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Hello to you all!
Spring has finally arrived in NYC! I hope that you're all taking advantage
of this time of renewal. I got a great response to the first issue of
Self-Empowerment Quarterly, my new newsletter for the body, mind &
spirit. Those of you who specifically subscribed will continue to receive
it. I won't automatically send this to you. If you'd like to subscribe,
please send me an email to subempowernews@daylle.com with you name and
city/state. If you'd like to read the first issue, go to
http://www.daylle.com/daylle/self01.html
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My trip to Norway in February to speak at By:Larm, Scandinavia's biggest
music conference, was an amazing experience. Stavanger isn't too far north
so it wasn't dark most of the day, as some people expected. Nor was it any
colder than NY. I spoke to an audience of mainly women about how many
women aren't advancing in the industry the way they should and how to
overcome the problems. I was surprised to see how far behind the US that
Europe is. Only 17% of the acts that showcased at the conference had a
female in it. There's only one woman in a top music business position in
Norway. A woman on the panel with me who has an exec position in the UK
said that at most meetings, the only other females in the room are
waitresses. The conference was an
eye-opener. I was interviewed for 4 articles in Norwegian papers so
I came home with some new press too!
My next book, I Don't need a Record Deal! Your Survival Guide for the
Indie Music Revolution, will be out in June. There will be a book release
party at the Hard Rock Cafe. I usually get in books sooner than the stores
do and am expecting them at the end of May. So, I'm taking pre-orders now.
The book will be mailed out to anyone who orders as soon as it comes in. I
don't have my website set up for taking credit cards on this book yet. But
if you want to send $24 in check or money order (made out to Daylle
Schwartz) with your name, address, and email address, I'll get the book to
you as soon as it's
in. Please specify if you want it autographed. Send it to:
Daylle Schwartz
PO Box 8016, FDR Station
New York, NY 10150
In this issue, I've got an interview with Kathy Peck, founder of Hearnet,
with great info about how to protect your hearing, and one with with
Canjoe John, an indie artist with an interesting skill that he's marketed
into a good career. I hope that you'll find the other resources in this
issue helpful too. Please feel free to write with suggestions and
questions that I can answer in future issues.
Revenge Productions
http://www.daylle.com
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1. Positive Revenge
2. Protecting Your Hearing: Interview with Kathy Peck of H.E.A.R.
3. Promoting Independent Music
4. Gigs on Tape
5. Interview with Canjoe John
6. Minding Your Music Biz: Your Written Material
7. Ask Daylle: Isn't a copyright split according to the contribution?
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1. Positive Revenge: Trying to get ahead in the music industry can put you
in situations that can create anger. Sometimes people don't keep their
word or they rip you off or they play you. The normal response is to try
to get even. But doing a dirty onto others will just bring it back to your
court. Don't get into the habit of feeling good because you've done
someone bad. When someone does something that you deem wrong, get even by
putting the energy behind your anger into doing something positive for
you. Success really is the sweetest revenge! If someone does me wrong or
puts down my work, I work harder to improve.
My company is called Revenge Productions for that reason. My students
offered to help me to get revenge against industry people who ripped me
off. Instead, I began my company, and then my record label, and my revenge
turned into an amazing career. When I began rapping, I asked a well-known
producer if I could include his name on my first record since he was in
the studio and informally helped with the mix. His name would have
increased my credibility. I'd done him favors but he said he didn't put
his name on
records made by "unknowns." Revenge Records succeeded without
him. Two years
later, his career was on a slow track when one of my acts got a major
deal. He approached me all smiling and asked to produce some tracks. I
sweetly explained we only worked with current producers. Sweet revenge!
What goes around really does come back to you! The producer had an
attitude when his career was riding high. But it came back to haunt him
later.
Learn to use your angry or hurt feelings to do something good for you.
Don't be afraid of being turned down by those you want acceptance from. If
you believe in yourself and your music, let whatever nasty someone does
motivate you more to be successful. Why waste the energy trying to punish
someone? Since we get back what we put out, the other person will
eventually get theirs. Meanwhile, you can make progress on a positive
track. Anger can destroy people. Walk away from it and elevate yourself
above what someone
does to you so you can have a better career.
