The Holodigm

HOLOGRAM - The Next Superstar - Where are you? - July 21, 2010

2010-07-21T17:33:00.000-07:00

Before Elvis there was swing music which got the greatest generation through WWII during which the antiquarian record business died for lack of shellac. Plastics gave us a new music industry. Fueled by rock & roll and the marriage of AM radio and 45s the modern record business was born.

The King drove MUSIC to a very high place and the infrastructure was further exploded by the talents of The Beatles. When 331/3 married FM radio the postmodern record business became big business. The symbiotic relationship between concerts and records blew it up even bigger. All of this was MUSIC driven.

It is culturally impossible for the old infrastructure to survive without an artist geometrically more appealing than Elvis or The Beatles. Even in this era of FREE MUSIC and niche markets, such an avatar could draw an ubiquitous audience. Lacking a superstar to attract their interest the people will go back to the street and start over. The exodus has already begun.

The Holodigm @ UCLA - Building Careers in The Music Renaissance - June 17, 2010

2010-06-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

HolodigmMusic.com

HOLOGRAM: Hartmann Returns to UCLA for Fall 2010

Holodigm Music CEO, and music industry veteran, John Hartmann has been engaged to repeat "The Insiders Guide to Music Management" for UCLA Extension this Fall. Hartmann who is a three time professor of the year at Loyola Marymount University will bring his new digital music industry paradigm to the Westwood campus for the second time. The Holodigm system is attracting musicians and entrepreneurs from all over the world who are dedicated to building careers in the music renaissance.

The Insider's Guide to Music Management

X 447.31 Music 4 units $550

The music manager's role is crucial to a musician's career success. Yet very few people who enter the entertainment industry have any idea what a manager does or how one can help their career. This course is designed to explain the management side of the music business. Find out what music managers do, why they are important, and how to avoid management pitfalls. Lectures, discussion, and industry guests address such topics as when to get a manager, the role of the manager in the indie world, and going up the ladder with a manager. Internet access required to retrieve course materials.

Reg# V9000B

UCLA: 2214 School of Public Affairs Bldg.
Saturdays: 12PM -4PM - 9 Meetings
Sep 25 - Nov 20

Quote Me! - Bob Lefsetz - June, 16, 2010

2010-06-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

HolodigmMusic.com

QUOTE ME: Bob Lefsetz

"We live in a confusing, crazy world. But one thing is constant. The winners
pay their dues. And it's not solely time on the chain gang. No, there's a
ton of anxiety involved. Questioning yourself, taking risks, sticking to your
guns when no one believes in you."

From:: www.thelefsetzletter.com

HOLOGRAM - BioMatrix @ Yoga Desa - Sundays

2010-06-14T11:39:00.000-07:00

HolodigmMusic.com

BIOMATRIX

MIND + BODY SYMMETRY TRAINING

"A Youthing System for the 21st Century"

Aging is not about time, it is an accumulation of symptoms. BioMatrix Training reverses the aging process by eliminating the symptoms. Close the Mind + Body gap and realize your full potential.

Stretch, torque and meditate your way to peace, harmony and a stress free life. Empower your goals with integrated action. Position your mind to dominate and control your bodies agenda.

Find your personal balance before you are endangered, before pain masters you and your mind loses its keenness. Seek the truth and serve the light. Strive to master only yourself.

Pax et Amo. Hartmann

SUNDAYS - 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM - YOGA DESA @ PINE TREE CIRCLE - 120 Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Topanga, CA 90290

FIRST CLASS - July 11 - All ages and all stages welcome. Yoga mat required. Donation: $5

BioMatrix Coach: John Hartmann - johnhartmann@holodigmmusic.com

HOLOGRAM: A Light Goes Out in Music - Barbara Skydel - June, 11, 2010

2010-06-11T12:06:00.000-07:00

HolodigmMusic.com

MAKE THEM SING BARBARA SKYDEL MAKE THEM PLAY

Barb was the best of the best. She brought dignity, class and style to the profession of booking agent. Her honesty, integrity and humility set a standard that only she could achieve. Either at Premier Talent, or the Morris office, she represented every act I managed for the past four decades.

Yesterday I called a number only she had answered for over forty years. I was just checking on her health which had been distressed. Not waiting for a "hello" I immediately went into my song: "I am HartSky and you are SkyBlue, I'm just callin' to say I love you..."

"I presume you are calling for Barbara," replied a very dignified Nurse Genvieve. "I am sorry to inform you that Barbara died this morning." She didn't sugar coat the word as if there were some flavor that might turn the pill sweet.

Genvieve was a professional and she had done this many times before. She told me the truth with love, I swallowed hard, could think of nothing to say, thanked her and cried.

"I an HartSky and you are SkyBlue, I'm just callin to say I love you."

John Hartmann

The Holodigm Quote of the Day - Ryan Gosling on Pitchfork - June 2, 2010

2010-06-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

HolodigmMusic.com

QUOTE ME

Ryan Gosling - Dead Man's Bones - on Pitchfork:

"It seems like an interesting time to come into music, because it seems like everybody's leaving, every office we go into the guy's packing up, and pulling all the final things from his desk in a box," Gosling said. "It seems like, you can't make money anymore, so people are trying to figure out how it all should work. My impression just seems to be like, it's kind of the Wild West in a way. Whatever you think of you can do, and that's really terrifying but also an exciting situation to be in, because you realize that you can create the way that this goes down for you...So people are in it because they want to be, and not because they think it'll be profitable for them. It seems like it's good creatively, but you also have to figure out how you want to present your music, because the old model doesn't work anymore."

Posted by Amy Phillips on January 11, 2009 at 4:20 p.m.

The Digital Music Business FAQ - Book Publishing - May 27, 2010

2010-05-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

HolodigmMusic.com

A Literary Agent asks:

Will book publishing suffer the same fate as the record business?

Hartmann responds:

The handwriting is on the wall and there is no god powerful enough to stop digimodernization. Reading from paper is too expensive to survive as a great American pastime. Furthermore, it is economically and ecologically unsound.

The big publishers will gobble up the little ones in a vain attempt to grab a few more high profit sales. But, just like the fate the ones and zeros imposed on the record business they will die, crushed under their own weight. So what's new? This is what technology does to everything sooner or later. Somebody builds a better mouse trap and everybody wants one.

Well guess what, everybody has one and the more they play with their computers the faster the old paradigm shifts. And as scary as that may sound to you, it's the best thing that ever happened to authors of creative works. When the price dust settles reading on screen will get millions more people into the mix. More words are read online every day than are accessed from all other sources combined.

It is so Socratic that each and every dreamer can write a book. Why not? Eeverybody is the star of his own movie and all this reading is going to produce a different kind of author. For lack of a term, lets call it "reality writing." Unfettered by the editorial process, the new writers will shred the envelope. The will break all the rules, because they don't know them.

What these cyber-writers bring to the table is freedom. Freedom to create, freedom to publish and most importantly freedom to collect if they write something truly great. Yes, millions will publish a few copies for their friends and family, but think about the potential if you produce something everybody loves. After all it is the entertainment business and only the very best stuff makes the best seller lists.

It is impossible to say what the public will embrace in the long term. History shows that everything just keeps changing. The good news is that if a great book is written and published by the author it will find an audience eager to play and willing to pay. What they won't buy is marginal work.

When the good stuff hits the Internet millions will acquire it for free. A fraction will pay out of appreciation and respect. That minority will be infinitely greater in size than the entire extant book market. The author could sell millions of digital copies in a day. There will be no commissions and no publishers share. The price will be less than five dollars and the author will never have to work again. Of course, he will and he will keep the profit.

Some people will always read from paper books, but they probably ride horses and have eight-track players as well. It's time that the corporate money machines were eliminated from the process and their well demonstrated greed insures their demise. No assasination is required, they shot themselves in the foot and now they are frantically watching themselves bleed out.

Let authors stand on their talents and when they deliver let them keep the money. The world of publishers is doomed, the world of authors is born anew and it is the most exciting time in reading. Some brilliant agents will reinvent the monetization of the business model and all will be well in the land. The winners are the readers and writers. The losers are the powers that used to be and within a decade all that will remain is the ashes of the status quo doused by zeros and ones.

The Reflectacles @ Dakota Lounge - Wednesday, May 26, 2010

2010-05-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

HolodigmMusic.com

Holodigm artists The Reflectacles will be performing live at Dakota Lounge this Wednesday.

4 GREAT BANDS STARTING at 8:30 PM

The Refelctacles Showtime: 10:30 PM

Location: 1026 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica

Unless something goes terribly wrong with the United States Postal Service, we will have our debut, "The Wiley Post EP," available for sale!

Please help support your local Rock 'n' Roll movement. Music, herself, needs you!

Quote of the Day: Alice Cooper - May 17, 2010

2010-05-17T11:34:00.000-07:00

http://holodigmmusic.com/

HoloGram - Pearls of Wisdom from a Master Songwriter

"If I were to take a young band, I would have them listen to four people: Burt
Bacharach, Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson and Paul Simon, or maybe Laura Nyro.
Listen to the construction of those songs. I mean, the Beatles - so simple, but
I get everything they're saying to me. When I hear these new bands, I don't get
it. And it's because they don't know how to tell a story within those musical
boundaries. That three-minute musical boundary." ALICE COOPER

Holodigm Media Artists LIVE @ A/C

2010-05-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

http://holodigmmusic.com/

The Reflectacles - LIVE @ Air Conditioned - May 13

GRADUATION CELEBRATION

The official LMU "Ultimate Graduation Kiss-Off " will be celebrated at AIR CONDITIONED on MAY 13. Holodigm Media Artists, The Reflectacles, lead the parade of bands, friends, fans and families who will celebrate the senior class kissing-off school. Come and kiss somebody goodbye.

Kissing is invited, but not mandatory. All kissing will be conducted at the discretion of the kissee, not the kisser. The Reflectacles Music Company, LLC assumes no liability for the after effects of short or long term kissing. Thank you for your cooperation. Bring your dancing shoes and lips.

The Air Conditioned Supper Club is located @ 625 Lincoln Blvd., Venice, CA 90291

SHOW STARTS @ 8:00 pm

THE REFLECTACLES @ 10:00 PM

DINNER RESERVATIONS: 310-250-5343

The Digital Music Business FAQ

2010-04-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

HolodigmMusic.com

Valerie Walsh asks:

What the hell is going on in the music business? Is everybody fiddling as Rome burns? Is there a plan for the future?

Hartmann responds:

Welcome to The Gold Rush - The Digital Music Business

When no bag is ubiquitous all genres are viable. We have entered The Music Renaissance and the future of the Music Industry has never been brighter. The thousands of years old concert business will not evaporate because the postmodern record business has reached the end of its dominant era. The double edged sword of the Internet has cut the big four labels to their knees. It is also the instrument carving the future of recorded music. The paradigm shift is toward the artist. No longer will popular music be dictated from corporate board rooms. The next great star will rise up from the cyber-grass-roots and suddenly explode on the web. Should only the degree of affection we held for The Beatles land on a new artist, a monumental windfall could make such an act instantly famous and vastly rich in one day. Would you have stolen from Elvis or The Beatles?

It would defy the historical trajectory for such a phenomenon not to occur. If everybody with an iPod decided to purchase rather than "share" a particular song a multi million dollar fortune would be made instantly. The pursuit of this potential has a fertile garden and an army of contestants. Millions post their music online every day. This creates a giant hay stack of brass needles. Everybody with a Guitar Hero badge and a Mac can write a song and make a record. But they are not necessarily talented. The challenge is to find the golden needles among the brass. It can't be done by surfing the web. The battle is fought in the live arena.

The digital convergence has vastly expanded the core audience for music. Every song ever recorded is available online for free. Nothing can stop the tide of peer-to-peer file sharing. It is not regarded by the participants as theft. The music is "shared" for the benefit of artist and fan. They regard record companies as the enemy of the artist and they are correct in that presumption. Since the moral quotient has no consideration nothing can stop the practice. The new music industry entrepreneur must accept the fact that paying for music is a choice not a necessity.

The listening experience has come full circle. Music lovers are addressing one song at a time. They no longer have to buy ten songs they don't want to get the one they like. After all, they are not paying for it and nobody steals something he doesn't want. The record business is over, and bands must give their music away to create a following. Downloads are easy to distribute. If enough people "share" your music they will come to your gig out of curiosity.

If you have a great live act they will fall in love and buy the CD from you even though they already have the music or they wouldn't be there. If they go for a t-shirt as well good for you. They saw MTV and are aware that purchasing your merch is a gesture of admiration, affection and support. The artist and the audience are now directly linked and the new infrastructure for the monetization of music will be constructed according to this principal. The artist is the publisher, manager and label and he must own and control all income streams just to survive. Ten percent of the artists will split one hundred percent of the money.

The big four record labels will continue to shrink and ultimately become banking institutions. They will try to buy the acts that succeed. By the time the labels know what is happening the artists won't need them. Their distribution system evaporated with the brick and mortar stores. Radio has been their long time weapon of justification but everybody listens to his iPod.

There is only one template for how to pursue careers in the current environment. If you are going to turn your music into a survival mechanism you must first learn how to play the digital music business game. You must play perfectly well, have talent and get lucky to win. The process begins with education. The systems, mechanics, protocols and politics of how to get started can be found at The Holodigm. The golden needles are invited to join the revolution in the digital music renaissance. Make music your business. Make business your music. Learn how, right now at: http://www.holodigmmusic.com/.

The Reflectacles - FREE CONCERT - The Good Hurt - May 1, 2010

2010-04-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

HolodigmMusic.com

FREE CONCERT - If you are on The Reflectacles' guest list.

Send an email to http://www.thereflectacles/ .com to add your name.

The Reflectacles at The Good Hurt - Saturday, May 1st @ 10:00 PM

Get a jump on graduation celebrations - Join us at:

THE GOOD HURT

12249 Venice Boulevard, Venice, CA

The Reflectacles - The Stonghold - Saturday, April 17, 2010

2010-04-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

HolodigmMusic.com

The Reflectacles - Live @ The Stronghold - Saturday, April 17 - 10:00 PM

1625 Abbott Kinney Blvd.

Venice, CA 90291

A concert to benefit The House of Ruth

Digital Music Business FAQ - Underground vs. Mainstream - April 8, 2010

2010-04-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

HolodigmMusic.com

Underground vs. Mainstream

Casares asks:

I was wondering if the indie and folk genres have what it takes to produce a musician comparable to a group like The Beatles or Bob Dylan. I question this because I see groups, such as Bright Eyes, who have the ability to sell out the Hollywood Bowl at a ticket cost of $100 + and yet, they are still very "underground" in a sense. What is keeping bands like these from surfacing into the mainstream and gaining a dedicated international fan base?

Hartmann responds:

Every generation puts a hero up the pop charts. The evolution of music is deeply attached to the cultural phenomenon we call "coming of age." Growing up is a process that nobody escapes; it just happens. Technology gave birth to the record business with the invention of Edison's phonograph. In the beginning recorded music was a luxury enjoyed by those able to afford the cost of the hardware and the records were essentially loss leaders designed to sell the machines.

In the early nineteen hundreds terrestrial, broadcast radio became the primary delivery system for recorded music. The stations were small and their audiences regional. The music itself focused on the genres and styles indigenous to the immediate locale. There was no mainstream music format. Each region of the country presented the music most likely to attract the largest audience in the broadcast radius of the station. Jazz, Ragtime and The Blues dominated in the deep South. Moving North, Country music proliferated. In the North East and West big band music reigned.

During World War II the record business suffered its first major decline. Seventy eight RPM records were pressed in shellac, a substance produced in a handful of Pacific countries. The war precluded access to this essential material and the business was stopped cold in its tracks. Pun intended. However, the war effort generated enormous advances in source materials, recording technology and manufacturing mechanics. Low cost, 45 RPM record players arrived.

This new playback systems liberated teenagers from their parent's music. Young people now had the unique ability to choose their own music one song at a time. The collecting and trading of singles became the primary bonding mechanism for the baby boomer generation. Searching the radio dial young people discovered the latest hits and scrambled to own them. Into this fertile marketplace exploded Rock & Roll music. The fuel was the beat and the superstar was Elvis.

The enormous popularity of The king of Rock & Roll and the consolidation of radio stations into broadcast networks enabled national exploitation of regional artists. The mainstream was born. For more than fifty years national radio formats have successfully serviced a ubiquitous audience. Technical changes introduced thirty-three and one-third RPM albums just in time to flood the exploitation of FM radio. The Beatles led the parade and rock music dominated the airwaves.

The tremendous success of John, Paul, George and Ringo enthralled the world and every young musician yearned to start a band just like The Beatles. Millions tried and many succeeded, but none quite as well as The Fab Four. Regardless of the degree of success enjoyed by any given artist, high fidelity and stereophonic sound kept the public engaged and the music industry flourished behind its two primary activities performing and recording. The concert business nourished the record business and the sale of records precipitated attendance at live events.

The music industry was strong and a myriad of record companies emerged as the dominant marketing force. They controlled both radio formats and built vast distribution systems to service the thousands of record stores across the country and around the world. In the mid-seventies an extraordinary breakthrough shocked the industry. The vast number of record players extant, combined with efficient delivery systems and massive airplay to provoke a new phenomenon.

A young artist named Peter Frampton sold twenty-five million copies of the album "Frampton Comes Alive." This seminal event changed the record business forever. Lured by the huge profits attached to gigantic album sales, and the booming concert business, giant multi-national corporations began a process of acquisition and merger. This has resulted in hundreds of record labels being shrunk down to four major companies. With the record business under the control and direction of a few executives it didn't take much to bring the whole thing crashing down.

One fatal choice brought the postmodern era to an end and obliterated the mainstream. The decision of the Recording Industry Association of America, to destroy peer-to-peer file sharing and to sue their customers for doing it sealed their fate. In an effort to maintain the high profit CD as the prime delivery system for music, the big four walked away from digital downloading and denied their customer base. For the past decade CD sales have been in a constant decline.

The game has come full circle. The public has consistently demonstrated an interest in individual songs as opposed to the album format. This return to the singles game has resulted in music fans refusing to buy ten or more songs to get the one they want. With the loss of high profit CDs the infrastructure of the postmodern era could not stand. The loss of the record business is the music fans gain. More importantly, it places the power in the hands of the artists and music producers.

Radio is no longer the primary delivery system for music. The brick and mortar record stores have all but disappeared and the record companies are stuck in the old paradigm with no rescue in sight. Digimodernization has opened up the Internet and provided every artist with the same power tool to exploit their music. The major labels can no longer justify the enormous costs associated with artist development. Sales can not support the old record business paradigm.

The good news is that a small group of corporate executives, lawyers and bean counters are no longer in charge of popular music. The former dictators of content, and arbiters of taste, must now wait to see what the fan base is embracing on the world wide web. Recording costs are low, distribution and promotion are free and every style of music has a well established fan base.

There is a channel open for every genre and each one has a clear path for artists and managers to follow. Success is no longer measured in multi-platinum sales. A platinum album is every bit as rare and unique as it was in the beginning of the postmodern era. Only a handful of artists have enjoyed million unit sales in recent years, and the number is declining rapidly. What the RIAA calls theft is, in the minds of the cyber-kids, no such thing. If it is on the Internet, it's free for all.

The liberation of the artist community from the iron handed control of the record labels is a sign of progress. The future is clearly in the hands of the creative community once again. Many artists are enjoying relative success in the music renaissance. Bands like Bright Eyes selling out The Hollywood Bowl, at $100+ ticket prices is no small achievement. They are making good money. This has been accomplished through a long process of nurturing their following through live performances. Their fan base grew without the benefit of massive, mainstream radio airplay.

Making a living from music is the first level of success and it is only accomplished by ten percent of the artists competing. The digital stage is set. The cultural interest in music is at its highest level in history. More songs are in play to more people than ever before. Into this environment a young artist will eventually explode. The fans will fall in love, just like we loved The Beatles.

This new found musical hero will inspire the public who will voluntarily pay for the music, when they could "share" it for free. This transition in thinking will only be provoked by a great talent, with a timely image and a lot of charisma. Such a superstar will make millions of dollars from the sale of downloads on a single day. Then the same monolithic corporations, who are running for cover today, will reassert themselves, buy up all the players willing to sell, and crash it all again.

The Insiders Guide to Music Management - UCLA - April 1, 2010

2010-04-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

HolodigmMusic.com

HoloGram:

The Holodigm Seminars @ UCLA - Saturdays from Noon to 4:00 PM

Three time Loyola Marymount University Professor of the Year, John Hartmann, will be presenting a nine week course at UCLA Extension starting Saturday, April 3 at 12:00 Noon. This four unit course is called "The Insiders Guide to Music Management."

It is the first time The Holodigm Seminars have been available to the general public.

Please forward this message to any friends who may be interested in learning how to build bands in the digital age.

All artists and entrepreneurs engaged in creating careers in the music renaissance can benefit from this comprehensive lecture series on the systems, mechanics, protocols and politics of personal management in the music industry.

The course includes "A" list guest speakers from the eight core professions of entertainment.

You are all invited to participate in the first class at no charge. Just show up.

We meet in room 1234 of the School of Public Affairs Building on the Westwood campus this Saturday at 12: 00 PM. Use easy access at parking lot 3 and walk South to the SPA building.

You may register at www.uclaextension.edu. The course registration number is: V5990.

The Digital Music Business FAQ - What is The Holodigm? - Match 27, 2010

2010-03-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

HolodigmMusic.com

WHAT IS THE HOLODIGM ?

The Holodigm Corporation is based in a one room cabin high in the Santa Monica Mountains. It is run entirely on volunteer and collegiate intern labor. It is also the fastest moving force in the creation of a new music industry paradigm. The central product is the first on line, audio-visual, interactive text book.

The Holodigm System provides a comprehensive training in the eight core professions of entertainment. Our online education program presents an industry overview and analysis of the systems, mechanics, protocols and politics of the contemporary music Industry. It is part higher education and part coaching and mentoring. Holodigm Society members gain access to a myriad of products and support services.

The Holodigm Seminars course provides the initial income stream, it is generating a loyal customer platform from which a myriad of production and manufacturing systems previously, provided by record companies, will be launched. The digital convergence has imposed a severe decline in the century old record business. This does not mean that the ancient concert business will suffer a similar fate. Those same digital forces, that have decimated the postmodern record business, are presently engaged in carving a new business model to address the future direction of millions of music professionals and fans.

