tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75187896540920847162024-03-08T16:00:54.487-08:00Transparent World MediaEntertainment Business Consultant and Artist Representative - Experience and Education, Trust and Support... You have questions, we have answers.Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518789654092084716.post-83975488472076722502012-11-16T21:33:00.001-08:002012-11-16T21:36:07.665-08:00Streaming, Royalties, and Collection: A second glance...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the <a href="http://transparentworldmedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/streaming-royalties-and-collection-here.html" target="_blank">last post</a> we discussed Pandora, and
<a href="http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/publishing/songwriters-are-left-out-of-pandora-s-royalty-1007993512.story#XmlzBATjeVpRMT3X.99" target="_blank">their fight</a> for a lower rate of royalty owed for the music they stream. I am
still of the opinion that what most probably needs adjusted is Pandora's
business plan, not royalty structure; however, after receiving a few messages
regarding the matter, we will discuss some of the other forces involved.
Pandora is only one of many that have joined forces to form the Internet Radio
Fairness Coalition, who's mission it is "to bring the royalty system for
Internet radio into the 21st century.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> From what I have seen so far,
members of this "coalition" like to throw around trite, lobbyist
style language we as industry professionals have seen and heard many times before when a
group or company works to see changes in congressional systems or structures
that not only have worked for a very long time, but arguably, still work just
fine, and would benefit those groups most in the long haul. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So let's take a look at both, the members
of this coalition, and what some of them are saying. In an article on Hypebot,
Hisham Dahud lists members of the coalition as Pandora, Clear Channel Media and
Entertainment, the Digital Media Association, AccuRadio, CCIA, Salem
Communications, and others. For a complete list, see the article <a href="http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2012/10/internet-radio-fairness-coalition-launches-aiming-to-reform-royalty-system.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Right.
Now, let's take a look at what some of them were quoted as saying in the article regarding current
royalty structures, as well as why they would like to see these rates lowered. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To start, the coalition states they
"will create a sustainable business model for the music industry, giving
consumers more choices and more products for listening to the music they live;
enable artists to earn more money as Internet radio grows; create a marketplace
that will attract entrepreneurs to invest in new, innovative ways to deliver
music to the public; and drive higher revenues for record labels."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Okay one thing at a time. First of all
labels are already being paid more than, or in one known case an equal share of,
what songwriters and publishers receive. Second, consumers and industry professionals
are already at times dizzy from the number of choices available for media
consumption and distribution; artists, as in the case of the labels, are currently being paid more than
songwriters and publishers; and considering the number of apps, platforms,
mobile technologies, etc, which are seemingly produced exponentially, I'd say
the current state of innovation "for ways to deliver music to the
public" is well under way without a congressional bailout for Internet
radio in the form of reduction of the royalties paid to the songwriters,
publishers, artists, and labels they seem so interested in helping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please consider that one way to foster
innovation in the actual art that makes their business plans possible is to
allow our artists to eat for a change. I know, I know, there I go
being reasonable again. Moving on…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Our piecemeal legislation covering
music royalty rates was enacted decades ago before we had the Internet or
current technology," says Ed Black of the CIAA. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Bob Pittman of Clear Channel
had this to say, "We believe market-based solutions are the way to go…
This will enable artists to earn more and connect more with their fans,
consumers to have more choices, and entrepreneurs to invent and invest in new
services.” </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> Last, from Ed Knife, Digital Media Association, "This is a
clear case of an outdated framework that stifles technology and consumer
options… This bi-partisan solution will drive more innovation in the legal
digital distribution of music.” </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> Okay, so does anyone else feel they are
being fed a sales pitch that utilizes a stale formula of focusing on what
THEY will do for YOU while avoiding what THEY really WANT, which is to pay out LESS to US? Anyone else notice the same timeworn PR talking points? I'm not sold,
what do you think?</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518789654092084716.post-60339561587625568702012-11-04T20:29:00.001-08:002012-11-04T20:30:26.202-08:00Streaming, Royalties, and Collection: Here we go again<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">We have seen
many, many complaints, arguments, and commentary on the royalties paid out from
streaming and distribution services, iTunes and Spotify being good examples.
However, <a href="http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/legal-and-management/business-matters-the-truth-about-pandora-1007978032.story" target="_blank">Pandora is the one</a> who is currently pushing the envelope by trying to get regular
people together to fight royalty rates they don't feel they should have to pay.
I read <a href="http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/publishing/songwriters-are-left-out-of-pandora-s-royalty-1007993512.story#XmlzBATjeVpRMT3X.99" target="_blank">a fantastic article</a> on this exact topic just a couple of days ago on
Billboard. The editorial by <a href="https://twitter.com/JKalifowitz" target="_blank">Justin Kalifowitz</a>, president of <a href="http://www.downtownmusicpub.com/" target="_blank">Downtown Publishing</a>, as well as co-founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.songtrust.com/" target="_blank">Songtrust</a> "presents a perspective
from the publishing and songwriting communities.” <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Mr. Kalifowitz makes great points and backs them up with analytical
data. For example, it is Pandora's choice and the basic fabric of their
business plan to allow very little advertising and "protect their
listeners." But while Pandora is trying to get the rates on royalties they
have to pay down, as these add heavily to their costs with no advertising
dollars for cushion, they are already "paying the lowest ratio of artist
and songwriter royalties than any other income type in the music
business." In the same article they show that according to the National
Music Publisher's Association, for every dollar Pandora pays to labels and
artists they pay just 8 cents to songwriters and music publishers.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">There is some perspective offered in this article as well. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">Remember I
mentioned iTunes and Spotify caused a lot of commentary? Well this article
shows that compared to that 8-cent payment from Pandora, iTunes and Spotify pay
out 15 and 17.6 cents, respectively, to songwriters and publishers for every
dollar paid to artists and labels. Further, and more impressive, YouTube shows
a ratio of 42 cents and satellite radio at 50 cents to the dollar. One opinion
of Mr. Kalifowitz is that the problem is simply leverage, and I tend to agree
with him. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I also agree that if Pandora insists on sticking to the existing
business plan and not making alterations for Fair Play, then "music
publisher's and songwriters should demand a more equitable split…" They
certainly don't deserve any kind of "bailout" in the form of royalty
rate reduction from congress. </span></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518789654092084716.post-25103417127579902612012-10-20T22:21:00.001-07:002012-10-20T22:48:11.344-07:00A Look Back On the Importance Of A Business Plan<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">To touch back quickly on the experts
mentioned in my last post, and their respective views regarding <a href="http://transparentworldmedia.blogspot.com/2012/09/expert-views-on-importance-of-business.html" target="_blank">business plans</a>, I would like to discuss a couple of the things that stuck
out to me most while reading their respective articles and opinions. I actually
agree with <a href="http://chuckblakeman.com/2012/8/texts/how-the-worst-most-asked-planning-question" target="_blank">Mr. Blakeman's views</a> that a business plan can
be dangerous for a company that tries to stick to it too closely over long
periods of time without understanding it is meant to be a work in progress, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">which needs adjusting as the company goes along.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Forecasting more than a couple
of years in advance and attempting to stick to the plan at all costs could be
disastrous for a startup. Beyond this however, I must admit that my view is that not having a business plan at all is the most dangerous of approaches. A
properly written and maintained plan is absolutely imperative for keeping costs
and goals in line, not to mention securing investment capital for those who require
it. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.thenextwomen.com/2008/12/27/expert-interview-13-questions-on-funding-pitching-part-1" target="_blank">Andrea Cockerton</a> provided a
bit more detail on important key aspects of a business plan from her experience
working with investors to raise capital and I agree with much she had to say.
