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Hello
to you all!
Hope that you're getting through the winter in
great spirits. I admit that the cold of New
York has been getting to me. I sure don't
enjoy the frigid temps we've had. When I went
to MIDEM in the south of France, I looked
forward to warmer days in Cannes on the
Mediterranean. NOT! It was so cold there that
I longed to warm up in New York. At least we
have good heat here! It was unusually cold so
they weren't prepared for it. I'm glad that
spring is coming soon. : )
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MIDEM was a fabulous experience! This issue
focuses on the international markets. I
interviewed dozens of industry pros from all
over the world for my next book and will share
some in this issue. My next book is I Don't
Need a Record Deal! Your Survival Guide for
the Indie Music Revolution. I'm planning a
trip to Nashville and Memphis at the end of
April to get more material for my book. I've
never been there. If any of you live in one of
those areas and can recommend places to see,
etc., please let me know. I'll be in that area
for over a week.
I will be asking for recommendations of people
to interview for my book as I see what I need.
Right now I'm looking to interview some
independent artists who are touring regularly,
selling lots of CDs, or in some way making a
living from music. I especially need some who
do urban music - hip hop, R & B, reggae,
etc. If you know of any artists who are making
a living from their music independently,
please let me know.
Some of you wrote to ask when the next issue
of my newsletter would be out. I held it up so
that I could write about MIDEM. From now on it
will come out about every other month. It
takes a lot of time to write but I want to
keep it going. It's one of my ways of giving
back for all my blessings. Feel free to give
me feedback on what you'd like to see covered
in future issues. Beginning with this issue
I'll answer one question on music biz from a
reader. Feel free to send yours in.
Revenge Productions
http://www.daylle.com
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1. First Impressions
2. MIDEM overview
3. My seminar
4. Interview from MIDEM: Michael Baur,
COO/CFO, Edel Music AG, Germany
5. Minding Your Music Biz
6. Ask Daylle: Am I too old to pursue my
music?
7. Interview from MIDEM: Kim Frankiewicz Vice
President of International, Universal Music
Publishing Group, UK
8. Songwriting Contests
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1. First Impressions: The first impression you
make on someone is your calling card. When you
make a good one, you create the best potential
for someone wanting to support you. If the
first impression is bad, or even just not
good, you lose out on opportunities. Often we
don't get a second chance to create an image
that gets mileage. Therefore, I encourage you
to be conscious of all the ways that first
impression are made on potential fans and
industry people who might advance your career.
Then do what you can to make it a good one.
People you haven't met or who are coming into
contact with you for the first time will make
judgments about you from:
*Your phone presence: An impression is
conveyed by how you speak on the phone. I get
many calls from people who mutter and sound
like they're falling asleep. I forget them as
soon as I hang up. I'm told I give good phone
because I'm friendly and cheerful. Your tone
of voice leaves a strong impression on someone
who doesn't know you. Sounding positive and
upbeat makes people want to hear from you
again. They're more likely to remember you. If
you call someone because you want something
from them (press, radio play, to book a gig),
have a script in front of you if necessary.
Make sure you sound confident and
professional. And don't drag out the
conversation!
*Your personality: People don't like deadheads
or grumps. They like being around those who
bring them up, not down. When you first meet
someone, you can begin to build a rapport with
them that can last through your career. Before
you go out to network, read up on many things
so you have interesting things to add to
discussions. An energetic presence is
contagious. Friendly and professional is the
personality to aim for when you're trying to
make a good impression so people want to deal
with you.
*Your press kit: A well put together press kit
can be a wonderful calling card. A good photo
can make someone want to know more. Make yours
inviting. It should truly represent your
image. Don't have a cluttered kit. Make it
clean and professional, getting as much across
as you can on just a few sheets.
*Your website: Is your web site disorganized
or cluttered? Does it make all the info
accessible to the visitor? I've gone to sites
that were difficult to navigate. An attempt to
be creative or clever isn't always easily
translated into which link will bring me to
what. If I have to search for contact info, I
probably won't contact you. I've gone to many
sites of artists that I was interested in
interviewing and gave up trying to decipher
what was where. I've also been surprised by
how many websites are sparse - many of the
artist's achievements aren't listed.