Established in 2008, by veteran agent, manager and record executive John Hartmann, The Holodigm is an on line sanctuary for artists and entrepreneurs seeking to build careers in the music renaissance. The core demographic of our customer base is the millions of bands posting music on the Internet every day.

The infrastructure of the music industry is built around publishing, concert and record commerce. Every generation chooses a musical hero. The contest to be the one at the top of the charts generates the global music industry mechanism. As a new paradigm evolves the creative community has no template for how to launch a career. The Holodigm provides a map, strategy and method for bringing the band from the garage to the professional realm. We are the missing link in the evolution of digital and music.

With just one full time employee, and a free-lance, part-time staff of interns and professional advisers, The Holodigm has established a marketing position with its central product, The Holodigm Seminars. We have proven the profitability and scalability of our business model. An array of ancillary tools, text books, DVDs and interactive programs are in development. The on line “Songworks” and “Coaches” services will connect aspiring songwriters and bands with world class record production and song craft.

Over the next 36 months, the Company intends to replicate its success by:
• Expanding its promotional and Internet marketing strategy
• Increasing the on line content for The Holodigm Music “Academy” division
• Developing enrollment in The Holodigm Music “Society”division
• Continuing to develop the Holodigm Music “Media” division
• Creating reciprocal trade agreements with the primary music manufacturers.
• Building the infrastructure to provide full time Web rejuvenation and repair.

The business model leverages an extremely large industry with enormous systems that will not expire from the loss of one of its components. All economies considered equal, digimodernization will turn out to be a great thing for the entertainment industry.

The advent of free music and low cost infrastructure has brought the extant universal library of music to the widest audience in history. Collegiate level education in music and business is creating a higher standard and it will produce a music renaissance.

The Digital Music Business FAQ - Making It Big - March 15, 2010

2010-03-15T12:48:00.000-07:00

HolodigmMusic.com

Making It Big

Lindsay Stanger asks:

It seems as though... 30 years ago when a band got signed to a major record label they were bound to at least be a one hit wonder if not a superstar. I have some friends that are either solo artists or in bands that were signed to major record labels and some even received a pretty hefty signing bonus...why is it that nothing ever seems to happen for them after they are signed?? Does the record label give up on them even after originally seeing potential? Is this common?

Hartmann responds:

All size is relative. "Big" is in the mind of the beholder and "making it" is a very nebulous term that has unique connotations to different people. One of the phrases most often used by music fans to describe their favorite artists is to say "they are making it big." But what does that really mean today? For a thing to be described as big something else must be regarded as smaller. The big four record companies have lost their way and the old system is no longer cost effective. The small artist owned and operated record company will emerge as the next big thing in music.

The standards of success in the old music industry paradigm were much more clearly defined than they are in the digital music renaissance. For more than one hundred years the concert business evolved in a symbiotic union with the growth and development of the record business. The technical link that bonded these two businesses together was terrestrial broadcast radio.

From the late eighteen hundreds, into the nineteen twenties and thirties, the antiquarian record business progressed from printed sheet music, to Edison's cylinders to shellac discs vulnerable to breakage. This was the acoustic period for recorded music. The play back systems of the day did not utilize electricity in their drive train or amplification mechanics. Radio receivers came in all shapes and sizes from simple crystal head sets to larger more elaborate pieces of furniture.

Music was forced to compete with comedy and dramatic programming for a share of the limited air time. Local stations operated at most twelve hours a day. Eventually radio replaced singing around the piano as the dominant form of in home entertainment. The "Great" Caruso, Rudy Vallee, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and many of their contemporaries sold millions of records on the strength of radio airplay. This led them to extensive film and personal appearance careers.

The process was rudely interrupted during World War II when the distant sources of shellac were no longer readily accessible. Manufacturing techniques and materials developed during the war enabled huge leaps forward in the analog recording and hardware delivery systems. By the mid fifties the modern record business was born out of the marriage of AM radio and forty-five RPM records. The low cost record player was easily acquired by the baby boomer generation.

Millions of teenagers were engaged in the collection and trading of "singles" as the seven inch, vinyl discs with the doughnut hole in the middle were called. Into this musical sanctuary of the young exploded the dynamic force that would drive the record business to unprecedented heights of popularity. Elvis Presley, The Hillbilly Cat, who would eventually be regarded as the King of Rock & Roll brought charisma, sex appeal and an incredible singing voice to an entire generation.

The infrastructure that was created to service Elvis and his contemporaries provided a vast public platform from which the postmodern record business would emerge. It was technology once again that pushed the envelope and prepared the way for the marriage of FM radio and thirty-three and a third RPM long playing albums. The driving force in this era was The Beatles.

Rock & Roll music eventually consumed more radio air time than all other content combined. The record business infused free recorded music and vast advertising and "payola" dollars into the system. A music hungry public fully engaged their heroes who reached the top of the charts and embraced the artist's records and personal appearances as their primary source of entertainment.

The process was slick and smoothly run. Hundreds of small record companies proliferated with many enjoying critical and financial success. As fame and fortune accrued to a steadily growing coterie of artists the public clamored to see their favorite rock stars in concert. The first to take advantage of this demand were the disk jockeys. Many gained enormous credibility with the radio audience by being the voice of the promotional vehicle and the self appointed arbiters of taste.

A disk jockey out of Cleveland named Alan Freed coined the term Rock & Roll and produced many of the earliest rock concerts and tours. A platter spinner from Philadelphia produced the first major touring events with "Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars" which were bolstered by his enormously popular "American Bandstand" television show. Both were caught up in the "payola" scandals of the fifties. Although no particular guilt was ever established, Freed was destroyed by them and died destitute. Clark went on to dominate music TV for fifty years.

During the last half of the twentieth century the infrastructures of radio, records and concerts became inter dependant and all three activities flourished together. During this time period there was a reasonable expectation that if you could get a record deal, mount a live act and demonstrate a modicum of talent and charisma you could have a productive career in the music industry.

This did not mean that everybody in the game became a superstar, far from it. In fact a core principal developed over time that prevails today. About ten percent of the artists competing at the professional level achieved financial success. This was enough to keep the industry healthy and growing. The remaining ninety percent of the artists failed to make a profit and moved on.

Today digimodernization has imposed a harsh new system on the music industry. Digital distribution of music has decimated the record industry. Low cost production and post Napster file sharing have drastically reduced the number of records purchased, while simultaneously putting more music in play than ever before. Mom and Pop record stores have disappeared along with the major chains. Within a decade ninety percent of recorded music will be acquired on line.

The myriad of record companies have been merged and consolidated down to four primary record groups that dominate the business. With the loss of control over the radio promotion and brick and mortar distribution systems they once dominated these four giants are engaged in a free fall of their own creation. Short sighted executive decisions vainly attempting to preserve the high profit, album oriented CD. The RIAA sued their customers and lost direct access to the fan base.

This accounts for the very small number of new artists achieving extraordinary success in the music renaissance. Only a handful of new acts have reached financial profitability in the past decade. The number of units sold to reach the top of the Billboard magazine charts has plunged from over a million units to slightly more than a hundred thousand. These facts reduce the investment dollars available to promote new acts. The cost of traditional radio promotion has remained the same or increased. Without the potential to sell a large volume of product the game, as we know it, is over.

While the record business struggles to find its digital life preserver, the concert business marches on, and continues to grow at a healthy pace. With all the recorded music ever produced readily available on line without the imposition of economics the fan base is building at an enormously accelerated rate. This new "free" form of promotion has created a global forum for fans to share music on a peer-to-peer basis eliminating the middle man and insuring the demise of the labels.

The next big superstar will be discovered and nurtured through the Internet and the potential for success is greater than ever. As a promotional tool the world-wide-web is infinitely more powerful than AM and FM radio combined. It allows artists and their managers to be proactive and independent about how they expose their music to the public. The musicians and producers can also market their music and branded products through low cost on line systems. More importantly they can capitalize on high profit margins by selling CDs directly to their fan base.

2010-03-09T14:40:00.000-08:00

The Reflectacles will be playing Brixton, a pretty sweet bar on Redondo Pier, at 8:30 PM this Friday, March 12. Also appearing: Merchants of Moonshine.

100 W. Torrance Blvd
Redondo Beach, CA.

Come and support your local Rock n' Roll movement. Tickets are $10 in advance, so please contact Hartmann or your favorite Reflectacle for purchases. We do, indeed, deliver!

The Digital Music Business FAQ - Stairway To Heaven - March 5, 2010

2010-03-05T11:13:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

The Stairway To Heaven

amarti76 asks:

In a recent lecture you talked about how an artist can make it to the big top through an alternative means, through climbing "the stairway to heaven". What are the advantages of taking this route as opposed to other more "conventional" methods. Is one way more preferable over others in order to ensure an artist long run success?

Hartmann responds:

The ancient music industry has evolved a system of mechanics and protocols that govern its traditional activities. The performance of live music in front of paying audiences can be as simple as one person singing in the street, for donations, and as complicated as tens of thousands crowding into sports arenas for major music events. The singular difference is measured by gross box-office potential. The dollar bills and loose change that land in the troubadour's guitar case are just as vital to his survival as the million dollar pay days that superstars take from larger venues.

The street musician is providing the very same service, from rock bottom, as the major artists provide from the big top. The primary difference is how many zeroes follow the number of dollars earned from the performance. The concert production business is the primary activity of the music industry and provides the core infrastructure around which the rest of the game is conducted. Every performing artist is in competition with all the other artists great and small.

Singers, musicians and bands seeking fame and fortune in showbiz must overcome the gravity in the elevator to the big top. There is a natural resistance from those in power to relinquish the rewards to the new contender. The baby band is competing for the same entertainment dollars as the established artist. Those earning the most, at any given time, fiercely resist the emerging artist's success by holding on to their spot in the ever changing music market place.

The competition is conducted by entrepreneurs and the creators of music through the traditional relationship between artists and personal mangers. Regardless of the nature of their financial arrangement this marriage of careers makes the manager the CEO of the artist's corporation.
The pursuit of their shared goals creates the commercial activity that generates box-office receipts and ancillary income streams through marketing of branded merchandise and recorded music.

Although every management team faces the same challenges in overcoming the circumstantial resistance to their success, each career has its own unique set of characteristics. Some are enabled by extraordinary talent, beauty and charisma. Often fledgling artists are supported by circumstances that have nothing to do with their inherent talent. They have access to the big top through one of the pathways on the stairway to heaven. Accessing these alternate routes is more about luck and natural selection than the artistic or entrepreneurial skills of the core team.

There are five paths on the stairway to heaven. The most powerful is "nepotism." If your father is an established star with proven talent and popularity, you as his offspring will be given an opportunity to demonstrate your craft. If you reveal prodigious creative and technical ability the public may embrace you as a star not having fallen far from the parental tree. Such public appreciation can lead to instant access to the star making machinery and insure your success.

A second route to the big top is "personal wealth." If you are a trust fund baby with deep pockets, you can invest your capital in the development and maintenance of your career. During the postmodern era the costs of mounting a live act were traditionally born by the record companies. With the advent of digital downloading the major labels can no longer justify huge investment in new artists. The loss of this financial source does not effect an artist who can fund his enterprise.

Corporate "sponsorship" can also provide an alternate route to the big top. As the digital convergence continues to erode the traditional systems for marketing and promotion, more and more business enterprises are seeking a direct connection to their customer base. By providing vehicles, cash and equipment to musical attractions many companies are actively engaged in the growth and development of new artists. This will increase as Internet advertising proliferates.

The fourth pathway is the slippery slope of "talent TV." There is no question that the talent contest television format has catapulted a handful of artists to the top of the charts. A few of them have even built what appears to be enduring careers. Conversely, it has brought the dreams and aspirations of many thousands of aspirants to a dead halt. Regardless of how far into the process one evolves, the careers produced are more about celebrity than talent. The notoriety accumulated in a few television exposures does not form the basis of an enduring career in music.

There is a long established tradition in showbiz that performers can sometimes "sleep" their way to the top. This is probably the riskiest and most painful method of building executive access to the people, systems and mechanics of the music industry. However, its efficacy cannot be denied. If you are an artist married to the president of the record company, it is reasonable to assume that you will get productive attention from the vice-presidents and staff, thus ensuring a concerted effort. There is a recent case that proves even in divorce such an artist can come out well ahead.

Regardless of how one gains a place in the elite fraternity that occupies the top ten percent of the music industry, surviving there is a daunting process. There are no guarantees in showbiz and in a game where duration is the primary goal, very few careers last a lifetime. The ones that endure are built one performance at a time by establishing a personal rapport with their fans through the concert arena. Artists starting their careers on the stairway to heaven must build the same management team, to stay on top, that would have been required to get there in the first place.

The Reflectacles @ The Mint - TONIGHT - February 27, 2010

2010-02-27T13:32:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

THE REFLECTACLES - Tribal Stomp - Put on your dancing shoes and come on down.

The Reflectacles in concert. Get out of the rain and into The Mint at 10:30 PM:

The Reflectacles will be performing at THE MINT in Hollywood tonight. 6010 W. Pico Blvd. L.A. CA 90055. Hope to see you there. Hartmann

The Digital Music Business FAQ - SONG LYRICS - February 26, 2010

2010-02-26T15:02:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

Where Have All The Dylans Gone?

Dmitry Popov asks:

Lately, I've been listening to the radio almost everyday and am I'm quite surprised by the quality of lyrics. Some new songs have poor lyrics and some of them are plain awful. With the rise of electronic music it seems that today a lot of people enjoy beat more than the actual message of a song. What do you think about that? Is it reasonable to believe that we are going to hear a new superstar song writer such as Bob Dylan?

Hartmann responds:

Rhythm was the first musical discovery. Our paleolithic ancestors danced, chanted and eventually sang. They started with meter, mixed in melody and fused their message into song. Long before producers crafted tempo, tune and tale into records the beat was deeply ingrained in the human psyche. Songwriting evolved along with man's cognitive skills as the concept of story led to the creation of spoken language. Music is the universal mathematics of the masses.

The computerized genre popular today is not dependant on lyrical content, it embraces that primordial ingredient in music that compels us to dance. It could just as easily be all instrumental. It is the lack of a lyrical ingredient that has kept electronica from producing a superstar, unless Lady Ga Ga is it. If so, at least she has reasonably appropriate lyrics for her image in most songs. Whatever her mass appeal, or success, certainly she will never be classified as a great songwriter.

The Hip Hop culture dominated popular music in the eighties and nineties The lyrical content of rap music is a primal ingredient but mostly demonstrate a rebellious attitude and social observation than a story with a beginning, middle and end. The folk, country and singer songwriter traditions are all lyric intensive embracing musical choices indigenous to each style.

The crafting of an effective lyric that communicates some identifiable truth is the highest art form in music. Although it can happen, rarely does a song spring full blown from the head of Zeus. Most often a universally appealing song is created over weeks and often months of careful experimentation. The end product is ultimately dependant on the writer's artistic choices.

Knowledge and experience in crafting musical compositions does not make one a songwriter For lyrics to resonate on an emotional level with the public, they must first emanate from someone with a point of view. When the public embraces any given tune they are identifying with the truth they perceive in the song's story. The goal is to tell the most story in the least least number of words. Every note, metaphor and simile must be shaped to support the song's central theme.

Songwriting is the core art form at the center the music industry. It is the source of the one true thing, music publishing. The most enduring material is produced by the greatest poets with the most prodigious musical skills. The writer describes the life and times of a specific segment of society and he exploits his work through an established music tradition. The message is infused with the romance, angst and rage embraced by the performers personal community. Regardless of genre or style it is the music fan who dictates the degree to which the words matter. Each generation discovers its personal poet laureate and ultimately identifies him as their Bob Dylan.

HOLOGRAM - Trust - February 20, 2010

2010-02-20T10:04:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

HOLOGRAM: Trust is not assigned, or awarded, it is purchased by action, earned through achievement and reinforced over time. jh

Digital Music Business FAQ - The Mainstream - February 18, 2010

2010-02-18T10:06:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

The Mainstream

George Gavin asks:

Do you believe that as the recording industry continues to lose money, and may eventually fold, that a popular mainstream will be able to survive in the face of millions of bands and no superstar to represent them? I know you say that the music world is waiting for a superstar, but there is no guarantee it will come (I think).

Hartmann responds:

The postmodern record business is in a state of explosion. All the pieces of shrapnel are flying toward the perimeter at the speed of light. As the old reliable systems and mechanics break down confusion remains for the survivors. Massive staff cuts at the big four labels are justified by the revenues lost to peer-to-peer file sharing, a cultural phenomenon that is not going to go away.

The label A&R, publicity, promotion, video and marketing divisions barely exist. Most remaining employees are at the executive level. They are charged with "saving" the record business. But they don't know what to do and it cannot be salvaged by trying to revive the compact disk. The CD will be sold by artists to their fans and it will be more of a souvenir than a music source. Most hard copy record sales will occur as a gesture of support generated by fans at the band's live events.

When no genre is ubiquitous all genres become viable. There is no mainstream music market. Every artist must project his music and live act toward the core audience that follows his particular style and musical niche. If a band cannot dominate its genre, it will never generate crossover appeal to fans of other styles. This is actually a good thing. It means that if you are truly talented, you can market to the group most likely to embrace your music and build a following.

The record companies had their day and they abused their power. Now, neither the fans nor the bands care much about what happens to them. They will continue to shrink and eventually become licensing and downloading systems with very little infrastructure. The labels will continue to push the few artists they do sign into the radio system but as the buyers disappear selling CDs will not be a profitable enough venture to survive. Bands will sell directly to the fans.

Perhaps the digital sword will cut even deeper into the record business and all the catalogs of masters will be sold or licensed to the phone companies, ISPs or new ventures formed specifically to exploit mid level artists and old product. The superstars will probably avoid the big four labels altogether and deal directly with the distribution systems. The high cost of developing baby bands will make the labels second stage players who will try to buy acts that can succeed on their own.

Every major historical advance in the music business has revolved around a superstar emerging in synch with changes in technology. Nobody is debating that the influence of dgimodernization has had a profound effect on the music industry. The loss of a primary income stream has forced artists back to the drawing board. They must now survive the old fashioned way, by excelling at the symbiotic art and science of performing and recording. A universal star could still emerge.

It is reasonable to assume that many of the Guitar Hero fans will graduate to real instruments. With sophisticated music programs available at most universities it is logical that college kids will learn many more chords than the three Elvis Presley used to generate his career. These young musicians are not going to graduate from college and give up. Music business curricula will teach them how to market and brand their product. The realistic progression for the next era in music is that quality would rise to previously unimagined heights. From this collegiate rock movement a new universal star could rise, or not. Perhaps music itself is THE superstar of the digital age.

Music Business FAQ - TALENT TODAY - February, 13, 2010

2010-02-13T10:41:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

Talent Today

R. Monahan asks:

Do you feel that there is any one act or artist already around today that could potentially rise up to being the face of our generation or are we still waiting on that star to appear? And also, if there is not anything established yet, what genre do you believe this act will rise out of?

Hartmann responds:

Every displaced record executive in the world is dreaming and scheming about how to reinvent the music industry. But, it is not the music "industry" that is suffering. It is the record "business" that is in a stew of its own making. The concert "business" is the second, and most enduring, component of the "industry" of music. The live music business will not sustain the same long-term, deleterious damage as has befallen the record business. Regardless of cost, profit, packaging, or how it is marketed, the music industry is here to stay and will be bigger than ever.

Digimodernization has fired the shot heard round the world. The transition is in motion, the industry will adapt. The evolution of it cannot be stopped. The artist and the audience are forever connected without imposition of middle-men who may have less than artistic motives. Cross cultural communication is exploding across the Internet and music is at its forefront.

Vast digital systems are hyper-linking social networks and enabling the exchange of millions of songs and videos every day. This "sharing" of music is expanding the global audience at an accelerating rate. The net result will be an increased interest in musicians and their work. The perceived values will accrue to the artistic side and the business of music will be redefined. This progression is moving at an explosive pace and the sound it makes is music.

There are hundreds of artist and repertoire services on the Internet that all offer "expert" guidance from seasoned professionals. The problem is that the expertize they purvey almost always relates to the old paradigm. There is a distinct lack of vision about exactly how to pursue the development of new talent in the music renaissance. One thing is for certain, reliance on record companies is no longer a viable option.

Newly minted Internet entrepreneurs must function within the parameters of their personal experience. This usually means finding someone to invest in the act. With very few record companies still in the artist development business, no artists get signed until they have a strong online following. By then, the potential contribution of a label is questionable. They can't guarantee much money, because the return on investment is not secure. The 360 degree formula is yet unproven; not one single act has come to prominence under this type of arrangement.

The music industry has been forced to take a digital leap backwards in order to surge forward into the new paradigm. The record business is collapsing under the weight of it's own infrastructure. This demise of the labels does not portend the end of recording as an art form. The two primary activities of the music industry will always prevail. Recording and performing are the symbiotic partners that created the postmodern record business; and they will continue to flourish as new music is discovered and shared across the Internet. The promotion will be freely generated by the global fan base.

The development of a new system for the monetization of music will endure a myriad of possibilities and some will prevail. There is a plethora of business models, some actualized and others in development. These include subscription, advertising based and bundling concepts that despite enormous investment, can at best be considered experimental. Nobody knows how the music fans will ultimately react to the sudden freedom the world wide web has provided. Their ability to choose any amount of music, from any genre, on demand at no charge must not be taken lightly.

The concept of "free" music is very powerful and deeply entrenched in the youth culture. It will not be easy to get them to pay when they are accustomed to sharing music without fees. This makes for a low threshold for entry; but immediately raises the bar for artists reaching for square two. It is easy to get into the game, but very difficult to progress. Only the most talented will build a large enough following to sustain a career. That is the way it has always been. Only ten percent of the competitors will survive as ninety-nine percent of the money is earned by this elite group.

The first level of success is survival. Artists who reach this plateau will be competing with the best of the best. One percent of them will earn ninety percent of the money. The bands that cannot generate a following through their live performances will be doomed to keep their day jobs. Their music will become a hobby, not their business. Artists who have the talent to inspire an audience and bring them back for more will have a chance to continue in the game. This will require the appication of artistic and business skill in equal proportion. Virtuoso talent combined with good theater, trmendous desire, and enormous personal effort could still produce a monumental star.

