Post #36 of ANNIE B.’s D.I.Y. MAGAZINE: Is It Harder to Learn How To Be A Successful Artist Than To Learn How To Be A Neurosurgeon?
“I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!”
I recently had this conversation with another musician friend of mine who had owned his own label, and the label did not last as long as he wanted it to. This guy has been in the music business for years and years, and with the people he knows and the experience he has under his belt, you’d think he could have a successful record label. Well, the fact is, there are no proven courses or degrees at any schools on how to have your own successful career in the music business. Sure, there are classes you can take at colleges all over the U.S. (especially in Los Angeles), there are seminars and conferences (such as SXSW) and workshops and speaker events and all sorts of resources. But after everything is said and done, it’s actually easier to learn how to become a successful neurosurgeon (provided you get accepted into med school, and you subsequently get accepted through all the different hoops you have to get through). If all I had to do was study my behind off & get good grades and pass all the tests I had to pass to become a successful artist, even if it took me 12+ years to do it, I would have started on that path right after high school, and I’d be there by now! But that’s just not how it works. Every time an artist decides he or she wants to learn how to make a living with their music, they kind of have to re-invent the wheel. They have to come up with creative ideas on their own, or by reading what other artists have done, and find their own success. OK, they can also look for a record label that already has a wheel in place, but that does not guarantee they will get anywhere. One time I heard, for every act that “makes it big” on a major label, there are 99 that don’t. Those 99 get dropped, shelved, or even worse, they end up owing the label thousands and thousands of dollars after getting shelved or dropped. Even worse than that, they can’t do anything with the music they wrote & recorded while under contract with that label. They are in limbo for years. It’s really pretty scary when you think of it. Why would anyone want to put themselves at risk like that? If you do want to be on a label, work with a small, local record label who you have done your research on!
So, I think it’s actually easier to become a successful practicing neurosurgeon than to become a successful musical artist. Even the neurosurgeon that graduates LAST in his class gets the diploma and the credentials and the ability to practice medicine and make lots of dough. There is a system in place that he or she needs to get good enough grades to be accepted into, and the rest of it is following the rules and studying hard.
But there is no such system in place for the artist. The system in place (record labels) can be very scary, and lots of them can put the artist in a worse place than when they started. And lots of artists think the answer is to start up your own record label, and so to those folks, I say, “Good luck!” That would be the ultimate in re-inventing the wheel, and I believe artists would serve themselves better by just concentrating on making great records, playing shows, and selling merch.
Studying the industry and learning about which record label or labels would be right for you are also good ideas, and then you can go after those labels if you are so inclined. But the best case scenario is to be so successful on your own that the labels are coming to YOU.
One of the reasons for this lack of a learning system in place for us artists is because, especially now, the industry is changing so fast that people in the biz, even those who have been in it for a very long time and seem to know A LOT, can’t keep up with how fast it’s changing. Yesterday, I heard about this guy who JUST graduated from college with a marketing degree (or some other business degree) and he started working with a company who makes this tongue brush that gets rid of bad breath and other germs. He was the guy who never listened in class… he was too busy researching the in’s & out’s of the workings of Facebook, learning how YouTube can reach more people with less marketing money spent, and all the other blogs & online news about how it all works. He got hired to get a YouTube video up as a commercial for the tongue brush, and it has sold millions, with NO marketing dollars spent except the $500 spent to produce the video. Figuring out how to use YouTube as your ultimate marketing tool is one of the things this guy concentrated on while he “should have” been paying attention in class, and now he’s going to that same school to speak and share his expertise. But he figured stuff out on his own. That’s the challenge that we as artists all have. We are challenged with learning how to survive and succeed in an industry that is changing & presenting new concerns and considerations EVERY SINGLE DAY.
“Going Viral” was the key with this guy. As it has been with other success stories. But, how can you “make” a video on YouTube “go viral”? I guess THAT is the ultimate question for the day.
