You're Doing It Wrong

           Facebook and Twitter have become the number one social media sites used by musicians and artists to promote his or her music. Who would not want to reach 900 million individuals on Facebook and 175 million users on Twitter? It’s easy: Sign in, construct a status or tweet, and press send. Easy enough, right? We have all experienced the Facebook band campaign where the individual artist or band request fans to like their page but leave them with nothing to look forward to in the future. Granted, there are a couple of posts here or there, but that is not enough. Let us not forget the artists who are over infatuated with themselves. So how do effectively use social media to avoid the pitfalls of it becoming frustrating?

According to Indie Tools, musicians and artists make three common mistakes that make these mediums ineffective:

1.    Self-Promotion is the Only Form of Communication

To ensure that your fans do not get bored with you and your social media page, the artist must change the content frequently. Give the fan something to look forward to when he or she visit your page. Post a video saying thank you for supporting the music of the band. This then makes the fan feel appreciated, and he or she will more than likely retweet or repost the video. This brings more publicity to the artist or musician. Ariel Hyatt even provided a Social Media Pyramid that gives ideas on how to change the posts.

http://arielpublicity.com/files/2012/03/Musicians-Social-Media-Pyramid-11x17-1.pdf

2.    Lack of Branding

In the entertainment industry, image is KEY! This goes for your website and social media pages. Always be consistent across the board to avoid any situation that may confuse the fans. The same picture or logo should be used on every site. Therefore, everyone can identify the artist or musician.  Who wants to look bad? This says something about your brand and could result in a bad impression.

3.    No Newsletter

In order to be a successful artist or musician, you need fans to support your endeavors. This newsletter is a way for you to get e-mail addresses in exchange for anything you give to the fans.  Believe it or not, this is where a great percentage of the revenue will be accrued.

Take heed to these three mistakes and make your social media site worth visiting. Remember, you have millions of people looking and following you. The first impression is everything, so be sure to: change it up, be consistent, and always stay in contact.

The Words

Recently, I had a chance to attend the movie “The Words” starring Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana. I was very apprehensive about this movie because I did not think I would enjoy it, but this movie had many lessons that many aspiring artists and writers could learn.

            This movie was about a guy who aspired to become a published author, but many publishing companies rejected his work. Does this sound familiar? After he and his girlfriend sought support from his parents, he was forced to get a daily job at a publishing company. A sense of complacency came over him because he started to live a regular life. However, he finally received the call he had been waiting for, but the publisher informed him that he believed in his work but there was no market for his type of writing. He and his girlfriend got married and honeymooned in Paris where he found a vintage briefcase with a manuscript inside. The story that he read identified with his current situation, and he copied the outline word for word. In this story, a man was stationed in Paris for war and met the love of his life. They married and had a child together, but the child became ill and died. The wife was distraught and left the soldier. In order to keep his sanity, he wrote a book about his life. The author gained publicity and fortune, but an old man, who originally wrote the manuscript, confronted the author. The author was very disturbed by this encounter and offered the soldier money and rights to all of the royalties. However, the soldier did not accept anything from the author but challenged him to accept his mistake and move on. These actions caused a great deal of trouble for his marriage, relationship with the publishing company, and his life.

            As I pondered about the messages in this movie, these teachings will help you along your path:

1.     Don’t fear rejection. This is a chance to continuously perfect your gift or work. In addition, you want a publishing company to believe in your work not just accept you. Rejection means “not yet”.

2.     Don’t become complacent. Although your dream of writing may not happen when you want it to, it will happen in due time. Until that time, gain all the information you can about publishing and distribution companies and how they work. Keep in mind that your current situation will not be forever.

3.     Be original. One of the worst feelings is to know that you plagiarized or infringed on someone’s intellectual property. This can turn into legal trouble and is something you want to avoid. Let your work come from the heart because many people will be able to identify with the many triumphs and trials you have endured.

4.     Accept your failures. It is guaranteed that you will not reach your dreams on the first try. You will make mistakes that may cost you, but you must find it in yourself to make things right and move on. 

Unconditional The Movie

           How far are you willing to go to make your dreams come true? If you don’t accomplish your dream the first time, will you give up? What if your dream causes you discomfort by putting you in a place where things are uncertain? Will you still believe?

