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2020-08-22T00:27:00.002-07:00

Master Your Craft: Submitting music on radio

2017-07-08T14:05:00.000-07:00

By Tim Hill
It is safe to say that one of the most important elements of an artist's or band's career is getting radio airplay. Not only does this create a revenue stream through royalties, but also builds awareness, demand, and also is a sense of validation, thus giving out a certain amount of credibility in the market.

Submitting music to radio is complex in so far as each radio station has a different process and different format. Many artists have been led to believe that if a song is selected for the playlist, it is one person making that call and that the song will go into rotation onto peak drive time within days. In some cases this can happen, but very, very rarely. So how do artists get music to radio and what is the general process involved?

It's all about the music

Most importantly, it is all about the music. Great melodies and lyrics backed by equally great production that is in line with current trends, and what is working on a greater scale will give a song a better chance of being added to the playlist. This does not mean that a band must sell itself out and become a commercial hit factory with no soul. There still has to be a certain element of originality that shines through and gives the track that x-factor that the public will buy into.

Presenting music to a music manager or compiler is much like presenting a CV to a prospective employer. First impressions count. A neatly presented CD (with or without artwork) with the correct track information (including composers, publishing information and availability) will make a music compiler's job so much easier. A band will also be perceived to be taking its career seriously if a professional-looking CD, together with a comprehensive biography, is presented and not a scruffy burnt TDK CD with untidy handwriting in marker pen all over it. Whereas some compilers are more than happy to receive submissions digitally (via the likes of email, Dropbox and YouSendIt), most still like a physical copy in their hands.

Understanding a radio station's format is crucial and gives radio pluggers a more targeted approach. They days of a "spray and paint" approach of dropping CDs off to every single station regardless of the genre of music are long gone. Submitting an adult contemporary track to a station that has a young audience where alternative rock is the general theme is not going to work, and vice versa. It is the responsibility of both the producer and artist to make sure that the music is radio friendly in whatever genre it falls under. It is also the responsibility of the radio plugger to understand the format of the stations being submitted to. Music managers and compilers are busy people; they get about 200 tracks (local and international) a week, so give them suitable songs so that their time isn't wasted.

Understand it can take time

Playlist selection is a process that does take time. On the odd occasion, a song will go onto rotation nearly instantly, but in most cases it can take up to four weeks - sometimes longer - before being put into the system for rotation to begin. In the first instance, the music manager screens a newly submitted song. It is then played in front of a committee of in the region of six people (including DJs, marketing personnel and executive management). Should the track make the playlist, it will go onto slow rotation (which means it will be spun in off-peak hours a couple of times a week). Various research mechanisms track the popularity of the song and if the popularity and demand is high, it will move into medium rotation then onto high rotation, when it will be played every five hours or so. The best-case scenario is that the song makes the charts, which is largely determined by listener votes. It is a tough chore deciding what goes onto a playlist and an equally tough chore to decide what songs to drop off the playlist - there is only so much space where songs are given fair airtime with little risk of being diluted and played once in a while.

Having a song rejected by a radio station can be heart-breaking and cause outbursts of anger. Just because a song is rejected, does not mean it is a bad track. There are many factors that can cause a song to be turned away. English artists in South Africa face a very real challenge in so far as they are competing against every international act in the selection process. This isn't only for radio play, but also for media column inches. It may be a case of the track not being as strong as its international counterparts; therefore it can be resubmitted when the competition is less stiff. It can also be a case of timing. Winter playlists tend to be made up of the slower songs, yet summer play lists comprise more up-tempo material. Timing is as important as quality.

You must keep in mind too, that radio is a commercial entity. The more listeners that tune in, the greater the value proposition of the station, therefore the possibly of a greater revenue stream through advertising. The music managers have to be confident that whatever is on the playlist maintains and grows listenership, and have to avoid placing content (including music) that will cause listeners to channel hop or reduce loyalty.

Do's and Dont's
There are a few dos and don'ts with regards to play listing:

• Do take time in making sure that your music is presented in the best possible way and is of the highest possible quality

• Do get an outside opinion of your music before submitting it to radio. Give it to people who will be realistic and honest and who won't sugar coat things so as not to offend you

• Do your homework - make sure that you know what is trending on radio and what type of music each radio station is playing

• Do be patient - playlisting is not an overnight phenomenon

• Do treat smaller radio stations with the same love and care as major ones - you never know who will move up the radio food chain in years to come - you may need them!

• Don't get disheartened if your music is rejected - try to find out why and see any criticism as constructive

• Don't bug the music managers or try to get your music playlisted through back-door tactics. Undermining a decision will only work against you

• Submit a new single correctly and don't submit it 20 times through 20 different channels

• Do follow the old saying: "Accept what you can't change, and change what you can't accept, and have the wisdom to know the difference." If your music is rejected, find out why and if you can resubmit (you can usually resubmit up to three times). If there is a definite no, accept it and go back to the drawing board. It is not the end of the world!

• Do not offer bribes to get onto the playlist.

To conclude, playlisting is not an exact science, there are processes, which take time. If commercial success and mass radio play is your goal, then focus on making damned good music that the public will like, not what you think they will like. Work with radio stations in giving them what they need - we are all on the same side!

Tim Hill is a Publicist & Brand Manager at Tuned In Publicity. Contact him on +27 82 837 2161 |
tim@tunedinpublicity.co.za | www.tunedinpublicity.co.za

Master your craft: How to succeed in 2017 by Thili Maumela

2017-01-10T03:44:00.000-08:00

By Thili Maumela | Edited by Andile Nkosi

It's a brand new year and musicians all over the world are proclaiming that this is the year they will break into the industry.

Rising star, producer, CEO of Thili Productions and gospel singer Thili Maumela was generous to share a few pointers towards succeeding in 2017.

I know it's very tough to become successful as an independent artist but it's very possible. When you start as an independent artist obviously it will look like a Spaza Shop but it's through your responsibility and your hardworking spirit that can turn it into a Company.

Here are the some ingredients towards your success:

1. Knowledge: You need to understand your calling and start doing things with understanding

2. Purpose: If you are singing gospel , you need to know and have a solid relationship with the one you are singing or preaching about.

3. Be serious: You need to start taking your work seriously

4. Recording: You cannot just record your material in any studio in the name of supporting a cousin knowing that you just don't want to pay the right amount for the relevant recording.

5. Artwork is very important, everyone can design but it's not everyone who is a good graphic designer,pay the right amount to the qualified graphic designer it shows that you respect your work, your consumers , your customers or your supporters.By just looking at the CD sleeve you can decide whether to buy the album or not and even if you are given that CD as a gift but CD sleeve can place an individual in a position of opening it or just leave it there.

6. Music Distribution: Some look at this as an obstacle but not anymore, the era has changed, we are getting deep into the digital World were you can still cover the nation without the hard-copies. But always have enough Hard-copies to cover where you can.

7. Online Distribution: this one is closing the gap between the Artist and the listeners(consumers) world wide this is where we talk about ITunes, Google Play, Amazon and so on. Now this is where ignorance is traping a lot of artist, lots of money is lost,this is one of the platform where a lot of money can be made without a sweat. Let me give you an example, let's say you realised an album of 12 tracks, it's very possible to have at least 2 or 3 hits, for worst scenario let me say 10 thousand people buy one track (7,99X10 000) = R79 900,00 can you pick this money in the street? Nooo, but Ignorance is killing us.

8. Popularity: Still on that one iTunes ,Google Play helps to connect you with the world out there, the problem we as musicians still struggling financially even today is because we are fighting for one market, same people, same age group, same provinces, look at this ,but so many artist. How would you know if you are an international star if your music is only heard by your cousin and your church members? Arise South Africa let's take advantage of the technology. Eg if you are an Artist and your music is not online you are just like a brother who is a qualified engineer graduate who is looking for a job but hasn't send his CV anywhere. Who will know about him?

9. Know you're rates: Musicians this days they don't even know how much they charge or worth for Gigs, how are you expecting promoters to take you serious if you don't even know how much you worth for a Gig, have you fixed amount ,If they can afford you they will book you, if they can't afford you they will negotiate, but if they can't meet your negotiating value let them shop next door.

10. Don't be greedy: As a lead artist you are nothing without your Band and Vocals, Pay them well if you were also paid well, if you are not paid they should or can still go with you because of your loyalty.

11. Humility: Don't take your Supporters for granted, they made you and they can still decide not to support you, but that doesn't mean you should be manipulated against your principle as an artist, remember you are running the company.

12. Sponsorship: Remember this is your career, your vision, your calling, why wait for someone to sponsor you while you could save a little and sponsor yourself. Some musicians are very stingy in a way that they can even pay R70 to sponsor their Facebook Promotion. If an undergraduate who is employed still paying for their own studies not relying on the bursaries that means you too can can still sponsor yourself out of your CD sales or some savings

13. Marketing: If Coca-Cola is still marketing their product almost everyday paying a lot of thousands to SABC and other Broadcast as known as they are, who do we think we are? We need to market ourselves even more. Marketing requires money and that means they should always be a budget for Marketing.

