Musicpress

The Heretic’s Comment: We ran across a great Forbes article by columnist  Zack O’Malley Greenburg discussing Mac Miller’s independent march to fame and fortune. If you want some motivation to keep you going in this brutal game called the Music Industry, take time out to read this excellent article. The article will take you about 10 minutes to complete. The link appears directly below.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2011/12/19/mac-miller-indie-music-savior-30-under-30/

Closing Comments:

Read this article!!! It will motivate you!!!

The thing I love about Mac is that he gets it. He understands that it is better to get a bigger slice of a smaller pie, than almost no slice at all from a huge pie. When you do the numbers, dollars wins over pennies. But what artists/musical groups/bands get caught up into thinking is that having the major label machine behind them will translate into them making more money. It sounds good, but in most cases it is not true. Now I grant you, if you are signed to a major label you may be able to charge a higher fee for your shows, but those days are rapidly coming to an end. Nowadays, you can’t draw people to a show just because you are an artist signed to a major label, instead people attending live shows are there because somehow they feel connected with that particular artist whether or not that artist is signed to a major label.

It boils down to your efforts to consistently connect your music to a fanbase that is loyal to you as opposed to being loyal to the record label you may happened to be signed to. We have a post called Rent-A-Fanbase versus Own-A-Fanbase that goes into this topic much deeper and we highly recommend you to read.

Find a way to get your music and products into your fans’ hearts and that will get you to the money. It is not easy….but it can happen…just read Mac Miller’s story!!!

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The Heretic™ © 2011 Cross Live Media All RIGHTS RESERVED For the MAKE YOUR OWN MONEY FROM YOUR PROJECT Movement……..

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The Official Release of the  “Before You Sign That” is coming soon. An indie artist inspired book Authored by The Heretic’s very own Leslie W. Cross Jr. and co-authored by platinum recording artist Paul Wall.  More details are coming soon if you are interesting in pre-ordering the book. We are very excited about this Project!!!! We also have other projects in the works that we will be sharing with you soon!!!

The Heretic’s Comment: We want to share a link below regarding a post we did back in 2009 discussing the importance of  maintaining your independence and ownership.

Let us know your thoughts/comments.

http://www.myspace.com/thecrossfirm/blog/511152598

Closing Comments:

OFF D GRID is a movement we are still pushing. It essentially means developing your own alternate musical universe which is not reliant on Conglomerate operated and controlled distribution/supply chains. It advocates that you create and fight an insurgency campaign to connect your music to a paying fan-base in spite of the Conglomerates’ propaganda campaign to brainwash you into believing that your only route to achieve significant success and exposure is to sell out to them!!!

If you enjoy The Heretic™ and the information we provide please sign up as a subscriber today! Thank You!!!

Let us know your thoughts and comments.

The Heretic™ © 2011 Cross Live Media All RIGHTS RESERVED For the MAKE YOUR OWN MONEY FROM YOUR PROJECT Movement……..

www.thecrossfirm.com

Follow us on Twitter @attorneycross

Join our Facebook Fanpage: Search for Music Business Heretic

The Official Release of the  “Before You Sign That” is coming soon. An indie artist inspired book Authored by The Heretic’s very own Leslie W. Cross Jr. and co-authored by platinum recording artist Paul Wall.  More details are coming soon if you are interesting in pre-ordering the book. We are very excited about this Project!!!! We also have other projects in the works that we will be sharing with you soon!!!

The Heretic’s Comment: The issue revolving around how recording artist should be paid from digital downloads continues to be fought out in court. In 2010 Eminem was able to win a lawsuit against Universal Music Group for how it was calculating the royalties payable to him for digital downloads (please search for our earlier post which discussed the Eminem lawsuit). And now a few weeks ago, a California Federal Judge gave initial approval for allowing a class action lawsuit to move forward against Universal Music for the same issue that was the basis of the Eminem lawsuit.

As a brief review, the essential issue that recording artists are hopping mad about revolves around Universal Music’s “fuzzy logic” in arguing that digital downloads operate as a sale and not as a licensing event.

Why does Universal Music want digital downloads to be classified as a sale and not a license, because their recording contract will allow them to pay the artist the standard artist rate (10 to 20 percent of retail) (in other words pennies on the dollar).

