3 Music Industry Challenges That Musicians Can Overcome
by Jeronimo Black on May.15, 2012, under Music Industry
You’ve heard the story…talented young musician from a poor background beating the odds and succeeding in the music industry. You may have even heard how the musician has felt rejection before finally reaching their goals.
How do you become successful in the music industry? Check out what I have to say below.
1. Set Some Goals
What you probably aren’t being told in these stories is that the musicians succeed because they have goals. Setting goals is the biggest challenge for most musicians. It’s hard to set goals when busy making music. We want every musician to succeed, but he truth is successful musicians win by setting goals and all others end up feeling jaded about their losses in the music biz.
2. Network Like A Professional
Networking can be a complicated challenge for many musicians. There are no specific secrets to networking that I know of. But I do know that rapport helps. Rapport is good vibes. Music is the original social network. People have been connecting through music since the early days of humanity.
How do you build rapport (connect) with people? There are a number of ways to connect. You can start with finding something in common with those you’re trying to connect with. I’ve met hundreds of musicians and those who are successful have the ability to act like they care about you.
On the other side, you should be sure to not make it all about you. There are musicians, hip-hop producers, singers and songwriters who make the mistake of making the music industry all about them. Networking is an art and the good news is, like any art you can master it with practice.
3. Give-And-Receive
How can someone receive something if they don’t give something first? The true answer is, they can’t. In the music industry, you can only receive after you give. So where can you start? You can start by giving a little time to setting your goals, learning to master networking and investing in a qualified mentor.
Now that you’ve heard how to overcome these challenges, like us on facebook and tell us what you think.
7 Reasons Why Drake is Successful and Music Biz Mistakes Made
by Kasondra K on Dec.02, 2011, under Music Promotion, Today's Music Biz
I’m told by some that Drake is a “reverse rapper”. Most successful rappers go to TV. Drake was a teenage TV star on Digrassi The Next Generation before his rap career took off.
Either way, there is no denying DrizzyDrake is everywhere with the fan base to follow.
So what are some of the secrets to Drake’s success in Today’s Music biz and what mistakes can you avoid?
1) Build your brand.
If you Google Drake you’ll come up with DrizzyDrake (Drake’s AKA) and Octobers Very Own or OVO. Drake’s brand. He built this brand before he signed to a label.
2) Listen to constructive criticism from your fans.
In a recent interview with Billboard magazine, Drake states that he’d “rather have great reviews than numbers”. Implementing feedback can take your music to the next level. I’ve seen it happen.
3) Positivity matters.
Drake’s song “Successful” and the lyrics to the majority of his songs are aspirational. They talk about what he’s accomplished, or wants to accomplish (even if it’s marrying Nicki Minaj). This is how he connects with many of his fans. You have to have dreams and goals to be successful in Today’s Music Biz. You have to believe in them, sing or write them to act on them.
4) Get your music cleared before announcing a release date.
Drake’s first album Thank Me Later release was pushed back due to licensing issues after the date had been announced. It may work for someone with a large enough, established, fan base but you don’t want to build anticipation and then let your fans down by not being able to release your album on time.
5) Leaks can be good.
He’s quoted in Billboard.com saying “the night that it leaks is the night by album release is…that’s when you start hearing feedback. That’s how we gauge things now”. His latest release ended up dropping on the night of an awards show where he had the opportunity to let everyone know on national TV during his performance that it sold 700,000 units.
6) Be loyal to those who give you a chance.
Drake’s first album with Lil Wayne’s Young Money hit #1 on Billboard top 200. His most recent deal for the release of Take Care was signed with Young Money/Cash Money/Universal to make sure Lil Wayne got paid off everything he did. Just for believing in him! This album just hit #1 on the Billboard top 200 as well. My guess is he’ll be winning more awards next year and thanking Lil Wayne.
7) Fame is fleeting.
Drake Says you get 30 days for an album, of media and radio air play. Drake connects with fans by singing about situations they are going through. But everyone’s situation changes day by day. Whats hot in music changes from day to day. That’s why we teach you to The ABC’s of Music Marketing.
There are more lessons to be learned from this successful rapper. One we’ve talked about many times at TMB is collaboration. Drake’s success in working with others such as Trey Songz, Jay-Z, and Mary J. Blige and so many more has been phenomenal. Drake even wrote Un-thinkable (I’m Ready) with Alicia Keys. Collaboration done right always leads to success and other opportunities.
We’re here to help you Succeed in Today’s Music Biz.
