Is Your CD Radio Ready?
by Larry Weir
As an indie record promoter I spend a great deal of time every week listening to the new releases. Most of the majors send me their product, from Arista (which I consider the best in radio service) and Hollywood Records to the BMG/RCA group. We also receive a lot of small label material as well, ranging from Alternative to Top 40, College to Adult Contemporary. The problem I have with a lot of the newer labels or the ones that are "out of the garage" is that some mistakes being made should have been fixed well before the project went to the pressing plant. We are always happy to go through every track on a CD, sometimes giving it the one-minute listen (as most radio people do) to get a general overview of what the project is about. In many cases we find the tracks that would be considered the most radio friendly are set toward the latter part of the CD. I don't know if this is done for a certain reason or if it is just the group or artist's desired sequence of the album.
If you want to save money, time and spare additional energy, here are a few things that you should consider. If you are going to do a run of 1,000 Cds for pressing, why not consider making that one CD work for you in several directions? Track 1 should be your most radio friendly cut. I say this because if you want to go for a single release later on, it is very easy to note on the CD that the first track is the "single radio edit." This saves you the cost of having to press an additional 1,000 CDs to release a single. This way you accomplish both on the same configuration. Some new labels are starting to do this and it makes sense. In finding that "radio friendly" single you can set up your own focus group of 25 people and get a general agreement as to which track seems to come up the most. You can also go a step further and get someone at the local radio station to be involved in the choosing of the single track. That might end up being a smart political move down the line as well.
If the friendliest radio cut is a long cut then you should consider doing an edit before pressing. Try to keep that single track between 3:30 and 4:35 in length. It may be as simple as fading the track or removing a double chorus. If there is a long guitar solo you may think about cutting it in half or removing it altogether (a lot of my radio guys would rather have it out).
Publishing and composer information are also very important to have on the CD if you want to get paid. Both BMI and ASCAP make it very easy to join and will help you get set up by phone. I still get a lot of CDs that do not have any of that information. That makes it difficult for a music director who wants to properly log the material for payment. You will receive money from these societies the minute your CD hits the airwaves but they've got to know what publisher and composer to write the check to.
Listing the correct running time of the songs, especially the single track, is very important. It is also very helpful to the music and program directors and we want to keep them as happy as possible. We worked a record by John Wetton (Asia) a few years back and I realized that there was no time on the CD. It turned out that the cut was well over six minutes long and the label was trying to avoid that subject altogether. When we found out we had a fit and forced the label into delivering an edited version of the single. That was instrumental in having a Top 20 AC record with that track. You can't try to pull anything off on these radio folks; they've seen and heard it all.
The producer of the record should be listed and we seem to be seeing less and less of that. Some of this information may be of interest to the music director. I believe that even the mixer and engineer should be listed as well. The time for all this planning is before you go to pressing the CD. If you have a real strong track that is up towards the front of the CD, you can have a 2"x4" sticker that says "Includes The Single" Track #4. This is put on the front of the CD and lets radio know about what the plan is going to be as far as promotion is concerned. Some of these things can make a difference in the overall plan for breaking a new hit CD.
Larry Weir is a Composer, Producer, Record Promoter, Writer & Publisher. Larry is behind Heartland Entertainment which comprises National Record Promotion, New Music Weekly, Production & Management and Film & TV Music.
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How to Succeed in the Music Business
by Hal B. Selzer
When musicians think of success in the music business, they almost always think in terms of major label deals, major city radio play, U.S. tours, and the like. But there is a vast, untapped market out there, just waiting to be exploited if you know how to do it.
I recorded with a band for Epic Records in the early 1990s. But due to lead singer problems (doesn't everybody have them?), producer problems, and finally the exit from the label of the A&R executive who signed us, our album never came out. Not really an unusual story, in fact, it's a very typical music business nightmare. But with a little persistence, the story has a happier ending. We had persistence, and got the recordings to everyone we could. Lo and behold, I got a call in the winter of 1996 from a label based in the United Kingdom, inquiring about putting out our album.
After getting the proper permission from all the members, and working out a financial arrangement with the label, the album was released in Europe, and subsequently licensed to Japan. I was kept quite busy with interviews for some of the leading UK and Japanese magazines, and we even received quite a bit of fan mail from around the world. We are now completing work on our second album for the overseas market, and the old cliché, "We're big in Japan," actually seems to fit.
No matter what kind of music you do, if it's good, quality material, and recorded well, you can find a market somewhere. How do you find out about these overseas labels? It takes a little hard work. There are several ways to research these labels, starting with the International Music Directory, published annually by Billboard.
Since many of these labels are small, and very specialized as to the type of music they put out, it is a good idea to go to the nearest music store that carries import CDs. (There are many good ones throughout the New York area.) Look through the CDs, and note the labels. You can usually find the addresses on the packaging also.
Another good source of information is the foreign magazines, which you can usually find in the stores that carry import music. In Japan, magazines such as Burrn! and Music Life have a myriad of advertisements from labels, as do Kerrang and Mojo in Europe.
