Don't Under Value Yourself

Recently, I was told that "I was under charging for my services because I had a confidence problem" and it was then explained to me that I should not be under charging and that I deserved every penny I asked. What I needed to do was change my perspective at how I looked at myself. I needed to look at myself at a product or brand. More importantly, I needed to also look at the time and money invested in getting where I am in my career. Let me preface the upcoming numbers, they are just estimations. Having said that let's more on.

Let me give you an example of how to justify the price I charge without having a guilt complex. I practice on average about 10 to 20 hours per week. On the conservative side let's estimate the hourly at $ 15.00 per hour. So that would be $ 225.00 to $ 300.00 per week of practice. There are 4 weeks per month which is $ 900.00 to 1200.00 per month. I have been doing this for about 24 months which would equal $ 21,600.00 to $ 28,800.00 which is equal to a College Tuition (Stick with me there is more to come). This is not counting the equipment you are using and not counting the time use have invested to master your instrument and the equipment. So depending on how much you invest in your equipment we are now looking at close to $ 60,000.00 to $ 80,000.00. Now add the time, effort, and money you invest in producing demo recordings to get the gig. Then there is the time, effort, and money promoting the show. So need I say anything more about being cheap when booking your show. It doesn't take long when you use this method to see how over time you have accumulated a huge investment in your music that has to generate a return. When people invest in an MBA degree that is what they use to justify charging the huge Salaries. So now I hope you have the same perspective I now have and refuse to do a show for "CHEAP" ever again. Jeri Goldstein, who has been coaching me tells me that you have to treat you and your music like a business. I received a true testament to what Jeri said. I was booking a gig and it was a trial situation and the owner of the business wanted a business plan as to what I plan to do. This plan should itemize ALL the cost involved with you doing the gig, tour, and anything else. Get a grip on where your money goes. I know that asking something like that is an incredible task for a musician but I would like to think that today's musician is smarter than the average joe. The reason that the Big Guys have made it is because that is exactly what they have done. Kept track of where their money is exactly. Start now and don't waver. So get your plan together, know the answers to the questions, and get out there and play your music!

Emo LeBlanc is a Country Music Artist who has performed all over the USA and Canada. Emo LeBlanc has been in business for 10+ years. Emo LeBlanc is based out of Nashville and lives elsewhere. Emo LeBlanc has performed all over the USA, Canada, Spain, and France.
(731) 327-4EMO (4366)
http://www.emoleblanc.com/
emo@emoleblanc.com

Emo LeBlanc is a proud member of the following:

FNO, CMA, ACM, SOCAN, AMIA, and CCMA with Excellent Standings in All!

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Making Money With Your Music in the UK

Making, performing and releasing music may sometimes feel like labour of love - why, sometimes we are even expected to pay to play gigs. Yet so much cost can be involved: equipment, instruments, recordings, studying, coaching/music lessons... not forgetting the hours we put in for composition, practice, marketing and promotion. And we can't expect the world to owe us something (or a lot) for what we choose or need to do. It's survival of the fittest, right? The strongest music gets the income.

Well the strongest and/or most popular music may get most of the income and the big bucks. But they are not necessarily the only ones making money with music. OK I may not be talking millions or new cars or houses here. But small amounts of revenue can be accrued by the most lightly active musicians. If you perform gigs at live music venues, release or sell your own music or get play on less mainstream radio shows you can still make some money with music.

Of course there is a few things you need to do first to make sure the world is aware of you music. I will cover the UK here as this is what I know of living and publishing independent music here. You need to join the bodies PRS For Music and the PPL (Phonographic Performance Ltd). You then register any recordings and releases (if you do not have a label to do this for you) with the PPL and acquire ISRC's for each track. An ISRC is a unique code for each released recording and needs to be included in the metadata during the mastering process. Ask the mastering engineer to include them or research this further if you are mastering your own material.

