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.

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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
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The Ugly Truth about Music Management

Are you an artist who thinks that if you just had a manager to guide you music career you would "make it in the music business"?

Well if you are, smack yourself.

Just as there is no magic bullet to success in the music business, there is nothing a Music Business Manager can do for you that you can't do for yourself.

Let's look at what a manager does:

A manager is primarily responsible for building your Music Business brand. A Music Business Manager also handles the organizational and administrative aspects of your career in the Music Business. Back in the day, it good Music Business Managers could charge their percentage based on the fact that they had "connections" with A&R Reps, Entertainment Lawyers, Media Outlet's etc.. That was back in the day. Sure, there are still home high-powered Music Business Managers out there, but they are a dying breed.

Today's best Music Business Managers are often the artists themselves. Many artist's, in the Music Business book their own shows, sell their own products and market themselves way better than any manager (with a long client list) could do.

The Ugly Truth About Music Business Management is: If you are not your own Music Business Manager, you are shooting yourself in the foot with it. In TODAY'S Music Business, you must be able to wear a creative hat as well as a business persons hat.We've all heard horror stories of Music Business Managers ripping their artist off.

The most famous recent example is Ruben Studdard. I was reported that Rubens' Manager [allegedly] ripped the R&B Teddy Bear, off so bad that Ruben couldn't afford to buy a home of his own. I also have a friend who who booked Ruben for a concert in 2005.

As the story goes, the deal was done, Ruben even flew coach to make the show happen. When Ruben got off of the plane his manager hadn't secured any money in advance. Of course, Mr. Studdard didn't perform and my friend lost a great promotion and multiple thousands of dollars.If you are your own Music Business Manager, you'll most likely have the best client and the best manager.Wishing you success in the Music Business,Jeronimo!! BlackDiscover the secrets of success in TODAY'S Music Business at http://www.simbiz.info


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The Ugly Truth About Passion

"Give me the song and I'll sing it like I mean it. Give me the words and I'll say them like I mean it."

- The Feeling : "Sewn"

One day it hit me like a flying microphone - blam. I finally understood what makes the greatest artists great. What made Tupac Shakur, Elvis Prestly, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Dizzy Gilespe, Ray Charles, Bob Marley and others superstars? Passion. Fans of the late-great artists (and some living artists) have a passion for the stars ability to make the fan feel. Any feeling will do.

Tupac Shakur introduced us to Thug Passion. Rod Steward even made fans feel sexy at one time. Mick Jagger, John Mayer, Bille Holiday, Nat King Cole, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Ladysmith Black Mambasso and others have made fans feel something.

Rock fans feel the energy, R&B fans feel the music, Folk fans feel the meaning, Hip-Hop fans feel respect, Country fans feel admiration but, all fans feel somthing.

Fans will spend two days pay (often more) paying to be near an artist who makes them feel something. It's like going on a date and never being able to talk to the date. I wonder if that's why concert shows are often referred to as tour "dates"?

Any way.

The ugly truth is that passion isn't always pretty. Passion isn't always in style. But if your passion is real, people will feel "something".

As former radio station Music Director, I've seen hundreds of packages for artists. One of the first things I listened for, in artists, was passion. If there was no passion there was no airplay.

When I managed my college radio station, I was able to build an entire an entire format of songs that college kids where passionate about.

If you have passion then you will have fans.

I'm wishing you success in the music business.

Jeronimo!! Black
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succeed in the music business

Songs and artists that are currently selling are not the only thing that will sell. You say "duh", but most get on the current bandwagon with the same old tired sound and song structure and then wonder why they cant get a record deal or get their songs cut or wonder why people arent buying their music.

You will have to learn to think outside the box. Think back through the music era as of late and look at all of the styles and how music has progressed from big band, to the Beatles to the many 70s rock bands to Boston, to the new Chicago (David Foster) albums to the slicker pop artists of the nineties with the barrage of improved keyboard sounds to today.

Now I know that we could list hundreds to thousands of bands here, but for the sake of time I think you get the idea.

Are you really thinking about the next layer of the musical cake? What will that sound like? What are you currently doing to write not just off the wall music and productions to sound different, but music that will be the next level of the music era that people will look back at as a turning point in music history?

There are numerous outlets on the web that most everyone is familiar with where up and coming acts can review and contact the writers or artists to obtain permission to record their music. The flood of sites available is astounding. As a writer or singer, comb through these sites and listen for not only valid recording material, but for ideas and ways to steer your next production close enough to mainstream marketable music, but close enough to the edge where your music and production sound fresh and new. See, its not that easy. Its easy to write it here as a valid idea, but significantly harder to put into practice.