5 Music Biz Lessons from Rihanna: “Never a Failure, Always a Lesson”
by Kasondra K on Aug.20, 2011, under Today's Music Biz
Although I’ve never been a real fan of Rihanna’s, the uniqueness of her voice makes her superbly recognizable. I can’t help but be impressed by her level of success in the music biz. I love her life motto: “Never a Failure, Always a Lesson”
So what Music Biz lessons can an upcoming artist learn from of the multi-platinum International musician, Rihanna?
1. Determination. Rihanna started a musical trio at the age of 15. She left school and moved to the US when she was 16. It took a year to record a 4-song demo to be pushed to recording companies. Jay-Z, the President of Def-Jam listened to her demo. Although hesitant at first, he had her come in and audition in front of himself and L.A. Reid. They signed her to the label the same day.
2. Be your own person; a unique influence. Rihanna has never pulled punches on being who she is, (or how she dresses) even if it causes controversy.
Rihanna’s voice and music have unique influences. Her mother is Guyanese, and her Father is Barbadian and Irish. Her music has a Reggae Caribbean feel with hip hop influence, all of which is definitely part of her appeal.
3. Diversify: Set yourself up for the long haul. I’ve heard this many times in my life in regards to business. As a business person, Rihanna has used her brand to get into many markets with endorsements from Secret, J.C. Penny, Cover Girl, and Nivea. She’s also started Vita Cocoa water with Madonna. She’s founded The Believe Foundation to help kids and has performed countless benefit concerts for different causes.
4. Not everyone you involve yourself with, will be a good influence for your music business. This includes people that involve themselves with you, claiming to be there for you. The people around you can make or break you. We’ve heard a number of very successful musicians say they want to get out of the music biz. Why? It’s not because they don’t like making music any more. It’s because they are fed up with the people around them; the influences in their lives and musical careers.
It was unfortunate that we all got to watch Rihanna and Chris Brown’s relationship, not only fall apart but end up in violence in the public eye. Before that, they seemed to be one of hip-hops hottest couples. At some point before this incident, this relationship should have been evaluated for cracks. Make sure you evaluate the relationships around you. Are they really beneficial to your career? Do they support your ideas and dreams? Or do they give you reasons why they won’t work or can’t happen? Fortunately, Rihanna was able to come back and make music history performing California King Bed with Jennifer Nettles at the 2011 CMA’s.
5. Don’t give up. Rihanna has come back from controversy, public humiliation and a bad break up. Most recently she was slammed by the media for walking down the streets of her Barbados home town revealing…herself. Later she was photographed and talked about for “dressing like a teacher…and showing no skin”. She came back from that one fairly quickly. What obstacles are you facing? What will it take for you to overcome them, move on, and Succeed in Today’s Music Biz?
The ugly truth is that the Music Biz is not easy street. There will be challenges and obstacles to overcome. Rihanna, a young girl from Barbados went on to sell over 20 million albums in the US alone. This is not including her latest release Loud.
Remember Rihanna’s words and learn from situations that are difficult for you. “Never a Failure, always a lesson”
If you’d like to share your challenges or your story join us on facebook. www.facebook.com/TodayMusicBiz
5 Ways Foo Fighters Turn Fans Into Buyers
by Jeronimo Black on Jun.26, 2011, under Music Promotion, Today's Music Biz
Before Dave Grohl became Lead Singer of Foo Fighters, he was in a Rock Band you may have heard of named,Nirvana. Dave formed Foo Fighters after Nirvanas’ Lead Singer, Kurt Cobain tragically died in 1994.
20 Years Building A Fan Base Pays Off Big For Dave Grohl
Fast forward 17 years to April 2011, the month that Kurt Cobain passed and Dave Grohls’ Band Foo Fighters sell 235,000 copies and top Billboard and SoundScan Sales Charts.
I’ve kept my eyes on Dave Grohls’ rise to the top. Hearing his songs have made me…and millions of music lovers fans of Dave Grohl.
Today, I’ll give you my view of how Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters turn Fans into buyers. Hopefully you’ll use the following 5 suggestions to further your career in the Music Business.
1. Be Original: Nirvana defines Grunge. No sound was more original than Nirvana in the 1990′s. When you hear the sound of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, you know you’re hearing something original.
Click Play Below To Listen To Foo Fighters Chart Topping Hit “Rope”
2. Be yourself. Even in today’s techno auto tune dominated music market, Foo Fighters connect with Fans who love Rock Music. That’s because they come across as a Rock band. Foo Fighters are not a Pop Band and they don’t pretend to be anything but a Rock Band.
3. Be Fun. People are attracted to fun personalities. People avoid people who are too serious. Feel free to show a sense of humor if and when the moment calls for it. Stay away from making negative statements. The only thing Foo Fighters are serious about is their music craft. Otherwise they are busy being upbeat and having fun.
