Breaking news: Music community helps members make money through community support

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Thedy at hitsamillion at gmail dot com

January 2, 2009, Hitsamillion.ning.com, an online music community, announces a ground breaking movement of members supporting members!

Imagine this: you’re an artist or artist manager or author and you've got an upcoming project (album, or book) and 5 members buy it, and then tell 5 people. Imagine this: you’re a songwriter who needs to build your catalogue but you need beats. Producers need their beats sold. You buy beats from the Hits producers and build your catalogue.

Or say you're a great musician, artist, songwriter and you're great at what you do, and you just need exposure. Imagine members sharing your profile and telling all their friends to check out your profile. Imagine learning something about the music industry, (i.e. write GREAT lyrics, engineer a song, create a flyer, trick out your profile, imagine members showing you perhaps at a discounted fee or for free if you do something for them. Imagine wanting/needing to talk to music industry professionals being able to meet with them online.

That’s the Hitsamillion.ning.com movement!

Thedy B, CEO of Hitsamillion.ning.com explains, "Hits A Million, the name, the logo, and bull's eye symbol in the logo is about getting to a targeted goal! Hits A Million is a movement that is about members of the music community helping each other!! Why start another online music community if the community doesn't act like one? I believe that if the members pool their resources together, they can help each other's career and their career goals. Hitsamillion.ning.com is that place where members will do just that."

With an office in Atlanta, GA but with national and international membership, Hitsamillion.ning.com is the NEWEST and HOTTEST online social networking spots for music professionals! Currently at over 1,000 members strong, hitsamillion.ning.com is quickly becoming the premiere social network for music industry professionals and is becoming a one-stop resource for recording artists, producers, songwriters, artist managers, DJs, music publishers, record labels, promoters, poets and all other music industry professionals in the music business.

"Catering to our members is our ultimate goal: Our members benefit from the many professional groups, activities, events, television programs, and forums we have on the site. The members love the site and refer new members to it all the time." "Hitsamillion.ning.com is a great site and I love making it the best it can be." Thedy B, CEO of Hitsamillion.ning.com


For more information about Thedy B, Hits A Million, LLC, and this awesome online music community, go to hitsamillion.ning.com.

Music professionals must be traveling salesmen!

(c) 2008 Hits A Million, LLC All rights reserved. Feel free to share it but do not copy and paste it somewhere else.

In one of my prior blogs entitled, "Is MySpace making aspiring artist miss opportunities?" I advised aspiring music professionals to always be ready to meet a music industry professional in person and to give them exactly what they ask for when they ask for it. Then one of the commenters to that blog, Jason, went a stepped further and said aspiring artists should also be prepared to meet their fans. That comment sparked this blog.

To all the music creators, remember this: YOU.... ARE... A ... TRAVELING...SALESPERSON!

If I met you in person and asked you about your music and whether I could hear your music, would you have your music on you right then and there? Or would you only direct me to a website? A great traveling salesperson always has product on him that is ready to sell! A great traveling salesperson is never out of product. Are you?

But to know whether you are out of product, you've got to first know your inventory. Do you know what you have available to give? How many business cards do you have? Is your stock of business cards low? Do you need more? How many CDs do you have on you? Where are your CDs? Do you have them on you? in the car? in your purse, bookbag, briefcase, around your neck or your wallet (in case of jump drives)? Your music is your product. Therefore, your music is something that you should have on you at all times because you never know who you will meet and if the person you meet is ready, willing, and able to purchase your music on the spot!

Give your customers what they want every time they want it, however they want it, by always having on you what they want when they want it.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Music Professionals must be traveling Salesmen.


Thedy B,
Attorney/Songwriter/CEO
Hits A Million, LLC
hitsamillion.ning.com
hitsamillion.blogspot.com
Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/thedyb

Networking is not Jumping Jacks

I hear people say all the time, "I'm grinding." Yeah...? Really...? Are you...? Or are you really just doing jumping jacks: moving but you ain't going nowhere? Many people continue to do the same thing over and over again and wonder why nothing's changed. Yes, some things come through persistence. But dog, if you been doing the same thing for 10 years and nothing has happened, then perhaps you need to change what you're doing or take it up a notch. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing, expecting different results. Maybe it's time to stop doing jumping jacks, and start walking, no, sprinting to the next move in your music career!

In one of my earlier post, I gave you a total of 33 different physical places you can go to network and meet producers, songwriters, artists, demo singers, A & R professionals, new fans, and new businesses who are looking for you! But some people will read that information and then not do it. Some will read it and take off with the information, taking their career to the next level.

What are you going to do?

Thedy B
hitsamillion.ning.com

Grind after you sign!

