Noah Dinkin is a co-founder of FanBridge , the world’s most popular email and mobile fanlist management platforms.  The service is free for most bands and just $7 and up for artists with huge fan databases.  Feel free to leave comments or advice of your own below and check back often in weeks to come for more tips on this important topic.

 

#1. Own YOUR List!
I can’t say this enough to musicians. Having MySpace or Facebook friends is not a real fan list. Same with Twitter. They are all great services and each has a different purpose, but how much of the actual real info do you have of your ‘fans/friends/followers’ on those places? Can you easily view a list of everyone’s real name, email address, location, phone number, etc? The answer is no, yet many musicians forget this because the service is the hot internet site of the moment and everyone says “oh, you need to be on [insert site here].”

You should have a presence on these social networks (more on that in a later post), but you need to use these services to feed people to YOUR fan list. Fan Relationship Management services like FanBridge give clients html code that let them put a signup form on their MySpace, Facebook, website, etc, so their fans can sign up direct to the band’s own list.

Once you have built your own list, you can do amazing things with it that you couldn’t do otherwise…things like:

• Targeting messages by zip code and radius (so you don’t need to blast your whole list)
• Scheduling messages to be sent at a certain time
• Grouping fans based on custom criteria (street team, bloggers, groupies, etc)
• Tracking your messages to see who opens, clicks, and much more
• and a ton of other cool features that save you time and build your career.

#2. Communicate Regularly
Most musicians know they should regularly communicate with their fans, yet they are often at a loss for things to say. I’m here to tell you that you shouldn’t be stuck on what to say, but rather make sure you talk to your fans on a regular basis!

Why do fans signup for your list? To hear from you!

Don’t be boring and only tell them about this show, that show, and your new album. Tell them about YOU. They want to be fans of your music AND you as a person. Talk about great movies you’ve seen recently. Talk about other artist’s albums you’ve recently listened to. Come up with a “special” city of the week/month and explain why.

When we look at the fan list size of artists who communicate regularly and artists who don’t, it becomes very clear. The artists who talk to their fans regularly (whether it is once every two weeks or once a month) have lists that are constantly growing and better interaction (opens/clicks). Artists who send an email every few months because they have “nothing to talk about” are ones whose list sizes either stay flat or actually decrease.

Make sure to use a service, like FanBridge , that includes a “Forward to a Friend” link in the footer of every campaign.  This lets fans easily pass your message on to their fans and services like ours will allow you to track who’s doing it.  It’s a best practice to take this info and reward those people that are spreading the word about you. They’re likely your most avid fans, and rewarding them will incentivize them to continue to promote you and your music among their own groups of friends.

#3. Include Links to Places You Want Fans to Go
This one seems obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many bands do not include a link to their website in each message. Not only should you be including a link to your website, but you should have a link to your MySpace/Facebook/Twitter/etc profile, your merch store, a place where they can download your music, your tourdates, and anything else that’s important. You’ll be surprised how much more traffic you get when you start including links.

A service like ours will make it as easily as possible for clients to include links in their campaigns. For example, by checking one box, you can automatically include links to buy your music. We also track every link you put in a campaign, so you can see EXACTLY who clicked on which link in your message, and when they clicked. This is very valuable info, and will help you target future campaigns to specific people based on their past actions.

#4. Go Professional
Don’t try and do it yourself using outlook/apple mail/gmail/msn/hotmail/yahoo/aol/entourage/custom server scripts. Unless your core skills are computer programming, email/mobile deliverability, and related things, you are probably better off leaving the fan list management to a professional service and focusing on what you do best: making and playing music. There are a few providers out there (some suck, some are great), and obviously we’re partial to FanBridge for a band’s fan relationship management needs.  You want something that’s simple, intuitive, and will help you to easily and efficiently maximize that relationship between your fans and your music.  And you don’t need to pay an arm and leg these days to get that.

 

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 Nick in the UK

Hey John,

I was thinking about how people measure success in music today - it used to be simply sales, but I'm curious what the other metrics might be that a band/artist can use to demonstrate an improvement in performance from album to album.  Is it email subs?  Myspace Friends?  Venue size?

It would be great to get your perspective.

Cheers,

Nick Fitzsimmons

www.pennydistribution.com

What Would John Doe Do?

Hey Nick,
  Not to sound too Zen but; How do you measure success?  If X would've measured it by sales, we would've given up after the third record. No one has to tell you that the music biz is a cruel master at best. You have to measure success on yr own terms. When I finally understood that making a record (writing & recording) was the greatest reward I would ever receive from the whole process; the eventual outcome (sales & reviews) took it's proper place. And I learned to enjoy it ten times more. I believe they call it "being in the moment".
   I would say that now-a-days the same holds true. As long as yr audience is maintaining or growing, @ either live shows or on the web, and you still love playing & singing, then you are succeeding. If your goal is to make a lot of money or wield power & you're not doing that, choose a different line of work. If your gift is to create or perform & the music biz gives you that opportunity, then you are succeeding. Many people in music have more than one job & that allows them to be as artistic as hell when they write & play. GREAT REASON FOR BOTH ! !  don't forget most poets in the 19th & 20th centuries had "day jobs". You, as the artist or label rep, will know when you are successful or not because we are all making this shit up as we go.
I hope this is helpful and as always,
thanks for writing,
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 .

