Happy Holidays! And a little review about our 10 year anniversary to inspire your journey

REVIEW: We had a fantastic Songsalive! End of Year Xmas party and 10 year celebration at the Mint Los Angeles Mid December 08. www.socializr.com/event/gilli/songsalivexmas is the direct link of what it was about. I want to share with you how it went because I believe the success of such an event is an inspiration to us all who perform music, and deliver music content in this ever changing new music business. We celebrated it at The Mint in Los Angeles. It was STANDING ROOM only, and all the dinner tables were completely booked out in advance. We had a marathon of artists (22 singer-songwriters, 1 spoken word artist and a band so total 24) performing from 7.30pm till 12.30pm. Why was it a success? For several reasons. 1. All the artists came together to be part of it and many travelled from around the world to participate. They came and contributed their time because they knew it was for a common cause. 2. Everyone brought people. That's why it was a packed house. We all helped make it a full house so that everyone could entertain to lots of people. 3. The audience stayed for the whole evening because they were enraptured with the strong talent and the feeling that was created on the night. It was a rainy, windy, cold night in L.A, and The Mint was on fire. In the 10 years I've lived in L.A it can be a hard sell to get people out to a show, but I believe that because of the intentions we all had to "want" to make it a success, we ALL made it a success, together, as a united force. Artists who performed on the night were myself, gilli moon – J.Thomas - Christopher Barran (from Canada) - Charles William - Genevieve - Gary Fuges - John M - Melinda Ortner - Paulina Logan - The Conlons - David Babich - Wayne Storm - Amy Mathesius (from Colorado) - Bill Dobbins - Amy Raasch - Kaye Reznick - Linah Rocio (from Switzerland) - Chris Valenti – Ian Hopkinson (from Australia) – Steven McClintock & Cathy-Ann McClintock – Greg Dormani – Mike V. Plus spoken word artist J.Walker. And closing with the hottest star out from Great Britain, filled with rock, glam and pizzazz - Zoe Scott - and her 5 piece band Hosted by radio star Jennifer “JJ” Julian. Our Songsalive! showcases have always been great: with talent always exceeding expectations. Often small and intimate, this event last night was one of the few marathon type nights. All our artists are Songsalive! members, and also for last night. Some came from AROUND the world. Linah from Switzerland, Ian from Australia, and J.Thomas flew down from Sacramento JUST for the event, as well as Amy Mathesius from Colorado. The dedication of these artists to participate in it was fantastic. We gave away $1500 worth of prizes in our End of year raffle with two winners - of fantastic music business books and resources, vocal lessons, pampering gifts, Songsalive! membership and SO MUCH MORE. What I like the most is that we created a loving, creative and joyous space. People in the audience felt the energy. Brilliant. There was great harmony in the room. People came up to me and said how they loved the “energy” and camaraderie, and that the talent was superb. Yes it was. This was one of THE most successful shows we’ve had in our ten years, and what a way to celebrate our big birthday party and the holidays. I was very, very impressed with The Mint as a venue and we highly recommend it to perform at. Our Songsalive! team were fantastic, helping in every which way, at the merch booth, in the VIP room, on stage, off stage, promoting what we do and chatting with our guests. They gave their all, as did the amazing artists who contributed their talents for the wonderful night. I’m on a high. This is why Songsalive! exists. To build community and support for songwriters and musicians,…. To provide EXCELLENT entertainment looking for original music artists,…. To work with a venue that supports what we do,…. To provide a platform for talented artists,... WE achieved this last night. Songsalive! doesn’t exist without you. For Los Angeles residents: If you’re in L.A come to our workshop this Sunday (Fiona Kernaghan is our guest speaker, and Paul Moyer who moderates our workshops will kick your butt when it comes to your song you bring to present and get feedback). Our workshops are designed for our members to GATHER on a monthly basis, (3rd Sundays) share songs, learn, and just BE together as a community. Or perform or just turn up and support our Hallenbecks showcases First Fridays of the month. www.songsalive.org/losangeles for details. For worldwide residents: We have chapters all around the world www.songsalive.org/chapters for details. We provide critique workshops, performance showcases, and general "go-to" support with our coordinators who are all songwriters and volunteers who want to create community in their areas. Australia, our first Region, is run by co-founder Roxanne Kiely, and it's an unbelievable country for original music. Across the U.S we have chapters with hubs of songwriter communities who are all part of Songsalive! And now in Scandinavia we have a chapter and they did their first showcase in Copenhagen, Denmark on Sunday. We are about to start in Papua New Guinea and South Africa. UNBELIEVABLE! This is all because of people who want to tap into our international umbrella, to feel connected WORLDWIDE. And our "social networking" type organization was like this BEFORE the Internet had social network sites. This is a HUMAN NETWORK. :) If you are a Member, log into our backstage portal and USE our site. We spend a lot of time making Songsalive! function online as well as in person -www.songsalive.org, log in. Apply to showcase at future events by logging into the portal directly here at www.songsalive.org/showcaseapp). Join as a member at www.songsalive.org/join GET INVOLVED in our non-profit 501)c)3) organization. It’s not expensive. And you get SO MUCH for the value. Not a songwriter? That’s fine. Join as an Associate member and support our organization and its members. And I’m ALWAYS here for you. Much love to all, Gilli