On the other hand, why do recording artist want digital downloads to be treated as a license, because recording contracts normally require that granting a license to a recording requires the Record Label and the artist to split the licensing fees 50/50.

So we are talking about a significant difference in the amount of money the artist can make per digital download sold based on whether the digital download is classified as a sale versus a license.

Please see the link below for further discussion of this very interesting topic. We will keep you posted on this developing issue.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/universal-music-lawsuit-rob-zombie-rick-james-256662

Closing Comments:

If you are already selling product independently and a record label offers to sign you to a recording agreement, look at the way the record label is attempting to calculate your payments for product sold. Remember, most artist who sign with major record labels never see one dime of artist royalties, so make sure that if you are able to sell enough units to pay for your recording fund that you have maximized the money you will make per unit sold.

Your best defense against the above, is to try and get the record label to pay you the biggest advance possible upfront. Unfortunately, however, advances are not what they use to be…but if you sign a recording agreement and don’t get any money up front, you are setting yourself up for the victim scenario!!!

Something to think about!!!!

If you enjoy The Heretic™ and the information we provide please sign up as a subscriber today! Thank You!!!

Let us know your thoughts and comments.

The Heretic™ © 2011 Cross Live Media All RIGHTS RESERVED For the MAKE YOUR OWN MONEY FROM YOUR PROJECT Movement……..

www.thecrossfirm.com

Follow us on Twitter @attorneycross

Join our Facebook Fanpage: Search for Music Business Heretic

The Official Release of the  “Before You Sign That” is coming soon. An indie artist inspired book Authored by The Heretic’s very own Leslie W. Cross Jr. and co-authored by platinum recording artist Paul Wall.  More details are coming soon if you are interesting in pre-ordering the book. We are very excited about this Project!!!! We also have other projects in the works that we will be sharing with you soon!!!

The Heretic’s Comments: One of the most frustrating things I deal with day in and day out are producers/songwriters/composers who have compiled tons and tons of original music content but just sit on it.

Why do I use the word frustrate, because many of these individuals are saving their music for one particular project or one particular artist or for the number one hit single they think is coming.

As a creative person myself, I understand that certain songs we compose are indeed very special and we place such songs in our special vault, but if you are wanting to turn your song library into cash-flow, you simply cannot afford to sit on your music (to essentially be for your own exclusive personal listening pleasure).

Music can only generate cashflow if it is used and heard by others.

With the above as our backdrop, I found an excellent article describing options and strategies on getting your music catalog included in various music libraries whose sole purpose is to find work for songs. Additionally, the article provides an excellent explanation for how to set up your own music libraries for licensing (cash-flowing) your catalog. The article is authored by Michael Borges who I read regularly through Linked In. The link appears directly below:

http://www.licensequote.com/blog/index.php/2011/08/how-experienced-music-creators-can-increase-their-sales-revenues/

Closing Comments:

Make the decision that if you are constantly investing the time to create original music content that your creativity has value. Despite the attack the creative music community is under from the freemium models being thrown at us, if you have quality content and have the courage to put a value to it….place it out in the product stream and let the marketplace work for you. Quality is the key determinant. You must have professional grade music in its structure, recording, mixing, mastering and delivery. Remember, you are not competing with local songwriters/producers you are familiar with….instead, you should see yourself competing against world class composers and songwriters. That being said…be you…not them….there is only one you and no one can be a better you…than YOU!!!!

If you enjoy The Heretic™ and the information we provide please sign up as a subscriber today! Thank You!!!

Let us know your thoughts and comments.

The Heretic™ © 2011 Cross Live Media All RIGHTS RESERVED For the MAKE YOUR OWN MONEY FROM YOUR PROJECT Movement……..

www.thecrossfirm.com

Follow us on Twitter @attorneycross

Join our Facebook Fanpage: Search for Music Business Heretic

The Official Release of the  “Before You Sign That” is coming soon. An indie artist inspired book Authored by The Heretic’s very own Leslie W. Cross Jr. and co-authored by platinum recording artist Paul Wall.  More details are coming soon if you are interesting in pre-ordering the book. We are very excited about this Project!!!! We also have other projects in the works that we will be sharing with you soon!!!

The Heretic’s Comment: Don’t count physical product out just yet. We found just the story we had been looking for  which indicates that a number of mom and pop retail stores are selling independent movies, games, books and music cds at a very brisk rate.

