Thoughts on artist management

From Bob Lefsetz @ http://www.lefsetz.com



Christina Aguilera needed a protector, someone who would allow her to follow her own vision, she signed with Irving Azoff.

Phish was a band up from the streets, er, frat house floor, they ended up being managed by John Paluska.

Would Phish have been better off with Azoff? Would Aguilera have been better off with Paluska? No. Each had the perfect manager. Which one do YOU need?

By time Irving got ahold of her, Christina Aguilera was already a star. But it appeared her career was being run by her label. She wanted to call her own shots, she needed a buffer between her and her record company. Also, someone connected enough that they knew all the players and were owed big time favors. Is there an awards show Christina DOESN’T play?

Phish needed to belong to the people, not the system. They needed someone who could build them from the ground up. Their game was the road, not discs. They liked to improvise, it was about the concert experience. If they had played an awards show early in their career it would have killed them.

In other words, you don’t need the heavyweight, well-connected manager to make it. Unless you’re playing the traditional radio/TV hit single game.

If you’re playing the old wave game, sign with someone who’s got the chops, who knows the ropes, who isn’t reinventing the wheel so much as applying what they know to your situation. You might grow, but your handler, he already knows the game.

Whereas if you’re not signed to a major label, don’t want to get signed to a major label, don’t make Top Forty singles, then you don’t need a manager connected so much as one who is savvy and HUNGRY!

The established management players are akin to mini-conglomerates, they’re the new labels. They want to get paid, right away. If you’re not delivering cash, if they sign you, you’re not getting much attention. Or, you’re getting attention from the untested newbie. If that newbie is truly great, break off and do it yourself, as Irving Azoff did with the Eagles. Otherwise, you’re probably going to get lost in the shuffle.

If you’re starting from ground zero, no name manager will probably be interested. But that won’t hurt you.

What do you need most if you’re a developing act?

Gigs. You need someone to get on the horn, go down to the venue, and cajole and connive ’til they get you a shot. Then you must deliver, but it’s the manager that creates/midwives the opportunity.

Where are you going to find such a bloke?

Look around you, he’s probably already a friend. Or that dude who comes to each and every show and hangs backstage and won’t leave until you do. THAT’S your manager.

Oh, don’t throw out your instincts. After all, Paluska went to Amherst, he’s no dummy. But find someone committed who will do the job for you.

So much of what Phish did, they did first. Or their spin on an event made it unique. They did their destination festivals. They released live albums of their shows, and then downloads. Elektra didn’t deliver these, rather their manager and agent, Chip Hooper, did.

Yup, Chip saw the numbers, he wanted to represent Phish. He didn’t care about record sales, but TICKET COUNTS! Most agents feel the same way today, but fifteen years ago, the focus was on the label.

Yes, after you get your manager, and he gets you gigs, he tries to get you an agent. And the agent you want is not the one with the name, the one who wines and dines you so much as the one who BELIEVES in you.

As for music… In today’s market, you’ve got to allow recording and trading, you’ve got to give the music away for free, you’ve got to let the seed grow into a tree. If you can’t get significant airplay, THIS IS THE ONLY WAY!

It’s not the way of the major label, and not the way of the old line manager. But it’s your way. You know the Net, you’ve got friends, both online and offline. You have to create something incredible and give your peeps the tools to spread the word. Not through fake incentives, you’ve got to trade purely on their belief, your honesty.

It’s all about the music when you’re doing it yourself. Everything must be subservient to the music. And you must create the best situation to experience the music.

When Phish played the Santa Monica Civic ten plus years ago, the police frisked the attendees. Paluska vowed to never play the building again, and his band DIDN’T! He didn’t shrug his shoulders and say he couldn’t do anything, that it wasn’t his fault, he took matters into his own hands, to defend his band’s relationship with its audience.

And when Phish started selling its music online, it offered FLAC files, so its fans could own the best sounding versions. Isn’t it funny that EMI is offering 256 kbps AACs supposedly sometime in the near future when Phish sold CD quality YEARS AGO!

