I'm on the fence. DRM (Digital Rights Management) doesn't seem to be the monster that everyone is making out to be. Sure the have been bug's and even some screw-ups with some DRM sofware, but all software has some bug or glitch when first deployed.

I don't see why those who oppose DRM do so. The DRM opposition hasn't made a strong case. They simply state "DRM is wrong". Why is it wrong to protect the rights to your creative works? From the beggining of civilizaton artist would use their creative imagination to produce timeless works of art and get paid for it. Many aritsts support thier families using their creativity and talent. Artist at every level should be able to get paid for thier work. If some data can be embedded into the work, whereby preventing someone from stealing that work, I'm definately down for it.

At this point, I'm waiting for a DRM supporter to give me vaild reasons why DRM is as evil as it's sometimes made to seem.


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K. and I were watching Akeela and the Bee recently and I heard a quote that I had to track down and share with you.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond imagination. It is our light more than our darkness which scares us. We ask ourselves – who are we to be brilliant, beautiful, talented, and fabulous. But honestly, who are you to not be so?

You are a child of God, small games do not work in this world. For those around us to feel peace, it is not example to make ourselves small. We were born to express the glory of god that lives in us. It is not in some of us, it is in all of us. While we allow our light to shine, we unconsciously give permission for others to do the same. When we liberate ourselves from our own fears, simply our presence may liberate others."

- Marianne Williamson in Return to Love: Reflections on a Course in Miracles Wishing you success,Jeronimo BlackSucceed in the music biz with Simbiz.info
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Success in the Music Business Requires Strategy

If you are an artist, musician, producer, singer, songwriter, manager or producer you need to keep two things in mind to be successful. Strategy and tactics. Strategy is the destination and tactics are the moves you make to get to your destination. The secrets of an effective strategy are the tactics. The most successful music acts that I’ve seen have had some sort of strategy that guided them to the success.

Recently, while listening to Janet Jackson’s latest release, 20 Y.O., I noticed the tactics that Janet, “Ms. Jackson if you’re nasty” uses as part of her chart topping strategy.

1.) Have at least two radio friendly cross-over singles

2.) Have at least two club friendly singles

3.) Have a couple of slow Jams

4.) Provide personal / political interlude’s

Janet Jackson publicity tactics are as follows;

1.) Take provocative pictures for magazines

2.) Conduct limited interviews and provide few details of her personal life. Thus leaving the press to speculate and gossip which generates awareness for Ms. Jackson’s Brand.

Any recording artist or music business professional can utilize the same tactics and strategy as the major music stars. The secret is to first, define your strategy then determine your tactics. As a music producer in the mid 1990’s I recorded a group that had a great strategy. This group booked a recording session with me to record a demo for them.

The demo was to showcase their ability to play live at Night Clubs. In our three hour session, we recorded and mixed a cover of “Before I You Go” by Blackstreet. After recording the demo, the group sent their demo to club managers across the U.S. Their tactic was to use the demo to be heard and their strategy was to play live in Night Clubs. The last time I spoke with them they were making a living by playing cover songs in Night Clubs all over the U.S.

The thing that impresses me most about successful artist in music business is how they apply their tactics to make their strategy successful.

Strategy has always separated the music legends from the one hit wonders. In the 1940’s through the mid 1980’s one of the tactics often used by recording artists to get airplay was to make radio friendly hits. By the mid 1980’s recording artist were making MTV friendly music video’s.

Just as successful artists in the past recorded radio and video friendly singles, today’s recording artists must include tactics to get noticed on the Internet. As an artist you should ask yourself the following questions;

1.) Do I have a YouTube friendly single?

2.) Do I have a compelling Myspace presence?

3.) Does my story / bio endear me to fans?

Outlining your tactics will help you develop a solid strategy. Having a solid strategy will bring you that much closer to success in the music business.

Click Here to Discover the Secrets of Success in Today's Music Business. Or log onto www.simbiz.info.

All You Need To Succeed In the Music Industry
Part one
Jeronimo Black


I declare 2006 as the year when the Internet took over the music business. Website’s like Myspace, YouTube, and Soundclick among others have become the “go to” sites for fresh hip musical experiences. Gnarls Barkley, a collaboration of Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) and Cee-Lo (Thomas Callaway), had outstanding success with the single Crazy.

Gnarls Barkleys’ promotional success in the music industry started on the Internet. Once Crazy was one of the top downloaded songs on sites like iTunes, the mainstream media took notice. Eventually the song jumped from the Internet to multiple radio stations in various formats. Urban (Hip-Hip & R&B), Top 40 and even some Hot Adult Contemporary stations started spinning Crazy and the rest is history from their debut project CD St. Elsewhere.

Panic at the Disco has suffered through an enviable year of radio and T.V. spins. The band's video of I Write Sins Not Tragedies is among YouTubes’ most-viewed videos, having been streamed more than 5 million times. The song I write Sins Not Tragedies got so many spins on MTV’s TRL, that the band feared fans would view them as mainstream – a tragedy that no Indie-artist would wish on their worst enemy.

DJ Webstar most recently has found success in the music business with his single Chicken Noodle Soup. At last count, the single had over 49,000 streams on YouTube. Radio stations and music video channels are now playing the single. There was a time when the Internet was only an extension of an artists marketing strategy.

Today the Internet is the marketing strategy. Still, many recording artists are using old school music promotion tactics.

The formula for success in yesterday’s music business was;
1.) Produce commercially viable music
2.) Make it widely available (record stores, music clubs etc)
3.) Use radio and T.V. ‘spins’ to promote the music

Yesterday’s music business required a substantial promotion budget and established relationships with key decision makers in radio and T.V. Yesterday’s music artists would spend years touring, shaking the hands of key influencers in the music business and praying that they would be able create mass awareness and sales.

Today an artist can produce music that my not sound commercially viable or be widely available but still find an audience with thousands or millions of fans. The formula for success in today’s music business is;

1.) Produce music
2.) Make it easily available (music submission sites, YouTube, Myspace etc.)
3.) Make people aware of your music

In 2006 and beyond, all you need to know to succeed in the music industry is how to effectively use the Internet to make people aware of your music.

All You Need To Succeed In the Music Industry
Click Here to Discover the Secrets of Success in Today's Music Business. Or log onto www.simbiz.info.