THE MUSIK-ZONE
The Business of Music
Tutorials

A Brief Introduction

Hundreds of books and tens of thousands of articles have been written about how to succeed in the music business, so don't expect this brief tutorial to do anything all the other stuff doesn't - except maybe touch on a few of the things that apply more specifically to selling your music on the Internet.

The old business model for success is "getting your foot in the door", "getting your music heard" by some important bigwig in a recording company like Capital, Decca, Time-Warner, Sony, BMG, etc.

The new business model centers around direct artist-to-listener downloadable sales over the Internet. Devices such as the iPod and Internet-capable cell phones have made this possible. Overly-restrictive Digital Rights Management (DRM) policies of the recording industry have made it necessary for an artist who wants to survive.

It used to be, if you bought a cassette or a CD, you could pop it into any player and listen to it. You could take it to work, to school, on vacation, or over to a friend's. Now, the record companies insist that if you download it to iPod A or Computer B, it can only be played on that device.

Music wants to be heard. You want to be heard.

The listener does not want to be chained up in shackles when they have bought your music.

What if we could watch our TV set only within the confines of one room? What if we could read a book only within the walls of our home? That's insane and the public refuses to accept it! The consumer's philosophy is: Look, I bought the damned thing, I'll do whatever I want with it!

Because the Big Music Business refuses to listen, it's seeing music sales collapse and the Old Business Model now faces extinction. That can be expensive - and devastating to the music industry as a whole.

Typically, it takes a $1 million investment in a new artist by a big recording company. Only 10% turn a profit, and only 5% break even. That means 90% of their artists are not profitable for them!

That leaves a lot of "dry wells" to use an oil metaphor. And perhaps it explains why they so jealously guard what big acts and products they do get.

What You'll Discover in This Course

Each of the sections in this tutorial will start out fairly small, but I'll be adding additional articles and advice from seasoned pros as I build this tutorial, so keep coming back.

Picture yourself as a student at a very specialized school - a "music school" that teaches you the music "business," not just "how to make music." You're the student and I'm the assistant instructor. Your "professors" are the makers, breakers and legends of the music industry - as you'll quickly see in the list of interviews below. By the way, "A&R" stands for "Artist & Repertoire. The term was coined to describe the function of people at record labels who are in charge of finding and developing new talent.

Development typically includes finding the right material for the artist to perform if they don't write their own songs, hooking them up with the right producer, engineer, studio, etc., deciding which of their songs are the most viable, and shepherding the making of the record.

After the record is done, it's not unusual for the A&R person to be responsible for getting the other departments such as retail sales and radio promotion excited about the record so that they do their jobs well. If all the parts of the record company "machine" work well together, the act just might have a hit.

Today, A&R people seem to concentrate less on developing artists, and often look for artists that have "developed" themselves. It's not unusual for the boards of directors to look more at the bottom line and less at talent development. Hence, A&R people are under pressure to find hits, rather than finding potential hits and nurturing them until they bear fruit.

Now I may not be a Ph.D. and I certainly won't be writing every word or producing every audio or video I'll be using to teach you. I will be collecting these from a wide variety of authentic, experienced and respected sources, pulling them together and organizing them into your lesson plan.

What if you could sit, for just a few moments, at the feet of some of the greatest, most influential executives of the recording industry? What kinds of music do they personally like? How did they get into the business? Just to listen and get a feel for who they are and what they're looking for?

After all, these are the A&R people you'll be pitching your songs to - those from MCA, Sony, Capitol, Atlantic Records, BMI, ASCAP, Warner, and on and on? Just what would that be worth to you as a songwriter and an artist?

In the introductory chapter of this class, you'll get to do just that - with nearly 50 top recording company executives.

