I hope you are enjoying my new Mini Series on the music business. It’s truly amazing how in the first video you saw New Artist Model students Steel Blossoms and Colin Huntley applying my strategies to turn their passions into a career.
These musicians are just like you. They started with a small following and have grown their audience and income by investing in strategies and success one step at a time.
In this second video of the free Mini Series, I reveal ways of creating amazing fan experiences they will crave and actually PAY you for. Discover unforgettable connections you can offer to your fans RIGHT NOW to set yourself apart from the crowd.
Watch this video and get your fans to fall in love and remember you forever:
You will meet Shannon Curtis, a recent New Artist Model member who has perfected the art of the house concert and put $25,000 in her bank account in just two months time. See first hand how she did it and exactly how you can do it too.
To get one step closer to your dream, click here.
AND PLEASE – If you know anyone else who might benefit from this Mini Series on the music business, please share this post with them.
Earlier this year, Edison Research and Triton Digital released their Infinite Dial Report describing the trends in music, streaming, radio and digital music. They report that:
- Mobile devices are quickly rewiring behavior, especially with young users and image sharing (Instagram and Snapchat)
- Internet Audio is growing at a fast rate with Pandora as the #1 player in online radio by far
- Podcasts are increasingly growing their listener bases
The smartphone either is or will shortly become the dominate way that people interact “online”. If you are trying to break new music, you need to make sure that your presentation is mobile friendly.
This may be old news to many of you, but if you are trying to break music or gather a fan base and you are not on YouTube, you have little or no chance of success these days. YouTube is absolutely dominating the listening/viewing habits of 12-24 year olds as you can see in this chart from Edison Research and Triton Digital.
While radio remains the top source for new music discovery, YouTube was the No. 1 source for the very important young listener market aged 12 to 24 years.
And finally, nearly half the audience in America is listening to online radio (Pandora mostly).
Ian Rogers, CEO of Daisy and Executive Chairman of Topspin, is a music and technology industry veteran with roots in defining the way artists and consumers promote and experience digital media online. The Topspin platform has been used by such artists as Chester French, Eminem, Arcade Fire, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Beck, and the Beastie Boys. Ian has been building digital media applications since 1992. Prior to joining Topspin, he was Vice President of Video and Media Applications at Yahoo!, where he oversaw the strategy for products and services, and was also a principal at the Beastie Boys’ record label and lifestyle brand Grand Royal. Ian just recently joined forces with Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine to lead the efforts for Beats Audio and their new Daisy digital music streaming project.
Alicen Catron Schneider is Vice President of Music Creative Services for NBC Universal and a music supervisor. Alicen is responsible for music supervision for hit TV shows including Heroes, Lipstick Jungle, Crossing Jordan, House, Monk, Surface, Eureka, LAX, Critical Assembly, Leap of Faith, ED, The Pretender, Tucker, Sunday Night Football and the Winter Olympics.
Derek Sivers is a musician and the founder of independent music retailer CDBaby. A professional musician since 1987, and alumni of Berklee College of Music, Derek started CD Baby by accident in 1998 when he was selling his own CD on his website, and friends asked if he could sell theirs, too. CD Baby became the largest seller of independent music on the web, with over $100M in sales for over 150,000 musician clients.
Ariel Hyatt is a music publicist who has worked with over 1,400 musicians and has invaluable insight and expertise in online promotion and social media marketing. Ariel’s book, “Music Success in Nine Weeks” is a must read. Ariel talks about social media strategies for artists, music companies, authors and online PR campaigns and the importance of being genuine and interacting with your fan base.
Elliot Scheiner is a legendary producer and engineer and widely considered to be one of the leading authorities in studio sound recording & mixing. A highly sought-after producer and engineer, his pioneering efforts in 5.1 surround sound are credited with establishing the foundation for the genre. His career includes work with such music legends as the Eagles, Steely Dan, REM, Faith Hill, Queen, Sting, Van Morrison, Fleetwood Mac, and Aerosmith.
Mike Dreese is CEO of Newbury Comics, Inc., a company he co-founded in 1978 with his MIT roommate and which now operates over 25 stores throughout New England. As an early specialist in the burgeoning new wave/punk music scene, the chain grew rapidly. In the early ’80s, Mike cofounded ModernMethod Records, an imprint to Boston’s emerging punk scene, and in the ’90s helped launch Black Wolf Records. He currently serves on the boards of Berklee College of Music and the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM), and is also a partner in Subversion Media, a Boston-based high-definition music video production firm that has worked with artists such as Coldplay, New Order, and Gnarls Barkley.