I'm writing an article on positive revenge for a magazine. If you have a
story about using your anger to motivate you to do something positive, on
any level, please email me with a summary. Perhaps I'd be able to use it
in my piece. It doesn't have to be music related. It can be about
relationships - career, roommates, friends, your colleague, etc. -
anything that you wanted revenge for but chose the high road and ended up
with something good
instead. Please email me your stories. daylle@daylle.com Thanks!
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2. Protecting Your Hearing: Interview with Kathy Peck of H.E.A.R.: In
1988, Pete Townsand of the WHO shocked the music world when he announced
his hearing loss. He donated $10,000 and endorsed H.E.A.R.'s efforts to
get established as a pioneering nonprofit organization recognized around
the world. H.E.A.R. was founded by musician Kathy Peck and physician Flash
Gordon, M.D. after meeting at an excessively loud concert in San
Francisco. Kathy wants musicians to be aware of the hazards that music
creates to your hearing. Here's some facts that are important for you to
know if you don't
want to lose yours.
Can loud music and noise really hurt your ears? Yes, If it is loud enough
and lasts long enough, it can damage your hearing.
Can you "toughen up" your ears? No. If you think you have grown
used to a loud noise, it probably has damaged your ears, and there is no
treatment-no medicine, no surgery, not even a hearing aid that truly
corrects your hearing once it is damaged by noise. When noise is too loud,
it begins to kill the nerve's ending in the inner ear. As exposure
continues, more and more nerve endings are destroyed. There is no way to
restore life to dead nerve endings; the damage is permanent. The good news
is that it is preventable.
How much exposure to loud noise is required before permanent hearing
damage can occur? Many experts agree that continual exposure to more than
85 decibels may become dangerous. The longer you are exposed to a loud
noise, the more it may be. Also, the closer you are to the source of
intense noise, the more damaging it is. Recent studies show an alarming
increase in hearing loss in young people. Evidence suggests that loud
music along with increased use of portable radios with earphones may be
responsible for this phenomenon.
What can people do to slow the effects of hearing loss? Avoid
dancing next to speakers. Having a distance of at least 10 feet between
you and a speaker is extremely important. As your distance from the
speaker decreases, risk of damage increases exponentially. Less exposure
to loud music is much better. Taking breaks of 30 minutes or more in a
room where sound levels are less than 90 dB is extremely useful in
lowering risk of hearing loss. Exhaustion and high ambient temperature
increase the risk of hearing loss. Drinking adequate water helps protect
your ears from metabolic exhaustion that can
lead to damage. Overall physical health affects your risk of hearing loss.
Decreased blood flow to your muscles leaves you more at risk. Exercising
regularly improves your resilience. Short-term hearing loss, like what you
experience for a few hours after you get out of an event, is a risk factor
for long term hearing loss.
What is one thing that every musician should do? WEAR EARPLUGS!
Recommended
devices for protecting your hearing, CUSTOM MUSICIAN EARPLUGS (ER 9, ER15
or
ER 25) (around $150) offer the best protection. They are made from an
impression of your ear canal, and are very comfortable to wear. They
decrease all frequencies equally, so the music won't distort, and they
come with interchangeable filter offering 9 dB, 15 or 25 dB of reduction.
ER hi-fi EARPLUGS (ready fit) (around $20) reduces decibel levels the same
across the frequency levels. INDUSTRIAL FOAM EARPLUGS (cheap) decrease
sounds, making speech and music sound muffled.
Kathy warns that cotton and toilet paper are of no use in the protection
of your hearing. They're now saying that listening to music on an IPOD or
through headphones can be louder and can damage your hearing. Become
conscious of how loud you listen to music. Please make an effort to
protect your hearing now! Going deaf is no joke. Make earplugs part of
your regular gear for any time you play your music or go to a club to hear
it live. If
you suspect a hearing loss, consult an audiologist or ear doctor (called
an otolaryngologist or otologist) You can contact H.E.A.R. for a hearing
referral near you. http://www.hearnet.com
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3. Promoting Independent Music: In the fall I'll embark on a 3-month Indie
Music Road Trip across the country and back. I drive - by myself - to
major cities to promote independent music and educate artists and
musicians about all the opportunities there are to develop a career, with
or without a record deal. I don't tell people not to take a deal. But you
MUST develop your career first, so you're not desperate. When you already
have a career, you can walk away from a deal that doesn't give you more
than you're already giving yourself.