The story we found deals with sales taken place in the state of Maine, but we are hopeful that this trend will be proven to be applicable for other areas of the country as well. We have provided  a direct link to the story below.  The story will take you between 5 to 10 minutes to read.

http://www.kjonline.com/news/old-media-holding-its-own-this-holiday-season_2011-12-04.html

Closing Comments:

If you can afford to do physical product (and you have a fanbase that supports you), invest in physical product and don’t just limit yourself to digital.

Your profit margins are so much better going physical over digital and additionally you can be more creative with the packaging you offer…which will hopefully entice your fans to buy your product as gifts for others.

Its crunch time for the Holiday buying season…so if you have product…push it…push it…push it….

I know times are challenging, but this is the time of year that relationships you have developed consistently over the months leading up to the holidays can pay off.

On the other hand, if you are not having a successful holiday season selling your product this year, then come up with a game plan to introduce yourself to local retail business owners and service shops such as barber shops/ beauty shops/cleaners/convenience stores/medical offices.

Get to know the managers/owners/service providers. Find out if there is a way you can put your product in their stores on consignment. Let me emphasize, don’t limit yourself to music stores or stores that specialize in selling what you do.Expand well beyond that.

So you say to me…you crazy…I am not going to do that. Well my response to your reservation is to first make the owner or manager a Fan of what you do. If you are performing, make an effort to give free passes to local retail store owners. If you have new music, give a complimentary copy to the store owner and pitch them on the possibility of placing your product near the register or checkout if they truly like your music (or whatever you do).

It won’t be a hard sell for the store owner/manager, because hopefully their customers  will just naturally ask, what is going on with this music cd or dvd or book you are carrying. And a conversation can take place from there which will hopefully lead to a sell. Your sell!!! Anything can happen!!!

One Last Thought

Develop a thick skin and go beyond your fear of rejection. You have to be willing to do what others are too intimated to do in order to give your product a fighting chance of generating a profit. That being said, don’t be a pest. If they don’t like what you do, move on to the next until you are able to make the connection.

If you enjoy The Heretic™ and the information we provide please sign up as a subscriber today! Thank You!!!

Let us know your thoughts and comments.

The Heretic™ © 2011 Cross Live Media All RIGHTS RESERVED For the MAKE YOUR OWN MONEY FROM YOUR PROJECT Movement……..

www.thecrossfirm.com

Follow us on Twitter @attorneycross

Join our Facebook Fanpage: Search for Music Business Heretic

The Official Release of the  “Before You Sign That” is coming soon. An indie artist inspired book Authored by The Heretic’s very own Leslie W. Cross Jr. and co-authored by platinum recording artist Paul Wall.  More details are coming soon if you are interesting in pre-ordering the book. We are very excited about this Project!!!! We also have other projects in the works that we will be sharing with you soon!!!

The Heretic’s Comments: Steve Albini providing wisdom on how Recording Studios and Engineers can survive in the music game that has been turned upside down.  Let us know your thoughts!!!

If you enjoy The Heretic™ and the information we provide please sign up as a subscriber today! Thank You!!!

Let us know your thoughts and comments.

The Heretic™ © 2011 Cross Live Media All RIGHTS RESERVED For the MAKE YOUR OWN MONEY FROM YOUR PROJECT Movement……..

www.thecrossfirm.com

Follow us on Twitter @attorneycross

Join our Facebook Fanpage: Search for Music Business Heretic

The Official Release of the  “Before You Sign That” is coming soon. An indie artist inspired book Authored by The Heretic’s very own Leslie W. Cross Jr. and co-authored by platinum recording artist Paul Wall.  More details are coming soon if you are interesting in pre-ordering the book. We are very excited about this Project!!!! We also have other projects in the works that we will be sharing with you soon!!!

The Heretic’s Comments: Chris Payne at Billboard.com has written an informative post concerning 10 do’s and don’ts in using the blogging program Tumblr. We have provided a direct link to Chris’ article later in this post. Fortunately, more and more artists/songwriters/musical groups/bands are finally understanding and accepting the importance of blogging to help build connection points between their music and their fanbase. Tumblr is a great blogging vehicle, because the platform is easy to setup and you can literally began blogging and posting within minutes of opening a free account.

