Amy Purdy: Living beyond limits

Amy Purdy inspires me to keep striving to achieve my ultimate goal ^_^
How is it that someone go could through so much, yet over all obstacles surpass and become the number female snowboarder in the special Olympics. Such an accomplishment like that shows how strong the mind is over the physical body. She wasn't about to let her inhibitions keep her from doing the things that she loves to do. Its kinda of like how they say that when you tell yourself something even if its not legitimately true, if you keep telling yourself thatth eventually you end up believing that it is true. Such negative thinking was something Amy did not allow herself to become taken over by. Overcoming bacterial meningitis is no joke and she looks absolutely amazing and you would never know that she has two prosthetic legs as a result of the bacterial infection. In addition to the loss of her legs she also lost part of her ability to hear. I couldn't even begin to fathom what its must have been like to wake up to half your hearing gone and both of your legs gone as well....Its even interesting to note that even though she lost half of her hearing, her form of speech is quite intact.

How to Start a Movement- Derek Sivers

Derek Sivers presentation was straight to the point. Its true how the saying goes "where more than one are gathered big things happen..." A movement can start with person but it will eventually result in a bunch of participants and believers. Such is the same principle with starting your business. It begins with you but as you start to develop this business of yours you begin to tell people about it and the people you told tell their peoples about it. Thus you've created followers and supporters for your cause. A movement can be a very powerful thing and can spread like wild fire.






















Reference:
This video was uploaded from youtube but was originally found at:
http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_how_to_start_a_movement.html

Author of "Eat, Pray, Love" Speaks on Nurturing Creativity

         As I was browsing around Ted.com I stumbled upon this wonderful presentation of Elizabeth Gilbert writer and author of "Eat, Pray, Love" which is one of my favorite novel's yet next to The Divinci Code by Dan Brown. Gilbert explains that writing is not just her profession but it has been her "life long love and fascination." Through the recent mega success of her novel, Eat Pray Love she has found her self through some what of a slight predicament. No one ever imagined that Eat Pray Love would blow up to be such a huge local and international success. 

         Gilbert has found herself in the midst of daunting questions like "Are you ever gonna be able to top that? Will you able to produce another novel just as powerful that everyone will care about just as much if not more?....With such questions picking her thoughts it has caused Gilbert to recalibrate her whole outlook and relationship with her work. Gilbert admits to fears before and after her success. Event when she was young and in grade school she would constantly get asked by her peers "aren't you afraid that you won't be able to make a career out of writing?. Should we as creative minds fear the work we were put on this earth to do.

       I can say that I'm on board with Gilbert on the notion of the fear of being successful or not in the career that I feel I was destined to fulfill in my life time has always been a daunting question in my mind. It lingers in my mind constantly questioning my reasoning in every decision and move I make towards getting closer to reach my career goal. Every creative mind that can affirm that at some point in time in their path they have question themselves on their motive, direction, and purpose. 

       Gilbert later on elaborates on the notion of how there is such a high death rate among the creative minds of our time and day. As time has evolved the genius is now considered to be the creative mind instead of having a genius as the ancient Romans considered it. Gilbert says that it was a bad bad idea for the perception of "genius" to be the creative mind because it now adds this load of anxiety and responsibility that  human psyche cant handle resulting in the pressures of that responsibility killing our creative minds for the past 500 years. Artists like Marylin Monroe, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Chris Farley, Curt Cobain, Chris Penn, Amy Winehouse, Heath Ledger and the recent death of Pop King Michael Jackson are just a few examples of creative minds that unfortunately short lived there lives due to the pressures and anxieties of life and career responsibilities overwhelming their psyche.

Gilbert wishes this would stop because "I want our creative minds to live" we all want all the talents and stars that we have come to love to last for as long as they can.