For example, I completely agree that showing the strength and experience,
education, etc, of the team behind the plan is absolutely crucial to secure
funding. I'm positive this would be the most important part of my own business
plan should I ever have the need for capital and plan to keep this part of my written plan updated and as strong as possible.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This is not just important for
investors; even if one has no interest or need to seek investment, having a
written description of a business and the team behind it can go a long way
toward showing professionalism with, and securing, clients. I tend to disagree however that a
startup must show that their product or service is "groundbreaking"
and I think that she was more on target pointing out that a startup must show
that somewhere a market </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">exists that truly has a need for the new company's offerings.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">At the end of the day, there are a
lot of investors who just want to know that there is space in the market for a
product, there are teams that can make it happen, and there is research provided
showing a profit can be made. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518789654092084716.post-80732275122842177972012-09-30T19:52:00.000-07:002012-09-30T19:54:38.748-07:00Expert Views On The Importance Of A Business Plan<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.thenextwomen.com/2008/12/27/expert-interview-13-questions-on-funding-pitching-part-1" target="_blank">Andrea Cockerton</a> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">According to this post on a <a href="http://bpexpertviews.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">BP Expert Views Blog</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Andrea
"is an independent pitch expert and advisor in the United Kingdom. She has
her own business <a href="http://brickhandbag.com/" target="_blank">Brick Handbag</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">and <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/mudhut" target="_blank">has worked for Microsoft</a> in the past. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><a href="http://www.bplans.com/ask-bplans/572/why-have-a-business-plan" target="_blank">Why have a business plan?</a> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: large;">What to look for in a plan?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="http://www.thenextwomen.com/2008/12/27/expert-interview-13-questions-on-funding-pitching-part-1" target="_blank">During a talk in 2008</a> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Andrea says that some of the most important things to show in a
business plan are that the company is going into a market that is growing and
"has a need for your product or service." She also says that the
plan must show that the team behind it all has the experience and talent to
make it happen, and last, but not least, the plan must show that the
"product or service is groundbreaking."</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: large;">Why these are key<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: large;">Andrea says, "These specifics are
necessary to increase the strength of the pitch for financial backing." An
investor will be asking themselves why the business should be started and if it
will be successful enough against competitors to be profitable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">And now, for something
completely different…</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: large;"><a href="http://chuckblakeman.com/2012/8/texts/how-the-worst-most-asked-planning-question" target="_blank">Chuck Blakeman</a></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="http://bpexpertviews.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The same expert blog</a> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">lists Chuck as a "serial entrepreneur and
business success mentor" who believes that business plans actually do more
harm than good. He says that forming a business plan to look into the future
takes time away from the changes that could be implemented now to change the
future as the company goes. Essentially, take care of today, and tomorrow will
take care of it’s self.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: large;">Why to avoid a plan<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: large;">Writing business plans wastes time and can make things worse by allowing a
company to follow the wrong trends, could make the company miss opportunities, fill a niche, or become a leader.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: large;">Why this is key<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: large;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: large;">Chuck offers these statistics as evidence of
his points. I encourage all readers to vista Mr. Blakeman's article and take a
look at it entirely and then leave a comment below and let us know where you
stand on the topic!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">“</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">A
Harvard researcher found that 97% of all businesses leave their prime objective
in order to be objective. The world’s greatest past and present businesses
(Apple, Google, Facebook, HP, 37signals, etc.) all started out to do something
other than what they ended up doing. And none of them did much pre-planning, if
any.”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">
</span></span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: large;"><a href="http://cranksetgroup.com/?referrer=CHUCKBLOG" target="_blank">Chuck Blakeman’s Company</a></span></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<!--EndFragment--></span><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518789654092084716.post-77330146512634174992012-09-16T20:29:00.001-07:002012-10-20T22:29:21.839-07:00A Business Consultant Should Have Experience<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: 150%;"> For the content here on my blog I have tried to focus on the
questions and topics I deal with most in my daily work as an Entertainment
Business Consultant. Within the last two weeks the question of what is most
required, or what one should consider imperative, to be a <a href="http://blog.livechime.com/index.php/what-is-a-business-consultant/">business consultant</a> in any sector of a
given industry has arisen in conversation several times. I have taken this as a
fateful hint to quickly cover this question as a topic in my post this week. In
my humble opinion, the most important attribute one must possess in order to be
qualified to work as a business consultant in any sector of a given industry is
experience, and lots of it. The best possible scenario is for one to have a
good deal of experience in many sectors of a given industry in order to be most
effective as a business consultant.</span><span style="font-family: Times; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;">
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">
Education is also extremely important, but this is secondary. Some
of the most sought after business consultants have indeed risen from years of
experience before they decided to get an education. Some of the best in the
entertainment industry, such as Gerry Barad, head of Global Touring for Live
Nation, have risen to such positions through years of experience and learning
in the trenches alone. While it is surely important for one to have a solid
education under their belt, years of experience, contacts, and "been there
done that know-how" just cannot be matched by classroom education when it comes
to being an effective business consultant. Here is a quote taken from <a href="http://www.businessconsultingabc.com/What_Does_a_Good_Business_Consultant_Do.html">Business Consulting ABC's website</a>,"
Having an MBA from a good business school isn't enough. The Business Consultant
must have solid real world experience with many types of companies in order to
be an effective consultant." This statement could not be truer when one is
speaking about the entertainment industry.</span><span style="font-family: Times; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: 150%;"> An <a href="http://transparentworldmedia.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">experienced
Entertainment Business Consultant</span></a> will have been in the trenches and
have been involved in many different dealings across many sectors of the
industry. He or she will know exactly what is needed to get a project back on
track without having to do hours of research or call in a team of outside
experts costing a client more time and money. When choosing an Entertainment
Business Consultant one must choose someone who fits the bill and must not pay
attention to the individual's education, this is a bonus. Finally advice for
anyone who wishes to get into the field… Jump into the industry with both feet,
get involved in everything you can, and if in ten years you are the one
everyone is calling for advice, you have arrived at your destination.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<!--EndFragment--></span>Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518789654092084716.post-4462346360854571162012-09-02T19:48:00.001-07:002012-09-02T19:48:50.241-07:00Profitable Markets For Foreign Distribution
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the last couple of posts on this blog I
have spoken about budgeting for media distribution as well as a bit of the
change that has occurred in laws governing the content that is being
distributed. In addition to the posts regarding law and technical changes of
the overall entertainment business landscape, there have been more specific
entries regarding information for foreign distribution and licensing for
ancillary revenue sources. Topics for entertainment business consultants,
publishers, and independent artists, labels, and managers are the purpose of
this blog, and specific information is often not repeated unless it is asked by
the audience to possibly provide some additional resources on a topic in
general, as most of the posts here reflect questions I am asked weekly in my
work. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, this week for my independent audience,
as well as my entertainment business audience of consultants, producers,
publishers, etc, I will provide a few resources that will build on my previous
post, <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://transparentworldmedia.blogspot.com/2012/04/move-to-where-food-is-setting-up-shop.html" target="_blank">found here</a></span>, regarding global music sales, territory specific sales
information, and global charting history for researching genres, songs, and
artists, that have found success in foreign markets. I know you will find the
information valuable, and after a bit of research you will undoubtedly begin to
"get in where you fit in."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">1. <a href="http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/DMR2012.pdf">The Digital Global Music
Report 2012</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This report from the IFPI will help anyone
looking for specific information as it relates to separate platforms,
territories, and more.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">2. <a href="http://www.lanet.lv/misc/charts/">Historical
Global Charting Information</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Here one can search charts and successful
artists, genres, and songs across different time periods in just about any
country in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">3. This chart is an indicator of global music
sales separated by country and can give one a starting point when thinking
about where to begin their research, or campaign.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://japanmusicmarketing.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="410" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_0Ior4dnQRc/UEQZbBW-59I/AAAAAAAAADk/30M3v999bwA/s640/Global+Music+Sales.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518789654092084716.post-19278882218260664712012-08-19T20:37:00.003-07:002012-08-19T20:37:32.738-07:00Sink or Swim
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> Over the last two years I have met with or
consulted nearly five hundred artists, associated managers, and a dozen or so
independent labels. Beyond issues related to touring, shopping for specific
licensing, and building strong fan bases in foreign territories, the question
and concern most often asked and addressed is what type of return in revenue
can one expect in terms of sales versus marketing dollars. Some truly believe
they can make it by passing out CDs and doing a few shows. While historically
we have always seen one hit wonders, and the occasioned artist or group that
literally explodes over night without much help, the true answer is that your
sales level (given a quality commercial product) will definitely depend on the
size of your budget, as well as the connections you have in the industry to
properly make use of that budget. If you have no budget, you have no
chance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People have been really excited about
digital distribution, the wide array of providers in this sector, and the ease
of which they function, and they should be, at least you have bought a chance.