Michael McCarty is President of ole and, from the company’s head office in Toronto, oversees all creative and administrative operations in ole’s Nashville and Los Angeles locations, as well as Toronto. ole’s genre-diverse catalogue includes hits by Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, and Shania Twain. Michael brings over 20 years in the music publishing business, most recently as President of EMI Music Publishing Canada. His previous experience includes periods as Creative Director of EMI Publishing L.A.; A&R Director of SBK Records and Publishing L.A.; Creative Manager of CBS/SBK Songs Canada; and Creative Manager at ATV Music Group Canada. Clients at these companies included Beyonce, James Blunt, Phil Collins, Counting Crows, Depeche Mode, Incubus, Norah Jones, Snoop Dogg, Sting, Tool, Usher, Vanilla Ice, and Boy George. Michael began his career as a recording engineer/producer, working with legendary Canadian record producers, Jack Richardson and Bob Ezrin, and has played a key role in the development of careers such artists/songwriters as Sum 41 and Wilson Phillips.
Steve Schnur is Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing for Electronic Arts (EA), where he is responsible for the pursuit, creation and continuous development of the global vision for the music in EA games. He has brought established stars, breakthrough new artists and award-winning composers, including Green Day, Iron Maiden, Rage Against The Machine, M.I.A., and Matt & Kim, to such top-selling EA franchises as Madden NFL, FIFA, The Sims and more. In 2008, Steve formed Artwerk Music Group, a joint venture with Nettwerk, through which EA now directly signs, develops and launches artists for publishing, master recordings, sync deals, distribution and beyond.
Prior to joining EA in 2001, Steve held various executive positions with the Warner Music Group, MTV, EMI and BMG, and has supervised and produced music for films including CRUEL INTENTIONS and MISS CONGENIALITY.
Terry McBride is the current CEO and one of three founders of the Nettwerk Music Group, founded in McBride’s apartment in 1984, and now with corporate offices in Vancouver, Boston, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, Hamburg and London. Nettwerk Records and/or Nettwerk Management have been home to such diverse artists as Coldplay, Jamiroquai, Sarah McLachlan, Guster, Brand New, Matt and Kim, State Radio, and Stereophonics. Nettwerk’s producer management division has worked on projects by Daughtry, Rob Thomas, Kelly Clarkson, and the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen soundtrack.
In the past few years McBride has spoke at dozens of international conferences about advances in digital technology, intellectual property rights and the future of music distribution. He also launched a chain of wellness centers called YYoga with his friend and yoga instructor.
Kelly Cha, nicknamed Zhazha in China, is a Chinese-American singer/songwriter, author, and TV/radio personality. She has published three books and released several singles in addition to hosting radio shows in Los Angeles and China for the past decade. Kelly is currently the acclaimed host of “Action English’s Action DJ,” a daily television show in China for which she wrote the theme song. She also hosts for the popular Hunan Satellite TV channel, plays in the Beijing rock band Orange Factory, and hosts a radio show on China Radio International’s Easy FM.
Jill Sobule is a singer-songwriter best known for the 1995 single “I Kissed a Girl”, and “Supermodel” from the soundtrack of the 1995 film Clueless. Her folk-inflected compositions alternate between ironic, story-driven character studies and emotive ballads, a duality reminiscent of such 1970s American songwriters as Warren Zevon, Harry Nilsson, Loudon Wainwright III, Harry Chapin, and Randy Newman. In 2009 she released an album funded entirely by fan donations.
Keith Garde, president of PAID, Inc. celebrity services and founder of PKA Management, brings over 30 years of experience in recording/touring artist management, serving as co-manager from the late ‘80s through to 1995 for the internationally renowned rock group Aerosmith and continues to consult for the group today. His experience includes: business development; organizational systems, structure and processes; strategic alliance management; branding and imaging as well as having architected fan club management subscriptions and fan experience programs.
Keith has managed collaborations with Sony, Disney, Paramount Pictures, Viacom (VH1, MTV, and CBS TV), NBC, ABC TV, Oprah Winfrey, Clearchannel, Daimler-Chrysler, Proctor & Gamble, the NFL, ESPN, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and Harper Collins Publishing to name a few.
Keith has a B.A. from Cornell University; was co-presenter with Steven Tyler of Aerosmith on Career Development at the Berklee School of Music (a course led by Livingston Taylor); and has spoken at the Sloan School of Economics on the subject of “Organizational Processes for the Technology and Policy Program” offered by Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld. Keith has taught Artist Management at Northeastern University for the past two years.
