Bryan-Michael Cox at PatchWerk Music University IV

I was so excited when I heard that Bryan-Michael Cox (or B. Cox) was going to be a panelist at Patchwerk's Music University IV! I'm such a fan of B. Cox's music. Since I consider myself a student of music and the music industry, I thought maybe going to Patchwerk's Music University IV just to hear B. Cox would be well worth the money for attending. Was I right?

I'll tell you in a minute. . .

B. Cox was on the Artist & Producers panel at Patchwerk's Music University IV along with Little Drumma Boy (Drum Squad) and L.T. Moe (Trey Songz, Bobby V). All three producers talked about:

1) insider tips on getting a good music publishing deal,

2) believing in your music regardless of what level you are on,

3) the power of networking - see my prior blog to see how I was convinced about networking

4) the advantages of having a manager working for you

5) having a game plan when you enter the music business

6) knowing and being honest about where you are in terms of your development

7) the power of music internships and understudying;

8) about the advantages of joining SESAC, BMI or ASCAP; and

9) how building your brand and making hits increases your earning potential.

Plus, again we got all of these producers' contact information!

So was going to see B. Cox worth my time and money? Let me answer it this way: If you are a songwriter or a producer trying to break into the music industry as such, whenever some of the superproducers such as B. Cox, J. Que from the Clutch, and others are participating as a panelist, GO! It will be well worth the money. Look for them at a music conference or seminar near you. If you wanna know about upcoming music conferences nationwide, check out JaWar's blog at atlantashowcase.blogspot.com or at http://mymusicconnection.blogspot.com/

Thedy B, Attorney/Songwriter

Hits A Million, LLC

http://myspace.com/hitsamillionllc

http://hitsamillion.ning.com

The Record Deal v. Endorsement Deal

In my blogs, I have been discussing having distribution creativity in the music business, creativity in making money in the music business, creative uses of your music money, and PatchWerk's Music University IV's artist management panel's discussion of all of that. I said that the artist management panel at the PatchWerk's Music University IV said that artists and managers need to look now for endorsement deals in addition to record deals. Why is this important to songwriters? Because songwriters and their managers need to not just look to pitch songs to artists who have record deals but we also need to pitch songs to artists with endorsement deals. So here's a great video on endorsement deals v. record deals:




Enjoy!



Thedy B, Attorney/Songwriter,

Hits A Million, LLC

myspace.com/hitsamillionllc

hitsamillion.ning.com

The Artist Management/Panel at Patchwerk's Music University IV

As I mentioned in my previous post, I attended Patchwerk's Music University IV on February 18, 2008. Representing the artist management panel at that event was Coach K (Rocko), Melinda Dancil (Monica's first cousin and longtime manager) and Snake (Czar Entertainment). This panel was great! Here's some of the highlights:


1. Manager's must be on top of their contracts! They talked about a music manager's role and responsibilities in 2008, noting that the change in the music business has required them to ensure that their artist's contracts include digital downloading and ringtones. (Does yours?)

2. Managers and Artists must now be indie record labels! They also said that the change in the music industry has also forced music managers to be even more creative from a business perspective. Snake suggested managers to look for merchandising opportunities, endorsement deals, etc. as additional streams of potential income for recording artists. He mentioned as an example the deal that The Game, a hip hop artist, was able to garner. (I'll be putting up a video on record deals v. endorsement deals soon so stay tuned!).

3. Get a team! Snake also suggested artists and managers have a team of managers. Using a team will help you collaboratively find creative business solutions to enhance an artist's career and create other streams of income. Having a team is essential now since artists are essentially being forced to be their own record label now. So instead of simply knowing a few things about the music business, managers are forced to know much more to keep their artists ahead of the ever-changing music game like technology. I think as songwriters, we should make sure that whomever manages us also knows more than we do or at least has access to other people who do.

4. You must have the winning combination to be successful in the music biz! All three managers stated that to be successful in the music business, artists must have an excellent work ethic, a will to win, talent, patience, money, your own style (even your own fashion sense), and a passion for your music. Cute won't always equal success anymore. You must stand out in a crowd and with the invent of MySpace and Youtube, and other artist sites, you as an artist must really stand out in a crowd! Some of the "non-singers" who wind up on TV on American Idol's first week of auditions know they need to stand out fashion wise so you will see some of the most outlandish outfits but... they do get their 5-minutes of fame though so mission accomplished!