Show Review: A fabulous Females On Fire launch in L.A

I am ecstatic about last night's Females On Fire compilation CD 3 album launch ... so I'm writing a review on it, first hand.

The event has renewed my faith in the Los Angeles music scene, which I felt had been dying a slow death since 911. Ever since that time, I felt the L.A clubs were losing audiences, and the artists and bands in this town, losing faith in their ability to put on a good show, with less and less people supporting live music and opting for home video game/internet blogging instead (something I'm doing right now.. blogging J).

Last night, 9 female artists and 3 spoken word artists, plus their musicians (a total of 27 artists) rocked the house at THE MINT, on Pico Blvd in Los Angeles. It was truly a stellar night. Firstly, we SOLD out dinner seats in advance and only an hour into the show, the room was at capacity. A full house! (130 people, standing room only)

This is completely and utterly due to the diligence and team effort of the artists involved. Everyone made it a success because they all brought people – their fans and friends… who came to support the whole night. In L.A, it can be really hard to draw a crowd, but with combined efforts of all the girls, we DID IT!

Secondly, the artists were not only talented, more on that later, but very professional from beginning to end. They all came on time (early) and were ready, willing and able to ensure the schedule stayed on time (we even ran a little early!), that they didn't hog the stage, that they used the VIP lounge, they were courteous to all, including the Mint and their sound policies outside, and were just all a great COMMUNITY and TEAM together, supporting each other. All the artists stayed till the very end, and that's a feat in of itself as we started at 7pm and went till midnight.

Thirdly, People didn't want to leave. We passed the midnight hour and the crowd begged for more.

Fourthly, artists travelled from far and wide for this. In particular, Lori and Steve of Hide From Cleo from Michigan and Claire Wyndham, all the way from Australia!

The night was in aid of the launch of the new compilation CD (details at end), and in aid of CARE.org (CARE believe that the status of women in the developing world is the key to fighting and ending global poverty. With education, skills and basic resources, they can become catalysts for change. Women can help build a better world for all. Check out their website at http://www.care.org/). Warrior Girl Music is donating $1 of every CD sale to CARE.org and part of the proceeds from last night's door is also going to their charity.

The artists

First up was Amanda Abizaid, who also graciously lent her P80 Yamaha keyboard for the night. Solo artist, she was a great first act as she set the stage for the rest of the night. She was soulful, accomplished and eclectic. Very talented lass. Robbie Kaye came on after as a duo. Two blondes on stage. Really easy going and full of flavor. Loved her too. Spoken word artist Antoinette Valente gave us a story about her rabbit with higher meaning. It was very honest and heartfelt. Thank you Antoinette for sharing such depth.

