The The Artist's Guide to Success in the Music Business

The "Who, What, When, Where, Why & How" of the Steps that Musicians & Bands Have to Take to Succeed in Music

Loren Weisman

• Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781608325788
• eBook ISBN: 9781608325795
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Music & Business

The Artist's Guide to Success in the Music Business, 2nd Edition, is a detailed analysis of the subjects that all musicians should understand and apply to pursue a successful and sustainable career in music today. Full of practical advice, this music industry book provides comprehensive details on how to achieve self-empowerment and optimize your success in today's music business. From production and performance tips to marketing and career-building advice, this music business book instructs and empowers artists on how to take the hard-earned lessons of a fellow musician and put them to work in their own careers. Take your music from passion to professionFrom promotion and performance tips to marketing and career-building advice, Loren Weisman serves up lessons culled from his twenty years as a working musician and a music business consultant. Get straight-talk from the road and the studio in areas such as:
• Creating the best plan for their career
• Touring
• Booking gigs
• Performing
• Recording from pre- through post-production
• Branding a band
• Fundraising and working with investors
• Marketing and promotionsThe Artist's Guide to Success in the Music Business, 2nd Edition, is a detailed analysis of the subjects that all musicians should understand and apply to pursue a successful and sustainable career in music today. Full of practical advice, this music industry book provides comprehensive details on how to achieve self-empowerment and optimize your success in today's music business. From production and performance tips to marketing and career-building advice, this music business book instructs and empowers artists on how to take the hard-earned lessons of a fellow musician and put them to work in their own careers.

1

THE MUSIC INDUSTRY AND YOU

OPENING THOUGHT

Ready to jump feet first into the music business? First, ask yourself these questions:

What is your dream?

How do you define success?

Whom do you want to be involved with?

How do you know whom to trust?

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Imagine a junior high school kid in the back of science class, drawing his dream drum set on the back of a school folder. First of all, double bass drums: They had to be twenty-four inches each. Four toms because, back in the late eighties, how could you possibly have less than four toms across the front? He draws the toms: 10, 12, 13, and 14 inches. Then two floor toms: a 16 and an 18. For those of you who are not drummers, maybe it would help to imagine a guitar or a keyboard instead. For those drummers that came up in that time, you may remember the Pearl drums advertisement for the CZX drums. I can still see in my mind’s eye the shot of that tan or wood-finished kit of even, “box” sizes: 10×10, 12×12, 13×13, 14×14, 16×16, and 18×18.

Next, the kid draws the cymbals: at least four crashes—why not? Auxiliary hi-hats, two Chinese cymbals to flank both sides, and—might as well go for the gold—a big old gong, suspended behind the kit!

As you may have already guessed, I was that kid drawing those pictures, sitting at the back of Mr. Cepeck’s eighth-grade science class. At the time, it was the biggest kit I could imagine, because it was supporting the biggest dream I could dream—a life in music, playing drums with a killer band in front of screaming fans in a sold-out stadium.

Of course, I now know that my dream—as sweet as it was to an eighth-grade boy who just wanted to play the drums—was full of holes. Now, I’m certainly not saying it’s bad to have a dream, but if people had asked me back then to actually define success, I would have told them that they just didn’t understand what I was going to be and do. “You don’t get it,” I would have told them.

In reality, I was the one who didn’t get it.

I chased after that dream, though, and I caught it, but I also lost it a number of times. Why? Because I didn’t really have a well-defined goal or a solid foundation for my dream.

Here’s the moral: Dream big—to the extreme, even. But also make sure you can define your goals, and then build a plan for taking the right steps to make that dream come true—even if that takes the shape of smaller goals along the way.

HOW DO YOU SPELL “SUCCESS”?

Take a second and go back to the list of questions at the beginning of this chapter. You might be surprised—or maybe not—to know that very few artists have truly asked and answered these questions. Sadly, failing to deal with these simple, yet vital issues can destroy a career, a band, or a chance at the dream—even before an artist or a band is out of the gate.

The fact is that success in the music industry can have many different definitions. Of course, everybody thinks about the super-duper, A-list stars who achieve fame and wealth beyond imagination—at least, that’s the delusion. The numbers reported in some entertainment magazines do not give the whole story of the real income and what that artist actually gets to keep after labels, investors, producers, engineers, graphic designers, distribution, booking agents, stage hands, and tons of other people are getting paid. Such numbers are far from clear, and yet everyone assumes that this defines “success” in the music business.

A perfect example of such skewed assumptions is a posting I saw on Facebook of a house with a water slide coming out of the second floor into a pool—a four-million-dollar listing, at minimum. The artist posted it and made reference to this being his new home once he sold a few thousand albums, and I thought to myself, this guy would not be able to rent this place for the summer if he only sold a few thousand albums, much less buy it.