As we close, I will offer a few suggestions, and I am well aware that many claim to have the answers, but I will just remain confident that you are building your career, making career corrections as needed along the way and are practicing your craft, not merely as an art, but as a way to get a recording contract or plain get your songs cut by a major recording artist.

Writers do get significantly better with their writing and productions over time keep doing it. Dont be afraid to admit it when either your music or production isnt working, but keep looking up, because there is hope in your admitting it and moving forward and learning how to better you productions. Dont have an attitude about your music or the ability to change it, but dont necessarily change it at every beckoning, because someone else claims to always have the superior idea.

Lastly, just hang in there, keep at it and dont be afraid.

Wishing you success in the music biz!

Jeronimo!! Black

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Mr. Gauger is a former talent booking agent with the William Morris Agency and founder of http://www.ReelMusician.com You may contact the author at tgauger@reelmusician.com Free e-books The Jingle Singers Guide, and Secrets To Great Song Demos, may be downloaded at http://www.ReelMusician.com

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Technoratti

Are You Ready to Get A Record Deal?

Getting a Record Deal can be a real challenge but it's not impossible . If you really want a Record Deal you must be able to answer these questions first.

Are You Talented?

You don't need any talent to get a Record Deal, but not having talent will guarantee that you won't sell many records. Talent comes in many forms and you don't need to be able to sing, rap, or play an instrument like a virtuoso, but you do need some form of talent.

Talent Defined (Key Term):

We define talent as "the ability to get people to pay you for what you do". Many people are critical of popular artists like Brittney Spears, Madonna and a lot of today’s rapper's. Some wonder how these so called talent-less individuals ever received a record deal. One thing all artists with record deals have is talent. The artists who have record deals have some form of talent. You must be talented to get a record deal.

Can You Entertain?

In today's music biz, the ability to entertain beats the ability to sing. If you want a record deal you have to be good at entertaining. Record Companies are looking for people who can compel fans to buy the artists music, attend shows, and conduct compelling interviews in the media.

Definition of Entertainment:

We define entertainment as "the ability to provide value to those who pay attention to you". There are a many comedians who can't sing, but they fill venues that seat thousands of people because they can entertain. As an artist, if you can entertain you can get a record deal.
Value is anything that produces positive a result. What is your value? What positive results does your music or brand provide?

To get a record deal, you’ll need to have proven results. The days of record companies signing talent on the hunch of an A&R rep are over. Today, getting signed is about the value (in dollars) that your music brings to the record label.

Talent isn’t a value unless it produces a positive result. I’ve seen many people talk about having talent and I almost believe them – until I see or hear them perform. More importantly, talent isn’t talent unless someone will pay for it.

Can you make your fans feel your emotion? Do your fans get excited when you are around? Do your fans get turned on when they see a photo of you? Can you look good on T.V.? Can you relate to a specific market? Do your fans ‘bob’ their heads when they hear your music? Do your fans find your lyrics cleaver or inspirational? These are all values, because they present a positive result for your fans.


What is Your Fan Conversion Rate?

Do you have a huge fan base? How many of your fans have purchased your music?
In [music] business, numbers and ‘conversions’ (the amount of consumers that actually pay for your product) are the new name of the game. In the music business your fans are your potential consumers. You have to convert your fans into paying consumers. More importantly, you have to have proof of your fan to consumer conversions. Once you have a high fan conversion – or sales rate, you’ll in be ready to get a record deal.

Keep records off all of your sales to fans.

Keeping a record of your sales will help to keep your music business career honest. You may be able to inflate your sales numbers, but it can also ruin your credibility. Know how many people are listening to your music and then buying your music. For a record label the ability to ‘forecast’ how well your music or band will sell in the marketplace is based on prior results. Business always looks backward to plan the way forward. In the music business, your past success is a prediction of your future success. Assure the record labels that their investment in music or brand will be successful and you will get a record deal.


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Nobody Said The Music Business Was Going To Be Easy

It truly is a jungle out there -filled with: snakes, rats, rabid carnivores, sharks…well, you get the picture. In the course of your musical journey, there will be confrontations, arguments, misunderstandings, and miscommunications. You’ll get jerked around, screwed over, ripped off and disrespected.

So, you want to be a rock star? Welcome to your nightmare.

But this is also a business of good people, who’ll give you opportunities and chances and help you out when you least expect it. That’s why it’s so important that you, as musicians and as a band, act professionally and respectfully regardless of the behavior of those you encounter. You don’t have to be a pushover and of course, you have a right to defend yourself against the questionable actions of others, but the music community can be a very small town and the behavior you exhibit will follow you throughout your musical career.

On the flipside of that, there are musicians out there who, either knowingly or unknowingly bring negativity on themselves through their own actions. Short temperedness, egocentricism, brazen entitlement, compulsive lying and just plain old psychotic behavior can brand your band as troublemakers and deprive you of important opportunities that you need to move forward in this business.