So don’t lament that the manager with the name isn’t interested in you. There’s a good chance he might not be right for you.

Inexperience is no longer the handicap it used to be. Drive and appreciation of the band/fan relationship are paramount for today’s touring acts. That’s more about instinct than big time experience. Furthermore, you want someone who can develop on the fly.

Maybe you outgrow your manager, you end up signing with one of the big boys, who wrings out every last dollar for you.

Or maybe you stay with your guy, who delivers for you.

Or maybe your guy makes a deal with Irving, and uses Frontline’s power to get you what you want and need.

It’s a new game. It’s the sixties all over again. The wheel is being reinvented. Don’t be hamstrung by the old wave players and the old wave rules.

Mailbox blog 1: working in music promotion

I often like to put a wee bit of effort into making my success a little bit inconspicuous.


But I have to announce in July I'm taking up a lucrative full time month long contract so business will be pretty much closed up except for all my current clients who will receive a free months promotion!

As guilty as I am of blogging away as artists beat a path to my door, research is as important as ever, and I must keep it up. Even if I lose clients. There'll be more.

When I realised recently that because my proposition was so unique it would inevitably be under great demand, I also realised I must continue to research, test and develop to keep moving forward in innovative new techniques.


Did I tell you I had to stop all marketing because I couldn't handle the amount of business coming through? Life is hard.

This is the result of groundwork laid and begun over a year ago.


Now you're providing music and not a business service like I am so you're going to have to be even more patient then me before you start getting offered 15k for a months work!

So all of my clients who are signed up for june will receive a free month of digital services in July, although I will be obviously fairly busy over that month!

As I said except when I'm using my blog to tell people why I know what I do works, or questioning government music industry funding, I like to play down my success. Otherwise I get people emailing me, and I don't mean just obnoxious hip hop MC's who think they're all that, but people who want jobs, or yknow they want to "work with me" or "work together".


Sometimes it's good. Mostly it's a waste of time.


But it really is an exciting time for digital innovation. I think in the next few years we're going to see the amount of freelancers, self employed, innovators, consultants etc. explode.


I been to busy to write a blog so you can read what I write people in my mail.



Well It's an exciting time for people working in digital industries
because the disruption caused by broadband and new technology is
creating so many new opportunities for people who are not stuck doing
things the old way.


Things have only just begun to change and already
the benefits are emerging clearly and yet internet marketing and
branding is yet to be embraced or even grasped by the mainstream.


I can't really offer you a job as I have learnt to manage the growth
of my business very closely.


A lot of the work I do is not that
glamourous or sophisticated so I'm usually on the look out for kids to
take care of that.


But I can assure you there is a lot of opportunity right now.


Myself I could be off to set up in melbourne or I could focus on business
clients instead and double my fee. I am also looking seriously at Children's entertainment.


You've got to remember the music industry is being severely disrupted
right now and there are massive challenges there, including the
misconceptions of artists and many inside the industry who's concept
of the business is still stuck in the 90's.


As a marketer I need to connect people with the unique inherent value
of a product, service or brand, and I want to be on the winning team
that gets a result.


Most musicians dont really understand how long and hard the game theyre playing is and they havent created unique value around a product, service or brand.


The things I do are pretty unique, and have made my business fairly
profitable but I dont have a magic wand or a recipe that makes people
famous, if I did Id be out spending my millions, not still working to
get there!


Regards, Matt @ Kurb


PS In school, school leaver? Keen on minimum wage but doing something half decent at least?

Like guillotines? Like glue? Like Photoshop? Like blogging? Like Myspace and Youtube?

Drop me a line. I'm a mellow boss, and the work isn't too much of a drag.

The pay IS crap though.

10 top music marketing tips for bands and musicians

this from http://www.musicmarketing.com/

Top 10 Mistakes Bands and Musicians Make

10. Being Too Difficult (or Too Nice)

First of all, let’s get this clear... Just because you wrote a few good songs and recorded them, doesn’t mean that the world revolves around you. Lots of people write and record good songs, so get in line.