Because these labels do tend to limit themselves to one type of music, look for artists that you would be compatible with, and concentrate your mailings to those labels. These labels are usually happy to receive submissions, since they are specialized and can't compete for major artists. Many of these "boutique" labels have followings themselves, with fans of the label buying everything the label puts out, knowing it will appeal to their particular taste in music. Even if what you do is not commercially viable in the United States at the moment, there's probably an outlet in other countries. Keep in mind that in Japan, a major music market, grunge bands are hardly noticed. The biggest bands there are still more '80s-oriented groups, such as Mr. Big and Bon Jovi. And electronic music is the prime sound on the airways in France and Spain. So whatever you do, it's likely you can find a market.
Some artists are very leery about overseas deals because of the problem of tracking sales. It's a legitimate concern, and most artists who record primarily for overseas markets try to get as big an advance as possible, working under the assumption that no more royalties will be forthcoming, barring a major hit. You have to view your overseas deal as a way to get your music out, and as a possible springboard to bigger things, as opposed to being a major money maker initially. Because there is no accurate way to track sales overseas, without spending major amounts on attorneys and representatives, there is a good chance that you won't get everything you deserve. But you have to accept that as part of the price you pay for your opportunity to have a release. As a new, unknown artist, you won't have any clout until you prove your sales worthiness.
All in all, it's still a great opportunity, and there are many stories of bands who first had hits overseas, and then finally caught on in the U.S. So don't give up if you have no success with labels here; simply look elsewhere. You never know ... it could be you saying, "We're big in Japan!"
Hal B. Selzer is a former major label recording artist, and has played with superstars such as Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi. He is also involved with several independent record labels. He is published in the East Coast Rocker and Powerplay.
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So You Hate Your Bandmates
by Andy Karp
Today, we are going to cover that strange, curious condition that afflicts most bands eventually. The formal medical term is "insecurity-induced musical estrangement syndrome," more commonly known as "I hate my %$#% [choose instrument player] and I'm going to beat his dumb ass disorder." How do you get along with people that drive you crazy? It's hard, but I have some ideas.
Let me get this straight. One guy in your band shows up for gigs drunk. Another has developed a coke problem and, as a result, can't afford to pay his share of studio costs for your new CD. The other guy is always fighting viciously with his girlfriend and it negatively affects the band. The last guy acts like a spoiled 5-year-old, constantly complaining and implying that without him you'd be nothing. You just can't stand him. You, on the other hand, are perfectly normal and rational and can't understand why fate has determined that you must play in a band with these boneheads. Yet, when you play together, there's this THING that happens, this magic that has never been present in any other musical situation you've been involved in. Does any of this sound familiar? It certainly mirrors some of the band experiences I've had over the years. Egos, drugs, dysfunctional relationships and plain old musical disagreements often get in the way of bands functioning at 100 percent and reaching their full potential. If your band is suffering through these kinds of problems, there are a few things you can do to try and improve your relationship with one another.
No one ever said that being in a band is easy. It is really like a family, complete with all its positive and negatives. The key, though, is to remember that you don't have to love one another; you just have to get along. Rock and roll history is rife with examples of incredible bands who constantly fought with one another and are still here to talk about it. The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, The Kinks, Guns N' Roses, the Black Crowes, Megadeth and Black Sabbath are but a few.
The first step is to locate the problem. Sometimes it can be simple: the guitarist has a drinking problem. Other times, especially when it is primarily a clash of egos, it is much more complicated. Still, you obviously cannot fix the problem until you know what its origins are. You have to do some work to figure out why people behave the way they do. That may require more than just a prima facie understanding of human psychology and behavior. If necessary, read a psychology book or talk to a counselor. Do whatever it takes to get a grip on what the real root cause of the problem is.
The next step is trying to fix it. Don't ever presume that just because you were the person who recognized the existence of a problem, you may not be partially to blame for it. Even if you are the "rational and responsible" guy in the band, you may have unwittingly contributed to the genesis of this problem. As with most disagreements, there's your side, my side, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle. There are two critical components to working through any personal disagreement. The first is communication and the second is respect. Talking through a complicated issue is very difficult. The only way for it to work is for both sides to be willing to discuss their concerns rationally. Both parties must do everything possible to avoid getting emotional and upset or to take things personally. In theory, at least, it is in everybody's interest for people to get along. Don't push people's emotional triggers simply to upset them, as that ultimately benefits no one. Do everything you can to respect your bandmates and their position, even if you disagree with them. If people believe that you are trying to invalidate their opinions, chances are that they will respond by becoming defensive and you will accomplish nothing. Remember, your goal here is to find common ground and for all sides to be conciliatory. If your discussion degenerates into a screaming, insult-laden argument—or worse, a fistfight—you may be searching for new members in the morning (and getting some stitches tonight). If necessary, find a neutral third party to help you talk through your problems. Perhaps a counselor or your A&R person or manager can help.
Once you work through the major issues, the focus must be shifted onto relationship maintenance. This means revisiting issues as they crop up and also being willing to take on new problems early, before they grow bigger. All involved must be willing to have respectful, nonjudgmental band meetings frequently to work on that old cliche of "building bridges." If you respect each other and, maybe more importantly, respect what you each bring to the band, you will do what is necessary to ensure domestic tranquility.