 

About the Indie Artist X Project

The goal of the Indie Artist X Project is to develop a basic, actionable music marketing plan designed around simple strategy, prioritization of tactics, tools and a reasonable budget that can be implemented by any indie artist who has the inclination to follow it. A group of like minded people interested in helping foster the success of independent musicians have banded together to create this community based music marketing plan. It’s our hope that any hard working, talented musician can utilize this plan to grow their fan base and help lay the foundation for a sustainable career in music. We will be working with one anonymous artist to design and implement this music marketing plan then track and report the actual results over a four month period. All the details of the plan are publicly available at:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=rZOXUM2iE1MVhswXK0ejn5A&output=html

The Sponsors

Each of the sponsors for the Indie Artist X Project have taken on the responsibility for developing the strategy, prioritizing tactics and identifying the best tools for a specific music marketing “channel”. The sponsors are allowed to offer suggestions, advice and guidance to the artist but are not permitted to do any actual work on the artist’s behalf.

This music marketing plan is designed to be a community based project. Each of the sponsors will be soliciting ideas, best practices and advice from those interested in providing suggestions. It’s expected that the plan document itself will evolve and change over the next few months as the sponsors receive community input. If you have any suggestions for a music marketing channel please forward your ideas to the appropriate channel sponsor. Your participation in this project would be much appreciated and hopefully benefit the greater independent artist community!

The channel sponsors are:

Andrew Goodrich
Artists House Music
http://www.artistshousemusic.org/
Channel: Fan Development

Bruce Houghton
Hypebot
http://www.hypebot.com/
Channel: Commerce

Cameron Mizell
MusicianWages.com
http://musicianwages.com/
Channel: Awareness

David Rose
KnowTheMusicBiz.com
http://www.knowthemusicbiz.com/
Channel: Artist Website

Heather McDonald
About.com Music Careers
http://musicians.about.com/
Channel: Influencers

Martin Atkins
Revolution Number Three
http://www.revolutionnumberthree.com/
Channel: Live Shows

The Artist

The artist participating in the Indie Artist X Project is a talented, hard working independent musician who has had two previous records released by a small independent record label. He is currently not signed to a record label, does not have a booking agent or manager. He has a day job and is married. His goal is to make music his full time career. We will share the name of the Indie Artist X artist once the project is wrapped up at the end of October.

The Artist Website Channel

Artist Website Strategy

The artist website will be the focal point for engaging fans online and the primary place on the web to find artist news, music and tour dates. Since we want to engage music fans music will be heavily featured on the website. All released songs will be available for full length streaming and purchase, in both CD and MP3 format. Featured unreleased tracks and demos from the upcoming new release will be available to download in MP3 format for fans who have signed up for the artist's email list. The website will be the central place for developing fan relationships and will encourage fans to sign up for the artist mailing list on several pages. Fans that sign up for the artist mailing list will have exclusive access to download free unreleased tracks and demo version of new songs plus qualify for monthly fan relationship programs and giveaways.

Artist Website Tactics / Priorities

1. Music - Make available full length streams of both released albums, make both released albums available for purchase in both CD and MP3 format, make available all released individual tracks available for purchase in MP3 format and feature the artist's most popular songs for streaming on every page of the website. Feature one unreleased track or demo of a new song every 30 days (each song is only available for 30 days) - these tracks will be available for free download exclusively to fans who subscribe to the artist's mailing list.
2. Fan Development - Encourage fans to sign up for the artist's mailing list on multiple pages of the website. Feature the mailing list sign up prominently on the homepage. Offer fans that sign up for the artist's mailing list exclusive access to free downloads of unreleased demo or live tracks (one exclusive track each month). Feature links to the social networks where the artist maintains a presence so fans can connect with or follow the artist on their favorite social networks.
3. Basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - Link back to the artist's website from each social media or music related site where the artist has a profile. Promote and link back to the fan exclusive free downloads on the artist's website from social media and music related sites where the artist has a profile. Link back to the artist's website in all artist email newsletters. Regularly update the news section of the artist website with new, key word heavy (artist name and genre) content. Updated news will be featured on the site homepage. Provide a RSS feed on the website to follow artist news and announcements.
4. Artist News - Provide regular (weekly if possible) updates to the news section of the website. Updates can potentially include: promoting upcoming live shows, recaps / thanks for recent live shows, announcing the monthly fan contest winner, announcing / promoting the monthly fan exclusive free download, encouraging fans to sign up for the email list, encouraging fans to connect on a specific social network of music related site, promoting new videos, mentions of other live shows or music the artist enjoyed, tour related tales / updates, lyrics to new songs. Always keep the news and comments positive. Provide a RSS feed for following the artist's news section.
5. Contact - Always reply to any fan inquiries from the website contact form within 24 hours. Direct contact and discussions with fans is critical. Include all active social media links in the contact section to make it easy for fans to connect with / follow the artist on their favorite social media sites.
6. Commerce - Make the website store the primary place to direct fans for purchases (not iTunes, Amazon, etc.). Directing fans to the website store will help increase overall site traffic and provide the opportunity to promote upcoming live shows, encourage visitors to sign up for the fan list and promote fan exclusive downloads. The website store should be the exclusive place to purchase any new songs or full releases for at least 30 days before making them available through other sites or via distribution. Implement a pricing strategy that ensures fans will always find the lower prices on music and merchandise on the artist's website store than what's available through online retailers (via distribution).