But this is the same as the lottery without an effective plan ready to be put
in place and a proper budget with which to make it all happen. As stated by
Thomas Jefferson and many others, "The lottery is a tax on the
ignorant…" and this is also true in the example of distributing widely
around the world with no budget to market to anyone outside of your email list,
local bars, and Facebook. <a href="http://www.independentmusicadvice.com/2010/07/the-best-ways-to-promote-your-music-on-a-budget/" target="_blank">I found a quick list of free and cheap for those on a small budget here.</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The explosion of thousands of niche
sub-genres had a ripple effect on the music business as well, this took each
sub-genre that found any success and quickly pumped out thousands of acts for
each, each trying to fill the top three spots with almost identical feel if not
material. To be an artist today could be compared to the mass explosion of
female doo-wop groups in the fifties and sixties that exploded so fast with so
many artists that not even the companies knew who to pay for what song. When
this is taken into account, even the most singular and individualized, well
branded, and unbelievably talented artist will have to spend a good deal of
money and resource to cut through the clutter of those merely taking up empty
space just to be noticed and remove themselves from the lottery and enter an
honest selection of taste.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518789654092084716.post-16329448203616523742012-08-19T19:52:00.001-07:002012-08-19T19:52:25.950-07:00Necessity and Invention
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> While there are certainly many new
opportunities for one to license their content given the mass indulgence of the
public in video games, brand new forms of advertisement, the different places
and ways content is consumed digitally, etc, problems arise when parties are
requested to acquiesce as to how the pie is cut. Indeed, everyone must be paid
fairly for his or her time and service associated with any product whether it is
for the production, manufacture, storage, or delivery but what constitutes
fair, and who decides? Are the producers and license holders of the content due
a larger piece of the pie for providing the content, without which there would
be no product for service? Is a distributor to receive a larger piece of the
pie due to their contracts and connections with stores, kiosks and other
providers, or perhaps fees associated with commerce?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There seems to be a lot of forward
marching towards the technological advancement of media distribution in an
effort to keep up with the full speed run of a concurrently growing appetite
and consumption of digital media but there also seems to be a lot of clinging
to old systems and statutes out of fear, like the rates that are paid out after
collection for example. Yes, there have been some very beneficial court cases
over the last ten years or so that have inched an industry closer towards change, and a few very
important cases going on now that should be watched closely. But why should
noticeable and mutually beneficial change have to come from extended trial and
appeal? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The very basics of economics and history
shows us that when technology is revolutionized and industries shift there is a
time where traditional roles and employment will cease to exist, old forms of
business will also cease to exist, and new regulations and education are of the
utmost importance for those who wish to succeed and live to tell the tale in a
completely new environment. So why are so many intelligent people missing the
bus?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a world where human ingenuity has
proven over and over that necessity breeds invention we must also carry this
philosophy and living ethic over to the statutes that govern our consumption,
collection, and payment of/for media by reviewing and revising, as well as
being willing to throw away old and make way for new to guarantee that
traditional ways of doing things do not directly inhibit the growth potential
in revenue for the artists, producers, and rights holders, or the industries
from which these may also thrive. In an annual meeting with Congress, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_584974908">David </a></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/publishing/nmpa-ceo-david-israelite-on-what-he-ll-discuss-1007305352.story" target="_blank">Israelite, president and CEO of the NMPA, had this to say</a>. "We must find efficient ways to license our copyrights and empower
new business models. Much of the current licensing system is outdated and
inefficient. It was built to service outdated business models." </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518789654092084716.post-31894493737681183132012-07-29T17:30:00.001-07:002012-07-30T11:31:20.548-07:00Avoiding Liability Through Continued Education<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: 32px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> As a business professional in the
entertainment industry one should remain a firm believer in, and constant
practitioner of, continued education. This is especially true where there is
opportunity to study cases that set precedent(s) in our industry or evaluate
existing cases, laws, and statutes that still have a tendency to effect how we
do business everyday. As a publisher, record executive, or producer, the
information below can help to remind one to stay on the "up-and-up" when it
comes time to do research, make promises, and handle agreements through not
only the use of what most would consider standard industry practice, but also
by knowing what is currently changing to protect oneself in/from the future. As
a consultant on these matters, it becomes even more obvious why one should stay
apprised on all possible matters relating to the law and how it may affect a
party on "either side of the fence" ensuring proper advice is always
delivered.</span></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> Two of the podcasts used for analysis this
week come from Gordon Firemark's "Entertainment Law Update" series.
The first, titled <a href="http://firemark.com/2012/01/02/elu027/" target="_blank">"<b>Lawyers, Libel, Logos, and Lolipops</b>"</a> covers
some changes to infringement process through language clarification for ISPs, and the findings of
the 9th circuit regarding clarification of language in the<b> </b>Eminem (FBT)
v UMG/Aftermath royalty dispute case. Because this is a blog, and meant for a
comfortable read, I will not get into the technical specifics of the cases
regarding Viacom, YouTube, Veoh, etc, and just say there comes a time when
companies, and individuals, need to know exactly what their responsibilities
are, and why. In this case the question is, what (or how much) does an ISP have
to know regarding the use of a service for purposes of infringement before they take action
or send notice (and to whom) in order to be safe under the DMCA. This could
also be worded the other way to ask, how much attention does an ISP have to
pay to cases of infringement within their networks and how little can they know
before they have to bother going out of their way? Thankfully the answer from
the 2nd and 9th circuits reflects that ISPs have to alert copyright owners when
an infringement complaint is filed. This is a good thing as the copyright owner
is much more likely to act both quickly and aggressively instead of waiting on
a mammoth ISP to drag their heels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> Next we have F.B.T. Productions bringing
claim in California to show that product sold digitally (iTunes, etc) are to be
determined as "digital licenses" and not sales under the same terms
as physical product. The difference is huge in terms of the royalty paid per
the agreement made between Plaintiff and Aftermath, Interscope, UMG; digital
licenses carry a 50% royalty in lieu of the 12% being paid on simple
"sales." <b><a href="http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-9th-circuit/1537283.html" target="_blank">The case was handed off to the 9th circuit of appeals</a></b>
for clarification on the language and for a final determination as to whether
digital product indeed qualified as license or sale, and thus carried a 50/50
split. The 9th circuit has concluded that products sold digitally are in fact a
digital license per the terms of the agreement and are to be paid per the
higher rate. This is where the case gets even more interesting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> It could seem to anyone who has been in
the industry for a while that this lack of proper payment was intentional, but
now the judge has caught on and has accused UMG of trying to "bamboozle
the court." It gets worse, F.B.T. now claims that not only has UMG
intentionally paid a lower rate on product sold digitally, but that this revenue,
from source, is then intentionally cycled through foreign subsidiaries to
further lessen the pot that is available for Aftermath, and hence a much
smaller pot from which F.B.T. may take their percentage. In other words,
instead of getting 12% (now deemed to be rightfully 50%) of 100% (net) they are
actually receiving 12% of 29%. Against the arguments of UMG, et al, the court
has agreed to allow F.B.T. <b><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/judge-universal-eminem-royalties-case-342699" target="_blank">an amendment to their original claim</a></b>. I urge
everyone reading this blog to follow this case as closely as possible. Just try
not to throw things while reading in public.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> In <b><a href="http://firemark.com/podcast-2/entertainmentlawupdatepodcast-law-update-podcast/" target="_blank">podcast #27 of Gordon Firemark's series</a></b>
there is interesting conversation regarding a case that serves as a reminder
for how important it is to not only have a very firm understanding of copyright
law, i.e. specific rights and lengths of term, but to also properly execute, as
well as administer, the imperative forms and contacts required to implement
these rights. Take for instance, the example given for discussion in this
podcast regarding the song "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." An Heir
of the writer of this song claimed the writer had terminated the original grant
of rights during the first "window" of availability in the early 80's
but faced difficulties and the process was never fully completed. Since the
Sonny Bono Act allows for a second "window" the family of the writer
has once again tried to terminate the grant of rights and take the rights back
for themselves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> EMI, the current holder of the rights says
they have paid out considerable sums of money since the early 80's, after
having paid the writer not to terminate. Further, EMI states that a writer or
heir can only use the termination process one time, even if there are two
windows, the termination can only be attempted once thereby rendering the
second termination attempt void as they are no longer entitled to terminate.