Closing Comments:

In looking at Blogging, we want you to keep the following in mind:

1) Once you start, don’t stop!! If you get fans following your blog, you can’t disconnect. Keep the content coming. I know that this is easier said than done, but it’s a fact of life if you are going to achieve a positive outcome from your blogging activities.

2) Develop a thick skin!! Know that when you start a blog, most people will ignore you. This can be quite discouraging, especially when you put your heart and soul into coming up with great and inventive content. Despite the lack of initial response, however, don’t quit. Keep plowing forward. People are looking at your content even if they are not commenting. Stay consistent!!!

3) Keywords!!! Began understanding how Keywords and tags can help get you higher rankings with search engines such as google, bing, etc. There is a wealth of information on this on the web. Just type in something like  “Understanding Keywords” to get yourself up to speed on this very important topic.

4) Create a Universe around your Music/Product!! If you are using your blog to develop a connection between your music/products and your fanbase, then make sure to create an inviting environment for readers to feel comfortable in getting to know more about you, your music and your products. This means that you don’t hard sell your readers. Instead, you provide them with informative insight and information about why you do what you do, what you have done in the past, what you are doing now, and what you plan to do in the future. In other words, focus on building relationships and not just customers (who will come and up). You have to develop a core fan base and the only way to accomplish this goal is to build relationships and building solid relationships takes an investment of time and effort on both sides of the equation.

A link to Chris’ article appears below. Let us know your thoughts.

http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/indies/musicians-on-tumblr-ten-dos-and-don-ts-from-1005541772.story

f you enjoy The Heretic™ and the information we provide please sign up as a subscriber today! Thank You!!!

Let us know your thoughts and comments.

The Heretic™ © 2011 Cross Live Media All RIGHTS RESERVED For the MAKE YOUR OWN MONEY FROM YOUR PROJECT Movement……..

www.thecrossfirm.com

Follow us on Twitter @attorneycross

Join our Facebook Fanpage: Search for Music Business Heretic

The Official Release of the  “Before You Sign That” is coming soon. An indie artist inspired book Authored by The Heretic’s very own Leslie W. Cross Jr. and co-authored by platinum recording artist Paul Wall.  More details are coming soon if you are interesting in pre-ordering the book. We are very excited about this Project!!!! We also have other projects in the works that we will be sharing with you soon!!!

The Heretic’s Comments: If you use LinkedIn, please consider joining our Occupy Music Industry LinkedIn Group which was started earlier during this week.

We know that for some it will take courage to support the Occupy Music Industry effort because many of you still see signing with major labels/distributors as your best opportunity to achieve national and/or international success of your music.

We respect your concerns of not wanting to ruffle the feathers of those controlling the music power structure, and many of you have told us such in your feedback, however, we want you to consider that what we are proposing is to make a fundamental change in how Record Labels muscle ownership over content and control artists like indentured slaves.

We know what we are attempting to do now is extremely difficult because we have already been fighting this fight for years to enlighten artists to the importance of maintaining ownership and control to their content and products, and it has been a uphill battle to change belief systems that success can be had outside the control of the major music system.

We really feel that with the occupy movements sweeping the country, right now at this moment presents a great opportunity to also push and advocate for the rights of men and women trying to make a living through their music.

We will keep you posted moving forward and our goal is to use the Occupy Music Industry LinkedIn Group as a gathering place  to share information and encouragement to further turn the tables on Conglomerate control over the music business.

The Heretic’s Comments: Earlier today the U.S. Senate fought back a bill (filed by Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson) which would have repealed the current Net Neutrality Rules.

Unfortunately a lot of individuals in the creative community are not even aware of the fight going on concerning whether the internet will remain free and open or a closed universe.

To quickly get you up to speed (in case you are unaware or don’t understand the issues), essentially the fight boils down to a number of telecommunications conglomerates including Verizon, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, AT&T (among others) who want the power to be able to dictate what internet services and content their customers can have access through their networks.

The simplest explanation I have heard in explaining this issue is to think about  how Cable Television works.  Now, we all know that unless you pay for the Comcast or Warner Cable (or whoever) cable service fees, that you can’t (legally) access the channels that are licensed to that particular cable system.

So to help generate cash flow, Cable Providers develop all sorts of different viewing packages;  there is basic cable, specialty packages and finally premium packages. Depending on how much you are willing to pay, will directly determine what cable or premium channels you will have access to view.

