I propose that all unsigned rising artist should target the business side of the music industry to be successful in the entertainment business because it allows the artist to be taken seriously and make solid connections that can further his/her career. Learning the works of the music industry also enables a new artist to be further successful and profitable. Recent studies show that most new artists without professional representation and a business mindset have a slimmer chance in getting signed to major or independent labels (Lowry, 2011). Overall, the specific change needed is that unsigned artists should be concentrating on their careers as professionals and not amateurs, thus focusing on the ins and outs of the music business and how they can obtain success, generate profit, and endure longevity.
Furthermore, learning the fundamentals of the music business is beneficial in many ways. If unsigned artist focused more attention on nurturing their talent to its highest potential, then their chance at reaching success would be greater. According to The Tipping Point, “The success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts”. In other words, talents are needed and the only way to achieve that is if you work continuously hard. Moreover, if new artist become proficient in their talent along with hard work, then success becomes reachable and introduces the theory that, if an artist works hard then they are able to play hard.
Studying this deeper, understand that as an artist, beginner or veteran, the idea for commercial success is to know your business. Realize that building a team is a number one priority; most new artist overlook this ...
... middle of paper ...
...). Retrieved May 3, 2012, from About.com.
Carmichael, G. (2009, may 12). The Tipping Point Part 4 and 5. Retrieved May 7, 2012, from examiner.com
Dictionary.com. (n.d.). Retrieved May 6, 2012, from Itunes.
Goldstein, J. (n.d.). Three Methods to Getting Openers and Supporting Slots. Retrieved May 6, 2012, from Music Biz Academy
HONSBERGER, S. (2011, Janurary 19). 7 Tips For Maintaining Relationships In The Music Business. Retrieved May 7, 2012, from MusicThinkTank.com
Jonny. (2008, September 24). iTunes finally opens up to unsigned acts. Retrieved may 6, 2012, from Distorted-Loop.com
Kaufman, A. (2010, April 9). Pop & Hiss: The L.A Times Music Blog. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
Kellie, N. (2011, February 15). Maintain a Career in Music. Retrieved May 7, 2012, from Jamplay.com
Lowry, D. (2011, November 11). Why 99% of Indies Dont Get Signed. Retrieved May 02, 2012.
Peyser, J. (1986) The Orchestra: Origins and Transformations. New York: Charles Scribner’s and Sons. Sadie, S. (1980) New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
In the article “The Case against College,” Linda Lee argues that upper-level education should only be for those who intend to go into jobs where a degree is essential such as medicine, law, and education. Lee dismantles the hope for higher education for those who are unsure of what they want to do or simply see it as the next step in life. Lee’s case is not specifically about why not to go to college; it is more about who belongs there and who does not. Receiving a degree, especially in the creative department of the music industry, may not be as important as society makes it out to be. Creativity is natural, and people are born with ingenuity; it cannot be taught. Lee’s argument is very fitting to those in the field of music. As a music business major, pursuing a career as a singer-songwriter, it is common knowledge that success in the music industry depends upon whom you know and how talented you are, not whether or not you have a degree.
What’s good in the music industry is its openness into hearing out budding artists, may it be worthy or not to listen to. The always changing demands of mainstream music require artists, acts and groups to comply, or other aspiring performers would be taking up center stage and steal the spotlight. Despite the risks involved, many ambitions and the people who carry it surge through the business accompanied by their strong liking to entertain and the undying passion to reach what they truly dream of. And we, as the majority who don’t like the squeamish effect of attention, gauge each passing act, as if deciding for them if they will be lasting in the industry or not. One name reverberating through the halls of mainstream music is that of Bryson Tiller, and with how things are rolling for this very talented future superstar, he is meant to stay longer than the rest.
As the 1930’s began, the effects of the great depression still ravaged the United States, which in turned caused a dramatic change in the music industry. Membership in the musicians’
...nal Public Radio: News and Analysis, World, US, Music and Arts. 31 March 2010. Web. 31 January 2011.
... Popular Music Studies 23, no. 1 (2011): 19-39. Accessed April 28, 2014. Academic Search Complete.