This case is a great reminder of how important it is to read carefully, and to
have a great entertainment attorney or consultant who can help sift through the
language and offer an educated and experienced interpretation. Indeed, it
should be a part of any professional's original business plan to find and
retain the absolute best entertainment attorney or consultant one can afford,
as well as continually keep close eye on the court opinions provided on the
Internet through direct findings, or even the press. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> Finally, in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/intellectual-property-law/id388454392" target="_blank">a talk given by a Duke University School of Law IP concentration professor</a></b> during a visit to Suffolk University, we find a great
conversation on net neutrality, as well as brief descriptions of trade, patent,
copyright, and trademark laws. Also discussed is what is needed to properly
back these rights up in an ever-changing, digital world. This podcast is titled
"What is net neutrality, regulating the onramp to the Internet."
Because this talk covers in great length what net neutrality is, the
philosophical and reality-based harms that could be done if too much power is
given to only a few large companies, as well as the previously mentioned
backgrounds and defenses of patents, copyrights, etc, I encourage you to follow
the links provided within this text to listen to this podcast and educate
yourself on any parts of this you do not yet fully understand. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> I have included this information within
the context of this blog because as mentioned in the opening statements, this
article has been written as a reminder to keep up with current cases, expert
opinion, and any situations, which may arise that allows for precedents to be
set within our industry. As publishers, representation, entertainment business
consultants, or even producers, we become liable in the way of civil law,
contract law, and even infringement when we do not stay at the forefront of
what is going on in our industry, and have an established entertainment
attorney woven into the very fabric of our business plans. It would be a shame
for any professional in this industry to wind up severely in the red for never
properly following through on processes set by statute or setting up deals that
can later leave one liable for damages.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518789654092084716.post-17209898614538471692012-07-01T14:08:00.003-07:002012-07-01T14:08:47.942-07:00Can’t Win’em All<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Case 1 - AVELA v. Estate of
Marilyn Monroe<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">This is a case dealing with publicity rights,
which<b> </b>are protected at the state level and are different in each state.
This is no different for the publicity rights of the deceased and the laws of
the state in which you died govern your post mortem publicity rights. </span><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/permission-seekers-guide-through-the-legal-jungle-clearing-copyrights-trademarks-and-other-rights-for-entertainment-and-media-productions/oclc/76855700"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">(Butler,
2007, p. 128)</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> Apparently the estate of Marilyn Monroe has been sending cease and
desist letters over the years to several companies and in the most recent case
sent one to AVELA, a company licensing images to a manufacturing company,
Silver Buffalo that slaps the images of celebrities on cups, key-chains, etc.
Now AVELA is suing the estate of Monroe for "tortiously interfering with
its contracts."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/movie-nostalgia-company-sues-marilyn-monroe-estate-342506"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">(Gardner,
2012)</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Further, AVELA claims that the Monroe
estate has already been dealt with by federal judges in both California, and
New York who "previously determined that Monroe's estate was estopped from
claiming an enforceable post mortem right of publicity." </span><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/movie-nostalgia-company-sues-marilyn-monroe-estate-342506"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">(Gardner,
2012)</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> Consequently, New York is also where Marilyn Monroe died, so any
ruling regarding her post mortem publicity rights here should be paid close
attention.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here, is my opinion regarding post mortem
publicity rights in the case of a celebrity such as Marilyn Monroe. I believe
there should be some sort of mechanism that provides royalty to the estate
where another seeks to profit from the likeness of the deceased. I would agree
there should be a limit on time, or number of generations that control this
right, however, and it should generally apply where the estate actually holds
copyright for the image used.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Case 2 - Black Keys Sue Pizza
Hut and Home Depot<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is hard to imagine being the artist or
manager who is going about their normal everyday business when something in the
background, say television noise, catches your attention, and it is one of your
songs a company is using without your permission or previous knowledge. I
imagine that even more shocking is the irresponsibility; some may say
stupidity, of those who know better. Now imagine that you are The Black Keys
and it happened twice, in instances not so far apart in time. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both Home Depot and Pizza Hut are being
sued for infringement by The Black Keys for using parts of their songs in
advertisements without any permission whatsoever. According to an article by
Anthony McCartney on Billboard.biz, the two songs in question were both
featured on the duo's most recent album titled "el Camino" that has
since sold almost 900,000 copies. The band is seeking both damages and asking
that the ads be taken down permanently. </span><a href="http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/legal-and-management/black-keys-sue-pizza-hut-home-depot-over-1007410352.story"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">(McCartney,
2012)</span></a><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I say that if it is in fact blatant
infringement, then good for The Black Keys for standing up for what they believe
in and protecting their art. I have no tolerance for outright theft, especially
when the companies involved have ample resources to put licenses and
permissions in place. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Case 3 - Developments in
Eminem (FTP) v. Universal Royalty Case<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those of you who are not aware of this case (if
you're in the industry you should be) then here are the most basic and general
points in a long and technical case. FTP productions is the company that
originally signed Eminem and they have taken Universal/Aftermath to court over
contract language that deals with percentages of revenue regarding sales and
licenses of songs online. There is large money at stake and many other artists
have taken notice, are watching closely, and others have already similarly
filed against their respective handlers/labels. </span><a href="http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/legal-and-management/eminem-s-digital-royalties-lawsuit-leaked-1006261552.story/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">(Gardner,
2012)</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> FTP argues that a digital sale is a "license" and as such
should carry a 50/50 split instead of the mere 12% earned on sales of physical
product(s). </span><a href="http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/legal-and-management/judge-blasts-universal-in-key-eminem-royalties-1007447352.story"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">(Gardner,
2012)</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beyond this, many other technical details
such as container fees have been disputed that UMG has wrongfully applied to
digital sales though there is no packaging to speak of. Elements of this case
was passed to the 9th circuit for a final ruling as to whether or not digital
sales qualify as licenses instead of sales and the 9th circuit agreed that
digital sales should be considered licenses. </span><a href="http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/news/e3ic89e89e7caab63580018429f2a5144ce"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">(A.P.,
2010)</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> With this clarification both side have headed back to court where
the judge has essentially accused UMG of intentional dishonesty and trying to
"fool" the court. </span><a href="http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/legal-and-management/eminem-s-digital-royalties-lawsuit-leaked-1006261552.story/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">(Gardner,
2012)</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Further, the judge has allowed FTP to
amend their original complaints against UMG to include details that UMG has not
only been paying 12% where they know they should be paying 50%, but that the
revenues from which these percentages are taken have been routed through
foreign subsidiaries so that only 29% of the original dollar amount is left.
