Friday, February 7, 2014

The Art of Networking in the Music Industry

The Art of Networking in the Music Industry
A Guest Post by Symphonic Distribution





The Art of Networking in the Music Industry: The SXSW/WMC Edition SXSW and Winter Music Conference are all about networking. Networking is a blanket word, and different people have different approaches to it.

Palace Articles

Too many of us leave conferences with a hazy memory of faces and a bunch of business cards of people we don’t remember. You swarm the big-name panelists along with thirty other eager hopefuls, confidently approach the hot-shot speakers, but maybe they won’t accept your card and act completely disinterested in what you’re saying. You meet countless participants, exchange cards and some casually random banter you hardly remember. You followed up with every single person on the cards… but you receive little to no response. The conference passes over as if it never happened. Life moves on. What did you spend that multi-hundred-dollar ticket for anyway?


Sound familiar? Picture this instead:


By the end of any conference, rather than leaving with social exhaustion and a stack of business cards of people you barely remember, you should ideally walk out of the building with 15 new friends laughing on your way to the bar. You know their hometowns, their opinions on the latest [insert hot artist] album, and you know this is just the beginning of a long, beautiful, and mutually beneficial relationship. (And you should still have the business cards of the people remember in your bag.)


Perhaps this is pushing it, but hopefully you get the point. Too many people approach conferences from a sales perspective. Networking isn’t about forced-selling yourself to strangers. It isn’t about finding people who can help you out. Networking is about building meaningful relationships with people. The relationships you build have a greater chance of translating into a label/publishing deal, a new business partner, etc. than the 100 business cards you collected.


1. Dress to Impress. Brand Yourself.


When you dress impeccably, you will feel like you own the room, which often translates into you actually owning the room. First impressions are everything. You may stumble upon a professional in the industry that really matters and first impressions can make or break a situation.


Appearance is one thing, but also dressing up your business cards and marketing/promotional materials is absolutely essential. Invest in branding USB drives with your artist or band logo/name. There are several companies that exist to help with this. Make sure that within the content you include a PDF with a bio, a gracious & concise note, links, and information on how to get in touch with you. And if you’re still on the CD train, just remember a) not to actually write on it, brand it up; and b) new Macs do not come with CD drives.


2. Don’t be afraid. Approach strangers.


Sounds harsh and/or cliché, but someday, we’re all going to die, and what you did at this conference will not matter. What will matter is if you befriended the person who eventually introduced you to the person who got you a record deal which jumpstarted your prolific music career, which in turn inspired the world to give you a funeral of the likes of Michael Jackson. So don’t be afraid to approach people you don’t know. Even more important, don’t get star-struck by the people you see as more “important” than you. We’re all humans.


3. Be their friend, not a salesperson.


Get to know people on a personal level before ever trying to sell something. Smile. Relax. Be genuinely interested in the individual and what they’re saying. Make sure your brain is wired to ingest a lot of information – name, where they are re based, what company they are with, their profession, favorite band, and more. And for Pete’s sake, remember everything. If after a conversation you feel the need to write down on the card a quick brief on the individual, take a bathroom break and do it. You’ll thank yourself later.


4. Focus on the person.


When introducing yourself, do not begin with a sales pitch or a lengthy, wordy speech about yourself, your work, your life, you, you, you. Ask the other person questions. Focus on the person with whom you’re speaking. Really, truly listen. Make him/her feel important. Then let the individual ask you what you do.


Remember Tom Chiarella’s brief in Esquire on practicing graciousness: “When wandering the world, forget your business cards. Don’t look for more contacts. Instead, observe. Say hello to the people you see every day, but don’t make a fetish out of it. Stay interested in others. It bears repeating: Look around. Remember names. Remember where people were born.”


5. Call them by their first name - repeatedly.


In the words of the wise Dale Carnegie, “Remember that a person’s name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” Repeat it once in your conversation, and always bid goodbye by calling the individual by his/her name. Most importantly, don’t let yourself forget the name immediately, so that you have to ask the person, “What’s your name again? So many faces today!” This does not make him feel important. You will impress her if you are the one who remembers.


6. Don’t immediately brush someone off.


If you approach a person who doesn’t seem to be of much potential benefit to you now, don’t immediately brush him/her off. Evolution comes into play; you may be able to use his or her services in the future. There may be someone close to you that may be interested in those services.


7. Know when to pursue.


If you and a person are hitting it off, stay there and chat for a while. Don’t rush off to meet the next contact. If you already feel like BFFs, get the person’s number and invite him/her to meet you for coffee after the next panel. Foster a better relationship with the people you click with immediately.