Contrary to what the online rumor mill or media would have you believe, people in the music business are involved because they love music…and they’re not making enough to deal with jerks. And they won’t deal with jerks. If you’re a pain, they’re just go to the next guy, who also writes good songs, but has a better attitude.

With that said, don’t be too nice. You don’t have to say yes to everything. Pick your battles. If there is something you really feel strongly about, don’t settle for anything less.

Bottom line: Keep your ego in check and behave with courtesy and respect. At the same time, don't let anyone treat you any less.

9. Trying to Convince People of Anything…

You play music; you’re not in the convincing business. Either people get what you’re doing or they don’t.

So, some reviewer, booking agent or manager doesn't like your new album. Let it go! Don't try to convince him he'll like is better after a second listen. He won't. And the more you press him to give your music another shot, the more he’ll remember how annoying you were. This means he’ll be far less open to ever listening to you again.

There are a lot of people who won't "hear it" when you approach them. So what? Move on. There are plenty of other people in this business who can help you. Go find the people who do "hear it" and put your energy into building good relationships with them instead.

8. Looking for Industry Approval

There was a time when the "industry" had a lot more pull when it came to breaking an artist, getting them distributed, and everything else. This is a new time, so we're playing with different rules now.

Distribution is easy. Every day, more and more albums are being sold digitally, so you no longer need a label to finance pressing tens of thousands of physical albums (or more) and getting them to record stores.

These days, recording music is easier than ever. You can get a good
recording setup for just a few thousand dollars. And if you can't afford recording equipment, there are plenty of people who have some, whom you can hire inexpensively. You are not limited on the number of options for getting something on tape.

But most importantly, once you get this stuff together, you don't need the industry to tell you your music is worthy. The consumers, the people who buy your music, are really the only opinions that matter. And when you have the love of the consumers, the industry will come around.

The thing is, in the music industry, technology has changed faster than mindset. Stop believing you are at the mercy of any record label executive. You're not. Connect directly with your fans--on your terms. The feedback, loyalty and money you receive from them will be far more gratifying than you spending your time beating your head against a wall trying to figure out a way to get an approving nod from a record label.

7. Not Building Strong Relationships with Fans

People aren't stupid. They know that they're being marketed to. They know when you're looking to sell them something.

Do they mind? No.

In fact, if you have a good relationship with your fans, they won't mind being marketed to and, if you do it well, they look forward to being marketed to.

However, they have to know you care.

Building relationships with fans take time. You have to show them you care.

Do things like:

• Give them a few free songs to download


• Have message board on your website and build a community there


• Do a "fan appreciation" show


• Record a holiday album that you give out to your fan club.

Show them in special ways that you, not only care, but that you're willing to go the extra mile to show your appreciation. In turn, they will buy your music, travel to see you play, call radio stations on your behalf and promote you all over the Web.

Every day, no matter if you're busy recording, on the road or at home worrying about how you're going to find the money to make your project happen, do something (no matter how small the gesture is) to reach out to your fans.

6. Not "Getting" How the Fan/Artist Relationship Works

You’re the leader and your fans do the following. You make the offer, they choose whether or not to accept.

Take charge, record the music, play the shows, print the t-shirts, and let them have the options of buying your album, coming to see you, or getting something to wear.

The average person has enough “leadership” in his day. He’s looking for somebody to take control, and let him ride along for a little while. Do it.

5. Laying Everything on the Table…

You're a rockstar. Keep that fantasy. Don't tell people how broke you are, that you're still living with your mother, or anything else that breaks the image of you fans have in their minds.

One of the reasons people like music is because they have the opportunity to live vicariously through the people they are listening to. When you are on stage, they're up there with you. When you're on the road in your tour bus, they're riding shotgun. Don't take that away.

Give them insight into your life and what it's like in your world. However, be selective with the details. Always remember, you're selling music, but you're also selling a persona.

4. Thinking The Key to Success is Musical Talent, Money, or Looks

Yes, if we're talking about pop music, MTV, or the major label system, a certain amount of a contrived "image" probably helps sell records.