How do we deal with this? Well, the tongue brush guy got smart and could see how powerful the internet is, especially YouTube, and he researched it daily and came up with a plan. For the musicians, last year a group of business people got together to figure out how to help an artist “Make It”… 6 different “expert” groups who are supposed to know something about how to help musicians succeed banded together to create a basic, actionable music marketing plan designed around simple strategy, prioritization of tactics, easy to use tools, and a reasonable budget. The hope was that any hard working, talented musician can utilize this plan to grow their fan base and help lay the foundation for a sustainable career in music. Well, this plan did not result in any measurable increase in success for “Indie Artist X”, as he was referred to during the project. I wrote about it here: http://anniebmusic.com/day-335/, and it was very disappointing.
Is “going viral” on YouTube our answer right now? Even if it is today, that could change tomorrow! So, I urge all indie artists to continue playing, and continue researching what they can do to keep moving forward. Do at least one thing every day (or, better yet, spend at least one hour every day) working on getting better gigs, e-mailing your fanbase about your goings-on, blogging, putting a video up on YouTube, creating event pages on Facebook for your gigs & inviting all your FB friends who live in that area, and working on the business (& promotions and marketing) side of your career.
Today, I did four things so far: I called a manager about a potential gig, created a FB event for my show this week & invited all my Milwaukee friends, I blogged on my website (obviously), and I sent out an e-mail to my regular e-mail list about the “Annie B. Holiday Happenings”!! (Unfortunately, I have a limit and can only send e-mails to 500 people a day, and now I have reached my limit so I can’t send out any more e-mails today! Ugh! Guess it’s time to pay for an e-mail service like MailChimp!) All this stuff took me much longer than an hour, but every little thing I do will move me forward just a little. And at some point, there will be a snowball effect, and the avalanche will start!!!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Day 667
Post #35 of ANNIE B.’s D.I.Y. MAGAZINE: Creating Your Creative Space Part 3
(Dec. 20, 2010)
Still working on the feng shui in my office, but one thing I have noticed is that this water fountain that I constantly have running seems to help with my productivity. This was purchased and placed in my office around Nov. 1, and it seems to help bring the right energy into my work space, or at least it helps with the flow of energy.
My office just feels really good and I feel a different energy than I ever have before when it comes to my career. It seems that things are moving in a new direction, and I have learned to create more opportunities for myself than ever before. For the months of November & December of this year, my income has increased by $500 per month, as compared to April through October of this year. This could be due to the fact that I now have my own office separate from all the other rooms in my house, but I strongly believe that’s it’s also due to the energy flow in this space, even though I’m not done designing it. (I guess that $100 fountain was a good investment!!) Just wait until my office is done and I have everything set up in here just how I have planned! I’d love to double my income and I believe it’s possible. That’s what I was making in Austin, just before I moved back to WI in December of 2007 (due to family stuff)!
Also, I’m the kind of person that generally has too many projects going at once, and can’t put enough time into most of them. This results in a lot of wasted time on things that really may not be going anywhere anytime soon, or ever! I’m now working on finding the right balance between my career and my personal life (this has been a struggle ever since I first picked up that guitar in 1993)!!! Eliminating certain projects or limiting the time I spend on them has been a very good move for me.
Working hard at practicing the national anthem for the Milwaukee Wave Game on Dec 31st at the US Cellular Arena in downtown Milwaukee in front of thousands of people! I’ll be sending my “audition tape” to other sports teams including the Brewers, Bucks, and Packers in the next couple of weeks. Very busy getting ready for the holidays, but that has not stopped me in the career department… in fact, I might have more work right now due to the holidays (I’ve played a few holiday events)… we’ll see what happens to my schedule & income in January. I am actively looking for new venues right now as well. The focus has been Racine & Kenosha, so I’ll start looking at other towns after the holidays. January is typically a very slow month for bars, so that may or may not be good for myself as an artist. Some places will not have live music like they did in December, and some might want to try something new to bring more people in.