*Your representative: Whether you have an
experienced manager or a friend/fan helping
you out, make sure it's someone who will make
a good impression. A & R people, club
promoters, and people in the press say that
they've passed on musicians because their rep
was a pain in the butt. That's not the
impression you want to give! They will
associate your rep with you. Make sure it's
someone who acts in a professional manner and
knows how to approach people without coming
across as a pest.
*Your business card: A plain, simple card
gives folks your info. A well designed card on
nice paper makes people take you more
seriously. I've had many cards since I began
but they've always been special. A card that
makes people say, "nice card," will
also make them think that you're doing well.
Even when I was losing money, the impression
that I gave with my fancy card said
"successful." When your image fades
in someone's memory after an event, all people
have is your card to remember you by.
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2. MIDEM overview: In the last issue I
discussed how many people want to break into
what they refer to as the overseas market. I
explained that one great place to do business
is MIDEM (http://www.midem.com), the
international music conference which takes
place the last week of January in Cannes,
France. I was there this year, with press
credentials, and it was an awesome experience.
MIDEM is said to be the largest gathering of
industry professionals from all over the
world. It's an expensive conference to attend,
because of both the registration fee and the
cost of staying in Cannes. This year they had
an early bird special for 500 Eurodollars.
Then it went up to 850. With the bad exchange
rate, that would be over $1,000 US. But if you
want to go to a conference with a HUGE (almost
9,000 people) assortment of movers and shakers
from the music industry, in almost all
nationalities, start saving for next January.
They also have panels on a variety of
interesting topics. People have described how
frenetic and exhausting it to be at MIDEM. I
pictured it from their words, yet it's so much
more in person. I've been to many fairly large
music conferences. I found MIDEM to be several
times the size of any of them. I found MIDEM
to be a high-end marketing marathon. Languages
from many countries are heard throughout.
Almost everyone is there to do serious
business. Many of the head honchos probably
never even enter the Palais, where the event
takes place. Instead, they can be found having
meetings in the lobby of one of the top
hotels, such as the Carleton or Majestic, or
meeting in a restaurant. While MIDEM offers
tremendous opportunities to connect with top
industry from around the world, you can't just
go and expect to find the people you want. If
you do, you probably won't get to them. Many
are completely booked for weeks or months
before MIDEM begins.
The expense of going to MIDEM merits careful
planning. If you make the investment, register
early for two reasons, One, you'll save money.
Another is to get appointments before they're
fully booked. For the best chance of getting a
meeting with those you want, start in the
fall. The earlier you register, the sooner
you'll have access to what some consider the
most valuable part of MIDEM - their directory.
I got a hard copy at the conference but once I
was registered, I could see who was coming and
get all their contact info. I was able to get
appointments with several good people and
winged my way through the rest.
Dance/pop dance music and techno was big in
most countries. While there are opportunities
for licensing, many countries consider the US
behind in what's sold. The cutting edge often
begins overseas, so they're not interested in
what they consider music that's old. While
jazz markets are shrinking, European and
Japanese markets still respect it deeply and
look to license good artists. Hard rock/heavy
metal is still popular in northern European
countries but not many license it, except for
German labels. The Scandinavian markets are
small and most prefer to develop their own
artists and license them to other countries.
Americana is quite popular, as is pop music,
in many European countries. Everyone agreed
that in order to get any kind of music going
in international markets, you must be prepared
to go there in person to perform and promote.
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3. My next seminars: My next seminar is Start
& Run Your Own Record Label on Saturday,
February 28, 2004 from 11 am - 5:30 PM at The
New Yorker Hotel, on the NW corner of 34th
Street & Eighth Avenue. The seminar is $85
in advance or $105 at the door.
http://www.daylle.com/seminar.html
Credit cards can be used on my website or the
payment can be mailed to:
Revenge Productions
PO Box 8016, FDR Station
New York, NY 10150
I will take payment in person up until the
Friday before. You can call at 212 688-3504 to
arrange this. I don't take personal checks on
the day of the seminar.
This will be the only private seminar I do
this year. I am available for speaking for
others who put the event together. I will be
sharing much of the info I got on
international markets. There will be 4 guest
speakers. I'm expecting someone from
DiscMakers to talk about manufacturing. Also:
Wallace Collins, Music Attorney
Jesse Ferguson, Product Manager, running the
day to to operation of Definitive Jux Records,
the top indie hip hop label.