The average artist has a naïve, unrealistic, and disconnected view of what the music industry is, how it works, what is involved in “making it,” and what actually is happening behind the scenes. Too many artists take at face value what they see on some TV documentary or read in a fan magazine. Whether you are working with others in a band, looking to connect with a manager, an agent, a label, or an investor, or you just want to work in the industry, it is more crucial than ever to know what you are working for and toward.

Just to be clear: This book is not geared to helping you become a superstar. If that is all you are looking for, you might want to stop reading now. Now, it’s certainly possible that by organizing, implementing, and executing a customized plan you might make it to that level, but it’s a long shot: a very, very long shot.

Think of the road to success as climbing a tall mountain. But instead of just looking at the summit of the mountain—your dream of stardom—you need to pack for the ascent and plan some places on the trail to stop and rest: You work for the big goal while achieving the small ones along the way. You need to have the right boots, the right ropes, the right team to climb with, and the provisions to sustain you during the journey to continue to move onward and upward.

Maybe you don’t reach the peak, but while working toward that goal, could you achieve other goals? Could you find happiness and a different definition of success that feels right for you? Maybe you’re not selling out Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. and having records go platinum, but you are touring six to nine months out of the year and you have licensed songs in numerous TV shows, video games, and films. You have a solid fan base that comes to your shows. Maybe you are not playing to 20,000 people every night, but you are always able to pull in 200 to 2,000. Maybe you put together the right plan and hire the right agent, the right distributor, and the right promotional team. Let’s say that for twenty solid years, everyone in your group is able to pull in $60,000 a year—after taxes—as well as having medical, dental, and life insurance.

How is that not successful? Maybe you didn’t reach the million-dollar “peak,” but while heading up that mountain path you are doing what you love and making a much better living than the majority of Americans today. Can you call that a failure?

Your definition of success is subject to change by your will and your choice, but only if you have the plan, the gear, the patience, and the drive to work toward the biggest goals while still achieving the small ones along the way.

Think about your definition of success. What kind of salary do you need to make to be “making it” in music? When you say, “I want to be a musician,” what does that entail creatively, financially, and time-wise?

When you ask yourself these questions, are you also asking the question, “How can I get signed?” Are you asking yourself, “How can I succeed as an independent musician?” If you are in a band, are the expectations and definitions clear with each of the members?

Setting standards and working backward to getting there is a great way to plan. What salary would you and the other band members like to be making while getting to play, taking care of your responsibilities, and being able to afford a good life, but without the excess dreams of millions and millions? When you are able to put together the numbers that define your success, it will be easier for a music consultant, a real label, a real manager, or a real agent to come up with a plan that takes into account your goals and the beginning steps to get there.

Remember, once you have tallied up the totals and taken out the taxes, you still have to add all the considerations and costs for touring, recording, and other budgetary aspects. If you are assuming that a label or manager is doing some of the work for you, don’t forget to subtract their percentage. As a very simple overview, if you want to net $250K in a year for a band—especially if labels and other people are involved—you are going to have to bring in a million to cover all the costs, pay out the investors, and take care of business. The more control you have and the fewer other parties that are involved, the more that overhead percentage will drop and the more of the gross you will get to keep.

Planning responsibly and having a nice overview of reality to go with your picture of success can help you make the best choices while still retaining as much control as possible over your own destiny.

I believe that the artists who only look at the summit are the real failures; they are often the ones who have the hardest time getting there. Those who try to shortcut the process—renting a helicopter to avoid the long, hard climb—also pay dearly. They get to the top too fast, and with too little effort, and it costs them their rights and the bulk of their profits. They give it all away just to get to the top, and often as not, they end up in an avalanche of poverty, desperation, and failure.

On the other hand, those who dream of the million-dollar mansions while patiently investing in the more modest purchases available to them, those that think about wads of cash but still discipline themselves to save the pennies—these are the artists I’d put my money on to make it over the long haul. Those who play with the same passion for an audience of ten as they would for a crowd of ten thousand are the ones who will find the best chance of success today. And though their images of success may change at various stages of the climb, they have already defined success by laying the best foundation. They will be the ones who can make the good decisions and see the bigger picture as they learn more about the industry and mature with the experience and information they take in.

Waiting to be discovered, hoping to be seen, wishing someone else would do the work, wanting to make it big, and dreaming of being rich and famous just like your heroes is submissive, passive, foolish, weak, and ineffective.

Take your desire for dreams, your goals, and your ambition, then make it fuel for the fire to light your ass up; get to work on the path to make it happen. The energy, the effort, the execution, and the actions make dreams come true—not waiting, hoping, wishing, wanting, and dreaming.

To really work for you, your customized plan for success should lay out the “peak” aspects of your dream as well as the requirements to make that journey. You will need to alter your path and adapt to changes along the way, but the more you plan and navigate in the right direction, the more you will achieve. Planning helps you in the short term as you move toward your long-term goals, helping you remember not to waste time here or blow money there, because your aim is directed at the place you want to go.