If you are playing live shows at your local pub, even at an open mic event you can still be making a bit of money with your music and claiming music royalties. By joining the PRS in the UK you can claim for each performance in a venue that is registered with a PRS music license. There is a PRS license sticker in the window of these places and ask the manager if they are licensed. Most of the time they have to be - even sandwich shops and hairdressers have to have licenses to play music in public. Which has it's pros and cons I know, but as a musician you can take a share of the moneys allocated by registering your tracks/setlist even if it was a small gig with very few audience members.

If you do send your music to radio stations and shows that are likely to like and play your music, then you may very well get some airplay and this can also accumulate. They are free to join and take a small percentage from music royalties they claim for you. And they hunt them down internationally. Research radio stations that may specialise in your music - I make quite unique or weird creative music and still find enough outlets to play and support my independent music.

Third party companies such as Sentric Music can make this process a lot easier as they are free to join and claim music royalties for you. As payment they take a small percentage from music royalties they claim for you, and their registering system is a lot more straightforward and accessible than I have found by going directly to PRS site. You just let them know when your music is played on any radio show you know about and tell them of any live shows with set list. They also send out regular requests for music for adverts for TV etc. Now that is can be artist's dream that can come true music royalties wise.

Finally selling your independent music yourself has surely never been easier. Sites like CD Baby and Bandcamp mean you can offer your independent albums and singles at whatever price you like. And you receive most of the income. Through CD Baby you can also get your music onto the likes of iTunes and Spotify which can mean more listens, sales and royalties. On Bandcamp you can give away your music for free or set a price to pay per download/item purchase. Alternatively, you can set a minimum amount an will invariably find a few supporters will pay more than this.

So we can't all be making loads of money from our music but you could be missing out on some moneys you are due. You could actually make quite a bit of money from your music. I have only shared a few avenues of revenue I know of and reap rewards from making my creative music. It can be straightforward and could be a surprising amount. More advice and information can be found at PRS for Music, PPL and Sentric Music websites and a thorough search engine search.

Caro Churchill aka caro snatch is a producer and performer of her own brand of creative music, toying with conventions of spoken word, electronic and avant-garde pop. Her latest independent album - Til You're No Longer Blinkered - has received many encouraging reviews and radio play, including BBC Radio 6 and Radio 3's Late Junction show.

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Getting Gigs As a Professional Band

Everyone has dreamed at some point of being in a band. But playing Wembley Stadium to 1000s of screaming fans and travelling around in chauffeur driven limousines unfortunately isn't the reality of your average professional band.

Every successful band is treated as a 'business model'.

The internet is usually the place that every band starts, using social websites such as Facebook, Twitter and most recently, Linked In are increasingly accommodating to bands & Musicians. It is often free for bands to join, upload MP3s, videos, gig dates and biographies. By doing this you are keeping your fans up to date with what your band is up to and reaching a wider audience.

Websites such as Bandcamp have also cropped up in recent years. These sites allow users to design a profile, which they can upload songs and artwork to. In addition to this users are able to keep track of fans email addresses, which can be downloaded to an Excel document, making it easy to send newsletters to your all important fans! To top it all off Bandcamp only takes a small commission from its users sales, meaning it is a cost effective way of getting your music out there. For this reason it has become a bands best friend.

Musician Directory websites are also very popular, although it is often very difficult to be found as potential customers have to sift through a never-ending list of mediocre bands in order to find the diamond in the rough. There are often hundreds of profiles so make sure that you include as much information as possible in order to make your profile stand out from the rest! Adding videos of your band playing is a great start to show people what to expect from a live show (assuming the videos are good quality!). It's also a good idea to get people to write a review of your gig on your profile page. The more great reviews, the more gigs!

Busking isn't something everyone has tried. However, it's undoubtedly a great way of making some money and promoting your talent. Contemporary and function bands have taken to the streets countless times in order to entertain the masses. If you're any good you're bound to be offered a gig somewhere, if not at least you'll make some money!

Another option is to offer yourself as an acoustic act as well as a full band to accommodate everyone's needs. Being a Jack of all trades' isn't a bad thing in music.

Last, but definitely not least are house bands. House bands regularly play in a venue 2-3 times a week and become very popular with the locals usually having a standard repertoire of 20-30 songs. This exposure results in the bands receiving more bookings from their ever-growing audience. The practice doesn't do any harm either!