Each new enterprise will be built around a body of music that appeals to a niche market. When no genre is ubiquitous, every genre is viable. It does not matter which style of music you perform, there is an audience for every established style and there is even room for a new genre if it should emerge. Although they all follow a similar trajectory, each career has its own signature components. They all face the same obstacles and every one has to be built up from rock bottom.

The shock wave of digimodernization has not only rocked the record business, it has fragmented the fan base. As music lovers adjust to the new found freedoms and have access to every song ever recorded, they will discover the wonders and delights of the global music pool. Within the millions of possibilities there lurks some inspired artist struggling to find his voice and direction.

Although no such artist is evident and none is on the horizon, it would defy history for a superstar not to evolve. When that phenomenon arrives everyone will learn about it on the same day. There will be a roar of acclamation and affection that will streak around the planet by instant messages, tweets and friends Facebooking friends. YouTube and MySpace will light up like Christmas trees. The new superstar's web site will crash for lack of server power; and everybody with an iPod will embrace the song and choose to pay instead of "sharing" the file. This will result in the single biggest financial windfall in the history of popular music.

A hard core fan base, who discovered this artist years previously in their home town will rise up and inspire universal support. Needless to say the unknown, subject artist will make millions of dollars that day. The impact of the event will bring world-wide attention and the acclaim will be unprecedented. At this juncture the monolithic, multi-national corporations will move in and try to capture the beast.

There will be an enormous effort to try to duplicate the process in order to seize and control the golden egg. However, the new addition to the pantheon of mega stars will already be rich and famous and have no need for unnecessary partners. The success will inspire thousands of lesser stars to compete within the infrastructure created to contain the new universally appealing musical hero. Many will emulate the style and characteristics of the messiah and a new paradigm will be born.

It will only require the same measure of identity, appreciation and personal attachment that previous generations have awarded Caruso, Valli, Sinatra, Elvis, The Beatles and Michael Jackson to turn the economic tide. The fans of these artists would not have "shared" their music for free. And, although no such star is present, or even on the horizon, history shows that such a musical force always arrives at a time just like this, a time when nobody can imagine how it could possibly happen.

HoloGram - Bob Lefsetz - February 12, 2010

2010-02-12T10:09:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

HoloGram: Lefsetz Says:

The way to success is to win the hearts and minds of the customer
and build from there. Anything else is just a waste of time. BL

http://www.thelefsetzletter.com/

An Open Letter to Tommy Silverman - February 11, 2010

2010-02-11T11:22:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

An Open Letter to Tommy Silverman:

Hi Tom: Thank you for your gracious letter. As I had originally suspected we are almost on the same page. I was in High School when "Rock Around The Clock" started the avalanche that propelled Elvis to the big top and established rock & roll as a permanent part of popular culture.

I made my first money selling music in 1957 and have been doing it ever since. I cannot remember a time when I did not manage at least one band. Over my fifty plus years in the postmodern record business I have been fortunate to serve many artists great and small.

Today I manage a baby band called The Reflectacles, so my interest in the new music industry paradigm is not casual or merely academic. I have a real job to do building a business around this six piece Americana folk rock band that formed out of my classroom at Loyola Marymount University.

Seven years ago when I was teaching personal management at Musicians Institute a student asked me, "How would you build an act today when the music is free?" I must admit that for the first time in my life I did not have an immediate answer to a question. The Holodigm is the continuing answer to that question. After due consideration, my students and I embarked on an extensive analysis of the problem. When I joined the faculty at LMU we continued the research and development of a new music industry paradigm.

Now, six years and more than 2000 students later, we believe we have perfected a working model that the industry will follow, knowingly, or not. It is organic and based primarily on the historical trajectory and a clear vision of the future. More importantly, it deals with the broadest range of participants. The millions of bands registered on myspace.com. They all deserve a chance to compete.

The concept is presented as the first interactive, audio-visual, online text book and addresses the fact that a kid would rather watch a movie than read a book. It is a training, mentoring and coaching system for musicians and entrepreneurs that addresses every aspect of the ancient alchemy of turning music into gold. It functions on a simple mathematical formula: One Artist + One Manager = One enterprise.

The manager is the CEO of the artists company and he owns an equal share of the enterprise. Fifty/fifty partnerships a la Elvis and The Colonel for solo artists and an equal share with bands. He cannot be fired because his contracts ran out or somebody will do it for less. He is an equity owner of the business he helps build and can only be bought out at the fair market value of his shares.

All are exclusive employees of the corporation or LLC. Record producers can also be invited to join as partners since their skills will always be needed. We invited recording legend Eric E.T. Thorngren to be a full partner in The Reflectacles Music Co. ensuring that we will make world class records from day one. Everybody works for free until there are dividends to declare.

This form of partnership will ensure that everyone on the board of directors has an incentive to make the business successful. Each member has a role beyond the stage. In the case of The Reflectacles, each man is either an officer of the company or a vice president of a division. They apply the business skills they acquired in the classroom to their real life career pursuits.

How many CEOs get to indoctrinate their employees for sixteen weeks, three hours a week? Not many. But Holodigm Artists get that training before they start the arduous climb to artistic and financial success. Thy do not run blindly, lost in the fog of showbiz. Their goals are clearly defined and supported by a game plan that can be conducted at a livable pace, under their direct control.

The Holodigm is their sanctuary and provides continuous career direction as each enterprise grows. We hold no equity interest in the activities or entities produced by "Academy" and "Society" members. When appropriate, we may invite partnerships with promising talent through our professional division Holodigm Media. The business that is built will belong to those who build it.

Our staff of coaches and consultants is being implemented at this time and will provide a constant source of seasoned professional advice to our members online. Additional services and products provided below market price will facilitate production and marketing activities ensuring a faster rise to profitability. Individual successes and failures will be shared among the membership through The Holodigm Forums, Blogs, Social Network and Chat Rooms. The members, pursuing the same goals, each get to benefit from the other's learning experience. There is no template to follow; it is a real-time live experiment.

With a clear focus on the two primary activities of recording and performing, combined with effective Internet marketing, the team can build and operate its own business. The mystical fuel of "talent" drives the engine and combined with other "star" factors, like, great songs, charisma, sex appeal, hero worship, authenticity, passion and desire, they can build a fan base.

Nepotism, personal wealth, sponsorship, talent TV and personal relationships can enhance and accelerate the process. However, these are stairway to heaven possibilities that will not exist in most cases. Generally speaking, The bands and managers will have to do the work themselves.

Traditionally, investors want something for the risk they take. And that is only fair. However, during my fifty plus years in the music industry I have never seen a record company make a fair deal with an artist. And, I have never seen private investment pay off for the artist or the investor.

The money will want a permanent piece of the company. Unless they contribute something else to the artist's enterprise this will become inequitable eventually. In an industry where only ten percent of the artists will survive there won't be much venture capital available.

The Holodigm concept concentrates the artists and managers on the job of building a viable live act, in local and regional markets, around which products can be developed and sold. It focuses on do-it-yourself systems, mechanics and protocols. And, it forces the players to run their enterprise as a business without giving away equity to third party service providers.

Artists who wait for investors will be doomed to fail. Those who take action on their dreams will create their own destiny and they will reap the reward. They will own their masters and publishing and the most talented will build a permanent annuity to support them in their old age.
I totally understand the pressure you were under the day we met. I am a long time observer of your significant accomplishments and hold you in the highest regard. The work you do in support of the continued growth and development of our business is significant and necessary. In time the labels will let go of the old paradigm and embrace digital download distribution for their catalogs. And, they may even be able to buy up a few new acts as they emerge. But, it will never be the same.

The music industry is thousands of years old and will not expire under the weight of digimodernization. The record business is just over a hundred years old and will surrender to the digital sword. In the transition the business of recording will fall to the hands in which it belongs, the men and women who create music.

New artists will no longer be imposed by record company moguls or A&R producers of the month. They will be discovered, nurtured and revered from the fan base up. The information super highway is the arena and the Internet is the rocket.

I hope you will visit www.HolodigmMusic.com and consider that perhaps the new paradigm exists and only has to be implemented. This concept evolved from an historical observation of the effect of new technologies on the record business pre Napster; and, on my personal experience directing careers as an agent and personal manager in the postmodern era.

The invitation to speak to my class still stands.

Pax et Amo. Hartmann

Music Business FAQ - February 9, 2010

2010-02-09T12:10:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

Cyber-Bucks

L. Grandy asks:

You mentioned in your blog in 12/10/09 that, "The big four stalled at Napster and allowed download distribution to be developed by others. By trying to preserve the highly lucrative CD market they let the big cyber-bucks get away." Do you think there is any way for the 'big four' to regain the cyber market? or are they doomed to control the less lucrative CD market?

Hartmann responds:

The Big Four record companies attempted to destroy Napster before they understood what it was truly all about. The governing executive corps of the postmodern label system lacked the long term vision to imagine a music world without plastic and paper. RIAA lobbyists attached the appellation "theft" to the file "sharing" process and sued their customers. The backlash from this futile tactic ensured their eventual demise. By the time the dust settled, Napster was a shadow of its former self and various similar systems took up the slack and made music free for the taking.

The old paradigm could only have been preserved if the global fan base embraced the idea that sharing was stealing. However, that did not resonate with the cyber-youth culture that simply and irrevocably considers the information super highway their indomitable domain. If it is on the web, its free for the taking. This is demonstrated millions of times a day, as music lovers explore the myriad of genres and styles instantly accessible and forward their discoveries to their friends.

Never in recording history has so much music been available to so many people at such a low cost. The obligation to pay lays between the mind set of the consumers and their affection for the act. Everybody under thirty knows how to load a song on their iPod or install it on their computer. They can stream it any time they want and pass it on at will. There is no guilt or hesitation involved in the exchange. The participants recognize that they are supporting the artist by distributing their music to a wider audience and no power on Earth can stop this practice.

This places the advantage clearly in the hands of the musicians and bands that are willing to recognize the Internet as the new radio. Except the airplay is free and record companies have no control over the system. The power now belongs to the artists who accept the challenge to create their own business enterprises, without investment from third parties. In the end, ownership of their masters and copyrights will far outweigh the value of a label's contribution to a band's career development. A tight bond with the fan base is all their survival will recquire.

The artist + fan connection is forged in the crucible of concert performance. Without a strong and entertaining live show an enduring relationship between the two will never form. When it does happen, it must be nourished and maintained through direct communication on the Internet. A band's fans are the lifeline to their survival. Once acquired a fan must be invited to join the act's support mechanism. Membership should be valued and specific. Symbols of partnership and specific identification of status and priority must be awarded to the most ardent supporters.

No major paradigm shift happens in a vacuum. The transition out of the postmodern era into the music renaissance will not be accomplished by the flip of a switch. The major labels will endure for another decade as digimodernization slowly swallows their extant catalogs. The older generation might repurchase their favorites for awhile longer, but in the end downloads will be the only delivery system for music. The artists will market their CDs and ancillary products directly to their fans from self owned and operated web sites and at live events. Only the most talented will make a profit and survive. The less talented will give up and join the army.

Thousands of laid-off record company employees will lead the vanguard of entrepreneurs who will attempt to revive the old way or try to invent the new paradigm. The Big Four have the most incentive to create a new system, but are not likely to accept the loss of high profit CDs as part of their formula. This lack of imagination will precipitate their downfall. The concept of 360 degree participation is a good idea, but an act doesn't really need a label to establish such a program.

The artists will be better served to create their own record companies dedicated to their success. New bands will be built one at a time by managers in partnership with the act. If the CEO's survival depends on the artist's success a band's business will be assured of full time attention.

The labels are the traditional enemy of the artist and they are not going to have a long term place at the table. The subscription and advertising based distribution models being devised today will slip away and artist direct streaming will dominate. The labels will die off because of their failure to engage in artist development and the participation of big business will fall to the ISPs and telephone companies. The big winner is the music fan who will decide where it all goes form here.

New Music Seminar - Tommy Silverman - February 3, 2010

2010-02-03T12:35:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

An Open Invitation to Tommy Silverman:

The New Music Industry Paradigm

Dear Tommy:

Thank you for a very interesting day at the New Music Seminar. In our brief conversation, I was somewhat shocked that, for as long as you have been pursuing this concept, that you seem to have totally missed the target. I suspect it is due to your RIAA affiliation.

I have been exploring the new music industry paradigm concept for over seven years and my 2500 students and I have debated every aspect of how the stars of the music renaissance will be born. They will NOT be dictated from record company board rooms down; the superstars of tomorrow will rise from the cyber-grass-roots up. The last to know what is happening will be the major labels. When an act creates a significant enough following through live performing and web integration the majors will try to throw money at them but it will be too late. No self respecting artist will enslave himself to the old paradigm.

You profess that a band needs an investor; but the labels are not investing in new artists. In fact, what can a label really offer an act today? Certainly they aren't going to give them any significant money to record, and fortunately for the artists, they don't need it. Record companies will promise them radio airplay but will fail to deliver it. The radio game is way to expensive and even if they did buy some spins, who is listening? Not the kids in a world where iPods rule. Furthermore, the oldsters don't buy records anymore because they already own the soundtrack to their lives and couldn't care less about new acts.

Just what do the labels have to offer, tour support? Forget it. There is no value in going into debt to play for 200 people in Chicago. In fact, a band does not need an investor if it has a great live act and a modicum of talent. What new artists need is to become the dominant musical force in their local region. If a band cannot make it at home, it can't make it anywhere. If it can make it at home, it can make it everywhere.

From San Diego to Santa Barbara there are hundreds of venues playing live music every night. If a band starts at the bottom of the food change and works its way up, they will accomplish Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hours of practice and they will build their 1000 true fans. If they develop an efficient merch system, nourish their fan base with "personal" attention and play each regional market monthly within a 100 mile radius of their homes, they will build a following.

All talent being considered equal, this system will not put their earnings into long distance travel, over-priced fuel, over-weight baggage and hotel rooms. Controlling all income streams and channeling the earnings into expansion of their product line and the extension of their performance radius will allow them to grow. If this doesn't work, they should reconsider their act, perhaps it isn't as good as they think it is. This is the TALENT business and only the talented succeed.

Bands today must own their own masters and publishing and create a booking mechanism that allows them to develop their business one fan at a time. If they can sell 1000 tickets in any given market they will be added to the big shows that don't sell out. They will connect with the headliners who will take them on tour at a profit. And the world will come to there door. This is how the postmodern record business was born and this is how the music industry will be regenerated in the music renaissance.

The first level of success is survival. Of the millions of acts on http://www.myspace.com/ only ten percent of the competitors will reach that plateau, and they will earn ninety-nine percent of the money. Survival means, I make my living from music without a day job. The other ninety percent will never make a profit and will eventually be sucked down the black hole of broken dreams.

As you pointed out several times, nobody actually has to buy music. They will pay for it only if they love the act like we loved Elvis and The Beatles. This affection is most likely to occur at live events where the bonding is most intense. The fan probably already has "shared" the music or why is he there in the first place. They all saw MTV and they know when the buy the band's products they are putting food on the table and contributing to the act's survival. Fans will only purchase CDs and merch after they have already joined the act's support team.

Where is the place for three-sixty deals in this scenario? What can a label do for an act, today? Even if they could deliver the always dangled airplay, who is listening? There are no brick & mortar stores and anybody can access digital distribution without a middle-man. Radio is a default source for music and this generation does not want to be told what they like; they want to tell you. To them it is not "stealing" from the act; it is free record promotion. The connotation of "sharing" has no immoral quotient and the cyber-youth will not adapt to the RIAA standard.

I would love to have you visit my class at LMU some Wednesday evening to present your point of view on this subject. I have seventy-five students who would like to hear what you have to say. And I must admit I too am curious to hear someone try to defend the label's justification for their continued existence. I hope you can find the time to take up this debate. I enjoyed your speakers, but failed to see a new paradigm within the conversation. Pax. John Hartmann

MUSIC BUSINESS Q&A - January 23, 2009

2010-01-23T12:36:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

MUSIC BUSINESS Q&A:

Kaitlin Curtin asks:

In terms of the Big Top you said that about 10% make it and they make 99% of the money. The music industry has changed so much over the last few years in terms of how money is being made -- has that changed the percent of profit that the Big Top musicians are making? In other words, are the musicians who are not considered to be at the Big Top making more money these days because of things such as MySpace, Facebook, and other such technologies, or is the division of profit still about the same?

Hartmann responds:

If an artist lacks ambition and wants to sit around and wait for the business to come to him, find another act. This is the most competitive environment on the planet and with the easy entry provided by digimodernization only the most aggressive and inspired artists will reach the survival plateau.

Only 10% of the bands competing will make a living from music without having to have a day job. They will share 99% of the money spent on music. The other 1% will be earned by the remaining 90% who will compete for a time and then get sucked down the black hole of broken dreams. Bands marketing themselves on MySpace, Facebook, will split that 1% without record company support. The ones who are truly talented will grow there fanbase and reach the survival level.

The tough part about this equation is that the top 1% of artists will split 90% of all money spent on concerts and recordings. This is a core principal that does not change. It is a very small, elite group who battle their way to The Big Top, and to whom most of the fame and fortune accrues.

We are experiencing the emergence of an entire generation of musicians who have received an extraordinary amount of musical training. They start younger with "toys" like Guitar Hero and Rock Band and many, experiencing the thrill of performing are inspired to take up "real" instruments. These fledgling artists enter the competition early and grow faster.

With thousands of colleges and universities around the country presenting majors in songwriting, recording and performing curricula, these musicians are learning more than the few chords utilized by the originators of rock & roll. These students are also being taught the systems, mechanics, protocols and politics of the every evolving music industry.

After graduation, college educated musicians will combine their musical talents with their accumulated knowledge of how to execute business strategies. They will create a new, sophisticated quality of music that will inspire their peer groups to support their favorite bands. It is even possible that the bonding experience created at live performances might inspire the public top pay for the music.

They may already have "shared" the artist's music, or why are they at your show in the first place. However, the connection between artist and audience is strengthened at live events and the fans saw MTV, they know when they buy the CDs and T-shirts at your gig that they are contributing to your survival. The artist's survival will depend on their ability to attract, nourish and maintain a relationship with the fans who respond to their music and are willing to come back for more.

HOLOGRAM - The Reflectacles @ Dakota Lounge - Jan 22

2010-01-15T22:20:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com
The Reflectacles at Dakota Lounge - January 22, 2010

If you are 21 years old and ready to party, please come and join our back-to-school celebration featuring The Reflectacles at Dakota Lounge in Santa Monica January 22 at 11:oo PM. There will be drinks, dancing, door prizes, free downloads and a healthy dose of good old Americana rock & roll. So put on your dancing shoes and come on down to Dakota and we'll get this year off to a rocking good start. Tickets $10 in advance, $13 at the door. Three bands. Show starts at 9:00 PM and goes all night. I'll be there. Pax et Amo. Hartmann

GUEST SHOT: Bob Lefsetz - January 10, 2010

2010-01-10T18:45:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

GUEST SHOT: Bob Lefsetz

Subject: What The Customer Wants

"Businesses should concentrate on their customers' needs, not on specific products.
" "Marketing Myopia" (1960) Theodore Levitt, Harvard Business School.

What does the music customer want?

1. To easily be able to hear all recorded music

Now I'm not saying such ability should be free, but this does not undermine the
desire.

If you read about a record, if a friend mentions a tune, you should be able to
instantly click and sample it. On your desktop, laptop and hand-held device.
Not jut a thirty second sample, but the whole thing.

The public hates thirty second samples. They project an image of withholding as
opposed to honest, fair dealing. It's like the music industry is a carny
attraction behind a curtain that you must pay for, with very little advance
knowledge, before you partake.

The best delivery of the ability to hear music is Spotify. Which has been
delayed in its American introduction because certain rights holders don't
believe in giving anything away for free.

Spotify is a music app, with a full catalog.

LaLa's not bad, it's just that you have to go to Google first, you've got to
click a bit.

Rhapsody and Napster provide the end result, with very poor functionality,
certainly compared to Spotify. They seem to live in a land where the lessons of
Apple are hidden, that usability and functionality are key. Apple has also
proven that people will pay premium prices for this usability and functionality.
Oh, here's where you tell me it's impossible to compete with free. Well, Apple
is competing with a plethora of computers a third the price, yet is extremely
profitable and valuable. So, rather than decry theft, the question becomes how
can one make a profit by delivering exactly what the public wants?

And just a note. The more access to music people have, the more they consume,
the more tickets and merch they buy.

2. A fair shot at a good concert ticket

The number one complaint is not high prices, the big bitch is you just don't get
a chance at a good seat. People know the value of a front row seat, they're
willing to pay for it, just give them a shot at it.

Sure, it works for the act to make a deal with AmEx, to have a fan club, to put
so many layers of sale between the act and the customer that people are turned
off instead of turned on, pissed instead of happy.

Yes, happy. People may say the movie is lousy, but most concertgoers are
thrilled to be able to attend the event, they fully enjoy it. But, how do they
get in?

Until all tickets are available at one time (how many credit cards and fan club
memberships do you have to get to be a regular concertgoer, this works against
the industry instead of for it), and are priced according to their desirability,
fans will be unhappy.

If you desire to appeal solely to your fans, by allowing them to get tickets and
requiring them to line up and show ID to get in...this is not a terrible
strategy. You're satiating the hard core, while pissing off the public. Then
again, most of the public is willing to shrug and say they just don't care that
much about going to this show.

3. Access

What's the number one thing a fan wants?

To be able to go backstage.

Not everyone can provide this, but don't decry platinum packages that allow
this, for this is exactly what the public wants.

If you want to make people happy, make yourself available. That could be as
simple as a response on a message board or as complicated as going out on a date
with a contest winner.

But this is what people want. Think about how you can deliver it.

4. Music that they want to play again and again

Note, this does not mean music that is given a thumbs-up in radio callout
research, when a listener hears a short snippet. After all, we've established
above that thirty seconds is not enough. If a listener does not get the urge to
immediately replay your music, you're not going to have success. That could be
playing a three minute ditty again and again, or a complete album again and
again. The form is unimportant, it's about the desire.

