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Patricia Feltmann,

Singing instructor

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Tip of the Month

First, my apologies for making the Tip of the Month into more of a Tip of the Year! 

As I was re-reading some of my previous tips, I realize that things have changed even in the last few years.  The record industry is continuing its decline and the internet and independent musicians are on the increase.  Here are some tips to help you keep up with the times if you are wanting professional work:

Remember that one of your main jobs as a professional musician is not playing music, but marketing!

Most musicians who are doing well are also songwriters.  With the economy and the changing music industry, the performer is getting a smaller piece of the pie.  You need to make sure you are getting royalties from your songs as well as from your singing.

You should also be your own manager and booking agent for the same reason, at least until you are performing at least regionally (in a several state area).  These people take a percentage of your paycheck and paychecks are small enough as it is! Also, any managers or agents who deal in local talent are not very likely to be very experienced and might not be very good.  Plus, you risk having a contract with a small-time guy who doesn’t know how to deal in the national market.  If you happen to get a chance at one of the rare national recording contracts, your contract with this local/regional manager may hurt you.

You must have an internet presence.  That’s not a suggestion, it’s a requirement!  I recommend that all professionals have an official website with their name in the URL, such as www.TheBestBand.com or www.TomSmithJazz.com 

Social networking sites are free advertising!  I recommend that you have a music myspace, again with your name or band name in the URL.  Make sure you start out with a music myspace, you can’t change a personal site to a music site after you have signed up.  You should also be on Facebook.  More people use Facebook, but you must have an account with Facebook to view other sites there.  With myspace anyone who has your URL can view your site.  Plus, it’s easier to have sound samples on myspace. 

Both myspace and Facebook have ways of sending updates out to your fans with very little effort.  Take advantage of that!

When I was singing with Cool Conspiracy, we were playing regularly at a couple of venues and had a fan base in that area.  Our fans knew when we would be there from our websites, the venue’s website and our e-mail list.  There were times that the place was filled almost exclusively with our fans.  That made us very valuable to the venue owner.  When that happens, you will get asked to come back and play there again.

All website should have:

· Sound samples, full songs are best, but remember copyright laws

· Your biography and a description of your music.  Many venues that hire go to your website and copy what they find there to publicize your performance.

· Upcoming performance schedule

· Past performances

· Photos, both candid and publicity.  Also, at least on your official site you should have downloadable print quality photo files for venues who have hired you for their publicity department.

· Contact information for fans and for hiring agents

· Invitation join a fan list

· Way of purchasing your music—a link to i-tunes, CD baby or your ordering information.  It would be great if they could pay right on your website.

 

I can’t emphasize getting a fan base enough.  They are your livelihood!  The scale that venues pay depends exclusively on the amount of people you can draw to their event.  Why does Madonna make millions?  Because she can get thousands to come every time she performs.  You have to start somewhere, but if you can bring 5, 10, 20, 30 or more people who came just because they wanted to hear you sing, you’ll start becoming someone the venue is willing to pay for. 

Sometimes the venue has a reputation for hiring a certain type or level of musician and they have their own draw.  If you combine that with your draw, you have a win-win situation. 

The record industry pays good money to get people to hear their musicians and become fans.  They pay for airplay, they buy them great songs to sing, they pay great musicians to play with them and for great photos and recordings.  You can spend boatloads of money to do that for yourself, or you can spend time and effort instead by playing a lot, and playing well, keeping your fans informed and working on booking yourself into the best venues you can.

With the availability of home recording studios, digital photography and the internet you can do a lot of what the big record companies used to do.  There is no reason that you can’t have as good a recording, photos and website as the big guys.  And I assure you, they need to be that good.  If your publicity photos don’t look as good as anything you can see on a CD case at Borders, you need to get a new photographer!  And your CD needs to be of excellent quality.  The sound quality of home recording systems equals that of the big guys.  But you must find someone who really knows how to mix.  They are in almost every town.  Find a local musician and buy their CD, and if it’s good, really good, find out where they recorded it.

What you don’t have is the money for backing and massive publicity.  In reality, record companies don’t have much either anymore.  Look at the meteoric rise of country singer, Taylor Swift.  She is a talented songwriter who people can relate to, but she is not particularly good at performing. Yet she is still selling out concerts, winning all sorts of awards and getting lots of radio play.  The answer is private funding.  She is getting bank-rolled, not by her label, but by her father.  After you have at least a regional career, look into getting sponsored.  There aren’t many sponsorships out there and it’s a new opportunity that is just beginning, but it’s possible.

 

This article will probably be out-of-date in a year, so the best advice I can give you is to never stop learning or being willing to change.  The world is changing at such a fast pace and you have to be able to keep up.  If you don’t know how to book yourself take a class, read a book or ask someone who is successful.  Learn to use social networking sites, read industry journals, follow the careers of people who are a step or two ahead of you.  If you work on the business side, then you might be able to earn enough money to have music be a part-time or even your full-time job, and playing music is what it’s all about.

 

The changing music industry

Date: 03/21/10

The industry is changing and so must you.