Thank you for your interest in this subject that is central to the professional operations of any business professional engaged in any aspect of "the arts". The series is ongoing but  you may catch up on what has been learned by reading the items below. If you are a manager, agent, or an artist with insight into running a viable business, we would love to have your insights and contributions. You can either send email to Rick@RARWRITER.com or complete our on line questionnaires as they are provided. The artist you save may be your own. - RAR

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Artist Management Series

Could DIY Mean the End of the Paternalism that Killed Michael Jackson?

Chris Daniels (pictured left) has been a frontline performer from Colorado for three decades and counting. With his band Chris Daniels & The Kings he has recorded a dozen albums, played with B.B. King, Uncle Cracker, Blues Traveler, The Neville Brothers, Delbert McClinton, Sister Hazel, Sheryl Crow, Robert Cray, Taj Mahal, Al Kooper, Bonnie Raitt, Ziggy Marley, The Fixx, and many others. His previous bands Magic Music and Spoons were also important in Colorado music history.

All of those years of performing and managing his own career have taught Chris a great deal about the music business, which he has parlayed into an assistant professorship at the University of Colorado, where he teaches Music Business classes. Among his acolytes in the classroom have been Colorado band The Fray.

In this edition, Chris Daniels adds important insights to RARWRITER.com's Artist Management Series. Click here to read his article on the new "Do It Yourself" ethos that exists among young music makers. Will their Internet savvy and hands-on approach to career planning change the way musicians do business? And what will it mean to the traditional artist management industry?

AM PROJECT NOTES:

This project began with the following letter, which was distributed to AM professionals around the U.S.

Hello,

As the Publisher of RARWRITER.com, I am writing to ask your input on a story I am developing regarding your profession of artist management.

My interest has to do with this current economy.

I am hoping that you might take a moment or two to talk about how the current economic “crisis” is affecting your business, and what you feel needs to happen for you to experience an improvement in your business affairs. Is there a certain type of promotion that is working? A certain type of artist? Are there insights being gained from living through this particular economic period?

I might be particularly interested in trends or seismic shifts that you are seeing in your markets.

In our business, which is to profile and publicize a wide variety of creative artists, we are committed to providing “service value” to our readers, many of whom are artists themselves or are people involved in creative services. RARWRITER.com serves as a conduit of information between industry professionals with the intent of assisting any party interested in plugging in to the network of contributors. I would really like to include your input to this current survey.

You can, of course, visit www.rarwriter.com and enjoy the information provided regardless of your participation in this current information gathering effort. I am certain that you will find it entertaining and informative, and will see the advantages in publicizing your artists through our ever-expanding site. We are always focused on the “up sides” of involvement in the creative fields, including music, literature and other fine arts. We are also committed to keeping good company, which to us equates to smart people with personal and individualistic visions for what their contributions can mean in a world that needs all the help it can get.

We are finding such folks throughout the world. I think you will find www.rarwriter.com to be a useful, possibly even valuable association, and I hope you will help me with this project. The input will be used in an upcoming edition of www.rarwriter.com.

Please send your responses to Rick@RARWRITER.com and let me know if you have questions or concerns.

Thanks!

Sincerely,

Rick Alan Rice (RAR)

Publisher

Benicia, CA

Office: 707-297-6628

www.rarwriter.com

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Artist Management Part I

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Jackie Greene's "Touring Economy"

Jackie Greene is a bright guy whose experience in and insights into the music industry are chronicled regularly in his MySpace blog at myspace.com/jackiegreene. He posted one recently that provides context for the Artist Management Series running on RARWRITER.com, speaking directly to tough times in the economy, and fundamental changes in the way we, as a society, exchange information and relate to one another in the commercial marketplace. See Jackie's thoughts below.

That wonderful photograph to the right, by the way, is the work of photographer Michael Wilson.

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"I see a merging of the social network phenomenon and the music industry. Many people have seen this for years. Being that I am generally too wrapped up in playing my stupid guitar, I don't catch on to things until a bit later. The future is in blogs (both fortunately and unfortunately). There was a time when I scoffed at blogs. I considered even (what are now) the most highly respected music blogs to be rubbish. They all seemed like some nerdy record collectors evening hobby.

"I stand here today to say that I was completely and utterly wrong. After all, it's the big music blogs and online entertainment sites that are putting Rolling Stone out of business. Not to mention newspapers and other forms of traditional media. (Who would have thought we'd have the term "Traditional Media"?) Newspapers are closing in staggering numbers. Who reads newspapers anymore? I didn't see one person on the plane with a newspaper. Isn't it much easier (not to mention environmentally friendly) to download the Wall Street Journal on your iPhone or Blackberry?