14. After sales service: It is very important to always go back to your supporters and show them that you really appreciate them, don't be friendly with them only when you need them to buy your CD, attend your Shows or Vote for you.

15. Creativity and Originality: Let's write new songs, and let's be original to our craft. Gospel music can be very difficult to write if you don't read the word and pray for fresh revelation. That's when we will see people translating music in their own language and claim that they wrote a new song, that's theft and one might miss heaven 😂 😂 😂 just kidding I am not sure about the heaven part, but on a serious note that was someone's piece of Hardwork and your can't just come and change it to your own language without their knowledge.

16. Media: As an artist you shouldn't only wait for a TV to broadcast your material, you can still make it with or without Televisions channels Eg I have never seen Kansime Anne on any Television but everyone who is reading this knows her or about her, how? Yotube is a powerful media that we are failing to use, Facebook also but Facebook it's so abused with unnecessary matters even by Musicians instead of Marketing their Materials. Vhathu vha busy na zwitshele blaming others for their slow progress while they have all platforms to change that.

17. Finances: Take care of your money, learn to bank your money and spend it wisely, you cannot sell your CD now and tomorrow you don't know where that money for Cd went, when we ask you for your income statement/ balance sheet you don't even know what we are talking about.

18. Conclusion: Unfortunately I cannot say everything at once let's go and rectify where we are still struggling and if you are doing well in all those areas I mentioned we bless the name of the Lord, I am still struggling in some areas even through I am the Author of this Article, if you think I am acting better just try me by exercising all this ,but tomorrow you will come and thank me.

Regards,

Thili Maumela | CEO of Thili Production

For more info including Online Distribution call Thili on +27 76 173 2660

This article was motivated by Love I have for all musicians and I still say together we can achieve much, let's do this for our Father in heaven and our wonderful Supporters . Marunga Dzi Nndevhelaho, Khakhamela Khotsi ya Mahosi Ndi Vhone Ramakole. Ndaa.

Happy New Year 2017

2016-12-30T06:57:00.002-08:00

Master your craft: Understanding endorsements deals

2015-03-01T23:03:00.000-08:00

By Greg McVeigh. Adapted for South African audiences by Andile Nkosi

Volvo cars are all over Proverb's videos

You’ve seen Proverb partnering with Volvo; Danny-K with KIA; AKA with Axe; and recently Khuli Chana with KFC; and wondered what the bases of these relationships? How do these artists get these deals? Did Khuli Chana approach KFC or vice-verse? All these questions fall under the endorsements basket. Below is Greg McVeigh’s take product endorsements.

Product endorsements, for many manufacturers of music and sound equipment, are a big part of their marketing strategy. Simply put, endorsements are designed to increase product or brand-name awareness, and ultimately sales, through the use of a familiar spokesperson. To have a big-name artist or DJ using and singing the praises of a particular brand of CDJs, drums or microphones is always valuable.

Endorsements by themselves are also cost effective when compared to other means of advertising. Giving away few products e.g. cosmetics, cellphones, CDJs etc. and adding that musician to the product manufacturer's website and press releases is a lot cheaper than many other forms of advertising. There is also a "chumming the waters" effect when the musician spreads the word about a product based on testimony by a respected performer.

IMPORTANT: A few words about endorsement terms: You as the artist are the endorser; the brand is the endorsee. I see these two words mixed up many times, not only by the artist but often by the brand manufacturers. If you are using X Brand clothing, you are the endorser. You as the artist are not the endorsee.

Endorsement deals are a partnership and you should think that way when approaching any brand. There are varying degrees to this and a lot of grey area. Frankly, much of the depth in an endorsement situation is what you bring to it. Some product endorsers work closely with the factory to give ideas and suggestions for new product development and ways to improve existing products. You don't necessarily have to be a high-profile musician to lend some insight to the factory and they appreciate it. Other times the partnership is merely based on what I call "mutual bragging rights." That is to say that the factory gets to tell their dealers and customers that you are using the gear. They are happy about it and that's about it. Meanwhile you get to tell your contacts that you endorse a product that you use in your craft.

When you decide to approach a factory about endorsing their product you should only seek deals with products that you love using. That means products that you are proud to use even if you were paying list price for. Okay, maybe not list price, but you get the idea. Brand’s artist relations teams love passion from musicians. Be selective, have integrity and you will go much further.

The nitty-gritty of submitting an endorsement request to a manufacturer is relatively simple at least in the beginning. Send a letter with a press kit and if possible a recent CD of you and your band's music.

IMPORTANT: Proof and re-proof your e-mail. Brands can tell when someone is just doing a mass e-mail wanting any kind of free gear. Research the brand so that in your proposal you sound like you know what you are talking about. Know, too, that brands talk to each other. So don’t lie about your achievements, social media following and previous endorsements. You can bet that they will make a few calls to verify.

So, what exactly does the factory look for in selecting to work with one particular artist? Two things, movement and visibility. They want to know that the product will be used in front of as many people as possible. To do that, the artist should have some sort of management in place (it can be one of the group members), a touring or performing schedule that is serious, records available via online services or through CD sales, and a good Web site. Be prepared to have links in any and all of these places to the manufacturer's Web site.

Mr KFC - Khuli Chana

I should mention that independent artists and club musicians often play a big role in artist relations. In other words, it's not just for the superstars. The difficulty, though, for the manufacturer is knowing who to work with and bring into their "fold." In this day and age of musical chaos (some would say "good chaos) in the industry, it becomes less clear which artists are going to have "legs" and be around for a period of time. Regardless of stature, the process is remarkably similar for both the club musician and the established artist. Both need to state their case and sell themselves to the manufacturer. Know that when you see rapper K.O wearing Head-Honco gear he is doing the work of an artist endorser. You can and should be doing the same.

Once the decision has been made by the brand to work with a given artist, some sort of contract (they vary wildly from one manufacturer to another) will be drawn up stating the terms and conditions and length of the agreement. It will also state what product will be given and if that product is free or not. In recent years manufacturers have cut back on the amount of free stuff even to endorsers. Similar to complimentary tickets from an artist are now hard to come by.

Artist relations and product endorsements, when all parties are focused and on the same mission can be a great experience for an artist. They get the latest and greatest products and are considered to be a true "friend of the brand." For the manufacturer, there is no better feeling than seeing your logo on stage or on a television broadcast.

A scene from K.O's video "Caracara"

Endorsement talk makes one wonder if the HALLS SWEETS on the “Caracara” video or the MONSTER ENERGY DRINK truck on the “Son of A Gun” music videos by K.O are coincidentally there. When you think about it, over 1.5 million people have viewed the Caracara video meaning over 1.5 million people engaged the HALLS logo in that video. So, when you get into a relationship with a brand, think about the big picture and its possibilities.

Read the original article here

034 Music clients win SABC Crown Gospel Awards

2014-11-24T00:46:00.000-08:00

By Andile Nkosi

Sunday, 23 November 2014 - Last night saw the 7th leg of the annual and highly esteemed SABC Crown Gospel Awards held in the coastal city of Durban. The ceremony was filled with glam, beauty, fashion, praise, worship and amazing speeches. For two of 034 Music's clients, AGAPE WORSHIPPERS and MAWAT, the award evening also saw them taking home the Best Church Choir and Best Gospel Rap Awards respectively. As 034 MUSIC we would like to congatulate them.

Artist: Agape Worshippers
Award Won: Best Church Choir
What we did for them: Digital Distribution (i.e. Sell music on iTunes and Amazon)
LIKE them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Agape.Worshippers
How to buy? Go to: https://itunes.apple.com/za/album/igniting-nations-live-cd/id887510362
Price: R7.99 per song

Artist: Mawat
Award Won: Best Gospel Rap
What we did for him: Mobile Distribution (i.e. Sell music via SMS)
LIKE him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mawathsk
How to buy? Text IPRAISEGOD to 35228
Price: R3 per sms

Why SA artists die poor?

2014-09-05T08:22:00.004-07:00

Vusi Thembekwayo

By Vusi Thembekwayo

So please explain this to me:

Freddie Mercury died at the age of 45. He was worth an estimated $100mln. The legendary Mahlathini – who in my view was a talent equal to that of Freddie Mercury – died at the age of 61. There are no reliable sources of information for his net worth, but it is commonly understood that it was not much.

South Africans are as talented as anyone else from any nation in my view. So why then do our artists die poor?

Are they lazy? Are the financially illiterate? Are they too dependent on someone else to make a living? Or do they just have a fresh batch of bad luck?

I have pondered on this question, and here are my 3 reasons why SA artists seldom escape the poverty trap:

1. You are a Business-man.

SA artists need to understand that they are not just artists or creative beings. They are talent-preneurs. They make their living through their talents. They must concern themselves with all aspects of their business, sales, marketing, logistics and even financials.

2. Numbers are not only for accountants

Getting well versed with the numbers of your business and knowing the difference between mark-up & gross margin, net cash & accounts receivables or payment terms & working capital are not boring concepts only for the accountant. They are logical pieces of information that tell you how much you are creating, if at all.

