4. Words Of Wisdom Remember – It is the Music Business! There is no substitute for hard work. Your music will never mean more to anyone than it does to you. Never f*ck with people on your way up coz you will meet them on your way down – OzzyOsbourne Hire a good lawyer. Understand every contract you sign.
5. Band Basics Music Learn you instruments Level of ambition Band members Image Divide tasks by skill Book your own shows 1 Gig = 10 Rehearsals Create and sell your merchandise Sell your music at your shows Get to know other bands Don’t be an Assh*le Murphy's Law YOU are responsible!
6. What can YOU do? Build your online profile Book you own shows Create a demo tape Build a press kit Interact with your fans Be original!
7. Going International Remember this. India has a population of 1.2 BILLION people and about 2000 metal bands including small garage bands and professional acts. Norway has a population of 4.8 million but they have 25,000 metal bands!!!
13. Artist/Band Manager The task of a manager is take care of the day to day running of the band's career, so the band can focus on the creative side of things For unsigned artists, managers should: Send out demos to labels, radio stations, local print media, and online publications Book gigs and invite labels and the media to the shows Network and talk to people about the band Help book studio time and practice sessions Explore funding opportunities for the band For signed artists, managers should: Negotiate financial deals with the label for expenses like touring and recording Oversee other people working for the band, like accountants, agents, and merchandisers. Managers are generally paid a percentage of the band's income: often 15% to 20%. In addition to their percentage, managers should not have to cover any expenses out of their own pocket.
14. Booking Agents Music agents, who are also called booking agents, talent agents, or simply agents, are the people who make the live music happen. Liaise with bands/labels/management to agree on a window for tour dates, the financial and logistic requirements of the tour, and the goals of the tour (promote a new album, etc). Contact promoters and venues to pitch bands and agree on performance dates. Arrange contracts with promoters regarding pay, rider, guest list, and equipment. Music agents get paid a percentage of the proceeds from a tour. These proceeds are limited to the actual payments for performances and do not include money earned from merchandise sales. The most common arrangement between a band and an agent is for the agent to get between 10% and 15% of the money paid to a band for a gig, though 18% or even 20% is not entirely unheard of.
15. Booking Agents The Advantages: Booking tours is time consuming and involves lots of juggling of dates and other information. Having someone to do the job for you can free you up to work on your music. Agents have contacts at venues and with promoters that you may not have, so they can get you shows you might struggle to get on your own. Agents may have familiarity with out of town venues that you don't have, so they can save you from booking inappropriate shows. Existing relationships with venues and promoters may help agents land you a better deal for shows than you could have secured on your own. In fact, since they get a cut of your earnings, it is in their interest to get you the best deal for the show that they can! Since live shows are so important in building a fanbase, having an agent on board who can give you a helping hand up to bigger shows, better venues, opening slots for bigger acts and so on can be instrumental in building your career.
16. Tour Manager Tour managers are responsible for making sure a concert tour runs smoothly. Their jobs involve looking after the tour finances, making sure everyone is where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there and generally making sure that everyone on tour is on task. Tour manager jobs often also involve dealing with the personal issues of the other people on tour and generally making sure that everyone on tour is happy. Tour managers are in charge of the all of the business aspects of a tour. Their jobs include, but are not limited to: Confirming reservations Managing tour finances Getting everyone to where they need to be on time Dealing with promoters, venue managers, ticket agents, etc Confirming show times On larger tours, the job of tour manager might be split between a few people. For instance, there may be a tour accountant to manage the finances and someone else managing the road crew. However, there will always be a one person with the ultimate responsibility/decision making power to whom these additional managers report.
17. Promoter The main job of a music promoter, usually simply called a promoter, is to publicize a concert. Promoters are the people in charge of "putting on" the show. If the promoter is not tied to a specific venue, they should: Liaise with bands and agents to agree on a date for a performance Negotiate a deal with the band/agent for the show - what fee will be paid? Will the promoter provide accommodation? Book a venue for that agreed upon date Promote the upcoming gig to the local press and radio, put up posters and email their mailing list Make sure everything the band needs is in place - backline, accommodation, rider, etc. Set up soundcheck times and the running order of the show Arrange for a support band
18. Record Labels What a record label does is: Discover Sign Produce Promote Distribute Sell
19. Demo Submission Guidelines Quality Matters Don't send more than 3 songs Put your best song 1st Ensure that you have your contact details present Make the effort to send a decent press kit Read all the submission guidelines on the label website Target the right record labels Be prepared to face rejection
20. Contract Hell Kind of Deal Territory Format Cost Splitting Royalty Number of Albums/Terms Advances Tour Support Recoupable & Non-recoupable expenses Sign on Fee Publishing
22. What can WE do? Work together Find a common goal Share resources Share ideas Help distribute music Encourage fans to purchase music & merch Provide value for money
23. Credits Anders Odden Furtados Music About.com Getsigned.com Norwegian Black Metal Fenriz and Abbath Demonic Omeletes Nescafe Gold Coffee