Andy Karp was Vice President of A&R at Lava/Atlantic in New York for many years. his signings included Kid Rock (10 million copies sold in the US of his first Lava release "Devil Without A Cause" in 1998, Uncle Kracker (US Double Platinum Debut in 2001) and Simple Plan.
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A&R Interest equals Band Promotion, Music Promotion, A Band Manager, and great Music
A well known, educated band manager will tell you exactly how the industry works – good or bad. A&R Executives at record labels will tell you that band promotion is essential for a musician to have a chance to succeed in the industry (A&R meaning Artist and Repertoire – a person who scouts talent at record labels). Industry contacts are vital as band members everywhere will agree. Whether you’re a garage band whose act is starting to come together, or the hot new band performing at the hot new club, you are always in need of great music promotion, recognition, making the right contacts and setting up showcases. It is the band manager’s job to direct the attention on the musician from the industry side of things. A&R Executives, music promotion and overall band promotion is vital even if you are a superstar.
If your band is ready to perform live in front of top music industry professionals, A&R Executives are still capable of making decisions to sign your act, contrary to what many believe.
In addition, there are currently numerous companies who will tell you that they will promote your group and a few who actually can. As a musician, you should want the music promotion aspect of your career to be dedicated to offering you a complete marketing package with significant A&R reach.
As usual, many profess to deliver but few actually do. So how do you go about finding the right music representation for your group? Which music promotion company can actually put you in front of major music executives who can help you jumpstart your career? Which company will actually focus on your band promotion and at the same time have the A&R contacts you need? What are the avenues to being heard on the radio these days? Is there a way to fast track getting a record deal with a major label? OK, can we get a deal with some label? Who can help you or your group answer these important questions which might turn your gig into a career?
The answer to that question is the purpose of this article. Here is what you need to do. Follow the five easy steps below and you will be able to identify the very best band promotion or music promotion company available for your group.
First – Simply go to the internet and put together a list of music promoters and get a look at their websites. Go to Google and type in music promotion or music promotion companies or A&R. Look at their claims, and then pick a dozen or more companies.
Second – Now go back to Google and type in several more descriptive phrases that describe what you are looking for in more detail. Type things like best connected music promoters or the musician's ultimate promotional solution; now include some of these websites in your research list also.
Third – Look up the owners of these sites and try to examine their A&R connections within the music industry. The ones with the best and/or most connections will be the ones you really want to have representing you. The information you will find available on the internet is immense!
Fourth – Work backwards from people you know are well connected in the business to the music promoters they talk about/or recommend.
Fifth – Talk to other bands and musicians and find out who they recommend.
Finally, talk to not just one but several companies before you pick the company for you. If you are happy with their help hire them. Get strong commitments from who ever you work with and confront them quickly if they appear not to be putting out a major effort on your behalf. If there is not much happening, communicate with them and ask why. Communication is vital in this industry.
EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW…
The Mysterious World of A&R
Written By Andrew Karp
Whenever I appear at music conference panels, the million dollar question is obvious and often repeated: "How can we get record deals?" Sometimes someone even adds a touch of frustrated hostility and says "Everything I hear on the radio sucks...MY band RULES! Why won't you sign ME?"
That is a difficult situation to talk your way out of without supporting the unfortunate perception of music A&R person-as-arrogant-weasel. While I completely empathize with their plight (I am a life long musician myself), my answer is simply that that is the wrong question to ask. I hope that after reading a few of these columns, you will understand why I feel as I do.
A&R stands for "Artists & Repertoire." We are the people charged with the task of finding and nurturing talent, making the records and championing our artists inside our respective companies. A great music A&R person is a band's best friend while a poor one can be your worst nightmare. In the coming articles, I'm going to answer questions about the music A&R process, making and breaking records, record deals, music promotions, offer tips to improve your bands status and skills and hopefully also debunk some of the fallacies surrounding the music industry and the mysterious world of music A&R. Please keep in mind that while many of the things discussed in this column will be universal in scope, my perspective is that of a major label representative. When I refer to "labels" or "record companies," I generally mean major labels and not necessarily independents. Also, the opinions in this article are mine and mine alone. Feel free to ignore them.
It is possible that the following information may seem obvious to you. However, I'm confident that the majority of bands out there simply do not maximize their opportunities. I will tell you that I wish I knew what I know now back when I was trying to make a living as a musician. With that in mind, I present to you:
THE 12 COMMANDMENTS FOR YOUNG BANDS
#1 – USE YOUR HEAD
It's amazing how far a little common sense will get you in this business. There is more information available to young bands than ever before. There are books readily available at any large retailer that will instruct you in everything from making a great demo to releasing your own record and avoiding getting screwed in contracts. There are even some texts that have complete sample contracts available for your perusal. The Internet is obviously another great source...just be careful to avoid getting roped in by the considerable amount of dis-information available there. Here are a few quick ideas that you might not have thought of:
Bar Code Your CDs: Universal Product Codes, or UPC codes are the strange-looking bars on the back of all consumer products. Any CD pressing plant should be able to provide you with these codes for your releases. If your CD manufacturer cannot provide a code for you, you can contact the Uniform Code Council directly (www.gs1us.org)There are several benefits to coding your CDs. Firstly, it will make it easier for you to get chain record stores to carry your CDs. Secondly, it will make it possible for Soundscan to register all of your CD sales and tally them. Soundscan is a company that measures real unit sales of all records. They have computer systems in the majority of record stores across the country that track real sales by registering UPC codes at the point of purchase. All major labels and many independent labels use Soundscan to look for bands that are selling regionally. If you are selling CDs in your hometown, there's a good chance we will know about it.
