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The reason most businesses fail isn’t because business is risky. It’s because many business people do risky and stupid things. Business isn’t that risky folks. Let me say that again. Business isn’t that risky. Of course, that phrase should always go along with fine print that says, “…if you plan well.” And that’s a big if that most people who go into business ignore at their peril. And a record label is a business. Now, many people I’ve met who are involved with a record label in some way haven’t fully realized that a record label is a business and they wonder why they aren’t making it.

Doesn’t it seem like everyone today has their own record label? Record labels today litter the landscape like cat turds in a kitty box. If I got a nickel for every guy who told me he was part of or thinking of becoming part of a record label, I’d be pretty damn rich by now. Thing is, in my experience, usually a record label just consists of a few guys with a loud, crappy MySpace and some recording gear who yearn to be taken seriously, but who are usually doing little more than just screwing around.

And they don’t know it. They think they’re not screwing around. In fact, in their minds, they’re 100% convinced that they should be taken seriously. But in reality, they’re just screwing around. I know that sounds harsh. But the uncomfortable truth is that many people who think they’re running a real record label need to open their eyes and see how badly they’re shooting themselves in the foot through the downright silly and sometimes stupid decisions they make.

A record label is no different from any other business in that regard. When it comes to sound decision making there is one crucial area that usually spells death for most music ventures. It’s the main reason why most record labels either never get off the ground or run out of steam. It’s called leadership.

The way most record labels start out is that a few people will get together because one person sings well, the other produces and the other is good with numbers or knows management or something like that. They realize that if they put their talents together they can create a business that produces and sells music. In the beginning everyone is super excited about all the possibilities and they all think they’re the hottest new thing out and they’re going to take over the world. I actually saw that on one band’s MySpace. They said they’re “Taking over the world,” like the Dark Overlord or something. But then the rubber meets the road. They actually have to take action and do the numerous daily chores that the business requires to succeed. The real world hits them like a fist. Continue Reading »

Is your website set up to help you pitch your songs or even sell your songs? Sure you probably have the songs listed with the CD cover photo. And, you might even have those songs set up for streaming audio so anyone can get a sample or even the whole song. So how’s that working for you? Is it selling those songs? Many of my songwriting clients have a wealth of songs ready for other artists to record or publishers and producers to use in a project; but the songs are just not set up so they can access them quickly.

I’d like to share 4 steps to help you pitch your songs more effectively and get your songs licensed more efficiently.

Step 1. Gather your songs from all those that are now recorded and available for purchase on CD or purchase by download, and organize them according to category. For instance: Love songs, ballads, songs of loss, uplifting songs, travel songs, work songs, songs for weddings or special occasions, patriotic songs, holiday songs, songs of triumph and victory, spiritual songs, etc.

Step 2. Now further organize those again into categories for tempo such as hard driving, upbeat, slow, medium, quiet and mellow. Add further information like, predominant instrumentation on each song such as soft strings, electric guitar, heavy drums, horns, piano, etc. I think you get the idea.

Step 3. Create a new page on your site with a new link button on the navigation bar. Give it a title compatible with your site and marketing style, but one that specifically invites and calls out to those who might be searching for songs. Some possible titles might be, Songs for Your Project, Songs by Category, Songs for Pitching, Your Project-My Song, Publisher’s Paradise, Producer’s Paradise or Record These Songs, etc.

Step 4. Design your web page with the various categories of songs, with links to streaming audio for immediate listening, (don’t make them wait for the download), a link to the lyrics for reading while listening and a link to your licensing policy, publishing and performing rights information and contact information to the appropriate person who would be making any deals on your behalf or directly to you. Continue Reading »

Music Business Contacts are a musician’s, life’s blood and effective, efficient follow-up can mean getting a record deal, getting reviewed or getting booked.

You’ve made your initial contact, sent your first email, letter, or complete packet. Now the next step is crucial and often the difference between throwing money or time out the door or getting what you want. Follow-up is not fun and often I hear artists say, they made the call or sent the packet so they’re done. What was sent is so often forgotten and three months later they wonder why they haven’t heard back from the person, the label, the media contact or the venue’s booking person.

Here are 4 tips to make your follow-up more streamline.

1. Keep your initial lists to bookers, media or other industry professionals, SHORT. Face it, there is no way you or anyone else can do adequate follow-up on a 400 piece mailing or emailing let alone a 4000 piece mailing or emailing and get the results you are looking for.

If you do your research first, then target 5 -10 prospective venue bookers, media or industry professional to send to, you are able to track that submission and set strategic follow up calls or emails for those few contacts. You’ll feel like you are accomplishing something rather than being overwhelmed by the enormity of the task of trying to follow-up on huge numbers.

2. Create a simple list or chart that you can keep in a visible place where you’ll see it everyday. Unless you have a pop-up program in your calendar that opens first thing and gives you your callback list, having this information buried in your computer, may be less helpful than having something printed out and visible, that hits you when you walk into your office or workspace. On it, indicate the contact name, emails, phone numbers, date sent, what you sent and the date and time you intend to re-contact them.

