Is radio right for you?

Does being played on the radio make good sense for your music business?

 In today’s market, even if you hire a radio promoter your chances of getting repeated airplay with out a major label financing is very difficult and very expensive.

Radio airplay is basically divided up into Commercial, College, Satellite & Streaming formats.

Commercial radio- Play lists for commercial radio are dictated by the radio station’s corporate headquarters, Clear Channel  is the largest with 850 stations, and 237 million listeners followed by Cumulus, Citadel, Entercom, & Salem Communications. The songs you hear are selected based upon which record companies are paying these corporations top “dollar”.

College Radio- C.M.J. "College Music Journal" is  a music events and publishing company that hosts a annual festival in New York, it also publishes a weekly magazine for the music industry and college radio stations in the United States.  Roughly 75% of the music played is within the  alternative genre. Each week about 1000 colleges are eligible to submit their play lists to CMJ for consideration in to the top 200 listing,  of which 350-600 actually submit lists,  over 2,000 artists are competing weekly to chart  in the top 200 and do not.

I’ve put together a check-list to help you decide if  investing in radio  is a logical career decision for you.

1)    Do your fans listen to the radio?  Or do they primarily download music, or listen to streaming stations like Pandora, MOG or Last.FM ? You need to be able to answer this very important question, and put your music where your fans are listening it. If you don’t know, then the first thing you need to do is clearly understand how your fans consume music. If your fans aren’t listening to radio or the style music you are playing isn’t being broadcast on the airwaves it doesn’t make sense to pursue radio airplay.

2)    Do you have the budget for ongoing campaign? Let’s assume your fans are big consumers of commercial, college, or even satellite radio.  A 3-12 week campaign at one station can easily run $1,500-$6,000. If you are touring with a 50 station promo you very quickly have a $75,000- $300,000 in just radio ad costs.  Additionally, to support your radio campaign your budget will need to include a print and online media promotion to support airplay.

3)     Is your music currently available for retail distribution?  Do you have name recognition within the broadcast network?  You need to have retail ready product to support your promotional efforts, as well as have  buzz within the station network. Station managers, consider these factors when determining where in the play list you’ll be, The most sought after morning or afternoon drive time, or the Midnight- wee hours listening time.

4)    D.I.Y. campaign or hiring a promoter- Running your own campaign requires a tremendous amount of time. Researching where your music should be directed, developing and nurturing those relationships. Do you have a team of people dedicated full time to doing this work? If not, then you need to hire a reputable promoter- Estimate between $400-$800 per week for a 8-12 week campaign. Adding $3,200- $9,600 out of your promotional budget.  When interviewing promoters you need to find out what successes they have they had promoting other indie artists? Get references, and check them, does the promoter work hard? are they affordable? And importantly do they love your music?

5)    Are you the performer or the songwriter? Currently songwriters, not performers are paid royalties for music played on the radio. This is has been a issue of ongoing  debate in congress. This is worth noting, simply because if you are investing a minimum of $100,000 into your music business, you want to measure the return on your investment.  There is no guarantee that you will earn this in music sales, if you are the songwriter, only mid- top level songwriters are seeing modest returns in royalty payments.

After going through this check list, you may quickly realize before you even get to budget considerations, that you need to do the important work of simply  identifying your audience.Then, you can create your targets and start thinking about whether persuing radio markets makes sense for you,  or if your time and money are better focused in other areas.

 Stop and listen to feedback from your audience, most artists so are busy trying to get people to hear them, and spend no time actually listening to feedback from the people who are essential to your success. After your performances when you are working the merch. table people give you feedback, whether you want to hear it or not.  This is valuable information because when your listening you start discovering patterns and themes essential  to your business. This will help you learn if your selling the right merchandizing items. Should you press CD’s Downloads, or Vinyl? Do your fan’s like  T-shirts, hats, or hoodies? Most importantly you’ll discover how to spend your precious few dollars in the right places.

Need help creating a music marketing plan or simply have questions on managing your music business strategy?

Tamra Engle is a independent music business strategist based in the S.F. bay area she is available for private consultations to help you develop your independent music business, You can read more about her at www.tamraengle.com  you can email her at guitartam@gmail.com

Jesse Brewster- talks to his fans

In these pages I focus on the tips and tricks to help creative individuals step above  the ordinary.

 Sharing your personal stories, struggles, and heart aches with your fans often creates a connection removing the barrier between artist and audience. 