1. Amy Rosen - Independent Music Supervisor

2. Andy Factor - Vice President of A&R, Virgin Records

3. Antony Bland - Director of A&R, American Recordings

4. Barry Squire - A&R Manager of Columbia Records

5. Benjamin Groff - Director of Creative Services, BMG Music

6. Betsy Anthony-Brodey, Vice President, Talent Aquisitions, Universal Music

7. Bruce Burch - Creative Director, EMI Music Publishing

8. Bruce Flohr, Sr. - A&R, Artist Development, RCA Records

9. Bud Harner - VP of A&R, Verve Music Group

10. Cheryl Dickerson - Sr. Director of Writer-Publisher Relations, BMI

11. Chris York - Director of A&R, EMI CMG

12. Clyde Lieberman - Music Industry Veteran, BMG

13. Craig Aaronson - Sr. Vice President, A&R Warner Bros. Records

14. Craig Kallman - Co-Chairman and COO, Atlantic Records

15. Danny Kee - Director A&R, Warner Bros Nashville

16. David Boxenbaum - General Manager, Octone Records

17. Diane Warren

18. Eddie Singleton - Director of Urban A&R, Warner Bros. Records

19. Ian Steaman - A&R Tommy Boy Records

20. Jack Wall - Composer-Producer, Sr. Director, Game Audio Network Guide

21. Jason Jordan - Vice President, A&R, Hollywood Records

22. Jeff Brabec - Vice President of Business Affairs, Chrysalis-Warner Bros

23. Jerimaya Grabher - Director, Sanctuary Producer Management

24. Jerimaya Grabher , A&R Manager, Windham Hill

25. Joe Quaranto - Owner, Producer ETNC Music

26. Joel Mark - Vice President, A&R MCA Records

27. John David Kalodner - Senior Vice President of A&R, Sanctuary Records

28. John Loken- General Manager Ultimatum Music

29. John Weakland- Director of A&R, Columbia Records

30. Jon Pikus - Columbia Records A&R

31. Judy Stakee - Vice President of Creative Services, Warner-Chapell Music

32. Laura Becker - Creative Director, Famous Music Publishing

33. Lindsay Fellows - Director of Promotions, Squint Entertainment

34. Loren Israel - Director of A&R Capitol Records

35. Luke Wood - DreamWorks Records, A&R

36. Marla McNally - Co-CEO, Emerald Forest Entertainment

37. Marshall Altman - A&R, Columbia Records

38. Nanci Walker - Director of A&R, Island Def Jam Recordings

39. Randy Gerston - President, Gold Circle Soundtracks and See Hear

40. Scott Austin - A&R Maverick Records

41. Shane Barrett - Senior Manager of A&R, MCA Records Nashville

42. Spider One - Powerman 5000 and Megatronic Records

43. Staci Slater - The Talent House

44. Steve Bloch - Owner and Publisher, Southern Cow Music

45. Suzan Bader - President, DSM - All American Music Library

46. Ted Lowe - President, Choice Tracks Inc

47. Tim Devine, Sr. - Vice Pres. of A&R, Columbia Records

48. Tom Carlin - Vice President of A&R, Lava Records

49. Tom Sarig - VP of A&R, MCA Records

You'll also get an inside, behind-the-scenes introduction to the music business with chapters such as:

1. Don't Quit Your Day Job

2. Fisher- Signed, Sealed and Delivered

3. Pursuing a Career in the Music Business

4. So You Want to Be A Rock & Roll Star

5. The World of Music Publishing

6. Tips on Forming a Band

7. Why It's Easier to Land a Film or TV Deal

PLUS, you'll get a look inside the minds of even more music executives courtesy of TAXI Road Rallies.

... and all of this is just in the first series of lessons!

I do want to say a word here about TAXI because:

(a) it was founded by someone who knows the business - Mike Laskow, who worked with some of the great bands of music history, like Eric Clapton, Cheap Trick & Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

(b) it has connections - lots of them with more than 600 of the top recording companies and those companies have a lot of respect for TAXI; in fact, several recording company executives are on TAXI's song-screening panel;

(c) TAXI works with musicians to screen and evaluate their songs and then submit them to those connections (members have more than 1,200 opportunities a year to get their material submitted);

(c) a lot of the things you'll be learning here come from the wisdom and experience of TAXI's staffers, as well as from other sources.

Mike Laskow is a quiet guy who doesn't even promote himself on TAXI's staff page. You have to do a little digging to learn more about him. Here's some excerpts from an interview he did with KVS (1700Hz.com):

"When I was nine years old, I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show. That was the moment that I knew that I wanted to be in the music business. I also knew that I didn’t want to be a rock star. For some reason, I knew right then and there that I wanted to be the guy on the other side of the glass. I wanted to be George Martin. I guess I’m a bit of a control freak.

"When I was nineteen years old I talked a delivery guy from Ace Music in Miami to let me go with him on a run to Criteria Studios – it was one of the top studios in the world at the time. As luck would have it, the owner walked through the lobby and said to one of his employees, “We need a new kid to sweep the floors and clean the toilets.” I jumped out of my chair and yelled, “I’ll do it!” They threw me out – literally.

"I called Criteria five times a day for five days straight. Mack Emmerman, the owner, came on the line and said, “If I interview you for the job (which was an “internship” that paid NOTHING), and you don’t get it, do you promise that you’ll never call here again? You’re driving my receptionist crazy!

"I got the job, and worked my butt off. I eventually became an assistant engineer, then a first engineer, and a couple of years later I began to produce records. ...

"I was extremely fortunate to get to work with artists like Eric Clapton, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Firefall, Cheap Trick, and many more. On several of those gigs, I was the assistant engineer, then as we would get deeper in to the record, the engineers would let me sit in the hot seat and do overdubs or set up rough mixes.

