For most of us, "Record Deals" aren't much of a deal at all!

This one's for you musicians out there! I was reading today's edition of Billboard online, and saw the most wonderful thing—a side-by-side summary of the Pop chart, the "Digital/Mobile" chart, and the "Heatseekers/Independent" chart! WOW!!! Even if advertisers dominate major entertainment industry publications, the "little guy" now has great potential for exposure. Twenty years ago that could NEVER have happened.

Case Study: Ingrid Michaelson

This week's #1 record (on Billboard's Independent chart) is by an artist named Ingrid Michaelson. I just got a small taste of it, and she can count me in as a new fan. We music fans now have a chance to learn about new music not put out by the consolidated major labels. All the really good music has a shot now.

You may ask: "Dana, how is all this possible?"...I said "You may ask"...So go ahead, ask. I'm waiting!....Okay, fine....I've asked for you.

The internet has been the greatest revolution for independent musicians since the phonograph! It is also helping independent authors and filmmakers to get an audience without "the majors" in their respective industries. Not only is Ingrid Michaelson's record listed, but also a bio, song list, a link to her website, and links to buy her music!!!!

You may now ask: "Dana, how do we get in on this goldmine?"...Now that you see how the "You may ask.." game is played, go ahead...Ask!

If you're an independent recording musician, you probably just want to write, or play, or make records, without having to mail a CD to a fan in Omaha who's just bought it from your website.

Ingrid, and thousands of independent musicians like her get it. They have signed up with fulfillment services like CD Baby , and their records are on iTunes.

(Note: Many artists want iTunes to sell their music. iTunes screens very carefully for submissions. They are, in effect, a record label, but they've been very fair in compensating the artists whose music they sell.)

Some independent musicians "Self produce". They use what resources they have available to make a record, and put out the best product they can. That might mean a basement studio, cover art by the bassist who is a graphic designer by day (till the band makes it), a nice duplication facility and printing shop like Lulu.com or VistaPrint respectively, and maybe borrowing a few bucks from Mom, Dad, or your stock portfolio. If you don't have the million dollar studio available to you, don't complain. Some of the greatest records of all time (including one referenced toward the bottom of this blog entry) were made with a 4 track tape recorder.

Many truly independent record labels serve niche markets, just like in the '60s. However, today these labels can produce high quality records for a relatively low budget; they can publicize in ways we were only dreaming of twenty years ago; and they can reach a worldwide audience for a fraction of a penny per new fan.

Once again..You may ask:

So what's so great about the majors?
They're rakin' in the dough, so they must be doin' somethin' right.

Major record labels, movie studios, and publishing companies all offer the same things to the artists they sign: publicity, distribution, and the kinds of resources that allow the artist to create, unhampered by minutiae. The prospect of having to promote the record on a "micro" level is frightening to an artist who's been signed to a major label. The record company will be setting up publicity tours that get to thousands, or hundreds of thousands of people at once. You can't be selling "onesy-twosey", or you'll lose money-money. (Not the song, just the moolah). Not that art is about commerce, mind you, but you do have to make a living, or you won't be able to keep a band together.

The majors take a huge cut of the artist's profits, they often find some way to steal (all or part of) the artist's publishing income, cashing in on the artist's desire to be heard by millions rather than by tens of thousands, and they negotiate most "first time" deals paying the artist a pittance. They also tell the artists stupid things like "We want hits!". Something tells me the artists already know that.

In short, the major labels and big publishing companies are the sadistic dominatrixes of the record industry. Sadistic Dominatrixes can be perfectly lovely, but their bent is to be in charge taking what they want and need. If you happen to get something out of it, bully for you! The nice dominatrixes are the ones who work with you, and fulfill a mutually beneficial fantasy..unless they're getting paid. If they're pros, they'll work toward only what you want, but will make it seem like they're in charge, because that's part of the customer's fantasy. The customer may say "Beat me, Mistress...Oh, yes..harder..now down a little to the left..Yes, that's it. Thank You, Mistress". Guess who's really in charge there.

That was a nice diversion, wasn't it? Most entertainment industry blogs don't venture (however briefly) into adult entertainment, do they?