4. Be Available. If you look up on this post, you’ll see Foo Fighters song “Rope”. The band made that single available on their Foo Fighters SoundCloud profile. The awesome thing about the Internet, is that you can be available 24/7. Being available means giving Fans the chance to sample and buy your music.
5. Be Willing. Be willing to keep your dreams in the Music Biz alive. Be willing to keep at it. Dave Grohl has been rockin’ for more than 20 years. Sure, he got a big break early in his career, but he was willing to work hard to get those breaks. After Kurt Cobain died, Dave Grohl could have ended his music career. Instead he formed his own band, kept rockin’ and the rest is what I call music biz success.
4 Unseen Paths To Fonzworth Bentley’s Music Biz Success
by Jeronimo Black on May.30, 2011, under Music Marketing, Music Promotion, Today's Music Biz
“Imagine yourself as the person you want to be. Then live up to that image”
~Legendary Songwriter / Actor
Kristoffer “Kris” Kristofferson.
Fonzworth Bentley completed “C.O.L.O.U.R.S. (Cool Outrageous Lovers Of Uniquely Raw Style)”The recording was to be released on Sony Urban. But it was never released. It was not promoted (“shelved”). Why? His record label was “dissolving” underneath him.
Mr. Fonzworth Bentely
Who is Fonzworth Bentely? You may remember him as Sean P.Diddy Combs side-kick. At least that is how I remember him. What most people don’t know, is that he has sold to a market of fan’s by focusing on four paths that are unseen by many. Today, I’ll show you those 4 paths.
1. Create Your Space:
Be different. Fonzworth Bentley created space himself by being different. In marketing it’s called having a U.S.P. “Unique Selling Proposition“. You also may have heard of it as “positioning” in the market.
Mr. Bentley was able to make space in the music business by relying on visual images to separate himself from the thousands other would-be M.Cs. in Hip-Hop. Fonzworth made himself different from other Rappers by wearing a bow-tie, argyle sweaters, expensive dress shoes and umbrella.
His message? He was the gold-standard for hip-hop. His style? One of a millionaire. Unlike every other Rapper from Atlanta, who wears the sagging pants and un-tucked shirts. Fonworth wears old money clothes. That is being different.
Have you created a unique image?
Every successful artists from Elvis Presley, to Freddie Mercury, to Nicki Minaj, to Lady GaGa, Elton John, Shaggy…all and more, have made room for themselves using visuals to create room to get into a crowded and competitive music market.
2. Generate Awareness
In what ways can you generate awareness of your Music Business?
C.O.L.O.U.R.S. (Cool Outrageous Lovers Of Uniquely Raw Style) got Mr. Bentley noticed. But he shelved the release because his record label was crumbling. He held off on releasing the project until he could generate enough awareness and have a fan base ready to buy.
The result: Bentley sold 90,000 singles in 6 months and over 120,000 videos for the single “Everybody” (featuring Kanye West and Andree 3000 of OutKast).
According to Mr. Bentley, selling leads to the kind of success that creates a “Situation of Awareness”. Major label are willing to deal with you…on more fair terms…once you have built awareness.
3. Watch Your Step
When Sony Urban was “dissolving”, Fonzwoth was offered an opportunity to release his first record anyway. He declined. Instead, Fonzworth waited until the Music Industry settled down.
The Music Industry changes every 6 months. It’s an unlucky fact that some of the greatest artists never have a chance. They are shelved…
Alicia Augello Cook, was shelved because her record label had no idea where to “position” her music in the market. She was signed to Jermaine Dupis’ So So Def Recordings, but the parent company Columbia Records didn’t know who would buy her music. So she signed to Arista Records which dissolved a short time later.
Clive Davis, one of the greatest Record Executives – ever, started J. Records and signed Alica. She released “Songs In A Minor” and the world became fans of Alicia Keys.
Keeping in mind the lessons learned from the mistakes of other recording artist, Fonzworth waited to release his record. This smart step saved Fonzworth the frustration of having his record under-promoted while Sony Urban was dying a slow death.
Imagine if Fonzworth had of released his record? It would have went un-promoted or “shelved” (as the say in the Music Business).
It’s a good thing that he decided to take a step backward to generate some awareness. This step allowed him to move forward with more control to chart the direction of his career.
4. Watch Your Thoughts
Mr. Bentley has removed three words from his vocabulary “Can’t”, “But” and “Trying”. Think about it? Those 3 words can prevent you from having the success you really desire. “I’m trying to get my music out there but I can’t because…” LOL 
Below are some helpful insights:
- Watch your thoughts.
- Listen to what you say to yourself.
- Attitudes become beliefs.
- Beliefs guide conduct.
- Conduct leads to consequences.
