MC101 Get Amplified Newsletter

Ty Cohen, the music industry's most recognizable voice, is the owner of a successful independent record label, a nation-wide music industry seminar speaker and panelist and author/creator of over 10 best-selling music business books, directories and software programs including the industry famous 101 Music Business Contracts software, The Industry Yellow Pages and The Ultimate "Music Industry" Power-Pack!

For nearly a decade, Platinum Millennium Publishing, parent company of www.MusicContracts101.com and Ty Cohen's Get Amplified! Newsletter, has helped over 27,000 independent musicians, singers, rappers, composers, record label owners, producers, managers, agents and others reach their music business goals. Using a unique combination of our very own tested and proven music business success resources, which includes a series of books, directories, software programs, videos, seminars and newsletters, our goal is to educate and empower musical individuals just like you with the tools needed to succeed!

This Week's Issue: This week we examine a new radio marketing show on line, whether you should pay for reviews, how to handle sampling and tips to use your press kit to book clubs. In Spotlight On we feature Jane, singer/songwriter.

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1. MARKETING RADIO SHOW

Bob Baker, author of the popular Guerilla Music Marketing Handbook, says this about his new radio show aimed at helping musicians with marketing: “The mission of Artist Empowerment Radio is to awaken within creative people the optimism and attitude that so often eludes them. Artists, writers and performers have a lot more power and control over their careers than they give themselves credit for. It may seem that much of the material here is geared toward musicians, since that is a specialty area of mine, but the principles apply to creative fields of all kinds -- art, writing, photography, acting, craft making, you name it. It's all about empowering artists to develop and share their talents, thereby enriching themselves and the world! Finally, since I'm a musician and music lover, I break up my spoken word advice with short samples of music from some of my favorite independent artists (with the occasional major label act thrown in), including my own indie band, Roomful of Jimmys. Be sure to check out these artists on CDbaby.com, Amazon and the artists' individual web sites.”

To give a listen go to http://www.live365.com/stations/310257 Sign up is required but listening privileges are free.

2. USING YOUR PRESS KIT FOR BOOKINGS

Your press kit is just that – a kit that goes to the press (or anyone in the media). But your press kit can also be used as a tool to book shows. Before you send it out to any club owners make sure that it’s recent. It’s expensive to re-print them, yes, but if you have an outdated press kit then it will show. What’s outdated? Listed band members who have left, the only reviews listed are over a year old, a change in your location, etc. Nothing says tacky like white out or a sticker over a phone number or address so clean those things up first.

It’s also recommended that you print an extra page to include in your kits to club managers. On this page you’ll list any testimonials from other club owners, ticket sales, radio stations or newspapers in their area that you have advertisements running or plan to run. The point is you’re unknown to a club owner so you have to sell your product –yourself – to them. If you can show them you’re serious about your craft they will be more likely to book you for a show.

3. PAID REVIEWS

For a small fee, some sites might offer to review your music. Sometimes the fee isn’t small at all. If you have no prospects of reviews you might think maybe you should fork over a few bucks to have your music reviewed. At least you’ll get something from someone in the industry, right?

The sad truth is ‘pay reviews’ aren’t taken seriously. And in the end it might do more damage than good because it shows you can’t get reviewed elsewhere. People in the business know legitimate magazines opposed to pay for review services. Print always holds more clout than web sites. But if you haven’t been given a newspaper or print magazine review and the web is all you have then use it. As for shelling out your hard earned cash to have someone write something nice about you…it sounds great (and easier) in theory but the reward just isn’t there in the end. So save your money or use it instead for postage or long distance to contact real reviewers where their words actually make a difference for you. 117 Ways To Market, Promote And Sell Your Music Online at http://www.musiccontracts101.com/docs/products/007/index.html

4. BUT IT'S JUST A SAMPLE

Sampling is when you use a portion of a prior recording in a new composition. A large majority of the rap market uses sampling but in recent times acts like Pop’s Jessica Simpson have sampled songs that came before. Now perhaps you’re thinking, “It’s only a few seconds so they can’t ‘get me’. It’s fair use.” Well, guess again.

