Touchscreen Technology And Music: Future Of the Entertainment Industry

Over time, the development of smart phones and iPods have become standard in communications and media to cater to. The creation of these devices has prompted the creation of various applications and etc. But the most interesting fact of them is that the use of touchscreen technology has now become and essential piece of our societal norm. The use of it in particular in the music industry has changed the way we enjoy our movies, music, and other forms of media. The use of DJs having this technology has developed to not even having to use turntables. If you have your console hooked up to a decent running computer, you can spin music with it and even more recently, the touchscreen technology has been developed for it.

I would like to involve myself in of the future of developing technology that involves the music industry. The use of touchscreen technology is part of the future that could possibly developed into a different medium. Right now, it is very easy to have access to such networks as twitter, facebook, myspace, soundcloud, and etc. with devices that have this feature. In the music industry, it is being used for more so musicians with different devices. Mostly DJs who play music but keyboards and midi controllers that allows a person to produce, it is becoming more of a key element. If there was a way to develop more ways to how this technology could affect the music industry in terms helping artists sell music and merchandise, I would like to find more ways to do it. The importance of it is to keep customers in buying the music so there any use of the new technology that been acquired, will help the business in new ways. Also, it can help independent artists who do not have the advantages of marketing themselves if they have the knowledge and access of this technology. I would like to see if a company that is very optimistic to the idea would be willing to collaborate on helping out independent artists and also companies to be able to market themselves in an industry that is swaying more towards the technological side to help with sales and a customer base.

Resources:

http://www.protouchblog.co.uk/2011/05/touch-screen-technology-the-future-of-the-music-industry/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sound-artists/touchscreen-technology-change-lives

Alternative Funding

Need a financial start to your business in entertainment? Seeking some help with budgeting your business properly? The alternative funding programs from the various sources are available for small businesses. Two sites in particular that can be looked at for this kind of assistance would be The Association For Enterprise Opportunity, also known as the AEO (http://www.microenterpriseworks.org/), and The Coalition of Community Development Financial Institutions, also known as the The CDFI (http://www.cdfi.org/). The AEO offers information on finding a mentor and microenterprise development organizations. It seems as though the AEO offers this assistance without having any requirements but they do offer the help if an self-employed business owner is interested. The CDFI offers awards and programs to communities that require a lot of development and financial support. Such programs as The New Markets Tax Credits Program, initiated in 2002, encourages private sector investment by offering tax credits for qualified community development investments.

The qualifications for being part of a program in the CDFI programs vary. For example, if you wanted to be involved with the Microenterprise Development Loan Fund, the business owner would have to file the business as a 501 (c) (3) to have it documented as a non-profit business. It is specifically by low individuals and entrepreneurs that would like to receive funding from the government and the private sector. Other programs, such as Community Development Venture Capital Fund, doesn't require the business to be registered as a 501 (c) (3) and mainly funds corporations, foundations, individuals, and parts of the government. The AEO has initiatives for people seeking funding. There is an initiative called Enter The Catalyst that caters to low-wealth entrepreneurs to develop leadership and create a microenterprise. This program is different from the Green Economy initiative they have that specifically focuses on businesses that are eco-friendly; focusing on the environment.

Other information that these sites have include information on government advocacies. The AEO has a section on its website where there is a link to help people who are uninsured to gain some assistance with their health insurance. The CDFI offers details on how to get in touch with politicians in legislation and how the process of it works. Both sites seem to have great a bit of detail for entrepreneurs to be involved in a microenterprise and to also be well aware of what they are getting into as far as being self-employed.

Review of the experts posted.

Kevin English Review

What I've learned from Kevin English is the importance of having a business ready to submit in my field. The construction of how set up marketing, budgeting, and other factors are key to gaining investors. Also, Mr. English shows new ways of being able to maintain in the Entertainment Business when approaching third parties for assistance. Kevin English is one that specializes in the music industry given his past experience. But he does shed light on how important it is to maintain sticking to your plan in any business. If you actually do a google search on entertainment plans, there are a lot of templates that appear. For example, there are Wrestling Business Plans (http://www.bplans.com/wrestling_entertainment_business_plan/executive_summary_fc.cfm) that have specific needs in terms of financial planning and marketing.