5. More music by their favorite artists

Shorten the time between releases, deliver more material. Fans want outtakes,
rehearsal tapes, live tapes...almost anything and everything. Sure, this is
different from what the casual fan or the uninitiated person wants, but these
are two different markets, and you make the lion's share of your money from your
hard core fans.

Don't think about how you can placate radio, think about how you can placate
fans.

This is as simple as a live album of the studio album a month after the original
drop date. YouTube broadcasts of live shows. Downloadable content from your
Website. You can never have too much for a fan. And don't forget, fans are
your number one evangelists, they're the ones who spread the word.

6. More information

Where you are, who you're recording with, the process.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, no one does this better than John
Mayer. And in the process he sacrifices not a whit of credibility or charisma.
Somehow, the public feels as if it's in his back pocket and knows him, even
though they realize the odds of in-person contact are slim to none.

7. Fewer commercials

Whether it be radio, television or a streaming music service, the public is fed
up with commercials. And unlike forty years ago, people have options. Extended
runs of commercials are abuse, never forget this.

8. A final concert ticket price

People hate being pecked to death by ducks, which is the equivalent of buying
concert tickets today. It's not so much about the cost, as the feeling of being
screwed by hidden charges that make no sense. Print at home fee?

Come on. That's inane. I'm using my own paper and ink.

We know it's all about profits. But why can't it be buried in a final price?

9. A belief that the acts are in it for the music, not the money

It's hard to sell an art form if people think it's just a means to an end, a
good lifestyle. People won't respect it. People don't respect towels, they
don't respect toilet paper. Sure, they're necessary products, the companies
that purvey them make a profit, but it's not art.

Art generates profits in a wholly different way than traditional industries.
Look at fine art. The canvas may have been produced for essentially nothing,
the cost of materials. But only a few years later, it can sell for millions.

Stop calculating how to get to millions of revenue in a spreadsheet by
maximizing this and that. Just create something rawly desirable, then the
revenue will come. A great hit is more powerful than any marketing campaign.

People don't need music, but they want it. When it's great. When it speaks to
them. When it's seen as integral to their lives.

10. Respect

In today's connected world, the customer sees himself as equal to the purveyor.
Think of the wrath inflicted upon Wall Street. That's how much people hate the
music industry, and that's a problem. Yup, fat cats who screwed us for far too
long who want to continue to screw us! You've overpaid for one good track on an
overpriced CD, you've overpaid for a shitty seat, but you'd better not steal our
product, we're entitled to our income! Huh? Don't make excuses, try and
rationalize your behavior, just look how stupid it appears to your customer,
without whom you've got nothing.

Record labels want to sell physical recorded product. Or individual tracks. Or
albums.

Concert promoters want to sell food and drink.

None of these speak to the underlying needs and desires of the consumer.

The consumer wants music. It doesn't matter what form it's rendered in, as long
as the end result pours into one's ears. People are not locked into vinyl or
CDs, tracks or albums, they just want the listening experience.

As do they want the experience of hearing live music. Sure, they'll buy food
and drink if they're at the show, but those are incidental. How can you make
the show so desirable that people will willingly come and not care about parting
with their dollars for extras?

Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
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MUSIC BUSINESS Q&A - January 10, 2010

2010-01-10T09:53:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

The Comeback Trail

dpkiper asks:

After something as detrimental as the incident with Chris Brown and Rihanna, how does a manager (assuming he/she is still believes in this artist) deal with the situation to help the artist bounce back and regain his/her fan base?

Hartmann responds:

Colonel Tom Parker, the legendary manager of Elvis Presley, is often quoted as having said,"There is no such thing as bad publicity." That may have been true in the golden days of Hollywood when movie studio publicity departments carefully fabricated stories and arranged relationships to accommodate the promotional needs of the "star" system. The media traded the truth for access and played along in order to lure patrons to the box-office. The fan magazines perpetuated the mythology and a gullible public believed everything because they wanted to.

Only the most heinous violations of moral and legal standards of the day burst through the veil of protection provided by the movie studios. Fatty Arbuckle paid for his peccadillo's, Robert Mitchum was arrested for smoking pot, Errol Flynn was criticised for being a Nazi sympathiser and Elvis was goaded into a bar room brawl, Ray Charles was a heroin addict. Sometimes the incidents incited public animosity and sometimes they were greeted with acceptance and humor. The public is very fickle and the bond with its heroes is thin and fragile. The long term effect of bad publicity varies from case to case.

Behavior that is acceptable from one artist may be totally detrimental to another. Careers are like fingerprints, from a distance they all look the same, up close each is different. Fatty's career evaporated, Mitchum became a superstar, Flynn shook off the stigma and Elvis incorporated the incident into one of his movies. Ray cleaned up his act, was declared a genius and became a legend. All of these incidents created huge negatives in the media, each with different results.

Back then, there was a certain naivete attached to the print media and how the fourth estate was manipulated by the system and the advertisers. With the advent of multi channel television and twenty-four hour news the game has drastically changed. Throw the paparazzi and the Internet into the mix, add ubiquitous photography, reality programming and universal video and the dynamic changes completely. Where there was once a shadow of a doubt in the stories of the past, today there's recorded proof of just about everything that ever happens in the life of a media star.

Artists have stories to tell in support of their career advancement. The seeds of these stories are sewn by managers and publicists to achieve a certain image and to stimulate interest in the act. The fans digest the seeds and evolve mental illusions about their personal relationship with their idols. Hero worship is the driving force. In the minds of the fan base an entitlement grows with the bond. The fan expects the artist's lifestyle to conform to his vision of what is "supposed" to be.

The story never overlaps the truth. When an artists sins are discovered and exposed in the media there is a moment of pause, while the fans love is tested. What one believes depends on who it is, what happened and weather or not it is acceptable to the fan. If the action is compatible with the artist's image the attention will not have a deleterious effect. When the artist's behavior is completely out of character with the fans perception of the person, it can cause permanent career damage.

Social mores are constantly changing and what may have been okay in the past, could be destructive today. Brittany Spear's "sans panties" incident was shocking, but not out of character. It didn't cause her any long term harm. Chris Brown's assault on Rhianna was completely unacceptable behavior. His fans didn't like it, her fans were outraged and their mutual fans were devastated. Since the O.J. incident domestic violence has a very definite connotation in our society. Men battering women is about as low as it goes. Nobody condones it for any reason.

Personal managers are responsible for how an artist relates to the media. It is a double edged sword. The acts court the media to get the "good" publicity, but fear and hide from them when their is "bad" news or something to hide. They cooperate to get their promotional licks in, pretend to not want it when out in the world and abhor it when they get caught with their hands in the cookie jar. We all swim in the media ocean and sooner or later we all get wet. Sometimes when the "truth" hits the fan it is best to just walk away and let the dust settle. A career must be built to last a lifetime,showbiz is a marathon. Nobody dashes to the finish line. Fix it tomorrow.

Artists are seriously affected by the exposure of their weaknesses and flaws. Fans don't build those elements into their view of a star. The person they imagine the artist to be is idealized in the mind of the beholder. The bursting of that illusory bubble can be the end of the relationship or the beginning of a new era of affection and alliance. The difference is in how the problem is initially addressed by the artist, how it is handled in the long run and the degree of culpability.

A personal manager in a successful business relationship with an artist should not jump ship because his client gets in trouble. Untoward "incidents" provide opportunities for managers to prove their worth. Very often managers stand between the act and the law in dealing with potentially embarrasing situations. Sometimes containment and control will dictate the survival of the artist's career or personal liberty. In the case of Bobby Brown, there is a lot of power and money at stake.

In the shame of discovery, one's natural instinct is to deny everything regardless of innnocence or guilt, as Bill Clinton did in the little blue dress debacle. However, if there is absolute, irrefutable proof because that is your picture and you are doing "it," there are two ways to go. Come forward immediately and confess as Hugh Grant did in the Hollywood hooker matter. Grant defused the bomb before it went off. Yes, he looked foolish for a minute but it all blew over, no harm, no foul.

In the face of absolute guilt, it is often better to exercise one's right to freedom "from" the press, as in the case of Tiger Woods. He did it, there is no room for denial, and he is very wise not to throw fuel on the fire. I experienced this personally when my late brother Phil Hartman was murdered by his wife a decade ago. The media was instantly stirred into a feeding frenzy.

Reporters descended on our world like locusts and they were insatiable. We became a form of prey and were forced into hiding to conceal out tears and protect the dignity of our family at a very difficult time. We were all dazed in the first days following the tragedy and any statement would have projected only anger and pain. Despite a continous inquiry from every possible source, we said nothing for four and a half years. There was no flavor that would turn that pill sweet.

It always shocks me when the day after the incident the survivors are displaying their grief on television for all to see. This happens because they don't know that it is their right to say nothing. They don't owe the media a story or an answer; not a lie, not the truth or anything in between. Reporters are in business to sell their papers, magazines, TV shows and blogs. You do not have to participate in the process. The less you contribute, the smaller the historical archive will become.

The good news is the fickle public has a short memory. If Bobby and Rhianna show up on enough red carpets the fans will forgive and forget. After all, they are the only ones who know what really happened and why. If she can forgive him, so will the fans. If he keeps doing good work his career will survive and he will continue to thrive in The Music Renaissance. Bobby is young, and kids make mistakes. He has plenty of time to recover and if he was talented and driven enough to make it once, he can certainly do it again. There will always be room for talented artists on The Comeback Trail.

MUSIC BUSINESS Q&A - January 9, 2010

2010-01-09T10:56:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

Artists in Sobriety

Emilin Yaghoubian asks:

If an artist believes that he/she is incapable of performing completely sober, without drugs and alcohol, what does the manager say or do to change this belief?

Hartmann responds:

A manager should never encourage an artist to incorporate drug use into his creative process. When artists and managers put together a professional career plan that includes sobriety as part of the operational procedure they greatly increases their chances of success. Drug abuse is a serious inhibitor of creative energy. It not only dulls one's perception of reality during the inebriation, but there is always a recovery period during which time and efficacy are lost. There is a prevailing attitude that certain drugs can stimulate the creative process by opening the doors of perception and dispelling inhibitions. This has been known to produce some great music. However, if an artist is able to write, produce and perform without the use of mind altering substances it is in the manager's best interest to encourage and support a drug free lifestyle. Touring bands are engaged in a rigorous activity that requires coordination of mental and physical aspects of performing. A clear head can see farther, adapt faster and deliver better work. Go sober. Manage the jones.

MUSIC BUSINESS QUESTION OF THE DAY - December 27, 2009

2009-12-27T11:22:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

Anti-Industry Attitudes

DaveTDVD asks:

How do you deal with an artist who has talent but has an anti music industry attitude and feelings of mistrust against it?

Hartmann responds:

Here comes Collegiate Rock. The postmodern record business was built around artists who excelled in the local honky-tonks, bars, night clubs and concert halls that proliferate around the country. The best of the best prospered and moved to the big city. From Nashville, New York and L.A. they were assumed into the music industry systems that linked the activities of performing and recording. The singers and songwriters around whom the bands were constructed started young and rose from the streets. Rarely did they stop long enough in their vision quest to acquire an education. Now, thousands of colleges and universities offer courses in the business of music.

It stands to reason that the graduates of these programs are better prepared to address the issues of integrating art and commerce than their predecessors. In the past, artists worked hard for years and eventually figured out how to play the game of showbiz. With a modicum of talent, a lot of aggressive action and a little luck an artist might get "discovered" and have a viable career. The process often relied more on luck than talent; but that won't work in The Music Renaissance.

University educated musicians come to the music indiustry with artistic skills developed over many years. Millions of those little "Guitar Heroes" graduate to real instruments very early and they demonstrate highly advanced writing and performing talent by the time they reach college.

Through university business, marketing and economics programs artists acquire a completely different set of tools with which to engage the challenges of an industry in search of a new business model. These contenders for stardom are not lost in the fog of showbiz. They are not obligated to the systems and mechanics of the postmodern record business. Young artists don't need the established power structure to endorse their talent. They can exploit it themselves.

The paradigm has shifted. The record business has consolidated down to four multi-national corporate giants that control the manufacturing, distirbution, promotion and marketing of ninety percent of records sold through brick and mortar outlets. The glue that holds this system together is broadcast radio, another industry in transition. When every iPod and iPhone is a self programmable, custom radio station, terrestrial radio becomes a default delivery system.

The major labels really don't have much to offer a truly talented artist. If a new act has a certain business acumen and a knowledge of Internet systems and protocols they are better off without a record company. In fact a non-corporate image is uniquely attractive to the potential fan who is often searching for a tribal identity. The public has seen enough cable TV to know that the record companies are the traditional enemy of the artist. The fans prefer to deal directly with the act.

When I meet a young band, the first thing I ask is, "What are your short and long term goals?" When they tell me they want a record deal, I know they haven't got a clue. If they tell me they want to start their own record company and own their copyrights and masters, I know they get it. If they demonstrate a complete distrust of the record business, I think that maybe they have a chance to win in The Music Renaissance. A good business education is the best place to start.

MUSIC BUSINESS QUESTION OF THE DAY - December 24, 2009

2009-12-24T11:49:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

The Future of Music Video

Casares asks:

We were told that music videos, in today's industry, are pertinent to the construction of a fan base as they, along with concerts, attract listeners and sustain their interest. The speaker discussed the problem with music downloading and how it has effected CD sales, arguing that music videos are necessary for artists to gain exposure. However, with MTV/VH1 slowly declining, do you think music videos are as effective as she argues them to be?

Hartmann responds:

Throughout the silent film era live musicians accompanied the action on screen with spontaneous piano or organ performances. The first talking movie, "The Jazz Singer," was a musical. From the earliest days of motion pictures, music has provided a key creative element to the art form. In return movies have been a significant promotional vehicle for songs and recordings of every genre and style. The filming of individual songs is not a new idea.

MTV didn't invent the video, although it did become the home for it. From the moment of its August 1, 1981 launch, music television instantly became the promotional tool that could drive a hit record to the top of the charts. Record company promotion men seeded their "priority" records at rural and suburban radio. The ones that gained traction added stations and gravitated toward the major market super stations. A video component was added to the hit songs and the labels lobbied MTV to put the video into rotation. The exposure was enormous and virtually insured top five status.

The immediate success of MTV inspired a number of additional cable TV channels that were nourished by an endless stream of free content pouring out of the record companies. In the eighties, as the postmodern era was peaking, MTV was struck by the cyber-sword. As the Music Renaissance dawned the record companies tried to destroy digital distribution and in so doing precipitated their own demise. MTV was driven into the ratings game and a struggle to survive.

The life preserver they originated eventually created a major paradigm shift in television programming. The term "reality" entered the video lexicon and the medium became a window into the lives of extraordinary, and sometimes ordinary, people and events. MTV is no longer the primary source of music video. The advent of http://www.youtube.com/ has introduced a new and powerful weapon into the promotional arsenal of music artists. Video is bigger than ever.

The music industry is in a state of explosion. Each genre of music is engaged in a competition for the attention of a niche audience. The ubiquitous presence of Hip Hop has declined as rap music evolved into its classic form. The vacuum created as the most popular music genre shrinks will be filled by a new contender. History dictates that a superstar will emerge to consolidate the global audience. Every existing genre holds the possibility of being the one to produce a star.

A primary ingredient for any successful artist competing in The Music Renaissance is video. Every new artist must create a video record of their daily activity; and every song should have a video attached to it. The artist's web site should contain the archive and it should be free to all visitors along with the streaming of the music itself. Great thought and care should go into the video concept and execution. Production value will not be as important as creativity and style.

Artists and their management teams must embrace the dual nature of story telling when designing their product. With low cost video and recording readily available, there is no reason not to add a visual aspect to the recorded music. The presentation of image and style is vital in attracting and retaining a fan base. We receive eighty percent of our data through our eyes and what is attractive to any given niche can be analyzed, designed and marketed by that picture that is worth a thousand words. Video is here to stay and it is more important than ever.

T.A.M.I. Show @ LMU - December 19, 2009

2009-12-19T13:13:00.000-08:00

HOLOGRAM:

From: LBNelert.com

Last night legendary Emmy winning producer-director Steve Binder, (Steve Allen Show, Hullabaloo, the Elvis comeback special, etc.) dazzled John Hartmann's "Rock On Film" class at LMU. Binder screened his 1964 T.A.M.I. Show which has not been seen in public for several decades. After protracted negotiations, the classic concert movie starring The Rolling Stones, James Brown, The Beach Boys, The Supremes, Chuck Berry and others, will finally be released on DVD in 2010.

MUSIC BUSINESS QUESTION OF THE DAY - December 18, 2009

2009-12-18T09:28:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

Trust In The Artist + Manager Relationship

KDonoho9 asks:

What is the best way to gain the trust of your client? It seems to me that always being straight with your client, sometimes telling them what they don't want to hear, would develop a trusting relationship, but as we've gone over in class some artists are very easily upset when it comes to information they don't want to hear. From your experience, are there any sure-fire ways to develop a strong trust between yourself and a client? If I am the manager I want my client to bring any problem they have to me, regardless of that problem's nature.

Hartmann responds:

Trust is not assigned, or awarded, it is purchased by action, earned through achievement and reinforced over time. Honesty and integrity are vital components of any business relationship and they are requisite ingredients between partners. Performers come to the music industry lost in the fog of showbiz, blinded by self-confidence and driven to succeed. They quickly learn that building a career in music is a team sport. Their first marriage is to a Personal Manager.

The person to whom one entrusts all of his hopes and dreams must demonstrate a myriad of qualities to a potential client. Business acumen is at the forefront of the manager's contribution to the career building process. A combination of social skills, power personality and accumulated knowledge of the historical trajectory prepares managers to conduct the business of music. A clear understanding of the systems and mechanics of the entertainment industry accelerates the growth and development of any commercial enterprise. Most musicians need a business partner.

Personal values define who we are to our friends, associates and fiduciaries. Our behavior and conversation create the perception of who we are as people. An artist wants his manager to be honest, charming, intelligent, creative, flexible and visionary. If a potential manager advocates honesty, it can be presumed that he values the truth; and that he will be honest in his dealings. If he suggests that you lie , cheat and steal, it should be presumed that he might do that to you.

It is the manager's sacred obligation to always tell his client/partner the facts as he perceives them. Protecting clients from the hard stuff is not doing them a favor. No human enterprise ever goes perfectly well and the best laid plans always go awry. Success accrues to those who can adapt to the changes. When a manager presents the newest problem with the same grace as the last glory, he is preparing the artist to deal with the adversities they will surely face in the future.

Errors and blunders provide opportunities for managers to prove their integrity and honesty to their clients. By claiming responsibility for his mistakes, rather than shifting blame to others, a manager can demonstrate his strength, security and character to his partners. Empathy and caring backed by a twenty-four-seven commitment to the artist's business and personal concerns reinforces the strength of the artist + manager bond. The job is of "personal" service and nothing is off limits. Meticulous care and constant attention are the cornerstones of their relationship.

The trusting is the hard part; everything else needed to build a business around a body of music, can be learned. When choosing business partners, trust carefully, and when you do, trust totally.

MUSIC INDUSTRY FACT OF THE DAY - December 10, 2009

2009-12-10T14:12:00.000-08:00

MUSIC INDUSTRY FACT OF THE DAY - by John Hartmann

The Record business owes its demise to the criminal infrastructure created by its founders and the failure of the postmodern executive corps to address digimodernization in a timely manner.

The big four stalled at Napster and allowed download distribution to be developed by others. By trying to preserve the highly lucrative CD market they let the big cyber-bucks get away.

The labels' desperate attempt to create a marriage with artists and managers will end in divorce. I'm not saying that 360 degree deals won't work; but why does an artist need a record company to have one? Jimmy, Doug, Lyor et al are lost in the digi-fog and running blind from behind. They have no money to build acts and even if they deliver radio, who is listening? MP3 is here to stay.

The labels have always been the traditional enemy of the artist. They didn't want to be fair and honest in the past and now they demand a place at the artist's table with an equal piece of the pie. However the Internet is the new A&R and promotion mechanism and it is free. The labels have little to offer a new artist. Greed will marginalize their role in The Music Renaissance.

Every act should own their own masters and publishing; these are the permanent assets of their business. They must also have a good live act and a booking system. The Internet enables artists to market their products directly to their fan base. The only accounting will be to themselves.

The remonetization of recorded music will not be dictated from corporate boardrooms down, it will be built by the artists and managers from the cyber-grass-roots up. This liberation is making music bigger than ever. And, it puts the profit where it belongs; with those who earn it.

Never in the history of recorded music has so much been enjoyed by so many and paid for by so few. There is no longer room for a middle-man in this game. Its between the artists and the fans.

Join the revolution at http://www.holodigmmusic.com/

MUSIC Q + A - Talent v. Timing - November 28, 2009

2009-11-28T10:27:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

MUSIC Q + A - Timing v. Talent

N. Safdari asks:

You mentioned in lecture that there are different methods for an artist to reach success in the music industry. An artist can fit in the category of "Lucky 7", where in, good timing, being at the right place at the right time, can often lead to success. An artist can also obtain success through climbing the stairway, meaning, a grassroots approach is the key. Through maintaining an egg yolk and egg white fan base, the popularity can grow into fame. My question is, do you think the majority of recent artists that have found there way up to the top have been a result of timing or talent?

Hartmann responds:

Talent comes in many shapes and sizes. Digimodernization is redefining how we classify the various skills and techniques employed in the production of recorded music. Pro Tools has enabled anyone with a Mac, a Mic and a Song to make a record. Auto Tune and other digital manipulations can even make those records sound pretty good, if not technically perfect. The low threshold to entry has given millions of artists an opportunity to present their music to the public.

The postmodern record business resulted from the marriage of FM radio, and 331/3 RPM albums. The Beatles drove the format to unprecedented sales and prosperity as an entire generation dreamed of being in a band. But access to the professional arena was an awkward and unpredictable process. The record companies held rigid control over radio promotion, marketing and distribution.

New artists were forced to labor long and hard on their repertoire and technical skills. Only after years of practice and extensive live performing did a new act develop into a commercially viable business entity. The prevailing system put the power into the hands of the labels who maintained expensive A&R divisions to sift through the contenders and decide which artists would get to compete.