5. You need money! They all agreed that artists needed money to make money. However, they all said that it's more important that an artist is creative with their money since it only takes 10 large purchases to go from 10 million dollars to broke. So invest in your music business wisely. I love that advice! It so struck a nerve with me that I'm doing a separate blog on it.

6. Managers help plan an artist, not book them! They also noted that management is there to provide structure and a plan to the artist, not to be an artist's booking agent. So if you're an artist waiting for your manager to get shows for you, you may be waiting a long time. Get a booking agent.

7. Build your reputation as an manager! From a manager's perspective, they indicated that while they still look for new talent, their representation in the ,music business precedes them so artists also come to them looking for management. So they suggested managers build a great reputation, one in which you are said to have a great work ethic and character with great relationships that can make things happen for artists.

8. Build your network and then build some more! They said managers need to create and build relationships with every person involved in the music business including labels, radio personnel, promoters, studios, street teams, even fans. They suggested artists to stay humble and speak to everybody in order to network because you never know who knows who. They also said that with the frequent changes in the music business, managers also need to stay on top of their Rolodex! Make sure that your managers' contacts are current since the music business is downsizing and streamlining and redefining the business all the time!

9. Fame has a price! Melinda discussed the ups and downs of fame, noting that once an artist allows media into their personal life, the media is there forever, even when the artist no longer wants the media there. They cited Britney Spears as an example.

10. Hit record v. Hit artist, prefer a hit artist! Every single manager said to be a hit artist, you must have a hit record. But to stay a hit artist, you must BE a hit artist. Again, to stay a hit artist, you must BE a hit artist. Hit artists will have more than one hit record. You must know how to pick hit songs (read my blogs on song selection for recording artists for help)! You as an artist must be brandable. Managers must be able to see your careers go well beyond a ringtone deal (though ringtone deals are great). Managers are looking for both: hit records and hit artists.

11. Commercial radio only has 15 slots available! Let's face it: most radio is commercial radio! These managers said commercial radio is essentially an advertising company that plays music! Because commercial radio is funded by advertising, there are only so many slots left for music. And with such a limited space, that means that your song has to be a hit for radio to want to play it!

12. Be adaptable! Change is inevitable! There are industry changes constantly happening. There are changes in technology. There are changes in marketing strategies. Managers have to adapt! Some of the managers felt that mix tapes are old ways of advertising. Some felt that mix tapes should still be used but that you'd be doing your artist a disservice if you didn't also advertise online, or also have a video. So the message in that is do your research!

Thedy B, Attorney/Songwriter
Hits A Million, LLC
myspace.com/hitsamillionllc

PatchWerks' Music University IV gets a B+

In my February 15, 2008 blog, I said that networking, i.e. building relationships, is key to success in the music business. So I decided to share with you my experience at a recent event I attended. Patchwerk's Music University IV was held on February 17, 2008 at Patchwerk's Studio located in Atlanta, GA. Initially, I was reluctant to sign up because I'm always budgeting my time and money and this event was an all-day affair and the cost was $75. That was a lot to me at first considering I've been to other music conferences such as the Atlantis Music Conference, where, with a discount, I paid only $50 for a 3 1/2 day conference. But still I considered going because at Patchwerk's Music University, they promised an intimate environment of networking and I thought that was cool and different. But when I got Patchwerk's email newsletter letting me know that Bryan-Michael Cox had agreed to be a panelist, I immediately signed up to attend. I'm a big fan of Bryan-Michael Cox's music. And he, along with the other panelists, and the event itself did not disappoint me. It was truly worth the money and time and after attending, I probably would have paid more because of the information.

