The Importance of Management For Your Band

So you are a leader and member of a band and you are starting to get really busy right? Since the beginning you have managed every aspect of how you and your members are going to make it. Every decision you make is in your hands and your band is looking up to you. What will you do if a record label approaches you and they offer you a deal? Who will you have to look over that offer for you? Will you take it into your own hands and continue on the path of self-management or will you relinquish your powers to a trust worth artist manager or Management Company?

It is important to remember that you are an artist and an artist must remain in the zone of creativity and cultivation. About.com talks about the importance of Band Management. Management can provide this opportunity to you because of the extra workload that would be taken off of your shoulders. You really don’t know how busy you can get until you get busy. It is important to make the right decision for you and your band members so that you can continue to become well known and profitable. You didn’t work this hard to get to where you are at now to throw it away on the notion that you are letting a stranger manage your career. That stranger has talents that you don’t have in terms of moving you in the right direction.

History is here to remind us that people have done this and it has ether worked or hasn’t worked. Creedence Clearwater Revival is a perfect example of self-management going wrong. The band’s leader John Fogerty thought that he could do it all. He was a very talented songwriter and producer for his band CCR. He looked over every contract and signed on the dotted line not knowing how it would impact him in the future. He didn’t have the advice of an artist manager that would have been able to help him develop his ideas and include everyone in the band in the process. This can be the turning point of you continuing a successful career or breaking up like CCR eventually had to do because of their differences.

Importance of Good Negotiation Interview with Arts & Entertainment Lawyer Clayborne E. Chavers Esq.

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Clayborne E. Chavers Esq. is a prominent Washington D.C. lawyer practicing law for over 30 years. His law firm The Chavers Law Firm focuses on a wide variety of law practices including Intellectual Property, Arts, Entertainment & Sports Law, Internet law, and Corporate Law to name a few. In November of 1996 he was named as one of the top Arts and Entertainment lawyers in the greater Washington D.C. area. In April of 2012 he was rated as AV Preeminent Attorney. Among his notable achievements and acknowledgements he has worked hard in the negotiation room working to get his clients the best deal possible while satisfying the wants and needs of his clients.

One of the things that recording artist and bands need is a good negotiator on the team. When that lucky artist or band gets to the negotiation table at an indie or major record label that negotiator needs to be able to get the best deal for both parties. In a recent phone interview with Clay Chavers Esq I asked him three questions related to his experience with negotiation. The first question was “How do you separate the people from the problem?” He stated and I quote, “I am not sure you would separate the people from the problem because with out the people the problem wouldn’t be something that I would concern myself with.  My focus is on what’s best for the people I represent so if they have a problem I would have to adjust that problem. The focus should be on how best to resolve the problem.”

My second question to him was “How do you handle positional bargaining tactics?” He stated and I quote “You have to justify or reconcile what your position is specific to your opposition and its better to be in a position where you are not being dictated to yet you are doing the dictating. One way to achieve this he said is to let the other side make the offer and then that gives you time access the offer and make your move on what you think is best for your client in regards to that offer. The third question I asked him was “Can you give me an example of how you worked toward mutual benefit when you were negotiating a deal?” He stated and I quote, “You have to always have everybody give a little something they want and give up a little something they want. If you have a deal that is overly advantage to your client and not to the person you are doing business with, they will be dissatisfied and find ways to get out of it.” He also stated that “In every good deal everybody should give up something and everybody should get something. If you don’t achieve that it is unlikely you will have a relationship of long duration.”

The Importance of Artist Development in the Music Industry

Many record labels these days aren’t interested in developing recording artists and bands. Many simply want to work with an artist that has all of that taken care of. From websites, blogs and social media record labels are not interested in working to develop that side of the artist. Reason being is that record labels want to focus on pushing a product that requires little upfront costs in terms of building the structure that sells the artists in so many words or less. Record Labels are looking for a prepackaged deal that can be marketed to consumers and with little developmental effort what so ever.

What artists need to focus on is having someone develop them before taking an offer with a record label or seeking one. Reason being is because with out the necessary look and feel that artist are suppose to gives off to their audience, labels will offer less initial upfront money for recording projects. Touring helps with this because of the amount of exposure artists receive and the amount of record sales that tours generate over time. Developing your fan base is crucial to you getting the best deal with a record label. Thinking about getting signed to a label and getting a great deal means a great deal of artist development for recording artist and bands.

According to Artist House Music interview with Owen Husney who was Prince’s first manager stated that major labels lack Artist Development. He stated that in this type of market where record labels want artists with at least 5,000 albums sold Prince would have never been able to be signed by Owen Husney. He also states that record labels should invest in developing artist. For artist and bands seeking record deals and opportunities start to focus on touring and working on your songs that will get records sold on tours and develop your fan base.

