Let the Union work for you.
Business advice for those aspiring to a career in music does not always come cheap. John Walden trawls the Net to see if he can find a free lunch.
In business, knowledge is power (well, in the right hands at least) and the music business is no exception. Big George demonstrates how murky some of these waters can be in his regular Doing The Business column and Robin Morley delves into the issue of various types of music contract in this very issue (see page 56). From Robin's article, two things become very clear. First, getting the right business advice can be vital to anyone attempting to turn their music into a career. Second, such advice (good or bad!) can come with a significant price tag!
As with most subjects these days, if you are seeking further information on aspects of the music business, the Internet can provide a few good starting points. So, to follow up some of the themes raised in Robin's article, this month's Net Notes is devoted to sites offering advice on the business side of the music industry. Some of that advice is actually free, but some of it is not, so always check the virtual small print!
A Free Lunch
Find out who will be desperate to give you money as a successful singer/songwriter via the BMR web site.
Many web sites containing information on aspects of the music business offer at least some free information to help get you started. From a UK perspective, one good place to start is the Musicians' Union web site (www.musiciansunion.org.uk/). Full access to the site is only available to members of the Union (you can complete and print a membership form on‑line) but the information in those areas open to non‑members includes some valuable introductory material. For example, the Business Files section (www.musiciansunion.org.uk/files/...) provides advice on topics such as management, contracts and music publishing issues. The site also features an FAQ section (www.musiciansunion.org.uk/faq/) which deals with some of the more common legal questions faced by bands or songwriters.
Another site offering plenty of free content and some good advice is Music Business Solutions (www.mbsolutions.com/). This site is the brainchild of Peter Spellman (who is Director of Career Development at Berklee College of Music, Boston and whose book, The Self‑Promoting Musician, will be reviewed in a forthcoming issue of SOS). Although Peter is based in the US, and therefore presents a strong American bias, he still has plenty to offer those on this side of the pond. For example, the Resource Directory section contains numerous links to other on‑line resources, magazines, books and organisations who offer music‑related business advice. The Advice section (www.mbsolutions.com/articles/) is also well worth a look as it contains a series of articles by the site owner on topics such as developing a business plan and how to make an impact with the media. This material contains good, sensible advice which is applicable to both UK and US musicians.
A similar set of short articles can be found in the University section at the Outer Sound web site (www.outersound.com/), a site dedicated to offering support for independent musicians. The material includes articles written by industry professionals and covers topics such as promotion, dealing with the media and publishing amongst others.
Another US based site is MAS, the Musicians' Assistance Site (www.musicianassist.com/begin/). This contains both a series of short articles on various aspects of the music business (music publishing, for example) and a few freely downloadable draft contracts. One of the latter is an example of a contract between a songwriter and a publisher and, while not all the details may be applicable in the UK or Europe, if you have not seen this type of contract before, it will give you an idea of what sort of clauses are usually included and provides an example for Robin Morley's article in this issue.
Pay Your Money, Take Your Choice
The BPI web site contains some interesting background information on the music industry and some useful links to other industry organisations.
A lot of companies who offer legal or management advice to the music industry are now, of course, on‑line (although this is more common in the US than in the UK). If you are on the lookout for a manager, lawyer or accountant who is familiar with the music industry then the Web is a useful place to start looking if you can't get a recommendation from somebody whom you know. For example, IAEL, the International Association of Entertainment Lawyers (www.iael.org/) and Music Managers Forum (MMF) (found at www.ukmmf.net/homepage.htm) are industry organisations, representing lawyers and mangers respectively, who specialise in work in the music and entertainment industries. Both of these web sites contain lists of the organisations' members in the UK and elsewhere so you can at least find some companies to make contact with and to quiz about what sort of service they can provide (and at what cost!). However, if you are seriously approaching a music lawyer, manager or accountant who has not been personally recommended, it is always a good idea to ask if you can speak to a couple of their existing clients who might be willing to provide a reference.