This forces FTP to take 12%-50% of 29% instead of 29% of the "whole
pie." UMG argues that they have already reached a summary judgment on the
words "our net receipts" in a prior hearing and that the word
"our" is to apply to Aftermath. </span><a href="http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/legal-and-management/eminem-s-digital-royalties-lawsuit-leaked-1006261552.story/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">(Gardner,
2012)</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>UMG says since this summary judgment is
"clear" that FTP knew they were only getting a percentage of what
made it to Aftermath and that FTP should not be able to raise this question or
be granted an option to amend.<b> </b>In my opinion UMG is desperately grasping
at straws in an attempt to avoid having to pay out millions of dollars they
know they kept wrongfully, and that's even if one only wants to consider the
"container charges" being taken from digital sales. I am glad that in
this case there is a judge who not only sees straight through UMG and the
tactics taken, but that he also takes personally being lied to and used as a
tool to cover up lies to other people, not to mention there is theft involved
here. I look forward to a final judgment, and hope beyond hope that all involved
get exactly what is coming to them.</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518789654092084716.post-51243840477006915372012-06-17T20:12:00.001-07:002012-06-17T20:12:46.277-07:00Don't Flood The Gate: Find the best time to fish!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> Anyone who is active in social media,
whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Myspace (yeah right), or even territory
specific pages like <a href="http://www.nexopia.com/" target="_blank">Nexopia</a>, <a href="http://irc-galleria.net/" target="_blank">IRC-Galleria</a>, etc, is done being
bombarded with the same exact messages everyday. We will not begin to get into
the fact that the messages asking you to actually buy are largely ignored (see
previous post below) but we should talk about the actual timing of these
messages and how they might be most effective, and most importantly not
completely annoy one's target audience. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> First of all, please if you have not
already, please do try and keep your direct marketing by e-mail if you are
selling anything or trying to gain any kind of true response and growth (again,
see previous post below). This goes double for contacting those within the
industry. While one does obviously make new connections and does have the
opportunity to go "viral", social media is for interaction and fan
"support", not sales and not true "support" in terms of
longevity and product movement in the long tail. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> According to musicthinktank.com's Bobby
Owinski there is an actual "<a href="http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/the-science-of-email-timing.html" target="_blank">Science of Email Timing</a>” that can
help you to take this one step further to make sure that your campaign is not
wasted and your analytics actually move whilst you stare at them for any signs
of life in the universe you are working so desperately to create. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> No? Okay, so if your analytics are showing
growth this is perhaps even more important for you, because there are
techniques one can employ to begin making sure that growth becomes exponential,
and not just on your social media pages, but also next time you check the $
page of your distributor. For one, after looking over the "timing"
list provided in the article, consider the suggestion added in the last
paragraph. If your already experiencing a bit of success and have fans in different
places in the world consider dividing your contact list by time zone and
setting up automated services like <a href="http://www.fanbridge.com/" target="_blank">Fanbridge</a>, <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/" target="_blank">Reverb Nation</a>, and the like.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518789654092084716.post-57137528594179328792012-06-03T13:44:00.001-07:002012-06-03T13:44:41.307-07:00Long-Tail 101: Create Your Own End Cap, And then Leave It There<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find that while there are plenty of
independent artists that naturally understand, or have become familiar with the
practice of long-tail marketing, there are still a number of independents who
insist on taking down an "old" single, CD, or product when
"making room" for the new. As a professional in the industry I come
across many artists and management teams each week and I have heard just about
every excuse for this practice; I stand firm in my opinion that this is the
absolute worse choice one could make. Of course, there are exceptions for very
new and beginning artists whose prior work was complete garbage and needed to
be taken down to make room for a polished product handled by a producer, etc,
but outside of these cases of truly poor production/content, the product needs
to stay, forever.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the very first things a true artist
should be concerned with is their repertoire and total catalog. How many times
have you been to a concert or watched an awards show and the songs by any
particular artist have come from multiple albums? How many times have been to
an online store or merchandise booth only to see 20 different designs for
shirts, key chains, USB drives, and the like, some of them from three tours
ago? Artists have websites, social pages, mobile pages and apps… each with
<a href="http://vili.lehdonvirta.com/files/thes3988/Virtual-consumption-thesis.html" target="_blank">never-ending shelf space</a> and the front page is their very own end-cap. If shelf
space is unlimited why not have all of your products listed for sale, and since
it never goes away, why not keep it there forever? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The benefits of this are not only that you
will undoubtedly gain new fans in the long run who happen to like an older song
better than a new one or perhaps just happened to hear that one first, but this
will also tremendously help sales numbers over the long-tail as older products
continue to sell along side the new ones. This also gives you a chance to
actively promote older product or even group the older product with even better
performing product to gain numbers for those that have fallen behind. What if
an advertising agent or music supervisor heard about a song you did and came by
that page looking for something very specific? You’d better have it there for
them! Get the picture? It is all about the <a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100124/1752357883.shtml" target="_blank">long-tail</a> kids. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518789654092084716.post-65859570892293170932012-05-20T20:19:00.002-07:002012-05-20T20:19:28.620-07:00Points on Negotiations for Independents: Special guest Jeramie Kling<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I first
met Jeramie Kling years ago while putting together the very first music
festival I ever attempted. We will say I learned many lessons from that first
experience, but I also made what was to become one of my best and dearest
friends. Since then we have shared a stage many, many times, toured the east
coast together, negotiated terms of many deals, as well as produced a ton of
music together between our respective studios, here in/on opposite sides of,
Florida. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jeramie
is a National/International touring musician best known for his drumming work
with The Absence on Metal Blade Records, but he also plays on tours for many
other large and well-known acts, occasionally handling studio duties for them
to fulfill deals with their respective labels as well. Jeramie is a heavily
sponsored artist, was for quite a while the face of D-Drum, is known to travel
and book/manage tours for well-known acts, and owns his very own media studio
where he records others and his own studio projects. Many an agreement comes to
my dear friend Jeramie, and often we discuss the terms of these deals together.