Artist Website Tools

We are using the following tools for the artist’s website: Audiolife , Bandzoogle, Google Analytics and Reverbnation.

Artist Website Community Suggestions

We would love to hear your suggestions for the Indie Artist X Project artist website channel. There is a community suggestions section setup in the KnowTheMusicBiz.com forums. Click here to contribute to the project and share your ideas about ways we can optimize the artist’s website!

 

John P. Strohm is a transactional entertainment and intellectual property attorney with the firm Johnston Barton Proctor & Rose LLP . John’s practice focuses on the representation of musicians, songwriters and independent record labels. Prior to becoming an attorney, John was a professional musician and producer for over a decade. He performed and recorded as a member of several notable alternative pop/rock acts, including The Lemonheads and Blake Babies.

 

The first recording agreement I had the pleasure of signing as a recording artist was a typical, label-friendly, multi-option contract. The anemic royalty, based on the “suggested retail price,” was further depleted by container deductions, deductions for so-called “free goods,” and paid on only 90% of net sales to account for records damaged in shipping (as they often were in the dark ages of shellac discs).  In essence, it was a scam, though a scam that had evolved and had become accepted as industry standard.  I had no idea how lousy the financial terms were for my band at the time. When I finally learned enough about the business to understand the deal terms, I felt duped and angry at our attorney for failing to adequately explain the contract to my band.

I felt much better about the terms of my next deal: a handshake agreement with a startup indie to split all profits from any releases 50/50. We didn’t address territory, ownership of the masters, mechanical royalties, what constitutes the label’s “costs,” or even exclusivity between artist and label. Not surprisingly, we eventually had to fill in some of these terms under somewhat less amicable circumstances.

Now that I spend most of my time representing artists and labels in recording agreement negotiations, I have realized that my experience reflects the two basic types of recording agreements in the late 1980s/1990s industry. On the one hand, majors and some independents insisted upon very formal, generally label-friendly and traditionally-structured deals, and on the other hand certain independent labels offered rather informal net profit split agreements, which were often verbal agreements striving to provide the antithesis of what was widely regarded in the indie community as the outmoded major label-style deal. Both of these models have flaws, and both basic structures exist today, albeit often in slightly more evolved forms.

The challenge that enlightened indie labels, career-minded artists, and counsel for both face today is how to structure and draft a workable written agreement that retains the independent spirit and intrinsic “fairness” of the aforementioned handshake deal. This article is the first of several I will write about net profit split recording agreements; future articles will focus on certain specific issues that are briefly addressed in this introductory piece. Below I will summarize certain key terms that should be considered and addressed in any such agreement.

Ownership of Master Sound Recordings

The question of ownership of the master sound recordings is a key term in any recording agreement. The trend today with independent labels is toward record companies licensing the exclusive rights in master recordings from artists instead of owning the copyrights in the underlying masters. Nevertheless, often a first draft of the contract – even in net profit split deals – is structured so that the label owns the masters. Thus, retaining ownership becomes a key negotiation point. Typical license terms for master recordings range from five to thirty-five years.

Significantly, under United States law any transfer of ownership of sound recordings must be in writing and signed by the transferor to be effective. Thus, any verbal agreement that purports to transfer ownership of masters is void. Furthermore, any license agreement with respect to sound recordings must be in writing or is terminable at will by either party. In a recent federal case, the Butthole Surfers won on appeal in a suit against Touch and Go Records to terminate a verbal license agreement with respect to numerous valuable albums recorded by the band. As such, it is enormously important for any label to insist upon a signed contract for any recording agreement.

Controlled Compositions Clause

In recording agreements, songs that are written in whole or in part by the artist are called “controlled compositions.” Traditionally, labels pay the writers of controlled compositions a royalty – referred to as a “mechanical royalty” in exchange for the writer granting a license to the label to sell recordings of the composition.

The typical approach under net profit split recording agreements to the controlled composition clause is that the artist waives mechanical royalty payments with an acknowledgment that mechanicals are a part of the artist’s share of the net profits. This becomes problematic for the artist/writer because publishers often rely on mechanicals as a guaranteed revenue stream. Without a mechanical royalty stream, the writer/artist is less marketable to publishers. It is often favorable to the artist to establish a separate, recoupable mechanical royalty stream to address this problem.