With that said, my company would definitely follow a business that specifically relates to the model of how a music company is set up. A combination of following how a technology company functions with a business would be incorporated with those qualities. This would show how affective the business would from the standpoint of the music business and how it could maintain in the business of technology well.

Nereida Garcia Review

I've learned from Nereida Garcia that establishing yourself on the internet is a strong force in marketing. She also makes it a point to let artists that they should engage themselves in developing business plans that they should follow in each aspect. For example, she eludes to the fact that if an artists is to develop a marketing plan, it should written down with certain goals to achieve. If it is promote on certain blogs or reach out to certain types of online media, a business plan should be documented and followed according to plan.

My company would would need to have the presence of online that would a have strategic plan for online marketing. I would have to use resources from Affiliate Tips (http://www.affiliatetips.com/affiliate-marketing-internet-business-with-business-plan-services.html) with these hints on how to work with affiliate marketing online. These tips are similar to the general points that Garcia was making even though it is applied to generally large businesses. This can be applied to artists who present themselves as businesses to other companies and smaller businesses in the entertainment industry.

Two Music Business Plan Writers.

Kevin English

You would think that an artist would have a business plan written by now until you meet people who seem to have advice on the matter. Thats where you meet someone like Kevin English. On his website, http://eleetmusic.com, he offers his expertise on helping bands and artists create their own business plans to plan for the future. His actual experience with companies like Island Def Jam Music Group as a General Manager and Atlantic Recording Corporation as a publicity assistant, shows his unique diversity in helping people in the entertainment and media industry write business plans. His blogs even offer advice to artists on how to focus on themselves as a business by offering ways of acquiring an SBA Loan and being able to maintain an independent business within the music industry. He offers insight on what to do to write a good music business plan in the following post on his blog (http://eleetmusic.com/?p=2466). He states that the following key elements are important to have: 1) Executive Summary, 2) Products And Services, 3) Marketing Plan, 4) Management Plan, and 5) Financial Plan. This is also in reference to an article he had written before entitled "How To Write A Music Business Plan" (http://www.musicthinktank.com/mtt-open/2009/7/8/how-to-write-a-music-business-plan.html).

Nereida Garcia

Nereida is a freelance blogger in the market of showing artists how to make money online by utilizing media. Her views on the writing of a business plan for artists stems from the idea of the artists viewing themselves as the business. In one of her posts (http://nereidagarcia.com/online-music-marketing-strategy/), she describes the necessities of what artists should do in order to make themselves out to be the business when they deal with their customers. She recommends that artists keep track with fanbase they development and document with a business plan on how to expand their customer base over time. She gives three steps to artists on how to market their music correctly with a plan: 1) Build A Last, 2) Market To That List, and 3) Make The List Bigger. Nereida offers insight on how when your music is recorded, that it becomes a product that needs a business plan that would need to be marketed properly.

Kellee Maize: Social Networking Done Right

I have to be honest, I was very skeptical about Kellee Maize at first. I was wondering if she would give off the perception of females rappers like Princess Superstar or even remind you of an Amanda Blank (if you're familiar with those artists). But she's actually a breed of positive lyrics, choreography, and production with amazing catchy dance rhythms. But the one thing that she is known for currently is her out reach on the internet. Her site: . It has her listed as the #1 Download Female Rapper on Amazon.com with over 38,000 fans on Facebook that have "liked" her page.

People might wonder how'd she get so popular and what is she doing right in order to gain popularity. Well, part of it seems involve how she has presented herself on Amazon. She is probably the most downloaded female rapper on Amazon because all the songs are for free. Also, her videos range from 70,000 to 200,000 videos each on YouTube. A very strategic way of promoting her message online. The visuals are things that do not lack either. Her shows often present a very solid dance routine that entertains the audience. Her shows appear to range from college appearances around the nation to shows in that she hosts in her local area of Pittsburgh, PA.