            I have had the chance to work with individuals who could answer these questions without hesitation. The producers of Unconditional, a movie starring Michael Ealy and Lynn Collins, sacrificed time, money, personal lives, and sanity to produce a movie that has unfolded to be their divine purpose. Being independent filmmakers is not an easy task because the individual does not have the financial backing of a major movie company. Therefore, these individuals have to work diligently to get into theaters. To add more to a tedious process, the movie is a faith-based film, which is one of the hardest films to market to a mainstream and secular audience. Being a part of this marketing process has been most rewarding because you know in the end the movie is going to be an impactful feature and lives will be changed. Seeing Bishops, Pastors, and leaders from all over the country view this movie and support shows the urgency and need for a movie of this caliber. Hopefully, after much success, major companies will choose to do movies with Harbinger Films.

After seeing this movie, my life was change forever because I could relate to many of the characters. At first, I thought it was going to be a typical faith-based movie, but as the movie progressed, I was very intrigued by the suspense and storyline. Papa Joe, played by Ealy, is based on an individual from Nashville, Tennessee whose life and anger lead him to prison, but he was able to turnaround and help youth in the projects. After suffering from an illness, it threatened his ability to care for the kids, but he kept hope alive. Sam, who is played by Collins, is faced with a tragedy that stripped her life away, but strategically, she is placed on the course of finding her childhood friend, Papa Joe, who helped her get on the road to forgiveness and healing. This movie teaches about selflessness and forgiveness. Unforgiveness blocks us from the truth and the ability to live life freely.

Support Unconditional by purchasing tickets at your local theater opening weekend, September 21^st through September 23^rd. To find more information about theater locations and times, please visit the Unconditional website. Also, listen to the personal greeting from Michael Ealy inviting you to his new movie. Take my word, this film will change your life, and it is worth every dime.

A Little Help Please?

It seems so surreal that I will be graduating from Full Sail University in December with a Master’s in Entertainment Business. A few months ago, I was questioning whether or not to pursue another degree after college let alone Full Sail University. Granted, I was very reluctant about paying the cost of tuition, but after seeking wise counsel from many Full Sail’s students, admission counselors, and financial aid advisors, I was comfortable with the decision of looking at it as an investment. Full Sail University has placed me on the journey of starting my own entertainment company through the many courses in its curriculum. I don’t know about you, but starting a business can be very scary. There is the threat of failure, being sued, not being prepared, and a host of other fears.

            This intimidating feeling was all too familiar, so I had to seek the guidance from Frederick Livingston who is an entertainment lawyer in Detroit, Michigan. Mr. Livingston graduated from Wayne State University and started out as a personal injury lawyer. Being that he grew up around music his whole life, he decided to pursue entertainment law. Moreover, he was perturbed at the many frauds that would get over on people with true talent with phony deals. It is his duty at the Law Offices of Frederick V. Livingston to protect these individuals and provide a service that is of quality.

In regards to my business, Livingston advised me to file as a Limited Liability Company because of the high potential of being litigated. He states, “If you do not get sued, you’re not making money because no one is paying attention to you!” I was all right with not being sued, but there was some truth to the statement. This filing protects the owner from having his or her personal assets at risk during a lawsuit. Having a plan was crucial advice he gave me because doing entertainment full-time takes a while. Therefore, gaining experience by working for another entertainment company, interning, or doing entertainment business on the side was recommended. Mr. Livingston also touched on the point of imaging. You cannot charge top bucks for your services if you do not have the proper equipment to send documents or hold meetings with potential clients. Building relationships and trust as a brand is a much-needed aspect of my business. There should be no rush to get into this business without the proper timing and preparation. He often sees management companies entangled in misrepresentation, frustration of purpose, and breach of contract litigations. To avoid these liabilities, I must be able to perform all the duties stated in the contract. Many management contracts are oral, but he advises that every agreement be in writing to avoid the tedious task of proving an oral contract if the situations gets there.

This was the amazing advice Fred Livingston gave to me as I am in pursuance to own an entertainment company. He encourages each individual who wants to go into business in the industry to gain book knowledge. This aspect is important, but it will also give the person a firm foundation. Then match this knowledge with real-world experience.

