tips

Canadian Association for Musical Empowerment and Opportunity

CAMEO

A non profit network of musicians and music lovers based in the Fraser Valley, BC, Canada

Tips for Aspiring Artists in Music

Gigging for a Living

Tips for Aspiring Young Musicians The first thing is that if you want to be a musician, make sure you know the difference between enjoying playing music and wanting to make it a career. There's a significant difference. It's got to be a part of your core. It's too hard and you'll quit ... so save yourself the time if it isn't. Secondly, if you decide that it is what you want to do, do yourself a favor and learn everything you can about how the music business works. A career in anything requires a knowledge of the industry that you are in. You can't hide behind the fact that you are an artist or a musician because, here again, it's just too hard. Take it upon yourself to learn everything you can about how the business works so that, in the event that you do get an opportunity, you make the most of it. (Grey Garner)
from "Gigging For a Living" Part 2 by Steven Denyes Read the whole article.

Getting Booked in Clubs -- Tips from a Booking Agent I needed to book acts that could draw well (that is, attract a lot of paying customers to the show) not only as proof that I had an ear for talent but also to make money for the club. Artists playing the club for the first time had to not only play well but also bring in paying customers in order to be asked back for a second shot .... It's to your benefit to be honest about your draw. Most club bookers are competitive, but on friendly terms -- they see each other out and about and they TALK. So if you tell me that you played Brownies last week and brought in 204 people, I just might call up my Brownies counterpart to see if that’s true. If the number was actually closer to 24, the phrase "You’ll never play in this town again" may not be entirely inappropriate.
from "Booking Local/Club Shows" by Carrie Klein Read the whole article.

What do you think of the stereotype of the flaky musician? Can you be that way and earn a living? I don't think so. There are people that have way more natural talent than me but the reality is that what most people want, especially in recording situations, is great performances and reliability. I can think of lots of guys that are great players that I could call for projects but I don't because of their attitude or because I just don't know if they'll show up. People are willing to ride that for a while but there's a certain point where that won't work. I think that everyone that has finally made it is there because they are great players and they have this whole other element together. With the amount of competition out there, you need a lot of talent and this personal ability and trustworthiness too.
from "Gigging For a Living" by Steven Denyes Read the whole article.

Visit Taxi.com and Starpolish.com for a wealth of information about all aspects of the music business. Both of these sites offer dozens of free articles on performance, production, promotion and much more.

Where is the music business going? How can I make a living doing what I love? Read this article and more at futureofmusicbook.com. October 05, 2006 New Artist Model at Work (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) -- Barenaked Ladies grossed $978,127.99 in revenue from intellectual property in its first week music sales from their new album, Barenaked Ladies Are Free (Desperation Records/Nettwerk Music Group). Understanding this sales figure requires looking beyond the numbers on the charts, according to Terry McBride, band manager and CEO of the Nettwerk Music. McBride notes BNL released their album on their own artist-run label, Desperation Records, in multiple formats, from physical CDs to digital albums, deluxe editions, USB flash drives, ring tones, multi-tracks for remixing, streams, etc. Not only is revenue generated from all of these outlets, but also the percentage the band actually sees is significantly higher since they own their Intellectual Property. Additionally, when the digital sales of Barenaked Ladies Are Me and Barenaked Ladies Are Me Deluxe Edition are combined, BNL actually hit as the #4 digital seller in the US and #3 in Canada. Barenaked Ladies Are Me, the first original album in three years from BNL, charted at #17 in the US with 36,811 albums sold and #7 in Canada with 8,008 albums sold. In addition to a physical album, the band found it important to make their songs available to fans in a wide variety of ways…from digital albums to a 27-song deluxe edition (physical in Canada/digital in US), individual tracks, USB flash drives and even vinyl. "Nettwerk and BNL are trying to get people to see beyond the physical number," says McBride "Generating revenue, especially in the artist-run model, is about selling music in various mediums, selling concert tickets, licensing music to TV, ring tones, packed USB drives, etc. That is how success is measured, not by the physical album sales." McBride notes that missing from the regular sales charts are individual digital track sales, digital albums purchased directly from the BNL, Nettwerk and MySpace websites, the combined sales of the standard album and Deluxe Edition, USB flash drive sales, ring tone sales, stem sales from their remixing contest and more. "Additionally, you won’t see the difference in revenue that a band generates from an artist-run label as opposed to a band on a major label; an artist-run label can earn as much as $5 per album," he explains; "once all of these missing entities are factored together, a difference close to 30% of North American sales is missing from the chart equation. "The artist-run model is the future. If we can break bands using this model, the industry will be forever changed," McBride continues. "We are making a music company, not a record label." Written by Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen _______________________________________________ (These are only a few brief quotes from an article which contains some great insights about building a fanbase in the modern music world. Read the whole article at: www.futureofmusicbook.com.) June 26, 2006 Power to the People "As music fans we are now in the driver’s seat. In the new music economy we have fingertip access to thousands of musical niches and the ability to search for the music that we like, pull it to us, and easily recommend things we like to our friends. We are breaking bands, not the labels. We are the new tastemakers." "The power of our online communities and networks are spawning word-of-mouth referrals and interactions that drive the songs and bands that become popular today. This is in stark contrast to old skool shove ‘em down their throat tactics of major label radio promotion. We are now in charge. We are choosing what we like and buzzing like bees when we find it. We are the new radio."