"I would also bring in bands and artists on my own time and engineer and produce their demos as a learning experience. I left Criteria a couple of years later and struck out on my own. I ended up discovering a band called Wild Oats, got them a record deal, and co-produced their record. I think I was about twenty-one when that happened. A year later, I became the senior engineer at Triiad Recording, and it was there that I engineered an extensive amount of songs for Neil Young. That lead to me becoming even more in demand, and it was the classic story of feast and famine.

"I would work on a major project for months on end, then have nothing for two months. I began to do bread and butter gigs between the big projects, and noticed a trend. Local bands, artists, and songwriters would spend their life savings on their demos (home studios didn’t exist yet), then have no way to get their music to A&R people at major labels.

"That’s when I made a mental note to solve that problem some day. There was a lot a great talent that never got to see the light of day."

Many of you may have never heard of it, but it claims to the "the world's leading independent A&R company" and I have no reason to doubt that. It has an excellent reputation from its members and from the record companies. It's not cheap to become a member ($299 for the first year, $199 thereafter plus $5 per song submission) but it seems to greatly help those who do, and who are serious about their careers (you'd have to be serious to shell out that kind of money!).

I personally am not a member because (a) I don't spend that much time at a music career, and (b) I can't afford it. I don't tell you these things because I was paid to (I don't get a cent!) but because if you are serious about your music, TAXI is something you need to know about.

Why Do I Have to Pay for Your Course?

Just as you would expect to pay to go to college or a trade or technical school, I also have to charge for my own teaching. It takes a lot of time and work on my part - and I have bills to pay, too. I had to collect a lot of reliable information and advice from a lot of places, I had to design the website, and I have to pay to keep it alive.

However, I will keep the cost as low as possible - and I will also make a limited amount of material free to anyone who visits this website. The gold nuggets, though, are part of the paid training. I want you to at least get a feel for what you would learn if you become a student, so you'll know whether it's something you'd want to do or not.

You'll get this delivered to your mailbox on a high-quality series of CDs so you don't have to get on the Internet every time you want to learn more.

What Does It Cost?

Each of the 10 sections will come on a professionally-packaged CD. Each CD costs only $29.97, which covers no more than the editorial, graphic design, production & shipping costs, which are included. The content costs you nothing.

It's kind of like those Book of the Month clubs except there's a beginning and an end - it stops at 10 CDs.

Now this may sound kind of strange, but I will not sell you the entire package at once. Here's why.

First, you must purchase the Introductory Module, which comes with a 30-day guarantee. If you like it, you can order the entire package - at once or individually. If you pay at once for the whole package after reviewing the Introductory Module, your initial payment will be deducted from your total invoice.

If you don't think it's right for you, return the Introductory Module and get a full refund. You will not receive any further modules.

The entire package does not come with a guarantee unless it is physically defective, simply because it is so easy to duplicate a CD these days and then return it for a refund while keeping the copy. If you're a musician, you should be the last person in the world to rip off someone's CD, but face it, it does happen!

This is why I want you to read through this online tutorial to see exactly what you'll be getting before you spend a penny.

You can buy them one at a time or pay in advance for all of them (but I insist you get the first one individually so you have no doubt the course will help you!), get them all at once PLUS get a $50 discount! That's like getting two CDs for free.

Because you're probably a struggling musician like I am, I do not want you to buy the whole course without first seeing the introduction.

Do I Get Anything Else?

You also get free lifetime access (my lifetime) to online updates over the Internet for the modules you purchase, as I update and revise the contents and clean out the links to other resources.

PLUS $1,200+ IN BONUSES!

... if you pay for the whole series at once, you get some extra bonuses, such as this e-book - "Over 18,000 FREE Songs". These are songs you can easily place on your own website - legally - to draw visitors and keep them coming back.

I normally charge $27.97 for this! It's free with your paid order.

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL ...

THREE FREE MONTHS
of our promotion of your music on the Internet *:

- includes 1 free professionally-designed CD album cover including back and inside page ($450-$750 value!) *

- online marketing and sales of up to 6 of your own individual song tracks and 1 album matching the cover design we provide above ($750 value!) Promotional Services outlined in detail here. *

- your own 2-page website on THE MUSIK-ZONE ($350 value!) *

50% PRE-PUBLICATION DISCOUNT
on two of our upcoming e-books for musicians' websites:

How to Put Audio & Music on Your Website!
Everything you need to put your own audio, music, & interviews on any website. Free software and code and easy instructions! Never again pay a monthly fee for streaming audio! ($49.97 value!)

How to Put Streaming Video on Your Website!
Are you ready for Internet 2.0? Put music videos, movie clips, virtually any video on any website you own! No monthly fees! Free software and code included as well as easy step-by-step instructions to turn your website into a red-hot magnet for Internet visitors and music sales! ($49.97 value!)

All together that's $1,227.91 in bonuses! You get the bonus CDs when your payment has cleared.

CONTINUE TO THE NEXT PAGE
A Sea Change Coming in the Music Industry