Selected singles were offered to radio and the public decided which ones they wanted to hear again. And, if they loved the song enough, they might purchase the artist's album. Ostensibly, they bought ten or more songs to get the one they actually wanted. This created an artificially high profit margin for the record business. Songs that rose in the charts created opportunities for touring acts. The artists kept the box-office receipts and the labels took the lion's share of profits from record sales. Timing played a major role in the game.

Getting signed to a record company was a controlled process that allowed only a fraction of the performers to participate. The managers, agents and producers in power pushed their selections into the system and a formulaic approach dominated the music scene. Originality surrendered to emulation and labels scrambled to clone the latest success offered by their competition. Unable to build a management team that could penetrate the resistance of the status-quo, most artists gave up and went home to resume their day jobs.

The Music Renaissance that has resulted from the marriage of digital distribution and Internet promotion has adjusted the timing involved in the pursuit of careers in music. No longer does an artist need a large advance to make a record. Costly radio promotion campaigns have become irrelevant since the iPod generation has abandoned that particular delivery system.

Today's artist no longer needs to gain the approval of the music industry elite to participate. A free myspace page and a video on youtube gets you into the game. The timing bubble has burst. Careers are instantly established and personally directed. An artist can learn everything he needs to know to build an act at www.HolodigmMusic.com and through thousands of recording arts programs at colleges across the country.

Expertise and experience are no longer mitigating factors. If the music is good and the act motivated a band can generate its own career and build a business without the support of a record company. By owning their masters and controlling the publishing and other income streams artists can reach the profit level sooner. They can start their professional careers when ready and without obligating themselves to managers and labels that promise much and deliver little.

It is important to remember that every song you write is not a crystal tear from the eye of Zeus. It is the nature of music that the players find their work beautiful, but the only true judge is the customer. No matter how great you think your band is, without earning public support and stimulating them to pay for your product, you have no business. Most artists who achieve long term success have been able to consolidate a myriad of factors into the creation of a performing act. Talent TV can produce instant notoriety, but popularity derived from TV exposure does not carry the same weight as a well built fan base gathered over time.

An abundance of one requisite ingredient can compensate for a lack of another. Image can stimulate interest and beauty can overcome a less than great singing voice. Passion can often out run talent allowing the confident, enthusiastic artist to surpass a more gifted peer. No two careers are exactly alike, but playing the percentages and reducing the failure factors can provide some insurance.

By mastering your craft and learning how to mount a live act you can participate. If you build a support team, play the game perfectly well, have an abundance of native talent, and get lucky, you can win. It is more about ability and hard work than time. If you have the talent, the Internet is waiting. The timing is up to you.

MUSIC QUOTE - Bob Lefsetz - November 26, 2009

2009-11-26T13:59:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

MUSIC ANALYSIS: Bob Lefsetz

"In an era where album sales represent only a fraction of your fan base, you want to get attention where you can. Not by batting people over the head, telling them they must endure you, but by being so provocative, so interesting that they want to tune in."

www. LefsetzLetter.com

QUESTION OF THE DAY - The Economy, MySpace & Music - November 26, 2009

2009-11-25T11:49:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

Ray Jimenez asks:

Has the economy and the myspace band explosion had an effect on music?

In the 90s the term "sell-out" was used often. There was a clear social distinction between mainstream bands and indie bands. Sometimes the less known an indie band was, the more "cool" it was. There was a real backlash against popular middle of the road culture.

Today, in America, there is a great urgency and thirst for financial stability and prosperity. Any enterprise that is not a financial success is not deemed truly successful. In the 90s obscurity was not always looked down upon. Since myspace has caused a flood of new bands, has that forced the greater indie acts to seek a larger market so that they may even be considered relevant?

Hartmann responds:

High tides raise all boats. A weak economy affects every business enterprise. If there is less money in play, the amount of disposable income available for music is proportionately and exponentially decreased. A #1 album still reaches the top of the charts weather it sells a hundred thousand CDs or a million. What is drastically impacted is the profit margin. If the same effort produces infinitely less profit the enterprise will fail. This loss of revenue demands a new business model.

The music is the cause not the effect. MySpace and YouTube have become vital links in the chain that will secure the future of popular music. However, they are delivery systems, not sources of artistic product or performing talent. A pure artist walking naked in the woods singing his song with the birds creates the intellectual property called a copyright. As it is composed it becomes the property of the songwriter. Commercial exploitation of that song requires aggressive action.

Artists coming out of the woods, in search of fame and fortune through their music, don't do so in a casual manner. They come bold and obsessed about their greatness. They expect to succeed. In my fifty year career in showbiz I have never met a band that didn't think it was going all the way to The Big Top. Ninety percent of them were totally wrong. Young artists are challenged to reach the first plateau of success, survival. They abandon their anonymity and go public with their dreams. The contest is for the music dollar, the process is building a fan base and support group.

The coolness of singing for woodland creatures, who sing along without judgement, is replaced by the risk of rejection and criticism imposed by the paying public and the industrial punditry. Regardless of how many millions of artists compete for attention on the Internet, only ten percent will reach the survival level. Those acts able to apply sound business principals to the exploitation of their talents will survive the process and get to compete for enduring fame and fortune.

The greatest talents may choose to never leave the woods. However, those that do are dedicated to spreading their music far and wide. They intend to impress their songs into every corner of the Internet, in hopes of reaching a critical mass, and causing a viral explosion around the world.
Because of the low threshold for entry and the minimal cost of participating provided by digimodernization many artists of questionable talent get to compete with the best of the pros.

The public perception of what is acceptable in a cultural hero will be adjudicated by a very sophisticated audience. They know what they like. An artist's repertoire must be seasoned by extensive live performance before the recording begins. The songs should only be recorded when the live arrangement is tested and fixed. Acts must be able to perform their material in concert without excessive technical enhncement. Every band thinks their stuff is great, its part of the intrinsic charm of music, But, most music offered on the web is derivitive and uninspired. It has limited intrinsic value and will neither break an act nor attract a wide audience.

Relevancy is in the mind of the music fan who will first steal the music. That will inspire curiosity and get them to the band's gig. The blood, sweat and tears of a great performance will create a bond with the audience. When they fall in love with your act, they will buy your CD and T-shirt because they now care and want to see you survive. If they come back with their friends to the next gig, make sure you collect their email, because you have made an addition to your fan base.

HoloGram: The Reflectacles - Viper Room - Debut - Nobvember 21, 2009

2009-11-22T15:27:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

Holodigm Media Artists The Reflectacles Rocking at The Viper Room on Sunset Strip. Saturday night's packed house urged the L.A. based folk rock band to perform an encore to close out their one hour set. Opening for Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real, the six piece group earned cheers and extended applause for the high energy performance of their original repertoire. It was the band's first appearance on the famed Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California.

QUESTION OF THE DAY - Can Your BFF Manage Your Music Business? - November 17, 2009

2009-11-17T12:53:00.000-08:00

HolodigmMusic.com

ARTIST + MANAGER RELATIONSHIP

Can Your BFF Manage Your Music Business?

A. Witter asks:

When choosing a Manager, would it be best for an Artist to select a friend to fill that role, or would it be best to bring in an outside party to become the manager? A friend would be more concerned with the artist as a person and would be highly devoted to the relationship between Manager and Artist, but may lack necessary skills needed to make the Artist a success. An outside party would most likely have these necessary skills, but may not be able to forge the same kind of relationship with the artist that the friend would have. Both have their pros and cons, but which one do you think would be the better match?

Hartmann responds:

The postmodern record business is in a state of collapse. The paradigm has shifted and the foundations of the new structure for marketing music are being born. As fear and despair reverberate around the music industry the rats are scrambling to get off the sinking ship. Every mid-level executive from the decaying record business is seeking a new way to exploit his experience and reputation. The primary consideration is where to go. Who will rescue the millions of singers and bands on myspace.com and youtube.com and the rest of the web?

Will personal managers with experience and relationships scour the Internet for the next big thing? Probably not. It is just too difficult to evaluate an artist's potential from their online presentation. The established managers are not really interested in "baby bands" and are not the likely source of management for beginners. Until an act has a solid Internet presence with a large following of unique visitors they aren't going to get much attention from the professionals.

The Holodigm system is designed to create personal managers as well as competitive artists. The most required characteristics for managers is trust. That is most often found among your family and friends. If you were going to open a candy store, you would find someone you trust to be your partner. You would create a game plan and rent a store. Then you would buy some candy, sell it and pay your bills. The partnership would split the profits. Why should the music industry be different? It shouldn't. The new paradigm follows a new formula: 1 Artist + 1 Manager = 1 Enterprise. The manager is a permanent partner in the building of any new music business.

Every enterprise needs a CEO and the manager is the ideal person to run the business of the company. The artist is the creator of the product that will be produced and purveyed by the company. Success in The music Renaissance will be extremely elusive and a part-time effort will not get the job done. A manager with a string of artists will defuse his energy and fail to deliver for any one of them. When the managers survival depends on your success you have a chance to win.

The Holodigm Seminars will teach every interested artist and entrepreneur everything they need to know to start their music business. Our training, coaching and management systems help the members stay focused on what counts while avoiding the pitfalls of the dying record business.

The good news is that the live concert business is stronger than ever. It is from this source that the baby bands will rise to maturity. Since there is no template for how to build a career in the new paradigm experience is not a prerequisite. Managers and bands must take control of the entire process by building performing acts that can market their music and merch through their live appearances. There are no guarantees, only the most talented will survive and make a profit.

It is a long, hard road and having a good friend by your side will make the battle easier. Find someone who wants to be your partner in a music business and form an L.L.C. The job is much too difficult for your manager to be told his contract ran out after you make it. By sharing in the equity of the company the manager knows that his efforts are not in vain. If he owns a piece of the enterprise he is helping to build he will be driven to work harder and protect your asset. By forming your own publishing and record companies you retain control of the major income streams and will reach profit sooner. The Holodigm, artistic talent and business acumen are all you need. We will teach you how to play the game and win at http://www.holodigmmusic.com/.

QUESTION OF THE DAY - How Do I start My Music Business? - November, 15, 2009

2009-11-15T13:40:00.000-08:00

TheHolodigm.com

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How do I get started?

O'Shea Finn asks:

I am busy absorbing the many hours of lectures and endless text on The Holodigm web site. I want to apply the lessons to getting my band out of the garage. How can I get started? What do I do first? What is a simple game plan in a short form?

Hartmann responds:

If you can mount a band playing your music to a focused niche fan-base, you could build a business. The style is dictated by your core audience and success is directly relative to your talent. Your potential fans look and are like you. Once you are accepted as part of a fan's music community you have an ally in their world. Find the music mavens in your core genre.

There is a musical leader in every tribal group that the rest of the tribe follows. Read The Holodigm "Blog" posts on "Do-it-Yourself" and "Branding Your Band." Build a repertoire and create a live act. Only after the music is seasoned by many rehearsals and live performances, should you record it. Release your product on your own record label and sell the records at your gigs and online. Add appropriate merchandise items to your product line as the budget allows and the fans demand. Establish a booking mechanism and do a continuous stream of concerts

Promote it all on the Internet. Give downloads of the single songs away for free on your web site. Sell the EPs and LPs with creative packaging, and promotional features, directly to the fan base. Control all income streams. Review The Holodigm Seminars to help create your long term game plan. When in doubt, email me. When the poop hits the fan, call me.

If you don't give up, you'll make it.

Never stop writing.

Hartmann

Branding Your Band - How To Build A Fan Base - November 12, 2009

2009-11-12T14:52:00.000-08:00

TheHolodigm.com

BRANDING YOUR BAND

How To Build A Fan Base

Performing artists pursue specific paths through a myriad of creative and entrepreneurial career options in The Music Renaissance. Competing musicians, singers and bands face the same set of obstacles and function within well defined parameters. There are two primary activities to be addressed: Recording & Performing. The skilfull balancing of these functions combined with the business of songwriting and music publishing form the cornerstones of the music industry.

In a reality programming and social networked era of hyper communication, digimodernism is not just about geeks and super tech. There is a prevailing mind set among the cyber-youth as they stream into their futures. They see the powers that control the health of the planet are in conflict with their very survival. It has shaken a generation's survival instinct and inspired an artistic and cultural movement to self preserve. The clearest evidence of that is a core militancy to fix what is broken. Artists seeking to enroll high school and college age fans better have their acts together because they will be required to endure a continuous and unmerciful scrutiny of their chracter.

Considering that I've never met a group that didn't think it was going all the way to The Big Top, I assume that you and your friends believe its time to turn your campus band into a business. You are ready to trade those music lessons, that equipment you hustled out of Mom, and the garage space you converted to a studio, for fame and fortune. You have built a repertoire and performed it extensively in front of live audiences. You've recorded it on your MAC and have CDs for sale.

Your band is your marketing force. The product is the recorded music, and packaging, as well as acceptable merchandise. There is a threshold of dignity attached to what is an appropriate product line for any given artist. Downloads, CDs, T-shirts and caps are more or less acceptable as grass roots marketing and are generally perceived as promotional items. Exploitation into key chains and bobble-dolls is definitely crossing a line. Band jackets and other logo related, insider items and symbols might be leaked to the merch table if there is a demand from the fan base.

The starting point is the Internet and viral marketing. A clear definition of your target audience is imperative. In The Music Renaissance it would be assumed that everyone under thirty has total access to all music ever recorded twenty four seven for free. Because of ubiquitous access the available fan-pool has splintered into a myriad of niche markets. Music fans are free to select a specific color from the rainbow of choices. Focus on the existing audience for your genre or style.

The people who are most likely to focus on you are your peer group. This is an age and culture thing. If you can't make it at home, you can't make it anywhere. If you can make it at home, you can make it everywhere. Start your career in your home town with your friends and school mates. If you become a dominant musical force within a one hundred mile radius of your home you can survive and make a profit. If you can accomplish that a universe of opportunities will follow.

The postmodern record business is in a state of decline for a variety of reason none of which is relevant to branding your band and building your fan base. Forget chasing a record deal. The big four record companies are frozen like dear in the head lights. They aren't going to sign you. The good news is you don't need them. If you are going to survive in the digital music industry you will have to control and nurture all income streams just to pay your bills and keep the band alive.

AM and FM radio are obsolete. Nobody is listening. In the wake of the demise of broadcast radio also expiring is the long playing album as an artistic body of music. The primary distribution mechanism for music on the Intenet is peer-to-peer file sharing. Previously music fans were forced to buy ten songs or more to get the one they wanted. However, when music is free for the taking, with no moral integrity at stake, it beomes a one song at a time business. Nobody steals anything that he doesn't want and every song written is not a crystal tear from the eye of Zeus.

Remember the values and integrity of your core audience and design your music, image and product line to attract their interest. The fan's investment of his emotional identity, entertainment time and disposable income is your life line. Every band has an evolving purity factor that is continuously evaluated by the fan base. Building a following is about inspiring people to enroll their friends in your tribal community. If the band maintains the purity that attracts a fan base in the first place their following will continue to grow. A continuous flow of product is imperative.

A band that can hold its most ardent fans over the long term has the best chance of building a viable personal appearance career. Artistic and personal integrity dictate the effect of the music and the artist's lifestyle on the fan-pool. No two careers endure the same precise circumstances. And, its not so much what you do as how you handle what you get caught doing that holds the affection of your followers. The magnetism is strengthened by constant maintenance of the artist + fan bond. Build an online, interactive relationship with your fans that enlists their support.

An arist's music should be released in a string of individual records that are streamed one at a time into the Internet in a linear fashion. They should be radiated into the web by free downloads and permanently available. Present one song a month and work each as deeply into cyber-space as possible. When you have four songs in play package your first extended play record (EP) and sell it at gigs and online. Feed the next four records into the system in the same manner and add another EP to your catalog. Release a third EP and a compilation album of all three a month later. Offer the EPs at five dollars each and ask fifteen for the compact disc on your own record label.

The skillful marketing of these four products and a T-shirt will create a vital income stream and system for exposing your brand and furthering your enterprise. The primary tool is the live event. This is where the bonding experience is most intense. The energy and excitement of electric instruments and amplification, combined with a party atmosphere, can create a permanent attachment between audience and artist. Fans probably already have your music, or why are they there in the first place? However, they took it from the Internet when they didn't care about you.

Through the live experience the fans fall in love with the act, maybe its the music or the beer, or the one you came with, but it happens. They saw MTV and know that buying your CD and merch keeps you alive. If they love you they'll pay and that is where your business machinery starts to generate a profit. Promoting and marketing your band, gigs and merchandise online puts the responsibility directly on you. Direct your energy at your age group and younger. Offer free downloads for email addresses at your shows. Get them to join your club and treat them well.

QUOTE ME - Bob Lefsetz - November 12, 2009

2009-11-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

QUOTE ME:

Once you start protecting what you've got, trying to deny the future, keeping people locked into old ways, you're on the way to decline. Remember this. Bob Lefsetz

HoloGram - The Reflectacles Win Best Original Soundtrack - November 10, 2009

2009-11-10T13:05:00.001-08:00

TheHolodigm.com

HoloGram: The Reflectacles Win Best Soundtrack

Photo by Henry Diltz

Join The Revolution in The Music Renaissance.

Holodigm artists The Reflectacles' music recently won Best Original Soundtrack at BestFest Film Festival for writing the "Turn Me On Dead Man" soundtrack! The Five songs and original score were written and produced by Logan Metz and Lincoln Mendell. The Reflectacles music provides the driving force for Director Adam Blake Carver's short film about a major pop band's struggle to survive the passing of one of its members.

QUESTION OF THE DAY - Is Electronica the Next Big Music Genre? - November 10, 2009

2009-11-10T11:56:00.000-08:00

TheHolodigm.com

Electronic Dance Music

Jose Garcia asks:

Electronica has been gaining a lot of popularity these days. I've been a fan of electronica and its different varieties of genres such as, Trance, Techno, House, and Hardstyle. What I see these days, is that they are only a few "big" stars in this genre only, Tiesto, and Armin Van Buuren. Both have millions upon millions of views on youtube, and thousands flock to there rave/concerts. My question is if there is a future where a huge star would rise? Mainly because these are two of the most popular Electronic Dance Music DJ's/producers.

Hartmann responds:

Electronic music has been around for decades. The great artist, musician and record producer Leon Russel created an all electronic album back in the early sixties called "The Underground 12." Since then there have been many thousands of recordings made that feature electronic sounds to compose orchestral music. In the past decade the audience for electronic dance music has grown considerably. This music appeals to our primordial need to get up on our feet and move to the beat. Until a superstar emerges who demonstrates the style through original songs the movement is likely to remain dormant gliding below the surface of ubiquitous popularity.

The formula that is presently employed by the DJs who promote this genre does not rely on original material. The DJ is acting as a delivery system to present a collection of songs he feels is an entertaining package to an audience interested more in dancing than listening to lyrics. Lady Ga Ga with her hybrid style of electronic-pop has created the most success so far. She has produced a good body of material well produced and she is the only new artist with a Platinum album on the charts.

The object of personal management is to build duration into the act. It remains to be seen if Lady G2 will be around in ten or twenty years. To accomplish long term survival an artist must come with consistently evolving, high quality material, over an extended series of recordings. If the act can develop a loyal fan base and continue to please their live audiences they can survive. The artist who can continuously add new fans to their core following can grow beyond the survival level and enjoy wider popularity. This can develop into a solid business enterprise that has the potential to turn into fame and fortune.

The next great music wave could come from electronica but it doesn't have to emanate from that source. It could evolve from a dormant, established genre or from a new musical style. These movements always emerge when least expected and usually from one or more acts gaining a following in a given community. There is a prevailing surge toward folk rock and singer/songwriter bands emerging on the Internet and in the live arena. When a great attraction, with strong songs, evolved performing skills, charisma and sex appeal arrives, they will find an eager public ready to participate. Such an act could start a whole new movement that many will be sure to follow.

HoloGram: The Reflectacles Win Battle of Bands - November 8,2009

2009-11-08T12:12:00.000-08:00

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HoloGram: The Reflectacles Battle to be The Band

Photo by Henry Diltz

Join the revolution in The Music Renaissance. Hartmann

Cal State University Northridge's Music Industry Studies program held its "Artist of the Year" search with a "playoff" on campus Thursday. LMU's The Reflectacles took home the top prize after competing with three other finalists. Each performed a four song set before students and staff. The voters favored the bright original songs and the intense performance style of The Reflectacles. The band will return to CSUN for a major concert appearance. To learn more, log onto http://www.musicindustrystudies.com/.

QUESTION OF THE DAY - The Disney Monster - November 5, 2009

2009-11-05T11:09:00.000-08:00

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Chris Vaughn asks:

I know that a ton of young artists get a start through Disney. However I also know that Disney runs things like a Nazi and takes most everything the artist earns. A friend of mine is managing his two younger brothers and a girl who is a close family friend of theirs and they are talking to Disney a bit, I'm pretty sure they even have a music video on one of Disney's new channels. Do you think that they should pursue any talks with Disney as a great career starter that they can later branch off from, or should they try to go a different route?

Hartmann responds:

Careers are like fingerprints; from a distance they all look the same, up close each is different. Every genre and style has an appropriate avenue to travel in pursuit of popularity and success. American Idol does afford an opportunity for certain artists to get exposure and initiate their careers. Disney films, television, radio and record labels provide many artists with a testing ground for their talents. The process is more about "celebrity" than music.

Talent TV provides quick access to the public view and more often than not comes with a speedy exit attached. Considering the thousands of artists who have participated in the various reality shows about the music business a relatively small number have achieved sustained success. Most Idol contestants achieve brief notice and many enjoy a few weeks of attention, most learn that they have no commercially viable talent and slip back into the obscurity from whence they came.

Those that rise to the top become ensnared in a web of contractual obligations that place their careers in the hands of third parties. They end up being owned and operated by the producers of the shows that made them attractive to the public. These artists have management and record companies imposed on them and their music becomes the property of the producers. They are usually paid a small salary and told what material they will record and what personal appearances they will make. The truly talented will have enduring careers and eventually outlive the original contracts.