Michelle Mangione and band came on stage and took us to a whole new level of energy. Really great stage performer, Michelle rocked us with her great accessible songs. The night was really coming alive around 8pm and people were filling the room with all dinner seats taken. Claire Wyndham came on stage solo and completely wowed us. From Australia, she caught laryngitus, but you couldn't tell. She was awesome. I might say that our 2 soloists of the evening, Claire and Amanda, were able to grasp the whole audience with awe and quiet. That's quite a talent! I took the stage with musicians Shawn Cunnane and Andy Cat, and it was really fun performing on a night I also coordinated. I could feel the electricity on stage, and am grateful to feel it both ends, on and off stage last night. I'm still on such a high.

Laura Bradley and her band then took the stage. She is tall, graceful and beautiful and her songs are deep and beautiful too. Awesome. J.Walker, spoken word artist, and also co-host of the evening, gave us some time to change bands over with his riviting spoken word pieces. No ordinary poems, his flow matched an imprompu jam session on stage with Nicole (drummer from Michelle's band), Andy and Shawn (Gilli's band). What a hoot, and we were left in a frenzy!

Time for Holly Light: soulful, bluesy, rock, pop, country, folk, all in one little person… and her band were hot, including Cara from Little Sista (also a Females On Fire artist). It was now 10pm and the room was full, to capacity, with people starting to dance under the euphoria. Some of the gals including me jumped up for the chorus of Red, White and Blues bringing the house down. Flint came up next as our third spoken word artist. She has performed for us before, and tonight her talent shined again.

All the way from Michigan, Hide From Cleo, as a duo, hopped up and duelled acoustic guitars. Sensitive songs, with a great American "I feel good" vibe, their performance was a perfect wedge between 2 bands, and they were very powerful in their own right. Zoe Scott, her sister Victoria and their band ignited the stage for the last segment at 11pm. We were running early… how amazing! Zoe is from London and she has this great British retro pop sound that delivers strong with her cool voice. Perfect time slot for this band, as Zoe melted all the men, and I'm sure some women, in the room in her little black mini. They were great.

We all got on stage for a bit of a jam at the end, because at midnight people didn't want to go home. Finally I had to put an end to it all. "People,… don't you have anywhere to go on this Tuesday night at midnight? Don't you have real jobs tomorrow???" Jeez J he he. I grabbed Holly Light back up on stage to end it with a graceful, easy, cruisy song to end the night.

WHAT A NIGHT! The Mint crew were great with food, drinks, door. Thanks to Rob the sound man, Deana on the door, all of the Mint people were fabulous. The artists were fabulous. The audience was fabulous. It will go down in our memories as one of the best Warrior Girl Music Presents nights.

Thanks everyone,

gilli moon

More of Females On Fire at http://www.femalesonfire.com/

about

The FEMALES ON FIRE [double] CD compilation series celebrates close to 100 talented female artists from around the world, delivering songs in a tapestry of different genres & styles of music dedicated to messages empowering femininity, human equality, love, communication and vitality. The third compilation showcases 36 female artists from the United States (many States including Hawaii), Canada, Australia, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Japan, The Netherlands, and The Ukraine.

THE CD's mission is to create, promote and manage unique artistic creations guided by the artist's vision and under the artist's direction; creations that transcend race, age or gender and embrace passion, love for music and life, personal excellence and global consciousness. The album is focused on 4 main elements, which the artists are asked to use as guidelines in their submission: 1. exposure of great talent and timeless songs. 2. a celebration of female fire and femininity. 3. following the CD's unique artistic creations mission 4. a highly creative and production-strong CD, competitive in the market place.

Now, with 100 female artists involved, producer Gilli Moon decided it was time to use the Females On Fire project as not just a way to promote the artists involved, but worthy world causes. CARE (http://www.care.org/) was chosen as an organization to donate part of our proceeds - ($1 per cd sold) - a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. They place special focus on working alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty.

Access more information about the Females On Fire Cd Compilation, the Artists involved and to purchase, at http://www.femalesonfire.com/

Sponsored by: Groove House Records, Independent Mastering, Indiegrrl, Lawmf -- *peace, love and groovy music ----------------------------------------- www.gillimoon.com www.warriorgirlmusic.com www.femalesonfire.com www.artofmencd.com www.artistlivingroom.com

Networking and Touring for Songwriters... a Danish experience

This month J.Walker and I went to Denmark. Now, this country is not an ordinary hop skip and a jump for an Aussie girl who lives in Los Angeles, especially if one goes only for five days. That’s right, I ended up going for five incredible days, and the most fascinating part is I’d do it again 10 times over!

