Decisions Decisions....

Being in the music industry can be such a contradiction. As artists we all want to create music that will sell millions of copies and make us FAMOUS. Now anyone that tells you anything to the contrary is not being truthful. Otherwise why even spend time and money trying to make, package and market a CD. You don't invest money to not make a profit. If making a profit is not the bottom line then you can just make music for your own personal enjoyment and never worry about putting anything out. This brings me to my point... we have make decisions on where we stand. We can complain about the music that's being made and consumed and for the most part we are right. There is a lot of trash out there but there always has been. The funny thing is that those trashy records are selling millions to SOMEBODY. A lot of people complain about not hearing music that deals with this or that and when an artist makes a record that people CLAIM they want to here, they don't by the product and they don't fully support the artist's career. I mean I hear people dis on records everyday only to find that they have the same records on their ipod. Think about this. Music is only a reflection of the society we live in. Now when Berry Gordy started Motown, the society was such that it enabled and nurtured the kind of music that was made at Motown. That music was honest, classy, sexy & hope filled. It made us dance, laugh, cry, party & mourn. It was like a true part of our lives because they dealt with a number of emotions and dimensions of the human experience. And just face it, the intellect of the masses was a bit higher because they had not yet been totally brainwashed by T.V. and corporate greed. The music that we have today is only a by product of where we are in society and education. Now the companies that have to sell CDs could care less about education. There goal is to turn a profit by giving people the lowest most accessible level of entertainment they can because this is what the market dictates. So as creative people we have to make decisions about what we want to do. To be successful you at least have to be fairly relevant. The challenge is being relevant, saying something and selling records. So don't complain about it CHANGE IT! That change starts with our children that are in the classroom now. If they learn to respect music of all forms, play instruments and learn music history then we will be able to impact the creative intellect of the society and then the music can reflect that change. But understand there will always be some trash out there. Just make a decision on who YOU are and where you stand in the game and GO GET IT!

The Truth

(c) 2009-2010 Airtight Records, Inc.

Respect The Industry

Today I want to talk about the most misunderstood aspect of our industry and that is the level of RESPECT you should for the industry itself. Most people only enter the music business as some kind of hustle or get rich quick idea and history has shown us time and time again that when you don't respect the industry it will consume you. There are countless examples of people who have gotten rich and lost it all mostly because of a disrespect for the industry and what it takes to make and sustain a career. When you decide to be an artist or participate in any facet of the music business you should approach it with the same respect and diligence as someone entering the medical or legal fields. This business is not a hobby. Most people think that we play and create music because we either could not or would not pursue what they refer to as a REAL job. Here in lies the disrespect. The music industry is filled with careers that require various skill sets, drive and raw instinct. It isn't for the faint at heart. One must always maintain a high level of competency and understand that success in this and any industry is about role playing. No one is on top all the time but you can be consistent. For example: you may enter the industry as an artist, have a few hits, make some videos, tour and then discover that you are not as in demand as you once were or your earning potential as an artist is not what it once was but from being in the game you recognize that there are many other positions that can keep you working such as producing, writing, managing, entertainment law, artist development etc. The key is to respect the industry by educating yourself on all sides of it not just what you do but who counts the money, who are the publishers, who makes the key decisions on how the industry operates and how can you go from being an artistic pawn to being a major player. You can only do so by truly respecting the industry and always demanding only the best from yourself and those you work with. Also you should always work or strive to work with people that know more than you do so that you can grow and continue to develop this respect. This, to those of us that DO IT everyday and night, is not a game so if you are not serious find something else to do. Respectfully in love.

The Truth

(c) 2009-2010 Airtight Records, Inc.

Music BUSINESS

Being an artist can be a beautiful and fulfilling pursuit but being financially successful at it can sometimes be another issue. This is largely because most of us as artist place the wrong emphasis on our profession. It is important that we remember that we are in the music BUSINESS not the MUSIC business. Being financially successful is fully dependent on us understanding that the ratio is 80/20. 80% business and 20% music/art. Every artist should have a basic understanding of copyright law, publishing, management & a realistic view of how the business works. Most of us say we do it for the LOVE of the art and I agree that artistic passion is important but not enough. Each artist, when building their career, should have the basic view that the only reason to make music that you want to package as a product is to MAKE A PROFIT so you must understand how that is done. After your music is done you must first copyright it through the library of congress which now super easy because you can do it all on line at www.copyright.gov. Once your ownership is solid you must join either BMI or ASCAP as a writer member and publisher, these are licensing organizations that track usage and exploitation of our art. Once you get your product ready to present to the public, make sure that you have your sound scan form registered as well as your BDS forms filled out and submitted with full versions of the songs that you plan to promote for airplay. This is just the beginning of what has to be done to insure that when your music/art starts to make money that YOU can profit from it. I will stop here. As you can see there is a lot of BUSINESS involved with being successful in this industry. Just understand that just like a scientist or mathematician has to study and read to master their craft, so must we. There is a ton of resource material available that discusses the science and mechanics of the music industry. Read as much and as often as you can. Knowledge is POWER and MONEY. I will let you digest this much for a bit. Stay focused!

The Truth

(c) 2009-2010 Airtight Records, Inc.