Definitions of “costs” and “advances”

In net profit split agreements, the difference between “costs” and “advances” can be unclear and confusing. Generally, costs are broadly defined to include all expenses of the label with respect to a project except general overhead. Sometimes, however, labels pass through general overhead expenses to artists on a pro-rata basis.  Costs are recouped “off the top” from the first sale. It’s important to note that the definition of recoupable costs under a net profit agreement can be far broader than a traditional royalty model. As such, the “fairness” of the net profit split can prove somewhat illusory.

In contrast, advances are generally understood to be monies that have been advanced to the artist, which the label recoups solely from the artist’s share of royalties once the label has recouped all costs. It is in the artist’s interest to have as many expenses as possible treated as costs that are shared by artist and label.

Non-Traditional Revenue Streams

The newest model for recording agreements, the so-called 360 deal or all-in deal, can pose problems for artists. It’s no secret in the music industry that it is becoming increasingly difficult for labels to sell sound recordings.  As such, labels may justify commissioning non-traditional revenue streams in their recording agreements, such as touring, publishing and merchandise by citing the generosity of a 50/50 net profit split. Whether or not these emerging deal structures make sense in any particular situation requires a factual analysis.  Depending on the strength of the label, existing fan base of the artist, and other issues, an all-in deal may benefit the artist. Nevertheless, there are many situations in which the all-in deal primarily benefits the label.

Conclusion

As the mainstream music industry struggles to find a new paradigm in the digital age, the indie business is quickly evolving – often to the artist’s advantage.  In the coming months, I will provide more in-depth analysis regarding the points mentioned above and others in future blogs. Please keep in mind, however, that any agreement transferring or licensing copyrights in sound recordings should be in writing, prepared by an attorney with music industry experience, reviewed by competent counsel, and signed by all parties. While I very much appreciate the spirit and intentions with which net profit deals are generally approached, it is crucial to carefully consider and review (and execute a writing with respect to) the material terms of these contracts.

Loren Weisman is an accomplished music producer and drummer based in Seattle, Washington. Having worked on over three hundred albums, Loren has also worked on numerous television, film, video game and radio productions, from New York to Los Angeles, Boston to Seattle. Loren is the founder of Brain Grenade Entertainment LLC , and the author of the Freedom Solutions Recording Plan. Loren has also written The Artist's Guide to Success in the Music Business, a book to help independent musicians achieve self sufficient and sustainable success coming in early 2010.

 

You need to professionally present yourself, your music and your career.  Your recording, promotion, marketing as all your soliciting materials and legal materials need to be done the right way. A strong professional package and promotional presence goes a very long way while a fake or weak presence will hurt you more than you know. Too many bands out there are trying to paint a picture they can't live up to and it is hurting much more than helping them.

Everyone wants to look a little more pro and a little more together than they actually are. Presentation is key, but the problem lies in the fake presentations that just don’t balance out. While you are trying to look a little sharper, stronger and better, you are actually doing exactly the opposite.

Think about what impresses you and why. Then think about what is considered strong in the industry. Think about what is impressive on a more professional and business level. Lean towards a mix of something in the middle. There are artists out there that brag about the cars, the jewelry, the money and the fame before they make it. They have major labels or investors that are giving them all the materials they are bragging about.

Now, when you talk about your “ride” being the best but you are sporting a broken down Toyota, this sends a negative message. The other artist you are emulating has the label or investors behind him to basically live up to the hype. You, on the other hand, are failing miserably.

It’s the same when a majorly invested artist brags about their sales and profits. There is a marketing campaign behind some of these artists that in turn will make these sales actually meet the hype. Now, for most people, when they talk about all the sales and are barely scraping by, it does not look strong.

You want to stand out, you want to appear professional, while at the same time showing your own personality to an industry that is full of copycats and liars. Yes, there are molds and templates, parts of which can be beneficial, but do you really want to be just another copycat?

For example …In the “do you really want to be that guy or that girl?” category..

Do you really want to take the promo shots of you on the phone?

Come on! How many poser looking people take shots of themselves on the phone looking like they are doing business while trying to pull off a “cool” pose at the same time? I don’t care if you are an artist, a manager, a label rep or anyone else, taking a picture of yourself on the phone is overused, overdone and only makes you look like a poser.

You really want to do that?

Instead….

What about shots of you on a typewriter, with a bullhorn, giving off the town crier vibe or something a little more original that might give off that cool business sense you are trying for, but adding a touch of something different.

Do you really want to be that asshole with the excessive bling?

The jewelry shots: because that is so original. It is so overdone. At one point, it was impressive, but now it's gone completely over the top.

You really want to do that?

Instead..

Go minimal, try something else clothing or accessory wise. Try something that will make your picture look like yours and not the carbon copy of a hundred thousands of others.

Do you really want to be the guys surrounded by the girls…like EVERYONE DOES?