I was invited to come speak to the Songwriter Clubs of Denmark by Koda (the Ascap, BMI, Apra there), preceding the famous national Spot Festival that happened also on the weekend. The Songwriter Clubs, or Danske Sangskriverklubber, are a series of small but focused songwriter organizations around Denmark that support songwriters in their quest for exposure and learning. They are all independent, but the leaders all come together and meet, network and vote on various needs that Danish songwriters may need. I couldn’t understand their actual meeting component… it was all in Danish! But I spoke to the leaders (about 35) about an interesting topic to all of us artists really… how to network and tour… and specifically, how to network and tour overseas. My perspective was unique, yet very worthwhile for the Danish songwriters, as being Australian and going to the US to chase the bright lights of stardom, I knew I had kindred spirits in the room who see crossing shores as the way to “make it”.

gilli moon's BTR interview - talking about music in the digital age, life as an artist and more...

You might be interested to hear my interview with Break Through Radio from Friday.

Click on the link and be sure it's Friday 19th's show. Towards the end I talk about the projects and artists I'm involved in. Lots of food for thought about music in the digital age. This interview was brought about with my involvement with the Digital Freedom Campaign www.digitalfreedom.org

LISTEN TO GILLI'S INTERVIEW on BREAK THROUGH RADIO ::

http://www.breakthruradio.com/index.php?show=3868 Friday 19th show.

Enjoy the listen,

gilli moon

...................................................... www.gillimoon.com www.warriorgirlmusic.com www.songsalive.org www.myspace.com/gillimoon www.linkedin.com/in/gillimoon

gilli moon at Genghis Cohen, last Tuesdays

Last Tuesdays of the Month starting May 27

gilli moon's Songsalive! Showcase

@ Genghis Cohen

740 N. Fairfax Ave, LA. 90046

(Just north of melrose)

doors open 6.30pm / 7pm sharp start.

Ends at 8.45pm

Great Chinese food during or after the show.

Club (323)653-0640 for dinner reservations

Door entry - $7 per person (or $5 with flyer)

Ample free parking.

gilli moon, j.walker and other extraordinary songwriters & poets in the round

May 27: including Thomas Hornig and Amy Mathesius

June 24: including Amy Clarke and Stephen GC www.genghiscohen.com

www.gillimoon.com

www.rhymecology.com

www.songsalive.org/losangeles for all details about Songsalive! and to apply to showcase

Gilli Moon is No #7 in the Adult Alternative Charts at mp3.com.au

That's pretty spiffy!

No #7 in the Adult Alternative Charts at mp3.com.au

http://www.mp3.com.au/Charts/Artists/Adult_Alternative

“DIT”: Defining the Music Industry together in this new era.

“DIT”: Defining the Music Industry together in this new era.

- by gilli moon

Quite a few years ago, I wrote an article called “Taming of the Music Mafia”. You can read it here: www.gillimoon.com/articles. It discussed the challenges artists were facing back in 2002 (sounds so long ago now right?), and where the music industry is heading. The term “mafia” was not not a literal term I used , but more a conceptual, metaphorically speaking way to reference certain control, monopolies and bribery that existed within the music industry, whether legal or illegal, between artists, radio, promoters and record labels. I talked about how artists signed to major record companies, who then spent their money negotiating airplay or retail end cap space to sell the CDs they needed to sell, to keep the ball rolling. I talked about pay to play, buying radio hits, and playing the “game” of the major record company system. Ah,… the music industry. Such an evolving subject these days. It's like a revolving door, with nothing that sticks.

Wikipedia defines the "music industry" as such:

The music industry is the business of music. Although it encompasses the activity of many music-related businesses and organizations, it is currently dominated by the "big four" record groups, also known as "the major labels"/"the majors" — Sony BMG, EMI, Universal and Warner — each of which consists of many smaller companies and labels serving different regions and markets.

Well, they’re a little outdated aren’t they, now that EMI and Sony are one. So basically, there are the big “3”.