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I went to an ASCAP event where Lyfe Jennings was on the panel and he said that he made more money and sold more records when he HAD to grind then when he got signed!

He said that once he got signed, he chilled and didn't sell as much as he had when he was grinding. Now he's back on his grind.

With record labels constantly dropping non-producing or low-producing and even mid-producing artists, artists better be on their grind to stay signed!

At another event, they talked about how Kanye West was signed to a record label and nobody at the record label was pushing his project. What did Kanye West do? He started pushing his project himself! All of a sudden the folks IN THE RECORD LABEL took notice and started getting behind Kanye's project!

So you see from those examples that just being signed to a record label is not the END of the grind; it's just the START! In other words, you must grind after you're signed. And you must grind to stay signed!

So if you know NOW that you really don't want to grind, perhaps you shouldn't don't do music to make a profit. You again can save yourself some money, time, energy, and effort by not trying to get involved in the music business. You again can always just play and write music for the fun of it and make your profession something else!

Thedy B, Attorney/Songwriter
Hits A Million, LLC
hitsamillion.blogspot.com

Music is a business you must work!

Again, I'm continuing to help some of my readers decide whether they are in the right business. My other blogs have helped you decide whether you love music, love the music business, whether music is just a hobby to you, whether you are just a fan of music. All of these are very important questions to discover whether you should stay in the tough business of the music industry or whether you should find another fulfilling job in the music industry that does not entail the business of selling music.

So here's my next question: is music only fun to you and not work?

Dictionary.com defines work, the noun, by the following definitions:

1. exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something; labor; toil.
2. something on which exertion or labor is expended; a task or undertaking: The students finished their work in class.
3. productive or operative activity.
4.employment, as in some form of industry, esp. as a means of earning one's livelihood: to look for work.
5. one's place of employment: Don't phone him at work.
6. materials, things, etc., on which one is working or is to work.
7. the result of exertion, labor, or activity; a deed or performance.
8. a product of exertion, labor, or activity: musical works.

Dictionary.com defines work, the verb, using some of the following definitions:

1. to do work; labor.
2. to be employed, esp. as a means of earning one's livelihood: He hasn't worked for six weeks.
3. to be in operation, as a machine.
4. to act or operate effectively: The pump will not work. The plan works.
5. to attain a specified condition, as by repeated movement: The nails worked loose.
6. to have an effect or influence, as on a person or on the mind or feelings of a person.
7. to move in agitation, as the features under strong emotion.
8. to make way with effort or under stress: The ship works to windward.
9. to use or manage (an apparatus, contrivance, etc.): She can work many business machines.
10. to bring about (any result) by or as by work or effort: to work a change.
11. to manipulate or treat by labor: to work butter.
12. to put into effective operation.
13. to operate (a mine, farm, etc.) for productive purposes: to work a coal mine.
14. to carry on operations in (a district or region).
15. to make, fashion, or execute by work.
16. to achieve or win by work or effort: to work one's passage.
17. to keep (a person, a horse, etc.) at work: She works her employees hard.
18. to influence or persuade, esp. insidiously: to work other people to one's will.

So if you aren't exerting energy, time, labor or activity, if you are not productive, if you are not employing yourself to earn your own livelihood, and you aren't accomplishing anything with your energy, time, labor or activity, then it's safe to say you aren't working your music business! If you, your team, or your music isn't working to persuade or influence people to buy into you, your music, your brand, and your company, then your time, energy and efforts aren't working, i.e. they aren't productive. If you don't regularly go into your place of employment, which in this case, a studio, then you are not working. If you only go to work from time to time, then you are not laboring and therefore aren't really working.

There are no hand outs, no free rides, no get in free passes, no mandatory regulations or laws saying the music business has to include you! The music industry and success in the music business is solely determined by your level of hard work, dedication and determination.

So again decide for yourself: do I really want to be in the music industry?

Thedy B, Attorney/Songwriter

Hits A Million, LLC

hitsamillion.blogspot.com

I love music but I don't love the music business?

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I hope you've been reading my latest blogs on should you save yourself some money and get out the game we call the music business. And if you read them, you may say well, I love music but I don't love the music business!

I personally prefer calling the music business, the music industry. Why? The music industry, for example, entails the business of selling records, but it's not solely define by that. The record business is solely defined by the business of selling records. The music industry, however, has so many other things that songwriters, producers, beatmakers, etc. can do besides sell records. So you can love music and not sell records and do other things in the music industry.

For example, you can teach people how to create music by becoming a music teacher. You'd still be a songwriter or musician or a producer but you won't have to concern yourself with the song's marketability, or commercialism. That may be a great profession for those who just love music and don't want to sell their music.

