How Can Search Engine Optimization Help the Independent Recording Artist or Band?

Many independent recording artist and bands believe that major labels provide the best marketing concepts and funds. They believe that big budgets are the way to go in terms of getting the recording artist or band on the map. Believe it or not record labels aren’t the only way to get a good following. The Internet has proven time and time again that you are bound to get discovered through websites such as YouTube and Facebook. Social networking sites are one of the major movers of independent recording artist and bands. What it comes down to is how you use your words to describe what you do.

Search Engine Optimization is simply the development of web pages so that your target audience can easily discover them. The way that you word your content and stay current with your web presence is vital for your independent marketing survival. According to SEO Workers.com, the development of Search Engine Optimization can make the content of your web pages more relevant, more attractive, and more easily read by search engines and their crawling and indexing software. This is what sets apart the discovered and the non-discovered in the music industry. As an independent recording artist or band it is important to pay attention to developing social networks and most importantly personal websites and blogs.

According to an article from The DIY Musician.com, search engines are looking at other factors as well, such as domain age, time spent on your site and if you’ve been delivering consistent quality content. This is why updating websites, adding new content, and being creative in the way that people search for your content is crucial to the survival of your viral campaign. Having good keyword placement and relevance to your content is very important in gaining a consistent following on your website or blog.

 Below is a video by Josh Bachynsk: Google Search Engine Optimization

Print-On-Demand and the Independent Recording Artist or Band

Music is diverse in the way that it is delivered to the consumer. Musicians and recording artist have alternative ways to package and distribute their works in the industry using Print-On-Demand services. It puts the power of publishing music in the independent publishing company’s hands and allows for artist or artist management firms to keep track of what is going on with the product from sales stand point. These services provide the independent recording artist a way to self package, design and distribute creative works such as albums for sale to stores or to online stores such as Amazon and iTunes. You can custom design album artwork and CD artwork to your liking.  

The economics behind Print-On-Demand services is quite unique. According to P.O.D. site CreateSpace their share is calculated by taking a percentage of the list price plus a fixed charge. The fixed charge is $4.95 for each unit and the percentage of the list price depends on where each different sale occurs. For the recording artist or record label accroding to CreateSpace if you sold a CD with a list price of $25.00 through a CreateSpace eStore, you would earn a royalty of $16.30. The calculation breaks down for selling an album is as follows: If the product is listed, as $25.00 CreateSpace share is $8.70. The profit you would make off of a $25 CD would be $16.30, which is considered a royalty rate for the seller.

There are many different P.OD.s to choose from. The best way to see what P.O.D is good for you is looking at what each of the sites offers and what you are willing to put into the project and what your expectations are. Below is a list of P.O.Ds that can help you with your next publishing project. 

Happy Self-Publishing!

www.createspace.com

http://www.lulu.com/

What Artist Managers Look for When Signing on New Talent

The task of artist manager is quite arduous when deciding what talent is worth managing or not. Personally I have worked with recording artist who has a unique message. That message could be to create awareness about a situation going on in a city. Mainly the most important thing I look for in a recording artist is determination to get tracks made and performing those tracks to the best of the artist’s ability. I have to see that the artist has passion and my arms are getting goosebumps.  That might seem funny but it is apart of the feel you want your audience to experience whether it is physical or mental. The consumer has to connect with your music in some way.

According to an interview on Artist HouseMusic’s website with artist manager Michael “Blue” Williams who has managed big recording artists such as OutKast, Scarface, and Killer Mike he states that you have to be able to spot that star quality.  He also states that an artist is always going to look good. So as a recording artist you have to present your best performance or best song with your heart in it. You can’t just put out garbage and expect for a manager to help you get to where you need to go. Help the manager help you and make good music.

At the end of the day the manager needs artist more than the artist needs the manager. Recording artists has the ability to self manage to a certain point. That certain point is reached when the business side of the artist’s career starts to be too hectic. Recording artist starting out should try to self manage as long as possible. If you become that artist that everyone is looking and wanting to hear you will need a manager. 

Business Plan Advice from Entertainment Lawyer Claybourne E. Chavers

I asked Mr. Chavers a series of questions regarding my business plan. My most important question to him was what business entity I should form my company under. Mr. Chavers stated that I should form my business under a Limited Liability Company because of the benefits of having the protection of being separated from the business on issues of liability the company might endure during its years in business.  He went on to discuss the differences of the entities and stated that later I would be able to switch to an S Corporation when business starts to pick up and I wanted to involve shareholders.

The one thing he also told me was that I needed to make sure that was something I wanted to do because once I made the switch to S-Corporation I wouldn’t be able to switch back to an Limited Liability Company. He also stated the importance of having an accountant on hand to explain to me the different tax laws involved with the different business entities to help solidify my decision. Mr. Chavers told me that the accountant should only give me advice on tax issues and not legal issues regarding forming a business entity. Mr. Chavers stated that I should have employee agreements and non-disclosure agreements drafted for future employees to sign so that they won’t give away any confidential company information on how we operate as a business or start their own business with the same ideas if they decided to work for a competitor or start their own business in the same field.

The other issue we discussed was the importance of having artist management agreements for the recording artist we plan on managing after the development stage. He stated that having these agreements in place would solidify the artist management relationship. It will also put to rest any issue about what my job is as an artist manager and what my company expects from the recording artist we manage. It also takes care of the issue of how much my commissions are on the artist’s income and what part of the artist’s income is included in my percentage.

The information that Mr. Chavers gave me can be applied to my business plan by taking the advice on how I should form my business, the importance of artist management agreements, employee agreements, non disclosure and non compete agreements.

http://www.chavlawfirm.com