What about all the scantily clad women around the artist? Because again, no one has ever seen thousands of these pictures.

You really want to do that?

Instead..

Come on, have your picture, image or ideas stick out from the bland and repetitive. Maybe go opposite and have a bunch of old men around you. I know, a little weird, but still, a touch different. 

Do you really want to be the band or artist to brag, put down and over talk?

Think of all the overly hyped intros of songs and all the shit talking in the blogs, on the websites and on the networking sites. So very unoriginal and so very annoying.

I am the best!

No one can touch me

We don’t sound like anyone.

All the girls want to be with me, all the guys want to be me.

 

You really want to do that?

Instead..

How about coming across confident and assertive without being arrogant.  That would be a serious breath of fresh air. Show and showcase your ability through the ability and not through trash talking, overhyping or, worst of all, putting other people down.

Do you really want to be the liar with the fake music business?

There are way too many people out there making one of the biggest mistakes you can make: claiming to run a label, a management group or be an agency when they actually aren’t.

People out there calling themselves CEO’s that are not even incorporated are trying to look all cool and hip, but to the industry, they look like morons. People implying that they have these intense and immense organizations that are looking to sign artists or have contacts to all the major labels put up a grat deal of red flags to the industry professionals. While a couple girls and a few fans might think it is cool. You are actually hurting yourself and your chances.

First off, the upper level industry may shy away from you thinking that you are either a real organization that will only make it harder to work with you and add additional middle men and additional trouble. Or they may take a quick look and realize that you are not a real company at all, losing you their respect.

Finding out whether or not a company is real is very simple.  All you have to do is go to the attorney general's website for that state or run a national search with the name of the company. As soon as it does not come up, you immediately have started up in fifth gear with the bad impression.

You really want to do that?

Instead..

Tell the truth or start an LLC, a small company or a sole proprietorship. Make it legal. Make your words match the facts and help make you look like a true pro, regardless of where you are.

 

Conclusion

 

It's funny how sometimes what we think is making us look really good or really professional is actually doing the exact opposite. What is lame to you when you are making fun of someone for doing any of the above is probably just as lame if you look in the mirror and realize you are doing the same lame thing yourself.

 

Take the steps to stand out as professionally as you can, as creatively as you can and as originally as you can. Use the ideas that work, but add your personal touch to them. In an industry where it has all been done and seen before, the more you can alter, adapt and add to anything and make it a bit different than others, you will display the truest level of professionalism and show how you are more than many by your actions and your truths instead of your lies and your fake presence.

 

© 2009 Loren Weisman

www.braingrenademusic.com

 

Watch out for Loren Weisman’s book “The Artist's Guide to Success in the Music Business” coming soon.

 

 

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 and a founder of Revolution Number Three - a school where students learn IN the business, not ABOUT the business.

It turns out that Nike is right.  You can JUST DO IT.  If, when faced with a less-than-ideal situation, you find yourself immediately getting defensive or rolodex-ing the million reasons (and people) who are responsible for your lack of action, movement forward, success, or blowjob - then STOP.  Stop everything. 

 

If you’re on this path the next thing that is going to happen is that I am going to start telling you motivating stories of triumphs without budgets, greatness without cash, groovyness in the face of everything.  You’ll start retreating and reinforcing your position that all you need is a manager, an agent, a producer, and several budgets (because now you have the hang of Microsoft Excel and can make a silly wish list pie in the sky budget why not make a few more!)  We’ll go back and forth.  Me, trying to convince you that the solution to everything lies within you, and you blaming everyone but yourself.

 

Well...., I'm not doing that any more.  No, I'm not giving up on you but I’ve come to realize that my time is better spent helping the few that get it (or at least a bit of it) rather than smashing myself in the face with a recently stolen parking meter. 

 

The glorious part of that is the amazing flower that blossoms and brightens the half dug up, oil slicked concrete pock marked car park (not the orchid that blooms in the temperature controlled hydroponic environment).  The other way of saying that (literally in a less flowery style) is:  triumph in the face of adversity!  Sounds like something you'd print on a coffee mug and recite over the cappuccino machine on a bright sunny morning, doesn’t it?  Like, “Triumph in the face of adversity - who wants the last blueberry bagel?" 

 

Actually, it’s a phrase that’s going to be much more useful in the very pits of a lonely, stark, harsh reality-check bio-hazard hot tub, bubbling with despair, defeat, and hopeless sadness.  Any fuckhead can survive an on-stage “catastrophe” of a broken string and waffle into the bar afterwards and recap in horrifying microscope detail: "...And that’s how I managed to clip on the strap right before the middle G on Dave’s bass solo!” 

 

No one really tells the story of, “....and that’s how I avoided killing myself in the middle of a really bad period of my life.”  It’s easier to share the epic tale of “How I Survived a Broken Guitar String” than it is talk about the “deep stuff.”  That is, I suppose, a weird part of all this too.  Music is a very powerful force in each of us.   People commit themselves to sounds, bands, and entire movements.  Sometimes (more often than we might think) the people making that music are awash in a sea of emotions and problems of their own unknowingly helping others whilst sometimes not emerging from the tunnel themselves. 