Some of the web sites belonging to individual legal or management companies also include some useful free information. For example, the web site of Scott Rudsenske (a firm of music attorneys in the US) contains a short series of very informative articles on topics such as copyright and sampling (www.montroserecords.com/legal/to...). Like a number of commercial web sites of this sort, this site also has a wide range of services (such as standard contracts) that you can pay for on‑line and download. However, given the complexities of the legal systems involved, it is probably advisable for readers in the UK to stick with UK‑based companies for this sort of specialist service.
If you want to try a more DIY approach, a small number of specialist software applications are available that can help keep the business side of your music in order. For example, the Music Business Store (www.musicbusinessstore.com/) offer four different software packages: Record Company In A Box, Music Business Contracts, Tour Manager and Studio Business Forms. The first of these essentially offers a database system for managing a complete record company. While quite expensive (US$199), it might offer some useful pointers if you are thinking of taking the plunge and setting up an independent label.
Know Your Rights
If you need to know more about copyright issues, then there are a number of sites with useful information. Two good starting points would be the British Music Rights (BMR) web site (www.bmr.org/menu.html) and the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society (www.mcps.co.uk/). The BMR site is really worth a look if you want a basic introduction to the implications of copyright for songwriters. It also contains a useful Question and Answers section.
The (IFPI) International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (www.ifpi.org/) also has some excellent background material on copyright within the music industry. For example, the site contains recent news items surrounding legal cases concerned with music copyright on the Internet and discussions on how copyright might be enforced on the Net. The US based Music Library Association (MLA) also has an information section of music copyright issues (www.musiclibraryassoc.org/Copyri...) and again, this contains an FAQ page. All of the above sites contain links to other music business organisations, both in the UK and elsewhere. Finally on this theme, the Copyright web site (www.benedict.com/) is also worth a browse. This site covers a variety of copyright issues including some information on basic copyright law although, again, as a US‑based site, readers in Europe should be aware that there will be differences between legal systems.
And Finally...
If what is available on the Web has whetted your appetite to learn more about the business side of the music industry then there are, of course, a great many books available (yes, real books on real paper!) which can offer a more in‑depth treatment of particular topics. One such list is available via www.yanton.freeserve.co.uk/music...‑money.htm. Take a look at Amazon (www.amazon.co.uk or accesible via the SOS site) to get an idea of the range of titles available. Happy reading and may your business prosper!
More Music‑related Web Sites
There are a large number of music‑related web sites that include some information on particular aspects of the music business. As well as providing useful links to other music business organisations, the British Phonographic Industry web site (www.bpi.co.uk/) contains music industry financial information, material on piracy and some leads for exploring careers in the music industry. Picking up on this last theme, if you have an idea for a music‑related business, there are a number of organisations that might provide some start‑up funding. One example is the run by Glasgow City Council (www.glasgow.gov.uk/html/business...) but similar schemes may be available in some other parts of the UK. If you are interested in DJ work, then the Dance Music Business Resource (music.hyperreal.org/business/DanceLabel.html) might have something to offer. While not on the same scale as some of the other sites listed here, the information is free and there is some useful introductory material on contracts, royalties and copyright. Also free is the Music Economy Basic Information Service web site (www.mebis.com/mebise.htm). This provides some interesting facts and figures about the European music business and is worth a browse. There are some useful articles on topics such as the costs of advertising a CD in the UK or how many units a CD might have to sell for a major record company to break even. The Getsigned.com site (www.getsigned.com), while also containing artist and industry interviews, includes some articles related to the business of music. For example, the article on 10 reasons why your demo was rejected might help in planning your recording strategy and the way you go about the business of promoting your material. A similar site is Band Radio (www.bandradio.com/). In its Business Sense section there is a good selection of articles on music business related issues and the site also includes some sample contracts and a question and answer facility. As often outlined by Big George’s regular SOS columns, the music world has its fair share of people who will be only too happy to smile at you warmly whilst taking the shirt off your back. If you want to learn about some of the sorts of business scams that exist within the music industry, check out the Songshark web site (www.geocities.com/songshark/) which contains a few simple examples of how easy it is to get ripped off.