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BBC Radio 1, The Inside Story of the Biggest Pop Station in the World

Have you ever given a thought to the role of the pop music disc jockey as he prattles away between the records? I doubt if it has ever crossed your mind, yet every day many millions of people use "music radio" as the soundtrack to their lives. It's a fact that music radio is more popular than any other type of radio entertainment.

From 1985 to 1993 I was in charge of BBC Radio 1, the national pop and rock station covering the whole of the United Kingdom.

Prior to 1967 there were a number of illegal "pirate" radio stations broadcasting to the mainland from the high seas around the coastline of UK. Following the British Government's closure of these pirates, the BBC reorganised its radio services and set up the first ever all day national popular music radio channel, BBC Radio 1.

In 1967, as a young producer, I was responsible for helping set up the station and produced the very first broadcast, the breakfast show, presented by star Disc Jockey Tony Blackburn. It was a very exciting day and one I will always remember. Not only was it a first for the BBC it was the first time American style radio jingles had ever been heard on the staid BBC airwaves and listeners were soon tuning in by the millions. Within a few months the station had over twenty million listeners a week.

Because we were operating a National service and needed to meet the fans all over the country, I devised the Radio 1 Roadshow, a travelling show broadcasting live from holiday resorts around the coast. Radio 1 listeners turned up in their thousands to see their DJ idols and participate in the fun and games and it was such a success that it ran for over 21 years. It was one of the BBC's longest running outside broadcasts and only ended when it became a victim of its own success, the logistics of running such a huge show overwhelmed it.

The programme content wasn't simply DJ's chatting away all day. There was also a comprehensive news service, "Newsbeat", and more people heard the news from this than any other BBC radio service. There were many broadcasts of live concerts by major rock artistes and a series of radio documentaries telling our listeners more about their favourite artists and their music. I personally set the style for these when I produced "The Beatles Story" a 14 hour series which was sold all over the world and translated in to Spanish from the original English.

In 1985 the BBC promoted me to Channel Controller which meant I was officially in charge of the whole station, it's DJ's, the staff and all the output.

The biggest project in my first year was to organise the broadcast coverage of "Live Aid", a huge project dedicated to raising money for the relief of famine in Ethiopia. It was an enormous undertaking with live concerts from London and Philadelphia as well as supplementary support concerts in Germany, Yugoslavia, Holland, Japan, Austria and Russia and Radio 1 and its staff provided the sound that went around the world.

That was the start of my tenure in charge of the biggest pop music station in the world and it continued like that until 1993 when I retired to take a back seat and become a listener rather than a broadcaster. If you are a radio enthusiast and want to understand it all and find out what it was like to ride this rollercoaster of a radio station you'll just have to take a cruise on one of todays modern cruise liners and listen when I give one of my lectures on the subject.

It was a fascinating time and as I said at the beginning, please give a thought to the disc jockey and his efforts to entertain you on a daily basis. There's a lot more to music radio than a person sitting in a room playing records. Who should know better than me? I was responsible for entertaining over 20 million listeners every week.

Happy listening.

Johnny Beerling

If you are a radio enthusiast and want to understand and find out what it was like to ride this rollercoaster of a radio station and read about the backstage gossip please explore the contents of my book "Radio 1, The Inside Scene" it's all on http://www.johnnybeerling.com/ and if you want an electronic version it's there for Amazon Kindle readers with additional previously unseen photos too.

I hope you find it of interest and entertaining and that you enjoy the read.

If it provokes questions please do contact me on johnny@johnnybeerling.com

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DJ Mixes - Creating The Right Mix For Each Event

You can own the best DJ equipment in the world, however if you don't choose the right DJ Mixes songs for each event, you'll be useless. From millions and millions of songs to choose from, how do you know what songs to play at each event. How many times have you gone to a party and heard songs that just baffle you? Don't be "that" DJ.

You need to understand your clientele. Music is different all around the country and all around the world so I can't tell you which DJ Mixes to play, however I can help direct you in the right direction. Luckily, pop music and popular artists are pretty universal. Generally sticking with popular artists at any event will be a safe bet. Of course you'll need to find out the musical preference of the client.