Soundscan your live shows: You can register CDs sold at live shows with Soundscan as well. Many bands who tour constantly sell many more CDs at shows than they do in stores. This entails registering with Soundscan, and filling out a form after each show that must be co-signed by the venue manager to verify sales.
Accept credit card purchases at your gigs: Bands that have established large touring bases before they were signed also do considerable merchandise sales. This can equal a LOT of money. Consider talking to the bank with whom you have your band bank account (you do have a band bank account, right?) about accepting Visa/MasterCard/AMEX/Discover charges at your gigs. Think about it this way...lots of people go to see bands with a credit cards and $30.00 for beer. If they like you, they might buy a CD for $10.00 and spend the rest on drinks. If you accept credit cards, they might just buy a CD, plus a T-shirt and a Baseball cap. Especially if they're drunk.
Always put your best songs first: I know your CD is a work of art. I know that you think that every song on there is your "Stairway To Heaven" and they might in fact be...but get over it. Pragmatically, find the songs that generate the greatest response at your shows and put them at the front of your CD. Most people, be it music A&R people or consumers checking out your tunes on iTunes, will listen to two or three songs through the chorus or the 30 second sampler available online. If it doesn't grab them, it's on to the next CD. If your best song is on track #7, there's a good chance that your listener will never get to hear it.
Put your telephone number everywhere on your press kit and especially on the CD itself: Think about this nightmare for a young band: An A&R person finds a CD from a completely unknown band sitting in a box of demos. After listening to it, the music A&R person determines that there are two or three hit on the tape and wants to sign them immediately. Unfortunately the CD got separated from its case and no one knows where to find the band. Oh well...
#2 – ONLY WORK WITH PEOPLE YOU TRUST
Your decisions about your support team are probably the most important ones you will make because they will encompass almost all of the different areas of your career. This team includes you music A&R representative, record company, manager, booking agent, business manager and publisher. You will be working extremely closely with most of these people; if you are not truly confident that they are working for your best interests, you obviously will not consider their advice, and that is certainly self-defeating. These are the people who will be handling all aspects of your music promotions and record deals so you better feel confident in their abilities!
#3 – DON'T TRUST ANYBODY
Choose your associations very carefully. Bad record deals or management deals are infinitely worse than no deal at all. These types of record deals or management deals are normally very complicated to negotiate and even more complicated to undo. Bad management or record deals can keep an artist living in the poor house even if they're commercially successful. There are countless stories of artists who signed bad record deals or management agreements early in their careers finding themselves mired in lawsuits for years in an attempt to undo their mistakes. Any artist who takes the position of "I just want to play, man" is asking to be taken advantage of. As the artist, you bear the ultimate responsibility for your own well being. In a perfect world, shifty managers, lawyers and labels wouldn't screw artists who want nothing more than to create and pursue their dreams. Hit records generate millions of dollars in publishing, record royalties, performance royalties, touring, merchandising and there will be lots of people who want their share, whether they deserve it or not. If you are considering a manager, ask who his other clients are and talk to them. Look at the A&R credits on records to see if the person who is trying to take you to an expensive dinner really signed the artists he/she says they have. Talk to other bands. Talk to local talent buyers. The research is your responsibility. There are plenty of people in this business and plenty of dense, lazy weasels. Your music A&R people, managers, & lawyers will all likely get to work with other bands. You have only one career. If you want to find the good ones, do the work.
#4 – IT'S CALLED THE "MUSIC BUSINESS" FOR A REASON
Record companies are big corporations that need to make money. They're not benevolent philanthropic organizations dedicated to propagating great art and music talent. Believe me, this is as frustrating to the people on the inside as I'm sure it is to you. Labels, much like radio, are going through a period of streamlining and consolidation. The business is more corporate than at any other time in its history. Labels now operate on quarterly budget systems, which have increased the pressure dramatically to break hit records. This also sometimes even results in labels releasing records before they are set up properly, to try to push the billing into a particular quarter. At the same time, the consolidation of radio has resulted in tighter playlists, more research driven stations and has stunted major labels' ability to break records solely through radio. This has filtered into the music A&R process by making it less beneficial for major labels to develop bands over the course of several records. MTV is now programmed like a standard television network. Their focus has shifted to non-musical, half-hour programming designed to benefit their advertisers and away from four-minute music videos (people tend to change the channel when a video they don't like comes on...where as an hour long reality series keeps the audience watching for longer periods of time). Labels are now much more in need of bands that are ready now, complete with hits. Many of the classic bands of yesteryear would have much more trouble getting signed today because they didn't have hit songs on their first record. I know this is lame. It is definitely something all of us in the musical community should work to change but it happens to be the grim reality at the moment. The ultimate point of this is simply to remind bands of the miniscule chance that their record will actually be a hit, which leads us to the next commandment...