3. Marriage is for lovers, not professional colleagues.

No one was born and bred to ensure that you are successful. No one! You do that for yourself. I have seen countless talent-preneurs (singers, actors, idols judges, dancers and even speakers) sign away their business to someone else. They sign with an agent who earns 25% of their money (off the top) for facilitating a transaction.

So for merely picking up the phone, taking a booking, sending a contract and getting the often non-complex logistics in order, talent-preneurs will pay 25c of every rand they earn to someone else. That’s ridiculous. Imagine Standard Bank giving away 25% of everything they earn to someone else… just nje!

Often these agencies expect the talent to sign an “exclusivity agreement” with them but they never sign an “exclusivity” with the talent. Which means they represent as many artists as they wish & have no vested interest any particular artist being successful.

4. A TV show does not a brand make.

Many talent-preneurs need to understand that personal branding is not marketing. Just because you are on TV, radio or any other media does not mean you have a “compelling value proposition” that customers can only access through you. This is often why for many of our talent-preneurs, radio or TV is a necessity. Without it, they cannot make a real living. So why is JayZ amongst the best selling hip-hop artists in the world & unlike LL Cool J and the like, he does not now nor have he ever had a TV show? Why did Michael Jackson set world record music sales even though he didn’t have a reality TV show on Bravo? Why did Lebo Mathosa leave an incredible trail of commercial success as an artist even though she did not have a show on Vuzu?

The answer is easy: Each of these talent-preneurs were so well versed in their trade and I would argue understood the levers upon which their commercial success rested that they didn’t need the platform. They ran their business like a business. They were in charge. They took their own bookings or managed the office the does. They built an extraordinary brand around consumer experience. That’s why Afro-Jack has his plane, and tour bus and booking agency.

They run it like a business.

So some recommendations to our talent-preneurs:

1. Tear the exclusivity agreement. Its your life, your business. Take ownership and drive it.

2. Know your numbers. Know how many inquiries you are getting, from whom, for what. If they don’t book you ask them why. That’s how you gather market intelligence. Is someone else hotter at that time, better, more affordable? The list is endless. The trick is to find out.

3. Invest in your brand beyond an acting role, a radio show or TV presenter gig. Actually market yourself.

________________

Vusi is a Global Business Speaker; a Listed Companies Director and a Private Equity Partner. Read more of his articles on www.vusi,co.za

Master Your Craft: Understanding ISRC codes

2014-04-22T02:38:00.003-07:00

By Andile Nkosi

When dealing Producers of recordings; Digital services and Music Licensing Companies one will come across the acronym ISRC. In this article we discuss these in detail.

ISRC stands for the International Standard Recording Code and is an international identification system for sound recordings and music video recordings. Each ISRC is a unique and permanent identifier for a specific recording, which can be permanently encoded into a product as its digital fingerprint. Encoded ISRC can provide the means to automatically identify recordings for royalty payments. Moreover, ISRC helps to avoid ambiguity of recordings and simplifies the management of rights when recordings are used across different formats, distribution channels or products.

Any new or materially changed recording must be provided with a new ISRC. As previously mentioned once an ISRC is assigned, it remains the same for the lifetime of the recording. An ISRC can be assigned retrospectively too. If a recording was released without an ISRC one should be allocated before it is re-released.

It is important to note that each distinct recording should be assigned its own unique ISRC. If a recording appears at different bit-rates or on different formats the same ISRC is retained. Recordings are considered to be different based on differences in the actual recorded content, such as:

 Different versions, for example having differences in playing time

 Different mixes/edits

 Creating a new surround mix from recorded stems

 Restoration of a historical recordings that involves creative input

The general rule is that if the changes being made to the recording involve new artistic input then a new ISRC code is assigned to the resulting recording or version.

ISRCs can also be assigned to:

 Promotional material or hidden tracks

 Podcasts, radio interviews, audio books and wildlife recordings.

 Ring sounds that are digitized audio files

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) recommends that all music producers use ISRC. Accordingly IFPI appoints an agency in each country to ensure that ISRC is properly administered at a local level. RiSA is the agency for ISRC in South Africa.

Basic ISRC structure

An ISRC is made up of four parts, example: ZA-B42-14-00002.

 ZA - Country Code — two characters issued by the ISRC Agency. In South Africa this is always ZA

 B42 - Registrant Code — a three character alphanumeric code issued by the ISRC Agency. Each production company is assigned its very own registrant code.

 14 - Year of Reference — the last two digits of the year in which the ISRC is assigned to the track.

In this case the song was assigned an ISRC in the year 2014. This is allocated by the production company.

 00002 - Designation Code — a five digit unique code assigned by the production company. These numbers must not be repeated in the same calendar year.

In this example, the song is the 2nd song to be assigned an ISRC in 2014 for the South African based production company Rabona Music.

How do I encode an ISRC onto a CD?

Compact Disc: The ISRC codes and the relevant point of sale code (such as UPC) should be inserted on the Pre-Master during the mastering process. Speak to the company mastering your music to ensure this is done.

Electronically Distributed Music: Most formats for electronically distributed music allow the inclusion of an ISRC, which can be inserted by authoring software. Where electronically distributed formats include several tracks, the ISRC of each track should be associated with it in the metadata of the file.

MP3: The MP3 format does allow rights management information like ISRC to be included however it is rarely used. What is used is the ID3 system of tags, which is not part of the international standard, but does enable ISRC to be encoded. It is therefore recommended that an ISRC be encoded into the ID3 tag.

Other important factors to note about ISRC are that:

 Once assigned, an ISRC must not be re-used under any circumstances

 ISRCs can be applied to promotional material such as 30-second clips and hidden tracks particularly if at any time in the future the asset may be separately.

 ISRC are assigned to videos as well. If a song exists in audio and in video format, a separate ISRC should be created for the video as well.

 Unlike ring tones, ring sounds are digitized audio and should be assigned an ISRC.

How do I apply for an ISRC?

Contact the National ISRC Agency for your territory, In South Africa this is RISA. Elsewhere use IFPI. Alternatively, get your publisher to do this on your behalf.

The bottom line is, if your tracks broadcast on radio or played in public then you need to invest in an ISRC code.

Vutivi Music Workshops: How to write an Album Release Plan (Johannesburg)

2014-03-12T08:03:00.002-07:00

034 Music (under the edutainment banner VUTIVI MUSIC BUSINESS WORKSHOPS) is holding a series of seminars around the continent teaching musicians and indie labels how to put together winning album release plans.

Join us for the next one on the 22nd of March 2014 at South West Media College in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, South Africa from 9am. Thanks to our sponsors South West Media College; eMagazine First Photography, Creative Era Studios, Penuel Cabs, Studio Thinkers, and SP Printing entrance to this workshop is free. Seats are limited so RSVP early by emailing andile@034music.co.za. See you there.

____________

Should you with to bring a workshop to your hometown, simply email your request to andile@034music.co.za.

Master Your Craft: Monetizing your TV/Radio interviews

2014-02-24T00:10:00.001-08:00

By Andile Nkosi

In my line of work I have seen many financially struggling artists that are somehow always on television screens and radio. What are they doing wrong one may ask? Well. they are making a common mistake in the music industry. They are not monetizing their TV/Radio interviews.

Everyone agrees that TV and Radio performances and interviews are vital to lively-hood of musicians merely because artists can record the greatest album of all times, but if no one knows about it, it's water down the drain. As such, successful commercial musicians need media plug-in and a good radio and TV pluggers are key to achieving this success.

Radio/TV pluggers are the people who try to make sure that your record is played on TV/radio. Getting a good plugger can make the difference between a single becoming a hit or a flop and between a band having a successful career or disappearing into obscurity.

TV/Radio plugger's are paid to:

- ensure Radio plays for the band/artist's music.

- secure live performance sessions and interviews for the act on radio/TV

- organize competitions on TV/radio that give away the artist's CDs, merchandise, gig tickets, etc, as prizes

- get the artist's releases and upcoming live shows mentioned on air.

But radio and TV pluggers cost artists and labels money. Money the artist may not recoup if they do not monetize their TV/Radio interviews. So before your TV/Radio plugger starts working, ensure you abide by the below rules:

1. Sync radio/tv/press pressence with gigs

2. Ensure venues/promoters know of your tv/radio/press appearance

3. Allow enough lead time before the interview to market the tv/radio/press appearance

4. Religiously update the artists website and social media pages

5. Sell your airtime to small businesses

1. Sync radio/tv/press presence with gigs

Venues want crowds, crowds listen to radio. If you promise a venue owner crowds they will pay you. Artists should ensure they have a venue to mention every time they are on TV/Radio. If you have not secured anything, rather postpone the interview instead of wasting it.