I find it fascinating that the music industry definition is still defined as run by so few entities. But back in the day.. oh just a few years ago... artists would play the game with the majors because it was the only way to get a look in. Basically, worldwide exposure was “bought” , it has been claimed, and that any artist trying to get a look in had a fat chance because you’d have to sign up to the devil, really. The "devil", so to speak, were these record companies, apparently, who signed their artists to 5-7 album deals in order to get some kind of life expectancy out of them, be able to push their music through their styrophome towers and through all that, constucted binding 60 page contracts that left little room for artist independence, let alone the real opportunity for them to ever make their investment back or artists to make any money..

"the music industry mafia is pimping girl power sniping off their sharpshooter singles from their Styrofoam towers..." - Ani DiFranco

Playing the devil’s advocate, independent artists, those who were setting themselves apart from the machine of signing deals (or flogging themselves to the Labels to get signed), became silently, discreetly and effectively (to the major public eye) more in control of their business. I was one of them.

The cold hard fact was that Artists needed to become more in control of their careers and less beholden to the deep pocket, the stifling un-creative rigidity, and possibly (probably) get screwed, shelved, or bankrupt in the process. We all know, and knew then, that the "empire" was about to unravel. While independent artists began a surge of self-empowerment and the “indie” world ignited, so did the empire begin to crumble… as expected, and much needed. We all need Rome to fall in order for something new and exciting to transpire. Since my first article, Pandora’s Box has indeed opened and whilst label executives had kept their jobs for fifty years, since 2002, the majority have lost them. There is no more “status quo”. This is the movie The Terminator, except instead, the artists are the ones taking over the world.

What has happened is quite remarkable: the consumer started making decisions about what music they wanted to listen to. Instead of Corporate Music America deciding what we were to hear on radio, see on TV or watch live, consumers, with their ipods, napsters, myspaces, limewires, and youtubes, searched music content of their own choosing. Just google something and you can find it, and usually for free. They didn't want to have music forced down their throat anymore, especially when so much more interesting and abundant music was and is floating on the Net.

The indie artist quickly stepped up to the plate before a Major Record Company exec could write their next marketing plan. How exciting for an indie artist, who has always had to think outside the box and find other ways to get to the masses: the masses at their door step. And the "front door", with people banging loudly, became the artists' own websites, and Myspace profiles and anywhere an artist can upload, blog, ping, splash on the Internet. The indie artist began to take control of not only their careers and future income potential, but take control of how music is being marketed.

Meanwhile, the Major Record companies have had to think fast. Their CD sales plummeted, because consumers began to buy on the Net (downloads) direct from artists, and Cds were where their income had purely come from in the dinosaur days (that's just a few years ago by the way). They let off thousands of employees. Music retail chain stores began to close (Tower was the bedrock of Cd sales history. I was sad to see it go on the Sunset Strip, Hollywood). Recordd companies were closing down, merging, disappaiting, watching and waiting. The Majors realized they had to had to come up with marketing strategies and new revenue streams to survive, compete with the indie artist model of guerilla street and internet marketing tactics, that was thriving. The indie artist's model was now the model to go by. Who would have thought?

The Grammy Nomination systm is still a frustrating experience. Out of the hundreds of nominated artists, with some worthy albums and songs, the large percentage is trash. The best music to find is outside the traditional commercial norm: online blogs, word of mouth, iTunes, podcasts. Music television like MTV and VH1 rarely play a music video, what with lifestyle shows eating up the programming. It's partly the consumers' fault. We want reality... for some odd reason we want to get into the lives of real people and watch it on a daily, hourly basis. That's why American Idol works so well. Those artists that win each series become hugely famous in nanno seconds not just because it's rigged (um, I mean calculated programming by TV execs in cohoots with the record company ready to release an album by whoever wins). It's also successful, and the execs know it, because consumers WANT to be PART of an artist's development now. They don't want to buy an album by someone that is unknown and just lands on our airwaves (which is the old routine, payola and all that to get it there). No, consumers want to live and breath every moment, every tear, every laugh, every wrong note along the way to winning the contest that they have had a hand in voting. And then, when the record company releases the single only weeks after the last program of the series (weird how the timing is so perfect, huh?!), then the consumer is ready to buy, buy, buy, because they feel like they were part of the process of making that artist successful.