I leave NYC on Labor Day and return just before Thanksgiving. Will come
home
3 times for 4 days each during that period. I'll be speaking at colleges,
for organizations and doing appearances at bookstores. My city schedule is
below. If you have any suggestions in any of these markets, please let me
know. Before I leave I'll let you know the details of where I'll speak if
you want to come down.
Proposed Itinerary: Indie Music Book Tour
June - August - Bookstore events and talks throughout the NYC area.
September 6: Cleveland
September 7-12: Detroit, MI Grand Rapids, MI Fort Wayne, IN
September 13-15: Chicago
September 20-21: Milwaukee
September 22-23: Minneapolis
September 26: Billings, Montana
September 27: North Idaho
September 29-October 1: Seattle
October 3-4: Portland
October 6-8: Sacramento/San Francisco
October 10-11; 17-18: Los Angeles
October 20-21: Phoenix
October 24-29: Dallas, Austin and Houston
October 31; November 1-2: New Orleans
November 8-9: Atlanta
November 10-14: Nashville
November 15: Asheville, NC
November 17-19: Washington DC
November 20-21: Philadelphia
I'm currently speaking to people about being sponsors. If you know someone
who'd be an appropriate sponsor, please contact me. I'm SO EXCITED about
this tour. It will be a blast to meet so many people I know through email.
:) All suggestions are welcome.
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My completely rewritten and expanded edition of Start & Run Your Own
Record
Label is doing well. I am very proud of this book! I have definitely taken
it to a much higher level than the first. Ryan Kuper, founder of
Redemption Records, read the book as a wrote it. I asked him for a quote
at the end:
"Daylle Deanna Schwartz has conveniently packaged all you need to
know to
start your own record label in a very reader-friendly book. What took me
over ten years to learn the hard way, has been easily explained by Daylle.
If you are thinking about competing in the oftentimes treacherous world of
independent record labels, arm yourself with a book like this!"
I interviewed over 100 industry pros for the book. You've seen portions of
the interviews in my newsletter, including Danny Goldberg (Artemis
Records), Recording Artist El-P (Definitive Jux Records), Dave Roberge (Everfine
Records), Recording Artist Jonatha Brooke (Bad Dog Records), Tony Brummel
(Victory Records), Gregg Latterman (Aware Records) and many more labels. I
also interviewed the heads of the 5 top indie distributors (ADA, Navarre,
Caroline, Red, Koch), editors of top music magazines (including Billboard,
Alternative Press, Revolver, Music Connection, Performing Songwriter and
more), radio Mds, publicists, overseas distributors and MANY more.
To order a book directly from me (please specify if you want it
autographed), send a check or money order for $23 (book- $20; postage
& handling $3) payable to "Daylle Schwartz" to:
Revenge Productions
PO Box 8016, FDR Station
New York, NY 10150
You can purchase it by credit card on my site:
http://www.daylle.com/books.html
You can also order my new edition of The Real Deal: How to Get Signed to a
Record Label (Billboard Books), also for $23. This new edition includes 5
new chapters with concrete info on how to make money from songs, touring.
Here's a sample of what people are saying: Whatever changes are rocking
the music business today, artists still want to record their music and
reach their fans. Daylle Schwartz knows the "real deal" and
wants you to know it too. This book, a true update (not just a new
printing with "internet" thrown into a few pages), describes
good habits to learn and gives you the tools you need to make them work.
The author's writing is so contagious that you'll find yourself exuding
her own confidence and professionalism in no time. Learn about
e-communicating with your music community, the "preproduction"
of a record deal, and the thirty words or less rule. And in this edition
Daylle Schwartz may be starting to
outgrow the book's subtitle by adding tips on making money from your music
beyond a record deal.
--Catherine Moore, Director, Music Business
Program,
New York University
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4. Gigs on Tape: There are several reasons that I advise you to tape every
gig you can. You can learn things from listening back to live performances
that you may not notice while you perform. Listening to your live
performance can help you improve. When you have a good recording, burn it
onto CDRs and give them out to fans. Encourage them to burn copies for
their friends. It's an inexpensive way to get your music to potential new
fans. Artists tell me that if you get a major fan, she may pass the CD out
to everyone she knows and you may have a whole school that eventually
loves your music. For a lot of music, finding high schoolers can get you
lots of support.