Jesse Brewster  has a deeply personal story he has woven into his sophmore release “Wrecking Ball at the concert hall”. His live performances deliver rocking roadhouse guitar, gritty red dirt vocals, with the tender twisted roots of California-Americana.   On 10/21/11 lucky ticket holding fans can attend his San Francisco CD release party  that kicks off his Pacific Northwest tour.

 Today, readers get  a peek behind the stage curtain, meeting  a man who is part guitar slinging outlaw, and hero rolled into one.

How did you come up with the title to your new cd “Wrecking ball at the Concert hall”?

JB:There’s a two part answer to that. The first being a reflection my feeling that the battle of the almighty dollar vs. the arts seemed to be favoring the former. Music venues I played for years were being shut down. I’m happy to report that this trend is changing for the better. The second, refers to the two distinct vibes I tried to put forth on the album. Wrecking Ball being the uptempo, electric guitar-driven tunes like All Those Things I Said and God Fearin’ Man, and the Concert Hall side reflected in the more delicate tracks like Consider This, and All She Deserves.

Are there any particular “causes” that you would like to share with readers?

JB:   Polysistic Kidney Disease,  PKD- Not only do I have the disease, but my brother passed away from it in 1998, my dad has had a kidney transplant as result of the disease as well.     My 2005 release, Confessional,  is a benefit to that cause.

Additionally, Community (support of) the arts and music.   My song My Great Escape was featured on 104.5 KFOG's Local Scene CD vol. 6 benefitting- Music in Schools today.

 It's up to us as members of our local communities to keep the arts alive!" 

Regarding your work to educate communities about PKD;

What are some of the big ah-ha’s AND disappointments you have encountered doing this work?

JB: The re-ocurring surprise to me is just how few people are aware of the disease. In an era of media saturation and social networking where news spreads like wildfire, think of how quickly everyone knew Steve Jobs had passed away. It’s amazing that more people aren’t aware of PKD, esp. since 1 in 500 people have it. I’m disappointed that we haven’t been able to get more congressional support, as the genetic disorder is vastly under-funded federally. But,  stem cell research back on track, the outlook for a cure in my lifetime is a bright one.

Keeping balance in relationships  & routines is pretty hard when your on the road. Do you have tricks  that you use to help you stay healthy and centered day to day?

JB:I feel like it’s easier when I’m on the road because I have only one goal and purpose-the next show and delivering the best performance possible. All the pre-work involved in touring as indie musician is far more difficult. As a result of having PKD, I  must be very health conscious . It can be difficult to find affordable, healthy food depending on what town your in. In the Pac. Northwest (for the upcoming tour) I’m not worried about that, in middle America it can be tougher.

What is the biggest challenge about having a independent creative business that you have over come?

JB:The frustration level can be extremely high in this business.

 I think I’ve learned to have more faith in the process, as results come with persistence, patience, and continuing to hone one’s craft. I’ve also learned to trust my gut creatively, and try not to second  guess my writing or motivation for a piece of music.

The ultimate goal for me has never been about money,  or I’d have thrown in the towel long ago, it’s about moving forward and reaching more and more people with the music

I’d (rather) spend more time writing, recording, touring and collaborating with other artists, (than) trying to make ends meet, an independent artist must wear so many other hats (to complete the) mundane tasks of booking, promotion.   Overall, I feel so blessed to be able to be doing what I’m doing, and I’ll keep at it until my fingers get arthritic or my voice gives out!

###

Readers, can purchase CD's or tickets for Jesse's S.F. CD release party  (while they last)

at  www.jessebrewster.com

Getting heard above the noise?

Van Gogh- Red Vineyards at Arles

Van Gogh during his lifetime only sold one painting, he lived in near isolation thinking his work would always be shunned.   
Imagine, if he had a social network filled with fans and other emerging artists?
What a difference it would have had on his confidence as a artist? on his body of work? and influence on other emerging artists?   


For the first time, the ability for a individual to have access to a world wide audience is possible.  The internet has given everyone a microphone, and everyone is talking at once.
In a recent blog, I offered some ways for artists  to be newsworthy to provide you with creative options to cut through the clutter.

Mass media that most of us grew up with has evaporated.  A hit pop record used to sell a million copies, now, the average hit song is selling on average 129,000 copies.  Keep in mind the RIAA issues a gold record once you have sold 500,000 records.
 Tools to publish physical art, books, & music are all available in our homes for anyone to create and put that creation, good, bad, or in between out into the world.