For this blog, I'll just give you the skeletal details of the event, and my rating of the event overall and then discuss each panel separately since there was too much great information given for one blog. So here is goes:


The event started with continental breakfast/networking. The attendees were then escorted into the studio where the seminar was being held. Each attendee was given a pen, a large notepad, and a syllabus in true "university/classroom" style. (Nice marketing). They had an abundance of staff on board to direct the attendees and the panelists. The room where we were was packed. But as promise, it was an intimate environment. There was essentially four panels that had two to four panelists: 1) artist management panel; 2) a producer's panel; 3) a DJ panel; and 4) a "boss" panel, which essentially was a music exec panel. I will discuss some of these panels in a different blog post. But here's what I liked and didn't like about this seminar.

My overall assessment: B+

1. Good: We were given very short breaks in between the panels. This helped keep everything on schedule. It helped the time go fast. Not so good: We were not given the opportunity to really talk to the panelists afterwards, which was disappointing since I thought that would be included in the definition of an "intimate" environment. That's the main reason why I'm rating them with a B+ instead of an A.
2. Great: One great thing Patchwerk did was pass around designated bags so that each attendee could put their promo materials in them and those bags were then given to the panelists.
3. Excellent: Each attendee was given the direct contact information for every panelist!!!!!
4. Good: they chose four really good topics. Not so good: I think they should have had one more panel on marketing and promotions.
5. Good: they had set questions that they asked the panelists. Great: they permitted attendees to ask questions and when they saw that each panel generated a lot of questions, they allowed more time for attendees to ask questions.
6. Great: the quality of the panelists was great! They had Jason Geter (CEO of Grand Hustle Entertainment), Kawan "KP" Prather (CEO of Ghet-O-Vision Entertainment, former VP of A & R at Sony BMG urband music), Orlando McGhee, DJ Don Cannon, DJ Nabs, Producer Lt-Moe, Bryan-Michael Cox, Producer Little Drummer Boy, Coach K, Snake, and Melinda Dancil. Wished: there was one more female in the group so that that female could also discuss the music business from a female perspective but that's just me (:-).
7. Great: they provided both breakfast and lunch. Lunch was served after the panels which was good because it kept us in the flow. Not so good: we couldn't eat or drink anywhere except one designated "cafeteria" area so if you got thirsty in the middle of a panel, you'd have to leave the room and miss out. But I'm sure the no eating or drinking rule is to protect their studio from damage which is understandable.
8. Great: The size of the seminar in terms of the number of attendees was great. Again, it was packed but still everyone there was able to give each other their business cards and really see everyone there and talk.
9. Great: the information given was timely and useable.
10. Great: there were people there to assist you if you had questions. Also the studio manager introduced himself personally to the entire group. He also provided information about the studio itself.
11. Great: Patchwerk Studio is beautifully decorated and has two studios. I love to see all the gold and platinum albums on the walls. Everything was of course neat and clean and conducive to having a great recording experience. The manager even allowed us to go into private areas to assist with bathroom crowd control. The people, from the receptionist to the interns to the manager, were all accessible, personable, friendly and helpful. It made for a good experience. Not so good: they were only permitting people to enter into the studio at first in groups. I don't know what the reason was for that (perhaps crowd control but I'm glad that that rule was abandoned when I got there).
12. Good: again the price was cool, considering the quality of the panelists, the food, the networking opportunity, the number of panels, the length of the event, and most importantly, the actual information given. I'm so big on attending a music conference where you feel like you learned more than you knew going. I'm sure that the price kept the size of the attendees "intimate" so perhaps they accomplished their goal by having a higher price.
13. Good: the length of the panels, the length of the event, and the length of the breaks were all good. It started at 9:30 a.m. and ended roughly at 3:00 or 3:30.
14. Good: location was good and the studio is centrally located and easy to get to.
15. Good: they also gave out surveys so that they could get feedback. I also liked the added touch of giving every attendee a syllabus, a note pad and pen in true "classroom, i.e. university style."

Again, so as you can see, I had a great time. I'm glad I went and invested my time and money by going. And yes, I'd go again if they had the same event assuming the quality stayed the same. So congrats Patchwerk on a great job!


If you don't know about Patchwerk (and that is how you spell it), you can google it for more info. I'm also on Patchwerk's network so you can search for me on that site as well if you are looking for a songwriter. Thanks for reading!

Thedy B, Attorney/Songwriter
Hits A Million, LLC
myspace.com/hitsamillionllc
hitsamillion.ning.com