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.
Showing posts with label music management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music management. Show all posts
Friday, March 5, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
HoloGram - Bob Lefsetz - February 12, 2010
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/
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/
Saturday, January 23, 2010
MUSIC BUSINESS Q&A - January 23, 2009
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.
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.
Friday, January 15, 2010
HOLOGRAM - The Reflectacles @ Dakota Lounge - Jan 22
HolodigmMusic.com
The Reflectacles at Dakota Lounge - January 22, 2010
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
Saturday, January 9, 2010
MUSIC BUSINESS Q&A - January 9, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
MUSIC BUSINESS QUESTION OF THE DAY - December 27, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
MUSIC BUSINESS QUESTION OF THE DAY - December 24, 2009
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.
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.
Friday, December 18, 2009
MUSIC BUSINESS QUESTION OF THE DAY - December 18, 2009
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.
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.
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
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
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Branding Your Band - How To Build A Fan Base - November 12, 2009
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.
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
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
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
Monday, September 21, 2009
QUOTE ME! - CAREERS - September 21, 2009
TheHolodigm.com
CAREERS
McJob: A low-pay, low-prestige, low-dignity, low-benefit, no-future job in the service sector.
Douglas Copeland 1961 -
CAREERS
McJob: A low-pay, low-prestige, low-dignity, low-benefit, no-future job in the service sector.
Douglas Copeland 1961 -
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
QUOTE ME! - BEAUTY - September 16, 2009http://www.TheHolodigm.com
TheHolodigm.com
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
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
TheHolodigm.com
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.
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.
Monday, September 14, 2009
QUOTE ME! - ABSENCE - September 14, 2009
TheHolodigm.com
ABSENCE
Most of what matters in your life takes place in your absence.
Salman Rushdie - 1947 -
ABSENCE
Most of what matters in your life takes place in your absence.
Salman Rushdie - 1947 -
Monday, September 7, 2009
QUESTION OF THE DAY - THE NEXT BIG STAR - September 7, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
HARTMANN'S LAW - LOOK FOR SYMMETRY - August 27, 2009
TheHolodigm.com
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.
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.
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