 

We are equipped with instructions, advice, and guidance that is at best flawed, but more often non-existent, misguided, deliberately obtuse or cloudy.  It sometimes feels like giving a soldier about to land in Afghanistan instructions for Pac-Man or a DVD episode of Dr. Phil to play to the enemy.  Maybe it’s like giving a shuttle pilot the ignition key, the location of the GO! button and nothing else......a fucking blender comes with more meaningful instructions than the desire to create a career in music or art.

 

So, yes, clearly, I “get-it.”  I’ve lived it.  I’m still living it.  I'm fond of saying, “it’s not rocket science” and much of it isn't.  It is a lot lot lot of hard hard work that you can do - easy peasy.  Then, of course there’s the other stuff.

 

The good news is that if you start doing the hundreds of easy tasks ahead of you, you might grab the tenacity, ingenuity, sense of humor, and resilience you are going to need for so many of the other not-as-easy things.  The bad news is...   Actually, there isn't any bad news right now - unless you want to make some up for yourself.

 

Coming to these conclusions on my own in the last few weeks has really helped me.  I met some amazing folks at Unconvention in Manchester a few weeks ago.  I’m still doing consulting, but I’ve put together a few other packages to make myself accessible to those of you who are ready to work.  Contact me if you want more info on that.

 

And for those of you who need a little bit more structure, maybe revolution number three is the place for you.  It’s a school that I’m starting. 

 

And, lastly, a new Pigface album just dropped.  Along with it comes some CD release parties, gallery shows, and all kinds of wonderful-ness. 

 

So, not the usual “ten ways to play drums faster!’ tips this week, more of an introspective, philosophical thing – but that’s the way it goes…….

 

See you on the road.

 

Upcoming dates:

 

Saturday, June 27 - Chicago IL

Time TBD Martin Atkins DJ set / Pigface CD Relase Party at Vampire Night at Lucky Number Grill 1931 N. Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, IL 60647

FREE ADMISSION if dressed like a vampire or $5 at the door.  more info: http://www.myspace.com/vampirenightchicago

 

Friday, July 10th - Baltimore, MD.
The Metro Gallery, Baltimore.  Martin Atkins Gallery showcase.  Showcase/sale of his artwork.  1700 N. Charles St.; Baltimore, MD 21201 sarah@themetrogallery.net
8pm to 11pm, Doors open at 7pm.  Free wine from 7pm to 8pm.

Saturday, July 11th - Baltimore, MD.
Orpheus, Baltimore.  Pigface CD Release Party.  Martin DJ Set from 11pm to 12am.  More details to come.  1003 E. Pratt St.; Baltimore, MD 21202.

 

Peers, Friends & Fans

It’s one of the most memorable scenes from “This Is Spinal Tap” and marvelously summed up the prima donna cock-rock superstar.  Tap’s guitar player, Nigel Tuffnell, draws his managers attention to the buffet plate back stage, complaining about the size of the bread, and that he can’t make a sandwich with tiny bread – “It’s a disaster!” he squeals like a 5-year-old.

Rightly or wrongly, the mythos exists that being in a “successful” band means being waited on hand and foot, being lord over all you survey (labels, partners, peers and fans) and that hissy-fits and difficult behavior can be excused because you’re an “artist” – some would even say that being difficult is a pre-requisite of being a true artist.
 
The truth is that working in music is essential working with people.  Despite the appearance that a musician has single-handedly conquered his particular domain, there is a subtle and intricate network, usually numbering into the hundreds of people, who’ve all played their part in propping up this particular house of cards.  

If you operate under the assumption that success in this industry can be achieved by you alone, you’ll probably last as long as one of Spinal Tap’s drummers.

And this applies to music businesses, too.  Working as a label or promoter is such intensive work that it can be far too easy to become absorbed with your work, never looking up or taking time to see if there’re other businesses or individuals involved in similar or possibly complimentary activities.

With that in mind, I think we can divide the types of people that really matter into 3 groups.

Peers:  

These include artists, songwriters and other music businesses.  The myth exists most strongly here – other businesses are the “competition”. (for the sake of this piece I’ll call all artists & music enterprises “businesses”).  They might steal your ideas.

In today’s music business, I think we need to blow this thought out of the water.  Ideas are so numerous people are giving them away.  Whatever the idea, it’s the execution, not the idea , that matters most.

Not only that but interaction with other businesses is begun in the spirit of co-operation with the goal of mutual benefit or the achievement of common goals.  

Of course you need to work with people you trust, with companies who share your outlook and ethos – but pulling down your shutters to the outside world because the chance exists that things may not turn out well is a sure path to failure.