I feel that through Gilbert's presentation has edified my perspective outlook on the importance of nurturing creativity. Truly is precious and important to safe guard and hold fast to or else it can spontaneously combust if not properly care for. I agree with Gilbert's perspective of the roots of the artist and how it has evolved and effected our artists through out the years. The vain materialistic demands of the craft and how it distorts the beauty of the creative mind. It has also help me to focus on nurturing the creative mind of the talents that I manage within my company including not losing my own creativity. I have fears as well but I can't let those things hold me back. I acknowledge that those fears are there but I evaluate options on how to get past those fears and I hope to help my talents with those fears as well.

 In order for Gilbert to protect herself from that "pit of despair" as she calls it she creates a psychological construct to manage her emotional and mental inhibitions. When she feels stuck or going through a small road block she figures out ways to circumnavigate and continue persevering to the work is finished and finished to her satisfaction.

I agree that creative process is different for every creative mind and does not behave rationally and can be at times as Gilbert would put it "paranormal". Inspiration comes elusively and tantalizing.

Gilbert gives the example of Tom Wade a tormented contemporary artist who figured out how to take the "genius" out of him to relieve the stress and heavy anxiety that had been tormenting him for soo long. He understand how to calibrate it to fit his creative process. The work was all the same and just as good just the process and outlook on life is what change and helped him continue to make the music that everyone appreciated.   

Gilbert is an amazing speaker and I hope to one day be able to attend one of her presentations. She continues to be one of my favorite authors and I look forward to enjoying a couple more decades of her amazing writings.

Source of original video:
Elizabeth Gilbert presentation on Ted.com

What you may or may not know about the RIAA

          One of the most influential associations in the growth of my company has been learning about the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) which is a trade organization designed to give the much needed support and promotion of creative and financial vitality of the major music companies of our day. In addition RIAA strives to protect the intellectual property and first amendment rights of its artists and music labels; they conduct consumer, industry, and technical research as well as monitor and review state & federal law, regulations and policies. There are four main services that RIAA provides beginning with the technical services which includes things like watermark payload specifications, Global Release Identifier also known as GRid, and Digital Data Exchange. A second service RIAA provides is the Dual Disc; a product sought after by many in the music industry for the mere reason that it is both a CD and DVD in one- allownig an artist to deliver audio, video, and computer content all on a single two-sided disc to the anxious consumer fan. One side of the disc is CD while the other side of the same disc is DVD... in this way their is more interactive content in the album as a whole thus allowing the artist to offer more appealing features and bonuses to its fans. Not everybody can obtain a DualDisc product. Record labels are required to obtain a license to use the Dual Disc logo on its products.
          A third service RIAA provides is the International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) which is the internationally recognized identification tool for sound and music video recordings. It is used by major download sites, digital distribution companies and collecting societies as a tool to manage digital repertoire and track commerce. The fourth and most important service RIAA provides is the FBI Anti-Piracy Seal & Warning (FBI Seal) which is important to artists and record labels in the protection of their material. As a result of substantial losses to the recording industry due to constant piracy, the RIAA worked closely with the FBI to devlop a new government seal & warning for placement on copyrighted music products in order to increase anti-piracy awareness. If you weren't aware infringement can cost you up to $250,000 in fines and up to 5 years jail time. You can't use the mark unless your a member of the RIAA. Companies must join this program in order to use the marks.
         The RIAA specifically states in their site that takes an uncompromising stand against censorship and for the first amendment rights of the artists to create freely. There for you can be a member, submit what ever artistic material and there will be no bias against it. They work to protect not to hinder.


         RIAA currently has two programs the Gold and Platinum program which was luanched in 1958 to honor artists outstanding achievements and create a standard by which to measure sales of a sound recording.
Gold Album award = 500,000 copies sold
Platinum Album award = 1,000,000 copies sold and was created in 1976
later the Multi-Platinum award was created in 1984.
In 1999, the RIAA launched the Diamond Awards honoring sales of 10 million copies or more of an album or single.
50 years the Gold, Platinum, and Multi-Platinum and now Diamond award programs are the longest running objective measure of achievement for sound recordings in the United States, and it also provides an unmatched historical perspective on the success of countless recording artists.