2. Ensure venues/promoters know of your tv/radio/press appearance

Since venue owners and promoters pay your salary they should be your primary focus. Keep a list of venues and owner contact details. Call them to let them know your will be on TV/Radio on a specific date. Ask them if they have any shows that same or preceding date which you can mention on air with the agreement that they book you to perform in return. If venue owners and promoters believe you are attractive to the media, they will also believe you are attractive to the masses and bookings will come your way.

Remember: Push them to pay in a deposit before the interview.

3. Allow enough lead time before the interview to market the tv/radio/press appearance

It is the saddest thing when an artist was on a big TV show but her fans missed it. It is also pathetic when labes and artists send sms and WhatsApp messages a day before the interview. The same is pathetic when you see a Facebook post of someone telling you to catch them on WhatWhat FM in the next 15 minutes as if they did not expect to be on radio. not only does it make you appear unorganized and unprofessional, it also shows that you are not respecting and appreciating the platform you have been given.

Remember: TV and Radio needs help with ratings and will call artists that cause their phone lines to jam and twitter hash tags to trend. Without sufficient lead time, achieving this is impossible.

4. Religiously update the artists website and social media pages

Artists/Labels should invest time in building up anticipation for their next TV/Radio/Press appearance. Build a digital poster, tag people on social media; ask people what song should you perform; engage them on what you should wear; ask them what question do they want you to ask the host and ask it on their behalf; collect shout outs and make them live on radio. Not only will this build you a fan-base, it will earn you respect from your clients (venues/promoters).

Also remember to update your website and direct the listeners to it for more information.

5. Sell your airtime to businesses

Agree with a business to place their advert on your homepage (and social media page) on the day of the interview for a fee. During the interview urge peoplpe to visist your website. Automatically you drive traffic for the business and are paid accordingly. Also agree with another business to mention them on air. Ask the TV/Radio presenter if you can send a shout out, work in the business name during the shout out.

In essence, Tv/Radio/Press appearance should have a dotted line to money in your pocket. If you are on radio/tv/newspaper that week and no money is deposited in your bank account then you are in the wrong business. It is thud essential to have regular meetings between your artist manager and Radio/TV pluggers to ensure a positive cash flow.

Vutivi Music Workshops: How to write an Album Release Plan (Rustenburg)

2014-02-19T00:10:00.001-08:00

By Andile Nkosi

A wise man once said "if you fail to plan then you plan to fail". This saying is true in all business ventures including those who pursue to release their music projects to the market.

Before you start recording you need to know why you are recording? What will you do with the music you will record? Most importantly you need to know how will you make money from the music you have recorded? Without a clear answer for these three questions you might be wasting your time and money recording in vain.

Similar to any business we conduct, we need to plan thoroughly before we invest energy and resources to music projects. An Album Release Plan is a tool that makes this process easier. Music Business Consultant, Andile Nkosi has invented the album release plan based on frequently asked requirements by the media; record labels; distributors; and other service providers such as marketing companies; artist managers and angel investors. The end result was a detailed document that not only tells you what to do and when but also where to go and why. The document is yielding such positive results that many of his clients have benefited from using it that they have released their albums successfully and on the planned date.

With a proper Album Release Plan finding finance for your project is a breeze. Also, a proper Album Release Plan let's you know how much you need to be successful hence enabling you to spend on the needs and not the nice to haves.

034 Music (under the edutainment banner VUTIVI MUSIC BUSINESS WORKSHOPS) is holding a series of seminars around the continent teaching musicians and indie labels how to put together basic album release plans. Join us for the next one on the 22nd of February 2014 at Olympia Park Stadium in Rustenburg from 9am. Thanks to the North-West Provincial Government and the Department of Arts and Culture the entrance to this workshop is free. See you there.
_________

Should you with to bring a workshop to your hometown, simply email your request to andile@034music.co.za.

Master Your Craft: Understanding CD barcodes (UPC)

2014-01-06T05:12:00.003-08:00

By Andile Nkosi

Pick up any CD you’ve bought and look at its back, you will quickly notice a Universal Product Code (UPC) or barcode as popularly known. If you have bought a CD in a record bar, you would have noticed that the barcode gets scanned by the cashier while you are paying. The immediate question is why? Why do CDs have barcodes and should you (as a label/musician) invest in having a barcode for your CD? The answer is YES, barcodes are essential in ensuring record success at retail.

What are UPCs?

Universal Product Codes (UPC) are sets of alternating black and white bars representing numbers (12 in the U.S.; 13 elsewhere) that scanners recognize as unique from every other product. UPC help standardize the identities of millions of products across different manufacturing, distribution and retailing systems, making sure that producers and consumers buy and sell exactly what they think they are buying and/or selling. Today, obtaining a UPC code for your product has become a standard requirement if you are to be part of the production, distribution and sales system.

How do UPCs work?

At the final stages of making your album, the label should contact a UPC provider (e.g. www.034music.co.za) who would provide you with a unique UPC and image for a fee. The image is given to the graphic designer to incorporate in the CD/DVD artwork. The label/distributor is required to complete a Retail Form with each retailer/record bar that agrees to shelve the CD with includes the UPC number. This then enables the stock to be updated every time that album is bought which allows you to know the exact number of copies sold and remaining. Replenishing the stock then becomes easier as notifications can be set (e.g. via sms to the label as soon as CDs volumes are under 2oo units).

This is how Billboard is able to create and rank chat topping singles and albums. To find out what music is selling in record stores, Billboard uses an information system that tracks the sales of music and music videos throughout the United States and Canada. By retailers scanning the CD/DVD barcodes, Billboard can collect sales information from cash registers each week from over thousands of retail, mass merchant, and non-traditional sources such as online stores, concert sales, etc.

Do I really need a UPC on my CD?

If you plan on selling through mainstream record bars such as Reliable Warehouse, Jet, Musica, Look N Listen, CUM books etc then you absolutely need a UPC for your release. This is since chain stores depend on barcode info to ensure accuracy and drive efficiency in their own sales, ordering and logistics, your album will not be shelved without a UPC. Digital releases (iTunes) also require a UPC.

On the other hand, if you mainly sell to a handful of customers (e.g. off-your-car-boot sales) you don’t need a barcode. Or if you largely retail your products through spaza shops, boutiques, flea markets and other small-scale outlets that generally don’t rely on scanning equipment, you might be able to avoid the barcode requirement as well, though you should have your own internal way of keeping track of individual products.

How do I get a UPC for my CD?

The good news is that obtaining a UPC for your next release takes two easy steps.

Step1: Email andile@034music.co.za requesting a barcode - 034 Music will respond with an invoice and a UPC form for you to complete.

Step2: Pay invoiced amount, complete form and return to 034 Music - 034 Music will generate a barcode and email to you within 5 working days

For any musicians serious about their career, a UPC codes is part of your passport to business growth, fortunately they are inexpensive and easy to obtain.

Master your Craft: Understanding Music Distribution

2013-11-19T06:57:00.001-08:00

By Andile Nkosi & Christopher Knab

Music Distribution is how records (Albums; CDs; DVDs; Cassettes; Vinyl etc.) get into shops. Distribution companies like EMI, IRIS, Soul Candi, Electromode, and Independent Music Distributors sign deals with Record Labels (e.g. 999 Music; Kalawa Jazmee; Cashtime; Native Rhythms; etc.) to gives them the right to sell that label's products to record stores that have a relationship with that distributor. The distributor takes a cut (around 25%) of income from each album sold and then pays the label the remaining balance. It is important to realize that Music Distributors deal with Record Labels and not artists directly; as such, for you to enter into any deal with a distributor you will need to establish yourself as a record label.

This means a registered company, tax clearance, and proof that you have the infrastructure and resources to manage and run a productive record label. Most important is evidence that you can run your accounts/books as a professional label.

Off late, most distributors only offer P&D (Pressing and Distribution) deals which only focus on ensuring the product (album) is on the store shelves and the record label is expected to do any other functions such as promoting, marketing and PR. It is advisable to only approach a distributor once you have finished your product and have completed a full Album Release Plan. Companies like 034 Music can aid you in completing album release plans for a fee should you be unsure of completing one yourself.

Music Business Consultant, Christopher Knab outlines 10 important facts to note about Music Distribution:

1. Music distributors prefer to work with record labels that have been in business for at least 3 years, or have at least 3 previous releases that have sold several thousand copies each.

2. Approach distributors well researched. Prove there is a market for your style of music and give evidence of your fanbase. Show them how many records you have sold through live sales, internet sales, and other alternative methods.

3. When searching for a distributor find out what labels they represent, and talk to some of those labels to find out how well the distributor did getting records into retailers. Also investigate the distributor's financial status. You cannot afford to get attached to a distributor that may not be able to pay its invoices. Also, you do not want to get into an exclusive long-term contract with a distributor that cannot deliver. Further investigate if the music distributor truly a national distributor, as many large chain stores will only work with national distributors.

4. Expect the distributor to request that you remove any music you have on consignment in stores so that they can be the one to service retailers. Remember, most distributors insist on exclusivity clauses.

5. Ensure you are well financed. Trying to work with distributors without a realistic budget to participate in promotional opportunities is a fatal mistake.