Social media  allows us to market directly to the individual who likes the same things we do,
This is your opportunity not to be ordinary, the microphone is on, what are YOU doing to make a big difference and capture the worlds heart? share with our readers in the comments below.




Credits:
Van Gogh "The Red Vineyard at Arles"

Is your band newsworthy?

Are you doing all you can to help your musical project stand “above the noise”?

Features and reviews are awesome, However, most bands miss opportunities for extra exposure. 

Look at  opportunities you have for obtaining additional press,

Themes that tie into current events, local or national news or your favorite  causes.

• Your band or company name?

 Pomplamoose The name derives from the French word pamplemousse,[5] meaning grapefruit.

Steeley Dan is named after a adult toy in the William Burroghs novel
“Naked Lunch”

Green Day- If you smoked pot and goofed off all day you had “a green day”

• CD  or song name- do you have any significant meaning in the name?

Nirvana’s, Smells like teen Spirit: Kathleen Hanna, the lead singer of the group Bikini Kill, gave Cobain the idea for the title when she spray painted "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" on his bedroom wall after a night of drinking and spraying graffiti around the Seattle area. In his pre-Courtney Love days, Cobain went out with Bikini Kill lead singer Tobi Vail, but she dumped him. Vail wore Teen Spirit deodorant, and Hanna was implying that Cobain was marked with her scent.  The Deodorant sales went through the roof when this song became a hit.

• Highlighting a band members noteworthy deed (It doesn’t have to be musically related)

Bob Geldof, Activist and founder of the band  boomtown rats who's Band-aid efforts have raised millions for anti poverty relief for Africa.


Chris Owens' background would take the spotlight when his band “Girls”hit the scene in 2009. With a story like his -- a childhood spent in the controversial religious cult Children of God (now known as the Family International)

•  Subject matter of songs- do you have tie in’s to current events or trends?  

We are the world- Led by Michael Jackson & Lionel Ritchie with 45 other artists led the way with USA for Africa to raise awareness and fund famine relief for Africa.

Look to you local news for information about current events, even causes that you are passionate about.

        Share the name of your band with readers in the comments below, or how you have used the idea’s above to obtain press for your band or creative business.

The magic 3 p's in Marketing

Ask yourself what are the things that bring you emotional fulfillment?

If you’re a artist certainly your “art”, what ever medium it manifests itself in-  music, painting, writing, film, are at the top of the list.

Having a successful marketing campaign for your creative business   means you must have the  magic 3 p’s as part of your marketing strategy.

Passion, Purpose, & Product.

Passion: Connecting with your own unique “higher purpose” whether it is raising money for your favorite local charity, ending poverty, or bringing awareness about a service need in your community. 

Including your “emotional fulfillment in your entertainment helps define who you are as a individual brand.  Don’t try to be an advocate for every cause, pick a theme and focus on it.

Purpose:  This is how a creative business defines what it does; it builds loyalty within your organization, and establishes trust with your customers because they see their values in action.  This Purpose helps transform your creative business into an organization with a cause, and individuals will do incredible things to support a cause.

Product:  When you package your “purpose” into your product you have just positioned yourself ahead of the competition. You have given your creative brand a personality and a human characteristic that will resonate with your customers, which will help you, identify very specifically who your “fans” are and help you grow as you connect to your higher purpose.

What are the 3p’s in your creative business?  Let us know in the comments below so more fans can connect with what your doing!

Working class hero's

Where were you when President Kennedy,  or John Lennon were killed?
How about  Elvis, Lady Diana, Kurt Cobain, or Michael Jackson died?  These individuals were all cultural icons that had a impact on the way we live.  Most of us remember where we were when we heard the news of their unexpected deaths.

This week in America everyone is talking about  a series of events that involved the loss of so many "working class" hero's,  9/11.
There events are  book marks in everyone's lives. Iconic moments in time, where certain foods, events, and even songs are a reminder of those events.

  I don't want to talk about the event, where you were when the event's occured.  Or the negativity around the event.

  I want to focus on the small window of time after the event.
 I know you remember it, It lasted for just  a couple of weeks,  when all the senseless B.S. just fell away.  

It hindsight it was a beautiful moment of time where everyone was NICE to one another.
We didn't rush, we waited for people to cross the street, we smiled to strangers and said hello, we offered a seat to someone who looked tired, and we  offered a hand to those less fortunate.


I am sending a smile and kind word to all who read this-and invite you to use your creative energy to create something positive.