Lastly, In connection with the RIAA, The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) issues a silver, gold, platinum, and diamond award category for a number of countries including the US (IFPI has members in 70 countries and 5 continents)


The RIAA is important to our industry because it has sought to protect the work of artists and labels through out the years and continues to do so in the most meticulous and genius way. Not only do they offer services to the music industry in the US but they also take it over seas internationally as well. Piracy happens all over the world and the RIAA is protecting its current artists and incoming artists that aren't educated on the demands of the industry and all the legalities involved in keeping their careers safe and intact. I can definitely see my company eventually becoming a member of this association in the future. As a manager protecting the talents and their creative material is extremely important to me and the company I run. RIAA helps facilitate that in a more legitimate way. There are a lot of legalities involved in managing talents and I feel that RIAA has educated me on a lot of details I didn't know about. This inturn helps clarify the direction and decisions I need to take in insuring the success of my talents.


Reference:
The official site of RIAA
(2011). Retrieved from http://www.riaa.com/index.php

MUSIC MANAGER AND MANAGEMENT ROLES

There are generally six types of music managers that can play a role in the careers of recording artists, record producers, songwriters, and musicians. Most artists will interact with only one or two of these managers, but it helps to know what to expect from each of them nonetheless.
Following is a brief description of the roles of the different types of music managers.



Music Manager (aka Artist Manager, Talent Manager, Band Manager, or Personal Manager)

The Music Manager has the most interaction with the artist and is generally the most important person in the artist's musical life. They are involved in planning, coordinating and organizing the career of the artist. They are involved in counseling and advising the artist on all matters related to their musical careers. The personal manager should research the music industry and know all about record labels, publishing companies, producers, booking agents, promoters, publicists, stylists, photographers, recording engineers, graphic designers, video directors, music licensees, etc., and how they integrate themselves into the overall career plan. The more contacts the manager has, the more effective they will be at their job.




Business Manager

The Business Manager (usually an accountant by trade) manages the income and expenses of the client. Business managers usually take care of making payments to musicians, background singers, roadies, tour managers, etc., on behalf of the artist. They also advise the artist on assets and investments, savings and taxes (local, state, federal, and International). Most artists are unaware that they have tax obligations that relate to their performance and licensing income, CD and merchandise sales, equipment purchases, sponsorship cash, other miscellaneous income, etc. Business managers also try to get their clients to invest in their future and save something for a rainy day since even the most successful artists eventually stop earning regular income from making records and touring.




Road Manager

The Road manager normally takes care of logistics while the artist is on tour (or on the road). Duties include making sure that everything on the road is provided as spelled out in the contract and all monies are paid on time. The artist is then left free to concentrate on their performances and not whether the promoter, venue booker or booking agent has met their obligations. The road manager also follows up on items that were promised as part of the contract such as accommodations, per diems, equipment rentals, commissions, etc.




Tour Manager

The Tour manager on larger tours coordinates all the Road managers along with the details and logistics of the tour itself. Sometimes the road manager and the tour manager are the same person. The Tour manager is in charge of all the details that relate to the entire tour including communications, merchandising, tour routing, catering, hospitality, etc.




Production Manager

Production managers can be found on larger tours involving major record label artists. Production managers work closely with tour managers, helping with certain details having to do with the production of the show; like renting sound, video and lighting equipment, dealing with trucking issues, etc. Production managers also deal with the publicity for the show, as well as assist with scheduling and coordinating both the touring crew and the local venue crew (stagehands, carpenters, riggers, etc.).




Technical Manager

The Technical Manager (or Technical Director) is usually the person in charge of set design, construction, and control during the performance. They work closely with the production manager.