6. Prepare to bear all the costs of any distribution and retail promotions. This includes coop advertising (where you must be prepared to pay the costs of media ads for select retailers), in-store artist appearances, in-store listening station programs, and furnishing POP's (point of purchase posters and other graphics).

7. Distributors may ask for hundreds of free promotional copies of your music to give to the buyers at the retail stores.

8. Make sure all promotional copies have a hole punched in the barcode, and that they are not shrink-wrapped. This will prevent any unnecessary returns of your product.

9. Don't expect a distributor to pay your invoices in full or on time. You will always be owed something by the distributor because of the delay between orders sent, invoices received, time payment schedules (50-120 days per invoice) and whether or not your product has sold through, or returns are pending.

10. Keep the distributor updated on any and all promotion and marketing plans and results, as they develop.

Remember, your distributor will only be as good as your marketing plans to sell the record. Don't expect them to do your work for you, remember all they do is get records into the stores. So, work your product relentlessly on as many fronts as possible (e.g. Commercial Radio airplay; Community Radio airplay, Internet airplay; Sales campaigns; On and Offline Publicity; Touring; etc.).

Christopher Knab is a USA based Music Business Consultant, Author and Lecturer. Visit www.4frontmusic.com. Email Chris@Knab.com

Andile Nkosi is a Johannesburg (South Africa) based Music Business Consultant, Visit www.034music.co.za. Email andile@034music.co.za

Master your Craft: How much do artists make per CD sold?

2013-09-23T09:51:00.002-07:00

By Andile Nkosi

In my line of business I meet plenty start-up artists whose sole wish are to get signed by a major record label. The hardworking few who eventually do get signed come to a shocking discovery: that it is the artist who gets the smallest peace of the pie when it comes to album sales revenue with most artists getting paid between 8% and 15% of the CD’s retail value. So who earns what when a consumer buys a CD at a record store e.g. Musica, Look And Listen, etc. To illustrate this dissection let’s assume your CD sells for R100.

Record store - First to take their piece of the pie is the record store that inflates the CD price by 50%. So a R50 CD is sold for R100 so that the record store can pocket the R50. This is because they pay for rent in Malls and Shopping Centers, they pay electricity and also have to pay the in-store staff who unpacks, shelf, merchandise and sell the your CD. You have R50 left.

Manufacturing – The CD has to be replicated, and sleeves printed. Today this is around R14 per CD when printing a thousand CDs. You have R36 left.

Distributors – Distributors usually keep about 24% of a products retail price. This is because the distributor ensures that the CD is moved from the warehouse to the retail store shelves. Examples of popular CD distributors in South Africa are Red Revolution, MASH, Revolver, Nyce, and Music Central Africa. If the distributor takes R8, you have R28 left.

The Record Label – Record Label signs, develops, records, promotes, publicizes and sell the artist’s music. All these things require huge financial investments and mostly take place before the album even gets into the store. For this reason, the Record Label keeps the biggest slice of the cake, about 63%. Examples of major labels in South Africa are Gallo, Sony, EMI and Universal records while local indie labels include Kalawa Jazzmee Records, 999 Music, Soul Candi, Ambitioz and Afrotainment. You have R4 left.

The Band – You are a band. Yes, even when you are a solo artist you still are looked at as a band. The band consists of the singer/vocalist; the instrumentation player (bass, drums, guitars, beat programmers); the producer; the business manager; and the personal manager. All these entities are paid from your R4 share. This is split as follows:

Another complex deduction that takes place under the Band’s slice is the songwriter deduction which is on every copy of the song sold. I will unpack this in detail in future articles. Below is a graphic representation of how much musicians ideally make per CD sold.

In essence, an average musician makes less than R4 per CD sold. This picture quickly disperses the myth that obtaining a Gold or Platinum CD sales status will make you rich. It is for this precise reason that I personally advocate for the releasing of albums independently.

But not all is doom and gloom as there are areas of the entertainment industry which favor the vocalist financially. A good example of this is income from live performances as well as brand endorsements. That is a topic for another day though.

Graphic taken from The Root

Master your craft: Releasing a successful mixtape

2013-09-23T03:04:00.000-07:00

By Jesse Atkinson

When I come across interesting articles on the net, I often adapt the advice and re-appropriate it for the South African audience. Most times I need to change the language in order for the content to be in layman’s terms for novice musicians to understand. This time around I found an article which changing a single word would spoil it as it is clear, straight to the point and uses no jargon. Adapted from NewsIndustryTips.com please treat as your mixtape bible. I have…

Presently the Mixtape market is very over saturated. There are too many mixtape projects being released freely into the marketplace without any defined purpose or mission. The end result is nothing but clutter! CLUTTER MUSIC equals Sub par, mediocre, throw away music. And this is what most rappers are putting on their mixtapes. ”Clutter music” clogs up the market place and brings down the intrinsic and monetary value of other quality music in it’s lane. The Sad thing is that most indie rappers have no idea why they’re giving away their music for free. They are just following everyone else. SMH.

What worked for Lil Wayne, Drake and Wiz Khalifa as it relates to giving away Free Mixtapes will not work for every indie rapper out there. And the fact is that Most Rap fans don’t want FREE music. They want GOOD music that appeals to their emotions. And they will pay for it if it’s marketed right. There’s a big difference between FREE music & GOOD music and some rappers confuse the two. Give the fans what they want and they’ll show support.

The Free Music Mindset causes some artists to slack when they go in the booth, because subconsciously they know that the music will be just given away “Freely”. So they don’t give it their all. If you’re going to give away your mixtape for FREE then try to derive revenue from sponsorships and advertisements. There are several important factors you must consider before releasing a mixtape.

■Firstly, make sure the mixtape is recorded properly, mixed down correctly and sounds crisp.

■Equally important, make sure your mixtape content, cover and concept are unique to stand apart from the competition. You must be able to define the mission and philosophy behind your Mixtape.

■Strive to make a “Classic” mixtape not a “Clutter” mixtape. Don’t just make “clutter” music that you give away for free to clutter the marketplace. Make “Classic” music with passion and feeling that music afficianados can appreciate.

■If you’re going to do a remix of a popular song or rhyme over a well know industry instrumental, then make sure that your version is just as good or even better than the original.

■It defeats the purpose to pay thousands of dollars for a feature and the featured artist out shines you on your own song. Bring Your “A” Game!

■Don’t Get Caught up in the “Mixtape Madness.” Don’t release your 3rd free mixtape in 3 months if you haven’t properly promoted the first two.

■Most indie Hip Hop artists release a mixtape without even promoting it. Some rappers spend thousands of dollars to get a “big name” DJ to host their mixtape and then spend zero dollars marketing it.

■And If your only MARKETING strategy is sending out tweets on Twitter and posts on Facebook every hour about your mixtape, then you’ve already lost.

■Develop a plan to make people excited about downloading it. Create Hype about your mixtape before releasing it. Send out press releases, create a contest. do giveaways, get reviews on it, do radio interviews, etc. Make it an extravaganza.

■Moreover Promote your Mixtape by investing in a marketing strategy that includes Online Promo, PR/Publicity, E-Blasts, Video Promo, Radio interviews, Press Releases,

Street Team/Club Promo. We suggest our partners at Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes for proper mixtape promotion.

■Before dropping a mixtape, release a single and develop it virally. Inform the public that this is the 1st single from the upcoming mixtape. A week or two before releasing your mixtape, do a couple of mixtape release parties and invite the press, fans and DJ’s. Perform a couple of songs from it.

■In addition, to promote the mixtape, use a small budget to sponsor local events. Advertise with your local internet radio shows that support your music.

■And don’t just spend money on a Mixtape Marketing company. Work the project yourself as well. Make your fans part of the experience!

■Put a snippet of a bonus single on your free mixtape and then sell that bonus single in its entirety on Itunes. Additionally, make a music video of the bonus single, put it on Youtube and advertise that it’s a bonus single from your mixtape.

■Also try to Do something different with your mixtape like tie it in to your favorite charity whereby you can get awareness for the charity as well.

■If you’re going to pay a so called big name DJ to host your mixtape, then try to have an agreement which stipulates that the DJ has to promote the project as well.

Now that your free mixtape has been downloaded “5000″ or more times, what’s next? That’s what you should be asking yourself (Movement Calculations). The purpose of giving away free music is to advertise your brand for opportunities that make money like paid live shows, endorsements, merchandise sales etc. If you don’t have a follow up plan to generate money from your “Free Mixtape”, then you’re just wasting your time. Monetize your Movement!

In fact, forget about putting out 3 mediocre FREE mixtapes in a row and concentrate on creating one CLASSIC ALBUM that you can market and sell. The little bit of advice I just gave on “Mixtapes” is priceless! I hope it helps so that we can get rid of some of this clutter of free Mixtapes that are put into the marketplace without any Rhyme or Reason.

