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.
Showing posts with label careers in music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label careers in music. Show all posts
Monday, March 15, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
HOLOGRAM - Trust - February 20, 2010
HolodigmMusic.com
HOLOGRAM: Trust is not assigned, or awarded, it is purchased by action, earned through achievement and reinforced over time. jh
HOLOGRAM: Trust is not assigned, or awarded, it is purchased by action, earned through achievement and reinforced over time. jh
Sunday, January 10, 2010
MUSIC BUSINESS Q&A - January 10, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
MUSIC INDUSTRY FACT OF THE DAY - December 10, 2009
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/
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/
Saturday, November 28, 2009
MUSIC Q + A - Talent v. Timing - November 28, 2009
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 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.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
MUSIC QUOTE - Bob Lefsetz - November 26, 2009
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
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
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
QUESTION OF THE DAY - The Economy, MySpace & Music - November 26, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
QUESTION OF THE DAY - Can Your BFF Manage Your Music Business? - November 17, 2009
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/.
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/.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
QUESTION OF THE DAY - How Do I start My Music Business? - November, 15, 2009
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
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
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