Willoughby, David. "Chapter 11." The World of Music. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 249-53. Print.
In this day and age, pop music dominates the airwaves at every turn. Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, and many are commonplace names among teenagers and younger demographics not only in the United States, but all around the world. The United States has accepted the position of international, cultural role model long ago, dating back to the 1950’s when rock and roll caught fire as a hybrid of blues, country, and jazz and spread to the rest of the world almost infectiously. Since then, every major artist that comes out of the United States has easily become a global icon, regardless of the language or nationality of their adoring fans. However, one could conceive that this glamorized version of music comes less from the soul of the artist and is merely born of fiscal ambitions and visions of grandeur. The point made previously is not to critique any pop icon’s talent, which clearly they have proved to possess an abundance of it to keep the public swooning at their every whim, but instead, to show that there are musicians out there producing beautiful music without the threat of corruption and adherence to mainstream culture.
Even when one becomes an artist in the industry, there are many troubles that go along with the tag of being a recording artist in the urban division. One example is seen in the article, “The Business of Rap: Between the Street and the Executive Suite” by Keith Negus, where columnist, J.R. Reynolds, mentions the closing of the urban division at Capitol Records in 1996, calling it “the systematic extermination of black music at Capitol Records”, saying that it did not make any sense because the genre was doing well in the market (528). The black music division is often subject to this kind of cutting compared to others. Negus also states that “despite the influence of rap and hip hop on the aesthetics of music, video, television, film, sport, fashion, dancing and advertising, the potential of this broader cultural formation to make a contribution to music industry business practices is not encouraged” (534). The sad fact of the matter is that this is true. It is almost like the larger companies take from the smaller urban divisions in order to make themselves look better without giving credit where it is due and in turn, because those companies are not seen to be doing well in the market, they are dropped from the label. Ted Swedenburg explains this in the article “Homies in The ‘Hood: Rap’s Commodification of Insubordination”, when he states that “while the major academic rock critics usually acknowledge black musicians’ essential contributions to pop and occasionally write sympathetic a...
-Hebdige, Dick, “In Poor Taste: Notes on Pop,” chapter in Modern Dreams: The Rise and Fall of Pop (New York: ICA & London: MIT Press, 1988) pp. 77-85
Field, Shelly. Career Opportunities in the Music Industry. 3rd Ed. New York: Facts on File, 1995.
The most significant down side to technology is the loss in revenue from album sales. Illegal downloading of music has become prevalent in today’s society, and many artists—major or independent—receive little to no profit from album sales. Many companies, such as Apple, have tried combating the issue with protected file formats, but a loophole has always been found to bypass the protection. Unsigned and independently signed artists hurt the most, as they pay almost everything out-of-pocket to produce their music. The only feasible response to the loss in revenue, artists have found, is to increase tour dates. In today’s age, it is not rare to find artists who tour more than eight months out of each year. Touring has become one of, if not the only, reliable source of income for many
In the past, music has been a costly business, where only people with a lot of money could enter and be successful in the industry. Changes in the music industry coupled with new computer technology have made it much easier for people without a lot of money to compose, produce, and distribute their creation. In order to get a better understanding of the music industry in comparison to 2014, one has to look at its history. There were many things that happened from the 1980’s onward, and they brought on a significant impact towards the music industry. Development in computer technology has also made a big impression on music. Many things within these fields have enabled artists to connect with their fans in a way they couldn’t before, and on a lower budget. In this paper, the discussion will be about all of these topics, and about the factors that help transform the music industry into something altogether easier for new people to contribute.
Music Business Music Business Exam Number One Question 1 - What is The music publishing industry at a glance would seem to be those who print sheet music, method books, lead sheets, and all of the texts or notated music that musicians (and those aspiring to be musicians) use. Years ago, this was what most music publishers did, but as the industry has evolved, the process has become much more complex. Music is not just ink and paper, intellectual material and property to the individual who writes it. Therefore, the song does not become "a song" when it is written down. This is not an easy concept to grasp because the song itself has no physical makeup.
John Williams Interview for Music Express Magazine. Perf. John Williams. YouTube, 20 Apr. 2012. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.