8. Know your boundaries. Be bold, but courteous.  


Conferences usually have mingling areas for networking, and meetings often happen in the same area. Be bold, but do not approach a clearly enclosed group of people. Observe setting, seating, and body language. If these indicate a set-up meeting between two or more people, do not approach. They will consider it rude. There is a distinct line between confidently approaching a group casually mingling in conversation and rudely interrupting a clearly private meeting.


9. Befriend the people on your level. Don’t put all your energy into stalking establishing hot-shots.


Make friends with the people on your level – the start-ups, assistants, composer/songwriter peers, burgeoning bands, etc. As you progress together through your first jobs/promotions/record deals, you’ll work together, guide one another, and hook each other up. Eventually one of you will be a VP/VIP. Then you all will be directors, VPs, VIPs – you get my drift – who can help each other out. So at any conference, don’t put all your energy into seeking out the established, big-name personnel. Divide your time wisely. Take time to foster personal connections with your peers and colleagues, because those will carry with you for a long time.


10. Master the art of the follow-up.


It’s vital to make good use of the time and money you have spent attending this conference. Connect with them on LinkedIn. If you consider yourself friends with any of the individuals you meet, especially around your age, don’t be afraid to friend them on Facebook. In your follow-up email, do not contact someone unless you truly feel you could both be of mutual benefit to one another in some way, now or in the future. If you don’t ask something very specific in your email, the person will not know what to do with the email, especially if it was sent to their work email, and will delete it. Send them an email with purpose – perhaps with something to consume, such as a Dropbox link to 3 of your top tracks. And of course, don’t make your email a novel. Be concise and relevant. If you hit it off with the person, perhaps pick up the phone and call. This makes more of a statement.

 Editor's choice

By Kaitlyn Raterman


Managing Director of Licensing & Publishing of Symphonic Distribution






Symphonic Distribution was launched in the winter of 2006 by a Music Producer from Tampa, Florida. The company was launched with the intention of providing new and established record labels cost effective digital distribution to retailers such as iTunes, Beatport, Rhapsody, Amazon, and more with a strong emphasis on customer satisfaction. Today, the company has paid over 3.5 million in royalties and distributes music for over 6,000 independent labels and artists, worldwide, which include, Spain, India, South Africa, Brazil and Russia, and has expanded services to Mastering, Marketing, Design, Licensing and Publishing Administration. Symphonic’s team of nine passionate individuals pride themselves on quick responses and direct one-on-one conversations and advising with clients, from the basics of managing a Social Network to providing Technical and Audio Support to clients.

5 Important Things Record Labels Look For

5 Important Things Record Labels Look For 

A Guest Post by Astral Plane Studios

**Editors choice**

Everyone today wants to be on a label, but are they actually prepared? Let's take a look at what today's artists are missing, dimishing chances for success.
lookforWhen it comes to seeking a label deal, there are some important bases I'd say about 80% of artists are lacking, so I'll go over the top 5 aspects labels are looking for from you that you most likely don't have or think you've got.
Now don't get offended by that...If you can't handle some honesty or critique in general, you're going to have a rough time reaching the top.
I won't even be mentioning music here, that should be a given! If your music rocks then you've got one part of the puzzle complete, just remember to quit copycatting other artists and be UNIQUE, though familiarity is a GOOD thing. Rap/hip-hop artists, quit using samples, especially if they aren't cleared.
Truth be told: Uncleared sampling is what's causing you not to earn money with your music. Stick to original exclusives and no leases. Will it cost more? Definitely. Will you benefit from it? Massively.
Now that that's off my chest, let's run down these 5 things record labels are looking for.