Read original article here: http://www.newindustrytips.com/tag/mixtape-marketing/

Master Your Craft: Independent album releases

2013-09-23T03:03:00.001-07:00

By Jeff Bradford

Being an independent rap, hip r&b nowadays is easier than ever now. You can make a livable income just by marketing your music and selling it online. But to fully see the power in this, you have open your eyes. That is what this article is going to do for you. If you didn’t know, major record label’s are going down hill and losing money every year as the Internet is growing. It makes a lot of sense when you look at what the point of the label was in the first place.

Before the Internet, it took millions of dollars to put your music in stores around the nation and around the world. This would be impossible for the aspiring average rap artist or r&b singer who may have all the talent in the world, but only be working a 9-5 job.

This is where the labels would come into play. They would sign a talented rap artist or r&b singer like yourself and pretty much loan you the money to promote and distribute your music to the world. They would even sometimes give you upfront money, or an “advance”.

The problem with labels was more than likely you would end up owing them a lot of money. Of course it all depended on the type of deal you signed, but more than likely you would always end up owing them money at the end of your contract. A lot of record labels have a bad rep for writing up terrible contracts. Leaving rap and r&b artist’s in millions of dollars in debt. Labels would structure the contracts, knowing that most artist wouldn’t fully understand the contract because they didn’t speak in proper business language.

Recently adopted the independent route: ProKid

Labels only had power because of their reach. Now you can reach and grow fans worldwide just from a few clicks on your laptop. You can do this for free with all the social networking sites available. Even the cost of building your own website and having it promoted to the world is nothing compared to what labels would charge you. You can have your own site designed and up within a few days for as little as a few hundred bucks.

The power is in your hands now. The Internet is growing at such an insane rate. The sooner you get on and start marketing yourself, the more money you will make because you will be building a strong fan base. With album sales dropping, digital album downloads are increasing. More people listen to music from their phones and iPods more than ever know, and they get music for these devices off the Internet

Another thing to keep in mind is that all the money goes into your hand. When you sell your album online, you don’t have to split your money with a record label. You will be getting 100 percent. This also means that you don’t have to sell that many albums to make a decent amount of money. Just to do a little math for you real quick, say you only had 5,000 fans and you were releasing an album every 4 months and only for $10. You would be making $50,000 every 4 months and $150,000 a year. These are small numbers when you remember that there are hundreds of millions of people online.

Just imagine if you had a solid fan base of just 50,000 people. I hope you are seeing the big picture now. This thing called the Internet is so powerful that it will set you free and bring all of your dreams to a reality, you just have to realize it and use it as a tool to do so. There are so many rap, r&b, hip hop music fans worldwide now, as hip hop is mainstream now. Just think of how many people listen to hip hop and r&b that you know. All you have to do is get online and target your fans.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeff_Bradford

The music business consultant Andile Nkosi adds:

Although this article is written by an American for an American audience it pretty much sums up the trends going around globally. In SA only, we have platforms like KasiMp3, Rhythm Online, MTN Xploded, and eXact Mobile where you can get your music sold via downloads. Reverbnation.com is another platform that provides musicians a platform to create and maintain their music and profiles online with added functionality to update your status to Facebook, My Space and Twitter simultaneously. Reverbnation further allows you to setup a store that allows you to sell on iTunes and Lost FM for an annual fee of under R600.

KasiMp3 pays to artists royalities on every mp3 download completed, in this way the audiance gets free music, and the artist gets cash in their pockets. For more info on KasiMp3 visit www.kasimp3.co.za

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Master your craft: Drafting an event proposal

2013-09-23T02:57:00.002-07:00

By Andile Nkosi

As an unsigned artist/entertainer your will come across many situations which will require you to organize an event for one reason or another. Since you do not have the financial luxury of hiring an event organizer and are without the back-up of a huge marketing team that takes care of your Mixtape/CD launch, Birthday party, Website launch, Fundraiser and Promotion gig you will probably attempt to go at it on your own.

For a successful event you will need a: Venue; Sound system and stage; Entertainment Line Up; Marketing plan; Security; Refreshments for your guests; Programme for the day and the Event budget. All these items makeup your event proposal.
The event proposal is a 1-3 page document that contains the basics of your planned event and helps you track where you are and also makes it easy for other people to quickly understand your plans as well. The people include speakers on your events, the press, guest performers and potential investors/sponsors.

Your event proposal should look somewhat like this:

Introduction – Brief history of the event of your organization. What are you doing and why? The aim is crucial e.g. To promote raw talent / To raise funds towards a particular cause / to sell CDS etc.

Event details – Date, venue, duration, entrance fee, venue type (outdoor/ club/ etc) and expected number of people etc.

Programme – Sequence of events showing who will talk at what time and who will perform at which slot

Entertainment Line Up – Here you list any DJs, MCs, comedians, speakers, and performing artists that will perform. These are the people you would normally put on your event poster

Marketing plan – What medium will you use to advertise? When will you advertise? How frequent? And how much will it cost?

Posters
-10xA1 posters on all main streets in XXX Township
-3 weeks before the event

Flyers
-1000x flyers at XXX high school; YYY collage and ZZZ call centre.
-3 days before the event.

Radio
-Live reads on AAA Community Radio.
-4 on the day of the event.

Budget – How much will it cost? Hiring a hall, paying your MC, feeding your VIP guests, transportation while organizing the event and on the day of the event. The expected income (if any) from that event should be outlined here.

What we want from you – This section is different for each person you send your proposal to. For example to a popular artist from your neighborhood you might request that they perform for a discounted amount as you are still starting up while for an upcoming artist you might request that they perform for free. On the other hand, you might ask as sponsor to pay for the sound & stage in return of marketing mileage in the event posters & branding on the day of the event.

What we offer in return – Here you need to clearly give three strong reasons why the person reading your proposal should give you what you want. For an investor, this can be a profit split and to an upcoming artist it can be that the opportunity to perform in-front of a huge crowd and the possibility of press coverage as you would have invited journalists as well.

Contacts – Give you full names, aka/alias, contact number, email address (most important), website and any social media that you might be part off. Your Facebook page/blog might convince a potential stakeholder to involve themselves with your event based on how attractive/active your page is.

Adding the proposed event poster or photos of previous events you have hosted can also play to your advantage. As you can see, an event proposal goes a long way in helping you assess whether you are ready/capable or not to host an event as well as help you approach stakeholders more professionally. So the next time you think of throwing an event, start with drafting an event proposal.

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Master Your Craft: Become an organized musician in six easy steps

2013-09-23T02:56:00.000-07:00

By Andile Nkosi

In my music consultation business I come across many talented individuals who not only have more money than I do, but also have more music business experience, more music contacts as well as more industry expertise than I do. Initially I thought there was nothing I could offer to these individuals, however I have gradually picked up a common trait among all my clients and have come to a belief that it is a common flaw shared by most South African musicians in general: We are not organized.

Be organized: Keep an updated diary

A few writers have written on this topic, one of my favorites is Saunders Streets article titled 5 ways to become an organized musician where she points out the importance of keeping a calendar among other things. In this article I want to share the art of being organized from a document filing perspective.

#1 Get a dedicated machine for business documents: As a serious muso or indie label manager you should have a PC or laptop dedicated to your music business documents. Avoid using your music PC for business documents as these tend to be prone to viruses and are usually not available on demand due to lengthy recording and mixing sessions.

#2 Back-up: The PC machine should be in a good condition and regular back-up should be done to prevent loss of critical business data in case the machine dies or gets stolen. Back-up into an external hard drive and also use free virtual drives such as Google Drive and Hulk Share.

#3 Organize your folders: Start with a main folder which is the name of your Label/ Artist Name. Create 15 sub-folders inside and name them accordingly: Artist Profiles, Bookings, Contracts, Correspondence, Database, Drafts, Forms, Legal documents, Lyrics, Proposals, Quotations and Invoices, Rate Cards, Research and Tax.

Folder	Contents
Artist Profiles	Artist Bio, Discography, Media coverage, etc.
Bookings	Booking calendar, confirmation letter, completed booking forms, etc.
Contracts	e.g. Publishing, Recording, Management, Distribution, etc.
Correspondence	Meeting minutes, important letters, emails, , etc.
Database	Spreadsheet with contacts of promoters, venues, suppliers, fans, etc.
Drafts	Drafts of any letter, document, proposal, contract etc.
Forms	e.g. Visa application forms, sample clearance forms, distribution forms
Legal documents	Any signed or legally binding documents
Lyrics	Typed copy of all your song lyrics
Proposals	Gig, sponsorship, endorsement, partnership proposals
Metadata	Spreadsheets of singles length, authorship, ownership and publishing info
Quotations & Invoices	Incoming and Outgoing quotes and invoices
Rate Cards	Rates for different types of services you offer and pricing
Research	Copy of all research and advise documents you gather online
Samro	e.g. Recorded performance returns, notification of works, etc.
Tax	Tax returns, Income statements, etc.

Organize your folders for easy access

#4 Scan and archive: In your line of business you will come across numerous documents. Its best to scan and archive these in your folders as back-up to you physical filing.