360 Deals and the Recording Artist or Band

Many up and coming recording artist and bands look for the golden opportunity of getting signed to a record label one day. They have put in years of work and one day a representative from a record label calls them and states that they are interested in you and want to ether come to meet you or fly you out to their offices. The artist gets excited and takes them up on their offer. Now they are in the meeting and the label lets the artist know how talented they are and that they are going to make it in this industry. They also tell the artist that one of the ways they can go about having such success is signing the 360 deal. The question is do you sign or walk away?

Many independent artists have come across this decision once or twice in their career and many have chosen not to go through with it. According to Music Think Tank.com article on The Musicians Guide To The 360Deal it states that record labels stand to make a considerable amount of money on the artist. To break this number down according to entertainment lawyer Bob Donnelly in a Billboardbiz.com statement he states that some record labels that offer 360 deals have between 5% and 50% stake of sales outside of the initial revenue from album sales. That means revenue from movies, touring, etc. That’s why a deal like this is not wise for hip-hop and rap artist if they don’t have the proper endorsement deals making them a substantial amount of money on the side.

It is important also for recording artist to know that staying independent until getting the best deal is important. Touring locally and developing a strong presence in the industry is necessary for success before getting to the signing table. It is recommended to have an attorney present when signing any kind of deal to make sure you are getting the best deal possible.  Below are some helpful videos in making your decision to sign a 360 deal. Happy Signing!

Irv Gotti On Signing a Record Deal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xGyWU4LPEs

Entertainment Lawyer Kendall Minter On The 360 Deal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dJhsfjKgQ4

Recording Industry Association of America and You: Manager or Recording Artist

The Recording Industry Association of America is a valuable resource for managers and recording artist. This association provides statistical data that shows where the record industry is as a whole. On the website it gives people the opportunity to learn more about what is going on in the industry through the Music Notes blog and the RIAA newsroom. It also gives information about when records receive Gold or Platinum reviews. You can sign up for newsletters and get the latest information of the current happenings in the music industry. The website also provides a list of legal music services that consumers can use to listen to music with a wide variety of choices.

            The RIAA provides information on the performance of the industry. Students, artist managers and recording artists can review the Annual Consumer Profiles that the RIAA releases. These Consumer Profiles are very useful in determining what genres are performing well and what the market trends are within a particular genre. This is done through looking through 10 years of data and listing all 13 genres of music. The consumer profile compares against formats on which music is distributed for example CDs, DVD Audio etc.

            This can be useful for managers because they can keep a watchful eye on how there particular genre is performing in the industry. They can also find out what is really selling digital downloads or physical. Mangers can also find out what is affecting the sales of their particular artist meaning the trends in the age ranges of individuals who listen to their music. Through the consumer profile on the RIAA website it also measures the overall size of the U.S. Recording Industry. For recording artist this could be a useful website to see how their particular genre is trending and what market the music is most effective in.

The Hip-Hop Project 88.7 FM WLUW: Interview: City of Win

The Hip-Hop Project 88.7 FM WLUW: Interview: City of Win: Nearly 30 people, 6 mics. 20 track mixtape. 2 hours. An interview that left us feeling like we ran a marathon. Grab it here. #CityOfWin S…

Thaddeus E. Ray pictured upper right with Dave Coresh

Focus On The "Why" Inspiration From Simon Sinek

Simon Sinek explains on many levels how companies, community leaders, and innovators have accomplished their goals. In this TED conversation, he explains his theory on how these companies, community leaders, and innovators have inspired people to either believe in there products, there beliefs or their inventions. Sinek explains that there is a formula that explains what made these individuals stand out from the rest. He states that these people had competitors that had more resources and knowledge yet lacked one simple aspect. What they lacked was the inner workings of how these individuals thought. Sinek believes that they worked from the inside out instead of the outside in. He calls this the golden circle.

The inside out is the why, how and what and the outside in is What, How, Why. The Majority works with the outside in the golden circle concept. Sinek states that people buy why you do something. Getting people to believe in what you believe is what inspires people to pay attention to you and what you are about. He used many examples from how Martin Luther King got 250,000 people to come and listen to him speak on a hot August day and how the Wright Brothers took flight before a popular innovator who had connections, wealth and the press following him around.

For recording artist it is important to remember the why in your pursuit to becoming successful in the music industry. There are many artists who want to do the same thing you want to do, get people to listen and buy your music. You have to have the ability to inspire people and get them to believe in you. That’s the difference between a Justin Bieber and a Soulja Boy for long-term success. Becoming a superstar involves getting people to believe in the “Why” of your golden circle. For me and for all other managers it is important to focus on the why of your endeavors and strive to inspire others to become the best that they can be.