3. Now if your email client has auto responder capabilities, you might be able to set up an email sequence to send follow-up emails automatically over a period of week or two. But if you are not there yet technically, then schedule your follow up calls based on how you sent your material or information. Continue Reading »

Tags: Music Business Contacts

The ultimate goal of most musicians who use MySpace is to attract a record label. Earning a contract to record an album can be a musician way into the music business. But what can you do to attract record labels? Creating a profile page and uploading music is a good start, but by no means is it the end of your marketing efforts. Below you will find a few tips on attracting a record label and getting them to take notice of your talent.

Tip#1: Upload a Variety of Songs

Just because you have to list the genre of music you perform does not mean you have to upload songs that only reflect that genre! Show record labels and fans that you have other musical interests by uploading songs that are different from one another. This will show your range, ability to attract fans from other genres, which increases your marketability, and prove to record labels you are worth investing in.

Tip#2: Fuel the Fan Fires

Record labels conduct searches on MySpace everyday looking for talented musicians. One way to get them to stop on your profile page is by showing them you have a strong fan base. The more people who visit your site, the more popular your page becomes there. Use the marketing tools available in order to gain fan interest. Continue Reading »

Rocawear Clothing founded by Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, Damon Dash, and Kareem “Biggs” Burke has become the premier Hip-Hop clothing line worldwide. It’s an urban line that features many significant design first, and brought together by some incredible leaders in the Hip-Hop music industry. Shawn “Jay Z” Carter, Kareem “Biggs” Burke, and Damon Dash started the clothing line after the Roc-A-Fella Records producing company had established itself as the future of the recording industry. It was the hope and endeavor of the three partners to also establish the Rocawear Clothing line as the most sought and stylish clothing line for men.

The brand follows a relaxed fit clothing design, intended for the off hours in an urban environment. This proves to be an incredible step forward for the Hip Hop evolution into a global lifestyle that touches lives in some of the most remote locations. The Rocawear Clothing line provides the street savvy customer with incredible design, and detail that was previously unmatched by any clothing designer. This has facilitated the spread and popularity of the clothing line, Continue Reading »

For those interested in the music business, few things are as exciting or as challenging as opening their own music business. There are many facets to the music business, from acting as agent to the hot new music group to running a successful outlet selling new and used musical instruments.

==The Music Industry==

The music industry offers some unique challenges and some great opportunities, and the savvy businessperson can take advantage of those challenges and opportunities to create a thriving business even in the most difficult of climates.

Before opening the doors of your great music store, or taking the new band to the top, however, it will be necessary to create a solid business plan in order to attract financing, partners and investors.

No businessperson will invest in a new music business without a thorough understanding of that business’s prospects for success. A business plan is a way to communicate the goals of the business and to quantify its financial needs and prospects.

== What Should You Include In Your Business plan ==

Many new business owners are unsure how to write a business plan, or what that business plan should include. Every business plan will be different, and the business plan for a new music business may look quite different from that of a new accounting business. Continue Reading »

If you have a desire to own your own online music business, one of the best ways to become profitable quickly and for very little cost, is to start your own independent record label.

I’ve come to the realization, after several years of working in the music industry that a lot of unnecessary money, time and effort are spent by people trying to make it in the business, only to find themselves at dead end after dead end. Hey, I’m not here to discount anyone’s success or burst anyones bubble, but I’d be lying if I said that I don’t just cringe at the thought of so many aspiring music entrepreneurs thinking that if they could just get that business loan or line of credit to build their studio, or if they could just send another resume to that major label, that they’ll get that big break they’ve been dreaming of.

Reality Check

There are people inside the big label industry who refer to their work as “Entertainment Slavery,” and from what I’ve seen (which just so happens to be TOO MUCH), I can’t think of a more accurate description for what goes on behind the scenes of this cut-throat business. With the emergence of digital downloading and online music purchasing, you can own your own online music business using various un-tapped online marketing and networking resources, and be up and running very quickly ,on any budget!

REAL People Are Generating Incredible Profits Using This Strategy

Start Continue Reading »

Tags: Own Your Own Online Music Business - Start An Independe

If you’re a Rap/Hip-Hop beat producer hoping to sell your beats for a living, the most important skill that you can develop, is the ability to create consistent demand for your product. While technical music skills and a general knowledge of the Rap/Hip-Hop industry are necessary and must not be overlooked, neither of these abilities will generate a consistent income for you, if you don’t know how to create a “buzz” or a “name” for yourself. Below are 5 effective ways to go about generating demand and ultimately, dollars, for your rap instrumental beats.

1. Get familiar with your local music scene. Unless you’ve already generated relationships with some of the bigger named artists in the rap industry, it would do you little to no good at this point to simply drop a sampler disk in the mail addressed to a major label or artist. This business is all about relationships and who you know, therefore, you need to get to know artists who have money and are accessible to you right away.