Or you can be like JaWar and write some books about the music industry. Or you could write about music, about musicians, songwriters, music industry professionals, etc. I myself am about to write some books about songwriting so stay tuned for more details!

As an author, you can still enjoy music and again you don't have to worry as much about some of the negative things that come with the business of selling records. So yes, you can love music and not love the music business, and still love what you do in the music industry. There's nothing stopping you from doing something else.

Berklee lists over 70 different careers in the music industry!!!!!
Kenfoster.com lists all the qualifications, if any, that are needed to do some of these other careers in the music industry and their salary ranges. Menc.org also has a chart detailing salary ranges and qualifications of other careers in the music industry.

Just do a google search like I did for careers in the music business and you'll find lots of ways to still love music and have a career in the music industry.

Thedy B, Attorney/Songwriter
Hits A Million, LLC
hitsamillion.blogspot.com

Do you love the music business?

Hopefully you've read my blogs before and you know I always try to inspire people to stay in the music business and to see their dreams come true. But again, this week my goal is to encourage you to find your true passion if it ain't music. So in my last two blogs, I helped you analyze whether music was just a hobby to you and whether you love music or not. Hopefully by now, you know music is not a hobby to you and that you love music.

In a recent forum on thestudioexposed.com, I created a forum and asked aspiring producers, songwriters, artists and beatmakers, what they love about the music business. Here's some of the things I said in that forum:

What I like or love about the music business:

1. I love music.
2. I love the creative process.
3. I love the challenge of coming up with a hit record.
4. I like knowing that people can be successful in the music business.
5. I love that there are many places that music is being put now and that companies, businesses, engineers, and inventors are coming up with new ways of hearing, getting, transporting, and sharing music all the time.
6. I love the fact that some artists, producers, and songwriters can have long careers in the music business.
7. I like the fact that I can be an entrepreneur in the music business.
8. I love the fact that it gives musicians the opportunity for people to hear their music and share it.
9. I like the fact that you constantly meet a different array of creative people.


If you can't think of these reasons why you love the industry and more, then again I'd suggest you save yourself some money, stay out the music business, find out what you really love to do, and make money doing that! In my next post, I'm going to talk about what some of the other careers are in the music industry that you can do for those of you who are tired of the music business and want to do something else.

Thedy B, Attorney/Songwriter
Hits A Million, LLC
hitsamillion.blogspot.com

Is Music What You Love to Do?

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So I've been posting for the past couple of days about saving yourself some money by getting out the game called the music business. In my last post, I gave you some tips on finding out if music is just a hobby to you. Again, if it is, save yourself some money: don't attempt to get into the music business. Instead, find something else that you really love to do.

So I ask you: Is music what you love to do? Let me ask you a couple of questions so you can be the judge:

Is music what you think about all the time?

Do you fantasize about music and having a career in music?

Do you see yourself doing music?

Do you see yourself being successful doing music?

Do you spend a lot of your time making music?

Have you sacrificed some relationships over music?

Have you stayed up long nights making and creating music?

Have you spent lots of money trying to make it in the music business?

Have you borrowed money to make it in the music business?

Have you tried other careers, but the music industry is the only thing that you keep coming back to?

Have you even left music alone for awhile but still found yourself missing it?

Do you spend time learning it and studying music?

Do you spend time researching how others who do music, do it?

Do you find yourself talking about music all the time?

Are most of your friends fellow music lovers?

Do you have a large music collection?

Well, if you answered yes to those questions, music is what you love to do.

So do it! Go for it! Stay with it! Be committed! Don't treat what you love to do as a hobby, respect it!

But if you don't love music, save yourself some money, get out the game, find what you REALLY love and do THAT!!!!!!

Thedy B, Attorney/Songwriter
Hits A Million, LLC
hitsamillion.blogspot.com

Is music still a hobby to you?

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In my last post on saving yourself some money by getting OUT the game, we call the music business, I challenged you to ask yourself whether music is a hobby or a business to you. So here it is:

If you are not willing to invest time in YOU: why should anybody else! Music is still a hobby to you.

If you are not willing to invest money in YOU: why should anybody else! Music is still a hobby to you.

If you are not willing to give something up to get what you want: why should anybody else! Music is still a hobby to you.

If you are not willing to dedicate yourself fully to YOUR goals, your dreams, your aspirations, your CAREERRRRRRRRRR, the things you SAY you want, why should anybody else! Music is still a hobby to you.

If you just want to play music for fun, write songs for fun, music is a hobby to you!

If you don't want to put in the time it takes, music is a hobby to you!

If you don't want to learn how to perfect your craft, music is a hobby to you!

