Martin Atkins has a 30 year career in the music business that includes touring with the bands Public Image Limited, Killing Joke, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails and Pigface, owning an independent record label celebrating its 20th anniversary with over 350 releases, and is an instructor at Columbia College Chicago teaching The Business of Touring, Applied Marketing, and Indie Label Management. He is also the author of the book Tour:Smart.

Martin Atkins' experience from a recent Tour:Smart event:

A guy came up to me after my Tour:Smart event in Traverse City.  He plays on his own, without a band, has a CD, etc.  He's trying to expand his base outside of Traverse City which is, literally, the end of the line in upper Michigan. He had a GREAT idea to tell the local bars, "I'll play for free!" That’s always going to get a good response; but then, even as he told me the next part of his 'pitch' he realized (maybe he could see my face contorting) that the last part screwed it all up "then next time you can pay me $100." I'm sure all the club owners heard was "$100, $100, $100."  Even just spoken aloud to me it sounded like a contract.

Part of his 'getting the hell out of Dodge' strategy had to do with finding a place, any place, to play.  He told me that when he does play people like him and that bars during the tourist season up there are PACKED. I gave him the following strategy (which is a variation of the car park strategy where you flyer the car park of a larger similar genre event and manage to hit everyone within a 50 mile radius, rather than YOU driving all over the 50 mile radius - your target audience has been magnetized to you!) - use it!

Because Traverse City IS a vacation destination, punters (your audience) are traveling there from various parts of the country.  I suggested that he play for FREE everywhere he could, including busking at any busy location (or close to one) BUT to make sure that he collects e-mail information in exchange for a free CD, download code, t-shirt WHATEVER.  The important thing is for him to get as many  legitimate contacts as possible, THEN, wait for the tipping point when a cluster of fans that have seen him in Traverse City appear in, Florida, Detroit, or, shit, a town 50 miles south .......wait to see the data then strategize how you are going to make use of it.  The good news is that because he is only one person he will be able to travel cost effectively to pour some gasoline on those sparks. Also, he knows one more thing about the people from out of town who have picked up his music - they have money to travel out of town and entertain themselves!

A similar strategy could work very well if you live in the Austin TX area. USE SXSW as a built in free world wide trawling for fans and contacts party!   Strategize a cool way to get e-mail addresses, provide a service, and take it from there.  IF all of your connections weirdly end up to be in Norway or Brazil - go there!

For more strategies like this one, attend Martin’s Tour:Smart PLUS 3 day seminar Jan 29 – 31 in Chicago.  Enter code “2for1” for a FREE pass for a friend. 

Also, check out Martin’s talk on the road .  He’s hitting the west coast, UK, and Norway in February. 

 Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - Los Angeles, CA     

    8:00am: New Music Seminar- Henry Fonda Theatre 6126 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA

    RSVP: http://lanewmusicseminar.eventbrite.com

Thursday, February 4, 2010 - Portland, OR

    7:00pm: Tour:Smart seminar at The Cleaners at the Ace Hotel 1022 Southwest Stark Street Portland, OR 97205

    RSVP: http://tstourthecleaners.eventbrite.com/

Saturday, February 6, 2010 - Sacramento, CA   

   3:00pm: Tour:Smart seminar at Marilyn's - 1107 9th Street, Suite T-100 Sacramento, CA 95811

   RSVP: http://toursmartsacramento.eventbrite.com/

Sunday, February 7, 2010 - San Francisco, CA

   6:30PM: Tour:Smart seminar at The Union Room at Biscuits and Blues - 401 Mason St. 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94102

   RSVP: http://tssanfran.eventbrite.com/

Tuesday, February 9, 2010 - USC La Crescenta, CA 

    2:00pm: Guest Lecture at USC 2820 Manhattan Ave La Crescenta, CA 91214 United States

Thursday, February 11, 2010 - Pomona, CA

    12:00pm: Guest Lecture at Cal Poly (3801 W. Temple Ave. Pomona, CA 91768)

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - Saturday, March 13, 2010 - Toronto, Canada

Canadian Music Week - Conference, Panel, Speaker. Times to TBD

  Thursday, March 18, 2010 - Austin, TX

12:30pm: Welcome to the Music Business-You're Fucked Speaking at SXSW (Austin Convention Center Austin, TX)

Alyson Miller is a CPA who provides specialized accounting and tax services to music and entertainment clients. She is the founder of Alyson Miller, CPA PLLC a rock and roll accounting, tax, and business management firm. She has years of music business experience working for both independent and internationally recognized artist and songwriters, record labels, publishing companies and music distributors.

