THE IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING THE BUSINESS

A large number of musicians who are ripped off are young people often without a lot of money. Most are hungry for a deal. A label might offer what seems like a huge chunk of change at the time $5,000, $10,000, or even $25,000 as an advance. To a kid desperate for a deal, that could seem like a lot. Often without the benefit of a lawyer or manager, artists sign contracts on their own, clueless as to the amount of money and /or control they’re giving away. It’s usually too late when they finally see how much money the label is making off of their album, and how little they are getting.

When I’d just started rapping, I met a man who turned out to have written some of the biggest, most memorable hit songs of the 1950’s. This man was living on the fifth floor of a run-down tenement building in Harlem. He had one room and was sharing a bathroom. During the day he pumped gasoline to earn a living. He told me that his record label got all the money from his songs. Forty years ago he signed whatever they offered because he was so excited about the deal. By the time he learned what songwriting royalties were he’d signed all of his rights away. This man’s classic songs are still sung today and yet he makes nothing from them. He encouraged me to learn as much about the business as possible.

GETTING A DEAL TAKES WORK

It’s up to you to work to get a deal. Rarely will someone come to you before there’s been an initial effort on your part. Talent is not enough. Great material is not enough. Dynamic image is not enough. The artists who make it in this business are the ones with talent, material, and image; they’re the ones who want it bad enough to do almost anything it takes to get the attention of some one who can be instrumental in getting them a deal. Sitting home waiting to be discovered won’t cut it no matter how much talent you have. Learn as much as you can to reach as many people as possible offers the best shot at success.

I meet musicians all the time who tell me they’ve written hundreds of great songs. When I ask them what they do with these songs, the replies are variations of One day someone will discover me and then something will happen. They stay in their home studios continuing to write, probably because they don’t know what else to do. Then there are the musicians who jump at a chance to play out, even for free; there are those who run to open mikes; there are those who cultivate contacts in the industry at every opportunity. These people want to get a deal for their music so much that they’ll hustle and network and keep paying dues until the get what they want. If they have the talent to match their drive, they’ll get their deal.

RELATIONSHIPS

Success in the music industry can hinge on developing relationships with people you deal you deal with on all levels. A consistent piece of advice given by industry pros at music seminars is to build relationships with the people you work with the people you work with and with those who can be crucial to advancing your work with and with those who can be crucial to advancing your career. When people know and like you, there’s a greater chance of receiving help. Getting friendly with as many people in the industry as possible can hurt. This is a people oriented business. Technology may help it function, but it’s the people who make the decisions.

What does building a relationship mean? It doesn’t mean you have to become buddies with everyone you meet. It doesn’t even necessarily mean anything on a personal level. It doesn’t even necessarily mean anything on a personal level. It does mean developing a level of confidence and trust between yourself and others. It does mean creating a good rapport. It does mean creating a level of comfortable interaction between yourself and the other person, making yourself seem easy to deal with. Building a good relationship can suffice. I’ve built great relationship with people live never met face-to-face.

Building a relationship means that when you work with the person there will be some mutual respect. It means that when you call these people, they may take your call. It can be hard to reach people by phone in the music industry, even when they know you well. But without a relationship it can when they know you well. But without a relationship, it can be next to impossible. Building a good relationship can create productive and successful interaction between yourself and others. It’s the ground level of being a success.

STRESS THERAPY

We’ve seen that consciously developing the right mental attitudes is of enormous importance in protecting yourself from the harmful effects of stress. The art of relaxation is also tremendously beneficial as an antidote for stress: relaxation methods may differ, but their purpose is the same – to gain control of stress-signs and draw on inner sources of strength to achieve equilibrium. Information about mental relaxation techniques can be found. Physical exercise is very important too, as a way of releasing energy and achieving relaxation; and consequent physical fitness helps you stand up to stress. Exercise also helps you keep in touch with your body and enables you to read the body signs that are indicators of stress. The subject of exercise, with suggestions for special exercises for particularly stress-prone areas, together with advice on diet, another area in which you can do much to prevent harmful stress. Having seen what a wealth of stress-preventive measures is available, let’s take a look at some of the major situations in all our lives where stress, with its potentially positive as well as adverse effects, is often particularly evident.

PERSEVERANCE

Getting a record deal is often a combination of having a marketable act and managing to get the attention of the right people. So much of the road to success can be construed as luck, but as I’ve already said, the more hard work you put into getting out there, the more potential for luck you’ll have. Perseverance is another important quality that industry people recommend developing in order to market your act successfully. If you have the talent and don’t quit you’ll get there eventually! If you’re not prepared to hang in, don’t waste your time.

As I’ve already indicated, this isn’t a business consisting only of the sweetest people. You may hear promises up the Yazoo and then see nothing materialize. You must persevere! People aren’t good at returning phone calls in this business. You must persevere! Someone may be your best buddy one day forget you the next. Get used to it! There may be many disappointments. You must persevere! Someone phone calls in this business. You must persevere! There may be times you pay someone for a service you don’t receive. You must persevere! You may be ignored, disrespected, or kicked in the face. Welcome to the music industry home of the stoutest of heart! You may be ignored, disrespected, or kicked in the face. Welcome to the music industry home of the stoutest of heart! You must persevere or you must choose another career. The music biz aim’s easy.