The only thing that I could say that could help her with promoting more on the internet is to work with others people may not expect her to reach out to. Her demographic is definitely concrete. And she achieved her goal without any co-signs from any other hip hop artist that is popular. At the point she is at online, she could very well join up with other underground hip hop artists that could show her diversity in terms of the music she is making. Also, it would be helpful if she also developed presence on other video sites like Daily Motion and Vimeo. Her fan base can increase more through people who check those outlets for visuals.

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Why Free Downloads Are Considered Great In Digital Marketing

The problem with music industry for the past few years since the days of Napster getting A&M Records upset has been downloading music. The major record companies that were once able to re-coop on the money they have spent on major artists are having to shift their ways on how work in the digital world within their means on a budget. The one thing that has helped with free music is that it is a good way for you to market music. It was a good way to drawn in a fan base even though it has its risk financially.

Lets look at a few websites that offer this free service to their audience. There is a website by the name of www.datpiff.com. It is a urban music genre based website that specializes in the distribution of mixtapes over the internet; primarily focused on hip hop. I inquired about their prices once because they usually allow people to upload their music on their website for free. They give special treatment to mixtapes that are sponsored with the cost of $50 to come with the particular project. For a feature, it is $500 but the company reviews the material first then contacts the artist once a decision is made to see if the mix tape would be able to be presented as a feature. The thing that helps datpiff.com is that if you do a search on their demographics, you will find that they are a successful site (http://www.quantcast.com/www.datpiff.com). Techinically, as for digital marketing, datpiff is a good website for artist would like to have their music up for digital download.

Then you the option of variable pricing through a site called www.bandcamp.com. Bandcamp appears to give artist the option to charge for the downloads or to have them given away for free. Or have the audience to name their price if they were to download the music. On the major level, this mostly would not be looked at as a very good option. You would have to take into account of the money invested in an artist since there would be an expected ROI (return on investment) estimated. Such groups like Coldplay or Nine Inch Nails for example were able to do this with some of their previous efforts because they were branded as successful artists and could afford to take that risk. However, it has been stated that more independent artists and labels should try this method in order to grasp what their audience is willing to pay as far as their product is concerned.

In conclusion, the age of free music in the digital world is nothing. If Lil Wayne can give away tons of music for free and become recognized for being one of the top stars in music, then it must work in some fashion. Now that music is being digitally marketed, you have wonder what can be profited from it? Merchandise? Shows? Advertisements? More than likely, all of the above.

Reference(s):

http://elemental-consulting.com/blog/will-variable-pricing-ruin-the-music-industry/

ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC: which one should I choose?

When an artist decides to sign up for their publishing, they usually want to pick the company that is best suited for them. You have the option of having your independent publishing or you can choose from some of the biggest companies to assist you. Those companies happen to be ASCAP (American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers), BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.), and SESAC (Society of European Stage Authors and Composers). What they all three have in common is that they protect the publishing rights of all artists included. Their differences however range from where the protect your publishing to how its protected.

ASCAP

More than likely, this publishing company is the most popular within its main membership located in the U.S. However, it is stated that they also cover publishing for artists worldwide; but their ties to the international market is not as strong as SESAC. ASCAP is the only publishing organization who's membership votes for those to be chosen on the board. This organization is representing for the artists and publishers who need coverage to protect their copyrights and work. The pay out system for ASCAP is considered to be more steady.

BMI

This company has a very striking similarity to ASCAP except for the fact that is mainly for broadcasters instead. They also are based out of the U.S. and represent different artists in various areas. However, their payout to the artists appears to more in the beginning and if an artist is receiving mainstream airplay, they can receive bonuses from that later on. The downside of it is that the money tends to dwindle after the money in the beginning is distributed in large amounts.