Two Stories from which we can learn

Hello, Dolly!
Dolly Parton recounted how Elvis Presley wanted to record I Will Always Love You in 1973 or 1974. She got the call from Colonel Tom Parker—Elvis's manager. Colonel Tom told Dolly good news and bad news. The good news was Elvis LOVED the song, and wanted to record it. The bad news was that Elvis only recorded songs to which he owned half the publishing rights. Dolly politely declined Elvis's offer. In my estimation Dolly did the smart thing. She pointed out that Elvis recorded songs to which he owned half the publishing rights, which is why most of his songs are junk. (Dolly used a less polite word than "junk" to describe Elvis's catalog).

And look how BIG she won by having refused to give up her publishing! In 1992, The Bodyguard featured I Will Always Love You as its love theme. Whitney Houston performed it for the soundtrack of the movie, it was HUGE hit for Whitney. The song was nominated for an Oscar. And now, every American Idol wannabe who performs the song on TV is a cash cow for Dolly. Every time The Bodyguard is on HBO, and every time a 13 year old hackette (not as in Buddy Hackette (sic)) , thinking she's the next Beyoncé, gets on TV auditioning for the reality shows, the song makes money for Dolly and her publishing company! Yay, Dolly!

EMI got The Beatles for a song
The Beatles' first record deal with EMI in 1963 paid them (The Beatles) a pittance. The contract's term was from their 1963 releases With The Beatles (in the UK) and Meet The Beatles (in the US), until 1966.

In 1966, they were the biggest band in the world. To paraphrase the great comedian and author Jonathan Katz (best known for his groundbreaking animated series Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, and his new hit radio show HEY WE'RE BACK!): To say The Beatles had a strong negotiating position in 1966, would be like saying that The Shining was a movie about writer's block.

In their second agreement with EMI, The Beatles had a much better record deal. Subsequent to 1966, they were compensated in pounds (or dollars, if you wish) per-record sold, and not shillings (or pennies for us Americans). But you have to be that big to make that happen with a company the size of EMI.

And the deal was even sweeter for The Beatles. Not only was their publishing left intact, but they'd decided to stop touring. September 1966 was their last live show (except for the performance on the rooftop featured in their movie/record Let It Be. I'm not aware of any musician working today who is so popular that they don't have to perform live to promote their records. From 1967 to 1970, The Beatles were a "studio band". And their first creation after having quit touring? Seargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.


So what's the bottom line in all this? YOU CAN DO IT! Go make a record! Use the resources available to the independent musician. You may not have the big money Dolly Parton does. But keep workin' at it like this woman on the right is. The resources are MUCH easier to get to today than they were 20 years ago. Talent, ambition, and drive will take you a lot further than they used to. If you'd like to consider us as one of your trusted resources, write to me. I'd love to see if we can help you.

Helpin' you get to the gig.

So...some people "space", and some get to the gig. Different people work best with different tools to help them fulfill their obligations and appointments.

Among the many things that'll keep us on track are:

• Smartphones
• Contact Management Software
• E-mail reminders and text messages
• "Wake up call" services
  

Smartphones
These puppies usually have a rolodex, calendar, "to-do" list, e-mail, and many other handy-dandy features.
The Palm Treo

Palm has been developing handheld devices for over 15 years. They've gotten quite good at it, and have a versatile line of products. The Treo—Palm's Smartphone—probably has the most gadgety feel to it (of all the Palm products). It offers e-mail, web access, a rolodex, a calendar, and a to-do-lis. Many models have a (still and video) camera built in. The Treo has hundreds of optional features (many of them free). You can, if you wish have a Navigation system (for getting walking or driving directions to and from anywhere) for your Treo. You can turn it into a portable music-player, get an online restaurant guide for whatever town you're in, and many other things.

The Treo is far from the only player in the handheld game.

Apple has developed the much-hyped iPhone. The iPhone (pictured to the left, fingers not included) has all the features that most Treos have, and it includes Apple's iPod technology built right in. The iPod is widely considered to be the best portable music (and video) player available. So, those who really want their tunes with their personal organizing tool, might like the iPhone better than the Treo. The screen is quite clear, and there are many built-in features. Since it's new, there aren't quite as many "add-on" products for the iPhone yet. But you can bet they'll be out soon.

For those who care mostly about e-mail, there's Research In Motion's Blackberry.

There are many more handheld devices, but..you get the idea.

The little toys aren't the only answer. Maybe you just want your phone to be a phone. Okay. No problem. For you we have...