"Pop artists" is still a bit too general to help you gauge what to play for your DJ Mixes. While Popular Club music might go over great for a Wedding in a metropolitan area, Pop Country music might be more appropriate for a Wedding in the middle of America. Furthermore, while Trance/Techno music is great for Night Clubs, it's probably not a good idea to play this type of music at a 50th Birthday Party.

How do you know what type of music to play then? Honestly, use common sense. You know the demographics and the most popular genre of music in your areas better than me. If you still have no idea, find out about the local popular radio station and listen to it for a while. I live in the New York City Area and I understand how important it is to own a lot of the popular songs on the radio.

Usually the songs that are played on the radio stations in my area are also found on iTunes top songs list. I always make sure that I have most of the top songs from iTunes, unless I really think the song stinks. I keep my parties clean, so I don't usually download anything with inappropriate language for any of my DJ mixes.

When I DJ any type of Teen party/dance, many of the top iTunes songs usually serve as a pretty good play list. When I am doing a party for teens and adults, like a bar-bat Mitzvah, I'll play a mix of current pop music and then a mix some older classics for the parents, which I'll get into a little later. At parties like Bar/Bat Mitzvahs you'll probably have just an many adults as kids, so try to accommodate the parents while the kids are off playing games or eating.

Another music trick that may accommodate both adults and kids/teens is to get a list and play songs from Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Because of these popular video games, I am finding that many kids are more versed on classic rock songs that some adults. Some songs may not be appropriate to include in your DJ Mixes. You'll find bands like The Who, Bon Jovi, ACDC, Boston, Queen, and more! If you don't want to choose the exact songs from Guitar Hero or Rock Band, consider playing other popular songs from these artists.

When you are deciding on songs to include in your DJ Mixes, consider your guests and work from there. For Kids/Teens/Young Adults it's pretty safe to go with recent Top 40 songs. If you are playing to adults, play some current songs and find a playlist of top 100 songs of all times. If you are playing to a mix of all ages, don't be afraid to play Top 40 Songs and Top songs from all time. There are lists for all types of music! If you are considering playing at a Club, first find out what type of music they might prefer (i.e. house, techno, trance, lounge, electronic, etc.) and then fill your music database with that type of music.

My final and most important suggestion is to check with the client. They are usually happy to discuss the event with you and recommend certain Genres and Style so you can create the perfect DJ Mixes for the party.

Learn How to DJ the professional way at http://www.howtodjpro.com/ and get your FREE Newsletter INCLUDING Party Set-Lists, dance mixes, top songs info, links to equipment prices and reviews, and so much more to ensure maximum success and quality for DJ's at all levels. Don't be left behind your competition! My name is John peterson (DJ Masterminds) and my focus is your dj'ing success!

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Your Private Home Studio - Why Do-It-Yourself?

We live in a realm of audio, don't we? Part of that audio is voice, other part is music and much of it is just....noise, right? But regardless of what kind of sound it is, recording and editing it so that it fill a certain purpose is a big enterprise called.......professional recording.

Traditionally recording was finished in commercial recording studios. At the beginning of the 'business' area of recording, there was fundamental expertise and expensive gear involved so logically doing it in one's home (AKA: DIY home recording) wasn't widespread at all. Nonetheless that's transformed.

Currently the tools associated with recording music, voice (and noise) has gotten more compact, more sophisticated and (thankfully) cheaper. Basically home recording turn out to be automatically within reach of ordinary people with average funds.

Note: Sure...there's always 'high-end', 'cutting edge' home recording technology available to choose from, though that's not the thrust of the article. So let's first realize that it's not complicated to buy the home recording equipment anymore. Not only is current gear so much more obtainable but, frankly, there's lots of excellent quality used recording equipment available on the market too.

Hence, that being the case, why would you want to create a home recording studio? Or put another way...why would you choose to go to all that hassle of gathering the cash, taking a bit of time to construct a home recording studio, learning how to do the parts of process that you have no idea how to do?