If you don't want to get paid to do what you love to do, music is a hobby to you!

If you got a lot of excuses related to your career, your business, and your music, music is a hobby to you!

If you don't want to learn the business side of the music business, music is a hobby to you.

If you only work on your music every now and then, music is a hobby to you.

If you don't want to network, build relationships, make moves, brand and promote yourself, music is a hobby to you.

If all you want to do is create and never handle any business, music is a hobby to you.

If you quit because you got rejected, got a bad critique from someone, didn't hear back from someone, etc, music is a hobby to you.

For all those who find themselves answering most of those statements like, yep, that's me, then I'd suggest you save yourself some time and money, and get out the billion dollar music industry. Find your true passion and make money doing what you really love to do because music ain't it.

Thedy B, Attorney/Songwriter
Hits A Million, LLC
hitsamillion.blogspot.com

ASCAP Writer's Roundtable - Part 2 (the Scoop)

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Here's why I say you need to get out the studio some and network. And yes you can network because I've given you over 40 tips on the do's and don'ts of networking at music conferences, the do's and don'ts of networking via email, upcoming music conferences where you can network , explaining why networking is important, how it's helped me, and gave you over 30 places where you can network.

In my last blog, I told you that I would reveal what was said during the songwriting panel at the ASCAP Writer's Roundtable, which was held on March 6, 2008 at the Robert Woodruff Library Exhibition Hall at Clark Atlanta University. Okay, so here it is:

1. Publishing - much was said about this subject, a subject that is near and dear to the hearts of all songwriters.

• If you can wait, wait. Most of the songwriters suggested that you wait before getting a publishing deal. In particular, wait until you have a single and wait until the publishers are coming to you asking you for a publishing deal. The reason behind this advice was so that you can get a better deal. Having a single will provide you better bargaining power. If you instead only have album sales, you still can get a publishing deal but the publisher will most likely not give you the best publishing deal because you don't have a single. By album sales, I mean you have a song on someone's album and you have sales only because people bought the entire album, but your song wasn't released as a single.

• If you need the money, then do the deal. Depending on how desperate you are in terms of money, you should decide on whether to sign a publishing deal or not. Again, if you can wait, then wait.

• Sign a publishing deal that requires the least amount of published songs. Johnta Austin, one of the panelists, mentioned that publishing 10 songs a year or even 4 songs a year is still a lot of songs. Why? Because most publishing contracts require that you publish a certain number of whole songs. If you collaborate on the song with other writers, then you only get credit for your portion of the song. So if you and a 3 other writers wrote a song, then you'd only get credit for writing 1/4 of a song. You still have 3 3/4 published songs to go. If you use samples of a song, you may also have to share a portion of your song with the original artist and that will again, cut into your credits. I say may because RL indicated that he refused in one instance not to give up part of his publishing to a producer who unilaterally chose to use a sample in his music to which RL wrote the lyrics and melody. Since RL didn't make the decision to use the sample, he refused to allow his portion of the publishing to be diminished because a sample was used. Plus, the publishing contracts require that the songs be published. Since the number of albums being put out are diminishing and the number of artists are too, then getting your required number of songs published is harder than it was previously. For these reasons, the panelists suggested songwriters sign a publishing deal which requires the least amount of songs.

• Be sensible about the amount of money you are requesting in your publishing deals. Why? Because first, you only get paid after recoupment. Publishing contracts are essentially loans that you must pay back. You only get paid after the publishing company recoups the money loaned. So with that in mind, the panelists recommended that you make sure you only get the amount you need and don't spend your advancement on frivolous things yet.

• Publishing contracts have bonuses in them. There are bonuses in some publishing contracts that will reward you if your song is ranked, and the length that it is ranked, and I think also if your song is placed with major artists. They all said they liked the bonuses.

• Artists may try to get a portion of your publishing. They indicated that some artists will attempt to get a portion of the songwriter's publishing. Artists will sometimes ask to get a writer's publishing because of the artist's reputation or because they want to be seen as part of the writing team, and/or because they want some of the publishing money even though they didn't write any of the song. So the panelists recommended that you consider the source of that request. If the artist is major and you know that your song will be a single, then perhaps giving up a portion of your publishing will be worth it. Johnta Austin and Manuel Seal both said that even if you gave away all your publishing to a major artist, you will still win because your name is on the song and your name on the song will now lead to other songwriting opportunities. However, they indicated that if the artist is just starting out, is not signed, etc, then there may be less of a reason to give up portions of your publishing.

• People get publishing deals because they are scared. Lyfe Jennings said that. He said people get publishing deals because you are scared of what to do with your success and the money. He suggested having a plan for what you are going to do with the money that you get from a publishing deal, such as investing it into real estate or a business.

