I Got An Answer

~ 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.

Hit me up: askblasko@gmail.com

Pay Attention

~ 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.

Music Connection July 2011

Check out my "Exec Profile" in the new July issue of Music Connection. On stands now.

The Music Biz Quiz

~ 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.

How To Run A Band

~ If you are not familiar with Seth and his real time experiments within the music biz, you should now! Check him out here:
HOW TO RUN A BAND.

This Is A True Story

~ Well, here it is directly from a horses mouth. This is a true story.
Article source HERE

“Isn’t it such a shame that the music industry is no longer about music? I started playing instruments when I was 10. 16 years later, I find myself leaving a career that I strived over half of my life to accomplish. I gave up almost everything to live in a basement in another country and make music with my bandmates in search of a record deal. We did the impossible and got signed to Roadrunner Records. It was my childhood dream and I had everything I ever wanted. Or so I thought.

“My love for singing and performing soon started to diminish as time and time again we got screwed over by the industry in some way or another. I love being in a band because I love singing and i’ve just found that everything i’m doing is for the wrong reasons. There’s no passion or drive to wake up in the morning and make music with the guys, so i’m not going to do that anymore. Maybe a new venture will come my way and it will restart the fire that I once had.

“We live in an age where labels don’t just take money from music sales, but from almost every form of a bands income. This isn’t the labels fault. They front money to let the bands make their music and put it out. They’re businesses and want to make a profit. But what happens when a band is given money to record an album, puts it out, and then doesn’t sell enough records…? They are evaluated and either dropped or given a second chance with a strict budget… We were dropped. We didn’t even hit 10,000 legal album sales in the USA. Yet looking at torrent sites around the internet, you can easily find 60,000+ illegal downloads. Our music was stolen, the label didn’t make enough money, and now there will be no more music. Why am I saying this? Because this happens to so many other bands and they stay quiet about it.

“After 4 years of working almost every day with the band, the reality is i’ve earned $100 in all that time. I simply cannot afford to continue on. Visa costs, living costs…people seem to think i’m rich because i’m a musician but many of you will know the reality of the industry. I don’t know the future of Mutiny Within, I wish them the best if they decide to continue without me, but i’m moving on and I hope that I find that drive and love for music that I once had.

“I’d like to thank our fans for being awesome and so loyal to us. You’ve been there for us on the road more times than I can remember and it’s you guys that have kept me going through all the bad times because standing on that stage and hearing you sing along is the best feeling I could ever have. We’ve had plenty of haters and i’d like to thank them too for entertaining me over the past few years. I play metal because I love metal. Some people seem to rip anything apart which isn’t their favourite band, yet if I sounded like your favourite band you’d hate me for copying them.

“I’m still on good terms with the band and there’s no bad feelings, so thanks again to the fans, the band, and everybody who has supported me along the way.

When Dreams Become Goals

~ This is simple, sound advice...
article source HERE.

Humans have the amazing gift of dreaming. It allows us to imagine things that are absolutely crazy, and completely out of our reach. Like flying, staying hours under water – or world domination. That’s what we do. Ambition is a great source of energy. Being able to dream big will give you guts and make smaller dreams feel much more attainable. Ambition will make you creative and more resourceful.
Dreams are only dreams until you write them down. Then they become your goals. – Anonymous

The difference between a dream and a goal is just a question of attitude. Dreams are by definition something that’s out of reach. A goal is something that you plan and work towards. If you start treating your dreams as your goals, then you have already taken the first step towards making them come true.

1. Start Small

The first step towards your dream is to get started. Do something every day, anything. Don’t go and spend tons of money on fancy instruments and studio equipment. Don’t waste time on trying to get a gig at the best venue in your town before you’ve played the toilet around the corner. Start with the stuff that matters and that you know you are capable of handling. Give yourself time to learn your art and the tricks of the trade.

2. Live Cheap

You are immediately limiting your options if you get yourself into too much debt. If possible, start saving so that you have a bit of a buffer if you need to take time out of work, or your car breaks down. Don’t jump at every fancy new gadget that comes your way. Buy stuff only when you really need it. Keep your every day expenses reasonable. The less you spend, the less you need to make money. And that will give you more freedom to do whatever you want.

3. Plan Regularly

Ok, so you played that toilet around the corner a few times now. Maybe it’s time to move on. Take a step back and map out the road to your Big Dream. Break it down to monthly, quarterly and yearly goals. Decide what to do and make time to do the tasks you set yourself. By having a good plan will make each step a bit clearer. It will give you ideas of what you should be aiming for next. It will also help you realise what is useful and what is a waste of time. Set yourself a budget and stick to it.

4. Make Friends

Connections are gold. Your genius will go unnoticed if no one knows about it. The myth of the lonely genius is exactly that – a myth. Successful people are without exception well connected. Luckily making connections is easier than ever before. Connect with other bands, bloggers, music lovers, friends of friends and random people. Don’t try to gain anything from these connections. Have inspiring conversations and people will remember you. Offer to help and people will help you back.

5. Commit

No dream is going to come true if you don’t make a commitment to it. Everything that can, will go wrong. You will lose faith. You will suck. You will run out of money. You will play empty venues. You will be too busy. Sorry, you’ll just have to keep your head down and keep going. Without a commitment life will get in the way and before you know it the attainable goal has turned into a distant dream again.