There are certainly a lot of good reasons to build a recording studio yourself but we're going to mention 8 of them in this article. And keep in mind that these factors, or advantages, relate to you equally whether you are an instrumentalist, a singer, or a voice-over actor.
Having the ability to schedule your home recording studio time with your personal bio-rhythms quite often entails your performing better....creating a better finished creation. You in most cases can't do that when you're at the mercy of a hired recording studio.
If you decide to cancel a formerly planned recording studio session, you don't lose any cash. Consider this...if you and your crew rented a little recording studio time and all of sudden one of the members has to back out....you probably just have to 'eat' that unused studio time, don't you? If it's your studio....you would not.
You are not shelling out money to practice. You can perform (or have fun) as much as you wish in your personal home recording studio without paying rent. It's a flat investment anyhow, right? If you're a band, renting a commercial recording studio to practice, you solely get paid when you ultimately write a certain amount of final tracks that get sold someway. It's a long process that costs you every single step of the way and only pays off if you make it to the end.
A lot of music and sound designers have tools they like better over other tools. You never know what you'll find in a rented studio. With your own home recording studio you acquire what you need (because you get what you desire).
You arrange your use of the studio for the times you desire to work. It's not the same as #1 earlier for that refers to the most effective time to play your best. This advantage applies to practicality of utilizing the home recording studio on one occasion vs. another. If you got an additional occupation you could be going up against with others for studio rental 'after hours'. If you own your own private studio it's no hassle. In addition, even if you don't have a 'day gig', it's always pleasant to have the ability to arrange your producing sessions according to your available time.
In a sense, it amortizes itself....i.e. Every time you put it to use, you're preserving cash you'd have used up in hiring related facilities. It's an excellent feeling to 'spend just as much time as you want' and not concern yourself with the expense.
You do not need to drag all of heavy equipment all over just to go to a practice session. This advice only relates to bands obviously, but still...it's a biggie.
If you ever become a home recording studio owner, you can turn around and make revenue off it yourself just like some of those studio rental guys used to make off of you. Fair's fair, right?

Creating a good, home recording studio isn't quite hard and it should be the goal of just about every musical performer. You can find additional suggestions around to help you get it done too. If you have been thinking about it.....get going!

Discover all about setting up you own home recording project studio. Learn the secrets of commercial recording studios and design some sounds.

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Cons Against Signing A Rap Record Deal

Hey whats good... I want to talk to you about record deals.

A lot of my friends are trying to get signed to major labels. I tell them do not do it because I feel in this day and age that is one of the worst things you can do for your music career. The independent movement is popping right now, you can now make tens of thousands and even millions digitally through iTunes or on your own website. In Today's Industry more and more independent music artists than ever are living off of their music and living their dreams.

First ask yourself what is a Record Label? Its basically two things: it is a loan company and a marketing company. They provide you with a loan and they market you to the world. A major label will most likely give you a 360 Deal which means they own rights to your masters, almost all the income made off record sales, shows, and merchandise.

Here is an example of how the shadyness goes down

Lets say an artist goes gold (certified gold = 500,000 units)

Record labels are giving the artist around 13 percent of album sales. So going gold would equal $480,000. Looks like you caking right? Wrong

Lets say the record label invested $100,000 in marketing and promotion now you are down to 380,000.

Now take another 70,000 (For an advance and studio time) now you are down $310,000. Note half of that $310,000 goes into reserve for 2-4 years.

And on top of that 20 percent goes the manager.

So the artist really gets $19,333 for going gold. (That's a raw deal!)

And 2-4 years later if they recouped they get another $63,000. And if you don't recoup you are in debt and the money will be paid back on the second or third album.

Also major labels "shelf" artists who do not want to put out that garbage we hear on the radio. The only music that is selling on a mainstream level is cookie cutter party/dance records. These songs don't have positive intention behind the music its just B.S. put out to make some money. And unless your willing to sacrifice your creative ideas to make those songs you probably wont even get signed in the first place.

All in all you do NOT need the major labels. They take advantage of you and force you to put out the kind of music they say so. What you need is you need a support team, this includes a manager, entertainment lawyer, and an agent. Get a nice promo budget and good music and you can live off music with no problem.

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