SESAC

Considered a company that was once limited to European and gospel music, SESAC has expanded its doors to genres that include rock, jazz, r&b, hip hop, and etc. SESAC, in comparison to ASCAP and BMI, is smaller but they focus on the issue of quality vs. quantity in terms of the artists that they deal with for their publishing. In comparison with ASCAP, it is the second oldest company that has been established for artists copyrights and publishing.

In conclusion, I would advise that any artist that would like to get their publishing through any of these companies is to look into further detail. Examine whether or not each company will be suitable for the artists based on how they treat their membership and distribute their finances. Also, each company should be further looked into as far protective rights to publishing for any artists.

Reference(s):

http://www.events-in-music.com/ascap-vs-bmi-vs-sesac.html

http://jagmmp.com/music_articles/should_i_join_ascap_bmi_or_sesac.html

A Look At Sampling And Publishing

The foundation of hip hop production came from being able to sample from artists from different musical genres such as R&B, Disco, Jazz, and Rock. From DJs using two records to restart back from a certain point on a record to the development of technology (such as Akai MPC samplers), it has become a very important aspect of the hip hop genre. It started from using such popular drum sounds (also known as drum breaks) from artists such as Clyde Stubblefield. It has been rumored that musicians such as Stubblefield have never received proper credit or compensation on some of the biggest hip hop records produced that has used pieces of his work.

With this issus, there has been on-going battle of lawsuits between hip hop artists and the copyright owners whenever samples are used without permission. De La Soul was in trouble for using portions of Sgt. Peppers on "De La Soul is Dead". Beasties Boys almost caught a very serious lawsuit from the samples used on their album "Paul's Boutique" but was able to not endure consequences like others have before. In certain instances, artists have been able to get away with sampling because of how there is not enough money made from the hip hop artist that original sampled musician can receive back.

I would suggest for anyone who is either curious about this issue of hip hop and sampling to please check out the documentary, Copyright Criminals. Not only does it give the proper background on the issue of why sampling in hip hop is popular it gives insight on the ownership of publishing. Some of these previous artists mentioned in this blog posts are very big part of this documentary. Even though this more so territory that involves legal infringements in the entertainment business, it is still a an issue that involves music publishing companies. If you look in the liner notes of hip hop albums, you can see credits now that will state sample clearance companies that have cleared any samples used on the record. Hopefully, hip hop artists would be able to use a sampling license in order to be able create more music. However, the issue at hand seems to be that artists that have been sampled from need to be paid for their contribution. As it stands, this battle of hip hop artists and sampling will not be resolved anytime soon.

Reference(s):

http://rollingout.com/1/hip-hop-theft-or-creative-license-film-explores-music-sampling-copyright-law/

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2004-09-08-sampling-ruling_x.htm

Three podcasts in relation to Entertainment Law

Entertainment Law Update by Gordon Firemark and Tamara Bennett - Episode 13: copyright, trademarks, fair use, and net profit suits.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/entertainment-law-update-episode/id313301718?i=86484747

Gordon Firemark and Tamara Bennett discuss the uses of Entertainment Law in relation to current events. The first situation that he mentions is an incident involving Justin Bieber with 15 year old that had invaded Bieber's privacy on Twitter. Justin Bieber got revenge on the person by retweeting the kid's phone number on his account. The result was a mass reception of phone calls and messages to the point the kid had to change his number. The discussion revolved around whether or not Justin Bieber would be criminally liable in this situation and if it would to go small claims court or if it is a misuse of telecommunications on Justin Bieber's side. The next subject was an issue of Joel Tennebaum getting sued by the record industry for hosting music files on a peer-to-peer network. This case is being referred in this podcast as the case that will never die being held in the District Court Of Massachusetts. The judge brought the damages down from $675,000 to $67,500 by 90% as July 9, 2010. This case is based on the fact on how much the damages this copyright infringement has caused overall for the record companies.