Responce:
I found this article to be so enlightening for me. I never realized how many different manager roles there were in relevance to the career of an artist. As an artist manager it didn’t dawn on me how many other manager’s I’d have to collaborate with to ensure the success of my artist. This article not only enlightened me on the fact that I won’t be doing everything myself but that I will also have to look for qualified people to fill that role for each of my artists. Being a music manager is a demanding job but at least now I know that there are other managers that I will be working with that can share my stress level and can understand the demands. In addition this is good information for my artists to know as well because most artist think that they only deal with one manager. Little do rising artists know that there are a number of different managers of which they will have to rely on other than their personal manager. This fact of “my manager handles everything” is proven myth because it various managers to make a project come to full fruition. It is a relief to know that there are other managers that fulfill various roles like road trip duties, production, tour, technical etc. It is less that I have to know and take on. Granted I would have to check in on their progress but for me to not have to worry about everything and assign specific roles to qualified candidates is a huge load off the shoulders. After this revelation, I am looking to see how each one fulfills these roles and how do people end up becoming one the indicated managerial roles. It is good for a manager to learn new information concerning a relevant topic and forwarding that educative information to their artist. Artists appreciate and value the counsel of their manager and keeping them informed secures the clarity of communication between manager and client (artist). It is good to always be on the same page.


Reference source:

Music manager roles. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.artistmanagementresource.com/music-manager-roles.html

Getting a Label Deal in Today's Music Industry: Interview with Artist Manager Dean Baylor, Winton Elliott & Associates

 

Dean Bayler is currently a day artist manager with Winton Elliott and Associates, an artist services firm based in Nashville, TN. Prior to this, he was a road manager and tour manager for various Christian and mainstream artists, such as Amy Grant and Mercy Me, and Keith Urban. I find Dean’s interview to be refreshing to the ears. In this interview, Dean elaborates on the record labels, the need for down sizing and cutting costs due to the market going digital, and where the industry stands today. Because the digital market has evolved so much within the last five years it is so easy for artists to independently market themselves. Artists have some many outlets to use for self-promotion; social networks like reverbnation, twitter, youtube, facebook, myspace and the list goes on. There’s also the ability for artists to sell their music through digital websites like tunecore, i-tunes, rhapsody which in turn has created a way for artist to rake in mass revenue. 

Digital marketing has allowed for fans to be able to have immediate access to their favorite artist’s music. They no longer have to purchase the entire album they can pick and choose their favorites. Even though this method of purchasing music digitally has grown with such fever, it has struck distribution companies immensely causing album sales to plummet. Not only has this been a reason for album sales to drop but also pirating of music has been a factor as well. More and more websites are creating different ways to download music for free which hurts everybody in the music entertainment industry in some form or manner. However the die hard fan will go out of his/her way to buy the album. With this said more and more independent artists have found success through online stores, self marketing and promotion. Dean also explains that the manner in which an artist is initially development has changed as well due to the market going digital. This way the team behind the artist pretty much composes the package and have it ready to go for the labels. Reference Source: Baylor, D. (2008). Getting a label deal in toda'ys music industry [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.artistshousemusic.org/videos/getting a label deal in todays music industry

Excluzive Interview of Terry McBride- CEO of Nettwerk Records

My career field has to do with my entertainment company encompassing artist management, media production, and starting a record label. The video I have posted features CEO & Co-Founder of Nettwork Records, Terry McBride. In this exclusive interview he discusses a little background on starting his company and elaborates on everything it takes to be a good manager and connecting with your artist. Terry McBride is one of my entrepreneur icons. I relate to his video so well and thought that this would be beneficial to all my readers who are interested or are pursuing a career in artist management, building a record label, or even creating their own entertainment company....I love how Terry mentions that an artist manager inspires his artist as well as acts as an educator of how things run. He goes on to say that an artist manager also has to love what he/she does and needs to connect with his/her artists. A manager pretty much takes care of everything for the artist especially in the beginning when artist's can't afford it. He makes an interesting point that artist management should consider having their own label because you can experience both perspective's in managing the artist as well as directing the label....In many instances artists find themselves blaming the label for a failed project. It is wise to create your own label that way you and your artist experience being on the outside as well as on the inside of how everything operates in the entertainment industry. Its better to have both so you can run the show yourself and you don't have to go through so much chain of command to get things done or taken care of.