I’m not sure if I like the idea of American Idol being the barometer of talent, but it's true to say that the cream will always rise to the top, no matter how much sh-- you need to swim through.

I’m swimming as hard as I can…

The current shift

The new artist entrepreneur grew out of the ashes, like the phoenix, of dying Rome. It's just plain and simple. No one should be at the mercy of a large corporation when they don't even know the way. Many celebrity "major" artists once signed to major labels, have left them, and became indie, starting up their own labels (Radiohead, Simply Red to name a few). This is not just because they chose to. In some situations, the majors no longer have the power to keep up the level of promotion and finance, that these artists needed in the past. While there is still a "system" in place that the majors seemingly think they are in control of, because they still have more money to play with, it's a daunting future for them, because the income streams are so fleeting and ever changing.

Where we’ve arrived at is a slow shift of a quagmire – that is, it is seemingly unmoving and we don’t know exactly what the next phase is, but at the same time, there are shifts happening where artists are becoming more empowered, and labels are starting to change their face in order to meet the new business models, working with and by the artists’ playing rules. It’s a really exciting playing field, and not just for indie artists: but for the labels too. Everyone has had to change the way they do business and now we are all on the same playing field with bat in hand.

Artists have been able to control their sales & distribution, as well as their public awareness campaigns, themselves, and easily through internet interfaces. I'll explain further down about that. The record companies, in turn, are almost modelling their marketing tactics off indie artist ideas. For example, Marie Digby. Apparently she was so successful on Youtube.com promoting herself from her living room, playing raw, passionate original songs direct to 2.3 million friends, that she became an instant star, following that landing songs in TV shows and filling stadiums. Indie artist? Seemingly. But not really. There was no mention that she was signed. Just a girl with guitar. What we discovered later was this was a calculated marketing tactic by her record label, Hollywood Records, owned by Disney, to reach the new consumers who want to discover their own talent instead of being force fed. It worked. We all loved her Youtube site, and thought this 24 year old was a self-made success, and we were all discovering her. But the label was behind the ploy the whole time. You can read more about that here, and read other people's thoughts: http://www.p2pnet.net/story/14155

Personally, I think it's great. It's a clear example of how independent artists are offering the way, AND it's a solid affirmation that we are now all on the same playing field: artists and labels - we all can reach our audiences without having to "play that devlish game".

Where does it leave the independent artist? Well, I still think that although the "new model" is REALITY music, independent artists are more REAL in their marketing than anyone else. We are the first to let our fans into our worlds: our websites, our blogs, our free downloads. We want to interact with our fans, and we want them to be part of our development. Some indie artists invite fans to become investors in their CD production which is a great new way of including them in the early days, as well as helping to fund the album and it's eventual marketing.

I listened to a panel of record company execs recently at the Durango Songwriters Conference, that included reps from Warners, Curb and Atlantic. I felt it was a healthy discussion because I realized that the Labels now know they need to work WITH the artists and not just force feed their agendas on them, and everyone else. Reality is, as at March 2008, digital sales have plateued. Only 10-12% are legal downloads and Companies need twenty indicators to go off at once, not just a few Cd sales as ducks in a row, to see if their artists are going to "make it". There is a trend to go for the more organic music that shows realism rather than plastic, manufactured bland pop that represented an era that is dead. Music needs to be real, alive and shows the story of the artist that consumers so desperately want to interact in.

On another tangent, the younger generation are so distracted with all the available "toys" in their lives, that music is becoming a lesser "want". Gone are the days when a 16 year old would sift through vinyl records in their local music store for 3 hours trying to hunt down their favorite Grateful Dead album. These kids of today are plugged in introveniously to their ipods, cell phones and portable laptops, and are scouring the internet just for a quick, short term fix of a tune they heard on reality TV. Then trashed forever while they grab another quick hit song to engulf. They don't care if it's 5.1 Surround sound, 64 channel mixed. Nothing. They take it as it is, compressed, squashed and lifeless. They are also distracted by video games (hence that is now a great music marketing area to place your songs in), blogging, Instant messenging, social networking and all that is unrelated yet related to music. They love to chat, all day long, on their little digital interfaces, and if music happens to be involved, it's fast, furious and disposable. Preferably free to them.