Ree Graves, who does A & R and Synch
licensing for Hacate Publishing, to talk about
opportunities to make money by licensing the
music on your CDs.
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4. Interview with Michael Baur, COO/CFO, Edel
Music AG, Germany Edel is considered the major
label of Europe. They have a European setup,
headquartered in Germany. And they do what
American labels don't - artist development.
They also license records from the US and
other territories. Edel covers all of Europe.
I was honored to have a whole hour to speak
with Michael Baur, its COO/CFO. Here's part of
the interview.
What genres work best? For us, it's the middle
of the road genre - a target group of 25 years
+. Adult artists like Toni Braxton. This is a
stable market for us. Heavy metal is a great
genre in Germany - very stable. Rock has
always been stable. There's a big market for
hip hop but not a big selling market with CDs.
You have these kids who are burning CDs. The
dance market has gone down. That's the market
that has suffered the most. It is a singles
driven market but that income has decreased by
50% over the last 2 years. Every genre that is
dependent on the single isn't doing well at
the moment. We have the number one dance label
and they are really suffering.
What kind of independent musicians might get
marketed by you? We're looking for established
artists. That doesn't mean that it has to be a
superstar but it has to be someone that brings
a market with them. With newcomers we're very
careful. We have to have the feeling that they
know what they're doing and have in a niche.
They need a clear strategy for their product.
It's a lot of work for us when we have an
independent company who releases 50 records a
year. It can be a small independent company
but it should have a good release structure,
meaning that the average units per release
should have a minimum.
Would an American who has created a buzz and
market be able to come over here? There has to
be some sort of a story behind it. If they're
a great singer with great songs but nothing
has happened in the US, then there's no story.
When we first listen to the music, our first
question is, what have they done in their home
territory. It's very difficult for us to break
an artist into our territory if they haven't
been successful in their territory. The
chances of a US artist who does not have a
story breaking into Europe is very limited.
How big a story? For a pop artist, they would
have to have some chart positions and it would
have to be more mainstream than college radio.
They would have to be available. A newcomer
would have to come over to Europe to live for
one or two months. We would have to work with
them. They would definitely have to be a live
artist. Also, they have to be able to touch
us. The emotional value is very important. We
would then spend more money on promotion and
marketing.
Is it impressive to you if an artist is
selling a lot of records on the internet? Very
much so. That's a very good argument to show
that they have interest in Europe. It really
shows if there is a good market for and
interest in the artist.
What's the best way to approach Edel? The
first step would be to email us. You can send
us a link to your website so that we can read
about the artist. Then you can send a package.
There has to be a story.
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Breaking into Europe isn't easy either. One
thing I love about these markets it there is a
greater emphasis on the music. Europeans are
more passionate music lovers. People go to
clubs to hear good live music, not just
because a friend is playing. If they like your
music, they'll support you. Every artist that
I've spoken to that's toured Europe is
thrilled with the experience. There are many
ways to put together a tour on your own. I
have a whole section on touring Europe in my
book, The Real Deal. There will be much more
in my next book.
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5. Minding Your Music Biz: Creative people
often aren't as organized as they could be.
I'm not. Or at least I tend not to be. That's
why I created a system for keeping track of
all my important numbers and other info. In
order to max your chances of making money, get
organized. Even if you're just getting started
with your music career, get into good habits
now! It is such a waste of time, and a source
of frustration, to try to find or remember
things as things pile up. I keep a little
spiral notebook nearby to use as a work diary.
Each day I put the date on the next free line.
Under it, I include ALL info from that day
that's relevant to my biz: contact info for
someone I speak to, who I left a message for,
who I mailed something to, resources I want to
check out, when I'm supposed to call someone
back, etc. I used to misplace business cards
and my notes on bits of paper. It's easy to
lose important info when you're crazy busy! I
put that info in other places too but it's a
relief knowing everything is in one place as
back-up. Find your own place to put all info
that's relevant to your career. It's nice to
be able to look through a notebook for a
promoter's phone number, instead of digging
though cards or papers.