The next topic involved Kate Gosselin from the TV show, Jon And Kate Plus 8, on the topic of the children having proper work permits to be a part of the TV series. Kate Gosselin's brother testified in court, during Kate and Jon's divorce trial, that the constant filming of the television show might have some psychological effects on the children. State legislation ruled that labor permits would be granted to children at first. However, due to Pennsylvania law, children under 7 years old are allowed to work within film but this does not apply to television. Firemark and Bennett stated that essentially it may come down to the judge ruling that this would include television as well with some clarification. The next topic was about the ruling on the FCC's fleeting improper words list by Second Court Of Appeals is vague in its policy. Basically, Firemark and Bennett stated that the the lines of clarity of what is explicit language to use in the entertainment industry are unclear according to the FCC's standards. Therefore, a new policy is being suggested to be established in this podcast.

The next topic is the discussion of the Broadcast Performance Royalty For Sound Recordings. Bennett stated she lobbied on Capital Hill on behalf of the Grammy Organization for the Public Performance Royalty For Sound Recording Owners And Artists to be passed as law. This Broadcast Performance Royalty is stating that the broadcasters agree that royalties need to be paid but, a system needs to be set in place as it has been ongoing legal. Firemark and Bennett has summed up this situation to be the beginning of a compromise that would have to take place in the near future.

The next topic involved a lawsuit against Jay-Z involving copyright infringement. In Nafal v. Carter, Jay-Z being Shawn Carter, Ahab Joseph Nafal is suing Jay-Z for his song "Big Pimpin'" stating that is infringed on the copyright of his song "Khosara, Khosara". The two issues stemmed from the fact the song was under the Copyright Act Of 1909 and if Nafal had proper right to bring the lawsuit to Carter without having the actual exclusive rights. The lawsuit was dismissed for the moment but, Firemark stated that the case could reappear since this single has generated a vast amount of revenue. In terms of fair use, Firemark and Gordon talk about the producers of Jersey Boys are being sued Sofa Entertainment for a scene from the musical. The Jersey Boys musical is being accused of using a scene from The Ed Sullivan Show where he is introducing the Four Seasons on his television. Sofa Entertainment owns the rights to The Ed Sullivan Show. The issue that Firemark states is the actual introduction used in the Jersey Boys musical that the producers did not obtain permission to use. The ruling was that court saw the commercial use but did not see that there was market from materializing off of the Ed Sullivan introduction. Therefore, the ruling was in favor of the producers of Jersey Boys. Another fair use case involved a TV program called Eli Stone; the owner of the book, Ely Stone, is suing ABC for having similarities between the both of the works. The ruling of the court (Michigan District) is that there were similarities but not enough to claim infringement.

Getting The Attention Of Record Companies with Daniela Olivia, Female Musician Online - Vivian

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-attention-record-companies/id371103379?i=91824351

Daniela Oliva is being interviewed by host, Vivian Clement. Daniela Olivia is a executive producer of the Toronto Independent Music Awards. She offers some insight into the legal aspects of the music business from he studying of Entertainment Law. Her reasoning for presenting the Toronto Independent Music Awards from wanting to work at HMV when she was younger (a music store to buy physical CDs and etc.). He work at this store got her into doing street promotion within her school for artists that she had ordered music at other major labels. One the labels she worked for was independent label that had a major label affiliation that flew her to the American Music Awards as a thank you for her hard work. When she arrived at the awards show, it made her want to apply the same idea to Toronto with the music awards ceremony.

Daniela stresses the involvement of other artists from other places with the Toronto Independent Music Awards to promote the idea of independent music. The main idea is include artists from these other areas to have the Awards ceremony. Daniela also offers her advice in terms of entertainment law and management for artists that obtain accolades and have successful careers. She states that legally you should understand what the terms of what you have when you are approached by management. Daniela advises that you should always have an entertainment lawyer on stand by in order to have legal counsel to assist you. Even though Daniela is mainly a producer behind the Toronto Independent Music Awards, she has also studied entertainment law and has had experience in management to assist other artists.

