I will be speaking on 2 panels this year at TAXI's Road Rally Convention on November 4th. The Alternative Genre A & R Panel @ 2:45 and the Management Panel @ 4:30. Go HERE to sign up if you are a member or are looking for more info on the company and their annual convention.
A new preview clip from the long awaited heavy metal documentary "Behind The Suit And Tie" can be viewed above. The two-minute 45-second video clip features segments from Alan Becker (Red Distribution), Eddie Trunk (VHI Classic, That Metal Show, Q104.3, Sirius XM), Blasko, (Ozzy Osbourne), Missi Callazzo, (Megaforce Records), Al Dawson (Earache Records), Brian Slagel (Metal Blade Records), David Ellefson (Megadeth) to discuss piracy, corruption, manipulation issues and the future of a record label.
Due in 2012 on an as-yet-undisclosed European label "Behind the Suit and Tie" "pulls no punches and features some of the prime movers in the heavy metal industry drawing back the veil of mystique surrounding the music business and addressing tough questions about the industry itself, how it's run and where labels see their role in a digital future.
Through a series of interviews with players from both indie and major labels, "Behind The Suit And Tie" "will showcase the truth of how the music industry is being affected by the downward spiral of CD sales and how new and up-and-coming artists must learn to adjust to changing times, according to a press release.
The film will contain insight from:
* Ed Rivadavia (RCA Music Group)
* Jason Lekberg (Eleven Seven Music)
* Brian Slagel (Metal Blade Records)
* Blasko (Mercenary Management, OZZY OSBOURNE) * Doug Keogh (Roadrunner Records)
* Missi Callazzo (MegaForce Records)
* Carl Severson (Good Fight Entertainment)
* Paul Conroy (Good Fight Entertainment)
* Alan Becker (RED Distribution)
* Al Dawson (Earache Records)
* Burt Goldstein (Big Daddy Distribution)
* Eddie Trunk (VH1 Classic, Q104.3, Sirius XM)
* Pat Egan (Relapse Records)
* Ray Harkins (Century Media Records)
* Ralph Graupner (Indevent Music)
* Gary Susalis (Music Choice)
* Ged Cook (Demolition Records)
* Bryan Mechutan (Demolition Records)
* Lee Barrett (Ascendance Records)
* Adam Watson (Plastic Head Distribution)
* David Ellefson (MEGADETH)
* Ryan Forster (Moshpit Tragedy Records)
Commented creator/producer Robert Bolger, after five years in the making I'm proud to announce that this project will finally see the light of day!
~ I do on occasion receive industry insider questions from some of you. Here are a few that I will do my best to answer:
1. How is an artist/band selected to be on your roster? What do you look for in an artist/band? Typically I look for bands that are hard working. Ones that have already built some buzz on their own by taking their careers into their own hands. What I do NOT look for are bands looking to get to the "next level" without putting in the initial work themselves.
2. What do you consider to be a "successful" artist/band? Success is arbitrary. I always say to young bands- Define success by how much music you make, not by how much money you make. Ensure that your music has integrity.
3. What exactly is your firm's job for/to the band? (Tour booking, Legal representation, etc..?)
To simplify, the manager is the CEO of your band business. All managers take on different responsibilities depending on the needs of the artist.
4. You most likely have a dividend of the earnings, how is that acquired? (album sales, tour?)
The manager is paid by a negotiated percentage fee of the artists income. This number can vary. A typical percentage is 15% of the gross income.
5. Is any of those earnings owed if the band does not make it?(break up, no crowds?)
15% of 0 is $0.00.
6. How is the marketing done, through YOU? The band? Do you hire a marketing firm?
As labels lean more towards sourcing out this component, in my opinion I feel that aspect of an artists career should be handled by the management.
7. Does your firm ONLY answer to labels, or do you take on indie artists/bands as well?
We are living in a new age. Artists are reinventing the wheel as we speak. None of us will succeed if we keep a narrow focus. This is a new era for the music business and the possibilities are limitless.