If you’re in charge of a band and you hire musicians you need to be aware of the tax filing requirements for Form 1099-MISC. The filing deadline for the form is quickly approaching and there can be penalties if you don’t file.

The forms must be postmarked by January 31^st. Copies of the forms and a transmittal (Form 1096) must be mailed to the IRS by February 28^th.

So what is a 1099-MISC?

Form 1099-MISC is a form required by the IRS to report payments to independent contractors, such as band members that are not paid through payroll. A form must be prepared for anyone that you paid at least $600 or more in a calendar year. If the payment was made to someone who is not self-employed you do not need to prepare a form for them.

How do you prepare the form and what information is required?

Generally payments for services to band members, commissions to your manager or any other independent contractors are entered in Box 7 on the form. If you paid rent to anyone such as space rent or equipment rent the amount paid goes in Box 1. If you paid your attorney these payments would go in Box 7.

If your band is organized as a partnership or corporation a Form 1099-MISC is not required for payments made to band members. These payments are reported on a Form K-1.

You will also need the name, address, and social security number for each form. One good practice is to have everyone you pay fill out a W-9 form. The W-9 will provide you with all of the information that need for the 1099-MISC. So, before handing someone a check you should hand them a W-9 first. Have them fill it out and keep it on file.

If you don’t have the information on file it’s your responsibility to gather it. This can be a difficult task if for example your drummer quit in the middle of the year and you’re no longer in contact with him.

Where can you get a W-9?

It’s a simple form that you can get in pdf format at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf. The information on this form can protect you in many ways and it saves you the hassle of tracking down the information after someone is long gone.

You’ve received some 1099’s so what do you do with them?

Venues that paid you $600 or more should send you a 1099-MISC. The 1099’s have been reported to the IRS so make sure that the information on the form is correct, especially the amount and social security number. If any of this information is incorrect contact the payer and have them reissue it. Be sure to report all income that you receive even if you don’t get a 1099.

Keep the forms that you receive to document the amounts reported on your return. They do not need to be filed with your return.

If you find the task of preparing the 1099-MISC difficult your tax preparer can complete these forms for you. Always contact your tax advisor with specific questions or advise.

Rick Goetz is a Musician Coach and Music Consultant by way of a fifteen
year career as a Major label A&R executive at Atlantic and Elektra Records a
musician and a music supervisor. Throughout his career he has played bass
for members of the Cult and Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings and on the industry side has worked with artists like Kid Rock, Matchbox 20, Sugar Ray and Damage Plan. His current client list ranges from Grammy award winners to people just looking to get their foot in the door. You can check out Rick at www.MusicianCoaching.com or twitter.com/musiccoaching.

I was once told a story about Bill Murray and Hunter S. Thompson.  I can’t verify the specifics of the story but I suppose for the purposes of this article it doesn’t much matter.  During the production of the 1980 Film “Where the Buffalo Roam”, in which Murray was to play a young Hunter Thompson, he met Hunter poolside so he could get a good idea of what the famously eccentric writer was really like.  In response to the question “What is it like to be you?” Thompson tied Murray up to a deckchair and threw him in the pool.

Such is the position of most artists in the music business – floundering in the water and trying their damndest not to drown in spite of overwhelming circumstances.

I run a music business consultancy called Musician Coaching which was something I put together after having been a musician on and off for twenty years and having done A&R at Major labels for almost a decade.  As a result of actively promoting this business I get contacted by several strangers every day who are looking to make it in the music industry.  It never ceases to amaze me that in this day and age with all of the tools now available to artists that people are still looking for that one person, that one opportunity or a chance encounter that is going to propel them to superstardom.  That’s not to say that I mind being contacted – far from it!  It’s just that the type of questions I get can be really disturbing.  “Can you get me a record deal?” or  “Hey – I just need a manager and I’m going to make millions!  You need to introduce me to great managers.” 

Really?  Last I checked it was 2010.