#5 – IT'S THE SONG, STUPID!
This is the essence of it all. We all know the power of great songs. Having undeniably great songs can enable you to overcome any other weaknesses in your band's presentation. Smashing Pumpkins were always an unimpressive live band but it didn't matter because the songs were great. The Sex Pistols were never destined to rival King Crimson's technique but "Anarchy In The UK"? Great song. Paul Simon, Tom Petty & Ric Ocasek of The Cars might be considered "aesthetically challenged," but again, the songs quality are undeniable. Be inspired to write music as great as the music that inspires you. Write a great melody, a great hook, and a great lyric. Make it real and make the songs classic. Next Article: Commandments 6-12!
-Andy Karp was Vice President of A&R at Lava/Atlantic in New York for many years. His signings included Kid Rock (10 million copies sold in the US of his first Lava release "Devil Without A Cause" in 1998, Uncle Kracker (US Double Platinum Debut in 2001) and Simple Plan. He has also worked with artists such as Jeff Healey, Edwin McCain and The Corrs. Karp began his career as an assistant in Atlantic's promotion department in 1989 and became an A&R Representative in 1995. He is also a lifelong musician.
MORE OF EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW...
Information, Information, Information. A closer look at the world of A&R
Written By Andrew Karp
Hi, everybody. Welcome to our second installment. I began the last article talking to you about my 12 Commandments for young bands. Hopefully, this will continue to give you some insight as to how to do what you do a little bit better than before. As always, these are just my opinions. Feel free to ignore them.
First a quick recap:
1) Use your head!
2) Only work with people you trust.
3) Don't trust anybody!
4) It's called the "music business" for a reason.
5) It's the song, stupid!
THE 12 COMMANDMENTS FOR YOUNG BANDS...Continued
#6 - THE LESS YOU NEED FROM A RECORD COMPANY, THE BETTER OFF YOU ARE
In the post-Dave Matthews world, there can be no question that bands with an established regional following have a greater chance for mass success. After only three major label releases and without truly massive record sales (their first two records each Soundscanned about 3.5 million each) The Dave Matthews Band was headlining a STADIUM tour, playing venues usually reserved for the likes of U2, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Genesis and Billy Joel. For the sake of an analogy, Genesis didn't begin their first stadium tour until 1987-- after 13 studio and three live albums. The DMB's success is also a testament to their reputation as a live act. It indicates that the band has always focused on building fans the old fashioned way...one fan at a time. Building fans through touring is the best way to create fans for life. You are more likely to reach a college and young adult-aged audience, who are still searching for the music that will serve as a document for their lives. As the band ages, hopefully the audience will as well. If you rely on commercial radio or MTV to build that following, you are increasing the chances that people will relate to an act because of a SONG instead of because of the artist. While lifelong fans can certainly be gained due to MTV or commercial radio, live shows are the most effective way to establish one on one relationships with your fans.
In the era before MTV, bands generally sold fewer records and made many more of them. The biggest touring bands of the era, like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, sometimes made two records a year and usually recorded in between their tours. Since there was no MTV, if you wanted to get a visual impression of your favorite artists, you had to go see the show. Records were released to promote the tours. Now it is the other way around. In this era of media overkill, if you can convince someone to leave the safety of their cocoon-like apartment, enter the crime ridden streets, schlep themselves across town, pay the inflated cover charge, wait until your band goes on two hours late and commit themselves to an evening of drinking flat Rheingold beer all night just to see your band play -- put on a great show and you've got a fan for life.
Beyond this, there are several other reasons to concentrate on building your following before you begin worrying about major labels and record deals:
Firstly, you'll get more proactive record deals when you finally do sign with a major. Maybe you will not require massive tour support and can barter that for a higher royalty rate...
Secondly, a following will aid you in having a long-term career should you get dropped from your label. Unfortunately, most music talent gets dropped at some point in their career. Most break up. A few get new record deals by other majors and even more select few go on to success! There are other bands like Poi Dog Pondering, who have been out of the major label system for several years and still do big business in Chicago. They put out independent records, they sell out big rooms and they make a living playing music.
Quite possibly the most important reason to build a following is that it makes you observe artists record deals as a piece of the pie and not the whole pie itself. I would bet that if you asked most rock musicians what their goals are, "getting signed" would be right at the top of the list. This is foolish. A much smarter goal is "to make a living playing music."
Too many musicians look at record deals as the Holy Grail. Any artist that has ever been signed to a major label can tell you that there is big difference between being signed and having a career. There is an even bigger difference between being signed and making money (this will be discussed further in Commandment #8). Remember the statistic that there are about 30,000 new records being released every year? There are several different income streams that bands can tap into. There are record sales, publishing royalties, performance royalties, touring monies and merchandise sales. If your goal is to build a career, then build one. If you build it well enough, you'll get your record deals but on your own terms.
