| By far the most important skill to have if you wish to | | | | and special. That goes for your email address too. |
| become successful with anything, is ATTITUDE. An | | | | Genuine business people don't use their Hotmail, AOL, |
| old Chinese proverb once said, "90% of the journey | | | | or Yahoo addresses for formal communications.Make |
| towards success is over once you have stepped | | | | sure all your paperwork is in order.If you are planning |
| outside your front door." The reason many people | | | | on making an eventual living from your art, you will |
| fail, is because they'd rather stay in and watch the | | | | need to be registered as a business or as a |
| TV.Of course, that first step outside is a philosophical | | | | self-employed sole trader. You need to make sure |
| one. As a musician or songwriter, you spend the vast | | | | your tax and income are all accounted for, so you |
| majority of your time being creative. If you think | | | | may have to buy yourself an accounting package, or |
| that writing a great song, or playing an instrument | | | | learn to use Excel Spreadsheets, or employ an |
| well, is the hardest part of being a successful artist, | | | | accountant. There is also a lot to learn about how |
| you are wrong.Despite all the skills you need to know | | | | copyright systems work and whether you feel you |
| and perfect in order to make your music shine, these | | | | need to form your own publishing company, record |
| pale into insignificance compared with the hard work | | | | company, or register your copyrights with an agency. |
| and other skills you will need to learn in order to | | | | Much of this will depend on the laws of your home |
| record, market and sell your art | | | | country. Alternatively, you can sign a non-exclusive |
| successfully.Fortunately, most creative people also | | | | deal with a small independent label or publisher to |
| seem to excel at other things. The term "Jack of all | | | | handle all the music-related paperwork for you.You |
| trades" could quite easily apply to most musicians or | | | | need to either take the time to develop some basic |
| artists. After all, the first thing most artists have to | | | | web design skills, buy ready-made templates, or |
| learn, is how to find time for their art whilst running a | | | | employ someone to design a site for you.Make sure |
| home AND holding down a Day Job in order to pay | | | | your logo and colour scheme is fluent throughout |
| the bills! It is therefore not unusual to find musicians | | | | your site, your stationery, your CD artwork, and any |
| who are also Physicists, Engineers, IT Professionals or | | | | other communications device, such as email. Make |
| Teachers, to name but a few.Most of these people | | | | sure your site includes some way of gathering a |
| are quite content to keep music as a hobby, at least | | | | mailing list, such as a response form or a "double |
| whilst bringing up a family. However, we all get to a | | | | opt-in" form of registration.Plan a marketing |
| stage in our lives (usually once the kids have grown | | | | strategy.Marketing is all about finding the right market |
| up and left home), where we want to cease working | | | | for your product. This may involve a certain amount |
| for a "Living", and instead, work for our own | | | | of consumer research. This can be expensive, so use |
| "Satisfaction".There are few things in life more | | | | the Internet as much as possible to find groups of |
| satisfying than being admired for something we | | | | people who like similar music to yours. Try to find out |
| created. If our creations also manage to influence | | | | other things about these people so that you can get |
| others, then it is even more rewarding.This "first step | | | | a clearer picture of who would be interested in your |
| outside your front door" is taken when you decide to | | | | music.Plan a promotional strategy.Gather contact lists |
| pause from the creative aspect (the ideas), and take | | | | of magazines, local newspapers, TV and radio |
| a positive step towards learning new skills, or | | | | stations. Plan an 8-week promotional strategy leading |
| employing others who can do those things for | | | | up to the release of your CD. Use any press, or |
| you.There has never been a better time in the | | | | airplay you get as a news item on your website. If |
| history of mankind, to take those steps, either by | | | | you have some money to invest, plan a set of |
| yourself, or with others who would help you.--Where | | | | concert dates in local venues for dates close to any |
| you used to have to pay for tutoring, or buy books, | | | | publication dates. Plan a poster or postcard campaign. |
| in order to learn the techniques of songwriting, or | | | | Contact local charities, hospitals, schools and shops, in |
| playing an instrument, you can now find scores of | | | | fact anyone who might be prepared to play your CD |
| articles on the Internet (like this one!) that will help | | | | in a public place. If you want local record stores to |
| you for free.--Where you used to have to save up a | | | | stock your CD, you will also need barcodes and |
| considerable amount of money to pay studio costs | | | | counter display boxes. Use the mailing list you have |
| and hire session musicians to make a decent demo | | | | been gathering from your site to promote any news |
| recording, you can now find all the necessary tools, | | | | to your fans with a regular newsletter. Offer free |
| and even the musicians, on the Internet who would | | | | tickets to gigs, or run competitions for free CDs. Use |
| help you for little or no cost at all.--Where you | | | | your fans as extra leverage to increase the |
| needed to sign a record deal in order to be able to | | | | momentum of your promotional campaigns.Don't |
| afford a producer and a master quality studio, you | | | | under-sell yourself.Make sure that any music you |
| can now buy your own PC and some music | | | | decide to give away as a promotional MP3 is |
| software, and collaborate with a producer online, who | | | | different in some way to the music you are selling. |
| will give you the capability to make radio-ready | | | | E.G. It will either be an early un-mastered mix (demo), |
| recordings.--Where you needed a record company | | | | or a different mix, or a song you are never going to |
| with a huge advertising budget to market and sell | | | | release for sale. Otherwise, make sure all samples |
| your recordings, you can now (with some hard | | | | you make of your records, are either short clips, or |