Chances are if you are reading this – it doesn’t apply to you but from what I have seen this is still the prevailing mindset of many aspiring artists.  I believe those with this mindset won’t make it – period.

In my opinion if you are going to make a living making music - let alone “making it”- you have to own the following:

·         There is no help coming for you

·         The age of the “big break” is all but over.

·         The one person who will help your career more than anyone is you.

Harsh? Yes.  Hopeless?  Not at all.

Let this empower you.  You no longer need to spend a great deal of time chasing management, booking agents or labels.   I am not suggesting that any of these types of strategic partners aren’t helpful but I do find that many artists seek to engage partners far too early in the trajectory of their careers.  Before you seek out someone to partner with you ask yourself the following questions:

·         Have you played out locally on a regular basis for at least six months? 

·         Do you have a corporate entity and an intra-band agreement?

·          Have you trademarked your name?

·         Are you registered with a Performance Royalties Organization? (ASCAP, BMI, SEASAC)

·         Do you have a professional looking website for your project and a presence on social networks?

·         Have you made “no apology” recordings of your songs that you think are representative of your ability?

·         Do you have a bio on your musical career that doesn’t peak when you were eight years old and taking piano lessons?

·         Do you maintain an ongoing online and offline positive relationship with a large group of people you could call fans without feeling funny about it or including your parents and extended family?

If you answered no then your business is not yet off the ground.  You don’t yet have a viable and fully formed product.  In any business it is very difficult to get an investment for a blueprint concept or an idea.  Getting funding for a start up business becomes much easier the more time and effort (and money) the entrepreneur puts into it.  You have to remember that seeking out management, agents or labels is asking someone to invest in you.  It might not be financial investment but the amount of time a partner like this would need to devote to developing an artist’s career is usually a full time job.  What do you bring to the table other than your talent?

It’s true – people who interact with artists a great deal are often jaded (Yes, me too.  Couldn’t you tell?)  The failure rate in music and the arts in general is astounding.  If you really want to get the attention of competent and experienced handlers you have to be the one to get your career moving on your own.  If you make enough noise long enough people will find you.  Overnight successes that are examined closely are very rarely (as in go by lotto tickets instead) a case of someone being struck by the thunderbolt of fame whilst daydreaming and smoking dope in the parent’s basement.

What’s the good news?  There are now plenty of sites that provide information and insight and dozens of tools to help you get your music heard for low or no cost.  This makes it harder to rise above all of the noise (because everyone with a mic can be a singer in this day and age) but it is still a viable way to start.

Go find other artists and build a community.  Relationships with your peers when starting out are usually more valuable than industry relationships.  If you are able to surround yourself with several developing artists who are in your situation and perhaps even endear yourself to people who have put in a bit more legwork than you this will help a great deal.  Being able to market yourself to the fans of similar acts is almost the whole name of the game in the beginning so along those lines – go make friends!

Long story short (too late?) – before you spend time and effort chasing big league help, make sure you have maxed out your ability to do everything within your reach to convert strangers to friends, friends to fans and fans to fans who will actually purchase your products.  If you do that long enough and well enough even in a small town – industry will find you.

Good luck out there,

Rick

Eric Hebert is CEO of Evolvor Media and blogger at evolvor.com, in addition to co-founder of Label 2.0, and online music marketing community that teaches musicians the ins-and-outs of marketing and building a brand online. Eric has an extensive background in SEO , Social Media, and content development, working for some of the biggest names in the business and sharing his knowledge to assist artists and musicians to help promote their music.

One of the most important aspects of being a musician these days is trying to understand how to efficiently use the web to promote your tunes to people in the hopes of creating a rabid fanbase. Unfortunately, most do not understand the underlying principles of how to use your website in order to actually get the attention they are looking for.

Most view a website as a “traditional” advertisement and construct one with that mindset. Many bands build glossy looking Flash-based websites that, while visually appealing, do very little to help the band out. They think a website needs to be a pretty-looking page that visually grabs the viewer into wanting to listen to the music. Other then maybe some bio information and pictures, their usually is very little content on the site for the viewer to learn more about the band and the music. And usually these websites take forever to load and are just downright annoying to navigate around.

If you’re not using flash, chances are you just have an old-school static html site. Again, the graphics might be pretty and your music might be available to stream or download, but there is probably little in terms of interactive content.