#5 Dedicate a day for your office work: Being organized is a habit. Once you’ve established a system you will need to maintain it by scheduling one day a week where you spend at least an hour updating your documents.

#6 Have frequently used documents available on the go: Many musicians loose business by taking too long to send their details to interested booking agents. The excuse, “I’ll send it when I get at the office” is no longer working with smart phones and tablets being widely available. As such, your booking form, rate cards, quotation template and electronic press kit should be available on demand to forward to whoever requests it immediately.

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Master your craft - How to manage your bookings, Part II: The Contract

2013-09-23T02:54:00.002-07:00

By Phathu Ratshilumela

As an artist, DJ or musician, one always has to maintain a certain level of professionalism when running their business affairs. This of course include, having all necessary documents in place for a performance booking.

Having said that, many performers are familiar with the experience of not being paid the full amount, or worse, not being paid at all, for the event they were booked to perform at.
Unfortunately, this bad practice has become quite common in the music industry and performers are getting ripped off every day.
This article will look at some of the crucial issues that you need to consider before you start taking bookings, so as to avoid these problems.

Contract:

As in any business, it is essential that you have a contract detailing all the necessary information before you even confirm your availability for a performance. The contract should include the amount you are charging, what you will need for the performance, the expected time of your performance, what would happen if the event were cancelled, accommodation if necessary, and any other details you feel are necessary to include.

Include everything that you feel is relevant and important. This piece of paper will protect you should anything go wrong at the event or should you feel you were not treated in the manner agreed to in your contract.

If you feel that you are not able to draft a basic contract yourself, use internet to find contracts for artist booking. These will give you some idea of how to lay out your contract. Alternatively, there are professionals like music lawyers and industry consultant who can guide you.

It is essential that you get this contract signed by whoever is booking you so that you have proof on an agreement. Remember to make two copies of your contract - one for yourself and one for the other party. Each page should be initialed by both parties and should have the full signatures of both parties on the last page. Ideally, one or two witnesses should also sign the contract.

Stay Professional:

If you want to be taken seriously, your approach to your work must be serious and professional.You need to be clear about who you are and what you stand for.

Contact Details:

At some point in your musical career, you are likely to come across the occasional shady character. Since you never know who you may have to deal with, this is unfortunately, inescapable. To avoid unnecessary problems, make sure that you have all the relevant contact details of those who are intending to book you.

Payments:

Your contract should specify all the necessary aspects of payment. You will need to detail how much you are billing for your services, the method of payment and the payment period prior to the event. You need to ensure that the full amount is settled before the event, if you are to avoid becoming a victim of non-payment. It is important that you also make it clear that you will not render your services if the full amount is not paid.

However, based on the working relationship you have with the person or company booking you, you may be forced to receive the remaining balance after you have rendered service. However, this is not advisable, unless you feel you are dealing with a regular client who is true to his or her word. Other than that, don't take risks; get the full payment prior to the event. Ideally, make sure the payments always goes into a specific account to limit any possibility of fraud. Avoid cash payment if possible, unless this is the only payment method you use and feel comfortable with.

Payment reference:

If the payment is being made electronically, or by bank deposit, ensure that your contract stipulates how the payer should reference the payment. This will help you to know exactly where the money is coming from.

Dates:

It is useful to keep a schedule of your final bookings, venues, dates and times that you are expected to render your services. This will help you to have a clear picture of open dates and time for other possible bookings.

This article is adapted from www.mio.co.za. Read original article here

Master your craft: How to manage your bookings, Part I: The booking form

2013-09-23T02:52:00.002-07:00

By Andile Nkosi

So your single is finally being played by the national radio station, your music video is on Channel O’s crispy fresh, and the LIKES to your Facebook fan page have grown from a few hundreds to thousands overnight. Suddenly you receive a call, “We want you perform in our gig next week at Club So & So”. You are excited, it’s your first paying gig but what response do you give to the caller? How much do you charge? What do you need to accept the offer? How do you keep the person on the line interested in you as a performer and still gain financially from the relationship. The answer lies in preparation.

Zakes Bantwini performing in Nelspruit. (Picture: Lucky Nxumalo)

As a performing artist you need to have 5 documents at your immediate disposal. These are:

1. Your booking form

2. Your performance contract

3. Your rate card

4. Your technical raider
5. Your quotation/invoice template

This article refers to number one in the list, the booking form. A booking form is a standard document that helps you gather the information you require in order to quote the promoter correctly. It also serves as proof of how in demand you are as a performer. You can easily set up a template on a spreadsheet and send it to whoever is interested in booking you (client).

The client should complete the date of the event; the client details (name, name of company, contact details, physical and billing address, email address, tax number etc.); type of function (Gala event, picnic, church service, club, etc.); whether its indoors or outdoors; other performers in that event; total number of guests expected; entrance fee to event; time of performance; duration of performance; and sound check time. Some performers also prefer knowing beforehand which company will provide the sound hire and lighting. It is also a good idea to give room for the promoter to offer you an amount to negotiate over.

Based on how far the event is from you, you can start making decisions around how much you will spend on travelling & accommodation. Based on the cover fee and the number of people expected you gain sight of how much you can charge as well. Remember not to over-price yourself bearing in mind its better to have many gigs at a lower rate than no gigs at all. And respond to the promoter as quickly as you can before they get someone else.

Remember, your form should be no longer than a page in length, should be legible and should look professional. The promoter should see your professionalism as a performer in your form.

Make yours today, start using it and remember to feedback and tell me how it worked for you.

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Master Your Craft: How to get signed by a Record Label?

2013-09-23T02:50:00.002-07:00

By: Blake, Benn & Paul D (Edited by Andile Nkosi)

I often get asked “How do I get signed?” And my answer is always the same: “Blow!”. Your hustle needs to be so on point that record label A&R and executives want you in their rooster. Gone are those days when you’d cut a four tracked demo and went knocking door to door at Gallo, Sony, Universal and EMI hunting for a record label. These days, Record Labels are looking for self sufficient, industry ready musos who are already on TV [possibly with a video or two], who are on radio and have strong online presence.

It takes talent, marketability and a good bit of luck to get signed. Even then, you are not guaranteed fame and success. Here are a few tips to getting your act noticed, and get signed, by a record label. So to re-phrase this topic, I’d say this is how you improve your chances of getting signed by an Indie or major record label.

Before we begin, here are a few things you will need to get started:

Money

Access to a recording studio

Good Original Music

Photographs

A convincing CD sleeve

An impressive bio + press kit

Manager / Booking agent

Okay…now here are the MUST do’s to improve your chances of being signed:

Make good music that radio ready. If you wouldn’t play that song in the Club or on Radio, then don’t put it on your Demo.

Create an album/Mixtape/ EP Release strategy. Write down your plan for the next 12 months. It must include the description of your project, your target market, the resources required to produce it, the budget for making it and how you will make your money back + profit once it is released. If you don’t know how to make money from the music you made. Then go to school. Music business is not for you. Alternatively find someone who does, and put their advice on your strategy.

Always on point: Rapper & Producer AB Crazy never compromised on sound quality

NB: If it doesn’t make profit on paper. It won’t make profit in real life.

Practice regularly. It isn’t just about sending out packages to record labels, you also need to be well rehearsed for any performance.

Save money. Lots of it. There are hard costs associated with making demos and getting noticed. Travelling and printing promotional CDs will make up most of your spending.

Be prepared to sweeten the deal. South African media personnel are often underpaid (as much as they love acting rich). So when they make time for you, ensure its worth their while and that they remember your name next time you call.

South African media personnel are often underpaid (as much as they love acting rich). So when they make time for you, ensure its worth their while and that they remember your name next time you call.

Start performing on shows locally. There’s nothing like a crowd too small. No one knows you, so you need every single avenue to expose your brand.

7Market your shows with other bigger acts on MySpace, ReverbNatiopn, Facebook, Twitter, local music stores, and have everyone bring all their friends. It’s more than just playing a gig. You have to develop a following.

Start looking around for an experienced manager to help you get started. An experienced manager will probably not be your best friend, your dad, your guitar teacher but someone who understands the ins and outs of the industry. This person may also be able to help you secure an entertainment attorney when the time comes.

Print multiple copies and set some aside for selling at shows. Nothing sucks like getting someone interested in your music and later telling him you will call with a CD. Have it there and there always.

Record an amazing sounding demo with a great producer and pay to have a professional sleeve made with your contact information. Featuring a popular name (producer/vocalist) always makes people pay more attention to your project.

Image is everything Especially if you want to be noticed by the majors. You want as many things to work in your favor and this includes having an interesting look for your act.

Never selling themslves short: Kwela Tebza has a super image

Get professional photos and shoot a video Rather have a low budget video on You Tube than nothing.

Make an attractive press kit. It must consist of a photo, your demo (printed) a biography of the act and interesting info about the members, press clippings, photos of live shows.

Find the address of record labels and send them a press kit. Only those who fish can catch a meal.

Join SHIPA on www.shipa.mobi. It grants you access to the market and help you get paid while you are getting established.