I need to run to drop off some Christmas cookies and gift CDs to the fine people at Clark Graphics today (I go there for all my short-run poster orders) as well as drop off my guitar case… the handle broke! See you again soon!
(Dec. 20, 2010)
Still working on the feng shui in my office, but one thing I have noticed is that this water fountain that I constantly have running seems to help with my productivity. This was purchased and placed in my office around Nov. 1, and it seems to help bring the right energy into my work space, or at least it helps with the flow of energy.
My office just feels really good and I feel a different energy than I ever have before when it comes to my career. It seems that things are moving in a new direction, and I have learned to create more opportunities for myself than ever before. For the months of November & December of this year, my income has increased by $500 per month, as compared to April through October of this year. This could be due to the fact that I now have my own office separate from all the other rooms in my house, but I strongly believe that’s it’s also due to the energy flow in this space, even though I’m not done designing it. (I guess that $100 fountain was a good investment!!) Just wait until my office is done and I have everything set up in here just how I have planned! I’d love to double my income and I believe it’s possible. That’s what I was making in Austin, just before I moved back to WI in December of 2007 (due to family stuff)!
Also, I’m the kind of person that generally has too many projects going at once, and can’t put enough time into most of them. This results in a lot of wasted time on things that really may not be going anywhere anytime soon, or ever! I’m now working on finding the right balance between my career and my personal life (this has been a struggle ever since I first picked up that guitar in 1993)!!! Eliminating certain projects or limiting the time I spend on them has been a very good move for me.
Working hard at practicing the national anthem for the Milwaukee Wave Game on Dec 31st at the US Cellular Arena in downtown Milwaukee in front of thousands of people! I’ll be sending my “audition tape” to other sports teams including the Brewers, Bucks, and Packers in the next couple of weeks. Very busy getting ready for the holidays, but that has not stopped me in the career department… in fact, I might have more work right now due to the holidays (I’ve played a few holiday events)… we’ll see what happens to my schedule & income in January. I am actively looking for new venues right now as well. The focus has been Racine & Kenosha, so I’ll start looking at other towns after the holidays. January is typically a very slow month for bars, so that may or may not be good for myself as an artist. Some places will not have live music like they did in December, and some might want to try something new to bring more people in.
I need to run to drop off some Christmas cookies and gift CDs to the fine people at Clark Graphics today (I go there for all my short-run poster orders) as well as drop off my guitar case… the handle broke! See you again soon!
Day 664
Post #34 of ANNIE B.’s D.I.Y. MAGAZINE: How To Copyright Your Songs
(Dec. 17, 2010)
I had 2 different people ask me how to copyright songs at a gig I played yesterday at Honda of Kenosha. It was a great show, and I think everyone at the Honda Event had a great time! I’ve decided to post this copyright information here on this blog, so I can refer people to it anytime!!! PLEASE feel free to send a link to this page to your songwriter friends!!!
First off, you can copyright a GROUP of songs… you DO NOT have to copyright each song individually. At least 50 songs can be copywritten at one time. I’m not sure if you can copyright more, but with the preferred form (Form CO), you are provided up to 50 spaces for different song titles. (If you have as many as 50 songs that you need to copyright, I think it’s best to protect them asap!!!)
The basics are here: http://www.copyright.gov/forms/
To explain it to you, the form you need to copyright & protect the basic music & lyrics is Form PA, and it’s $65 to use this form. You print it out and after you’ve filled it out, send it in with the fee, your CD and lyrics: http://www.copyright.gov/forms/formpa.pdf
For $50, Form CO replaces Form PA if you use it correctly: You fill this form out ONLINE, THEN print it out after it’s all filled out online, then & sign it. Send it in with the fee, your CD and lyrics… here is the link: http://www.copyright.gov/forms/notice.html – you need to download the form (there’s a link at the bottom) and then fill it out online, etc. The instructions are right there. For copyrighting your basic songs, check the “Performing Arts” box in section 1a. (Then, when you’ve recorded the song professionally with full production, drums, bass guitar, harmonies, or any other things the song called for when you were in the studio, all these “sounds” will be protected when you copyright the song AGAIN, this time using From SR. If you only have a fully-produced song to copyright, you may as well use Form SR, or Form CO with function of protecting the sound recording. This will protect both the basic song [music & lyrics] AND all the extra “bells & whistles” in your fully produced recording.)