• In addition to keeping your deals to the lowest number of songs, keep the number of years of the publishing deal low too. Lyfe Jennings said that he was in a three-year publishing deal which he liked because afterwards he can do his own thing. He doesn't need the publishing deal after that.

• Know why you need a publisher. New writers need publishers because they don't know anybody in the business. They don't have direct access to major artists. They need help with getting placement of their songs. They need better relationships. However, once you become a seasoned writer with some hits, you then have direct access to major artists. The artists themselves will call the writer asking to write with that writer. No in-between person is needed then. At that point, the writer needs a publisher just to exploit the copyright to its maximum by getting the song licensed to say film, ringtones, overseas, etc. So know what you need and why you need it.

2. Writing - the essence of what we do!

• Write real records! By that, each panelist meant that you as a writer should write songs that you can feel. (This goes back to my three key elements needed to write a hit, one of which was that the song had to be heart-felt).

• Write songs that are timeless. Don't "date" your record by simply writing songs that are going to be hits now. Johnta Austin noted that some songs, when they are timeless, may not be hits at the time the song comes out. But because the song is timeless, it still has the potential to become a hit. He gave examples of Lyfe Jennings' CD which during its first week sold only 3,000 copies but is now a platinum album. He also cited John Legend's album as another album that didn't have a lot of sales the first week out but because it was a good album, has sold millions of copies and go on to win various awards.

• Real, timeless records will always in the end win. Johnta Austin noted that because Clive Davis believed in Alicia Key's talent and sound, he kept her with just her piano and vocals without the use of rappers on the track. They said so don't succumb to writing songs that are dated or try to keep up with the times just to stay relevant.

• Hit records consists of: a great melody, great lyrics, a good song concept, great production, great performance of the song, believeability of the song, and a team who believes in, and works, the song, according to Manuel Seal. He said that a great performance of the song where an artist really believes what he's singing and the song is ringing true to the artist will make a good song a great song. He said that it used to be that artists were really worked in the studio on making the song believable and making sure the artist felt the songs they sung. I recently saw an example of this when Sean "P. Diddy" Combs refused to allow the men from the Making of the Band IV (or Day 26 as they are now known) to go into the studio and record until the men became passionate about what they were singing about. P. Diddy got the guys a vocal coach, Ankra, not because they were off key, or needed vocal training, but to help the fellas connect with the song and with their audience.

• Write simple words and hooks: Atozzio said that he had to simplify his lyrics to keep up with the times. He noted that at times he wrote a more catchy hook by simpling repeating a line. Lyfe Jennings said that his hardest problem with writing was saying more but saying it more concisely.

• Reseach your song concept idea: Cri$tyle said that she researches her song ideas before writing the song. She studies whatever she is writing on so that she can clearly and effectively write a song about say, water. For her, researching helps her creativity. And I agree. I recently wrote a song about a subject that I myself wasn't familiar with but always wanted to know. I researched the subject by going to Wikipedia. It helped my creativity.

• Spark your creativity: Cri$tyle indicated that she prays before writing every song. Atozzio and Johnta Austin related that their songs sometimes come from his experiences or from things they simply wanted to say but couldn't. Lyfe Jennings indicated that he tries to put himself in the song as well as think of other people who are also going through the same situation and how they must feel. RL said that sometimes because writing is so personal that sometimes its a writer's therapy so don't be afraid of what content comes out during difficult times. He indicated that the songs he wrote while going through a divorce were all related to those feelings. I laughed in agreement to this statement since I was recently looking at the slant that all my recent songs were taking and thinking they all dealt with one subject, love.

• Write and then move on. Cri$tyle indicated that she would mistakenly marry her songs. By that, she explained she meant that she couldn't write another song because she was still worried about the last song she wrote. She knew that the last song she wrote was great so she worry about its placement and what everyone else was doing with that song, instead of just writing. I could definitely relate to that as well! Write, give the song to your publisher, let them deal with the particulars, and just keep on writing!

3. Building business relationships - each person opened up the panel discussion by talking about how they got started in the business. Inevitably it all boiled down to meeting the right people.

4. Humility- All of the artists expected greatness from themselves but they were so humble. Cri$tyle was the most humble as she said several times that she felt so blessed to just be able to write for the people she has been able to write for. When asked does she get upset or feels it is unfair that a track is being given to her as well as to other more seasoned writers who have the ability to directly talk to the artists and find out exactly what the artist wants to talk about, she said no, she doesn't get upset. Instead she expressed her gratitude about even being considered in the same category as these writers to get the same tracks they get. She said that as a new writer, she understands paying her dues. She understood that she doesn't have the business relationship with an artist that say a Johnta Austin has since he's been in the business much longer and has written for so many different people and has some awards and hits under his belt. So the point is, be humble, stay humble.