SCOREcast No. 15 - Interview with Entertainment Attorney Brad Thorton

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id211297917?i=89207129

The hosts from Scorecast interview Entertainment Attorney Brad Thorton who is producer and actor as well. Brad Thorton explains that beginning composers in the music field should always have retain a lawyer in order to gain experience and have protection. Brad Thorton states that he acquired the knowledge to be an entertainment lawyer first then he developed his skills as far as an artists later on. He explains that the issues of looking at intellectual property and understanding the concept of net profits when dealing with legal issues can take an artists far in their career. Thorton states that sometimes entertainment lawyers in some instances can also be managers as well. However, there is a difference between an entertainment lawyer and an agent since the agent has to be officially approved to find their clients employment as well.

Thorton goes into detail about what composers should to recieve credits in their films for their music. He states that composers should review their agreements with the film studios they work with and to agree on a certain percentages of royalties. Also, Thorton states that composers should definitely look into any arbitration if there appears to be an issue with the profit earned from scoring a film.

Hip Hop Awards Shows And Liabilities

Originally I was going to research three very different issues of liabilities but in spit of the recent events of my area, I have to decided to blog on a serious issue in urban entertainment. It seems that over the years there have appeared to be fights at award shows that involve people being seriously injured and media outlets slandering these events. They are liabilities because they create the illusion amongst investors that they could potentially contributing their money. It would be terrible for their image in the future if they agree to be involved with other businesses that may be skeptical of what they may have invested that the outcome of their events ending with violence. From the standpoint of the promoter, it is a liability because any money that has been made at the door for any of these events will be given to the facility in order to cover any property damage that it probably stated in any legal documents once the terms have been agreed upon.

The first video may not look like much but this does involve a famous producer in the hip hop community, Dr. Dre. In this video, it was fight involving Dr. Dre backstage along with former G-Unit member, Young Buck. Its is unclear what actually happened but the main point is these are public figures at an awards show that will have to deal with the repercussions of their actions. For Dr. Dre and Yougn Buck, at the time this ordeal had taken place, they were both in good positions and more than likely able to obtain good legal representation so they could be cleared of any actions that had taken place at this event.

This video coming up next stems from an on-going disagreement between rappers Shawty Lo and T.I. They were initially problems between the rappers when it was only said in the music. But in this instance at an awards show, one of the former members of T.I.'s crew, Alfamega, has appeared to have fought with one of the members from Shawty Lo's group and left the man unconcious. The problem here involved is the same as the previous scenario involving the law. Legally, the artists have themselves to be sued by the venue owners or even the promoters. If it is a breach in the contract amongst the agreeing parties in this instance.

The third video is the initial reason why I am posting this blog. Yesterday, the 5th annual DMV Independent Music Awards took place in Crystal City, VA. at the Hyatt Hotel. It has been noted that about 5 to 6 fights took place at this event. Virginia State Troopers showed up the event in riot gear and shut the whole event down. Reports from Washington Post and City Paper (DC) indicated that a Hyatt Hotel worker was even injured for trying to prevent a woman from stealing a bottle of Grey Goose liquor. With these facts in mind, the event that has charged $35 per person to attend the event has to now cover any and all damages that have occurred at this event. It has become a liability for the event coordinators and the investors because it makes the perception of the urban music very dangerous.


Even though there is clearly nothing legal here that you can gather from these videos but there is an on going issues with urban music seen here. These liabilities hurt the chances of venue owners to be receptive having urban music receptions in the future. And potentially lower the numbers of sponsorship that could help these events become even more popular. Overall, the pattern of this at these events expose the legal issues that occur later on from disagreements of artists at these events.

Source(s):

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/music/2011/03/06/why-fighting-at-the-dmv-awards-is-tragic-for-the-scene/

http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2004-11-16-vibe-awards_x.htm

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1600159/tis-shawty-los-camps-scuffle-at-dirty-awards.jhtml

Product And Artist Management: The Best Practices

From learning about the major effects of how to balance the needs of client and the customer, I have learned the importance of management within the industry. Its a source of organizing your presentation to potential investors and your audience. In terms of artists, you must be prepared to accurately pinpoint their wants and needs in order to mold their talent accordingly. As for product, you must be prepared for estimates of sales, expected revenue, unexpected emergencies, and other forms of knowledge that is critical in management. Between both product and artists, the 3 things that I have learned as far as management has to be: 1) proper negotiation, 2) the knowledge of who/what your managing, and 3) having a professional presentation.