OK, so this will protect the basic melodies and lyrics. This should be done as soon as you have a number of songs that you can send in (even if it’s only a few songs… although you can certainly copyright just one song,) which will protect you if anyone hears it and tries to steal it by hearing it on a YouTube performance of the basic song by the artist, or at a live performance.
Once the song is recorded professionally, you need to protect the full production sounds, including guitar licks and other “sounds” you need to protect. (A great example here is the bass line on “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie, but Vanilla Ice never got permission to use it. No lawsuit was filed, but it is likely that Vanilla Ice agreed to pay Queen and Bowie a settlement. According to industry insider Hans Ebert, Brian May of Queen first heard this song in a disco in Germany. He asked the DJ what it was, and learned that it was #1 in the US. – Source: http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1414. If you, a relatively unknown artist comes up with a cool “sound” on the recording of your song, you’ll be glad you have protected it with Form SR in case you ever hear someone sample or steal your work. Form PA only protects the basic melodies -generally of the words- and lyrics.)
OK, so after professionally recording the song with full production, you should fill out form SR (it’s recommended you use Form CO for this also, but you’ll check the “Sound recording” box in section 1a).
If you want to use the “old” Form SR, that’s right here: http://www.copyright.gov/forms/formsr.pdf
Form CO has kind of replaced forms PA & SR, and it’s cheaper to use, so I recommend doing it that way. My guess is that CO Forms are probably processed quicker at the Copyright Office as well.
If you have ANY questions, please feel free to send me a message via this website… I am more than willing to help!
In other news, I’m VERY EXITED that I’ll be singing our national anthem for the Dec. 31, 2010 Milwaukee Wave Game against the Missouri Comets (major league indoor soccer) at the U.S. Cellular Arena in downtown Milwaukee. A friend will be videotaping the performance so hopefully it will be up on my homepage soon afterward. I was fortunate enough to be asked to perform at a high-school basketball game & charity event a few weeks ago, and The Milwaukee Wave was sponsoring the event. I sang the national anthem before that basketball game, and the Milwaukee Wave Goalkeeper Coach, Mark Litton, came up to me after the event, bought one of my CDs, and told me he’d try and help me get a date to sing our anthem before a Wave Game. He was able to hook it up (Thanks, Mark!!!) and now I’m very excited about the opportunity! Hope to see you at the game! Just more evidence of how important it is to JUST BE OUT THERE as a singer/songwriter! Never pass up good opportunities to perform, especially if there could be some important people there!
Been very busy with finding new venues and putting together a permanent lineup for my original band. I also starting playing with a Guns N’ Roses Tribute band, and that’s been a lot of tun! Be sure to check out my schedule at AnnieBMusic.com/showdates/ to see when that band is playing if you’re a fan of GnR!
Hope to see you soon!
:)
Annie B.
(Dec. 17, 2010)
I had 2 different people ask me how to copyright songs at a gig I played yesterday at Honda of Kenosha. It was a great show, and I think everyone at the Honda Event had a great time! I’ve decided to post this copyright information here on this blog, so I can refer people to it anytime!!! PLEASE feel free to send a link to this page to your songwriter friends!!!
First off, you can copyright a GROUP of songs… you DO NOT have to copyright each song individually. At least 50 songs can be copywritten at one time. I’m not sure if you can copyright more, but with the preferred form (Form CO), you are provided up to 50 spaces for different song titles. (If you have as many as 50 songs that you need to copyright, I think it’s best to protect them asap!!!)