I expect that Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson and Mylie Cyrus are not complaining about the role television played in their success. Undoubtedly there were circumstances they had to overcome and undesirable options they were forced to endure. Fortunately personal services contracts cannot exceed seven years in California, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel. There is also the ability to "renegotiate" when leverage is gained. If you are making Disney a lot of money, and they need your cooperation, you do have the ability to ask for a larger share of the profits.

The Disney machine is content specific. The Mouse House has an image and style that is popular among the younger demographic. They fiercely protect their reputation and keep a wholesome, family oriented array of content. The integration of their contract artists into the various media outlets they control has enabled the rise of performers with a certain look. These acts are funneled into formats that impose the Disney style on the artist rather than being allowed to demonstrate original music. Such artists will find it difficult to shake off that image in later years.

The postmodern record business is in a state of decline and it will not likely survive in its current form. A digimodernist paradigm is emerging and with it comes a new sensibility about who artists are and what they represent in today's society. If an act is attractive to Disney, they must be presenting certain characteristics that fit the Disney formula. This most likely focuses them on the preteen demographic and these same qualities will limit their appeal to other age groups.

The power of Disney's radio network, and American Idol's massive audience can be valuable in the early stages of a career. The multi-media exposure they can offer guarantees a certain amount of noteriety. Good looks and a modest sexuality can carry an artist a long way quickly, but only quality music and practiced performance skills will build an enduring career in entertainment.

The object of personal management is to build longevity into the act. Audiences grow up fast and as they become more musically sophisticated their tastes change. They will demand more from their musical heroes and the corporate based artists will lose their allure. It is doubtful that
a manufactured attraction like The Jonas Brothers will be working in showbiz a decade from now.

The use of celebrity television to gain popularity is a judgement call that artists and managers must make when the opportunities present themselves. This stairway to heaven comes with the obligation to understand the depth and term of the commitment and requires an evaluation of the artist's long term goals and native talent. If one chooses to join such a system, read and understand the array of contracts that will govern the artist's professional activities.

Personal managers must be conscious of the need to build a team of players, from the eight core professions of entertainment, that will carry on the artist's career when the obligation to their corporate masters expires. When signing the requisite pile of contracts the TV producers will submit to the potential winners, consider doing so without using legal representation. This can provide a legal safety net that leaves the door cracked for a possible renegotiation. When fame accrues everything changes. The power of the artist, which is minimal at the beginning, is greatly enhanced when the public embraces the rising star.

QUESTION OF THE DAY - Meeting Other Musicians - November 4, 2009

2009-11-04T11:51:00.000-08:00

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E. Fiedler asks:

When looking at artists I like and listen to most seem to tell of how they met their band-mates in school at some point and decided to form a bad. However it seems that everyone I meet has never picked up an instrument or has no interest in learning how to play one. Though I have not been playing for a long time, I would love to be able to sit down with some friends and just jam for a while.

I believe my question to be very straight forward and simple. What is the best means to find other musicians to play with in order to potentially start a band and start the musical journey? Also, if you have heard of any strange/unique circumstances under which bands have met and been formed I would love to hear of them.

Hartmann responds:

There is a classic joke about the hipster standing on the corner of Broadway and 59th Street in New York City right in front of Carnegie Hall. A shiny young musician asks him, "How do I get to Carnegie Hall." The hipster responds, "Practice, man, practice." This sentiment is echoed in the Malcolm Gladwell book, "Outliers" in which he professes that it takes ten thousand hours of practice to become good at anything. Novice musicians must remember these directives. There is no substitute for practice.

Talent is attracted to talent. And, only the talented are qualified to truly judge the talent of others. B.B. King is the best judge of just how talented Eric Clapton might be. B.B. knows what it takes to be a great guitar player and he knows one when he sees him. Young musicians seeking to develop their playing skills should seek out other players with whom they can practice.

There will always be someone less talented than you, and there will always be someone who is better. Seek the latter. The superior player has more to teach you than a fellow beginner. The best players push you to reach beyond your skill level and they force you to grow. Virtuosity is a technical achievement that, like any craft, improves with repetition. If you aren't in love with the feel of your instrument in your hand greatness will probably elude you.

The most talented musicians I have worked with rarely were far from their instruments. Neil Young and Stephen Stills are master guitar players. They are constantly picking, experimenting and exercising their "chops." The ability to translate the music they hear in their heads through their instruments into the audio spectrum is their essential talent. The integration of truthful lyrics into song is a demonstration of their artistic integrity.

For beginners the best place to start is in school where it is not difficult to focus in on the musicians among your peer group. Hairstyles, logos on t-shirts and guitar cases strapped to backs clearly identify who the musicians on campus might be. If you want to be noticed by them, carry your books around in a guitar case. You will find each other and a jam session will not be far behind. These early connections often lead to life long relationships and professional careers in music.

Look for virtuosity and develop your own performing skills. Watch documentary films on your musical heroes and emulate their actions. Most importantly try to find the talented song writers in your peer group. These are the people around whom bands are built. The cornerstone of the music industry is song writing and music publishing. The public is attracted to the lyrical content enthroned in the music and the resultant copyright provides the vehicle for long term earnings.

The music fan is subconsciously embraced by the the three "Ms" of songwriting: melody, meter and message. Melody is the cerebral tickling of the mental atmosphere. Meter inspires the involuntary physical participation demonstrated by the dance. The message is the essential truth embedded in the poetry of the lyrics. The skillful blending of these three phenomena creates the mathematical narcotic of music to which we are gloriously addicted.

QUESTION OF THE DAY - Facebook & Myspace - November 2, 2009

2009-11-03T13:05:00.000-08:00

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Facebook & Myspace

andswenson asks:

I know someone else said that an artist uses a website such as facebook or myspace to put their music out in order to get fans. However, I think that it's just the opposite. There are so many new bands and individuals who post their work up on these site who never even go anywhere. And even the ones who do get some fan base don't really go anywhere. So my question to you is do sites like facebook and myspace really help start an artist's career and do they help managers find "the band" that they are looking for?

Hartmann responds:

Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. allow bands to build and service a list of followers who support their music. These web sites are not of themselves anything more than conduits to reach and nourish a fan base. Like any other tool they are only as good as the user. Easy access to low cost recording and free Internet distribution allow any one to participate. This does not mean that all participants have the talent and other key ingredients required to achieve commercial success. In fact most music artists have no redeeming originality or value.

The shear number of artists and managers posting and surfing the Internet makes the process of finding the truly gifted artist extremely difficult. However, music fans searching for new music need these sources in order to conduct their search. Artists should use as many popular sites as possible and all roads should lead to the Band's personal site where the bulk of their interactivity and information resides. This is your promotional system and it is only as efficient as the person operating it. It is imperative that bands treat their business in a professional manner and use all methods available to get their music out to the widest possible audience. If the music is good the public will spread the word and the fan base will grow accordingly.

QUESTION OF THE DAY - The Next Big Superstar - November 3, 2009

2009-11-03T12:48:00.001-08:00

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The Next Big Superstar

Daniel Watters asks:

In your lectures, you often talk about the next artist that everyone will unite under and a new genre will be born. However, i am a little speculative about this. A phenomenon like The Beatles could likely not happen in today's age because people are simply exposed to too much information and media via the Internet. And at the dusk of the post modern record industry, there is no longer any money to advertise and force artists down the throat of consumers. So at this point, what people listen to is becoming more of their own choice (or the choice of bloggers who advise the public). So in an age where customization and niche marketing (Have it your way!) dominate, doesn't it make sense that people will be more inclined to develop smaller niche "Idols" that they associate with more personally than a one all-consuming superstar?

Hartmann responds:

There will be a next big thing. It would defy history for that not to occur. Digital technology has leveled the playing field and exposed The Music Renaissance. There is more music in play, across more genres and into more listening devices than ever before. Access is instant and free to the taker.

The traditional format for the postmodern record business was to select and push certain songs through radio to a thirsty audience. The listeners in turn selected from the short list what would become their favorite songs. Those are called hits. This system still dominates the top of the charts, but does not accrue high volume sales as in the past. There is only one platinum album from a new artist in the Billboard top 100 for the entire year.

The Internet provides an easy access, facile system for exposing new artists and their songs. This is the new radio. The main difference is there are an infinite number of stations where one can access their music choices. This creates a niche marketplace where any style of music can be explored and distributed to an infinitely broad base of music fans.

Low cost recording and easy promotional systems put the artist in charge of his own destiny. He no longer needs endorsement from an archaic system. He can invent himself on the Internet. If he has talent his music will be spread by armies of music mavens who want to discover the next big thing first. All that it will take to succeed is a vigilant interactivity that puts the artist in direct contact with the potential fan base for his music. Quality will tell the rest of the tale.

Even though millions of artists participate, the percentage of viable professionals will remain low. Approximately ten percent of the contenders will earn one hundred percent of the money. Those who succeed in making it to the survival plateau will compete for a ubiquitous audience. Sooner or later a supremely gifted artist will offer the right songs in the right package and it will spread around the Internet in a virtual explosion of enthusiastic file sharing. This will begin in a niche market, even from an obscure or original genre, but when that superstar rises everybody will know about it, and many will follow, creating the next big music movement. It will take a lot of telnet, charisma, sex appeal and luck, but it will happen.

The Reflectacles - Current Events - November 3, 2009

2009-10-31T16:17:00.000-07:00

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Holodigm Artists The Reflectacles will perform live:

Cal State Northridge - TODAY - November 3, 2009
The Stronghold - Venice CA - Saturday, November 7, 2009
The Viper Room - West Hollywood - November 21, 2009

Come join The ReflectaFolk at these exiting shows.

Photo by the legendary photographer Henry Diltz.

Join the revolution in The music Renaissance. Hartmann

QUESTION OF THE DAY - MAINSTREAM vs. UNDERGROUND - October 13, 2009

2009-10-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

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MAINSTREAM vs. UNDERGROUND

mmv724 asks:

I have never been the type to claim that "music these days sucks," but I have often felt conflicted with the fact that almost all of the leading acts these days lack any real talent. While I do enjoy popular pop and hip-hop music, most bands that I find to be truly inspiring and talented are in the underground, independent, or alternative scenes.

How does one look at this from a manager's perspective (popularity vs. personal preference)? Do you think it is still possible for a popular mainstream act to be talented, classic, and genuinely good? Do these more "underground" acts purposefully choose the off-beaten or less mainstream career paths in order to make an artistic statement? What are the advantages/disadvantages of this path?

Hartmann responds:

If you go on what is happening today, it will be over before you catch up. The fact is ninety percent of the music posted on the Internet lacks enduring value. Only ten percent of the competing artists will create a large enough fan base to reach the first level of success. The initial goal is survival, as a musical attraction, without a day job. If this can be accomplished in your home market, it is possible to spread that popularity from local success to regional, state-wide, national and global popularity. If you can't make it at home, the world will not likely follow.

With the advent of peer-to-peer file sharing all genres of music, and virtually every record ever made, are readily available to the fan base. No longer can record companies effectively funnel their preferences through radio airplay to an eager public. Music lovers promote preferred songs through instant messaging and texting, from iPods and iPhones, to their friends free of charge. this has taken the discovery of new artists out of the hands of A&R executives and placed it directly under the control of the fans themselves.

Most creative musicians search for innovations in the musical styles of established genres. Lyricists give voice to the truth as they see it. This medium is constantly changing to keep up with the social concerns of each succeeding generation. Artists speak the concerns of their time. They incite a need for listeners to search for and discover songwriters and performers with whom they can personally identify.

Young people always go through a generational rebellion. They abandon the music of their parents and choose the soundtracks of their own lives. This is a perennial process that compels every generation to select its musical heroes and join their tribe. Although the promotional mechanism has changed from broadcast radio to Internet exploitation, the digital process has liberated music and handed the digital youth the most powerful distribution mechanism ever. The best part of it all is that the talented are no longer suppressed by the corporate status-quo.

Creative musicians can now make low cost records and introduce them to the public through Internet marketing systems free of charge. They can attack niche markets through underground channels that focus on their particular style of music. The principals of natural selection still prevail. Only the most talented musicians vigorously pursuing online marketing will survive. The additional ingredient of a strong live performing act is an imperative necessity for building a large enough following to make a living in the music renaissance.

QUESTION OF THE DAY - LADY GAGA - October 12, 2009

2009-10-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

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LADY GAGA

Adam Handwerker asks:

In class you shared with us your opinion on the future of music and who or what would be the forerunners in the art. Lady Gaga was one of the artists you mentioned in the genre of electronica. Though you expressed a slight distaste for her in terms of music preference do you think she is the next superstar that will catapult music into a new era?

Hartmann responds:

Her Ladyship may not be your personal cup of tea, however she is undeniably popular. She has the only platinum album from a new artist so far this year. Her foundation as a songwriter drives her performance art which demonstrates a certain courage and creative audacity. Strong songs and good records coupled with an entertaining live show and a strong dance component are a proven combination for success. Madonna, Britney and Christina have all enjoyed fame and fortune exploiting these ingredients.

In the case of The Material Girl there was an additional skill employed to extend her career over several decades. She had an uncanny business acumen that built an empire around her musical success that extended into the establishment of Maverick Records and a film production company.

It remains to be seen if Lady GaGa can build duration into her act and compound the initial success into a life long career. Her electonica hybrid style could be the vehicle that eventually brings this musical genre to ubiquitous popularity. This long bubbling under style needs a superstar to create a universal audience. There is always the possibility that the emergence of a great star performing in a new or dormant genre, could eclipse the ultimate popularity of electronic music. However, at this time electronica appears to be the most likely source of the next big thing in pop music.

New experiments in Hip Hop have recently produced a sensation called The Jerk which with catchy beats and an innovative dance step, continue to gain popularity. This Southern California phenomenon is spreading around the globe via the Internet. Whatever catches on first, this is the process that will expose the new artists to the world wide fan base. Careers in the music renaissance will not be built from the record company penthouse down; it will evolve from the cyber-grass-roots up.

QUESTION OF THE DAY - CAREER LONGEVITY - October 11, 2009

2009-10-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

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CARRER LONGEVITY

P. Rhee asks:

Why is it that bands and artists are having trouble establishing themselves as respected musicians? You hardly see them having the same impact as some bands from the 80's and early 90's. It seems that more than ever, bands and singers are becoming quick fads and a strong reputation is a thing of the past. Bands like Pearl Jam, Social Distortion, and even deceased ones like Nirvana and Sublime last longer and have more airtime than current ones that will hit the top of the charts for a few weeks, than disappear. Is there an inside industry answer to this?

Hartmann responds:

Colonel Tom Parker told me that the object of personal management is to build duration into the act. Considering the enduring post mortem success of his client, Elvis Presley, The Colonel certainly accomplished that goal. Career longevity is the result of a combination of circumstances. Talent is the primary ingredient. The mysterious combination of great songs, singing and playing virtuosity, charisma and sex appeal combine with media image to create an enduring attraction.

In the early days of the modern record business native talent found expression through 45 RPM singles exposed on AM radio airplay. The raw energy and power of Rock & Roll drove the baby boomers to embrace a myriad of artists who best demonstrated this new music genre. The originators were Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Fats Domino. White artists emulating their style and often duplicating their performances with cover records established the new musical form.

In the postmodern era The Beatles married long playing 331/3 RPM albums to FM radio and brought a new standard of quality to the game. Playing and performance talents reached unprecedented heights of skill and the public grew more sophisticated in its musical taste. The standards for quality have remained very high making it more difficult for new artists to compete.

Neophyte artists pursuing careers in the music renaissance of the digital age have a low threshold to entry. Cheap digital record production and free Internet promotion have changed the playing field. Many more artists can enter the competition; but the governing principals have remained unchanged. Even though more artists compete, the number of bands achieving commercial success will still be restricted to about ten percent of the acts participating. High artistic standards will limit the endorsement of the universal fan base to those artists demonstrating superior talent.

New artists have difficulty establishing themselves even in a system that makes all music free for the taking. This is directly related to the lack of basic songwriting, singing and playing skills. All talent is not equal and a discerning public, familiar with the best of the best, only chooses music of the highest quality. Most artists posting songs and videos on the Internet do not have enough experience in the game to create universally appealing product. The fans are the only true judge.

One hit wonders regularly achieve temporary success online and on the charts, but a good recording of one quality song does not a career make. Only truly talented songwriters packaged in a commercially viable act can create long running careers. This requires a series of great records presented over years of live performing. The bonding experience that occurs in concert situations excites support from the fan base. A succession of hits, achieved over a long period of time, will extend the audience's identification with a specific artist and keep them coming back for more. Multiple hits reinforce the connection and ensure a long term personal appearance career.

QUESTION OF THE DAY - NEW ARTISTS - September 26, 2009

2009-09-29T13:59:00.001-07:00

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NEW ARTISTS

Jeff McMahon asks:

On indie news site pitchfork.com, the following was one of the day's featured quotes: "'You might not care about this, but the more difficult it is for new artists to make it, the less new artists you'll see and the more British music will be nothing but puppets paid for by Simon Cowell.'-- Lily Allen, countering the Featured Artists Coalition's argument that piracy is actually good for music. (via Lily's MySpace blog)". I can personally think of many reasons why Ms. Allen is incorrect. Just the fact that she is signed to Capitol alone tells me that she has an extremely vested interest in what she is saying. What is your take on this and in what ways can/have record labels hurt new artists?

Hartmann responds:

Regardless of the reasoning, or source of their attraction, record companies in the postmodern record business offered a series of incentives to induce artists to sign with them. First and foremost they provided a recording fund that usually included a cash advance to the act. Other considerations for promotion, tour support and video production were also negotiated. Curiously, no obligation to actually release the records was part of the deal.

The primary method of promoting a record was conducted at broadcast radio with singles being presented to the program directors on a priority basis designated by the label. The system was expensive and usually involved some form of payola that gave the priority record a better chance of being added at radio. A successful single usually stimulated album sales which provided very high profits to the labels.

The advent of digital distribution has completely altered the systems and protocols of the record business. No longer are large cash advances offered, or necessary. Anybody with a Mac a mic and a song can make a record, virtually for free. An ambitious and Internet savvy act can promote their records online at little or no cost. The game has completely changed for the better.

With the advent of peer-to-peer file sharing, and ubiquitous iPod use, new music is discovered and disseminated instantly without record company participation. The radio has become irrelevant since it is now a default mechanism for music acquisition and has little or no room for new artists. The power of record labels to manipulate the selection process has disappeared.

The fans are now in charge of the A&R process. The record companies are the last to find out what is popular. New artists created through talent TV and movies may or may not be demonstrating enduring skills. They are more a product of instant celebrity than quality music. This empowers TV and film producers with some control over the new talent. However, considering the number of artists exposed, and the minuscule number of successful careers produced from these sources, this method of discovering new artists will not support the long term survival of the record business.

The four major record companies will survive for some time on the low cost digital distribution of their catalogs and publishing holdings. If they continue to offer digital downloads at the same price as CDs they will eventually fade as a music delivery system. New artists careers will not be built from the record company penthouse down; they will be developed from the cyber-grass-roots up.

The major labels will follow the progress of artists growing their fan bases on the Internet and eventually offer huge advances to corral the best. This will be tempting to the rising artists who will be forced to choose between the high profits of personal sales, made directly to their fans at gigs and online, in return for a large payday that puts their catalog in the hands of third parties.

By the time new acts reach a level of success that makes them attractive to a label, they may prefer to own their records and publishing. By building an array of recordings that can be continuously offered to a growing fan base a permanent annuity will accrue to the artist. If an act has real talent and long term potential this may well be the best way to go.

Most hard CD sales for new artists will not be through the few remaining retail outlets. Superstores like Wal Mart, Best Buy and Target cater to established artists and generally offer a limited range of product that rarely includes new acts. Regardless of the outcome the challenge is to create an Internet profile that involves the development of a large fan base that results in millions of web hits.

Offering music free online is a key element in the promotion process for new artists. File sharing is the best thing that ever happened to musicians and their fans. It places the record labels on the back burner and gives the power of choice to the fan. All the extant content in every genre is available free to the customer; just like in the days of broadcast radio promotion dominance.

The cream will rise to the top of the Internet by the process of natural selection. If the talent is there, the fame will accrue and a demand for live performances will result. That's where the new artists can compete on a level ground under their own control. Successful artists will need to be proactive on the web and maintain a direct connection with their fans through Internet activity.

QUOTE ME! - CAREERS - September 21, 2009

2009-09-21T14:21:00.000-07:00

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CAREERS

McJob: A low-pay, low-prestige, low-dignity, low-benefit, no-future job in the service sector.

Douglas Copeland 1961 -

QUESTION OF THE DAY - MAKING IT BIG - September 21, 2009

2009-09-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

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MAKING IT BIG

Lindsay Stanger asks:

It seems as though... 30 years ago when a band got signed to a major record label they were bound to at least be a one hit wonder if not a superstar. I have some friends that are either solo artists or in bands that were signed to major record labels and even offered a pretty hefty signing bonus...why is it that nothing ever seems to happen for them after they are signed?? Does the record label give up on them even after originally seeing potential? Is this common?

Hartmann responds:

The postmodern record business was born of the marriage between AM radio and 331/3 R.P.M. long playing albums. The Beatles were the superstar attraction that exploded this format into the global popular culture. Their extraordinary songwriting talents, combined with unbridled charisma and social upheaval all contributed to rocketing the Fab Four into an international phenomenon that came to be known as Beatlmania.

Initially successful in the United Kingdom, The Beatles were slow off the launching pad in the United States. The catalytic event that launched their early success was the assassination Of JFK. In the beginning almost every major record company passed on them. However, they were steadily building a cult following in America in the early 60s. When Kennedy was killed, the baby boomers took it personally and rejected the materialistic values of their parents generation and embraced those mop tops from England. The Beatles replaced the leaders and the rest is history.

The record industry infrastructure that was created by unprecedented album sales was nourished by the British Invasion that followed. One after another the great musical attractions emerged and albums sold like never before. Every major music genre was effected and the record business grew to be a multi billion dollar enterprise. What followed was the most productive era in the history of popular music. An entire generation embraced music as its driving force.

Major international corporations were quick to recognize this highly lucrative business where fans would purchase albums as badges of honor and personal identification with their musical heroes. A counter culture was born in resistance to the Viet Nam war and this rebellion further fueled the growth of a music driven society of youth. The entire movement was driven by an anti-war mind set and the ubiquitous use of cannabis, psychedelic and eventually hard drugs.