When the opportunity to ask a few questions about how he tends to handle
certain circumstances in an industry as, ahem, murky, as the entertainment
industry arose, I grabbed it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are a few things
that any independent artist can understand. I will spare you a rapid Q&A
session and rather explain the questions I asked and the general philosophy
presented to handling certain situations as given by a professional with years
of direct experience juggling insanity in a topsy-turvy industry where not
everyone has your best interest at heart. Dig? Let’s go… <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Firstly, given the
state of our industry and how stiff negotiations can be over pay I asked
Jeramie if he finds that more often than not he finds himself pointing to
“standard” rates for other acts that are on the same “level, or “status” within
the industry or if he finds he simply bases his stance on the actual costs of
doing business, travel, time of performers, etc. I think this to be important
information for an independent that wants to know the best way to go about
being paid and negotiating their point. Jeramie says that “The latter always…
There is no way to put a "standard" stamp on it. There are too many
variables that have to do with our current economy.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So while you may know that there are certain acts that make
a certain amount, perhaps you should try basing your negotiations on what it
will cost you to perform unless you can equally “guarantee” a certain draw for
that promoter or venue.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it comes to
things like “working toward mutual benefit” during the negotiation and being
willing to make certain concessions, Jeramie cautions that it really depends on
whom you are dealing with so this is really “on an instance-by-instance basis
only.” “Sometimes you can bargain more than others. I always try to negotiate a
better deal for my side of course.” Taking this into consideration with a bit
of my own advice I would say that he hit the nail on the head regarding your
stance sometimes being determined by with whom you are dealing. In other words,
always come to the table willing to play ball, but don’t be afraid to make your
concerns and interests clear and to bargain hard for what you came for.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lastly I thought it
may be important to cover how to deal with professionals in the industry who
you absolutely know are trying to pull dirty tricks during the negotiation, especially
for a deal you really need. Remember folks, they say “it’s a small world” but
in the world of entertainment, it gets even smaller. So I asked Jeramie how he
handles situations like this and he says he finds the best way to deal with
this type of thing is to call them on their crap. Point out that you know what
they are up to and that it isn’t going to work. The most important part of the
advice comes next, and that is to be amicable about it and work through it as
quickly as possible so they know you mean business and are not at all
unreasonable. I think this is excellent advice. It is important to continue to
work through issues and simply be willing to move past them to ensure a good
deal on both sides.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d like to thank my
good friend Jeramie Kling for taking the time to offer some insight into daily
negotiations for all independents that search out this information eagerly.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518789654092084716.post-39387825031759440492012-04-22T14:23:00.000-07:002012-04-22T14:23:04.494-07:00How To Market To Your Fans Effectively: Research shows their preference<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only in a perfect world would every "Like"
equal a sale, and every “Share” a guarantee of more fans who sat and read your
information with earnest. It is just not happening. You're a manager, a
promoter, or an independent label owner, you have all of your analytics setup
for various blogs and web-pages and perhaps your mobile landing pages as well
trying to figure out what content is making fans respond and ultimately earning
a few more. But there is a problem. As all of the likes and shares stack up and
the fans are even clicking play on the button for your attached media player, no one is
buying or even seems to be talking specifically about you are promoting. We all
put so much of our resources and belief into these projects that we even check
back frequently thinking this has got to be the one that grabs them, nope.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A little bit of research can help you find
reports such as <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://marketingland.com/77-percent-of-us-want-to-get-marketing-messages-via-email-theres-no-close-second-place-study-says-9420" target="_blank">this one</a><b> </b></span>from Exact Target's 2012 Channel preference Survey
found on <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://marketingland.com/">marketingland.com</a></span>. This
report shows quantifiable numbers based on polls taken from fans and consumers
after being asked a simple question, how do you like to receive
permission-based messages and marketing materials? Email was the chosen channel
7.7 out of 10 times. Direct mail and text messaging came in second and third at
nine and five percent respectively. This doesn't seem to be a fad or present
anomaly that is expected to change. The report shows that the preference for permission-based
email marketing over any other type has actually grown from 72% to 77% since
2008. So as they state in the article, "there is no close second-place
channel." <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here's a shocker, Social Media barely even
made a blip on the radar. The report shows that consumers love to
"Like" and "Follow" brands but don't respond in a way that
will produce sustained sales numbers or even free download numbers as the
report shows that Facebook and Twitter come in at four and one percent
respectively as the channels that costumers respond to when receiving
promotional messages. I can personally speak from experience that since using
automated email collection and newsletter services like <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.fanbridge.com/" target="_blank">Fanbridge</a>,</span> and tying them together with promotions on other sites
that allow for free mass-mail and messaging like <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/" target="_blank">ReverbNation</a></span> and others, we have seen tremendous growth in numbers
for both dedicated followers AND Sales. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Increasingly our
email list has grown as our "tried and true" fan-bases actually do
forward the messages to their address books and then they buy. We have web and
social pages in every country in most languages for our artists, and we did amazingly
well in the beginning, but not until we tied in automated, and consistent
messages, and targeted emails did we start to see real sustainable and large
growth in numbers across all of our networks. Give it a try, let me know how it
works for you, perhaps we can learn from each other.</span></span><br />
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<!--StartFragment--><!--EndFragment-->Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518789654092084716.post-79119928446004241282012-04-01T16:17:00.001-07:002012-04-01T16:17:09.619-07:00Move To Where The Food Is: Setting Up Shop In Foreign Territories<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> As new artists, managers, and industry
professionals emerge in a world full of digital distribution points, kiosks,
and mobile retailers I find it myself reminding clients more and more of <a href="http://www.taxi.com/transmitter/0402/musicbiz0402.html" target="_blank">foreign licensing and sub-publishing</a> by
territory instead of by store and platform. Though it is true that not every
product, album or song is going to find interest in markets far from home it is
still a very important strategy to attempt if for nothing else than to make
sure those professionals far-away are familiar with you or have at the very
least heard of you and what you have to offer. Depending on the genre and
territory, consider that your IP could be worth anywhere from $1.5-6k+ for a limited
amount of time and will leave you with not only the <a href="http://www.halsguide.com/crashcourse.html" target="_blank">rest of the rights not licensed in that territory</a>, but also free to
explore and collect on other territories as well. Also consider that even if
that one market is the only one landed, you can sill fall back on your chosen
distribution method simply bypassing the single territory sold and use the
money from that sale to market that endeavor anywhere in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> A funny thing is that this is something
every independent who "doesn't want to be signed" and/or independent
labels and managers should be learning as much about as possible. The simple
sales of songs and/or albums are truly not enough; licensing deals must be
sought. Having a team far from home that can look after not only the commercial
placement and sales of the existing material in that region but also possibly
arrange for other well-known artists to perform a translated version only
expands possibilities <a href="http://www.halsguide.com/crashcourse.html" target="_blank">with the right agreements in place</a>. There are tried and
true money-making deals that exist, and if you can do it for yourself, then you
are truly in a position to call yourself an independent. Otherwise you are just
throwing your money and art into the hallway with everyone else's and hoping on
hope.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518789654092084716.post-84043065922690045022012-03-11T17:30:00.002-07:002012-03-11T17:30:56.846-07:00Maybe Parts of Your Service Should Be “Broken on Purpose”...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the “Business Story-Telling and
Branding” class I am attending this month I saw an amazing video of a talk
given by Seth Godin on <a href="http://Ted.com/">Ted.com</a> titled <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/seth_godin_this_is_broken_1.html" target="_blank">“This is Broken”</a>. In the talk, which was
apparently filmed at a Gel Conference in 2006 and posted to Ted.com’s “<a href="http://www.ted.com/themes/best_of_the_web.html" target="_blank">Best of the Web</a>” page in 2010,
Mr. Godin inspired the audience to think about the things they can do to
improve customer relationships and explained that sometimes things are broken
on purpose, and sometimes things are broken because no one takes the
responsibility to make sure things work right. Mr. Godin showed very funny
examples of how easily a company or service not paying close attention to their
brand story or the basic needs of those on the receiving end of a product or
service could damage a customer relationship. While moving through his
list,"7 Kinds of Broken", the speaker built trust by using anecdotes
that common people can relate to like why long lines at airport terminals and
refreshment areas at movie theaters are completely flawed but don't have to be.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mr. Godin does an outstanding job of
"breaking down" how these mishaps occur and how they can easily be
avoided by people taking responsibility when they see something that just
doesn't work in the customer experience or delivers the wrong story about your
brand, or as Mr. Godin puts it when the service or product is "broken."