I found this video on the following website which hosts a lot of imformative articles and video's to learn from : http://www.artistshousemusic.org/Home
also the home website for Nettwork record is www.nettwerk.com....

ARTISTS DON'T MAKE MONEY FROM RECORD DEALS

This is an article that I found very informative and thought you guys might like to read....Enjoy




By, Wendy Day from Rap Coalition


Who is the incredible bonehead who said rappers make mad loot? Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!! Because the fans expect their favorite artists to be crazy paid and livin' large, this puts an incredible amount of pressure on the artists to appear wealthy. And it's not just the fans; I can't tell you how many times I've been out with rappers along with people in the industry, and the industry slobs have expected the artists to pick up the dinner check. I've even seen people cop an attitude if the artist doesn't pay for everything. This is small minded and ignorant because the artist is ALWAYS the last to get paid. Everyone gets their cut first: the label, the manager (15%- 20% of all of the artist's entertainment income), the lawyer (by the hour or 5%-10% of the deal), the accountant (by the hour or 5% of all income), and, of course, the IRS (28% to 50% depending on the tax bracket).


Once an artist releases a record, the pressure is on to portray a successful image to fans, friends, families, and people around the way. People expect the artists to be well dressed, drive an expensive car, etc. Think about it. Don't you expect artists "to look like artists?" Would you admire Jay-Z as much if he drove a busted old 1990 Grand Am instead of that beautiful, brand new, top of the line Bentley?


Sadly, when an artist gets signed to a label deal, especially a rap artist, he or she receives somewhere between 8 and 13 points. What that means is 8% to 13% of the retail sales price, after the record label recoups the money it puts out (the advance, the sample clearances, the producer advances, usually half the cost of any videos, any cash outlays for the artists, etc.). The artist has to sell hella units to make any money back. Here's an example of a relatively fair record deal for a new rap artist with some clout in the industry and a terrific negotiating attorney:


ROYALTY RATE: 12%


We're going to assume that there are 3 artists in the group, and that they split everything equally. We're also going to assume that they produce their own tracks themselves.


Suggested retail list price (cassettes) $10.98
less 15% packaging deduction (usually 20%) =$ 9.33
gets paid on 85% of records sold ("free goods") =$7.93


So the artists' 12% is equal to about 96 cents per record sold. In most deals, the producer's 3% comes out of that 12%, but for the sake of brevity, in this example the group produced the whole album, buying no tracks from outside producers, which is rare.


Let's assume that they are a hit and their record goes Gold (although it is rare that a first record blows up like this). Let's also assume they were a priority at their record label and that their label understood exactly how to market them. So they went Gold, selling 500,000 units according to SoundScan (and due to the inaccuracies in SoundScan tracking at the rap retail level, 500,000 scanned probably means more like 600,000 actually sold).
GOLD RECORD = 500,000 units sold x $ .96 = $480,000. Looks like a nice chunk of loot, huh? Watch this. Now the label recoups what they've spent: independent promotion, 1/2 the video cost, some tour support, all those limo rides, all those out of town trips for the artist and their friends, etc.


$480,000
-$100,000 recoupable stuff (NOT advance)
--------
$380,000
-$ 70,000 advance (recording costs)
--------
$310,000


Still sounds OK? Watch... Now, half of the $380,000 stays "in reserve" (accounting for returned items from retail stores) for 2 to 4 years depending on the length specified in the recording contract. So the $70,000 advance is actually subtracted from $190,000 (the other $190,000 is in reserves for 2 years). Now, there's also the artist's manager, who is entitled to 20% of all of the entertainment income which would be 20% of $310,000, or $62,000. Remember, the artist is the last to get paid, so even the manager gets paid before the artist.