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6. Ask Daylle: A reader asks, "Am I too
old to pursue my music?" People often me
that. Some are feeling like a geriatric case
in their twenties. The music industry can do
that to you. Record labels covet youth - the
younger the artist, the better. It's logical.
The younger you are, the more years of
potential for a career that will sell lots of
records. People in their thirties argue that
they look good. And they do, but to a major,
you're only X amount of years away from forty.
Younger people buy more music so that's who
labels cater too. That's the bad news. The
good news is that MANY artists are successful
at all ages. The key is proving your worth
first. If you get out and tour, sell tons of
CDs, develop a huge fanbase, and show that
you're marketable, no one can stop you at any
age. That's why I encourage artists to develop
their career first. It doesn't matter what
they say if you have THE GOODS and can attract
people to your music. Please don't let age
stop you. Even if it limits your ability to be
a rock star, if your music rocks you can still
make a good living at any age.
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7. Interview with Kim Frankiewicz , Universal
Music Publishing Group, UK: Many people break
into the European markets by getting a
publishing deal for their music first.
Publishing generates much more in royalties in
Europe than it does in the US. I was thrilled
to have some time with Kim Frankiewicz, Vice
President of International Universal Music
Publishing Group in the UK.
Why use a publisher? I think it's important,
especially in these times, because they can
help you earn money outside of just selling
records. For example they can help you get
into films or advertising to get you exposed.
They can help you get noticed by a record
company as well.
Why would an American artist need a UK
Publisher if they have a record selling in
Europe? To make sure your songs are registered
and protected, and to collect the money for
you. Basically if you don't have a publisher
you would have to go into every single
territory to get their songs registered.
Outside of America there are a lot of
countries in which you have to have your songs
protected. You have to get your songs
registered and copyrighted. You have to
collect the money. You can do it yourself but
you can hire people to do it for you.
Can an artist with songs get publishing before
a record deal? Yes, it happens all the time.
If they sign with an active publisher, the
person owning the company will work with them
and bring their music to a record company if
they want a record deal.
What should an American songwriter should
understand market in Europe? They should
understand that musically it's different. I
always suggest that American songwriters
collaborate with a European songwriter. The
other parties have something to offer each
other because there are differences in the
music.
What do you look for in a songwriter? The
obvious - talent. But I also look at the
personality of the person and the drive that
they have. These days it's tough, so if it's
not somebody out there working it themselves
with us, then I tend to think, I'd rather not
go with that person.
What your advice for getting into European
markets? Be aggressive. Approach A & R
people because if the music is good, someone's
going to want to hear it.
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8. Songwriting Contests: One potential form of
income is to enter songwriting contests. I
warn you to hone your craft well before
pursuing this avenue. There are usually entry
fees and there's no point wasting your money
if your songs don't cut it, no matter what
friends say. But if you've had your songs
critiqued by professionals and truly believe
that they're special, check out all the
contests and enter some. I know of many
songwriters who supplement their income with
what they win. One of the best songwriting
competitions is the 2004 USA Songwriting
Competition. It's currently accepting entries.
Winning songs receive radio airplay on a
syndicated radio show that goes out to 60
radio stations in US and Canada. USA
Songwriting Competition promotes the art and
excellence of songwriting. Past winners have
gone on to receive recording contracts and
their songs have been placed with major
artists as well as radio and TV. Win Grand
prize of US$50,000 of cash, music gear from
Roland, SONY, Ibanez, D'Addario, Steinberg and
more. Judges include A&R from SONY,
Warner, Universal, EMI and BMG. For more
information, go to http://www.songwriting.net
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Aristotle said, "Quality is not an act.
It is a habit." You can't fake talent for
long. As I said earlier about being organized,
if you really want to have a career for the
long haul, create good habits now. Set high
standards and live by them. If you value and
respect your music, you should want to create
a vibe around it that reflects that. The
sooner you develop good habits, the longer
they'll endure. Don't settle for just good
music or an adequate performance. If you keep
striving for better quality, your music will
keep improving and more doors will open.
Stay warm if you live in northern climates! If
you have anything to share, please send it.
Until the next issue.....
Keep your passion strong,
Daylle
© 2003 Revenge Productions
http://www.daylle.com
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