Where to next?

So how do we hold onto our fans and create a career, then, if we are so disposable? What is the future for us Artists who love to make music, real music, that sounds big and fantastic and used to come with glossy visual CD covers that told our stories?

Well I see it is two fold: It’s about concentrating on two areas of our lives, and forgive me for asking artists to be a little business savvy here, but it’s absolutely vital to understand business and marketing. There’s no way out of it anymore. If you think you’re going to be in the music “business” without being business savvy, then get out now and make way for those who can do that part, because that’s the only type of artist who is going to “make it” (however you want to define that). I’ve spent a whole book speaking about artists as business people. Check it out: www.gillimoon.com/thebook. It’s called “I AM A Professional Artist – the Key to Survival and Success in the World of the Arts”. I also addressed the concept of “success” in that book, and I believe you need to define success on your own terms, not by some commercial token of reward, because these “tokens” are changing. Once a dream may have been to be number one on radio. Well, my friends, I figured that smoke and mirrors out long ago, and it had a lot to do with payola, timing and what deal you had in place. Nowadays, a token of success could be that you land the front page of MySpace. However you see it, and whatever you want, it can all be real, but don’t lose sight of the bigger picture – the longer path. Tokens come and go. Artistry is life long. Anyway, you can read the book to get the jist of my take on success.

So, for an artist to think business-like, it needs to be broken down without all the bells and whistles and ambiguity that Record Labels have done in the past. I see it in two ways:

1. Sales & distribution, and 2. Public awareness campaign

1. Sales & distribution centers around all the avenues that you can make money. These days, you make money from diversity, not just one avenue. Gone are the days when you wait for your royalty cheque for record sales. You can have record sales (CDs) but they will slowly die out. Don’t worry, something else will take it’s place in a tangible form, I promise. We still like to hold things in our hands, at least for now. So you have CDs, that you can sell at gigs, or in stores. When it comes to bricks and mortar distribution, you’re far better off just having your CD in the system rather than shipping them to the stores because if they don’t sell… if you’re not in that little town pushing the heck out of it, you better get your cheque book out to cover the return shipping. Still, retail is minorly tangible and doable, but touring is a real asset for any artist. Getting out there, being on the road and selling your products is so valuable. Remember, fans want to see you and feel you. It’s a cash business, an impulse business – they see you perform, they buy your Cd. I I think of myself as a door-to-door salesman ready to sell anything I have available (“Wanna buy a watch?” she says, as she opens her invisible trench coat). I sell CDs, my book, t-shirts, caps, mugs, posters… whatever I have that is about me. Fans love to grasp onto anything that’s about the artist.

Other areas of revenue include the now lucrative, but soon to be densily populated, film and television music placement market. Did you know that this is the number one marketing plan for record companies these days? That’s right. It’s lucrative if you’re ready to play the game hard and get on the phone. But it’s there for the taking, and artists and labels alike are equal with their foot in the door. While labels may have “ins” with the film companies (example, Sony Music and Sony Pictures), indie artists also get a look in because their original songs are usually easier to clear, and that makes it much easier for the music supervisor who needs to get the song in the film fast (music is always the last thing placed in the film by the director which is sad because there’s less of a budget, but we can capitalize on the opportunities fast).

Anything where you can think outside the box, and expand your revenue sources from all the creative aspects of yourself, will bring in opportunities and money. The focus should be about expansion and not the pennies. For once you start thinking abundantly, and expand your horizons, the money will flow in.

Capitalizing on your fan list is the most important avenue, because in business the most important thing is to take care of your current customers. So if you can work hard at building a relationship with your fan base, and tease them with new products for sale, and some giveaways, such as music downloads and ringtones, you’ll find that they will keep buying from you forever. Now, this theory works well for indie artists who are personally in touch with their fans. For the majors, they’re finding in this new era, that their targeted consumer base: young, hip, distracted, internet teenagers (I mentioned them above) will usually buy the first Cd or download, but can’t guarantee even 10% of sales for the next one. Poor Labels. I sympathesize with them as they “move through this rough period”. Believe me, an A&R executive actually said this on the panel last weekend. “We are assessing it as best as we can, as we move through this rough period”.