So the artists actually receive $19,333 each for their gold album, and in two years when the reserves are liquidated, IF they've recouped, they will each receive another $63,000. IF they've recouped. Guess who keeps track of all of this accounting? The label. Most contracts are "cross-collateralized," which means if the artist does not recoup on the first album, the money will be paid back out of the second album. Also, if the money is not recouped on the second album, repayment can come out of the "in reserve" funds from the first album, if the funds have not already been liquidated.


Even after the reserves are paid, each artist only actually made 50 cents per unit based on this example. The label made about $2.68 per unit. This example also doesn't include any additional production costs for an outside producer to come in and do a re-mix, and you know how often that happens.


So each artist in this group has received a total of about $82,000. After legal expenses and costs of new clothing to wear on stage while touring, etc, each artist has probably made a total of $75,000 before paying taxes (which the artist is responsible for-- remember Kool Moe Dee?). Let's look at the time line now. Let's assume the artists had no jobs when they started this. They spent 4 months putting their demo tape together and getting the tracks just right. They spent another 6 months to a year getting to know who all of the players are in the rap music industry and shopping their demo tape. After signing to a label, it took another 8 months to make an album and to get through all of the label's bureaucracy. When the first single dropped, the group went into promotion mode and traveled all over promoting the single at radio, retail, concerts, and publications. This was another six months. The record label decided to push three singles off the album so it was another year before they got back into the studio to make album number two. This scenario has been a total of 36 months. Each member of the group made $75,000 for a three year investment of time, which averages out to $25,000 per year. In corporate America, that works out to be $12 per hour (before taxes).


OK, so it's not totally hopeless. Since we're using the fantasy of a relatively fair deal, let's look at publishing from a relatively fair perspective. There are mechanical royalties and performance royalties to figure in. Mechanical royalties are the payments that Congress stipulates labels must pay based on copy right ownership and publishing ownership. These payments have nothing to do with recouping, but everything to do with who owns the publishing. Publishing is where the money is in the music business. Suge Knight claims to have started Death Row Records with the money he made from owning Vanilla Ice's publishing for one song: Ice Ice Baby. It may not be true, but it could be. Avatar Records (home of Black Xuede) is financed through the publishing that the CEO has purchased over the years. Although publishing can be quite cumbersome to understand (just when I think I get it, I read something else that makes me realize how little I know about the subject), but the most basic principle is that when an artist puts pen to paper, or makes a beat, the artist owns the publishing. It's that simple. Whoever creates the words or music owns those words or music. Where it gets confusing is all the different ways to get paid on publishing, all the ways to split publishing with other folks, and all the ways artists get screwed out of their publishing. In the 8 years I've been doing this, I have heard so many times, artists say that they don't care about losing a song or two because they can always make a ton more. That's stupidity. It's undervaluing one's ability. That's like saying it's OK to rob me of my cash, I can go to the ATM machine and get more money. Wrong!! It's never right to rob someone. The "I can make more" defense immediately goes out the window when the creator sees someone else make hundreds of thousands of dollars off a song. Every time!! So why not protect yourself in the door?


Bill Brown at ASCAP breaks it down more simply than anyone I've ever heard. He compares publishing with real estate. When you make a song, you are the owner of that property: the landlord. Sometimes you sell off a piece of the land for money (but you NEVER give away your land, right??) and if someone else wants to use your property, or rent it, they have to pay you rent to use it. I love that analogy. It's so crystal clear!


A copyright is proof of ownership of a song, both lyrics and music. If there is a sample in the music, you are automatically giving up part of the song, at the whim of the person who owns the rights to the original song (not necessarily the original artist). In order to "clear the sample," you send your version of the song to the owner of the original composition or whomever owns the publishing (and to the owner of the master, meaning original record label or whomever now owns the master). Then you negotiate the price with those two owners. Some are set in stone and you get to either agree to their price or to remove the sample. On DJ DMD's last album (22: PA Worldwide on Elektra) he spent close to $100,000 in advances and fees due to the sampling on his album. It came out of his upfront monies (advance) and he bears the burden of paying for it all, even though Elektra released and owns the record. Proof of copyright is easy to obtain by registering your song with the copyright office in Washington DC. You call them (202.707.9100) and ask for an SR Form (sound recording). You fill out the form, listing all of the owners, and mail it back to them with a copy of the song (a cassette is good enough) along with the Copyright fee (around $25 or so). This way, if someone steals your song, or a piece of your song, you can sue them for taking it and for your legal fees. With the "poor man's copyright" (mailing your tape to yourself in a sealed envelope with your signature across the sealed flap, and then never opening it when it arrives back to you with a postmark proving the date), you can not sue for damages and it's more difficult to prove your case. The copy right fee may seem like a lot of money to some, but it's nothing compared to what a law suit would cost you.