Get out to networking events or start your own.  Anything that gets your peers into a room together, talking to as many people as possible is of benefit.  That was a main motivating factor behind UnConvention Belfast (and, I believe, Un-Convention in general) as well as the now-monthly Northern Ireland Music Industry Meetups in Belfast that followed on from UnConvention.

It’s not a question of competition or stealing ideas.  It’s simply a question of optimism (think of what we could achieve together!) versus pessimism (they’ll abuse my trust and betray me somehow).  Where do you stand?

Friends:  

These include bloggers, interviewers or radio – anyone who, for whatever reason, is interested in your music and is taking the time to talk to you about it.

Research the company behind the interview, find out who listens or comments on the content but above all else be enthusiastic.

I’ve heard so many stories from people in radio where the rock ‘n’roll ethos is so prevalent (among established and emerging acts alike) that the band or songwriter treats the interviewer with indifference, or worse, with “don’t-you-know-who-I-am?”-style contempt.  

The truth is, no matter how successful you are, every person you interact with as a business has the potential to change the game for you and your endeavors.  The problem is that there’s no way to tell who that’ll be – by acting like a Rockstar you’re basically destroying any chance that one of these people will help you in the future.

Fans:  

I’ve talked quite a bit about how to treat your fans, but the basic tenet to understand is that they have as much control over your success as any writer from Pitchfork or WOXY.

The amount of times I’ve seen bands treat their audiences with contempt is beyond count and, although disasters like Wavve’s recent meltdown in front of an audience of potential fans at Primavera are rare, there’re plenty of other missed opportunities.

Most bands will say “thanks for listening” after a show, but are they really thankful?  If they are, how are they showing it?  How about writing an email the day AFTER the show to thank attendees, including a demo of the new track you just wrote?  Or making sure fans leave with some music as a tangible “thank you”?

The goal in all of this is that the next time you’re working on a new business idea / have a tour to promote / playing a show in someone’s town, you’ve earned the loyalty of people you interacted with the last time you were there.
 
Do you think you’ll have that loyalty if you run step-by-step through the Rockstar playbook?   

I’d say if you toss aside the Rockstar shit, if you act with genuine enthusiasm, humility and with a sincere recognition that it’s a privilege to work in music, you’re much more likely to have that loyalty.

 

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 Donna in Princeton, NJ

Hi John, 

I love your blog. I'm a writer and this morning I was thinking about how I strive to reach this ideal with my words...this fantasy vision inside my head...I'm wondering if that's what you have inside your head when you write a song and which of your songs come closest to that vision? I'm also wondering, what do musicians talk about when they get together? Different venues? Life on the road? Management? I've found that writers talk more about business than art, but maybe that is different with the people you know? 

Thanks for your time, 

Donna

WWJDD?

Hey Donna,
  To answer "what do musicians talk about" totally depends on what genre yr referring to.  From my experience it usually revolves around other tours, preposterous situations, war stories, diva demands, amazing venues, bragging about how many states-countries-gigs completed in the shortest number of days, etc. Only musicians who know each other well will ask advice on business matters but that does happen. There also is a fair amount of exchange regarding other bands, records or performances so that people are informed or turned on to something worthwhile; new or old.  Then I suppose there are others who just talk about drugs, food & sexual conquests or how much they spent on "bling".
  I've found that attempting to realize a "vision" is usually disappointing.  I tend to begin w/ a moment or thought & let it become what it's going to become as it takes shape & hopefully is complete. Here it's best to know when something is "done" & when it needs more attention to be the best song it can.  I'll take a certain piece of writing & elaborate on that or some music that has stayed w/ me for a while & complete that. That's specific to writing a song or piece of music.  Then there is a whole other layer of creative process that happens during recording. This involves the beauty or trials of working w/ other players, singers, engineers, producers & finally mixing; etc.  This is where the "vision" thing can get particularly contentious.  It seems more rewarding to allow room for the unexpected to make the piece better than what you might've envisioned.  Expectations are most often impossible to realize.
  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 .

 

 

 

Garry Velletri is Senior Vice President of Bug Music. He has been with Bug since 1985 and is based in New York.

Music Publishing Terminology

The ownership and management of exploited music copyrights by licensing and registering certain rights and the collection of the resulting royalties and fees including mechanical royalties, performance royalties and synch fees.

Huh?

The world of music publishing is littered with obscure, misleading, and archaic terms; some of which have more than one meaning depending on the context. No wonder it all sounds confusing if not downright intimidating. Understanding the meaning of these terms and phrases will provide a useful base for understanding music publishing in general.

Copyright

Is it copyright or “copywrite”? Yes you wrote a song; but a copyright is never, ever referred to as a copywrite. There are two general rights covered in a music copyright: the authorship of a song and the ownership of a song. According to Copyright Law, you are the natural owner of every song you write until you assign the ownership to someone else. Every song is made up of two equal parts; not the lyrics and the melody but the writer share and the publisher share.

The writer share is semi-sacred. It represents the authorship of the song. While a copyright can change hands many times; the writer share remains the property of the author.