Dr. Amen, in his groundbreaking book, “Change Your Brain – Change Your Life” discusses “A.N.Ts (Automatic Negative Thoughts). More specifically Dr. Amen suggests that you crush these ANTs as soon as you notice them.
In today’s Music Biz, each must chart their own path. Hopefully,you will take the right paths along the way.
4 Music Business Marketing Mix Tip’s Every Musician Must Know
by Jeronimo Black on May.08, 2011, under Music Marketing, Music Promotion, Today's Music Biz
What are the 4 Music Business Marketing Elements that every Musician promoting their music should know?
We’ll get around to that in a few. But first, imagine your music product done? Your music is ready. You’ve got your song ready. Heck, you may have even went to DiscMasters and got a few hundred CD’s pressed and ready for sale.
The problem is, you haven’t done any ‘Music Marketing Research’. So you stand there with your head spinning with ideas to “get your music out there”.
The not-so imaginary scenario above is common among musicians, songwriters, producers, managers…Everyone at some point has to figure out how they will “get their music out there”. With this in mind, below I’ll go over the 4 Elements of Music Marketing
1. Product: Why does Jay-Z, Willi.i.am, L.A. Reid and other Professionals in Music Promotion speak of their music, they say “Records”? Because they understand that a Record is a “product”. A product is anything that can be brought or sold.
2. Place: The great Rapper Rakim said, “It ain’t where you’re from it’s where you’re at”. I’ll bet if you’ve dabbled in any kind of Marketing, you’ve heard the word “placement” being thrown around. Picture placement as the location? You’ve most likely heard the phrase, “Location…location…location”. There is a sound reason for this.
3. Promotion: After you’ve got your Product, and figured out the places you want to be, it’s time to focus on how you want to promote your music. Did you know that a great majority of excellent records fail to sell because of a flawed Promotion Strategy? How you promote your music product is as important as where.
4. Price: iTunes, Ticket Master and many big players in the Music Industry have heard back-lash from Fans and Recording Artist (like Prince). That is because some people believe those companies charge too muc. Yes, you can charge too much money for music. You can also charge too little money for your music. Charge too much and you’ll turn off too many. Charge too little and your fans may turn your offer down.
Speaking of Prince, I few day’s ago I heard him say, “People tend to de-value stuff they can get for free”. I’ve seen it myself in the products that I sell. Doing a favor for a friend, for free will likely be forgotten – or, keep them coming for more free stuff. The same is true of Music Buyers. Today’s Music Fan asks, “Why pay if you can get it for free?”
The good news is that successful Music Marketing is now easier than ever before. That’s because I’ve shared the basic marketing structure. You didn’t get this valuable information from me for free. You had to pay some attention to what I was showing you.
How Rebecca Black Found Success After Friday Failed
by Jeronimo Black on Apr.16, 2011, under Today's Music Biz
Today is the age of the “fail”. Can you believe that people actually search the internet for ‘fail videos’?
Why Are We discussing Rebecca Black?
Ms. Black has sold $198,685 on YouTube and iTunes alone.
(1) YouTube = $102,000
- Plays approaching 102 million (as of April 14th)
- at a $2 CPM, with a 50% content owner payout, the total equals $102,000
It seems that the only way to succeed in marketing these days is to fail. Speaking of fails, at the time of this post, Rebecca Black has sold over 196,000 digital downloads of her singe “Friday”. In addition, Ms. Blacks’ video has gone viral, gaining over one million views on YouTube.
I have to admit, Rebbecca Blacks success defies the odds. To say the song is…well, not good would be being nice. I personally don’t enjoy listening to the song. But no one can deny with 96,000 iTunes downloads, and 100,000 in digital sales on YouTube, ‘Friday’ is a big payday for Rebecca Black.
I also have to admit that I love when the Underdog wins
Rebecca Black was the Underdog now she is the top-dog. This young girl is not even in high school yet and has sold more singles than most in the Music Business. She is a role model for chasing your dreams.
As the story goes, Rebeccas’ parents invested $4,000 to have a song and video produced for ‘Firday’. The return on investment is an estimated $98,000 (even if she only got 50 cents per sale). So just doing simple math you can see that her parents investment gave them a huge payback.
In addition, her efforts have gained her fame. Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Taylor Hicks and others have performed ‘Friday’ to audiences reaching millions of fans.
Friday is not perfect. But they say, “perfect is the enemy of good”. So, if you are an up and coming musician, don’t worry yourself about perfection. Instead get your music out there and let your work speak for itself. You may have to deal with horrible comments about your work (like Rebecca Black).
I realize that every musician is sensitive about their work. But take it from Rebecca Blacks’ example: get your music out there and hope that millions of people have something…anything to say about it. You may be able to sell a few hundred thousand copies and laugh all the way to the bank like Rebecca Black.