I encourage everyone to watch this video, which is only about 20 minutes long,
and really think about why some things in your product, service, or personal
brand are “broken”, and then think about some of the things you may want to “break
on purpose”… let me know you’re your thoughts… Mr. Godin’s list of the “7 Kinds
of Broken” include… <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">- Not my job<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">- Selfish jerks<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">- The world changed<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">- I didn't know<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">- I'm not a fish<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">- Contradictions<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">- Broken on purpose</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518789654092084716.post-51131040113348731492012-03-03T22:59:00.000-08:002012-03-03T23:03:44.826-08:00Professional Associations, Are You A Member?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> This week I will cover a bit of information I
believe can be helpful for not only fellow publishers and consultants but also
independent musicians and managers, who often take on multiple roles in support
of fledgling careers. Professional associations can be a great way to network
or just show a higher level of dedication and involvement within one's chosen
industry; each organization has their own respective set of rules, regulations,
and fees, and in return offer their own benefits and support for their
respective members. Depending on the industry and organization benefits can
include anything from reduced rate health benefits, legal counsel, gatherings
for networking, advice, seminars, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For consultants, one such group with low
entry fees and requirements that may suit those just starting out is the <a href="http://www.iapo.net/consultants-about.html">International Association of
Professional Business Consultants</a>. Beyond common practices such as
application approvals, to become a "professional member" of the IAPBC
one must agree to operate according to a "code of ethical conduct"
put in place by the association. This code of ethics is simple enough and
essentially spells out that members agree to deliver professional work at a
fair price, on schedule, and without any ethical issues or illegality of
purpose. The "benefits" of being a member, quoted directly from the
website, are credibility with prospective clients, respect as a professional,
credential for your resume, competitive advantage when marketing services, and
showing your commitment to a professional code of ethics. Oh, and they even
give you a fancy seal to post on your sites and social networks. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For publishers and/or
independent musicians and managers, the <a href="https://www.nmpa.org/home/index.asp">National Music Publishers
Association</a> is an outstanding group to be a member of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The NMPA offers a wealth of resources,
support and advocacy for intellectual property owners and is also the
organization that owns the <a href="http://www.harryfox.com/index.jsp">Harry
Fox Agency</a>, which handles the vast amount of mechanical licensing in the
United States for CDs and digital. According to their website and <a href="https://www.nmpa.org/join/index.asp?pageID=2">guidelines</a>, dues for
the NMPA are $100 per year and to be qualify as a member one must be involved
in the business of publishing music for at least a full calendar year. In
addition, the NMPA is also an organization a publisher or songwriter must be a
member of before they can officially be <a href="https://www.nmpa.org/awards/rules.asp">certified gold or platinum</a>,
though the accounting is still stated to as being performed by the RIAA. While
there is other organizations involved in the process of making it all official
and receiving your plaque, this is still obviously an important step.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The main objectives listed on the site for
the NMPA are to "promote, protect, and advance the interest of music's
creators" and "to represent its members' property rights on the
legislative, litigation, and regulatory fronts." Some of the biggest
issues publishers and independent musicians face are piracy and the lag in
payments from digital distributors and licensing companies. Some of the "<a href="https://www.nmpa.org/legal/resources.asp">current challenges</a>"
that the NMPA is fighting for not only include piracy and getting distributors
to pay faster, but also things like better rates on controlled compositions,
and collecting new types of royalties as distribution systems, and media as an
art form, both evolve. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> With the sheer number of lobbying dollars being thrown
around by record labels, media networks, and other involved parties, it is nice
to know there are groups out there fighting just as hard for the rights of
creators and intellectual property owners. It is also nice to know there are
organizations available for several other sectors of the industry, including
the association for consultants shared above that hold their members to strict
ethical codes and legal purpose.</span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></span><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518789654092084716.post-84635664489421530942012-02-18T17:42:00.001-08:002012-02-18T17:42:24.025-08:00Planning For Success in a Fragmented Market<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> Since this blog is still very new, and I have
only sent out the links a couple of times, I am surprised at having received
direct messages on Twitter with questions related to the topics I have covered.
First of all, thank you for reading, and for your interest! A few of these
messages were written asking me to further describe
"hyper-fragmentation" and a handful of questions were in reference to
proper ways of researching exactly what territories the writers should be putting their
media into. I will try my best to address both of these areas and will include
plenty of links for those of you who are truly interested in doing a bit of
research, planning, and ultimately executing a plan that will work best for
your project or product.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, let's discuss hyper-fragmentation
in the media market, the basics of what this is, and how you can use this
information to your benefit when planning promotion. Imagine you and everyone
in your town/city has ten dollars budgeted for personal entertainment per week
and imagine there are only four things to choose from to spend that money on.
Let's say these are a movie theatre, a new album, a game arcade, and a live
show. The choices are fairly limited and the companies offering these services
or products can bet on a fairly steady, and predictable, income. Now
fast-forward many years and you still have the same ten dollars for
entertainment but the choices of how to spend that money have increased
exponentially over that time. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now there are many companies offering even
more services and products like personal video game consoles, individual games,
separate controllers, movies available PPV/On Demand/online-rental /home
delivery/Red Box, etc. This is in addition to the growing number of music
services streaming, selling and embedding everything down to the artist bio,
the bands individually doing the same and hosting live concerts online (with
associated ticketing), plus the growing number of apps and platform games, and
the like. You can see now that each of these industries like movies, music,
games, and concerts have all fragmented and the incomes of these companies have
been reduced as they now fight for your equally-fragmented entertainment
dollar(s). Dig? Moving on...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can we use this information to develop
a product that will compete in today's marketplace and have a chance of
bringing in a return? For one, realize that regardless of the industry you are
directly involved in you too will also have to "fragment" and dive into
other sectors like mobile/social applications, embeddable stores, social media,
games, videos, SEO, etc. To put it plainly, regardless of the
"sector" of the industry you find yourself in you must adapt to other
sectors to offer your customer or fan a total package. This package should be as
interactive as possible and create a "feedback loop" so that those
customers or fans can always find new information, as well as hidden and/or
exclusive products, as they bounce between your website, your mobile
application, social media, Qrickit landing pages, games, etc. You now have a
media experience and not just a video, game, a single, or a mixtape for sale. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, for the next question… Which
territories (countries, areas) are best for you to release and promote your
product in so that you too can have your very own "Rex Manning Day"
you ask? This is the fun part, now you get to use some of the information found above, along with the links I'm going to provide below, to do some
research! Think <a href="http://www.juniperresearch.com/viewpressrelease.php?pr=246" target="_blank">globally</a>,
there is no excuse for an entertainment product that is not found <a href="http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/DMR2011.pdf" target="_blank">absolutely everywhere</a>
and in every form imaginable. <a href="http://mobithinking.com/guide-mobile-Web-Japan" target="_blank">Japan</a> has been
completely reinventing the way mobile interactivity and commerce is done, <a href="http://mobithinking.com/blog/why-asia-dominates-mobile-web">China</a> is
an important market, and <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/11/30/china-social-networking/" target="_blank">you can't use Facebook to promote and sell music there</a> so do your homework. The UK,
Germany, Ireland, Russia, these are all important markets that should not be
ignored.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Find your niche, use tools like <a href="http://www.claritas.com/MyBestSegments/Default.jsp" target="_blank">Claritas</a> and <a href="http://www.quantcast.com/" target="_blank">Quantcast</a> to find out who you are looking
to sell to, and then find out where they hang out. Avoid paying for
advertisements that put your product in unfriendly brand positions or using ad services that position
your ad near totally dissimilar products from the one you are offering. Be
competitive and make sure that if you are selling, say… beats or instrumentals
that your advertisement is on a page where beats and instrumentals are sold and
the other ads around yours are related, not a washing machine or a stereo.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518789654092084716.post-13950817313742801972012-02-05T20:00:00.000-08:002012-02-18T11:56:32.957-08:00Effectively Managing Your Online Distribution Plan<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> One in five questions I receive working as
an entertainment business consultant revolves around distribution of media and
more specifically regarding timetables for releases and their promotion. This
is completely understandable when you take everything into consideration and
this is often a long conversation but we will sum up quickly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> With so many different types of
"stores" available to license holders online and the equal or greater
number of "digital distributors"
who are happy to take a fee per single, album, ringtone, and the like, it can be
a confusing time for an independent artist or manager who is also working to
finalize the product, marketing materials and distribution channels. Each of
these "stores" has their own ways and costs of doing business. Most
frustrating, each of them also have their own schedules for uploading an
artists media once received and often it is up to the artist to
"keep an eye out" for its availability once loaded to the platform.