8. What steps are taken to BOOST your artists'/band's repetoire and sales?(details are a plus here)
There is no magic answer here... if only it was that easy. Every artist requires different attention to detail. Square pegs do not fit in round holes without some kind of modification.
9. Have bands been recommended to you that you have taken on? If so, how does one recommend them to you?
Yes. All of my clients have been referred to me. I am grateful to have made those connections. I try to repay those favors when I can.
~ This is pretty much on point with what I have been saying to bands that hit me up looking to get to that "next level". The old school mythology of a label hearing your demo and signing you on the merit of your music alone and then the label does all the work is no longer a reality... and has not been for some time. Pay attention! Check out full article HERE.
Across the board, the companies that sell music on a national or global level are all looking for the same three things:
1. Ready-made artists Record labels are no more in the business of developing artists than Wal-mart is in the business of growing apples or raising cattle. The A&R people who once brought some amount of expertise (meager as it may have been) to making records, choosing songs, or helping an artist define his or her sound have either been downsized into the role of an occasional consultant, or upsized into being label presidents, which of course means they don’t have the time to spend making records, choosing songs, or helping define an artist’s sound. Labels need a product that is ready to sell, but they are no longer in the business of making that product. That’s someone else’s job.
2. Marketing platforms Even with allowances made for the impact of file-sharing and free YouTube music videos, it’s hard to deny that music, by itself, no longer packs the entertainment punch that it once did for the general public. Today, music competes with video games, social networking, and homemade movies of someone’s funny cat—and at the moment, we’re losing the game. As one A&R veteran bluntly told me, it’s simply not enough to try to get a song on the radio and hope that it will cut through the pop cultural clutter. This is why Columbia has just done a deal with the upcoming TV show “Smash”, that they hope will be the next “Glee” (another Sony Music project). It’s why Universal signed on for not one, but two, talent contests, with “American Idol” and “The Voice”. It’s why Bono and the Edge are spending endless hours reworking “Spiderman”. To be effective in the present entertainment economy, music needs to be teamed with some other entertainment or marketing element, whether it’s theater, live performance, television, brands, video games, books, or nightclubs. Music is becoming like sugar—it’s part of everything on the plate, but it’s not really a meal in and of itself.
3. Machines that are already up and running They don’t have to be Big Machine’s, like Taylor Swift’s. But in the same way that a record label’s A&R department is not looking to develop an artist, a marketing department is not looking to create a marketing plan from scratch. Everyone wants to be part of something that is already happening. A marketing plan is a theory, which often looks good on paper, but doesn’t play out quite as expected. A marketing campaign, even on a very small, local scale, is already generating a response, showing what strategies work, which ones don’t, and whether or not there is an active audience passionate about the artist. Whether it’s artists selling their own downloads, YouTube videos getting seven figure responses, hot mixtapes generating a buzz, or high-profile guest spots with established stars, music companies are looking for artists with a story—and they’re looking to enter that story on page 50, not on page 1.
~ Are you cut out for a career in the music biz? Honestly answer the following questions and find out...
1. Do you love writing, recording and performing music? YES / NO
2. Do you hate your day job? YES / NO
3. Are you willing to make sacrifices and take risks? YES / NO
4. Can you live on $10 a day? YES / NO
5. Do you think most bands suck? YES / NO
6. Are you typically a lucky person? YES / NO
7. Do you know what social networking is? YES / NO
8. Do you like to travel? YES / NO
9. In your opinion, are you great at what you do? YES / NO
10. Do you acknowledge that statistically you have little to no chance being a successful musician? YES / NO
~ If you answered: YES on all 10 - Congrats! You will probably do well in the music biz. YES on 5 or more - Not a total loss. Try and improve your answers to YES if you are truly serious. YES on #6 - Well, any things possible. I would say good luck, but I guess you won't need it.