The basics are here: http://www.copyright.gov/forms/
To explain it to you, the form you need to copyright & protect the basic music & lyrics is Form PA, and it’s $65 to use this form. You print it out and after you’ve filled it out, send it in with the fee, your CD and lyrics: http://www.copyright.gov/forms/formpa.pdf
For $50, Form CO replaces Form PA if you use it correctly: You fill this form out ONLINE, THEN print it out after it’s all filled out online, then & sign it. Send it in with the fee, your CD and lyrics… here is the link: http://www.copyright.gov/forms/notice.html – you need to download the form (there’s a link at the bottom) and then fill it out online, etc. The instructions are right there. For copyrighting your basic songs, check the “Performing Arts” box in section 1a. (Then, when you’ve recorded the song professionally with full production, drums, bass guitar, harmonies, or any other things the song called for when you were in the studio, all these “sounds” will be protected when you copyright the song AGAIN, this time using From SR. If you only have a fully-produced song to copyright, you may as well use Form SR, or Form CO with function of protecting the sound recording. This will protect both the basic song [music & lyrics] AND all the extra “bells & whistles” in your fully produced recording.)
OK, so this will protect the basic melodies and lyrics. This should be done as soon as you have a number of songs that you can send in (even if it’s only a few songs… although you can certainly copyright just one song,) which will protect you if anyone hears it and tries to steal it by hearing it on a YouTube performance of the basic song by the artist, or at a live performance.
Once the song is recorded professionally, you need to protect the full production sounds, including guitar licks and other “sounds” you need to protect. (A great example here is the bass line on “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie, but Vanilla Ice never got permission to use it. No lawsuit was filed, but it is likely that Vanilla Ice agreed to pay Queen and Bowie a settlement. According to industry insider Hans Ebert, Brian May of Queen first heard this song in a disco in Germany. He asked the DJ what it was, and learned that it was #1 in the US. – Source: http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1414. If you, a relatively unknown artist comes up with a cool “sound” on the recording of your song, you’ll be glad you have protected it with Form SR in case you ever hear someone sample or steal your work. Form PA only protects the basic melodies -generally of the words- and lyrics.)
OK, so after professionally recording the song with full production, you should fill out form SR (it’s recommended you use Form CO for this also, but you’ll check the “Sound recording” box in section 1a).
If you want to use the “old” Form SR, that’s right here: http://www.copyright.gov/forms/formsr.pdf
Form CO has kind of replaced forms PA & SR, and it’s cheaper to use, so I recommend doing it that way. My guess is that CO Forms are probably processed quicker at the Copyright Office as well.
If you have ANY questions, please feel free to send me a message via this website… I am more than willing to help!
In other news, I’m VERY EXITED that I’ll be singing our national anthem for the Dec. 31, 2010 Milwaukee Wave Game against the Missouri Comets (major league indoor soccer) at the U.S. Cellular Arena in downtown Milwaukee. A friend will be videotaping the performance so hopefully it will be up on my homepage soon afterward. I was fortunate enough to be asked to perform at a high-school basketball game & charity event a few weeks ago, and The Milwaukee Wave was sponsoring the event. I sang the national anthem before that basketball game, and the Milwaukee Wave Goalkeeper Coach, Mark Litton, came up to me after the event, bought one of my CDs, and told me he’d try and help me get a date to sing our anthem before a Wave Game. He was able to hook it up (Thanks, Mark!!!) and now I’m very excited about the opportunity! Hope to see you at the game! Just more evidence of how important it is to JUST BE OUT THERE as a singer/songwriter! Never pass up good opportunities to perform, especially if there could be some important people there!
Been very busy with finding new venues and putting together a permanent lineup for my original band. I also starting playing with a Guns N’ Roses Tribute band, and that’s been a lot of tun! Be sure to check out my schedule at AnnieBMusic.com/showdates/ to see when that band is playing if you’re a fan of GnR!
Hope to see you soon!
:)
Annie B.
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