You my friends are the instruments of change.
Lay down your fears, put aside your hate and instead,
write or sing a song, paint a picture, create a sculpture, knit something, write a poem, Then, give it to someone... ideally a total stranger, and expect nothing in return.

If you are a recipient of a gift from a stranger, pay that kindness  forward.

 I invite you to share this with a friend, and wish all who read this

Happy Blessings,


=Tamra=



Photo Credits:

Heart Rock & Yarn Earth: Tamra Engle(c)

MJ & Diana: http://awesomepeoplehangingouttogether.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/michaeljacksonprincessdiana.jpg

John Lennon:  http://www.greatmodernpictures.com/lennonnyclg.jpg

Do you have a contagious brand?

Do you have a brand that is contagious?

Is there compelling content that people love? 

Are you creating unique ways to connect with your fans and allow them to participate in the creation process?

I recently  read the Hierarchy of Contagiousness, which offered the perspective of brands being either a rubber stamp or box of Crayons, 

Step back and take a look at your creative business model, is it more like a rubber stamp or box of crayons?

 In the Rubber stamp model, one size fits all, and a very short life cycle. Ironically,  most personal brands fit into this category; since the idea of a personal brand is to highlight your uniqueness.

In the "box of crayons" model,  your fans can use tools to mix and blend their own colors.   The “Crayon” model is so successful for businesses interested in long-term success that mega brands are creating opportunities to include their fans in the creation process:

Pepsi / Doritos   invited fans to help them create and submit video content, that the product selected a winner to use for their Superbowl ad.

Bjork’s "Biophilia" for iPad  will include  ten separate apps, all housed within one "mother" app. Each of the smaller apps will relate to a different track from the album, allowing people to explore and interact with the song's theme's or even make a completely new version of them.

Nine inch Nails have invited fans to remix 21 tracks which have been called the limitless potential. 

 Share your examples of how you have used your “box of crayons” to create fan engagement opportunities in the comment section below.

Links:
 http://www.crashthesuperbowl.com/#/?finalist=6886

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biophilia_(album)

http://www.9inchnails.com/remixes/
http://www.pollsb.com/photos/o/32699-box_crayons.jpg

Maximize your creative time!

Getting the most out of your creative time can make a huge difference in the productivity of your day as an artist.

Using these few tips, will help keep you focused and motivated-

FOCUS:  When you start to lose focus on what your are aiming for, the target becomes unclear. Write down the problem you are having, the physical process of writing with a pen or pencil accesses a different part of your brain not used when you are tapping on your keyboard.

INSPIRIATION:  We have data pouring upon us daily, be selective about your constant extended exposure to negative news, Direct your attention to things that stretch your comprehension, and inspire you to grow and improve things in your world.

POWER: Create time to generate new idea’s, themes and character sketches and WRITE them down, to weave into future projects.

Everyone has busy schedules, and each of us have opportunities to create efficiency in our schedules. Look at your activities ask yourself where are area’s that you can improve “how” you are doing things.  You may need to set the alarm a hour earlier to give yourself the “gift” of extra time.

ENERGIZE: Look at your list of ideas from your POWER list- not all of these ideas will be executed.  Start by selecting the “low hanging fruit” from your list, those are the ideas that are the easy to reach, allowing yourself these little successes you buoy your confidence for the bigger ideas. Create a outline to turn the idea’s into a action.    Like a garden, some day’s you need to  go back and clean things up and trim the excess to create room for more ideas in your creative “garden” to grow.

DEDICATION:  Stick with it,  to be good at anything you need to practice, and make time to develop your creative energy, it’s  like going to the gym, the 1^st day your not very good using the equipment, but after several weeks, you develop a rhythm.

RECHARGE:  Having balance in your life is something you have control over,

After launching a large project, celebrate!  Getting proper rest, eating a balanced diet, AND taking breaks to get up and MOVE- Go for a walk, run, bike ride at lunch time or after a long work day. These little deposits in the creative bank will help insure the creative juices will keep flowing.

What are your favorite tricks you use to stay in the creative flow I would love to hear them in your comments below!  

Photo Credits:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/- Creative Garden

http://farm6.static.flickr.com- list

http://s3.hubimg.com/u/4386726_f260.jpg- clock

Recession proofing your business!

 

How are you personally weathering the economy?

  At this point everyone has been impacted, perhaps you, or someone you know has either been laid off, taken a job that is below their skill level, or even lost a home.

The media works diligently to continuously re-enforce your fears by talking about it constantly. 