Performance royalties are money that is paid for the performance of your song. The money is paid based on the percentage of ownership of the song. So if you own 100% of the song, you get the whole check. If you own just the music, which is half the song, then you get half the money. If you own the music with a sample in it that claims half the song, then you get a check for 25%. Ya follow? Performance Rights organizations consist of ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC (which is still quite small). They police the radio stations, clubs, concerts, etc (any place music is played or broadcast), all of whom pay a fee to play the music which the performance rights societies collect and split amongst their members based on the amount of times a record is played. Although the formulas change annually based on play, a Top 10 song played on commercial radio can earn a good chunk of change in the hundreds of thousands of dollars range.


There is another kind of royalty artists receive when their records sell: mechanical royalties. These are paid based upon a pre-set limit placed by Congress which increases automatically every two years. In 1998 and 1999 it was .0715 cents per song, but on January 1, 2000 it increased to .0765 per song. Record labels put caps on mechanical royalties (the slugs) at either 10 songs, 11 songs, or 12 songs, no matter how many songs actually appear on the record, and you get what you negotiate for. Also, there's a slimey little clause that restricts payment of mechanicals (because God knows labels don't make enough money as it is) to anywhere between 75% and 85%. This evil deed is called percentage of statutory rate. Here's the difference those few pennies make as it pertains to an artist's royalty check (I refuse to even consider illustrating the worst bullshit deals such as 10x at 75%) provided they own 100% of the song:


# songs stat mechanical 100,000 sold 250,000 sold 500,000 (Gold) 1,000,000 (Platinum)
11x 85% .6639 per album $66,390 $165,975 $331,950 $663,900
11x 100% .781 per album $78,100 $195,250 $390,500 $781,000


12x 85% .7242 per album $72,420 $181,050 $362,100 $724,200
12x 100% .852 per album $85,200 $426,000 $852,000 $1,704,000


10x 85% .6035 per album $60,350 $150,875 $301,750 $603,500


I based the above chart on the old 1998-1999 rate of .0715 per song, so I could use my friend Fiend as an example. His first album came out in April of 1998 when the stat rate set by Congress was at this rate.


The dollar figure above represents monies due an artist (regardless of recoupment) per album based on ownership of 100% of publishing. So for example, Fiend who is signed to No Limit, provided he owns 100% of his publishing (I can dream can't I?), if his deal gives him 11x rate at 85% (I hate it but it won't kill me) then on his first album, There's One In Every Family, which came out 4/28/98 and sold 565,977 SoundScan units, No Limit would have paid him (hopefully) $378,369.77. If No Limit owns half of Fiend's publishing, he would receive $189,184.88 provided he wrote all of his own songs (which he did, except the verses by other artists who appeared which lowers the ownership percentage and dollar amount) and provided he made all of his own beats (which he did not; he features outside producers on this album like Beats By The Pound).


So there you have it, the real deal on how much money an artist makes. You can subtract out now another 28% to 50% of all income, including show money, (depending on the artist's tax bracket which is determined by how much income was made within any given calendar year) for the IRS who get paid quarterly (hopefully) by the artist's accountant. If the average artist releases a record every two years, then this income must last twice as long... I think about this every time I see my favorite artists flossing in their music videos drinking champagne or every time I see them drive by in a brand new Benz...

