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Welcome to the Start of the Finish
by MC Serch
 I hope this blog finds you in good health and spirits. Welcome to the Inside the Music Business (IMB) E-Monthly and what we feel is the best collaborative effort of the smartest minds in music coming together every month to provide an unparalleled vision in how to get your music career going and what is going on in today’s music industry. When I mean “going” I mean that hopefully you are either A) a musician who wants to make a living out of making music B) You are someone so intrigued by the business that you are ready to sleep in a studio and bathe in the men’s or women’s bathroom just so you can hopefully get a job in the business C) you are a manager who is so sure that you have an artists that could be a superstar if you just had the right connections that you would sell your house to fund their dreams, D) You are at radio and are looking for talent that is not coming out of the majors but you can put on the air that will bring an audience back to your spot on the dial. E) You like all of the above are music fans! Maybe you are a combination of these to which I would tell you that in 2009 it is great to be well- rounded, but you need to do one thing great, and then other things well.
When Eric Kline (my partner and creator of the Inside the Music Business brand) asked me to write a monthly blog for IMB E-Monthly, I honestly did not know what to say. What was going to be so important to you who read this that you would stop what you are doing? Here is what I think is crucial. I believe that we are at the end or the finish if you will of what we know as the music business. Whatever labels are currently here now, with their millions of songs and masters, with their publishing and their licensing, will no doubt be able to reap all that they have sowed. They will cut back to a few employees, have a small staff and sell their catalog of CD’s and box sets to Wal-Mart and Target until they are all gone. The whole concept of being signed to a label is close to pointless, unless you think that having a partner that takes 30 percent of everything you do, merch, pub, royalties, touring (also known as a 360 deal), for the honor of being signed to the same label as your favorite artist is something that you want. your other option is to figure out exactly what the majors do now and copy it.
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We at IMB promise to give you all the knowledge a major label has, without having to give up your first born to get it. Now, some of you just want someone to do it all while you make music and at the end of the day whatever he/she makes is cool with you, then this is really not for you. I appreciate that you took the time to read this so far, but you need to go get bent over somewhere and it ain’t here. IMB is for those who KNOW they can succeed with the right contacts, information, strategy and most importantly, GREAT MUSIC. This portal will bring inside knowledge and insight from artists, producers, radio and video executives and promoters as well as attorneys, managers and songwriters.radio and radio promotion, retail promotion, video production, and management tips. It will help you tour and support your self while going on the road, we will help you get your band’s T-Shirts done, but we will not, ever, sell you a wolf ticket. If your music sucks, we will tell you and it will not be just our biased opinion, but the opinion of people that have been successful in this music business for decades. I have 25 years in the game of making money and supporting my family. I have held two jobs in my 25-year career and they both lasted no more than 13 months. The rest of the time I was making my ends meet by being an independent and getting my records and artists coverage in the real field.
I want to leave you with this. Each month we will deliver informational, educational and entertaining content. In this blog, I promise to give you useful information that will send you in the right direction. Each month I will expect you to question what I write and what I have to say. Each month I will answer those questions or comments and give you honest feedback. This is where it starts and ends. If you are not making great music, you can always sell shoes at Nordstrom’s. There are a lot of former Program Directors and former managers who are making a fine living selling a stiletto in a 7 and a half. This is the real grind. This is the way it is right now. This music business is like the gold rush of the 1800’s. This Internet is the opening of the Wild West. I am glad you decided to stake your claim here as a start. It is a great place to break bread.
Love is Music
Serch |