Contact Management Software
If you prefer to be at your computer to plan your day, and prefer to carry a list of what you're doing that day, there are many solutions for you. The most popular of these is known as contact management software or Contact Relationship Management software, if you care to use the industry term.

It'll keep track of your "rolodex", calendar, to-do list, and hopefully, a history of every "contact" you've had with clients, prospects, vendors, or your great aunt Tilly, if you wish.

If you wish to take your CRM on the road, most of them synchronize withSmartphones.

There are SO many examples of CRM tools, that we'd do a disservice to any one product by naming only a few here. We have our favorites, and help folks using PCs, Macs, or..nothing in particular to select the one that's best for them.

HERE is a key point, though, with selecting a CRM tool. If you are responsible for getting someone to wherever they have to be, but aren't necessarily in the same office as them, you should make sure you're using the same tool they are. We have been to MANY offices where the boss likes one calendar software, and the personal assistant who's new, uses the one that came with her computer. (Again, we won't name names. Contact me if you have questions.

We'll skip e-mail reminders and text messages for now. Let's explore a low-tech option.

Wake Up Call Services
Maybe you're a low tech person, and have enough devices in your life. Fair enough! Think about using a wake-up call service. They do MORE than 5 AM calls. They can be notified to call you 5 times a day if you need it, and the wake up call times can vary every day if you wish. Some have automated voicemail greetings/reminders, and others have actual humans ring you up.

Not sure how to go about setting it all up? Give us a call, send me a note.

Space—The Final Excuse...

Today I recalled a few of the stories performing artists have told me over the years about "getting to the gig".

My favorite, and the saddest of them is the following: Years ago, I was on a recording session with legendary guitarist Eric Gale. Eric told me one of his "Dude, I Spaced" stories...though in his story, he was a beneficiary of that too-often used sub-excuse.

A well-known jazz composer and bandleader (whom we won't name here), was contracted to play a concert tour in Japan. He was travelling with a rhythm section (that's guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums), and some horns (saxophones, trombones, trumpets, perhaps). When the bandleader arrived in Japan, he hooked up with all but one of the band members. The guitarist he'd originally hired hadn't shown up. The bandleader called the guitarist's home in New York, to find that the guitarist was not only still at home, but was high on cocaine. He had forgotten to go to Japan! Eric was called in at the last minute, went to Japan, and saved the tour.

Imagine you're responsible for hauling all the equipment necessary for your employees to do their time-sensitive job, you take a left on the highway instead of a right, wind up 60 miles off course, and two hours late. Chances are that someone (besides you) will be slightly annoyed at this "turn" of events.

It's safe to assume that most people who have made it to the higher echelons of showbusiness, have earned their status, in part, because they made it to "the gig" a large majority of the time. Whether it was a 6AM call on a movie set, a deadline for a manuscript, or a 4PM bar-mitzvah, the successful people generally do what it takes to ensure they are there to do their thing when their audience expects them to be there.

Woody Allen taught us that "90% of life is just showing up".

Comedian Barry Sobel told us one of the many differences between New York and L.A.. He said that "In New York, when you tell your friend 'I'll meet you at the movie theater at 10 o' clock', you meet them at the theater at 10 o' clock!'...In L.A., they might not show up at all! The next morning, you call them up, and they say 'Dude! I spaced!'...'Dude, I spaced' is an excuse in L.A.!!".

Well, clearly the "Dude, I spaced!" people aren't ones we'd expect to see starring in a Broadway show, or playing concerts at arenas around the world. Typically, those who are successful show up on time, and rarely (if ever) "space".


Most of us are just hard-working people. If we have to go to Japan (or perhaps to downtown Kansas City) for work, we wouldn't be likely to forget that. In this day of so many things competing for our attention—advertisements everywhere, e-mail, podcasts, children, work deadlines, and...just the many distractions of day-to-day life in the "age of technology"—it's conceivable that even we might "space" on some important obligation or other. We might not forget to go to Japan, but..something that's time-sensitive might escape our attention once in a while.

How do we reduce the chances of missing an appointment, then?

There is an abundance of tools available to us today that will do everything from beep and buzz in our hands at a pre-set time, send us e-mail reminders well in advance of our appointments, pop up on our computer screens, and maybe even come to our door, ring our bell, and escort us out to whatever the "gig" of the moment is.

In the next post, we'll explore some of those options. Stay tuned. Write to me if you have questions.