#7 - PRODUCTION IS IMPORTANT...SOMETIMES
If you ever watch music A&R panels at a music conference, you will frequently hear musicians lament the high price of recording their music in a high-end studio. This is usually followed by a question asking for some kind of perceptive absolution, because their demo was recorded poorly. Every music A&R response that I have ever heard is the same. Essentially, they say, "I listen to the song and not the production." That's all well and good but I'm here to disagree with the masses. I don't believe that there is any dishonesty here. All of these people believe that they can hear the essence of a song underneath a wall of Gonkulator-induced distortion. I just believe that many can't. I'm not even sure that I can. I suggest that production is a means to an end. The amount of money that you spend on your recording is irrelevant. Production is effective or "great" only if it serves the song. If you don't get the point, then what's the point? In other words, if your song requires a string arrangement for the listener to feel its maximum impact, then wait until you can afford to hire an arranger. If your song can be delivered successfully when recorded on your computer in your basement, then that is fine too. Presuming that your listeners will be able to "hear it" is doing your music a disservice.
Remember, Outlandos D'Amour by The Police was supposedly recorded for under $1,000 in 1978. The Seeds Of Love by Tears For Fears was recorded three times in 1988-89 for over $1 million. Both records sound great. Cheap or expensive doesn't matter as long as it fits your music.
#8 - JUST BECAUSE YOU GET A RECORD DEAL DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE ROLLING IN DOUGH
Hardly. Let's presume that your band has offers from several major labels and signs a competitive deal for $275,000. Of that amount, let's also presume that $150,000 has been set aside for your recording fund. Your manager will commission between 15 and 20 percent of the remainder and your lawyer will probably charge you between $15,000 and $25,000 for his services. That could leave you as little as $75,000 to split between your band. If there are five members...let's just say that your fifteen grand (before taxes) probably won't even cover your credit card debt. And beyond this, you've got to pay it all back to your label before they give you any more. The important point here is to remember to live within your means. Figure out what your band truly needs from their record deal and look for that. However, just signing with the label that offers you the biggest contract is ultimately a poor solution to the money problem. There are negative repercussions for bands that sign expensive record deals as well. I will cover bidding wars at length in future column.
#9 - LONG CAREERS ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN
Nobody sets out to be a one hit wonder. I'm certain that the Starland Vocal Band, Jesus Jones, Gerardo, Vanilla Ice, Mungo Jerry, EMF and The Sylvers (okay, so they had two hits) all expected to have long careers. Especially after their first single took off. For whatever reason, it wasn't in the cards. That is what makes the careers of artists like Robert Plant, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross and Bette
Midler all the more impressive.
Hit records are primarily a product of luck and timing. A complete crapshoot. No one who does music A&R is the Oracle Of Delphi. Here's an analogy. The best hitters in baseball make nearly $10 million a year. They get three hits out of every ten at bats. The players who get two hits out of ten get sent down to the minors. Imagine having a job where you are considered the best in your field by screwing up 70% of the time... music A&R is not that different. You make educated guesses based on what is hopefully a modicum of good taste. You try to make great records and then you pray for rain. The record and movie businesses are built on the concept that your occasional successes pay for your much more frequent failures. Perverse but true. If you sign three hit acts in your A&R career, you will likely be quite successful in this business. Even if it is only because most people doing music A&R have three fewer hits than you do. This is not to suggest that most people in music A&R have no idea what they're doing. There are, in fact, many quality music A&R people in this business. There are just more lousy ones. I might tell you that a song sounds like a hit to me, or that I am unmoved. But I don't really know. As Dennis Miller says, "That's just my opinion; I could be wrong."
#10 - NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOU OR YOUR MUSIC
Nope. Nobody. And why should they? There's a lot of stuff out there these days and most of it is lousy. Why should yours be any different? Even real music fans go to clubs expecting the bands to be lousy. Record companies are certainly partially to blame. Labels have spent too much time and money releasing generic records. The public has bought too many in the past and isn't buying anymore. When the "Alternative Revolution" finally petered out, it was because it became everything that the first wave of bands were rebelling against. The Nirvanas and Soundgardens succeeded and then labels started releasing the bands that sounded like the innovators. When it finally imploded, you were seeing the imitators of the imitators releasing records. I liked Alice In Chains. It is hard to be inspired by bands that sound like bands that sound like Alice In Chains.
So what are young bands surrounded by a cynical public to do? Make your music inspiring. Whatever style you play, your songs have to be as good as the artists that inspire you. Your live performances have to have some SOUL...some energy. It has to be magnetic and it has to be genuine. You have to make people care about your music. If you have one great song, that's super. You have one more great song than most people. Now go write another one. It's certainly better to have two great songs more than most people, isn't it?
The answer seems so simple but I can assure you that these kinds of artists are hard to find. Truly great writers are a very rare breed.
#11 - THE WORLD DOESN'T NEED ANY MORE "GOOD" RECORDS
I'm not interested in making good records or offering record deals to good bands. Great ones are, however, a different story. Record stores and iTunes are filled with thousands of records that are, for all intents and purposes, thoroughly unremarkable. For the most part, it is these generic records that eventually are returned to their distributors by the ton. I think that people are also tired of buying sixteen-dollar records that have one great song on them. Some bands will break through based on the strengths of that one song. Most of the records that are not "deep" (meaning records with several potential singles) obviously end up selling fewer copies. These bands may also be able to eventually place their names on the aforementioned list, next to Starland Vocal Band and Vanilla Ice. That is the difference between Matchbox 20 (5 million Soundscanned) and for example, Tonic (1.2 million Soundscanned). I would be willing to bet that there are very few dissatisfied Matchbox 20 customers. There are five or six singles on that album. If you like Matchbox 20's style of music, their record is a great one. The ultimate point here is that music A&R people and the music talent need to all work harder to raise the bar. Don't put records out before they're finished. And don't consider a record finished until it is good enough that you yourself would plop down sixteen bucks for it.
