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- Get the Music Business Toolkit While You Can - Artist Career Development Kit for Musicians
Get the Music Business Toolkit While You Can - Artist Career Development Kit for Musicians
It's been a substantial year of growth for our community, for the music business, and for me personally as well. Like usual we've been in a bit of hibernation mode really dialing in on some key areas that we feel will give you the support you need and deserve. 2015 will be the best year yet. Thanks for hanging in there.
Got a few things to get off my chest, and a couple updates as well as another gift for helping you take your career to the next level in 2015. This one might be a little longer, as i've got some things to say.
There's been a lot of chatter this over the last 12 months from artists, labels, and pundits from across the board. It's exhausting to hear about streaming services, spotify, and a large number of other issues the majority of independent artists don't need to concern themselves with, and in my opinion are honestly wasting their time and energy on.
It's about people, stupid.
I'm not trying to insult you, but as a voice for artists and a coach for those on the front lines as well… Let me assert to you that there is no secret, that apple and spotify and the streaming services don't care about us as artists, and that the key to your future and careers growth centers on one thing….
The human beings that are your fans.
It's about people.
Period.
It's about authentic connection (in any format and through any channel) and what we call the Fan Experience Pathways you design, offer, and deliver to your fan base.
And you don't need a whole lot of them, as it turns out.
But what you do need is to develop a meaningful relationship with them.
This begins by learning a particular set of skills, and communicating effectively through the modern toolset we all now have access to in this brave new world we call the Modern Music Industry…
It's not sort of like the old industry, and just slightly different… It's a very different industry with very different rules, and a plethora of new tools.
We're operating new vehicles, and WE are operating those vehicles…
The traditional music business strapped an artist to the hood of an oversized gas guzzling SUV, left you flapping around in the wind, at the mercy of too many forces outside of your control. The artist was the frontman for a corporate machine serving product to customers neither one knew the names of, in mass quantities. Though the artist was the talent that drove the ship, she made pennies on the dollar of an unsustainable business model…
This caused unnecessary risk with potentially long-term and often fatal consequences i.e bad deals, signing too early, losing rights to or control of your material, hurting your reputation with your fans. and on and on...
In an upcoming lesson i'll be posting at the start of the new year that greatly expands on this, you really don't need a major record deal, and most of us don't realize why that's NEVER the place to start. You need to build traction on your own first any way, and like we very vocally advocate, it all starts at a grassroots level regardless of future goals.
But there are a lot of underpinning reasons why about 70% of artists polled by reverberation and digital music news still list signing to a major label as their goal, but this will take us into a lot of detail and thus i've written a pretty hefty article tackling the deeper psychological issues and retorts to a lot of cultural programming we've been conditioned to accept.
In the old world, the Traditional Music Industry, the massive amalgamation of manpower, tools, technology, touch points, and overhead now reduces down to little more than an internet connected home recording studio with a few web service accounts.
I’m of course not intending to equate any joe-blow with wordpress, garageband, and a mailchimp account-to having the same degree of resources as a giant corporate machine... but in terms of infrastructural capacity for operating as a Professional Artist/Musician in the Modern Music Business, that is just about all you need to start out with. The rest is just a matter of creativity, drive, and resourcefulness.
In the modern music business, you are sitting in the drivers seat of the vehicle. Teams built around you at the nucleus, gathered to realize and amplify your brand and the experiences as well as fan engagement structure that you design to interact with your fans and followers.
This perverbial vehicle we're talking about is your next project, as your career is just a series of projects and campaigns.
Thus which projects you choose and how well you do them will determine where you go.
One of the most overlooked yet highly relevant skills for Artists and Content Creators is Project Management. Which is something i'll be covering on the blog this year as well as the other key skills and tools to develop a full creative integration as a multi-media storyteller and content creator.
I just want to say that again, because it's easy to miss…
We progress our career and grow our brand through Projects and Campaigns.
How well you prepare, perform, produce, package, promote, and profit from these projects will determine the kind and quality of your career. Projects are the vehicles that close the GAP between where you are, and where you would like to go next.