Many observers and participants attributed the burst of creative expression to the throwing open of the doors of perception that massive drug taking provoked. The Hippie movement that resulted in the demise of the war was inspired by the protest songs of The Beatles and their emulators. Universal drug abuse led to the deaths of three of musics greatest talents in 1969.

Superstars Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison all expired from accidental overdoses as experimentation transcended drugs as tools and turned to narcotics as fuels. Many other artists lives were cut short and careers interrupted by the insidious use of cocaine and heroin. There were other climactic moments when drug induced behavior led to the murder at Altamont and the Manson tragedy. Suddenly excessive drug use lost its charm and music has not been the same since.

The myriad of record labels condensed down to four major companies. In the 80s, sales of their vast catalogs of masters were reinvigorated by the invention of the compact disc known in the vernacular as the CD. This new technology inspired the greatest boom in recorded music ever. Entire record collections were replaced with the new digital format at no additional cost to the manufacturers. The music was already owned, controlled and paid for and now presented as brand new product. The power slipped away from the artists and accrued to the music giants.

What followed was unprecedented prosperity and tighter controls on the system. The formulaic approach ultimately led to a decline in musical quality and the birth of the independant record lable movement. Companies that had previously embraced artistic integrity and long term development of artists surrendered to the hunt for instant success and platinum status. New originators were left by the wayside or confined to micro-labels and limited success. If an artist didn't achieve an immediate hit they were abandoned by their record companies and declared instant failures.

What the record companies offered was a large recording budget and a one shot attack at radio. The artists they signed were mostly copies of yesterdays successes. The free form expression once offered by FM radio surrendered to the limited product offered by the labels and promoted primarily an AM. No longer was the concept of career building a consideration.

As the digital age progressed and universal, high speed, Internet access prevailed, the other side of the digital sword surfaced. Peer-to-peer file sharing abolished the label's dictation of what music was avaialable to compete for popularity. The fan base is now empowered to choose from the vast array of music from every extant genre now proliferating on the world wide web.

Today the power is with the people, who can acquire music freely from the Internet, which offers a promotional medium infinitely more accessible than broadcast airwaves. The cost of promotion is negligible; and with digital recording, so is the creation of recorded music. This has brought the postmodern record industry to its knees and thrown open the participation to anybody with a Mac a mic and a song.

No longer will artists be dependant on the approval of A&R committees. Now they can build their careers from the cyber-grass-roots up and own their masters, publishing and the lion's share of the income. Talent is still the primary criterion for success and survival is the challenge. Only ten percent of the artists will make a profit and ninety percent of the money will be earned by one percent of the acts. Only the most driven will reach the professional realm and only the great ones will prevail.

QUOTE ME! - BEAUTY - September 16, 2009http://www.TheHolodigm.com

2009-09-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

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BEAUTY

Beauty is all very well at first sight; but who ever looks at it when it has been in the house three days?

George Bernard Shaw - 1856 - 1960

QUESTION OF THE DAY - ITS TOUGH OUT THERE - September 16, 2009

2009-09-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

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Danny Delgato asks:

I'm trying to stand up and make a career. Its tough out there. What do I do?

Hartmann responds:

Don't tell me how tough it is, stop whining and kick some ass. Its only going to get tougher. This is the most competitive environment on the planet. Any fool with a mac and a mic can play. The public is the only true judge of your talent.

Stop worrying about Europe and the rest of the country. Become the dominant musical force within a 100 mile radius of your home. Play every high school, college, bar and concert hall you can get into and book it yourself. Even perform in the street. Play as often as you can.

Find someone you trust to be your partner in business. Give him an equal share with the band and put him to work. Take him to http://www.theholodigm.com/ All the answers are there, or ask me. Watch everything and read the "Blog" postings. Your new partner is the CEO of your business and his survival will depend on your success. He doesn't have to know anything about the postmodern record business that he can't learn on my web site.

If you try to get another record deal you will fail, or they will fail you, as in the past. The record companies are lost and don't know what to do. They don't have enough money left to fund a radio campaign and you don't need to waste your time on national touring. They are crashing and burning. If they do offer you a deal it will be a 360 degree participation in everything you ever earn. They will own your masters and your publishing; and, they won't deliver on their promises.

Start your own label and work it from the fan base up. Nurture your followers on the Internet, get them to form a cult around you and ask them to enroll their friends in your club. If you can't make it at home something is wrong and you won't make it elsewhere.

In my fifty two years in music I never met a band that didn't think it was going all the way. 99% of them are wrong. If you think you are one of the 10% who will make a living in music, or the 1% who will share most of the money, start now. Do it yourself. Get tough! This is not a game for the faint of heart. It is not about fame and fortune; its about making music.

The first level of success is survival. That means making a living from music without a day job. Own Portland and the world will come to your door step. If you can't get it done there, why would any body else care? There is no point in playing to an empty house in Chicago. Keep the money; don't spend it on long distance travel and hotel rooms. Are you reading me, Danny? This is the truth.

QUOTE ME! - ABSENCE - September 14, 2009

2009-09-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

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ABSENCE

Most of what matters in your life takes place in your absence.

Salman Rushdie - 1947 -

QUESTION OF THE DAY - GETTING STARTED - September 14, 2009

2009-09-14T10:51:00.000-07:00

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L. Polliaki asks:

For people wanting to start out in the music industry, what is the best entry? I know individuals who have made it by starting out working the xerox or mail room in the movie or television business offices. Music seems different, especially if you want to be a performer. I know one person made it by putting a video on YouTube of his work and someone in the music industry saw and launched him.

Hartmann responds:

The best way to start a career in the entertainment industry is to begin at rock bottom. This usually means with an internship at an established company while you are still in school. Most major companies have internship programs, first because its a way to contribute to the future of the business; and secondly because its free labor. Whatever the motivation of the company, the advantage to beginners is enormous.

The most common source of future executive talent is the mail room at the major talent agencies. More highly placed business careers begin here than emanate from any other single source. Access to the agent trainee programs is very difficult. College graduation, and often advanced degrees are mandatory. The major broadcast networks and movie studios have similar programs.

For artists starting out the road is actually easier. All you have to do is pick up an instrument and start playing music. Your chances of succeeding are doubled if you write your own songs. Create some copyrights and start performing them in front of a mirror in your room. As soon as you are ready to demonstrate your talents move into the parlor and see how your family reacts. If they laugh and walk away, go back to your room for more reharsal.

Native talent and technical skills are not the same for all aspirants. However, any craft can be learned and practice is the key to improving your abilities. There are no guarantees that your best efforts will produce the results you hope for. Too many young artists are motivated by fame and fortune and that is usually not enough to create a viable presence in the professional arena.The most successful artists are motivated by a passionate need to make music and a vision that honors the art form.

The Internet makes it easy to participate, and low cost digital recording gives everyone a chance. If a new act makes a record and posts it on his MySpace.com page and logs a video on YouTube.com, he can get a foot in the door. A commitment to live performing and viral marketing can improve the odds. If you have "it" the public will discover you and spread the word. Only ten percent of the contenders will survive. One percent will make ninety percent ofthe money.

QUOTE ME! - YOUTH - September 7, 2009

2009-09-07T13:02:00.000-07:00

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YOUTH

I'm not young enough to know everything.

J.M. Barrie 1860 - 1937

QUESTION OF THE DAY - THE NEXT BIG STAR - September 7, 2009

2009-09-07T12:19:00.000-07:00

TheHolodigm.com

Nichole Clementi asks:

It is evident that people of today have an endless amount of sources to obtain music illegally. I know you mentioned multiple times during your lectures that once the "next big star" hits everyone will appreciate their music so much that they will actually purchase the album. Do you think this will happen anytime soon, and who might this next big act be?

Hartmann responds;

We can only imagine how the future will unfold and this requires a certain sense of vision. It is reasonable to assume that the next big thing is already alive and growing toward fulfillment of the dream of becoming a superstar. Throughout my fifty plus years in the music industry, I have never met an artist who didn't think he was going all the way to The Big Top. Some even thought they would reach Elvisland and unseat the King of Rock & Roll as the all time greatest music star.

The degree of difficulty for success has not been diminished by the Internet. The threshold to entry is very low because of cheap digital recording, but everyone with a Mac, a mic and a song in his heart is not talented. It takes extraordinary talent to create a successful career in music and everyone with a MySpace page is not a contender. Only 10% of artists have a chance to succeed.

There is no artificial time frame attached to the emergence of the next superstar. And, only after an artist makes a spectacular impact will the race for ubiquitous popularity begin. One thing is for certain, the contest will be initiated and executed on the Internet. The next big thing will not trickle down from the record company penthouse. It will be built from the cyber-grass-roots up.

The most obvious contender at this moment in time is Colbie Caillat, who posted song and videos on the web and received several million hits. Her MySpace profile led her to become the number one unsigned singer in her genre. Her debut single "Bubbly" peaked at #5 in the charts. This brought her to the attention of professional managers Fitzgerald & Hartley. They were able to secure a multi-million dollar record deal with Universal Music Group and her second album "Breakthrough," reached the #1 spot in Billboard in its first week of release. Caillat is a prolific songwriter with a distinctive voice and an incredible work ethic. She may well be the next big thing in music. Only time and a continuing stream of live shows and recorded product will tell.

QUOTE ME! - WAR - September 4, 2009

2009-09-04T17:45:00.000-07:00

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WAR

When war enters a country it produces lies like sand.

Anonymous

QUESTION OF THE DAY - ELECTRONIC MUSIC - September 4, 2009

2009-09-04T17:25:00.000-07:00

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ELECTRONIC MUSIC

Kiley Ong asks:

I have recently taken a great interest in electronic music and was wondering what you see for the future of it and whether or not it will remain in the "indie" scene forever? Also, with most of today's music being sold one song at a time on sites like itunes, do you think there can really be a next "superstar" today? As many people are really only being exposed to one good song from many different artists, even the radio finds one song per artist and just plays the hell out of it.

Hartmann responds:

Electronic music has maintained a steady growth in popularity over the past few decades. Electronic musical instruments and technology began with the use of sound producing instruments like the Telharmonium, the Hammond organ and electric guitars. Sound production is also achieved by using devices such as the Theremin, sound synthesizer, and the computer

Originally utilized to add unique sounds to the recording process, in recent years electronic music has achieved enormous popularity in the form of electronic dance music. Computer technology has become more accessible and music software interacts with music production technology in ways that bear no relationship to traditional musical performance practices.

Any musician with a Mac a mic and song in his head can produce a high quality home recording at virtually no cost. This has lead to millions of new artists posting their songs online and playing their music in night clubs around the world. Despite its popularity the genre has yet to produce a true superstar.

If a great artist were to emerge, it would most likely get the genre off the back burner and into the mainstream. It has an enormous potential but needs a star to establish ubiquitous interest with the fan base. It would only take one great song to break electronic music wide open; but it will have to come from a performing artist with original songs, tremendous sex appeal and unbridled passion to succeed.

Since the music delivery system of choice today is free downloads, via peer-to-peer file sharing, it would only take one record to achieve instant popularity. If the fans loved the act enough to pay for the music, the artist could make a fortune from the first song on day one. However, a new act is more likely to build slowly over a long period of time and it will be dificult to eke out a survival.

QUOTE ME! - VIRTUE - September 2, 2009

2009-09-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

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VIRTUE

Terrible is the temptation to be good.

Bertolt Brecht - 1898 - 1956

QUESTION OF THE DAY - A RISING STAR - September 2, 2009

2009-09-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

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Joe Depaoli asks:

The music industry is ever changing with different genres, rhythms, and melodies. Where do you see music heading in the future? Who do you feel is the next "rising star?" Is "Elvis Land" attainable for contemporary artists?

Hartmann responds:

Everything changes. It is not surprising that the record business would be drastically effected by digital technology. The shock would be if the music industry failed to adapt to the evolution. Instant access to all music genres, on demand, is not the only contributing factor in the decline of record sales. The DigiKids have a deep rooted perception that if it's on the web it belongs to them.

The "its mine" mind set is universally accepted and evolves out of the fact that broadcast radio has always been free. The penalty is tied to enduring the constant barrage of commercials. Record companies spend millions of dollars creating "product" and millions more to place their "priority" records on the radio. Music fans tune in and purchase what they like from the choices offered.

As Rock & Roll morphed into its classic form there was a golden age of music that made every song, from a favored artist, relevant. The Beatles set a very high standard and every new band and artist was forced to reach for a the highest plateau. In the sixties and seventies many great bands delivered. Fans purchased albums because they wanted to know the artists they loved and the resultant profits created the postmodern record business. The artist/fan dynamic has changed.

In order to feed the insatiable system a constant flow of product was required. As the machinery grew, the quality declined. Mediocre talent was able to reach financial success, if not critical acclaim. Artists who would have been laughed of the stage in the golden age of music became regular residents at the top of the charts. Celebrity provoked more sales than virtuosity or performing skills and the fans became more influenced by peer pressure than intrinsic value.

The old formula of quality being determined in record company board rooms and sold through the purchase of radio airplay has been replaced by a new filtration method. The Internet is the new arbiter of quality and it cannot be fooled. The millions of videos on YouTube reveal the artist's talent, or lack thereof, instantly. And, as always, most of the content is not commercially viable. The shear volume of material makes it extremely difficult to identify the best new artists.

Every band thinks it is great and the ones that get the most encouragement attempt to achieve success in the professional realm. The ones that make their living from music attempt to reach the pinnacle an done percent reach The Big Top. Success can only be measured over time and it is the survivors who look back over their twenty or thirty year careers who compete for Elvisland.

For decades Elvis Presley has been the highest earning dead person and thus demonstrates the most enduring career in music. Artists who seek to be the next big thing must compete with Elvis' legacy. It is possible that a charismatic and talented artist could emerge and through the power of the Internet establish a formidable career. Instant fame and fortune could accrue to such an act if the fans elected to pay for the music instead of stealing it. That's a big if! Such an artist may be just over the horizon, but has failed to reveal itself so far. For sure, its not The Jonas Brothers.

One of the key mitigating factors is the changing role of music in our culture. What was once a central force that permeated every level of society and maintained an ubiquitous presence has lost its primary delivery system. Radio is no longer the common denominator it once was. Access to new music is accomplished through peer-to-peer file sharing and is mostly free of charge. Songs are discovered, explored and shared one at a time and whole albums are rarely interesting enough to download.

Piracy comes with no moral imperative and nobody steals something they don't want. Regardless of the opinion of the prevailing systems and protocols the digital generation claims music as there own. If they love the artist they will support their live performances and purchase their CDs and merch. Even though they probably already have the songs on their iPods they will purchase the artist's product as a demonstration of their affection. The Internet is the ultimate promotional tool. What the record companies really cannot stand is the fact that it is free and makes them irrelevant. This phenomenon is the greatest boon to artists and puts the profits in their pockets.

QUOTE ME! - THE UNIVERSE - August 28, 2009

2009-08-28T16:59:00.000-07:00

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THE UNIVERSE

The world is disgracefully managed, one hardly knows to whom to complain.

Ronald Fairbank 1886 - 1926

QUESTION OF THE DAY - ACQUIRING COPYRIGHTS - August 28, 2009

2009-08-28T16:09:00.000-07:00

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ACQUIIRING COPYRIGHTS

Jeremy Correia asks:

How does a company that does nothing more than publishing acquire the rights to the valuable asset? Where is the leverage? Why can't the songwriter make the same phone calls the publisher would for the usage of songs. Since the artist is most frequently the songwriter these days, and organizations like ASCAP collect the fees, what is the value in having the middle man? Can't the manager handle the publishing for the artist? Do you have any words of wisdom that may help me see the light? I have all of the tools necessary to open a publishing company tomorrow but I don't have any idea as to what a legitimate pitch would be to acquire copyrights.

Hartmann responds:

Please note this previous post on music publishing:

http://theholodigm.blogspot.com/2009/08/hartmanns-law-never-sell-your.html

All that being said, as an entrepreneur you are precisely correct. I advise artists & managers to keep all income streams under their direct control. Publishing has always been the most lucrative part of the music industry and it is the only enduring asset for artists and songwriters. Acquisition of copyrights isn't just a matter of having a good pitch and a game plan. Its not rocket science either, and anybody can do it. Songwriters always love their tunes and it isn't easy to convince them to sign over their copyrights. I'm not the only one advising them not to sell.

The big leverage is money. Lacking investment there is little reason for songwriters to sign with a publisher, its just as easy to do-it-yourself. If you had a roster of writers, you might attract new writers by offering them associations with your veterans. An established company can always point to their track record and history of success to attract new writers. A new company hasn't much to offer. You are always fighting the gravity in the elevator imposed by the status-quo.

The publishing industry has lost considerable income as a result of diminished mechanical royalties from record sales. But, they have many other ways to go. The hottest outlet now is TV and Film where music is playing a stronger role than in recent decades. When a song is performed on American Idol, for example, the catalog for the original artist skyrockets. Every pitch has a "anti-pitch" so you can always ask. Many songwriters are starving and vulnerable to cash offers.

Your best shot at owning copyrights is to find a Band that has a great live act and offer them a management partnership whereby you are become an equal partner in all their activities. Then you can set up your own publishing and record company to exploit the records and merchandise at their gigs. As their partner and CEO of the LLC, or corporation, you can seek to place the controlled compositions, through music supervisors, on TV shows and movie soundtracks.

The only other option is to purchase songs directly from the writers. The problem here is 90% of the songs are not commercially viable, so you could end up with a catalog full of duds. If fans flock to a bands gigs there must be something about the songs that appeals to them. Rather than trust your personal taste, watch the audience. If they are screaming and yelling for more, they must be hearing something they like coming from the stage. If they buy the CD on site you have a business. If they pick up a t-shirt as well, you can bet they will be back, with their friends, for more.

QUOTE ME! - TEACHING - August 26, 2009

2009-08-27T12:10:00.000-07:00

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TEACHING

A teacher effects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.

Henry Brooks Adams 1838 - 1918

HARTMANN'S LAW - LOOK FOR SYMMETRY - August 27, 2009

2009-08-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

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10. LOOK FOR SYMMETRY

Symmetry is the essence of beauty. If a band standing on stage, in front of an audience, is awkward and disheveled, and members don’t seem to belong together, there is a subliminal distraction imposed on the audience. This anomaly will cloud the beholder’s attention and incite them to "think" about what is being presented to them. When one guy on stage is really tall, and another band member is very short, it can be awkward for an audience to receive that image and digest the information, in a harmonious manner. Of course there are no absolutes and symmetrical flaws can be overcome. Hall & Oats success was not precluded by this particular example, in this case talent eclipsed image. However, whenever I saw them, it registered in my mind that the guy is really short. When building a band always try to find attractive people and build balanced visual elements into the artist’s image. Costumes and stage dress should be appropriate to the specific statement the artist wishes to make to his audience. Be careful about the instrumentation, and the tools that are used to put on the show. Sound, lighting and production techniques should be designed to provide a harmonious balance on stage. The business of music has always been an audio/visual medium, but this is even more relevant in the digital age. New artists are first observed online through YouTube videos and personal web sites. The fan base knows what you look like at the same time they are exposed to your sound. If a picture is truly worth a thousand words, a video is worth a million. A bands image is immediately established by their dress, tattoos, piercing, instruments and music. Addressing a specific audience is instantly focused by what your act looks like. A country fan knows a metal band and moves on. A metal head sees himself in the act and clicks deeper into the web to determine the authenticity of the act. The fans are the first judge and they are always right for their taste. How you present your act weather it is T-shirts and sneakers, or suits and boots, a carefully considered image will steer you straight to the fan base you seek. Symmetry provides a more pleasant picture. Managers must be conscious of what their act looks like. Its a show, so show them . Be fearless. If you don't want to look like every other band in your genre, visuals are an area where you can separate yourself from the pack. Sometimes image can overcome substance. The greatest example of this is KISS whose "look" was more important to their success than the quality of their music. More recently Slipknot took a bold visual stance and got noticed. Whatever, your genre might be stretch the image as far as you dare. No matter what, do something, look original, demonstrate some style. Your songwriting and performing skills will be what ever they are; your image can be adjusted to make an impression on the audience. If they like your attitude, they might listen to your music. Start by creating a dynamic show with physical action and visual symmetry.

Four Peas In A Pod - Eagles

In early 1971, David Geffen and Elliot Roberts founded one of the first and most successful boutique record companies of all time, Asylum Records. I was the very first employee of the fledgling label and in charge of managing the artists. David's original motivation was to create a home label for legendary singer/songwriter Jackson Browne. However, once in the game they were faced with building a roster of talent to create product to feed into the distribution system. Jackson introduced David to several of his contemporaries, including J.D. Souther and Glenn Frey. David signed Souther as a solo artist, and he suggested that Glenn's should form a band.

With the help of Linda Ronstadt and her manager/producer, John Boylan, a group was formed, around Glenn, inside Linda's band. The quartet of Glenn, Don Henley, Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon became the founding members of the Eagles. They went on to become Asylum's most successful artists with immediate success out of the box, and a sustaining catalog of hit albums and singles. This band had symmetry. They were all skinny, long-haired, twenty somethings who looked exactly like their audience. Their handsome good looks projected a strong visual image.

The pattern had been set a decade before by The Beatles who also projected symmetry in their appearance. The Fab Four chose a more formal and refined image by appearing on stage, and in public, dressed in matching suits. Their manager Brian Epstien wanted to overcome their working class roots by making them more palatable to a wider audience. Their look changed with every record and they established clothing trends for an entire generation. The footwear they favored became known in the cultural vernacular as "Beatle Boots," and we all wore them.

The Eagles incorporated a similar symmetry into their look without compromising their individuality. There was no uniform dress code, but their was an instinctive choice to lean toward their country rock roots. When they walked on stage, or down the street, they looked like they belonged together. They never intentionally copied one an other's style, but what they each chose to wear matched their personality and the role they played in the band. The symmetry was beautiful and even though they didn't look alike, they were four peas in a pod.

QUOTE ME! - THE SUPERNATURAL - August 26, 2009http://www.TheHolodigm.com

2009-08-26T15:25:00.000-07:00

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THE SUPERNATURAL

Superstition sets the whole world in flames; philosophy quenches them.