Mike Tunnicliffe is a senior marketing executive with experience operating with media platforms, brands and ad agencies in almost every major global market. Mike has been developing new businesses at the intersection between brands, technology and entertainment. Mike runs two management companies SAS Digital and Tuna Music, through which he works with entertainment brands and technology companies to generate new revenue streams. Clients / partner companies include / have included: The Filament entertainment Group, StarGreetz, Sanctuary Artist Management, Ricall (the worlds largest B2B Music licensing database), Carat North America / Aegis Media, Omnicom Media Group, ADV Advertising Holdings (Russia), JSM Music, 19 Management (creators of American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, The Spice Girls), and a number of Fortune 500 client companies and well known musical artists including Paula Abdul, Marie Digby, Hanson, Lil’ Kim and Michael Bublé amongst others.
Mike King is the Associate Director of Marketing at Berkleemusic.com, Berklee College of Music’s online division. Prior to working at Berklee, he was the Marketing/Product Manager at Rykodisc, where he oversaw all marketing efforts for label artists including Mickey Hart, Jeb Loy Nichols, Morphine, Jess Klein, Voices On The Verge, Bill Hicks, The Slip, Pork Tornado (Phish), Kelly Joe Phelps, and Frank Zappa’s estate. He also worked for a short period of time doing publishing administration for Rounder’s publishing company, Happy Valley. He was the Director of Marketing and Managing Editor of Herb Alpert’s online musician’s resource, artistshousemusic.org, for three years. Mike is the writer of the book, Music Marketing: Press, Promotion, Distribution, and Retail.
Mark Wood is the managing director at Radius Music in the UK, whose clients include Imogene Heap, Frou Frou, Jon Green, The Bonfires, Jerry Abbot, Jim Ervin, Julian Emery, Jethro East and Rogue States. Radius is a management company based in London managing artists, songwriters and producers. Radius aims to build long term careers not overnight success – working with Imogen Heap since she was 16 years old. Although UK based Radius has a truly global outlook to the music industry.
Larry Hamby is the senior vice president of A&R at Sony Music, where his clients include REO Speedwagon, Mary Chapin, Jonny Lange, Imogene Heap, and Duncan Sheik. He formerly worked in A&R for A&M Records and Epic Records, where he managed Michael Jackson’s Thriller recording sessions.
Paul Hoffert is a founding member of Lighthouse a rock band that sold millions of records, toured the world and earned three Juno Awards as Canada’s # 1 pop band (1971-1973). He was inducted into the Canadian Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, and is a multi-awarded composer and conductor of movie and television soundtracks. Paul is also an entrepreneur and CEO of Noank Media Inc., Fine Arts Professor at York University, Chair of the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund, and Chair of the Guild of Canadian Film Composers. He is former Faculty Fellow at Harvard University Law School, President of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, Chair of the Ontario Arts Council, and a founder of the Canadian Independent Record Producers Association (CIRPA). He presents his recipes for thriving in the Information Age in his best-selling books: “The New Client”, “All Together Now”, and “The Bagel Effect”. He received the Pixel award in 2001 as the new media industry’s “Visionary of the Year” and was awarded the Order of Canada – Canada’s highest honor – in 2005 for his contributions to music and media.
Mark Holden is the former president and CEO of Hip Digital Media. Mark has over 30 years of experience with strategic technology & media development in the music, entertainment and film industries. Previously, Mark was Vice President of iTiva Development Corp., an interactive internet content distribution company. Previous to iTiva, Mark was responsible for content acquisition and development at E-Zone Networks. As part of the executive team he grew E-Zone’s valuation in excess of 100 million dollars from inception. Mark was the co-founder of Msound International, the first company to develop a digital sound card for PC’s.
As a successful musician and engineer, Mark has worked internationally as a music producer and recording artist. Mark also plays an active role in cultural and community development and has held various directorships and board positions. Mark is a competitive triathlete, and is also involved with numerous charities and is actively involved in fundraising initiatives for the Canadian Cancer Society.
Lou Plaia is the co-founder and VP of Artist Development at Reverb Nation. He is a music industry veteran, logging 12 years in marketing at Atlantic Records before he was handpicked to head up the Marketing and Artist Development departments of the newly formed Lava Records. Lou has handled marketing for such artists as Kid Rock, Simple Plan, Uncle Kracker, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Unwritten Law, Skindred, Cold, The Click Five, Antigone Rising, O.A.R., Nonpoint and many others.