Go to local rap shows/concerts and network with the artists and promoters at these venues (simply reading the entertainment portion of your local newspaper will list upcoming hip-hop shows in your area). Introduce yourself and what you do, and leave them with a sampler disk. Make sure the disk is neatly labeled and includes your name, email, and phone number so that you can be easily reached. Continue Reading »

Tags: 5 Ways To Make Money Fast With Your Rap Instrumental Be

In his foremost occupation as a musician, he has risen in ranks to become one of the hottest hip hop artist’s on the planet with already four best-selling albums to his name. He is also one of the most promising talents in Hollywood with remarkable performances in some of the most influential movies and TV shows.

His own fashion line is making millions of dollars in profit every year and furthermore, he is a talented basketball player primed for the biggest stage. All these are the achievements of one mere human, and a very young one too.

Lil’ Romeo was born Percy Romeo Miller, Jr. on the 19th of August, 1989. He is the son of millionaire rapper and producer Master P. His debut release “Romeo” was an immediate hit with teenagers and the hit single “My Baby” became the number one song on the US charts for ten whole weeks. Within the next five years, Lil’ Romeo released three other successful solo albums and made his mark as one of the most popular hip hop artist’s in the world.

In 2001, Lil’ Romeo marked his official entry into the American music scene with an explosive teenage hip hop album of great popular influence.

This self-titled debut release raced to a top ten position on the US charts and established the talented musician as the youngest ever recording artist to have a number one hit for ten consecutive weeks.

The following year, he returned to thrill his fans with a second solo album “Game Time”, which expectedly sold platinum numbers and surpassed his previous effort on the charts.

Encouraged by the support of his fans, Lil’ Romeo continued to find form in expression and demonstrated tremendous maturity both as a growing adolescent and musician in his subsequent albums, “Romeoland” and “God’s Gift”.

As an actor, Lil Romeo had his first big break around 2003 when he was offered the lead role in the Nickelodeon TV show “Romeo”. This teenage series became a national hit and major producers began approaching Lil’ Romeo to star in their upcoming productions.

This resulted in five movies within the next three years in which he delivered some of the most convincing performances known to the silver screen. Continue Reading »

Tags: The Lil' Romeo Success Story

What’s the deal with so many white music artists singing black music? Why do white artists who sing black music get better promotion than black artists? Why is R&B music now synonymous with Hip-Hop?

These are some of the hot topics that often come up in private conversations with my industry associates and colleagues. I will attempt to shed some much needed light on these delicate, sensitive and somewhat controversial issues.

To really understand the phenomenon of white music artists singing R&B, you should begin with an examination of the motivation and purpose behind the establishment of black music divisions at record companies in the 60s. While the success of Motown as a black owned operation has been well-documented and highly publicized, many of the competing record labels of that time lacked the personnel to adequately exploit the abundance of musically talented black teens.

White owned record companies shrewdly appointed black music executives who were more in tune and in touch with black music (and the black artists that created and performed it), to help interface with them. This was, after all, a time when race relations were tentative and strained.

Many record companies and radio stations took note of the increasing popularity of R&B music among white teenagers and attempted to preserve racial barriers by denying them access to it. Their denial constituted a potential economic problem since the music industry (like most industries) thrives on supply and demand. Their solution: provide their darling teenaged kids with a “white” alternative; someone who “sounded” black and performed “black” music, a la Elvis Presley, whose popularity was soaring. It wasn’t uncommon for records in that era often to have two different versions - a white version and a black version - which was serviced to the appropriate audience.

In the 70’s, the push toward equality and peace gave birth to a more gregarious and unified music industry. Top bands like Sly & The Family Stone, Tower of Power, Earth Wind & Fire, and The Commodores emerged and enjoyed success throughout the 70s, but many lacked crossover appeal and forced black music executives to search for other viable options in order to save their jobs. One option was Disco - the hot novelty genre.

Disco was more than a new genre; it was a cultural release from the lingering social anxieties and racial tensions of the 60s and emerged as the dominant format because of its mass market appeal and universal acceptance. The music industry eventually sobered up from the lecherous activities and rampant drug abuse of the disco era in 1979, just in time to endure the worst financial year of its existence.

With slumping record sales and a gluttony of music acts that were signed to perform disco songs, the R&B music community returned to its soulful roots and searched desperately for an answer to rectify the problems that plagued it. The answer wasn’t written on the wall, but it was found in the album “Off The Wall” by Michael Jackson, which helped to transition successful R&B music back into a more “Pop-friendly” format that was comparable to R&B in its last heyday of the Motown era.

While Michael captured the hearts and imaginations of white America with his unhuman dance moves, there were plenty of black music pioneers upholding the funky values and virtues of black music as we we marched into the techno era of the 80’s. R&B music seemed to undergo a much needed resurgence.

The R&B bands of the 70s started to downsize in personnel as more emphasis was being placed on solo acts (a la Michael Jackson) and vocal groups. For the R&B music artist, the advent of technology superseded the need to be backed up by a band, ushering in the producer era which R&B music is heavily predicated on today. Continue Reading »

Tags: The Green Side Of White R & B