The other fifty percent, the publisher share, is the equitable share. It is what you can sell or buy. In this context it is known as the “copyright”. When a publisher acquires a copyright, it is acquiring the publisher share.

Control

The Publisher controls the writers share. The publisher licenses mechanical , print and synch rights on behalf of itself and the writer. These royalties and fees are collected by the publisher (the owner of the copyright) for both the publisher share and the writer share. It is the publisher’s responsibility to pay the writer. Performance royalties are the only royalty type where the writer can collect his writer royalties directly from the performing rights organization. Control means the publisher has the right to negotiate and execute all licenses.

Royalties

Ongoing earnings of licensed songs from each sale or broadcast.

Exploitation

In music publishing, exploitation is a good term. You want your songs to be exploited. Landing a song in a film or television show is an exploitation; somebody recording your song is an exploitation; releasing a record is an exploitation. When one of those songs from your record becomes part of a greatest hits package down the line - that's an exploitation. An exploited song that is licensed and registered opens revenue streams.

Royalties don’t just magically show up in your mailbox; It is the result of the publisher executing licenses and filing the proper registrations.

Registration

You or your music publisher registers your songs with a performing rights organization (ASCAP, BMI or SESAC) to get the song details in their database so the correct percentages of performance royalties can be attributed and paid to the correct party.

Your music publisher registers your songs with a ‘local’ publisher in a foreign territory so they can, in turn, register the songs with their local mechanical and performing rights societies (society being a fancy term for foreign mechanical and performing rights organizations) so the correct percentages of foreign mechanical royalties and the publishers side of performance royalties are attributed and paid to the correct party.

Licensing

The music publisher doesn’t sell songs to another artist to record or to be used on a TV show or film- they license it. There are four primary rights to license:

Mechanical rights — Back in the early twentieth century, there were two methods of distributing music: sheet music and player piano rolls. To differentiate between the two, early copyright law defined the royalties generated by the sale of these player-piano rolls a “mechanical” royalty for which you needed a mechanical license; after all, piano rolls were a mechanical contraption. The definition of Mechanicals through time went on to include Edison rolls, 78 rpm vinyl records,45 rpm records, 33 1/3 rpm long play records, cassettes, 8track tapes, cds and now digital downloads. It’s like calling your iPod a Victrola but the term stuck. A good way to think of it is mechanical royalties are for the sale of music.

Performing rights — Think broadcast. There are three performing rights organizations in the United States: BMI, ASCAP and SESAC. They are not music publishers or administrators. These “PRO”s have blanket licenses with radio stations, television stations, clubs, restaurants, stores, digital streaming services like Napster and so on. You should belong to one if you have any exploited songs. For the price of these blanket licenses (which vary depending on the size of the broadcaster) the broadcaster can play all the BMI, ASCAP or SESAC songs ‘til their heart’s content for a measured period of time. These ‘plays’ are tracked and the pool of blanket license money is divvied up proportionate to the number of plays and the value of plays. In other words, for example, a play on a major radio station is worth more than a play on a college radio station. Another example: a featured play on a television program is worth more than a background play on the same program. Performance royalties are generated from the broadcast of music.

Synch rights — short for synchronization this is the licensed right for a film or other audiovisual medium to use your song, to synchronize your music to recorded visuals, in an audio-visual product. It can be a commercial, a videogame, a film, a TV show or a website. A synch license usually produces a negotiated fee for certain rights depending on the usage. Yes, we are talking about rights within rights. For example, say it’s your lucky day and Mitsubishi wants to use your song in their new car commercial. With your approval your music publisher negotiates a synch fee with the music supervisor for the Mitsubishi spot which will allow them to use your song for, say, one year for national television plays for one flat fee. If they still want to use it after the one year or if they want to run it internationally or stream it on their website or put it on a promotional DVD for give-away, all of these uses are rights within the basic right and should most likely carry additional fees. (Since the Mitsubishi spot is broadcast it also produces a performance royalty)

Print rights — Sheet music, song folios: it’s pretty self-explanatory — but be careful-the term ‘publish’ has a few different meanings depending on how it’s used. Once a song is released or exploited in some way it is considered ‘published.' Once a song is filed with the Library of Congress for copyright it is considered published, it does not necessarily mean the song‘s notation and lyrics are published in print form. However, if the song’s written notation and lyrics are published in print or digital form for purchase, it will earn print royalties from the print license your publisher negotiated.

Functions of a Music Publisher

So now that you are armed with a basic understanding of these terms, you will see that a Music Publisher performs the following:

Administration

Secures copyrights, controls copyrights, executes a variety of licenses, causes songs to be registered with a variety of organizations and societies world-wide, collects royalties, disburses royalties, and more.

Creative Services

The Creative exploitation of copyrights or causing songs to be exploited by pitching songs to other artists and securing placements in Film, TV and commercials; networking and promoting its writers (further explanation invites a whole blog topic in itself)

Publishers are often able to provide critical funding in the form of advances against your future royalties and by covering the costs of recording demos of your songs.