Thus, one of the initial breakthroughs I have my clients and students make is the shift from home recording studio, to modern project studio because it addresses the full-scope of what their workstations need to be able to do, the functions they are responsible for, and the 6 phases of a modern project lifecycle.
Preparation
Performance
Production
Packaging
Promotion (Pitch, Publicity, Partnership)
Profits + Project Assessment (performance measurement)
In the modern music business, it's more than just production.
There are new skills to learn, and the added opportunities that are all around you now- requires embracing the added responsibilities-in order to see and capitalize on them.
As an Artist today, it’s very easy to lose perspective and end up just driving around. However, with that same amount of time and energy, having a clear vision and roadmap, strategically progressing along your path, you can very realistically create a full-time living and enjoy the best of both worlds.
Their are now proven pathways for how to do that, on our own terms, and our mission is to make that available, realistic, and practical for any Artist ready to step their game up and do the work.
Doing what you were born to do, what you came to do on this earth, on your own terms.
Over the last 10 years finding and creating these pathways has been my obsession. Breaking down the tools, testing strategies and tactics, clarifying and developing that particular skillset I mentioned earlier (called the Entrepreneurial Skill-set), and helping other Artists by leading from the front.
It has been my life's work and we've now built a proven system as well as the training, support structure, as well as an integrated software tool that simplifies and streamlines the systems/technology and processes needed to grow your career, and take you to the next level as an artist in the modern music business.
It has been a tremendous journey with a LOT of hard work and obstacles… But we've figured out some game changers and 2015 will be the year you start to see this fresh content surface and begin to take full shape within our community.
After hundreds of students and clients of all levels from aspiring, emerging, established, and occasional artists and musicians we've learned what you need to be there for you in the way that will truly empower you with the structure and support to grow your career like a pro, in a DIY world.
You need Proven pathways to consistent progress and you need to develop the skill set, the habits, as well as your creative use of the modern toolset and resources available.
You need to Build a world class support system - to find your peer group - Get the structured training and the support and environment to make meaningful, consistent progress over time. Success is scientific. You need all the required properties to fulfill your definition of success.
You need to be Focusing on the right things - Building a true fan base. Building your tribe. Focusing on new fan acquisition - Focus on connecting with and developing True Fans instead of likes and shares.
You need to Find/create an optimal workflow structure - focusing on the core - not getting hung-up on the tech, or growth traps, or career growth mistakes, be focused on new fan generation and/or new deals and placements.
As you’ve learned, the modern music industry is an evolved version of the traditional music industry and it requires new skills, a new game plan, and that starts with a fresh perspective.
If you're ready to take your career to the next level i'd like to help you kickstart that growth.
We want to help you take the next step. So we'd like to deliver you real value as well as put the word out to those who're ready to make 2015 their best year ever, and take their career to the next level.
*We are also, at this time fielding applicants for established artists and emerging artists who've gained a bit of traction and momentum already and are qualified for the
Modern Music Industry Pioneers Program
This program is for the worlds finest indie artists/bands who are pro's, inspired, and hard workers who'll lead the way.
If you have at least 3 finished songs, have built up a solid base of content, skills, and experience, the music is produced, mastered and ready to go.
There are 10 spots left on that roster.
But if you are committed to building a full-time income and taking your career to the next level in the modern music business, then take the next step... Get your Career Growth Session &Music Business Toolkit to make 2015 the best one ever. Start right here, right now.
Stay Fresh,
Jamie Leger
The Music Business Architect for Artists & Creators
Proudly Helping Hundreds of Modern Musicians liberate the music business, declare their artistic independence, and earn a full-time living doing what they love-on their own terms.
P.S. Keep your eyes peeled for new lessons on the blog… We've been working on the Music Business Blueprint as well as our training system for a long time, and are proud to be able to deliver you such definitive content that we hope you'll find relevant, valuable, and will appreciate getting your hands on before anyone else does.
The Music Business Blueprint: A practical path to taking your game to the next level.
I) State of the Modern Music Industry - The Evolution from the Traditional Music Industry to the Modern Music Industry
II) The Modern Music Business = The Artist Centered Business Model - you are your own label
III) What do all these changes mean for you on a practical, day-to-day level. What do you have to do differently?
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