Thanks for reading! And remember, if you like reading my blogs, subscribe today and tell a friend!

Thedy B

Hits A Million, LLC

myspace.com/hitsamillionllc - network with me!

hitsamillion.ning.com - network with others!

Network Anyway!

Network is just that: work! I don't know why folks think that the music business is not a J.O.B. You must work at your craft! Work at branding! Work at promotions! Work at publishing! Work at networking.

And you may HATE meeting new people. You may hate making small talk. Hate seeing and meeting fake people. HATE going to clubs. Hate paying money to go to industry events. Hate to travel. Hate the high price of gas that it will take you to get to where you are going.

You may be tired of going to event after event. You may be disappointed that you keep meeting the same old people! You may hate getting dressed up to go to networking events. You may hate being given the runaround. Hate that your phone calls and emails aren't being returned. Hate that you aren't being taken seriously

(see my previous blogs on the do's and don'ts of networking which may help with these problems)

You may be asking yourself and others, "When is my big break going to come?" "When am I going to "get on?" "When am I going to stop singing/rapping to other artists?" "When are the big boys with the checks going to see me, hear me, like me, and sign me?" You may hate a lot of things about networking but the bottom line is this: you must network and build relationships in the music business! As I said in my prior posts, success in the music business is 1/3 networking and building relationships. So network anyway!

Some things happen when we least expect them to. And because of that and because this business is unpredictable: you really can't afford to not network. You may get tired of the grind sometimes. But keep on grinding, mashing, pushing forward, seeking, expecting, anticipating, and loving what you do. Love what you do, regardless of its ups and downs, its advantages and disadvantages, its rights and its wrongs! This is the music business, not music heaven! In any business, there are things you will like and don't like. I'm sure artists don't like getting up at 4:30 or 5:30 in the morning to be on a flight somewhere or be at a morning TV show, but they grind it out. So keep grinding!

Don't give up now! Who knows, your big break may be just one person away! So network, network, network!

Thedy B

Creative Uses with Your Music Money - Part 2

As I mentioned in my prior blog, be creative with your money. Invest in the right things to build your music business and those right investments will reward you!

In addition to the first 6 tips I gave you, here are 7 more tips on being creative with your music money:

7. Take advantage of FREE advertising. Network on all the free social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Youtube, ReverbNation, Ilike, TheSingersRoom, etc. Google social networking sites to find new ones, which are popping up every day.


8. Get your own website! Though you can advertise on the various social networking sites for free, I would highly recommend that you get your own websites. Getting your own website means you can design it however you like. You won't be restricted as you are on other sites. You can advertise your music to your heart's content. Fans of your music will know where to go to find you. You can post pictures, do blogs, put up videos, get email addresses, get detailed information about your sites' traffic so you can see who your music is appealing to, etc. Besides, you can always post links on your MySpace page and Facebook page, for example on your website. Plus, websites are only $7 a year!


9. Ways to get your music out: In my last blog, I mentioned burning CDs or using jump drives as 2 means to get your music out. You can also email your music. It is free and practical. Say an A & R person wants a sample of your music, you can simply send that person a email with your songs on it without waiting to send it through the mail. Plus you have proof you sent it. Most DJs will tell you that they prefer that you email them your music.



10. Buy business cards. Be smart with your money and buy them in bulk. But make sure that your business cards are quality! I can't tell you the number of business cards that I've seen that are in such poor quality. And whether you believe it or not, your business card is a representation of you. If your business card looks cheap, then people won't take you OR your music seriously! Plus you want your business card to be sturdy enough to withstand being in someone else's pocket or purse. Does it mean you have to spend a lot of money on cards? No, you can go to vistaprint.com to get some free business cards online.

11. Build a relationship with a graphic artist, refer business to that graphic artist, and negotiate your price to get a unique brand, logo, etc.

12. Invest in attending and/or participating in music conferences, seminars and showcases. But be smart with your money, first purchase the Truth Book about Record Pools & Music Conferences, Talent Shows, and Open Mics from JaWar and read JaWar's blogs at http://atlantashowcase.blogspot.com/ and http://mymusicconnection.blogspot.com/ on how to effectively attend a music conference so that you won't waste your money and time at one of those events. To get the book, click here to view more details

13. Invest in video equipment, which serves to visually promote your music. You can now buy a 30G hard drive camcorder for under $400! And in most cases that camera also comes with other functions such as an Mp3 player, a camera, a voice recorder, etc. Google camcorders to see which ones best fit your budget.