So the above description is roughly how the Conglomerates (mentioned earlier) want to control what internet services and content can be accessed through their networks plugging into the internet.

Now the current federal Net Neutrality Rules state that internet access is to remain free and open and that no telecommunication company can exercise unreasonable discrimation in providing access to internet based services or content.

Quite naturally, the Conglomerates mentioned earlier don’t like this rule and thus want the current law to be repealed.

So the essence of the fight is whether the internet will remain open and unrestricted or whether the internet will be a closed universe.

Closing Comments:

The creative community has to stop sleep walking and really become engaged in the fight not to have our voices silenced, muffled or hijacked. Stay up on this issue. Put pressure on politicians. Tell others you know in the creative community. Let’s not allow them to steal our best opportunity to fight the Conglomerates on a somewhat level playing field. Give us your thoughts.

If you enjoy The Heretic™ and the information we provide please sign up as a subscriber today! Thank You!!!

Let us know your thoughts and comments.

The Heretic™ © 2011 Cross Live Media All RIGHTS RESERVED For the MAKE YOUR OWN MONEY FROM YOUR PROJECT Movement……..

www.thecrossfirm.com

Follow us on Twitter @attorneycross

Join our Facebook Fanpage: Search for Music Business Heretic

The Official Release of the  “Before You Sign That” is coming soon. An indie artist inspired book Authored by The Heretic’s very own Leslie W. Cross Jr. and co-authored by platinum recording artist Paul Wall.  More details are coming soon if you are interesting in pre-ordering the book. We are very excited about this Project!!!! We also have other projects in the works that we will be sharing with you soon!!!

The Heretic’s Comment: I was reading a post today by Eric Mark of CNet discussing whether Music CD’s will be dead in 14 months. The article is a nice short read and we have provided a direct link below.

The question I want to pose, however, is whether CD’s can still be a money maker for independents. My vote is Yes!!

Just check it out, despite the fact that digital music sells continue to grow on an annual basis, Major Labels are still generating billions upon billions of dollars in CD sales. The thing to keep in mind is…and Major Labels know this…there is nothing like physically holding your music. I know that sounds strange, but it is true.

Just think about it…that’s why the LP cannot be killed off…because there remains a class of music consumers that still cherish the experience of purchasing a physical LP (which will quite naturally contain all of the Album Artwork and Liner Notes) and this consumer loves the experience of holding and looking at that album cover while enjoying the music. This experience is very difficult to duplicate on an electronic screen…though tablet computers somewhat give you the sensation because you can hold the tablet in your hand while listening to the music….but it is not the same as holding a LP.

The other thing about LP’s that has not been duplicated in the digital world (in my opinion) is the warmth you get from analog recordings. The music sounds warmer to me on an LP versus the more sterile sound coming from digital music formats. Again… my opinion.

Now, as we look at LPs versus CDs, because so few people have record players (though the numbers are growing), the CD gives us the next best experience of holding the music while you are listening to it….and this represents the life-line which will allow CDs to continue to survive.

So my argument is that the independent music community should not abandoned CD’s. If you have  7 or more songs that you really feel great about, make the effort to come up with some creative cover art and interesting liner notes and then manufacture CD’s of your project. You don’t have to press up 1000′s, but press enough that you can sell at shows or through consignments. You can also use them for special promotional campaigns with your Fans.

Don’t limit your musical product to the digital world only. You can still generate consistent cash-flow if you use CD’s as part of your product strategy. Let us know your thought.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57321531-1/will-music-cds-be-dead-in-14-months/

If you enjoy The Heretic™ and the information we provide please sign up as a subscriber today! Thank You!!!

Let us know your thoughts and comments.

The Heretic™ © 2011 Cross Live Media All RIGHTS RESERVED For the MAKE YOUR OWN MONEY FROM YOUR PROJECT Movement……..

www.thecrossfirm.com

Follow us on Twitter @attorneycross

Join our Facebook Fanpage: Search for Music Business Heretic

The Official Release of the  “Before You Sign That” is coming soon. An indie artist inspired book Authored by The Heretic’s very own Leslie W. Cross Jr. and co-authored by platinum recording artist Paul Wall.  More details are coming soon if you are interesting in pre-ordering the book. We are very excited about this Project!!!! We also have other projects in the works that we will be sharing with you soon!!!