Palace Articles

1. Branding/Marketing- Who are you to the world? Branding establishes a a direct connection with the world. Not everyone uses their real name, everyone mostly has some sort of moniker they go by, this is a simple way to think about branding. What's also included in branding is your image...Your haircut, clothes you wear, what you represent basically.
If you have neither of these why is a label going to be interested either? Proper marketing plan is important as well since it's direct communication with your audience. Social media should definitely be included in your marketing plans. Feel free to contact me to schedule times for my music marketing classes, they'll do much for you.
2. Sales/Draw-This is why branding/marketing is number 1 because without 
money
it, you surely can't attempt this one. Labels want to know you can sell units (songs) on your own, without their help. Numbers matter a ton, giving away 40k downloads impresses nobody, earn money and stop cutting yourselves short with the $5 albums.
Keep solid records of ALL sales, both gross and net from singles, albums and merch because it's going to do a ton for you in the future when seeking a label or should one approach you.
Draw means fanbase, it's that simple. How many fans do you have? How many people are coming to your shows?
Make sure to get a head count from ticket sales and if the door person isn't counting heads, tell them they're not doing their job right. You should have a relatively consistent number -- add up how many shows you've done that month and take an average. You'll want that number to grow, yes twitter/FB do count for draw.
3. Touring- How often are you playing shows? Where are you playing them? Have you been invited out of state? This all stems from draw, and I see aritsts taking ANY show...for ANY pay...oftentimes none.
Play at the venues who will treat you right monetarily, free beer and drinks aren't pay, they're a way for venues to continue stifling musicians, put that foot down.
tourbus
This may mean you'll have to get a booking agent but it will do wonders for you as they can generally get you into the best spots for fair compensation. Be touring as often as possible, if you can get 10 shows a month you do it.
4. Sonic Quality- How's that album sound? Does that snare pop enough? Got depth? How about powerful drums? More often than not your mixes aren't label quality, they're probably more on the dull, cold, digital sounding side which works for certain genres, but not for much involving actual instruments.
$75 mixes get you nowhere, the cheapest deals get you nowhere, neither do the masking, balance and phase issues that go along with them. Like it or not you have to spend money to make it in this industry. A sub par mix/master is obvious and you can be denied solely on this alone.
Invest in your mixes/masters, the result wll beam a gigantic smile across your face and ears as well as fans and A&Rs. If you want to impress people, feel free to contact me for label quality mixing.
Truthful tidbit #2: Your friends "learning" to mix via youtube don't know what they're doing and neither do you.  If you can't afford to record/mix/master an album, release an EP or a single instead. It's about the QUALITY, not the QUANTITY. Demos don't exist anymore.
5. Attitude- Believe it or not, 'tude matters, you can be a rude person and watch it get you nowhere or you can be a firm person, put your poker face on and do some negotiations and talking. A good entertainment lawyer helps too, but before you get to needing him/her put YOU/your group across first along with your goals, what you seek and what you DON'T seek from a label. Don't hop on the first deal that comes your way, if you're not a match, another place WILL be.
Always keep these 5 aspects in mind when thinking about your goals. Never forget quality first either. Keep pushing forward and you will find success in the industry, stick with those who have the EXPERIENCE to help you in every way to become a better musician or band, don't be the type that uses others because it WILL come back to bite you.




Astral Plane Studios (APS) is a sound production service located in Temple, TX dedicated to professional audio production ― created by mix engineer Josh Hayward, a graduate of Mediatech Institute in Austin, TX for recording arts and music business. Josh Hayward was trained amongst the best at Arlyn Studios by those who have worked with Willie Nelson, Prince, Lyle Lovett, The Black Crowes and more. At Astral Plane Studios', your sonic sculpture is their prime concern. APS offers you peace of mind with data protection and unrivaled creativity in your music. Josh is also an A&R for Palace Music Group, LLC located in Sacramento, CA

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Did you know that Crest Toothpaste, Folgers Coffee, Bounce Fabric Softener and Safeguard Soap were all created by an African-American Man?


Dr. Herbert Smitherman was a pioneering executive and professional chemist at Proctor & Gamble who led the way for other African-Americans at the prestigious company in the 1960s. He was the first black person with a doctorate hired at Proctor & Gamble.

 Editor's choice

Did you know that Crest Toothpaste, Folgers Coffee, Bounce Fabric Softener and Safeguard Soap were all created by an African-American Man? I have talked about Dr. Herbert Smitherman Sr. before on The African History Network Show before.  In 2011 I spoke at an 8th grade graduation and told the audience about him to show them their potential.  Most of the audience including parents had never heard of him and were amazed by his story.

Dr. Herbert Smitherman was a pioneering executive and professional chemist at Proctor & Gamble who led the way for other African-Americans at the prestigious company in the 1960s. He was the first black person with a doctorate hired at Proctor & Gamble.
 
With a Ph.D in physical organic chemistry, Dr. Smitherman developed a number of incredibly popular patents, including Crest toothpaste, Safeguard soap, Bounce fabric softeners, Biz, Folgers Coffee and Crush soda, to name a few. Not only are they still on the shelves, but many of them are on display at the Cincinnati Museum Center in the featured exhibit, “America I AM: The African-American Imprint.”
 
Nicknamed the “Jackie Robinson of Proctor & Gamble,” Dr. Smitherman spent 29 years there before turning in his labcoat to work as a professor at Wilberforce University. But after serving at the historically black college, Smitherman turned his attention to starting a high school called the Western Hills Design Technology School to help black students perform better in math and science.
 