Jeff Dorenfeld is an associate professor of Music Business/Management at Berklee College of Music. He has more than twelve years experience in higher education and more than thirty years experience in the music industry. As faculty advisor for Berklee’s student-run record label, Heavy Rotation Records, he negotiated a recording contract with Epic/Sony Records—the first-ever college label and major label collaboration. The contract established the $100,000 Epic scholarship for Music Business/Management majors at Berklee. Prior to teaching music business, Dorenfeld was the personal manager of the multi-platinum band Boston. He has worked as tour coordinator, tour accountant, and lighting designer for platinum artist Sammy Hagar and performed tour accounting for multi-platinum artist Ozzy Osbourne.
Matthew Daniel is the VP, Strategy Development, of R2G. He is a 15-year veteran of the advertising industry and made the transition to the online space in the early days of the dot com boom with the then leading web developer Organic after which he went on to lead the interactive and strategic planning disciplines for Y&R Wunderman in Hong Kong and China. His combined interests in new media technology and digital music platforms then led him to be part of a pioneering group at R2G.
At R2G Matthew plays a key role in shaping business models for the monetization of mobile and full-length music, and also in the acquisition of content. He is also deeply involved in product development strategies which involve music and advertising.
J the S is a New York-based underground hip-hop artist born in the West Indies and raised in Boston. In just four years, J the S dropped two internationally distributed full-length albums and a pair of venomous mixtapes, landed singles on Rap Network, Rap Attack Lives and CMJ charts, and enjoyed rotation on more than 300 college radio stations including Boston’s renowned WERS, where he earned “Artist of the Month” honors in June 2007. Beyond his East Coast ethos, J the S is also marked by his experience as a middle school teacher and his socially progressive mission, which has landed him on bills alongside dead prez, Brand Nubian and KRS-One. He has also opened shows for Kool G Rap and Wu-Tang Clan, and has gained buzz for his music video featuring Atlantic Records’ rapper B.o.B.
Decades before indie labels and DIY were the norm, and years before women had any real access in the industry, Cris Williamson was busy changing the face of popular music. Cris’s stellar vocals and compelling persona are regarded as legendary for good reason. Despite being like a well-kept secret, and dwelling almost completely in the independent music world, she nonetheless had an impact worldwide. Her now-legendary classic, The Changer and the Changed, is one of the best-selling independent releases of all time. For nearly 30 years, Cris has toured incessantly, selling out Carnegie Hall numerous times and headlining various folk festivals.
Amber Rubarth is a young singer/songwriter from New York City who only started playing music in 2004, but is making a full-time living touring, including many tours of Europe, booking it all herself. She got her start by learning to play and working for a booking agent for a brief period and just doing it. She makes most of her money selling cds at shows and custom items. She has an incredible online following and so much to offer the aspiring indie artist and songwriter.
Producer and musician George Howard founded his first independent label, Slow River Records, in 1993. In 1995, Slow River entered into a co-venture with Rykodisc, one of the world’s largest independent labels, and George became president in 1999. He is currently an Assistant Professor and Executive in Residence at Loyola University and a online Professor at Berklee College of Music. He has taught at Northeastern University, the University of Massachusetts, and is a frequent lecturer at other learning institutions. George is the Vice President for the Artists House Music foundation and was involved in the recent start up of TuneCore. He has also written a number of books on the music industry and maintains a blog entitled 9GiantSteps.
Fred Goldring is a Los Angeles-based entertainment attorney, marketing strategist and political activist. His company is Goldring, Hertz, Lichtenstein & Haft. His clients include Beyonce, Alanis Morissette, Herbie Hancock, Courtney Love, No Doubt, Ne-Yo, Boyz II Men, Guns N” Roses, Black Eyed Peas, and Will Smith. He is a graduate of Duke University and The University of Miami School of Law. He is the former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Rock The Vote and he was Executive Producer of his client will.i.am’s “Yes We Can Song” music video, for which Fred shared the 2008 Emmy Award for Best New Approaches in Daytime Entertainment.
David Kershenbaum is grammy award winning music producer with over 75 international gold and platinum albums to his credit. At the legendary A&M records, Kershenbaum signed and helped develop the careers of Janet Jackson, Bryan Adams and Joe Jackson and many others. Kershenbaum’s credits read like a “who’s who” of the artist world, including Supertramp, Cat Stevens, Tracy Chapman, Joan Baez, Duran Duran, Tori Amos, Peter Frampton and Jewel.