Add to this the number of "apps" that are now expected to be
integrated into social and mobile experiences that carry their own contracts,
fees, and self-serving upload schedule and the time management for releases can
be head spinning if not managed very carefully with an emphasis on relevant
information. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> Indeed many, many advertising dollars have
been completely wasted due to promoting a product as available when fans cannot
find it in their favorite stores due to a hasty decision to rely on a quick
service that promises quick turnaround for itunes (and the rest of the world in
5-6 weeks). This could be a real bummer if your largest fan bases are outside
the United States, and due to the many micro-niche artists out there and the
multitude of above-mentioned services this is the case more often than not.
Some of the "worst-case scenarios” I have seen involve artists on tour
promoting inactive links and unavailable product due to a
"set-it-and-forget-it" mentality with their fancy new blanket
distribution site online.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: large;"> So here are a few quick things to keep in
mind to keep both your spending and value-chain effective. First, have a solid
pre-release promotion strategy. The project must be managed in a way that sets
everything out by time and territory. Which territories are the most important,
i.e. where are your fans located? Do your homework and figure out the services
you will need to utilize for those territories and contact the rights
societies, publishers, and distributors. Try and <a href="http://musicians.about.com/od/musicindustrybasics/f/distribution.htm" target="_blank">license your material piece by piece, place by place</a> and
then think about blanketing the rest of the world with a quick and easy
service. Once this is done choose an online distributor that will allow you to choose a pre-release date and plan spending accordingly (<a href="http://www.musicianwages.com/the-working-musician/the-diy-musicians-pre-release-checklist/" target="_blank">have things in order first</a>). This way you can be extremely specific
about when the release will be available and all other efforts like press
releases, appearances, touring, etc. can run concurrently towards the same
goal, efficiency. This also allows for better measurement of your efforts and
makes it easier to attain greater goals with new material rather than
contacting press about a song that came out 2 months ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span><span id="goog_1717903689"></span><span id="goog_1717903690"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518789654092084716.post-4752434878113051682012-01-15T13:49:00.000-08:002012-02-10T18:54:36.203-08:00Damn the Man, or Save Your Empire?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: .5in 1.0in 1.5in 2.0in 2.5in 3.0in 3.5in 4.0in 4.5in 5.0in 5.5in 6.0in; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">I think most of us can stop arguing and agree
that over the last 10-15 years the major players in the music game have missed
the bus and done their best to try and blame the loss of revenue on all but themselves. Mostly consumers and piracy have been the blamed; clearly
this is not the case. Those of us who have been paying attention know that the
decline of music revenue is also due to many other factors including the <span id="goog_1372746182"></span><a href="http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en/reports-downloads/2011-Reports/Nielsen%20-%20Fragmented%20World%20of%20Music.pdf" target="_blank">hyper-fragmentation</a><span id="goog_1372746183"></span>
of the entertainment market and greed; let us not forget that consumers were
pirating music long before the Internet with just a bit of scotch tape and
rolled up paper to fill the holes in cassettes. There are hundreds of
micro-niche television channels, many new consoles for video games, thousands
of sites to stream or preview music and of course all of the different ways
consumers can find media in vending boxes outside convenient stores. Even
embedded on their Myspace or Facebook and ready to go PPV. That's a lot of ways
to break up a consumer's extra dollar and these are just the tops of the list.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> So now with all of these new channels for
media to travel "direct-to-fan", and the "majors" in the
music business still crying out in confusion from their glass houses inducing
shaking knees in the multitudes of the unwashed masses, how does a modern
musician or manager confidently decide what will best fit their value-chain to
actually make some money from their craft/product/service? Should they
"damn the man" and refuse digital distribution and streaming options
by only allowing a preview on their website and attempting to go "street
gold" selling 50,000 copies out of the trunk on tour? Perhaps only fulfill online
hardcopy product directly from Amazon? Perhaps modern musicians and management
would do best to simply embrace all of the different services that are
available in an attempt to "save the empire."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> We all have our favorite products, stores,
and services. Rarely straying from these unless there is great savings in hard
economic times and there is a need to drift from normal goods, occasionally
wind is caught of a great product or service from a trusted friend and a new
brand relationship is born. Why would media be any different? Should we assume
then that there are those who prefer digital to hardcopy product, stream vs. own and
that these consumers rarely deviate from their comfort zone? Of course we
should, so the questions really become where should the product be offered,
will one service or distribution outlet take revenue away from another, and
should we care? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> If fans get your content how they want, when they want it and they chose your product out of all of this
hyper-fragmentation should you sweat the penny? If they are happy,
buying/streaming/downloading, or otherwise "sharing" the content with
"friends" who are in love with "likes" and thereby inducing
even more buying/streaming/downloading then I say damn the man and save your
empire. In other words, if there is a dollar on the ground, pick it up. Realize
that there are fans who don't buy songs but do buy T-shirts and after they listen to the song on Spotify everyday they will be at your concert wearing your T-shirt, maybe they will buy another
one. Move your most popular song to a piece of online real estate where you can collect some
advertising royalty and license it by territory, offer it on obscure ringtone
sites in Romania and Finland. Diversify or die.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> For those of you who are reading this and
saying to yourself, “I thought the Black Keys said streams aren't worth
anything" I say to you again diversify or die, and if there is a dollar on
the ground pick it up. Even the Black Keys started out somewhere and until you
get to where they are now through stupendous viral activity I suggest not
sweating the penny and catching your future fans wherever they may be
fragmented. Of course, I would like to offer a bit of professional
"backup" on the matter and direct you to a couple of amazing articles
by <a href="http://www.davidtouve.com/" target="_blank">David Touve</a>, Assistant Professor of
Business Administration and Strategy and Entrepreneurship at Washington and Lee
University. In these articles Professor Touve does the math to break down
royalty generation for streams and radio plays per listener in the <a href="http://davidtouve.com/2011/12/18/us-radio-versus-music-services-a-comparison-of-the-value-of-spins-versus-streams/" target="_blank">USA</a>
and <a href="http://davidtouve.com/2011/12/13/uk-radio-versus-spotify-a-comparison-of-the-value-of-spins-versus-streams/" target="_blank">UK</a>
as well as <a href="http://davidtouve.com/2011/12/08/itunes-downloads-versus-spotify-streams-a-comparison-continued/" target="_blank">itunes downloads vs. Spotify streams</a> A bit of outside perspective on the articles
can be found <a href="http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/digital-and-mobile/business-matters-is-internet-radio-a-substitute-1005878752.story" target="_blank">here in a Billboard article</a> covering the pieces written by the professor.hyper-fragmentation</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Transparent World Mediahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11269560930390889877noreply@blogger.com0