1) Proper Negotiation - In the first assignment of this class, we were instructed to research Creedence Clearwater Revival and the issue of their mismanagement. This was a prime example of an artist trying to control a group of individuals that needed outside consulting on what they should do with their money and what contracts to sign. An outsider looking at this story can see that not only were their issues within the group but outside of the group in terms of their financial needs, there seemed to not be a middleman that would make sure business was properly conducted. Henceforth, the need for a manager that can be separate from the artistic process shows promise for smoother business deals and better long-term business relationships.

2) The Knowledge Of Who/What Your Managing - In the last wimba session for this class, we learned about how to prepare for sales, returns, and etc. In management, the balance of all expected situations noted will provide an estimated outcome that managers can expect. Furthermore, this should reflect that good managers will reflect issues that are relevant and applicable to their product when they are selling or making a presentation.

3) Having A Professional Presentation - The Def Jam video that showed former record executive Tina Davis gave some insight on the do's and don'ts of an artist's manager. The main importance that was stressed was the presentation. Not only is it within the packaging of a product, the manager needs to present a show of faith to what their client/artist has to offer. If the presentation is not in accordance with a professional level of confidence from the management, their ideas will not be taken seriously.

Source(s)

http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2010/02/23/realize-your-product-is-not-the-center-of-your-customers-worlds/

Introducing Molly Ruland

Interestingly enough, Molly and I were friends on Facebook and I noticed a lot of her postings. One time in particular, she mentioned something about the music scene in DC and some issues of promotion for shows of all kinds of genres. I reached out to her personally and we ended up having some good discussions about this. What I didn't know about Molly was her plans with her own company, One Love Massive Entertainment, and her vision for what she does in terms of artist management. In addition, she is a known show promoter and works with VJs (DJs that spin music videos with a modified DVD DJ setup). Working for years throwing events, she has managed to gain connections with major label artists as well artists on the independent and underground level. A self-starter and very hard-worker in the industry, Molly has taken her time to do this interview and give us some insight on her inside scoop on artist management.

Please introduce yourself and state how long you have been in Artist Management.

My name is Molly Ruland and I'm the founder of One Love Massive. I have been an artist management for one year and entertainment solutions for 10 years.

Who are the artists that you currently manage?

Currently, I manage the Empresarios.

In order to make sure your artists are successful, what are the steps that you take to help them with shows, tours, and merchandise?

I help my artists achieve success by constantly managing and growing their brand, their talent and their product or live act. I try to guide them on good business decisions while helping them maintain a positive public image. Having connections in the music business allows for better tours, better deals and ultimately a better band. Merchandise and branding are very important as is maintaining consistency while remaining appealing to the masses. This is the foundation of any successful and long-standing band.

Name one instance where you have had difficulty managing an artist but were able to overcome it.

Artists are difficult to manage by nature because you cannot manage art or talent unless you truly understand and appreciate it. Artists typically are not good business people and often make bad decisions because they are easily swayed. Artists are also typically ego driven because so much of who they are is in what they do, this is part of the reason why we love them. Having said all that dealing with personalities is probably the hardest part about managing any individual or groups of artists. This is also the main reason why good management is so crucial to an artist. Having good communication skills and practices in place is a crucial element for successful relationship.

As a manager of an artist, what is the one thing that you enjoy about the process?

Personally, I really enjoy the creative process so for me watching the talent grow and change is the best part. Being able to catch little glimpses of the new art created every time that magical connection happens is truly priceless. I've always been amazed by the talent of people who can create music because it's such a foreign concept to me so to be able to see this firsthand and to really relate to the music in that way it's invaluable to me. I've always been someone who's shared good music was wanted everyone to hear what I hear so being a manager is the ultimate dream for me because I get to tell everybody how great this music really is.