And that’s the big thing about marketing online that everybody misses – building content. The goal is to increase traffic, and building content (and knowing how to get that content indexed in Google to gain visitors from Search) is how you go about getting people to come to your site, learn more about you, and then perform calls to action that will being them into your fan “filter”.

Now, while you CAN add content to a traditional website the old-fashioned way, chances are most musicians aren’t entirely web savvy enough to do it themselves. And, after you start adding a LOT of content, trying to mange all of it by constantly adding new links becomes tedious and inefficient.

If you REALLY want to get serious about using your website to interact with your audience, then you need to get with the times and build a dynamic website using s Content Management System, or CMS.

A few years back you would have had to pay an arm and a leg to get one custom built; luckily today (and thanks to the open-source movement), you can download FREE software to get you up and running with a state-of-the-art CMS in literally a few minutes.

Wordpress is an awesome piece of software that, once you learn how to use, will completely change how you view publishing content on the web. It’s easy to install, customize, and has a back-end where you can easily add new blog content using a visual-rich text editor that allows you the freedom to add content right from your browser. You don’t need to know code in order to get it up and running (but hopefully as you get comfortable using it you’ll teach yourself how to work around the code for further customization.

Here is a screenshot of what a basic post/page layout looks like in the Wordpress dashboard to give you an idea on how it works:

What’s really cool about Wordpress (other then being free and easy to install) is the large community of developers that support the software and help make it more powerful. You see, Wordpress is open-source – which mean anyone can take the code and add whatever they want to it. This large community of developers creates “plugins” which takes the deafault Wordpress software and adds extra functionality to it.

So while by default Wordpress is primarily a blogging/publishing platform, it’s capabilities are endless with the thousands of (mostly) free plugins out there. Want to optimize Wordpress for SEO? Need to add social media buttons to your posts? How about a contact form? There is an endless supply of plugins that make your site 10x as powerful.

So what about design? By defauly Wordpress has a simple (but boring) design. Luckily you can easily create a CSS driven “theme” that can alter your Wordpress install’s design – because, as with the plugin community, their is a large Wordpress design community that creates professional themes that are also available for, you guessed it, 0 dollars.

So lose that flash site and start building interesting and interactive content that engages people to want ti become a fan; you have no excuse to learn how to install and customize Wordpress and start building relevant web presence to promote your band.

John Doe is the founder of the seminal Los Angeles punk group X, a solo artist and actor. John answers questions from our community members in the WWJDD? blog. Photo by Autumn de Wilde.

A Question from Renee in New Orleans

Hi John,

My question is a little weird maybe but......who cares. My 7 year old son, who happens to be a HUGE fan of yours and got to meet you here in New Orleans a couple of years ago at an in-store, LOVES to sing. He sings everything & all the time and has a pretty good voice. He goes to an arts based school here and we have had teachers tell us what a great singing voice he has (he sang in a local rest. with some musician friends of ours recently). So, my question, when do you think it is too early or just the right time to start with voice lessons? Obviously I know it's different for each kid and I haven't really talked to him about it but just wanted to get your thoughts.
Thanks for answering all these questions on so many varied topics! You're the best and COME BACK TO NEW ORLEANS SOON! PLEASE!!! =)
Renée

Renée Borie Blanche
Covenant House New Orleans

www.covenanthouseno.org

 What Would John Doe Do?

Dear Renee,
   As a parent, I think you already know the answer to yr question.  You give the kid an opportunity to do something he/she might enjoy & make sure that in the earliest stages, it remains fun.  I wouldn't say "OK, 'Bobby' we're going to singing lessons today & every Thursday for the rest of your life, so get in the car!"
  You might talk to a teacher that someone at his school knows & recommends.  Then see what kind of a vibe you get from the teacher & go from there.  There should be a small commitment from the kid; maybe try it for three lessons & if there's no connection then let him wait.
  If he's going to sing, he'll do it regardless of lessons or no; but lessons can teach better mechanics & technique.
best of luck, I hope this helps, and as always, thanks for writing.
yrs,
Jd

If you have questions for John Doe about music, the music business or life feel free to email them to wwjdd@knowthemusicbiz.com.

For more information on John Doe check out theejohndoe.com or YepRoc.com .