It is a perfect time to just STOP- turn off the media stream for just a minute and ask yourself:

Have you recession proofed your creative business?

1)    Don’t make sweeping changes:  

      I know a business owner that is actually turning away a huge network of business because of 1 bad experience with a former colleague, they feared as a competitor. 

      Look at the big picture, if you’re in business -competition exists,

      what differentiates you from your competitors? And how does it help your customers?

2)    Increase sales:  Create bundles, lower price point items.  Offer special “tour packages” where they get a cd and t shirt for $20

For special recession busting bundles make them in easy to spend denominations $5, $10, $15, $20-

 “Free-Demo coasters”- put together a little FREE 3 song sampler in sleeves- w/ the name of the songs but more importantly your name, website, and booking contact info. and place one on every table in the venue your playing in as a FREE gift. Then during the break wander walk around and thank everyone for coming out. (make sure you have someone working your merch table!   You NEVER know who is in the audience!  My most successful show had 3 people sitting in the audience, that one person was a producer who booked us on a national tour.

3)    Reduce Inventory:  Are you just finishing a new cd? and you have lots of old buttons / stickers / t-shirts from your last tour or promotion?

Create Recession Buster Bundles

Go green and recycle packaging- 

One of my bands uses old paper towel rolls to pack the t-shirts in

It makes them easy to pack for touring and really easy green packaging for fans…  on the side in sharpie the write a sm md lg  description.

Another artist re-cycled Calistoga bottle caps to make buttons for a special event.

What Recycling packaging ideas are you using for your creative business?

I would love to hear about it in your comments below.

====================

Photo Credits:

Tamra Engle SJL Buttons

Wilie Coyote http://agonist.org/files/active/1/wileecoyote.jpg

Link:  is your merch table a cash cow?

http://guitartam.blogspot.com

Is your merch table a cash cow

  

 As a performing musician You need unique & engaging musical performance to encourage repeat customers and increased ticket sales. Statistically individuals are going to fewer show, so there are to be a compelling performance and high entertainment factor to bring people

out en masse.

Often when working with artists, I find their merchandise table either missing completely, or missing significant sales opportunities.

I pulled together 5 tips to help you:

-Increase your sales

-Create meaningful engagement with your fans

-Manage inventory / cost

 

     1)  INTERESTING TABLE:  Think about high traffic areas in stores, they often have colorful interesting displays to capture your interest.  Think of your merch table as your own personal fan store. Even if you only have a table with a mailing list on it, have a colorful tablecloth and a sign (something that ties into your bands image) if you’re a country act, a picnic table w/ tablecloth vase of flowers and a framed sign. A Punk band might have a black vinyl or red PVC material with chains and a metal box displaying cds. Your local fabric store often has remnant materials you can buy for next to nothing, also look at recycled items to repurpose.

Many venues often offer you a tiny cocktail table to sell from so you need to be creative and prepared- having a card table that you can set up, it takes up a  small footprint and  doesn’t use a lot of valuable space in the tour car/truck.

2)   MAILING LIST: At the very mimimum your table must  have a clip board & mailing list that you can pass around and have people sign up.  TIP: Between songs right before the break take a few pictures of the crowd from the stage, tell them if they sign the mailing list, you’ll be posting the pics in your next newsletter for them to see THEIR mugs  at the show.  It WORKS!

3)   INVENTORY:  If you are just starting out, you may only have a couple of songs or a demo cd of “pre-released” or live songs. Give a free demo or song to everyone who signs your mailing list. Stickers, are also a very low cost, easy to give away item in exchange for a email address. Remember, you want to give them a reason to come back, and tell their friends about your show.

If you have several inventory items display them in a interesting way so people can see different styles.

Make it clean & well organized and have something at various price points- If you have a $15 admission fee, you better have something for sell for $5  since everyone will have at least a left over $5 from the $20  they paid at the door.

4)   ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS: You are losing 30-40% of your sales if you do not have a card swiper. Think about that!   If your fan’s spend their $5 from item #3 on a drink at the bar, you want them to use that cute little debit card in their wallet. Keep it simple and have a swiper machine and the credit card slips  it’s the best $30 you will spend   You can also use various apps with your iPhone/iPad as a cc machine however, you need to have a strong internet connection for them to work. You don’t want to worry about losing merchandise sale because the bar your playing in doesn’t have a cell signal right?