So, how can you make sure that you’re doing onto others as you wish they would do onto you? What can you, as musicians do, to eliminate aspects of your personality that may be causing bad blood between you and the people you run across on your way to superstardom?
The following are a few tips that may help you to make sure you’re exhibiting professional behavior at all times:

1.) Be Timely And Courteous
Whether you’re playing out live or emailing booking inquiries from home, there is never a substitute for courteously or timeliness. At gigs, show up when you’re supposed to, be friendly, treat others with respect, set up quickly, end your set on time, break down quickly, be mindful of other bands on stage, compliment those around you and don’t forget simple things like, “please” and “thank you.” When you leave a positive impression in people’s minds, you’ll be high on their list when it comes time to fill an open booking slot, recommend a band for a review, etc.

2.) Make Sure Your Actions Match Your Words
It’s such a simple thing but you’d be surprised how many musicians seem incapable to doing what they say they’re going to. If you book a gig, show up and play. If you say you’re going to bring twenty friends and fans to your gig, do it. If you reserve an ad in a local music magazine, pay for it. If you write a check, make sure that it doesn’t bounce. If you say you’re going to send out a press package or a CD, mail it. It is true that many people in the music business are distrustful of bands that they don’t know, and with good reason in many instances. Build your good reputation in the industry by proving that you will do what you’ve promised. Start small. Once you’ve gain people’s trust, you’ll see more and more doors opening up for your band.

3.) Take The High Road
It may be tough but there’s nothing to be gained from returning someone’s improper behavior with a heap-load of your own. That doesn’t mean that you need to let every industry slime-bag from New York to LA ride roughshod all over your music project but there are ways to deal with the negative behavior in this business without branding yourself with a label equally as negative. Sending firm yet professional letters, making intelligent and informed phone inquiries and, if need be, taking legal action against those who have acted inappropriately are ways to handle unpleasant situations without drawing negative attention to yourself. Public scenes, yelling and screaming, long-winded and ranting emails, threats and accusations and spiteful actions may make you feel vindicated but it may chase away the good people as well as the bad and that just sets your band back.

4.) You Can’t Undo What You’ve Already Done
It’s much harder to undo past bad behaviors, or reverse negative reputations than it is to foster positive ones. It’s best when starting out to avoid acting rash as a rule. If you have a band member that is incapable of keeping his or her cool, perhaps it’s time to rethink his or her place in your group. The entertainment industry has a long memory and a spiteful tongue. Make sure when people speak of you, they’re speaking well.

This may all seem like such common sense that it isn’t even worth mentioning but you’d be surprised how many shows, interviews, tours, and record deals have never materialized because of burned bridges.

You may have talent and great tunes, but if your attitude sucks you’ll get passed over time and again. No one wants to work with rage-aholics, egomaniacs or crazies. Don’t let anyone think that’s what your band is about. Sure it’s important to be creative geniuses but if no one likes you, you’ll be performing your masterpieces in the garage for grandma and her Pomeranian. Get smart and treat people right and you may find yourself rockin’ all the way to the bank.

Sheena Metal is a radio host, producer, promoter, music supervisor, consultant, columnist, journalist and musician. Her syndicated radio program, Music Highway Radio, airs on over 700 affiliates to more than 126 million listeners. Her musicians’ assistance program, Music Highway, boasts over 10,000 members. She currently promotes numerous live shows weekly in the Los Angeles Area, where she resides. For more info: http://www.sheena-metal.com.

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Jeronimo!!! Black






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The Ugly Truth About Radio Airplay

This is a real post, from a real DJ. It was ripped from a popular radio insider website:

"Our PD has recently told us that we must only play songs in the mixes that are in the station's rotation. It seems that they are automatically assuming that if we are playing a song that is not in rotation then it must be payola.

I'm simply trying break new songs. I dj at several clubs and get mad response on several cuts that I'm not allowed to play in the radio mixes. I don't stray to far from the playlist, I might introduce one new song per 20min mix. What is wrong with that?

I know that payola exists. What has me puzzled is what or who determines the music rotation and why can't new songs be introduced by none other than the PD? especially when the PD is over 50yrs old and does not have a ear for this so called music that is out today.

Our station plays a lot of unheard of artists that do not have hits but yet when we try to introduce a hit during the mixshows we are not allowed. So, my question is, who is really getting paid for play? I realize the PD is the boss but I don't understand why the playlist is so tightly controlled, especially when we are in a market without competition. "

** Moral of the story** don't waste your time trying to get radio airplay. There are too many other outlets that you can use to expose your music and they don't require paying some 50 year old, out of touch PD (Program Director) who is only concerned with keeping his job.

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succeed in the music business