A child of the south, Dr. Smitherman’s family lived in Birmingham, Alabama, where his father served as a reverend. A young Smitherman would see his father’s church burn down twice during their push for voting registration and voting rights. 

He died on Oct. 9, 2010.

Read more here: http://blackhistorymonth.blackamericaweb.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=562:dr-herbert-smitherman&catid=112:general&Itemid=292

http://cincinnatiherald.our-hometown.com/news/2010-10-16/Front_Page/Dr_Herbert_C_Smitherman_Sr_broke_barriers_at_PG_wa.html

TONIGHT: Listen to The African History Network Show with host Michael Imhotep, (Special Day) Sunday, Dec. 29th, 8:00pm-11:00pm EST.  We'll discuss "Kwanzaa: What is Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) - Economic Empowerment for African-Americans in 2014".  Listen to the show at http://tobtr.com/s/5861041 or by phone LIVE at (914) 338-1375. 
Visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/220223098136637/With a Ph.D in physical organic chemistry, Dr. Smitherman developed a number of incredibly popular patents, including Crest toothpaste, Safeguard soap, Bounce fabric softeners, Biz, Folgers Coffee and Crush soda, to name a few. Not only are they still on the shelves, but many of them are on display at the Cincinnati Museum Center in the featured exhibit, “America I AM: The African-American Imprint.”

Palace Articles

Nicknamed the “Jackie Robinson of Proctor & Gamble,” Dr. Smitherman spent 29 years there before turning in his labcoat to work as a professor at Wilberforce University. But after serving at the historically black college, Smitherman turned his attention to starting a high school called the Western Hills Design Technology School to help black students perform better in math and science.

A child of the south, Dr. Smitherman’s family lived in Birmingham, Alabama, where his father served as a reverend. A young Smitherman would see his father’s church burn down twice during their push for voting registration and voting rights.

He died on Oct. 9, 2010.

Read more here:  

http://blackhistorymonth.blackamericaweb.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=562:dr-herbert-smitherman&catid=112:general&Itemid=292

Kendrick Lamar Says It's Deeper Than Rap: "When You Conquer One Thing, You Want To Move On To The Next"

West Coast rapper Kendrick Lamar recently talked about his relationship with Aftermath Records boss Dr. Dre and why he sees his career going further than music-making.

**Editors choice**

According to K. Dot, he keeps in contact with the Doc as he continues to enjoy the success of his Beats By Dre headphones empire.

What happened in your first meeting with Dre? I was very excited, I wasn't nervous at all. I was more excited, 'cause I knew that this was my shot, everything that l've worked for, everything I've built up to came down to that moment. What happened in that moment? That moment I recorded my first song with Dre, which was Compton, which is the last song on my album. Do you speak to him on a daily basis? Yeah I talk to him. And what's he up to at the moment? At the moment he's just working his Beats by Dre. Doing a lot of promo and press for that, getting buried in life right now. (I-D Vice)

Palace Articles

Lamar also spoke on making his career go way beyond the music industry.

Can you see yourself moving to projects outside of music like he does with Beats? Yeah definitely. You know when you conquer one thing, you want to move on to the next and be able to challenge yourself? He inspired me to want to do that, once l get the years behind me, of being exceptionally great at music. (I-D Vice)
Recently, G-Unit head 50 Cent said the decline in music sales over the last decade has forced hip-hop artists to seek alternative ways to make bank.

"With the music culture, you were a sellout to be a part of doing business with a major corporation," he said. "You were considered a crossover from hard-core hip-hop. Now technology has changed how people consume music. Because music companies aren't making as much as they were from CD sales, they're not providing the marketing dollars. Now you see the biggest artists in a car commercial with their new song." (CNBC)
Last week, Kendrick spoke out on coming up short at the annual Grammy Awards to fellow hip-hop artist Macklemore.

"It's well deserved; he did what he did, man," Kendrick said. "He went out there and hustled and grinded. Everything happens for a reason; the universe comes back around, that's how it go." While Kendrick may have grounds to feel snubbed, he's hardly the first rapper to come up empty; hip-hop legends such as Snoop Dogg and Nas have been snubbed numerous times. "I definitely feel like they should always have more of the culture up in there, for sure, because we definitely stand out just like any other genre," Kendrick said when asked if he thought the Grammys undervalued hip-hop (XXL Mag)

Diddy Can't Shake The Rumors, Singled Out By NY Restaurant Waitress

Bad Boy Records CEO Diddy can't dodge the rumors and negative press this week as reports claim he recently stiffed a waitress during the Super Bowl in New York City.