Always keep your hopes up. Don’t let anyone put you down; if you hear a negative comment it should courage you to do better and keep on going. Don’t give up - if you know that you’ve got it, then go get it. — Make it happen.

Read the original article. Click Here

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Master Your Craft: Is my project a Mixtape OR an Album?

2013-09-23T02:48:00.002-07:00

By: Andile Nkosi

So you have spent the past 3 months in the studio scripting and lacing vocals to the best beats you can find. You are happy with the outcome and your friends and producers call you the next biggest thing. You have 12 dope trax comprising of 6 original beats and 4 sampled beats and 2 beats from your favorite rap artist’s album. You already have a title in mind and are ready to drop before you pause and yourself, is my project a Mixtape or an Album?

Well, the line has become more and more blurry since the success of artists like DRAKE who is referred by many as the fist mixtape millionaire. I consulted a few sources and found out a few interesting facts to help you in your decision.

IndependentMusicAdvise.com affirms that an album is made of all your own material (Rather than using beats and vocals you haven’t got permission to use) and you can make money from royalties when your tune is played on legal radio, television and other license paying media. On the other hand, with a mixtape, one can use other people’s beats and uncleared sampled vocals since any royalties emanating from the airplay of these goes to the original artists pockets. A mixtape, is thus seen as means to promote yourself as an artist and a brand more than anything else. A definite advantage to using instrumentals other people have already made big tunes with can help people warm to your music quicker as familiar backing tracks gets the crowds buy in much easier. Proverb uses this tactic in most of his live performances.

As such, albums are more expensive and time consuming to make however, the fruits, should the project be successful is much greater. A good album can attract revenue for years even after you the artist is long dead and gone. Besides, people generally take the idea of an album more seriously than a mixtape.

With the price of recording equipment getting cheaper, music software becoming widely available and more and more artists owning their own recording set up at home, the making of an album has become too easy. One sure fact is that perception is everything, and consumers tend to have respect for album as opposed to mixtape which are thought to be of poor quality and not worth spending on. Now, as for answering the question, is my project a Mixtape or an Album? I personally think South African artists refer to albums as mixtapes whenever they have no proper distribution channel available to them. Once distribution is sorted, they often change the tune to My Album. What do you think?

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Master Your Craft – Catalog Numbers

2012-10-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

By Andile Nkosi

Pick up any original CD and scrutinize its spine. You will quickly realize that there are three common features with every CD. The artist name, the album title and a funny code made of letters and numbers. Some odd CDs would also contain the releasing record label name. This funny code is the catalog number.

Catalog numbers are the unique identification numbers you (as an independent record label) assign to each album or single even DVD you release. These days’ catalog numbers can even be digitally inscribed into the CD itself. As an indie label it is advisable to start constructing catalog numbers of your own and keeping these with your company documentation. A simple spreadsheet can suffice that tabulates the artist names, album titles, catalog numbers, release date, UPC (barcode), ISRC, country, available territories, publisher name, publishing territories, P-Line and C-Line.

There are no rules governing how you need to structure your catalog numbers however it is a good idea to stick to one standardized system. For example for 034 Music uses the format 034M CD 0??? for its releases, where only the last three digits of the catalog number change per release. I have seen labels choosing to start with a higher number for their first release so they appear more experienced for example XYZ125.

The CD portion may be amended to LP or CS or MP to show the format of the release. In this case the same single can be named 034M CD 0002 when released as CD, and 034M MP 0002 when released as MP3, and 034M CS 0002 when released as cassette. As long as it makes sense to you and your team. Recently I’ve spotted labels that even give catalog numbers to their posters and events.

It is a good idea to also print the catalog number at the back of your CD sleeve next to the UPC, P-Line and C-Lines for easy access by record bars and music compilers. While the UPC is the scanable barcode that updates your database and help you keep track of the CDs you’ve sold; the (P) line shows for who owns the copyright in the sound recordings and is strictly structured in this format:

(P) <year the sound recording was first released> <owner of the sound recording>

e.g. (P) 2013 034 Music

The (C) line on the other hand shows who owns the copyright in the cover art (more or less) and is strictly structured in this format:

Catalog numbers are not mandatory however do show a level of maturity and seriousness when presenting your material to radio stations, distributors and media houses. Further, when it is time to do you bookkeeping, having a systematic catalog number goes a long way in identifying and administering your assets.

Master your craft: Building a brand as a Musician

2012-03-06T08:35:00.003-08:00

By Andile Nkosi

So you are a musician, your music is great and you want to be noticed by fans, clients and record executives. You need a strong outstanding brand that will help you get noticed easy.
You need to brand yourself, your music and your packaging. Branding includes your name, your images (logo, album artwork), and your text (your story, your tagline). These components make up your Brand Toolbox.

Whether you’re a solo musician or a large group, there’s simply too much information about you and your music for new fans to easily digest. Branding is about distilling your identity into its key components.

Chertkow and Feehan maintain that there are four ingredients to an effective brand a good brand:

1. Accuracy. Your stage name should be the unique identifier of your music and give people a clear sense of what your band and its music is about. Before choosing a name. Google it to see if it’s unique to use. It does not help to call yourself a common name like MIKE. Neither does it help to have a name like Mr Alcohol while you sing Gospel. Or have a gothic image while you are an R&B artist.

Accuracy - House duo Liquideep have a unique name which cannot be confused to any other band

2. Impact. Your brand should convey its message quickly and easily. Have a slogan special to you. Have an image that can only be pointed to you. The cooler your logo the more likely your fans will promote it and purchase branded merchandise.

Repetition - Vernec Rapper OZ has a unique logo which he repeatedly uses in his T-Shirts and CDs

3. Repetition. The key to an effective brand is to use it repeatedly. It’s crucial you brand everything from your website, Facebook Page, Twitter account, Album sleeve, Music videos, posters, and so on. Your brand is what fans will identify you with. After all, why else would anyone buy a T-shirt from a musician? Your brand gives merchandise its value.

Impact - R&B group Boyz II Men has maintained the same font for over a decade

4. Consistency. Because repetition is the key to strengthening your brand, consistency is critical. Once you decide on what font to use to write your name, stick to it on all singles and albums. Don’t keep changing your logo or theme.

Consistency – Sean Combs is a bad example of consistency in his name. Over the decades he has moved from Puffy to Puff Daddy, P Diddy, and Diddy - Dirty Money

Thanks to RANDY CHERTKOW & JASON FEEHAN who helped shape this content. Learn more at http://www.indieguide.com/

Master your craft: How to get more LIKEs on your Facebook page

2012-02-29T08:50:00.000-08:00

By Andile Nkosi

Almost daily I get one or more wanna-be musician asking me to LIKE their newly created FB page. With availability of music making software becoming common, anyone can become a musician/DJ overnight and new musician pages are created on Facebook every minute.
So what makes people respond (LIKE) to one page and not to the next? I’ll tell you one thing; it definitely is not because of the music.

So I asked around, emailed a few Web Strategists, consulted my blogging community and Googled some answers and discovered that everyone seem to be agreeing on the same basic principles.

1. Image sells: Invest in a professional looking image that will attract FANS to you page. This includes a high quality/resolution photograph and graphic art

2. Email Signature: Every email you send is an opportunity to link to your facebook page. Remind people to LIKE your page. Use Twitter to push FB and FB to push Twitter.

3. Incentive: To maximize your promotion offer a free gift to those who join you page. Free download/airtime/tickets to a show etc.

4. Use your current fan base: People LIKE what other people LIKE. So ask your fans to help push the page. Aslo allow then to upload and tag photos from events and ask them to friends to tag themselves in the pictures. This will post to their walls as well and will lead to additional traffic for you.

5. Power in numbers: Contact administratorss of groups and push their campaigns on your page and ask them to do likewise. Leverage of each others fans.

6. Join your page via SMS: Send a text message to 32665 (FBOOK) with the words “fan yourusername” OR “like yourusername” (without the quotes). This feature is ideal when you’re in front of a live audience.

7. Use your website/blog: Install a facebook “Like Box” into your site. Installing a “Like Box” is an excellent way to allow visitors to your site become fans without even leaving your page.

8. Suggest button: Use the “suggest to friends” feature of your page. Use this feature sparingly. Personally, I try to only invite people go my page once because I know it annoys me when multiple people invite me.

9. Reverbnation: Join reverbnation and synch your RVBN to your FB page. Reverbnation allow you to manage your Twitter account without leaving the application. See www.reverbnation.com

10. Create a group: Groups are more powerful than pages in terms of their messaging ability. Pages send updates, but groups send messages directly to a users facebook inbox, triggering an email alert.

I stumbled upon this while surfing the net. I haven’t tested it to see if it works or not. I believe it’s quite concise.

FACEBOOK APPLICATIONS TO BOOST POPULARITY OF YOUR FB PAGE

So try it, let me know how it works and share with others. I personally enjoy using www.fblikesyou.com. It’s a free easy to use APP that can give you up to 100 likes a day.

Thanks to Garin Kilpatrick who helped shape this content. Read his article here.