           

Take It From Them

One of the most avoided subjects of the entertainment industry is LAW, but it is the most important concept to understand in order to survive a gruesome industry. Many artists have talents, but the individual later find themselves irrelevant in a couple of years due to the lack of legal knowledge that result in multi-million dollar lawsuits. We even see in articles that artists and musicians we look up to are caught in legal battles that seem senseless but are later lessons for all who are watching.  Take the legal woes of Drake, Beyoncé, and New Boyz to understand how agreements and copyright infringement can be a headache in the long run.

In the news, it has been reported that James Prince, the guy who discovered Drake, is suing Drake’s management team for money. Prince states he is owed money from a verbal agreement between him and Cortez Bryant. Prince is also asking the judge to stop the negotiations between Drake and his record label because it would hurt Drake financially in the long run. Prince teaches us a lesson that when we do business, we should always get agreements in writing. He could have avoided the legalities if the agreement was already put into writing and both parties had signed. However, we must understand that verbal agreements can uphold in court also. BE WISE and CAUTIOUS of the words you say.

Oftentimes, mainstream artists become a target for lucrative ventures because of the artist’s major following and the company’s ability to make millions of dollars. This is the case of Beyoncé and Gate Five who wanted to release a video game with Beyoncé’s dance moves. The deal was very lucrative for both parties, but in the middle of the agreement, Beyoncé requested more money from Gate Five. Since the company was not able to come up with the money, she pulled out of the deal. It was then reported that Beyonce’ was actually looking at doing business with another gaming company (EA Games) which was a breach of contract. Therefore, Gate Five is now suing her for damages and for the judge to release documents of conversations she had with other parties that could unfold her motive of leaving the deal. In this instance, Beyonce’ business ethics come into question. If an individual does not want to do business with a company, just say NO! Going behind the backs of people destroys trust and a good relationship. It is important to know as artists that your reputation follows you everywhere. Practice business ethics to ensure your practices are sound.

Lastly, the importance of research is key in this next case. Frequently, an artist comes up with a unique name, but they do not know someone else across the world thought of the same name. New Boyz is a Hip-Hop group who is being sued by a Christian group from Australia named Newsboys. Newsboys from Australia have been receiving bad reviews from followers who think they have been releasing vulgar music, which is actual music from New Boyz.  Therefore, Newsboys are suing for damages for lost revenue during the time this confusion happened. I feel that this is something that management and label’s lawyers should have researched before releasing music under this name. Cover the bases because being creative is not too common nowadays. However, I do not agree with the fact that Newsboys should get paid for loss of revenue because they are from Australia, but some type of statement needs to be made.

All in all, having legal knowledge of the business can save you trouble in the long run. Be proactive about your career and learn from these artists who are constantly in the media. Remember to get everything in writing, have good business practices and ethics, and RESEARCH information.

These Two Will Meet

Many aspiring artists and musicians dream of being the greatest at his or her gift, but unfortunately, it is not enough to just dream. It is common to hear opportunity will meet preparation, and those who are prepared receive major opportunities. Discipline and practice set apart artists who want to achieve the dream from those who just talk about the dream.  Oftentimes, many people quit his or her dream because it became too hard or it was not happening fast enough. Which one are you?

Artist House Music posted a video of a Loyola University professor interviewing Kirk Whalum who is a professional saxophone player. In the video “Constantly Improving your Craft as a Musician," Kirk shared how important it is to continuously improve your gift. Before Kirk became famous, he practiced every chance he received. One day, he received a call from a friend who played for Whitney Houston and asked him if he wanted to play for her as the saxophonist. This was an opportunity of a lifetime, and he did not let it pass him by. However, Kirk understood touring was not what he wanted to do for the rest of his life because it would not challenge his gift. Therefore, he went on to be a solo artist and became very successful.

As an artist or musician, take these key points into consideration:

1.     BE PREPARED: A musician or an artist should constantly practice everyday. Take vocal and instrumental lessons from professionals who can teach the individual the fundamentals of their instrument.

2.     STAY CURRENT: An artist NEVER stops learning his or her instrument. Every day the artist should research new music trends, artists, instrumentalists, and business practices in the industry.

3.     DON’T GET COMPLACENT: Always find the opportunity to try something new with your gift. If you are on tour, swallow the hard pill of quitting the tour and become a solo artist once you build a fan base.

Remember, OPPORTUNITY WILL MEET PREPARATION. Will you be ready?