5)   ATTRACTION:    If you are the performing act, during the break and after the show, you work the merch table, talk to your fans AT THE TABLE. Do not go to the bar, you are working!  At the table  you can sign cd’s, shirts, and invite folks to join your mailing list. Usually artists have PLENTY of enthusiastic fan will offer to buy you a drink I promise! If you see someone always showing up at your show, give them a free cd or shirt, they are free walking billboards for you!   Yes you want to make money AND spread the word.

 Recruit the cutest sales gal you can find to wear your band T-shirt and work the table during your performances. Men and women can’t resist talking to a cute girl with a smile on her face! Honestly your sells will go up accordingly.  Make sure you give them a little cash or at the VERY least pay for their dinner for helping YOU make more money that evening / tour. *Remember NO eating at the merchandise table- no one can sell well if they are shoving food in their mouth, save the noshing for AFTER the show when the audience has gone home.   Having a merch. person keep track of the money and being proactive about working your “store” while your performing will make a huge difference to your earning potential and turn your merch table into a cash cow when you look at it as your own personal fan store!

Ultimately, it is about reaching out to your fans, and creating a new connection with them so they come back and bring their friends.

Do you have a really cool merch set up, email me a pic if you think you have a awesome space efficent merch set up!

Links:

CD baby  swiper http://members.cdbaby.com/moreservices/creditcardswiper.aspx

Merch case: http://www.hughshows.com/merch.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/PERGEs/s320/cigarette_girl.jpg

Looking for something fun to collect your merch $ in? How about your VERY OWN cash cow!

     

Preparing your business for a cross country trip

To have a successful business, ANY business, YOU have to work REALLY HARD.

If your business involves YOU or a small group of individuals who create the product you produce, You figure out very quickly that there is more work than  2,3, or even 4 people can do full time.  

Outlining the direction you are moving as you head toward you final destination,  & the resources you are going to commit to moving toward this destination. is called a strategic plan.

 If your desire  is to have a business where you make a living wage doing the creative thing that you love, then you need to have your business organized so you can succeed in doing that!

 

ANY successful business needs capital.  You have to be able to finance your business, for it to be healthy and grow.   Just imagine driving on a cross country trip with no map, no gps, or no fuel..... You are not going to get far.   

There is no room to “just throw it out there and see what happens”-  the work doesn't stop when you record the demo, or book the show....if that is your current plan how is that working for you?    To attract potential investors like- gallery owners, publishers, labels,  when they see you have a organized well run creative business THEY COME TO YOU. 
 If that isn't happening, then your next step should be to schedule a consultation with a   experienced business professional. Investing in the right person to  be part of your team,  will help you be prepared for the "cross country trip" providing you with a map  & GPS to assist you with your strategic planning & fuel  in the car to move you and your organization  toward your final destination.  










Recommended reading:
    
In the book you will learn:
The Beatles performed live in Hamburg, Germany over 1,200 times from 1960 to 1964, amassing more than 10,000 hours of playing time BEFORE they ever came to America- to be "overnight sensations"  (that is more than most bands play in their entire careers!).

Top 5 reasons artists fail

Top 5 reasons bands / artists fail:

1)    No action plan: You MUST have a map and a destination in mind to get anywhere.  Like taking a road trip, you can meander hoping that someone will find you- Legitimate Producers, Booking agents, managers, attorneys won’t work with artists who haven’t achieved some level of success, and are diligently working on growing their careers.  Be ready to make a LONG-term commitment (Being a overnight success takes a minimum of 5 yrs of VERY hard work).

2)    Having the right tools:

Artist Website (this is the center of your social media universe)

-       Artist Bio (with good quality photographs)

-       Demo 3-5 songs 

-       Reviews or recognition

-       Mailing list

-       Booking info

-       Business cards (you’re a business, act like a pro)

3)    A Great Product: One thing that has never changed you MUST have great music and a great show- this is your job; you need to create the BEST music possible and lots of it!  Rehearse, play lots of shows, and constantly work on refining your craft to stay ahead of the competition. The industry is saturated with wanna be’s with little or no talent. Know what your strengths are and utilize them.

4)    Educate yourself:  To have a successful music business you need to know how EVERYTHING works- If you don’t know about distribution, or booking, use the internet, go to conferences, consult with professionals who can help you. Gather facts, and make informed decisions.

     3) Business Expert: Most artists don’t have a experienced business expert to help them guide their careers, since most business managers are busy with their successful clientele, you need a professional who can help you stay focused, and on track saving you valuable time and money.

         

Recommended book to have: