Small Business Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Presents’

The one thing that nobody seems to have enough of these days is time. This is especially true when you are building a career. For aspiring musicians, singers and songwriters, learning how to establish, promote and sustain a career is a full time job in and of itself and would leave little time for working on music.  That’s why The Indie Bible is considered one of the most thorough and valuable resources for anyone in the music business but especially newcomers.

Written by David Wimple, The Indie Bible is currently in its 11th printing, which reflects the rapidly changing nature of the music business. What makes The Indie Bible so valuable is the depth of the research to give musicians and songwriters the most up-to-date information possible. It would literally take someone months of intensive research to gather all of the contacts and resources detailed in the book. Even music industry veterans have endorsed The Indie Bible as an invaluable tool.

The resources listed include 3600 radio station and radio show contacts; the names of 4200 publications and periodicals that review music; the names of 500 CD vendors and music promoters; 500 web site where you can post your music for downloading and promotion; 500 miscellaneous resources – all together more than 10,000 contacts are contained within The Indie Bible.

The Indie Bible is written to address a wide range of situations, from seeking representation to selling your son online, across all genres, from Hip Hoop to country. The book is organized into seven sections to make it as user-friendly as possible.

Sections one and two offer tips on how to get your CD reviewed in print publications.

Section three discusses who t contact about doing radio promotion. Radio stations are a particularly accessible area because they have a lot of air time to fill. It’s especially smart to approach home town radio stations; they are usually very open to promoting local talent.

Section four focuses on marketing oriented services.

Section five covers the growing importance of Internet based distribution and cuts through the clutter to list the top sites proven to be most valuable to performers.

Section six is a compilation of miscellaneous resources.

Section seven reprints over 50 articles on various aspects of the business to give a complete and informative overview of the business.

Being a music professional is an on-going learning experience. Aspiring musicians need to learn the basics on how the industry works, from how to find an agent and get a record deal to understanding how royalties are calculated and the best way to use the Internet and Social networking groups to promote music.

Once the record deal is secured and the CD recorded an entirely new learning curve is needed – how to promote your CD. Your Successful CD Release by Peter Spellman and Dave Cool is a detailed marketing guide written specifically for songwriters and singers. The guide is a blend of three other Spellman books – The Self-Promoting Musician, INDIE Power and INDIE Marketing Power – plus new material provided by co-author Cool. The book is an easy to read to-the-point guide that is a unique tool is perfect an important tool provides readers with the tools to start marketing a CD immediately.

Written conversationally, Spellman explains the strategies for marketing a CD in an easy to understand style with step by step instructions including how to get sponsored; avoiding marketing mistakes; staying within a budget; creating a marketing and promotional plan. Spellman also stresses the importance of having fun with your promotions because enthusiasm is contagious.

The guide details the ways in which singers and songwriters can generate income through licensing and other opportunities. Spellman includes sample templates to track the campaign’s progress such as a spreadsheet to plot out a marketing budget. Co-author Cool says he was inspired to participate in the book because when he started out he was not great with numbers and financial projections, and didn’t understand spreadsheets. He calls Your Successful CD Release a kind of spreadsheet for dummies because the templates are ready to use, They are also available online.

Your Successful CD Release is more than a how-to manual. It gives personal insight from four professional singer-songwriters who recount what their experiences have been and what it takes to be a full-time indie musician that successfully manages your career and life.

Being a professional means being informed. That is as true for musicians and singers as it is lawyers and doctors. Reading industry trade publications is one way to keep abreast of trends and news. But to study the music business in depth there is not better resource than books. In the first of a three part series, here are reviews of three books about the music business that are must-reads. Each author explores the music business from their unique perspectives, offering readers an honest view of the industry they strive to be part of.

Donald S Pressman’s All You Need to Know about the Music Business: Revised and Updated for the 21st Century is a detailed, frequently humorous look at the business of making music. Now in its eighth edition, the book is considered a bible for anyone wanting to know the ins and outs of the music business. Pressman is a Los Angeles-based music attorney with twenty-five years experience and his clients include everyone from record label executives, singers and songwriters to film companies and publishers. He is widely recognized as one of the most influential people in the entertainment industry.

His book offers many useful tips such as how to hire agents and managers, strategies for marketing one’s music and the steps needed to legally protect intellectual property. Pressman also guides readers through complex contractual issues such as recoupment, royalties, advances, and distribution deals. Being an attorney, Pressman stresses the need to protect oneself against copyright infringement, bad record deals, and unscrupulous business managers and agents.

The most recent edition has up to the minute information on how the Internet is impacting the music business and the performers’ bottom lines. The information is just as important for industry veterans as it is newcomers. Pressman explains how video streaming services work and how royalties are computed for digital distribution services. He also covers podcasting, music downloads, streaming and webcasting.

More than just nuts and bolts of how the business works, Pressman gives readers an insider’s guide that shows how to navigate potential pitfalls and how to establish successful relationship with other music industry professionals.