| work), market and sell your CDs to the Whole World | | | | low-fi mono samples. The price you set for your |
| for next to | | | | releases should never be too far below that of major |
| --The Music Industry doesn't like the changes that | | | | record company releases. Your price tells your |
| the Internet has brought to the business. Digital | | | | customer what "stage" you are at in the business. |
| media can be freely copied by anyone with a PC, | | | | Price yourself too cheap and you are more likely to |
| anywhere in the World. No longer do the record | | | | lose customers because they will automatically |
| companies just have to worry about the CD pirates | | | | assume you are an "amateur".Make yourself and your |
| who manufacture illegal copies to sell on the black | | | | CD easily accessible to your fans.Always answer any |
| market; they also have to now worry about every | | | | emails promptly. Check your emails at least once a |
| PC-literate man, woman and child, making their own | | | | day and reply to any new enquiries immediately. The |
| copies too! This has led the music industry into a | | | | average time expected by most people for a |
| perpetual fight against filesharers (making enemies of | | | | response by email is 12-24 hours. Do not SPAM. Make |
| many consumers in the process), instead of | | | | sure you only send bulk emails to people who have |
| embracing the business advantages that the Internet | | | | opted into your mailing list, and if anyone wants to |
| brings to us.The Music Industry still believes that 8-16 | | | | opt out, make sure you delete them straight away |
| year-olds buy most of the records, so they are still | | | | (not several weeks and 10 disgruntled emails later!). |
| catering primarily for that market. Recent industry | | | | To contact businesses, you will need to write |
| figures are telling a different story, and the secret is | | | | individually and personally to each of them. Always |
| the "Baby Boomers".Yes ... The same people who | | | | use a business "signature" with your artistic or |
| created the above market perception in the 70's by | | | | business name, slogan, web site address, and possibly |
| buying the largest proportion of records ever, whilst | | | | your telephone number, on every email you send. If |
| they were teenagers, have now grown up! The | | | | you have released a CD, make sure you add the link |
| largest age group to buy CDs TODAY, at 26% of | | | | to that too! If you have had your CDs duplicated |
| the population, are over 45. Not only that, but they | | | | professionally and are barcoded, you can also expand |
| still like the same kinds of music as they did then. So | | | | from selling them in internet stores such as iTunes, |
| there is no need to change your art to fit today's | | | | Amazon, and CDbaby, to high street stores. You |
| teenybopper market if you aren't that way | | | | must also sell them from your own site or at least |
| inclined.Now that we know the secret, we also know | | | | provide links to the stores where they are |
| that the next big thing in music, isn't going to be | | | | available.Never stop "Networking"Carry your business |
| another form of Hip-hop, Techno, or R'n'B; but a | | | | cards with you at all times. At every conversational |
| return to real music, such as was made during the | | | | opportunity, if someone happens to mention music, |
| 60's and 70's. However, we'll be creating it with | | | | or gigs, make sure you advertise yourself as an |
| modern tools on a Home computer DAW (Digital | | | | independent artist. If you have a modern mobile |
| Audio Workstation) system, instead of in a multimillion | | | | phone or MP3 player, make sure your latest CD is on |
| pound studio complex!So, whilst the Music Industry is | | | | it! You never know who you'll bump into in the |
| still hesitating by trying to shun the new digital era in | | | | supermarket. The first thing someone will ask when |
| favour of antiquated business models, hardware in | | | | you mention you are a recording artist is "What kind |
| the form of CDs, and markets that still only cover | | | | of music do you play?" If you have your MP3 player |
| limited territories; we can now jump ahead of them | | | | with you, you won't even have to answer! (This is |
| onto a more level playing field, find our own markets, | | | | always a difficult question for an artist). You can just |
| and sell to the Whole World with only a simple | | | | play it to them! Also make sure you frequent all the |
| website!Sounds easy, doesn't it? ... Well, that is the | | | | music-related newsgroups, forums, bulletin boards, |
| first hurdle you will face. So many musicians think it is | | | | MP3 sites, chat rooms etc. at every |
| easy, that there are millions already doing it! So to be | | | | opportunity.Finally, my "Promotional Tip of the |
| successful you will need, like any other business, a | | | | Week"Familiarise yourself with all the P2P filesharing |
| proper business plan.CONCLUSIONThe road to being | | | | systems that the music business hates so much. You |
| a successful independent musician, begins with | | | | can use them to your advantage. Make ads or lo-fi |
| ATTITUDE.You need to find enough time in your | | | | samples of your music or CD and label them like this... |
| schedule to drop the guitar & scoresheet and use | | | | |
| your creative energies towards developing a proper | | | | el.mp3 |
| BUSINESS PLAN. This means taking a step back and | | | | Make copies labelled with every well-known artist |
| listening to your music through Joe Public's ears. You | | | | you think you sound like, and keep all the files in your |
| need to think up a business name, logo, and short | | | | shared folder. Then, whenever you are logged onto |
| slogan that encompasses what you are, and what | | | | the service and someone searches for music by |
| your music is trying to say to people.Register your | | | | these well-known artists, your music will be on their |
| business "name" by buying a domain name that suits | | | | list of |
| you as soon as possible.Pages on free MP3 sites and | | | | --Lynn Monk has experienced over 30 years in the |
| Free domains do not give you a professional image. | | | | music business as a musician, concert sound & lighting |
| You MUST have your own site, or at least something | | | | engineer, DJ and record producer; and is now the |
| that offers you a unique look and features of your | | | | proprietor of Wobbly Music. An indie record company |
| own. If you want people to find your music unique & | | | | dedicated to supporting the "Mature Independent |
| special, then you also need an image that is unique | | | | Artist". |