14. Invest in a team - an attorney, manager, and/or consultant who will all assist in you in not making costly mistakes related to trademarks, copyrights, establishing your business, negotiating your publishing contracts, signing contracts and deals (especially with the new "360 deal" being offered to artists). While hiring a family member or friend as a manager may be cheaper, make sure that person has the skills to go with you to EVERY level of your success. Monica, Usher, and some other famous people made the right decision in hiring a family member but that family member has shown demonstrated success in making that celebrity successful.

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

Creative Uses of Your Music Money

As I mentioned in my last blog, when I attended Patchwerk Studio's Music University IV, Coach K, Snake, and Melinda Dancil all stated that artists and artist managers need to be creative with their money. In other words, artists and we as songwriters must be smart with our money. You might not have agreed with me that paying $75 for people to attend Patchwerk's Music University IV was relatively expensive for a one-day conference. Some of you may not have even hesitated to spend the money. That's great. But I've decided to be more conservative, i.e. smart or creative, with my time and money. And I heard this said also from DJ Tony Neal at the Southeastern Music Awards in January 2008. At that event, he cautioned the indie artists about looking better than the major label artists who have deals, especially when the indie artists aren't working and do not have a deal but have wrapped vans, bling, designer clothes, and other expensive items to promote themselves. In other words, make sure you are getting your money legally, first! Then next stay within your budget and use your money for things that are really going to enhance and further your career. So some things just simply aren't worth my money.

Here's 6 tips on how to be creative with your music money (more will follow in future blogs):

1. Instead of continuously buying studio time, consider investing in a home recording studio. You can go to outlet stores, Guitar Center, and other music gear retail stores and buy music recording software (such as Pro Tools, Logic, Cake Walk, Fruity Loops, Nuendo, etc.) and equipment (mics, cords, headphones, speakers, mixer, and compressor) for approximately $2,500 - $3,500 depending upon the brand of the equipment.

2. Instead of buying cheap music equipment, be smart with your money: invest in quality equipment.

3. Want quality recordings? Invest in plug-ins. Invest in yourself to learn to use it or build a relationship with a studio engineer or a place that will mix and master your records.

4. If you a ghost songwriter and you have an okay voice and you pay to have other singers sing your songs for you, consider investing in a vocal coach instead. Yes, they can charge on average $25/hr to $100/hr. But again, you will recoup that money over time when you don't have to wait for an artist to fit your demo work into their time, when you don't have to pay anyone else to sing your songs, when you can sing the song exactly how you want it sung without having to spend time with vocal production having to teach the song to someone else, and when you save time.

5. If you press up a lot of CDs, it may be smart to purchase a CD/DVD burner instead of continuously using a CD duplication service.

6. Even smarter, purchase jump drives to store your music and to pass out to people. It holds more music than a CD/DVD. It won't skip and you won't have problems with scratches. However, because jump drives are so small, I do recommend buying something like a key chain or lanyard (if your jump drives doesn't come with one) to help you and whoever you give the jump drive to, to keep up with your jump drive.


Thedy B, Attoprney/Songwriter
Hits A Million, LLC
http://myspace.com/hitsamillionllc
http://hitsamillion.ning.com/

Get out of the studio!

As I said in a prior blog, success in the songwriting business is based on many things but one of the most important things besides writing a hit is networking. You CANNOT succeed in this business without networking. The music business is about who you know. People sometimes get mad because certain songs get played on the radio. Those who get mad often feel the song they wrote is much better than the songs that are on the radio. But those people who were able to get their songs on the radio may know more about networking than the person complaining. Just to show you how networking is working for me, here's just one example.

I met JaWar, author of the Music Industry Connection book series, Cappriccieo Scates, an associate director for SESAC, and Dr. William Ashbourne, a professor at Alabama State University and an entertainment lawyer, at the Atlantis Music Conference in August 2007. I started building a relationship with these three great guys. Since then and through these three individuals, I've met other prominent people in the industry and this is how.

JaWar told me about Tempo Tuesdays at the Atlanta SESAC office so I started regularly attending that event and meeting people. I also purchased JaWar's book, the Atlanta Music Industry Connection book (which I highly recommend) and later read his music industry blogs. From that, I learned about additional networking opportunities, such as music conferences, seminars, showcases, etc. Then I decided to get out the studio more and go to some of these events he'd mentioned. It was through going to these different events that I met people and from continuously going to different events, people in the industry saw (and see) my passion, zeal, and seriousness about my craft. I just recently attended the Southeastern Entertainment Awards (SEA) in Tunica, MS and there I learned about getting songs played on the radio.

