?

Like many of you I occasionally like to watch reality talent shows to potentially discover the next “big thing” that once upon a time we may never have come across. Naturally the world of an unsigned / emerging artist was once a lonely one with a mountain to climb and a lot of hard work and sheer persistence to get yourself heard or in fact in front of the right people. It is a shame though that for the majority of singers / bands that something is definitely missing.

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How Artists Should Deal with Auto-Renewing Contracts

It’s easy to fall into the routine of scrolling past terms conditions agreements without thinking much about them. However, they can often affect the future of your music, where it can be released, who controls it, and how it can be distributed. For example, a licensing agreement can change how future revenues are received (or waive future royalties entirely); a contract with one distributor might limit future opportunities with another; some sponsorship agreements will bind you/your band members to one specific type of product. These are all instances when you are limited by the choices made without full consideration of long-term effects.

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12 Angles to Get Your Music More Press

Getting more press is one of the most important parts of your music career. It helps your industry buzz, gets you better gigs, lands bigger sponsorship relationships, expands your audiences, and builds your music’s credibility. So how do you get more reviews or your work highlighted?

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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The image of the manager who dictates the directions to take and strategies to use is an image that I think is outdated.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.

Digital Hustle: 3 Ways To Dominate the Internet with Your Music

There is a huge demand for the unsigned artist to learn how to properly get their music to these new outlets. Here are 3 functions DIY need to know: music business management, public relations, & social media management.

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How to Work With Music Industry Contacts

It’s no secret that often in the world music, it’s more about “who you know” than what you know. The industry generally favors pre-existing relationships, whether you are looking for a venue, a sponsor, a review on your new album, or a slot at SXSW. Like it or not, networking can make or break an act.

Focus on taking a few steps closer to your goal by working on your contacts a few minutes each day. Here are some of my favorite tips on networking:

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The UK markets MBA for the Music Industry at Henley Business School proves to be a Key Influencer in US Job success

The UK market is known for its influence in music across the world so its no surprise that its world first MBA in the Music Industry also proves to be a real game changer and a positive effect on the US jobs market.

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Why Women Aren’t Equals In New Music Leadership and Innovation

Plenty of media attention has been piled on Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In, but in an article published this week on NewMusicBox musician Ellen McSweeney has applied its research to an analysis of how we might better approach gender disparities in the music field. This is an issue that impacts both male and female music makers, and all voices are needed if progress is to be made. We hope you’ll add yours.

5 Ways For The Working Musician to Make Money Online

Musicians like artists, graphic designers, film makers, or ony other type of freelancer as we all well know through YouTube and personal websites, work tirelessly on their online presence. This is now the forum where new artists get noticed, and frelance musicians and composers not only get work but also showcase talents and portfolios. For the archetype of the working musician as a jack of all trades, we all well know that gathering income from many sources is paramount to one’s financial and personal success. With all the work that one puts in to building up an online presence for the hope to get more gigs, more students, more downloads sold or whatever that may be, there is also secondary income sources that one can take advantage of from building traffic and a following, much like the savvy internet maketers strive for in their own commercial pursuits. Here are some approches in and out of the box.

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Need help winning Joe Bonamassa's Blues Masters Competition

Hello my name is Hollaman Lindsay and I am asking all of you to see if you can possibly aid me in my attempt to win Joe Bonamassa’s Blues Masters Competition. The first round for this contest is based off of viral popularity and how many views and shares your audition video gets, now I aint sayin that I cant generate that many views and shares because I dont have the talent, Its just that I live in Hiram Georgia and we got more stock in rakes then we do computers so its hard for me to find many people around me to support it. So I am inquiring you to see if you can help me get my name out there and get my audition video views and shares because if I can get past this first round and make it to guitar duals I think I got it made in the shade.

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Could You Handle a Full-time Music Career?

Many artists I know tell me that they’d love to be able to do music for a living, to make their band a full-time occupation. Often times, my initial reaction (that I usually keep to myself) is asking, “Really? What would you do?”

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