Obviously, money helps things. And it's always good if you can sing.

But it's not "image" that gets somebody on MTV, it's marketing. It's not good songs that get people on the radio, it's marketing. And it's not money, although it helps. It's marketing.

You can play well, have money, and look like a model, but if you don't have the marketing to back you up, none of it matters.

You know what? If you do have a good, solid marketing plan in place (and you're using it), everything else doesn't matter so much.

3. Giving Up Power

Keep control as long as you can. Yes, a major label deal will give you opportunity that being on an indie label won't. And a professional manager has connections that you don't.

But when you sign with these guys, you're handing over your career to somebody else. Nobody cares as much about your career than you do. When you and your talent are the most important commodity you have to offer, do not give up your power easily and without a damn good reason.

Your music is worth something. You are worth something. Think of your career as being "virtual real estate" which, if marketed correctly, will pay dividends for years to come. So, treat it like that.

2. Jumping at Every Opportunity

You don't have to say yes to everything. In fact, sometimes, saying no to something can be more beneficial to your career than saying yes.

Why do you say yes to things? Take a look at your standards and make them higher. As an example, just because a club has a PA system doesn't mean that it's worth playing there.

There are some gigs that just aren't worth playing. There are some
connections that just aren't worth developing.

When you say yes to something, especially something that takes your time, you're saying no to everything else. Leave yourself open to saying yes to the opportunities that really matter.

Trust your own judgment. If something doesn't feel right and you want to say no, it's ok to say no. At that moment, you may worry you're passing up a great opportunity and will be missing out. The reality is, better opportunities (that are a better fit for you) will come and you will be ready for them.

1. Not Getting Help

You don't know everything. This business has been around for a long time--long before you were involved.

Read books, get advice from people who work in the industry and keep studying every aspect of the industry.

Don't be afraid to ask for help. You can bypass a lot of the problems you're likely to run into simply by asking people who have already been in, and dealt with, the situations you find yourself in.

Remember this:

Time is worth more than money. You can always earn more money, but you have a limited amount of time.

Don't waste your time. If you don't know something, or need specific help, don't be afraid to pay somebody to help you deal with whatever obstacle you face. Don't let anything stop you from having all the knowledge and know-how you need to have the success you aspire to have.

Kurb is a New Zealand based media promotions company providing a regular blog on digital promotion, marketing digital content and creating revenue from new media online.

Kurb also provides online promotion and revenue management services for musicians bands and artists internationally.

http://www.kurb.co.nz
http://www.myspace.com/kurbpromo
http://www.youtube.com/user/kurbpromo -
http://kurbpromotion.wordpress.com
http://kurbpromotion.blogspot.com
http://www.squidoo.com/kurb

Kanarek - Psychedelic Fusion; Hollywood/Toronto
Golpe Con Classe - Hip Hop/Latin; Spain

Cut The Bull PR - Publicity and Artist Representation, Hollywood
Al Walser - Pop/R&B; California/Liechtenstien
Phoenix Block - New Wave/Electropop; Florida
Ganga - Chill Out/Downbeat; Denmark
Now . . . You Die! Metal / Crust Punk; Melbourne, Australia
Koshowko- Electro Pop; Melbourne, Australia
Auckland Painting - Residential and Commercial painters; Auckland, New Zealand
The Embassadors - Jazz; International collective
DJ TKD - Hip Hop; New Zealand
Element - Hip Hop; New Zealand
Azumuth - Rock; Melbourne, Australia
Roger Greenaway - A/C; Wellington, New Zealand
Murrays Chosen Few - Classic Rock; Australia
Romantech - Drum'n Bass/Downbeat; Auckland, New Zealand

The entrepreneurial mind: musicians as artisans

There are bloggers everywhere interested in whats happening to the music industry.

I think a lot of it is about recognising what happens to an industry once technology allows it to go fully digital, because everything thats happening to CD's . . . well the DVD is right behind it . . . and who knows what we'll be able to fit down the phone line in 10 years . . .