Rough period: What! Are we in the dark ages? Hell no. This is the age of enlightenment, of empowerment, of artist growth and global change. Just watching the U.S democratic primaries just makes me so invigorated about the future, no matter who gets in as President. We need this diversity, and change, and new thinking. I’m so excited to witness the evolution of artist empowerment and people empowerment before my eyes, while old mainstream corporations tumble.

2. Public Awareness Campaign – while those who are dependent on the nickle and diming suffer in their “rough period”, the second avenue of focus for artists is critical in order to support the sales and distribution: developing your public awareness. We have all the tools at our fingertips now: the Internet is our friend. Building relationships, everywhere, with everyone. Using social networking sites to draw attention to your website is the masterful plan.

Your website it the hub, the home for everything. No matter where you are on the Internet with your music or information, make sure that it always links back to your website, as that is the one thing you can control, and the one area where you want your fans to embrace your music and artistry. THIS is the new place to show everything about you, taking over the old CD Cover. You can bring your visual form to life with the way you design your website, and allow fans to enter into your world, and hopefully, live and breath it on a constant basis.

Build your fan list, one fan at a time (I now have over 25,000 on my list from doing every gig in the land… it takes time, but it’s so worth it.) Send really cool and insightful newsletters. Get to know your local media, which includes the traditional radio, tv, newspapers, magazines. And know that internet promotion is equally if not more beneficial: cross linking, adding comments, blogging, banner ads, discussion lists and networking.

Be out in the world. Just get out there. That’s the title of my next book I’m currently writing. Go to music conferences, play at festivals, get on compilations, host artist nights… where you can gather like minded individuals and help promote each other’s music. Podcast, webcast, Youtube, Myspace, Facebook. Gosh by tomorrow there will be 50 more sites to be on. Every day it’s evolving and growing.

Most importantly, nurture your current contacts and build formidable relationships. Most of my opportunities come from people I already know, and sometimes years down the track. And even if you’re 35, 45, 55, 65 years of age,… it doesn’t matter how old you are. I write about this often. There’s no age limit to artistry. You just need to know your market. Market yourself to the audience that loves you for your music, not how high your skirt is at age 18.

Have a plan. Have a dream. Dream big. Everybody should have their own plan. Don’t rely on a Label to provide you with the answers, because they’re right there with you wondering what the answers are too. You don't need a label, and the labels know you don't need them. But because everyone knows the same thing, there is no harm now working together on new models, deals and visions where EVERYONE benefits.

DIT

OK so here’s the crux of it. Listen good: there is no “us” and “them” anymore. There is no fight and there are no sides to take, anymore. You can be indie, and you can be signed. You can be self-released, and you can be commercially distributed. There is a “we” that we need to recognize now, in order for the music industry to survive, and for the “music” that we make to be respected and protected.

There is the overly used term “DIY” – Do it yourself. Sure, go ahead. But here’s my new theory. DIT: Do It Together. I am quite invigorated with the state of the music industry because artists and labels now have an opportunity to work together on a new future. Labels are making new deals where artists are more in control. Joint ventures are cropping up, and 360 deals are a buzz word (basically labels are taking a share of all revenue artists’ make, not just CD/music sales.) It might sound a little fishy, but in reality, it is asking for Labels to work harder now on the other areas of an artist’s life, not just on recording their album. Labels can help with their web presence, their merchandise, their touring, and be accountable too.

DIT means that indie artists don’t have to feel like they’re doing it alone. They are independent, yes… building their business as any entrepreneur should. But you can’t do it alone. You do it with people who support you: your team. We are in this world to work and be together.

I’m inspired by the opportunities at hand. They are what you make of them. You can either go back to your coffee and TV after you read this blog, or you can get on the Internet, turn the music up loud and take advantage of the sea of possibilities awaiting at your fingertips.

"We live in a time where entrepreneurial excellence is paramount. it's time for artists to take control of their own destiny..."

- gilli moon