#12 - LIVE IT, LOVE IT, NEED IT--WRITE GREAT, PLAY GREAT, SING GREAT, LOOK GREAT
This is the essence of it all. The reason the vast majority of us get into this business in the first place is because of a deep love of music. We love to listen, we love to play and write -- our music serves as the soundtrack to our lives. Trying to earn a living around something that affects us so deeply can be intensely frustrating. On the musical side, it's difficult balancing your pure artistic goals with the very real need to pay your rent. On the label side, you have to work to avoid the trap of thinking of music as "product," while still somehow marketing it successfully. I'm presuming that musicians who are interested in pursuing their art without any commercial considerations are not reading this column. These artists certainly need no advice from me. They should all follow their muse and inspire themselves and hopefully others as well. For the rest of us, try to do what you do a little bit better than everyone else. Write better songs, be tighter live, have more stage energy and presence, work on your imaging, play better and sing better. And above all, if you want to build a career, be it as a musician or as a label executive, be willing to work harder than everyone else.
-Andy Karp was Vice President of A&R at Lava/Atlantic in New York for many years. His signings included Kid Rock (10 million copies sold in the US of his first Lava release "Devil Without A Cause" in 1998, Uncle Kracker (US Double Platinum Debut in 2001) and Simple Plan. He has also worked with artists such as Jeff Healey, Edwin McCain and The Corrs. Karp began his career as an assistant in Atlantic's promotion department in 1989 and became an A&R Representative in 1995. He is also a lifelong musician.
EVEN MORE OF EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW...
BIDDING WARS
Written By Andrew Karp
Hi, everybody. Welcome to our final installment of everything you ever wanted to know. In the last two articles, we covered the 12 Commandments for young bands. This article is all about what to do when everything finally comes together and the major labels come calling with their record deals. All at the same time. These may well be the most important decisions of your career. Hopefully, these suggestions will help you make them more intelligently. As always, these are just my opinions. Feel free to ignore them.
Try to find the two words guaranteed to make almost every music A&R person cringe. It's not "over budget" or "T&E cutback". It isn't even "non-recoupable advance". My guess is "bidding war". What are these curious things capable of making the most jaded industry veteran dyspeptic? Well, bidding wars are exactly what they sound like. What it is not is two or three labels competing for a band. Bidding wars occur when the buzz surrounding a band becomes bigger than the band itself. When the pursuit of the band becomes a feeding frenzy, driven by the egos of the participants. "The deal" becomes the issue and not the band itself or their music. For the bands, it is the size of the record deals. It is the feeling that perennially ignored musicians get when they finally get a whiff of big bucks wafting over their calamari at Spago. It is the feeling that young lawyers and managers get when they can finally say that they're playing with the big boys. It is the security that veteran lawyers and managers feel when reminded that they are still on top. It is the feeling music A&R executives get when they become completely absorbed in the art of record deals.
Closing "the deal" becomes the primary focus. Beating the other labels. There's an old adage in music A&R: "It doesn't matter if you are the first one there as long as you are the last one there." Most labels will do anything to be the last one in. They will do anything, say anything and make deals that are colossally stupid.
Ultimately, for the vast majority of bands in this situation, this trip is a rocket ride to obscurity.
Bidding wars are caused by several factors. The first is, of course, is the egos of the bands, lawyers, managers and music A&R people. Secondly, some managers take their eye off the ball and go for the quick buck. On a certain level it is understandable. Managing is a tough gig. You're the first one to get yelled at and the last one to get paid. As I discussed in earlier columns, only a handful of records sell enough copies to recoup their costs and earn royalties. For most managers, the percentages they receive from the record and publishing deals will likely be the last dollars they ever earn from the project. Some lawyers also charge a percentage of the deals they make. Their fee is directly related to the size of the deal. That can be an additional incentive.
Bands also get bamboozled into thinking that the magnitude of the deal is a metaphor for how much the record label wants the band. An indicator of the label's deep, undying love for them. If there is even a smidgen of truth in this, it evaporates by the time the next bidding war begins. Bands need to remember that all labels are not the same and that they are not banks. They're businesses fueled by money and by the need to make more of it.
Label A may be offering more money than Label B, but keep in mind that Label A may need the music talent much more than Label B. Label A may be on a cold streak and desperately need a hit. Label B may be consistently selling records and instead are offering you their momentum and a proven music promotions and marketing team. Remember, it is always easier to break records when you have hits than when you don't.