Even though you are an artist manager, what are the other projects that you are involved in? And how do you balance those projects with your artist management?

I own and operate an entertainment solutions company here in Washington DC. I have a roster of DJs, VJs, emcees, graphic designers, a sound company, the ticketing company a social networking service, and this staff that can handle the management of all of this. We offer a service to business owners that provides accountability and a top-notch roster of talent from which they can choose. In return we hope to raise the level of quality entertainment in the district one venue at a time. My concept is this, the more of us that work together to achieve a common goal the more success we will achieve. Right now I'm in the process of delegating and hiring to ensure that I have an open schedule for the Empresarios so that I can deliver to them the best manager that I can be.

What are the newest developments that you have had to deal with when it comes to your artists?

We are working on an upcoming tour to SXSW and several other tours to support the January 11, 2011 release date of the Empresarios first full-length album.

Since you are involved with managing musical acts, what do you find to the hardest challenge in the music industry when it comes managing?

The hardest challenge in the music industry is dealing with people, money and egos. Money can always cause problems and if you're dealing with people with egos it's a surefire way to have a real problem on your hands.

What key tools would you say it takes to have to be a manager?

Patience, good negotiating skills and a hearty sense of humor are crucial. Ultimately, if you don't have a true love for music and appreciation for talent I don't think you could really handle the chaos of this business. You gotta be able to roll with the punches and figure out new ways to do the same old thing. There is no music note that's never been played, we aren't doing anything new here were just doing something different...hopefully.

Any final comments?

Thank you for including me in your research.

The Empresarios debut album, Sabor Tropical, is on sale now.

K-Murdock and negotiating deals.

Kyle Murdock, aka K-Murdock, has been known in the DC/MD/VA area for his production, mixing, and mastering skills for quite sometime. He has been able to work with artists such as Raheem DeVaughn (R&B) and Braille (Hip Hop) gaining attention for his musical ability. He is currently one half of the hip hop duo, Panacea, who has put out 5 solo albums and was received album of the year from The Hip Hop Connection (HHC) magazine in 2007 for their album, Scenic Route. He has own production company called Neosonic Productions a lot of his music can obtained at http://www.neosonicprod.com/. I had a minute or two catch up with K-Murdock for a few words about his career and about how he handles his business as an owner of his own LLC participating in the music business full-time.

The video gave a breakdown of what kinds of negotiations and deals K-Murdock has established with a lot of artists and production companies he has worked with over the years. As an artist, he goes into depth about how he just broke even on his records with his former label, Glow In The Dark. It turns out this past year, he broke even with records he put out years ago; which is a good thing. However, that same percentage he had to split 50/50 with the record label then he splits that 50 percent with the rapper (Raw Poetic) in his duo as a part of the deal that was made with the label. His insight on how he works with different labels contracting out is very in-depth. For example, one of the labels he works with, Mellow Music Group, has signed a great deal of artists from the DMV area. He is also currently part of a collaborative effort entitled Famicon Forever with Arizona emcee, Random, releasing their first album.

His experience with Sirius XM has helped him out in the long run to achieve his goals as independent audio engineer. It has helped his ear for creating music and also, expanding his boundaries as a musician. But he has learned his lesson, nowadays, by putting out his on records on his Neosonic Productions imprint. His instrumental albums and etc. have garnered him attention. The smart way he has approached his LLC is by making his profits and re-investing back into his company.

Another aspect of this interview that needs to be seen is that he gives good insight on how he treats his LLC when working with other clients behind just music. For example, his work with George Washington University for live events has given him stability for his clientele in this area with politically driven events. He was able to give some good reasoning behind not just being able to just solely depend on music and expand his expertise in the field of sound engineering for live events. The invoicing with different clients, K-Murdock does into detail about working as a contractor for different people. I think this interview shows that being able to have a diverse resume in your field for doing music and etc. will take you far with how you can work out negotiations with people you work with.