Giving away live recordings won't cut sales of your CDs. Fans will want
those too. Performance CDs can attract people to your gigs. They give
people a good taste of your live energy. You can also have them available
for downloading on a special page on your website. If you say the names of
people in the audience during a gig, they'll want to pass the recording
around to friends even more. This is an inexpensive way of letting people
hear your music. Fans will come if it's good.
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5. Interview with Canjoe John: Canjoe built his career around his
canjoe, which is a unique one stringed musical instrument with one tuner
key, 10 frets and the string pulled through a 12 oz beverage can as the
resonator - a simple one stringed dulcimer. He began playing music at 8
years old and mastered the fiddle. In 1993 he moved to the mountains of
Tennessee, where he was given a canjoe by its creator, Herschel Brown.
Canjoe has played on many stages with many great artists such as Bill
Monroe, Little Roy Lewis,
Roni Stoneman. He recorded his first album, "One String, One Can, One
Man, and One Band..." in 2000 and has been playing at festivals and a
variety of other venues ever since. Canjoe says the greatest highlight of
his career so far was playing fiddle for John Steed and the Red River Band
to a live audience, broadcast worldwide to more than 180 million viewers
during the CCMA Awards show in 2002. Here are some of his insights.
What motivated you to do this independently? It is very hard to convince
anyone that good music can come from a stick with a string and a can. As
unique and novel my act is, I chose to prove to the world that success (in
any business) starts with the basics - hard work and perseverance - and
that the music business IS business. I did not want my business run by a
major corporation so I chose the sole proprietor route.
How did you begin to get your career going? I first practiced picking my
canjoe constantly (all waking hours) while learning skills of perfect
timing, rhythm, and technique before I ever made any public appearance and
by then I could pick virtually any tune in any key, any style, and nearly
any genre of music on one string. Early on, a local radio host heard me at
various jam sessions and he invited me for some interviews and when big
bluegrass talent came to town, I frequently got back stage passes to meet
the artists. Their natural curiosity upon seeing my canjoe would stimulate
instant onsite auditions and commonly, instant invitations to perform.
How did you get out of your home town to tour? Everywhere I went, people
wanted to hear me pick my canjoe and many wanted to purchase one for
themselves. I started manufacturing them and looking for large numbers of
people to sell them (or present them) to. The festival market looked like
the best opportunity so I started booking as a vendor but usually winding
up also as a performer. By the same reason that artists wanted me to play,
the promoters quickly recognized the entertainment value and would give me
"supper break" and cameo spots to fill in their down times
between major acts. Some of the major artists would also see and hear my
act and sometimes join me on stage or would invite me for future
opportunities at other festivals or shows.
How you got on the road and paid? The festival business frequently
involves a promoter who books acts and also books the craft/food vendors.
(Remember it's all about business). Many of these promoters would hear
about me or would meet me at other festivals and ask how to
"book" me for their festival. My policy became that I would have
to be booked as an artist and be paid to play and that my canjoe products
would be available wherever I play.
What have you learned from touring that other musicians can learn from?
It's a lot of very hard work that takes intense dedication and
perseverance in order to survive. Being independent means that there are
no first class buses with professional drivers and luxuries abounding.
Sleeping in a van, staying at campgrounds, or sometimes sleeping on the
ground in a tent at these festivals and waking up to cold showers followed
by 16 to 18 hours of constant intense public interaction, sometimes for
four straight days makes
for very exhausting experiences and still followed by more driving or
travel time to the next gig, or the return home. Those who want to
"make it" in this business have to learn what they are willing
to endure and to understand that living like Charlie Daniels or Garth
Brooks, or some other major idol is Fantasyland for most of us.
How do you keep yourself pumped mentally - to keep persevering? I am very
spiritual and believe that what I do is a gift from God and by His command
and His will I am led and follow. Each time I have reached a point of
giving up, my spirit is renewed by offers and situations that only He
could make happen and I am thrown head first back into the ring.