Voltaire 1694 - 1778

HARTMANN'S LAW - LOOK FOR VIRTUOSITY - August 26, 2009

2009-08-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

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HARTMANN'S LAW

9. LOOK FOR VIRTUOSITY

Virtuosity means excellent playing skills. Superior instrumental technique is most obvious to another accomplished musician who has a solid basis for measurement. B. B. King is the best judge of how well Eric Clapton is playing his instrument. However, the talent required to deliver a superior performance is not lost on the average music fan. Music is a mathematical statement in which precision, speed and physical dexterity all play a part. Mastery of a musical instrument combines with the musician's mental choices to produce a specific result. The best technician is not necessarily the best player. The most proficient performers transcend mere technical ability and reach into the depths of their imaginations to create inspired works of art. Music is the mathematics of the masses and our minds respond to greatness without analytical judgement. We feel it when it sounds good and we cringe when its sharp or flat. The emotional reaction is not about logic or reason, it just is. If a musician lacks imagination, the sounds he produces will have less impact. When the meter, melody and message are skillfully integrated the response is visceral and cerebral. Music can close the mind + body gap and create an euphoric experience for the listener. The presence of a virtuoso player in any band inspires the other members to play better and grow. A great player sets a standard of excellence that the others can strive for. Sometimes this ingredient alone can dictate the success of an act. An inspired performance generates excitement in the audience. It is very important to have musicians with superior ability as a primary ingredient in any band. Managers and artists must seek and recognize the great players. A strong band represents the best possibility of putting on a good show. Virtuosity provides a powerful insurance policy for artists seeking success in the highly competitive music industry. There are three ways to master your musical instrument, practice, practice and more practice.

The Man Of Steel - Rusty Young

In early 1972 I had become a partner in G-R Management and was responsible for executing the performing and recording activity of more than a dozen artists. The most recent addition to our roster was seminal country rock band, Poco. Founded in the wake of Buffalo Springfield's 1968 breakup by Richie Furay, Rusty Young, Jim Messina and George Grantham, Poco had enjoyed just enough success to keep them going; but not enough to hold all the original members. By '72 Messina was enjoying popularity as half of the great duo Loggins & Messina. Guitarist, singer Paul Cotton had replaced Messina and Bass player Timothy B. Scmit, later to become a member of Eagles, had joined the little band that could. This was still a very solid line-up of musicians.

Over time Richie Furay had grown frustrated by the pace of Poco's career. He was lured by David Geffen to join singer/songwriter J.D. Souther and Byrds co-founder Chris Hillman in what we hoped would be the next super group, The SHF Band. A meeting was called to make the announcement that Richie was leaving. The extant members gathered in my Sunset Strip office along with Geffen, Roberts and associate manager Harlan Goodman. It was a very awkward encounter.

The band didn't have a clue that their lead singer was about to quit. Nobody wanted to address the issue and after a couple of rounds of meaningless chatter, I realized that it was up to me to break the news. "Lets take the bull by the horns," I offered, "This guy is leaving the band." There was a stunned silence as incredulous glances bounced around the room. It was plain to see the reality registering in the band's collective mind. Suddenly, recent events made sense to them .

The hottest management company in the world had romanced a marginally successful band into its family, just to steal its prime asset. Accusations flew and anger blistered in the room. "You're fired," declared Rusty as he stormed from the office, in a cloud of disgust, followed by the rest of the band. We all adjusted to the shock that reverberated through the room. We had expected it, and we took it on the chin, we absorbed the embarrassment, and slowly drifted from the room.

This event was a turning point in my relationship with Geffen. Our relationship had been strained over other issues, and it seemed like a good time to resign from the company. I turned to Harlan and said, "Lets start our own company," to which he responded, "We already have." Neither of us had any money and without an office or a client, we started Hartmann & Goodman in a phone booth at Sunset and Doheny. We found a role of dimes in my college beer mug and the first call was to Poco. We all gathered at Tim's house and by sundown we had a our first client.

Poco, now a quartet without a lead singer was called to the line. They would either crumble and become a footnote in rock history, or they would rally their skills, consolidate their talents and take a step up and deliver. We were all desperate to create our own survival and the band went into an extensive songwriting and extended rehearsal marathon. We went into the studio and began work on "Poco Seven" for Epic Records. Harlan and I begged Barbara Skydel, of Premier Talent, to book us a tour and the band went on the road for the rest of the year making "Seven" Poco's most successful album to date. We all enjoyed our most financially successful year as well.

Rusty Young was voted "Best Steel Guitar Player" for each of the first five years that Guitar Player Magazine conducted their poll. Eventually, they gave him a diamond award and retired him from future contention, in order to give somebody else a shot at the title. Rusty was without any doubt a virtuoso musician. By shear will power and excruciating determination Rusty turned his pedal steel guitar into a lead instrument. His dynamic performances inspired the rest of the band to reach beyond their previously perceived potential. This was by far the best version of Poco ever.

Rusty assumed song writing responsibility, along with Schmit and Cotton. A succession of hits followed and Rolling Stone Magazine declared that Poco had finally made it. They dubbed Rusty the "greatest slide guitarist in the world." Poco members have been prolific song writers, releasing more than 25 original albums. They continue to tour and always demonstrate their virtuosity.

QUOTE ME! - SATISFACTION - August 24, 2009

2009-08-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

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SATISFACTION

Plain living and high thinking are no more; the homely beauty of the good old cause is gone.

William Wordsworth 1770 - 1850

HARTMANN'S LAW - IF ITS NOT GOOD LIVE DUMP IT - August 24, 2009

2009-08-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

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HARTMANN'S LAW

8. IF ITS NOT GOOD LIVE DUMP IT

The day of artists being able to get away with a lack of performing skills is long past. The fans and the public are quite conscious of all the ingredients involved in any kind of theatrical production. An artist must be able to put on a good, live show. His performance must attract the audience back for a second, third, and fourth show. He must create enough excitement to induce the fans to invite their friends along next time. Unless the fan base continues to expand the act will not survive. It is very important that artists, building careers in The Music Renaissance, provide sales of recorded product and merchandise on site; these have become very important income streams. Without a good, live attraction, there is no way that an artist can function without a day job. Television requires a strong visual component and isn't likely to utilize artists without polished performance skills. Most sales of CDs will result from the impact of live performance on the fan base. Radio airplay is still controlled by the record companies and most of the air time is devoted to the established artists. New acts compete with the major stars for the same rotation. Live performance is the singular most important promotional activity that can accrue to the marketing of any record. When a manager chooses a client, he must make certain this particular ingredient is present. It will be very tough to survive if you can’t put on a good show that’ll bring those fans back time and time again. The bond created between audience and artist through the live concert experience is the most powerful inducement for fans to buy your records and merchandise.

The Return Of The Mountain Men - Eagles

In early 1971, I joined the Geffen-Roberts Company as an associate manager. David Geffen had entered into a partnership with Elliot Roberts, the manager of Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. Geffen was the manager of Crosby, Stills & Nash whose eponymous debut album catapulted the first "supergroup" to international stardom. Their second album included Young to produce CSNY's iconic Deja Vu. David and Elliot parlayed their success and set up their own record label.

Asylum Records derived its name from the perception that the record business was an island of insanity amidst an ocean of chaos. The adventure that followed did little to assuage that perception. David went on an asserted campaign to influence Joni and G-R client Laura Nero to sign with Asylum. After a protracted tug-of-war with Clive Davis, president of Nero's label Columbia Records, Laura signed with Columbia and fired Geffen as her manager. Joni signed with the fledgling label and her presence contributed heavily to Asylum's immediate success.

The first artist signed to the label was singer/songwriter Jackson Browne who shared a house in Silver Lake with a folk-rock duo called Longbranch-Pennywhistle. The act was composed of John David Souther and Glenn Frye. Geffen signed Souther to a recording contract and he joined our management roster under my direction. David suggested to Glenn that he would be better in the context of a band and set in motion a process that eventually produced a superstar attraction.

Running the record label soon escalated into a full time job for Geffen and he began to distance himself from the management of artists. However, since good personal management was the most sought after and least found skill in the music industry, we provided the service to most of the Asylum artists creating a "family" atmosphere. Another established artist who joined the Asylum roster was legendary singer Linda Ronstadt. As an artist, she was to play a significant role in the label's success. And, her manager/producer, John Boylan, helped create the label's greatest artist.

David was focused on discovring new artists for the label, and every day paced his office, rolling a loop of scotch tape between his fingers, obsessing that we had to find "the next big thing." Boylan
hired Frey, bassist Randy Meisner and drummer Don Henley to perform in Linda's back up band. One Monday night we all converged on The Troubadour in West Hollywood to catch Rondstadt's performance. In the middle of her set, Linda graciously introduced Frey, Randy, Don and lead guitarist Bernie Leadon, and allowed them to perform a four song set in the middle of her show.

David always said that, when it comes to music, its easy to tell what's great; and its difficult to tell what's not great. What we saw that night was extraordinary. The musical virtuosity and tight harmonies inspired an enthusiastic reaction from Linda's fans; and I personally got goose bumps over my entire body. The next day David, Elliot and I met the quartet in a rehearsal hall in The Valley for what was to be the first rehearsal of the band that would cone to call itself Eagles.

Needless to say, the half dozen songs they had worked up were pretty raw; and there wasn't much attempt at performance. However, their potential greatness shone through and we immediately committed to manage the act and sign them to Asylum Records. As the new manager of an untested band, the first thing I wanted to do was get them out of town for some practical experience. I booked them in a bar called Tulagi's and sent them off to Aspen, Colorado.

With a limited repertoire, they were required to perform the same set four times a night for three weeks. There were about twenty-five patrons for the first show, twice that for the second and by the third set the place was packed. Every other performance in the run was jammed to capacity and beyond. Upon their return to L.A., I immediately noticed a remarkable difference in them.

Maybe it was the clean mountain air, or their beaming confidence, perhaps it was both. But, whatever happened it was obvious that the hard work had been a very positive experience. So I immediately booked them back for a return engagement. Geffen and I flew to Aspen and saw the phenomenon first hand. Their performance skills had blossomed and the music was tight. The rapport they had established with the locals was truly amazing. They knew how to put on a show.

By the time they returned the act was solid and seasoned and they were ready for the Los Angeles gig scene. From their first shows they dazzled the audience and their material was polished and ready to record. Their first album was produced by legendary English producer, Glynn Johns, and was an instant success. Two hit singles raced up the charts and their forty plus year career was off and running. Their succession of hit singles and albums have sold more CDs than any other American artist.

The skills they acquired in those early performances, out of the spotlight, have continued to grow. Today they are one of the most successful live attractions of all time and their current album is six times platinum and still selling. If Eagles come to your town, don't miss them, they continue to demonstrate virtuoso musicianship, a dynamic and entertaining show, they look good; and they can still hit the notes.

QUOTE ME! - RACE - August 22, 2009

2009-08-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

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RACE

Though it be a thrilling and marvelous thing to be merely young and gifted in such times, it is doubly so, doubly dynamic - to be young, gifted and black.

Lorraine Hansberry 1930 - 1965

QUOTE ME! - RACE - August 22, 2009

2009-08-22T14:22:00.000-07:00

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HARTMANN'S LAW - NEVER SIGN WITH A RECORD COMPANY - August 21, 2009

2009-08-21T08:36:00.001-07:00

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HARTMANN'S LAW

7. NEVER SIGN WITH A RECORD COMPANY

When the big four record companies failed to embrace “Napster,” and peer-to-peer file sharing, they sealed their fate and precipitated their own demise. The traditional value of a record deal has always been tied to the very high cost of recording and radio promotion. Each time a label committed to record, and release, an album, it was obligating itself to a million dollar investment. Every time an A&R man signed an act he risked his job. In this day of diminished CD sales signing new artists is not a top priority. When albums cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce, the role of record companies was imperative. In The music Renaissance that is no longer the case. With the technological advances provided by ProTools and other low cost, digital recording systems, anybody can make a record with minimal investment. The second major contribution from the record companies, and their sub labels, was attached to their control of broadcast radio. At the height of the postmodern record business a large portion of the AM and FM radio formats were dominated by genre specific programming. The record companies fueled this process with millions of advertising dollars. These expenditures created the most competitive environment in the music industry and often the monies were expended through illegal activities known as “Payola.“ However, with the ubiquitous proliferation of the iPod, radio no longer has the universal relevance it once enjoyed. Today, music fans rarely access their music through the various radio outlets, radio is a default destination. In the digital age, personal choice of niche genres is more important than being fed formula music, chosen by record executives and radio programmers. When music is free for the taking and acquired on demand from every genre, word of mouth provides the relevant form of promotion. Fans collect files, not CDs, and radio is no longer a dominant force in the promotion process. Artists must promote themselves and grow their fan bases on the Internet. They have direct access to the potential customer; and a free mechanism for promotion of their personal appearances and merchandise. Most album sales will take place at live events, where the bonding experience between artist and fan is most intense. After all the deductions built into record deals dilute the artist's share, they net only pennies from the brick and mortar sale of a CD. Records sold by the artist directly to their fans net a profit of ten dollars or more. There is a reason that the superstars are abandoning the system that brought them to prominence. With the advent of three-sixty record deals, whereby the record company participates in all the artist's income streams, the situation is even worse. In the music renaissance acts will not be built from the record company penthouse down; they will be built from the cyber-grass-roots up. By the time they discover your Internet presence and come forward with their fat check books, you may no longer need them. The success of your business will not be dependant on expensive recording or radio airplay. Your long term interest will be best served if you own your publishing copyrights and recorded masters. Don't ever sign with a label.

Cash In Hand Fooleth No Man - Eagles

As the major record companies struggle to adapt to the digital age, they continue to reap handsome rewards from the exploitation of their extant catalogs of recorded masters. The cost of a digital download, or ringtone, is virtually nothing; yet the price to the customer is the same as with a plastic and paper delivery system. With the high profits from digital sales surpassing the numbers of paid hard copy transactions, the labels are treading water. They are not investing in new artists.

At the height of the postmodern record business, a number one album would sell a million or more units. Today, the number one slot can be reached with sales of only one hundred thousand. The primary promotional tool for music is the Internet where the posting of songs and video is virtually zero. In the past, the labels controlled the process, now the fans are in charge and A&R men are forced to follow the trends rather than create or lead them as they have in the past.

The corps of personal mangers, who represent the interests of artists in the game, have long battled the corporations for a fair share of the profits. Fairness has never been achieved. At best, a recording act received a tiny fraction of the gross receipts from record sales. Now the tables have turned and the established artists are asserting their power in the music industry economy.

The consolidation of radio station ownership has narrowed the possibilities and tightened the play lists. Stations have lost the "local" flavor and are locked into a formulaic approach mostly dictated by the record companies. In the concert business, ticket prices have skyrocketed and live events have become occasional luxuries, rather than the regular, habitual practice of music fans.

The most profound effect on the record business has been the defection of classic artists from their labels. The artist formerly known as Prince, later identified by an esoteric symbol, and now known as Prince again, shocked his record company by giving his album way for free with the purchase of an English newspaper. The great band Radiohead, shocked the industry by offering their album for free, asking only that the fans pay whatever they thought it was worth. Ironically, the net profits, far exceeded what they would have earned through normal brick and mortar sales.

The most dramatic desertion of the postmodern system was the path taken by the Eagles with the release of their "Long Road Out Of Eden" double CD. After careful consideration of the pros and cons of major label distribution, Eagles manager Irving Azoff recognized that the tightly controlled radio airplay, available to classic acts, wouldn't amount to much. He skipped the middle man and went directly to the biggest seller of recorded product, the mighty Wal-Mart.

Confident of the support of a huge fan base, hungry for Eagles' product, Azoff accomplished an unprecedented agreement with the retail giant. He made an exclusive deal that gave Wal-Mart sole distribution rights for North America. Traditionally record companies placed product in stores on consignment. If they failed to sell, records were returnable to the manufacturing label for full credit. A record shipped was not necessarily a sold record. Irving had a better idea.

In return for the privilege of exclusivity, for a three year period, Wal-Mart agreed to pay a guaranteed flat price for over three million units. The cost is speculated to be somewhere between five and eight dollars a piece giving Eagles one of the biggest pay days in the history of the record business. They reserved the right to release the album through traditional outlets in foreign territories, adding millions more to the gross sales. No artist ever made a better deal for an album, and the combined global sales make "Long Road Out Of Eden" one of the biggest sellers of the decade.

The Wal-Mart type deal is only feasible for a superstar attraction with a large and devoted fan base. But, the principals can be applied to baby bands as well. In an era when artists can create low cost recordings and promote them for free on the Internet, there survival may well depend on keeping the high profits from CD sales in house. Record companies are imposing 360 degree deals on new artists. They offer cash and airplay at a time when the efficacy of both is in doubt.

A band with a thousand fans, and an efficient booking mechanism, can survive without a record company's support. A talented act, with a good live show, can prosper and build their own record company. They can own their masters and keep one hundred percent of their publishing, box-office and merchandising receipts. Most importantly they can control their own destiny by never signing with a record company. If they offer you millions of dollars, you can have fun weighing the option and considering the possibilities. By then, you probably won't need them. But, if you do decide to sign, license your masters for a limited term, so that in the end they are returned to you.

QUOTE ME! - PARENTS - August 20, 2009

2009-08-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

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PARENTS

The joys of parents are secret, and so are their griefs and fears.

Francis Bacon 1561 - 1626

HARTMANN'S LAW - NEVER SELL YOUR PUBLISHING - August 20, 2009

2009-08-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

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HARTMANN'S LAW

6. NEVER SELL YOUR PUBLISHING

This is one of the cardinal rules of the music business. The intellectual property created by songwriters is the only permanent annuity that accrues to the creators of copyrights. Long after the artist is retired, and the recorded product is out of print, the song remains. The great ones are recorded over and over again by new and established artists. Under the compulsory licensing provisions established by law, anyone may record a song, that has been previously released on a commercial recording, without permission from the writer or publisher. The recording party remains obligated to pay the prevailing statutory rate, currently 9.1 cents, for each record sold, containing that copyright. However, they are not required to obtain permission from the administrating publisher in advance. It is up to the performing rights societies to track the use of the song and collect the monies due to their writers and publisher members. ASCAP, BMI and SESAC will distribute the domestically earned monies to the appropriate entities. It has become customary in the industry for writers to make co-publishing deals with established publishers. Hartmann’s Law #6 reminds you that the income stream from publishing may be the only earnings that will continue to accrue in support of your retirement. Although there are exceptions to every rule, and the major music publishers provide valuable services, it is best to never sell your publishing.

THE CHECK IS IN THE MAIL - POCO

The most profitable activity in the music industry is music publishing. The myriad of income streams that flow from the users of music, to the writers and publishers, is a multi-billion dollar business. Every time a song is played on the radio, in night clubs, concert halls, elevators, or on movie and television soundtracks, a fee is paid. In the digital age, music is embedded in printed matter as advertising, greeting cards sing to us and digital downloads have surpassed CDs as the primary delivery system for music. Despite the legalities, most music in use is pirated for free.

From the antiquarian record business, to the postmodern era, mechanical royalties have been paid by the purveyors of sheet music and phonograph records to the creators of the copyrights. This income stream was the principal source of songwriter's wealth for more than one hundred years. The Internet has decimated the archaic infrastructure of the postmodern recording industry.

The digital generation has evolved a mind set that regards Internet content as part of the public domain. What the record business views as "stealing" is regarded by the youth as an inalienable right. If an intellectual property reaches the world wide web, it is considered free for the taking without moral obligation. A music fan who wouldn't even think of shop lifting a CD, will download a music file without a twinge of compunction. If its online its mine, is the only rule.

The big four record distributors are restructuring their systems and protocols to accommodate the decline of album sales. Since the Internet became the primary promotional tool for music, the record business has been forced to adapt. Their huge catalogs of copyrights and master recordings provide for low cost, high profit, exploitation of these primary assets. By shrinking their overheads and forcing 360 degree deals on the few acts that do get singed, they will survive.

The full force of the decline in record sales is felt most by the artists. In the early seventies, the seminal folk rock band Buffalo Springfield was sucked down the black hole of broken dreams and disbanded. Neil Young went solo. Stephen Stills joined David Crosby and Graham Nash to form the iconic act Crosby, Stills & Nash; and lead singer Richie Furay founded the first country-rock band, Poco. Orignally called "Pogo," they were forced by Walt Kelly, the creator of the famous comic strip, to choose another name. Poco is Spanish for "little" and proved appropriate.

The co-founders, Rusty Young, Jim Messina, George Grantham and Randy Meisner enjoyed moderate success out of the box. The title, "Pickin' Up The Pieces," is a reference to the breakup of the Springfield in 1968. It is the only debut album ever to be warded a perfect rating from Rolling Stone Magazine. A favorite of album oriented rock FM stations in the early 1970s, Poco was considered to be a highly innovative and pioneering band.

Although the band charted a handful of Top 20 hits, overall their Top 40 success was uneven, and many of their most innovative records were commercially unsuccessful. Throughout the years Poco has performed in various groupings, with the latest version still active today. With 24 original albums and 26 "Best of" and anthology collections, the band boasts a total catalog of 50 releases. The 1978 album "Legend" was their fourteenth LP and the first to go gold and platinum.

Two hit singles, Young's "Crazy Love," and Messina replacement, Paul Cotton's "In The Heart Of The Night," drove "Legend" to the top of the charts and Rolling Stone declared that Poco had finally made it. The hit records stimulated Poco's large record catalog and formed the basis of the long term success of their publishing company.

I was particularly honored a few years back when I received a call form Rusty Young. "I just called up to thank you," he said. " For what?" I asked. I could feel him smiling when he relied, "Every time I go down to the mail box, there's a check from ASCAP, and I remember how you insisted that I never sell my publishing." This was a gratifying moment, I'll never forget.

Of course there are no absolutes in this life, and there are always exceptions to every rule. Sometimes, young songwriters might sell their publishing, to finance their survival, and develop their writing skills. And, of course, after a certain amount of success is achieved, a valuable catalog will attract major publishers with large checkbooks and they might make you an offer you can't refuse. However, talented writers should avoid these temptations, and retain ownership of their intellectual property, whenever possible. The continuing profit flow should accrue to the original writers.