What is the difference between performing right royalties, mechanical royalties and sync royalties?

BMI royalties are performing right royalties, which are earned when a musical work is performed publicly. Public performance occurs when a song is sung or played, recorded or live, on radio and television, as well as through other media such as the Internet, live concerts and programmed music services. BMI grants licenses to perform, use or broadcast music from its extensive repertoire to hundreds of thousands of users of music in public places, such as radio and tv stations, hotels, clubs, colleges, restaurants, stores, and more.


The "mechanical" right is the right to reproduce a piece of music onto CDs, DVDs, records or tapes. (Non-mechanical reproduction includes such things as making sheet music, for which royalties are paid by the publisher to the composer.)


When reproduction of music is made onto a soundtrack of a film or TV show, the reproduction is called "synchronization," and the license that the TV or film producer needs to obtain is called a synchronization, or "sync," license.


Mechanical royalties and synchronization fees are paid by record companies and film and TV producers directly to the copyright owner, usually the publisher, or his or her representative. The Harry Fox Agency, 601 West 26th Street, New York, NY 10001, (212) 675-2707, harryfox.com, represents many U.S. publishers in granting mechanical and synchronization licenses and collecting fees for them from the record companies and producers who need them.


(NOTE: this is an informative exert from BMI.com)

Q: What Is A Public Performance of Music And What Is The Performing Right?

A "public performance" of music is defined in the U.S. copyright law to include any music played outside a normal circle of friends and family. Songwriters, composers, and music publishers have the exclusive right to play their music publicly and to authorize others to do so under the copyright law. This is known as the "Performing Right". This right was designed to enable and encourage music creators to continue to create music.
When you see the words "All Rights Reserved" on a movie that you've rented or purchased, you know that playing that movie before a public audience is prohibited. The same restrictions apply to music that is purchased, broadcast, or live musicians that are hired to play in a public setting. Every business or organization must receive permission from the copyright owners of the music they are playing before playing it publicly.

Promoting your Artist(s)

So as a manager  I have found it to be extremely vital to promote your artist...wouldn't you agree?.....sooo from one artist manager to another I suggest you sign your management company up on www.reverbnation.com....and add your artist to your roster....then you can put a widget on your blog page like mine and that adds for fan base growth........you can connect all your social media to your reverbnation page and you its a great place to get your music heard. By you constantly thinking of new ways to create a fan base for your artist you're showing support towards you're artists....They need to know you believe in them ^_~.....Thoughts?......

Welcome to Maestro's Food for Thought

Welcome to the official blogging sight of Maestro (CEO/Founder of M2M Excluzive Ent.)....This is the zone where I Maestro will discuss various Foods for Thought pertaining to everything from daily life experiences to topics and trends related to the Entertainment Industry...You are more than welcome to comment your opinions (pro/con) on any subject matter discussed on my blog site...This is your free spirit zone to express yourself so have at it......You may learn something intriguing from me as I may also learn from you......Stay tuned cuz Maestro isn't going any where ^_~

Food For Thought: "To Buy or Not to Buy" that is the question.....

Artist work hard just like any other person working a 9-5 job.....granted there are websites out there that you can download their program and obtain the music of your favorite artist free of charge. They may not be the best quality or rendition but its the song you're looking for....Ask yourself "Am I really doing a service to my artist by obtaining the music I like Illegally?" If you love the artist's music you listen to is obtaining their music without paying for it really supporting the artist you admire so much? Why not show your support as a fan of their material by officially purchasing their album........Think about it.....If you were the artist working as hard as you do would you appreciate someone getting a hold of a copy of your music, your art, your creation without rightfully paying for it....I supposed you wouldn't.... Everything you do has value to it.....so why not show that value and appreciation towards the artists you admire.....???? Nothing in life is truly free...value something for what is in it not for what can be gotten out of it.......... I say pay for the music you have appreciation for.  If you don't like then don't buy....What say you.....


                                                                 Until next time,
                                                                                Maestro