Diddy and his entourage rang up a $200 tab at a NYC bar during the Super Bowl ... then STIFFED their waitress on the tip ... according to the bar which is now publicly shaming the multi-millionaire. Employees say on Sunday Sean Combs and his friends were at The Bar located in the Dream Hotel ... and when the bar manager asked Diddy if he was receiving good service ... Diddy said everything was A-ok. But when it came time to pay ... staffers say Diddy left a giant goose egg for gratuity. (TMZ)

To make matters worse, the restaurant has publicly called out Puffy through social media.


Now The Bar is calling him out ... ridiculing him on its Facebook page -- "Although [Diddy's] Net worth is in the millions, he felt it necessary to stiff a hard working young girl for $40 bucks. What a gentleman....!!!" Of course it's possible Diddy thought, for once, someone else in his entourage would pick up the tab. We've reached out to him ... so far no response. (TMZ)
Widespread rumors and buzz about Puffy and longtime Bad Boy Records artist Cassie getting engaged surfaced over the weekend.

Are Diddy and longtime girlfriend Cassie Ventura engaged? If the proof is in the music mogul's recent Instagram post then chances are the couple are heading towards matrimony. "Baby do you like it?" Diddy, 44, captioned a photo Saturday of a blinged out engagement ring. "I just want to get you wat you Like!" he added. "I just wanna Mk you smile :) #takeDat!" (New York Daily News)

Palace Articles

Despite the hype, one of Puff's reps immediately shot down the gossip.

However a rep for the rapper told the Daily News that the entrepreneur and the 27-year-old singer, who have been dating since 2007, "are not engaged." While they appear to be in a loving relationship, Diddy has been quite candid in the past about not wanting to get married. It definitely would be a dream come true for me to just one day be ready for the (marriage)," he said during an October 2013 interview on "The View." He added: "I'm not really looking because I know the responsibility that comes with that, and I think that a lot of people, they jump into that and they're not honest with themselves." (New York Daily News)

Missy Elliott Comes Out Of Shadows, Reveals Why She Won't Work It

Music veteran Missy Elliott has stepped forward to speak out on why she has been absent from the hip-hop scene as of late and if her hunger for the entertainment industry is still there.


In an interview, Missy killed the retirement speculation and admitted her lack of music stemmed from needing motivation.
In a video chat with Yahoo!'s "The Yo Show," Missy discussed her lengthy hiatus from the music industry. "When I create something, it's gotta be special and it can't just be to throw something out there because I feel like I'm Missy," said the 42-year-old rapper. "I gotta feel like what I'm giving the fans is 100 percent and that it's game-changing. I don't just throw out microwave records." (Rap-Up)
The 42-year-old musician also promised a long-awaited new album would still hit store shelves in the future.
"Just being inspired by things is what I'm grabbing for because music is different now," she explained. "Not to say that it's bad, it's just different now, so I'm just trying to make sure that what I give is 100 percent because I know that expectations is high from my fans and it's high of myself." She did, however, reassure fans that she is planning a comeback. "It's coming. I just ain't telling nobody when." (Rap-Up)
Music executive Yandy Smith previously hit up SOHH and gave her opinion on Missy's status in the game, having previously managed her at Violator.
I think what's interesting about these artists and what makes them great is their ability to keep on reinventing themselves," Smith told SOHH. "Missy really hasn't been gone, she has manifested herself to Keyshia Cole, Jazmine Sullivan and Monica. All of those hit records that you hear, Missy has had a hand in them. She's been busy writing and producing and being very instrumental in a lot of the hits that we've heard throughout the past couple years." (SOHH)
A couple years ago, producer Timbaland claimed fans could expect a new album from her by the summer.
"Me and Missy are both coming with our albums at the same time, and it will be in June," Timbo told MTV News in his Miami home February 3. It's been three years since Timbaland released Shock Value II and seven years since Missy dropped The Cookbook. If all goes according to plan, fans won't have to wait much longer. "Right now, we're preparing to get both our videos, our first singles, shot kinda at the same time," Tim said. "We want to do it as a movement and spontaneously." (MTV)

Jill Scott to Appear on “The Voice” As Usher’s Guest Mentor

Yesterday, Extra revealed that Jill Scott will be appearing on NBC’s smash “The Voice.” 
 
Usher Jill ScottThe new season of the music competition kicks off on Feb. 24. Usher told Extra, “That’s my secret weapon, incredible, as a writer, as a musician, as an actress, all those elements really help to prepare artists.”

Jill said getting involved with the show was a no brainer.  “When Usher calls, you take the call.”

Next up, Jill will appear in the James Brown tale “Get On Up”, which hits theaters this Summer 2014.

Season 6 of “The Voice” premieres at 8 PM Monday, Feb. 24 on NBC.