As Entertainment Attorney Danica Mathes points out, “License fees for sampling vary greatly and depends on how much of the sample you intend to use, the music you intend to sample, and the intended use of the sample in your song. Licenses can be granted for free, for a percentage of the mechanical royalties (i.e., a couple cents for each record pressed), or for a flat fee. As there are no statutory rates for samples, the copyright owner can charge whatever he wants and does not have to let you use his work at all.”

If you sample without getting permission you could be looking at damages from $500-$100,000 per infringement not including court costs. To make matters worse the court can order that all the outstanding albums have to be destroyed according to Mathes.

And as Mathes points out, “Do not rely on the “fair use” doctrine or the myth that you can use a certain number of seconds of someone’s song without penalty. Get permission.” That means don't be like Vanilla Ice when he lifted Queen and David Bowie’s ‘Under Pressure’ song for his ‘Ice, Ice Baby’ tune. You, like him, might live to regret it when all it takes is a phone call.

5. SPOTLIGHT ON…JANE

Up until 2002, Jane was a very 'ordinary housewife and mother of three' who just happened to write great songs. She'd given up on any musical dreams for over a decade whilst she raised a family. But in 2002, Jane discovered she had a fan base on the internet - so she took out a bank loan to pay for some studio time, dusted down her guitar and recorded an album of songs she'd written over the last ten years. This album was CLOSE UP AND REAL, which has now received staggeringly good reviews and sold over 2000 copies. Jane recently told us a bit about her life in, and out, of music over the last 20 years.

When did you realize you wanted to be a musician? ** I have always sung since I was really young. I remember being at pre school (so about 4 years old) and the class were asked to create a picture of what we wanted to be when we grew up. Amongst the other kids macaroni flight attendants and tin foil soccer players was my tinsel Donny Osmond! I just only ever wanted to sing.

What groups or artist had a major impact on your music style? ** What a hard question. My first musical loves were The Osmonds! Then I was hugely influenced from the age of about eleven by Queen, Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons Project, Led Zeppelin, Blondie, Elvis Costello and Ian Dury and the Blockheads. I loved all the STIFF label brigade. Later I fell in love with songwriters like Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, James Taylor, Janis Ian, Carly Simon, Stevie Wonder, Bonnie Raitt, and bands like Crosby Stills, Nash and Young, America, The Eagles, Bread, Beach Boys and Steely Dan. More recently I've got into Anastacia (wow what a voice) Norah Jones, Jonatha Brooke and Damien Rice. Harmony and interesting backing vocals always press my buttons and for that reason I also adore gospel choirs. There are also a lot of unsigned, independent artists who are BRILLIANT such as Phil Burdett (www.philburdett.com), Annica (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/annica) and young, gifted, composer Josh Winiberg (www.joshwiniberg.com)

What's the most outrageous thing you've seen on tour? ** I've never done a big tour but I have witnessed plenty of real life Spinal Tap moments ... though I've never had a cucumber down my trousers I hasten to add!

What do you love and hate about the industry? ** The answer to this is potentially a thesis but the short response is that I HATE the way finances dictate trend and keep out real talent whilst perpetually churning out a mind numbing conveyor belt of lyrically weak and musically insubstantial dross. I'd say that 80% of current releases cater for the lowest intellectual common denominator. The plus side is that there's an abundance of talent and creativity within the broader spectrum of the music business and websites like www.cdbaby.com and www.cdwow.com/unsigned are pioneering in that they're introducing a whole new brand of underground artists to mainstream attention. But what I really love most about the industry are other musicians!

What do you feel is your greatest strength musical and why? ** Songwriting, without doubt. All I've ever wanted to do is write for other people. I only sang on these albums cos I couldn't find another bugger to do it for me!

If you had to classify yourself in a genre, what would you say you play? Have you been compared to any other artists? ** Most recently comparisons have been made with Dido, Norah Jones and Katie Mellua but previously reviewers have likened my material to Tori Amos, Sheryl Crow and Aimee Mann.

Hamburgers or Hot Dogs or Tofu? Which is best and why? ** Tofu in theory - hamburgers in reality!

And the standard question every wonders…Your favorite color
and number? ** Blue and 4!

You can check out more about Jane at http://www.janemusic.info

6. Contact Info

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