"The music industry I believe is suffering a similar fate. Distribution of product is completely becoming re-invented as we speak. That's the problem. How to get people to pay for something they can just get for free online. It's a towering problem with hundreds of unanswered questions. Do we fundamentally change the business? Does all recorded music become free and we jack up ticket prices for concerts? Do we refuse to make recordings until things settle down? Of course this is out of the question. Any real artist will make music regardless of weather it makes money or not. Even if no one hears it.

"Personally, I don't give a damn if people download my music and never pay for it. I guess it may hurt my feelings a little. But I don't pretend that anyone gives a shit about my friggin' feelings. No, it doesn't really matter. I don't earn a dime off of record sales anyways. Never really have. I suppose I would change my tune if my living was earned by record royalties. But as it stands, I am part of that new generation of artists that has to make a living on the road. The older, established artists are in a way beholden to the Giant Machine. (haha. GM) They need the radio, they need the big box stores, et cetera to make it all work out. Unfortunately for them, there's just not that much pie left to go around. I appreciate it as much as the next small band when someone plays my record on air, but the reality of it is that it doesn't necessarily mean record sales.

"When all of this seems so dire, I take a breath and I realize that I'm not really in it for the money. These days, if you're in the music business for the money, you'll be sorely disappointed. I still live in a one-bedroom apartment. I am unmarried and nearing 29 years old. I have a wonderful collection of vinyl records and books of all sizes. I couldn't be happier. There was a time when being a rock star was something special. A job that everyone knew paid extremely well and had lots of perks. These days, it's about the same as being an office clerk. With no guarantee of a salary."

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Stella's Notch with Cleveland Kid Productions

POSTSCRIPT: Jim Jenkins of Cleveland Kid Productions was helpful in discussing his artist management strategies in Part I of the Artist Management series. Here he follows up with information on another of his acts, including their special touring plans. "As additional follow up regarding Cleveland Kid Productions strategies for surviving in tough economic times. I would like to point to our Premier Group Stellas Notch. We understand the entertainment industry is fast evolving from a brick & mortar construct to a world wide market via the Internet. To that end Stellas Notch best exemplifies the new global artist musical group. We understand our clients have to be as relevant and dynamic in Beijing as they do in L.A. Stellas Notch is currently preparing for a Asian Tour in early 2010. Please check out their unique global fusion sound and image in their new video 'Evil Jill' which can be found on their web site (www.stellasnotch.com).

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How to Build a Cult-Like Following

By Jeff Wuorio

“Sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll” is the stereotypical catchphrase attached to some in the popular-music business.

But “sales, debits and revenue” is a more fitting working philosophy for many more such acts.

Many top names in music didn’t hit it big exclusively through artistic excellence. Some are top-of-the-charts business professionals, displaying insight and moxie that businesses of all sorts can emulate.

Want to hear Pink Floyd’s “Money” with motivation instead of guilt? Make your way close to the stage for five musical icons with standout business acumen.

BOB DYLAN

Even to non-fans, Bob Dylan’s legendary songs are unmistakable. But upon arriving in Greenwich Village in the 1960s, he was just another folk singer with stories to share.

Of course, it turned out he had much more going for him — exceptional composition and performance abilities, for example. But what also set him apart was a keen sense of social networking long before it became a buzzword.

As Sydney Finkelstein, a professor at Dartmouth’s Amos Tuck School of Business, writes in his book “Breakout Strategy,” Dylan was tireless in his efforts to meet, learn from and leverage connections with every artist within schmoozing distance. The legwork paid off with gigs at top folk music venues like the Gaslight Café and Gerde's Folk City, a glowing review in the New York Times and, eventually, a record deal.

JAY-Z

Some 40 million records sold might represent a sufficiently successful brand for any artist. But rapper Jay-Z has played off that prodigious output by diversifying in any number of directions — always with a fierce, hands-on focus on maintaining the singularity of his brand, be it attached to hotels or a chain of sports bars. As Jay-Z put it in a recent interview, “I’m not a businessman. I’m a business, man.”

That’s not mere vanity. It’s basic business sense — a balanced financial network designed to accommodate the ebb and flow of any one element in an overall business portfolio.

“Sometimes businesses become one-dimensional. If they start to fall
behind in one core area of their work, they lack the support beams to
continue their success and hedge against challenges in other areas,” says Kenneth C. Wisnefski, founder and CEO of Webimax.com, an Internet marketing company. “It’s an important lesson for entrepreneurs and business owners.”

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©Rick Alan Rice (RAR), May, 2013