Honestly, I wish I had learned this lesson a long time ago. I had a lot of fun, but I could have had a little less fun and could have planned a little more for the long term, arriving at the place I defined as success.

My Personal Definition of Success

To me, success in the music business means you are living your own dream, supporting yourself as you responsibly increase your ability to have the things in life that you desire. I don’t put a number on it, because just like the paths to success, everyone’s number is different.

My personal definition of success involves having enough money for the lifestyle I want, debt- and commitment-free, with saving and investment included. For me, success involves living securely off dividends and royalties so that I can work more on the projects I want, even with artists who might not be able to afford me—but whom I believe in. I’d like to be able to donate a few speaking engagements each month and a few consultations to those who have the drive but not the ready cash.

I have timeline goals, too: goals that include reaching certain financial benchmarks and certain benchmarks for my consulting and speaking activities. I have a time frame within which I’d like to be able to afford to reduce the hours I put in each day.

For me, in other words, “success” is defined by the different benchmarks I achieve and the different steps I take in my own personal journey. Hitting these targets along the way is evidence of success to me, just as much as reaching the end goal.

What about Music as a Hobby?

While we’re talking about success, it’s probably worthwhile to ask yourself this question: Do you really want to be a musician full-time? Or is making music as a hobby more like what you want to do? It’s a fair question, and a lot of people are perfectly happy with being music hobbyists rather than full-time musicians.

Are you fine with the short-term wins and don’t care about long-term success? Maybe you’re in one of those bands that can fill a local venue over and over but just doesn’t seem to break through to any bigger level—and you’re okay with that. Maybe you know that person who claims to be a manager, a booking agent, or a promoter: the one who can get all his or her close friends and maybe a few strangers out to a venue, a party, or an event now and then, but never can seem to make any real money for themselves or the band.

Maybe for these folks, music is actually a hobby: a fun thing, a side project that is not intended to make anybody a living. That’s fine. There is nothing wrong with being a hobbyist. It can be a lot of fun to put together fun little events, gigs, parties, or whatnot, but at least be honest and make sure everyone knows exactly what your goals are. Don’t make the mistake of confusing a hobbyist—no matter how much he or she professes to know about “the business”—for a music industry professional.

Let me say it again, though: The hobbyist can still be successful. Being a hobbyist does not equate to “failure”; it is simply a different success definition for a different person—the artist who doesn’t want to take his or her music or career to a full-time level and prefers it to be part-time. This may not indicate a lack of drive or ambition; these people just have different goals, different dreams, and different desires. Maybe they just do it for the art and the love of music. Maybe they want to do the work, but don’t want the time away from family. Maybe their day job is too good to trade for a music career. For whatever reason, the part-time concept just works for them.

And how can you fault that? If an artist out there loves to play once a month within a very small radius of home or to make a record that might not even sell beyond friends and family, and if that makes the artist happy, isn’t that success? Sure it is. Just don’t confuse the hobbyist with the person who is making the long climb toward “peak” success.

YOU, THE MUSIC BUSINESS, AND THE BUSINESS OF MUSIC

The misconceptions about the music industry and how to make it in music are loud and constant. The industry itself assists in perpetuating stories of that one artist who breaks through from out of the blue and has an amazing career. Reality shows, interviews, and the Internet combine to lead many to believe that the road to success is a fairy tale. Unfortunately, only a very, very small percentage of artists get to experience that fairy tale path, and those who do very often come to realize the illusion that fairy tale truly represents.

You may even be able to think of a band you know that was playing small rooms, with each member holding a basic day job and living check to check. They practiced, recorded, struggled, and played everywhere they could. Suddenly they come out with an amazing album. Then you immediately start to see them in nicer cars and spending more money.

That should raise a couple of red flags, right there. When a larger record company, investor, management group, or agent spends a fortune on the recording of an album and gives artists things like cars, clothes, and money, this not only gives the artists an incentive but also locks them in to the people giving the stuff. What the bands don’t recognize is that the record company, investor, or whoever wants all that money back—and with interest. Record labels are businesses, and they use artists’ dreams as leverage to lock musicians into deals with crazy percentages. All the band sees is the light at the end of the tu...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword by Elliott Randall
• Acknowledgments
• Author’s Note
• Introduction
• 1. The Music industry and You
• 2. Your Band: Working with Other Musicians
• 3. Defining and Refining Your Sound
• 4. Managing, Performing, and Booking Gigs
• 5. Solo or Band Touring
• 6. The Music Business Plan
• 7. In the Recording Studio
• 8. Fundraising and investors
• 9. Your Band is the Brand
• 10. Music Marketing and Promotions
• 11. Your Career in the Music Business of Today
• Conclusion
• About the Author
• Index