Last but not least, there are the lemming-like tendencies of many in the music A&R community. Unfortunately, in this business, there are many who do A&R who simply are not interested in a band until other music A&R people are too. This makes no sense to me but it is very common. I can only presume that most of these music A&R people simply do not have enough faith in their own opinions. It was impressed on me early on in my career that nobody in A&R actually KNOWS anything (myself included). We deal primarily in subjective opinion. Beyond this, the best music A&R people (people who have had consistent hit records over the years) are STILL wrong more than they are right. With this in mind, it certainly seems illogical for people who know nothing to base their business decisions on the opinions of other people who know nothing.
Are there any positives for bands that arise from bidding wars? Different people with different agendas will tell you different things. I think there are only a handful, that are usually eclipsed by the greater number of negatives. The most obvious benefit for bands is a big fat advance. Some will say that since the vast majority of bands fail, you might as well get as much money as possible up front. There is a certain truth to this. However, under most circumstances, a million dollar record deal does not actually result is you being handed a check for that amount. There is a recording budget, often a video budget, tour support, etc. Your advance might be one fifth of that. Out of that $200,000.00, you have to pay your lawyer (if the label won't), your manager, any band related debts and then finally split the remainder amongst the band members. And by the way, don't forget to give the government their share. They don't appreciate that at all. By the time you get down to it, it is not nearly as much money as you thought it was. I'm sure that almost all of the bands that have been burned by bidding wars would gladly trade that thirty grand or so for a career. But even if your share is more, I still think that most artists would rather build a real career.
Another benefit is an elevated royalty rate. This is always a good thing for an artist. The negatives associated with this are more general in scope. The major problem here concerns recoupability; in other words, paying the record label back for their investment in you. The bigger your contract is, the less likely it is that your label will want to release further records, should the first one stiff. Even if you have a contract that guarantees you two releases firm (or even three, in the case of a enormous bidding war), the label is still in the driver's seat. The label may find themselves in the hole for an enormous sum from the first record, with a huge advance and recording budget to be paid for album number two. Don't be surprised if the record company is not exactly enthusiastic about doling out what could be in the neighborhood of a million dollars before your next record even comes out. If there is a commitment for a third release, they'll probably want to release LP #2 even less. They might just decide that it makes more sense to pay you to go away. If you agree, you will have some money but will also have to deal with the stigma of being a "dropped band" (the music business equivalent of being a leper -- no one wants to come near you). You might get another deal but it will certainly be more difficult. Not a good situation. In many large contracts these days, labels also insert what is commonly known as a "Disaster Clause". This states that the label can drop you outright should any of your releases sell less than a certain number of copies. You could try to force the label to put out your second record. If they agree to release it against their better judgment, good luck in getting it promoted or getting good placement in record stores. Also not a good situation. If they refuse to release it and your negotiations have also created some ill will, they may choose to leave you in limbo. An even worse situation. You may have to sue to get dropped. All the while, your money is being eaten up by legal fees and clock is ticking on your career.
There is also the possibility that your label decides to fire your A&R person. This happens all the time (music A&R is not exactly the most secure gig). After all, it was your music A&R person that convinced the label heads to sign your frighteningly unrecouped band. Now you are left without what should be your most ardent supporter. Also not a good situation.
One other possible benefit for your band is a wealth of publicity. The negative is that in bidding war situations, publicity usually escalates quickly into hype. Hype has killed off many a good band. Think of it this way: hype usually creates expectations for your band that are completely at odds with normal music business trends and truths. Most people in this business have access to much of the same information, regardless of what they actually do. Music A&R, Music Promotions, radio programmers and retailers all read the same industry tipsheets and they log on to the same industry websites. Most people know who the bidding war bands are. The problem is that since everybody knows about your record, nobody is willing to let your record develop at a natural pace. Because you are supposed to be "the next big thing", your record will have less time to develop at radio than other records. If it does not generate telephone requests and sales quickly, the perception will be that it is a stiff. Radio will instead play one of the other 29,999 records released this year. Retail will focus on records that are selling and return the thousands of copies of your record that they were force fed (it was going to be "the next big thing", after all) as quickly as they can box them up. It takes a team with exceptional resolve and resources to work past this situation and give your record the shot it requires.
Finally, what is a band to do? Choose your team very carefully. Do your best to ensure that your manager and lawyer have your best interests at heart and not their own. Make sure every member of your band is on the same page, with the same goals and the same requirements from a major label. With all of this information in mind, figure out early in the process what you really need from record deals and then ask for a bit more. Be honest with every label as to where they stand. Making every label feel as if they can close the deal, when they really can't, just leaves a bad taste in everybody's mouths. Don't burn bridges by simply playing labels off against one another to drive up the price. Figure out where you want to be and make a deal. You can make a very proactive, competitive deal without the situation spiraling out of control. If you are smart, you can get what you need without alienating the label people you may need for your next band.
If you control the situation, maybe, just maybe, you won't need to have a "next" band.
-Andy Karp was Vice President of A&R at Lava/Atlantic in New York for many years. His signings included Kid Rock (10 million copies sold in the US of his first Lava release "Devil Without A Cause" in 1998, Uncle Kracker (US Double Platinum Debut in 2001) and Simple Plan. He has also worked with artists such as Jeff Healey, Edwin McCain and The Corrs. Karp began his career as an assistant in Atlantic's promotion department in 1989 and became an A&R Representative in 1995. He is also a lifelong musician.
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