This from Professor Cornwall's "Entrepreneurial mind" blog.



The music industry is facing an interesting puzzle these days How do you run a business where customers do not want to pay and they do not want advertising? From today's Tennessean:

Efforts to sell music by subscription have mainly failed.
Yahoo recently gave up on its Music Unlimited subscription service and sent its customers to Rhapsody, another struggling music provider.

But traditional radio's offer of free music surrounded by audio advertising also is being rejected by a generation that resents undesirable interruptions.

"They want to be the program director, and they insist that the program be free," says Jerry Del Colliano, a professor of music industry at the University of Southern California and a former executive at Top 40 WIBG in Philadelphia.

The big boys in the industry do what big boys do in any industry undergoing fundamental change -- they try to get the government to protect their interests. From TechCrunch (via Andy Tabar):

Warner Music, fully aware that the days of charging for recorded music are coming to an end, is now pushing for a music tax.
This isn’t the first time someone has called for a music tax. Peter Jenner argued for it in Europe in 2006. Trent Reznor said the same thing last year (as did the Songwriters Association of Canada)....

But Warner Music is doing more than just talking about a music tax. They’ve hired industry veteran Jim Griffin to create a new entity that would create a pool of money from user fees to be distributed to artists and copyright holders.

We may be witnessing the end of the structure of the music industry as we know it. The mass produced, mass marketed music is becoming a relic of the past. And what does the future hold?

The predictions from the Institutue for the Future about the future of small business might offer a glimpse into the future of music:

Today, there are 26 million small businesses in the U.S. that generate roughly $5 trillion in annual sales. If they were a country that would make them the 2nd largest economy in the world! Those numbers will continue to grow over the next decade as small businesses re-emerge as artisans with even more economic force.
Artisans, historically defined as skilled craftsmen who fashioned goods by hand, will re-emerge as an influential force in the coming decade. These next-gen artisans will craft their goods and shape the economy -- through upswings and downturns -- with an effect reaching far beyond their neighborhoods, or even their nations. They'll work differently than their medieval counterparts, combining brain with brawn as advances in technology and the reaches of globalization give them greater opportunities to succeed.
What would a musical artisan look like? Probably a lot like James Lee Stanley.

My wife and I first heard James Lee Stanley at a "coffee house" in the 1970s when we were attending the University of Wisconsin -- Stevens Point (WAY up north!!). James Lee was one of many songwriters who made the circuit performing on college campuses at coffee house events. (As a note of Entrepreneurial Mind trivia, I played in a couple of coffee house sessions myself). The songwriters/musicians got a small payment from the school and were allowed to sell their record albums (for the younger generation -- that is what we used to call "vinyl").

Fast forward to 2008. One of my winter projects was to convert many of our old vinyl albums into digital. When I got to our collection of records from our coffee house days, I decided to "Google" the songwriters to see what happened to them. Many had faded into obscurity before the Internet was able to immortalize them in digital splendor.

James Lee Stanley on the other hand was alive and well and still making the circuit. He had survived as an artisan in the music industry. He's got a website. And he has a blog offering "tips, hints, clues and info for the artist in us all." His blog chronicles the life of a musical artisan offering his thoughts on touring, performing, writing, studio work, contracts, stringing guitars, and so forth. He still writes music, still records and still tours.

Why does he continue to perform for well over thirty years? Not for possible fame and not for financial wealth.

What I know is that following your bliss is more rewarding than making a bunch of money at something you absolutely hate doing. I don’t feel that I’ve wasted my life or that I could have been more successful at something else. I love what I do and I love trying to get better at it and I love it that at my stage of life I still have so much passion for what I do and I love how vibrant and alive it keeps me.
So what is the future of the music industry? I hope it is not an industry propped up by government intervention as Warner Music would have it.

Instead, I hope that it is an industry sustained by talented artists -- and successful artisans -- who help us understand love, heart ache, happiness, sadness, joy, despair. I hope it is full of people like James Lee Stanley, whose view of success in his career is one we all can learn something from, be we musicians or be we entrepreneurs.