How has your website been beneficial? The web site is critical for
success. Everything I give to the public, every show I perform, every
thing I do is promoted from and to my web site. Instead of expensive promo
packages, most promoters just go to my web site for all the details and
media use my web site for news stories, photos, etc. You can't survive
this business without a well done, professional web site.
Do you go after press? YES, and yes again. The business of music requires
public awareness and major marketing in order to sell. Major labels have
major money to market with. The independent must get publicity in order to
survive. I send well written press releases out on a regular basis. I look
for every opportunity to get on the news, TV, radio, newspapers, magazines
and if I'm in a new town, I call the news rooms to try and get a story.
I've been very successful at this and consider the talent of getting major
free
press as much an art as performing major stages.
What should someone who wants to be independent be prepared to do on a
business level? Learn the business! It's not how great you can sing,
dance, perform or pick, it's how well you can sell, how much value you can
offer that makes money and business is making money. The music industry is
not a giant talent show, it's business...learn to negotiate, learn to
accept rejection, learn how to sell, learn what the business is looking
for and every detail of how it works, become a business person, not just
another act.
How do you feel about being independent and what would you advise others?
I remain independent because I want the control of my music, my business,
and my life. Everyone in this business who survives is unique, their music
is unique, their lifestyles are unique, their stories are unique, they are
cut from their own molds. Do not try to make it in this business trying to
copy someone else's works or styles, or lives. To succeed, start with a
whole new idea and make it work but make it your own.
Canjoe John turned the CanJoe Company (instrument) into an internationally
recognized business with sales in all 50 US states and several foreign
countries. He's sold over 10,000 since starting his business 10 years ago.
I've gotten to know Canjoe since he wrote to me after reading my book.
He's definitely unique and hard working as well. His spiritual core helps
him to keep marketing himself and his instrument. Visit
http://www.canjoe.com
and see for yourself what he does.
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6. Minding Your Music Biz - Your Written Material: No one purposely writes
crap in their press materials or on their website. But many
brochures and web sites are poorly written. That reflects you and your
music business. Not everyone has good spelling and grammar skills. I've
found the checks in Word programs aren't the best either. Get someone who
knows how to write well to look over all your written material. When I see
typos and spelling errors on a website, I find it unprofessional. Other
journalists say the same about finding mistakes in press material. Ask a
friend to read everything over.
Sometimes a fresh eye will spot things you didn't.
Also, keep everything simple. Don't use 3 words to describe something when
one will do. The shorter the written material, the more likely someone is
to read it. Be vigilant about how you present yourself. When you give
someone you're trying to impress something that's well-written, they'll
take you more seriously.
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7. Ask Daylle: Isn't a copyright split according to the contribution? No,
unless you have a separate written agreement spelling out the split. If
you add someone's name to the copyright form, that person is an equal
owner of the song, unless there's a separate written agreement stating the
percentage they own. I learned the hard way. Unable to play chords for my
songs, I let the producer or engineer sign the copyright for helping. Two
people signed for a small music contribution to my best song. Foolishly, I
assumed they
owned a small part of the music half. Wrong! Each owns as much as me. I
wrote the melody and lyrics, which is actually the song by law, yet I only
own one-third of the copyright! I'm listed as writing the lyrics and the
three of us are listed for the music. Yet it's split equally 3 ways
because I had nothing separate in writing. Any time you sign something
with someone else involved, talk to a lawyer first!
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Over the last few weeks I've made dozens of calls to colleges to put my
book tour together. I've never had to do it for me (only my artists). I
HATE doing it! I mean HATE it! Booking yourself is way different from
booking others. So every day I force myself to sit down and call - call -
call. As my allergies kicked in, I struggled to talk with a major stuffed
nose. In the past I'd have used it as an excuse to take a break. But I
couldn't -
wouldn't - didn't. I have a calendar with a different quote each day. When
I was in the depths of feeling lousy, I read one by Albert Camus -
"In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay
an invincible summer." I dug deep and found the invincible summer in
me, and continued making calls. We all have it in us to keep going.
Sometimes it takes some digging to get to that point. I've already booked
over 25 schools and will
continue to get more. This book tour means enough to me that I won't let
anything stop me. When your music means the world to you, nothing can stop
you either, if you choose to keep going.
Until the next issue.....
Keep your passion strong,
Daylle
© 2005 Revenge Productions
http://www.daylle.com |