After returning home, I contacted Cappriccieo from SESAC and told him about what I learned and how I'd like to learn more about that subject. Tempo Tuesday occurs every second and fourth Tuesday of the month and during this event, Cappriccieo invites different music industry guests to help songwriters learn more about the music business, finances, real estate, whatever he feels would benefit the whole person. So because of our discussion, this time he invited a radio DJ to the next Tempo Tuesday to discuss getting songs played on the radio. Those at Tempo Tuesday that night met an AM radio DJ who is looking for new music. Had I not gotten out of my studio and stopped my songwriting for an hour, I would have never met this radio DJ. I would never know he's looking for music. I would not know the format in which he prefers artists to submit their material to him. I wouldn't know what types of songs he is NOT looking for. I wouldn't know the format of his show or that he changes it up often unless, of course, I listen to his show. He and I also exchanged numbers and he called me the same night. We have been in communication since then. I anticipate that not long from now, my new songs, like one of my other songs which was played on the number #1 gospel radio show in Seattle, WA, will also be on the radio. I've never been to Seattle but that didn't keep my networking efforts on some of my social networking sites from causing someone to take notice and put my music on that station.

These stories aren't to name drop or brag but just to remind artists and songwriters to get out the studio sometimes and just meet people. In fact, nowadays, you can network from the comfort of your home thanks to the Internet and social networking sites. Looking for some sites? I have a few social networking sites that you can join and meet some of the people I've met so join me at myspace.com/hitsamillionllc and hitsamillion.ning.com. Bottom line: network, network, network! You'll never know what may transpire from just meeting a few people!

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

In Songwriting News -A Creative Way to Distribute Music!

As songwriters, we study music which means buying music and in times past, meant buying CDs. But who wants to haul around CDs?! If, like me, you've carried around CD binders with 200 plus CDs, you know that that's a heavy load to carry. So I was happy when the IPod came out and happily bought one (though I've had to return it three times due to technical issues either with the Ipod itself or the updates which is a whole nother blog!). Now Sony introduces MP3 Album cards! So for all of us indie artists and songwriters who bought blank CDs & CD burners, or who are paying companies to make CDs to distribute our music, we now need more creative ways too to distribute our music! Check out the songwriting videos in this blog on how to do that or go to http://thedyb.magnify.net and watch over 75 videos on the business of songwriting in this new technology age!

from billboard.com

Sony BMG To Debut MP3 Album Cards
January 07, 2008 - Retail


By Ed Christman, N.Y.

Sony BMG Music Entertainment will roll out its Platinum MusicPass series of digital album cards beginning Jan. 15 at Best Buy, Target and Fred's, with Trans World and Winn-Dixie coming to the party by the end of January.

In Canada, participating retailers include Best Buy, CD Plus, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Wal-Mart with HMV coming on board sometime during the first quarter.

As reported previously, the move marks the company's first commercial foray into MP3s in the U.S., a strategy that until recently it resisted in favor of selling files with digital rights management capabilities.

The digital album gift cards, which retail for $12.99, will be artist-specific and feature album artwork, and will come with bonus material. The card will contain a scratch-off that will reveal a PIN number that can be redeemed for a download at MusicPass.com.

"We see MusicPass as a great way to bring digital music to the physical retail space," said Sony BMG Music Entertainment global digital business & U.S. sales president Thomas Hesse in a statement. "We believe it will have strong appeal for a broad range of consumers, and that it will ultimately expand both the digital and physical markets for music."

Among the titles receiving this treatment are the Backstreet Boys' "Unbreakable"; Brad Paisley's "5th Gear;" Bruce Springsteen's "Magic"; Celine Dion’s "Taking Chances"; John Mayer’s "Continuum"; Three Days Grace's "One-X"; and Tony Bennett's "Duets." Compilations include "70's Pop Hits"; "Sensational 60's"; "Country Gold"; and "Everlasting Love."

In addition, as part of the launch, two titles--Kenny Chesney's "Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates" and Celine Dion's "Taking Chances"--will also come with expanded offerings that retail for $19.99. In addition to those complete albums, the expanded MusicPass offering on those titles will include bonus material and the choice of one additional album from that same artist's catalog.

To see what the cards look like, go to: http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i017145c042c6bedacb734078d47045db

Creative Ideas for Songs - Part 1

Where does a songwriter get his/her ideas for songs? Song ideas come from all sorts of things, people and even places. If you open up your mind, heart, and ear to hear, you will find music and song ideas from all over. In much the same way that a comedian can look at a situation and find humor in it, songwriters too can look at situations and can find ideas of things to write about. I wrote the sex song, Cops n Robbers, after listening to one such person talk about it openly. To see my new video about the song, watch it here! Then discuss if you'd like!

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