ENTERTAINMENT Tackling the age old question: How does one make it in the music business? By Sy Muhammad For Phila. Front Page News

ENTERTAINMENT Tackling the age old question: How does one make it in the music business? By Sy Muhammad For Phila. Front Page News

Sy Muhammad

Well, to answer this question, it really depends on where you are in your stride to become the next Beyonce, Usher, Jay-Z or Lady Ga-Ga. Let's start with the first and most important.

I won't pretend to solve your quest in one article, but I can at least steer you in the right direction. First is your music, what is it? What genre are you in? Is it R&B? Hip Hop? Jazz? Alternative? Each genre has its own ways and means but there is a line that goes through all the genres. For sake of example, let's use two genres I know well, Hip hop and R&B.

Decide what kind of artist you are, then stay true to that. If you sing, sing about what you know, what you feel, if you rap, the same applies. Next, be prepared to support your dream. Often we spend a great amount of money on clothing, cars, parties, significant others, for some of us its drugs, but when it comes to our dreams, we sometimes try to cheap our way to success. If you don't invest in yourself, who should? I'm not talking necessarily about money but also time.

Many would be artists will spend 50 hours a week working for someone else and devote a whopping 3 hour a month to their music career and wonder why nothing is happening. Invest the proper time and whatever money you can realistically afford in your career. The next thing to do is Practice your craft.

The most successful people in the business are some of the hardest working people in the business, which is why they're successful. Don't just think you are good, make sure of it by investing the time into your craft. Next it's sound. If this was 10 years ago, I'd be talking about finding a quality studio to record in, but in this age of the software revolution, you are in luck since there are several options. Let's talk about a few of them.

There are so much affordable software out there and so many people who have music software like Pro-Tools, Logic, Reasons, and there are several others, all user friendly. Most people today record right on laptops or home PC's. The Platinum recording artists OUTCAST are multi-millionaires and their recording booth is Big Boi's bathroom. They've made millions from music made this way. In other words you don't have to go to a $600 a day recording studio to get great sound (A big studio wouldn't hurt but is not entirely necessary).

If you know 5 different producers in your community we assure you they all have several different means of recording. Now, what are you recording? What are your songs? Many rap artists want to break in on the scene with the gritty hard cold blooded thug sound, the sounds of the ghetto and all that, which is fine, but if you listen to any rap artist when they first come out their first couple of commercial songs are for a wide range audience are with no vulgarity.

Once you are out there, you can do whatever you want, but to get in you must play by the rules. If you doubt me, show me one rap artist TODAY who has come out with "kiss my... F.. this and that" For R&B artists, its slightly different but the same applies with the exception of what type of sound.

Generally DISTRIBUTORS like to distribute for a new artist who has music that is club friendly and can be club popular. For distributors that means sales. Next is your presentation. What does your CD cover look like? What does your CD look like? IMPORTANT! In today's standards, your CD and cover MUST look store bought. If not forget it, unless you want to confine yourself to only selling underground records, and even then, that has its own battles, which we will cover another time.

There are a lot of alternatives today to DISC MAKERS, who I love, but many of us simply cannot afford this option. Try JAZZ PRINTS on Main Street in Norristown, across the street from the Train station where the R-6 stops, or go to BLACK AND NOBEL located at 1411 W. Erie Avenue (Broad & Erie) and ask for the number for a man named CEO. This man does great work and is much, much less expensive than Disc makers. You may even know of other options. So, you've printed up a number of CD's, the cover looks great, the CD is printed, you may have even made and printed up index card size flyers promoting your CD. What to do? All you have in the beginning is you, or you and a few people dedicated to the cause. You have to hit the streets.

In Philadelphia alone, there are 225 music stores that sell on Co-signment (Will sell your CD's and take a small profit usually 30-35%) For instance, in the Delaware Valley, any store that starts with SOUNDS OF... does co-signment, Black and Nobel, does co-signment, Sam Goody, does co-signment. Do your investigation, you won't have to look or ask very far to find someone who will tell you where a store is that will house your CD's. Get them there.

Once you have done this, don't sit back and wait for the sales to roll, no you have to Merchandise, meaning you must pay regular visits to these stores and A) make sure your CD's are still on shelf and seen, maybe take a poster there and see where you can position it, talk to customers in the stores and sell them your CD. Some stores don't like this, but many prefer it.

Until you have that big Distribution deal, you must be the one who stays on top of things. Keep good records of your sales, and where CD's are. Give yourself a goal, small ones that build, for instance, give yourself a goal to sell 500 CD's or 1000 CD's and give yourself a conservative amount of time to do it, like 3 months, then work your plan, even if it means grabbing 50 CD's and hitting the streets selling them at a discount, get your music in people's hands.

Some people give their first CD's away just to get people familiar with them. INTERNET, these days there are so many sites that will help you sell your CD's, like CDBaby.com, Amazon, Orchard, I can go on. there's also nothing wrong with selling your CD's on your won website. But which ever internet option you use, it won't mean anything if you are not promoting your CD on the net, every day, letting people know you are there and where to find your music, on the net and in stores. You must become a marketing maniac.

Now, none of this is easy, its all hard but this is the business you want to be in, so it is what it is. Get on with it. VISUAL. In this day and age of Youtube, Vimeo, facebook and so on, a music video or web promo expressing who you are, where your CD's can be bought is invaluable. Use it.

Even if you cannot afford to hire a quality music video company, have you seen the images these new cell phones get? make your video or web promo yourself, do the best you can. 50-Cent is a multi-millionaire and produced maybe 8 "CRIME WAVE" youtube short films (no more than 5 minutes or so) using a cheap camera that didn't cost more than $500 and didn't even bother with lighting.

The artist GILLIE Da KID shot a video with a DROID cell phone and guess what? The video is great! Don't make EXCUSES! DO IT! Once you've gotten all this down, be realistic, give yourself a fare amount of time. Imagine that it MAY take 5 to 10 years for you to make it. If you look at any of the "BEHIND THE MUSIC" or "UNSUNG" shows you will find that most popular artists were out there struggling to make it for 10 and some of them 15 years before they were discovered or something kicked up. You're no different. WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO? Not music, but who are you getting your advice from and what is their motivation?

Please consider this. You may be getting advice from someone who doesn't know what they are talking about and or who has not been through or experienced not one thing they are so called "schooling" you on. I will get into how to find good management at another time, but these people come out of the wood work when you really start popping. Just use this simple rule of thumb: If approached, simply ask for references, primarily artist references. Talk to their artists, and if they don't give you any, don't bother with them.

If all is well and they check out, then initially only sign a 6 month or 1 year deal with a clause in it, releasing you from the contract early in case you are not feeling the arrangement due to things that can be considered suspicious in this new arrangement that way if it isn't working out, you're not stuck and lastly, the first time that manager lies, dump them.

This is some of our best advice for the new Independent artist out there whom I care about very much. In articles to come I’ll explore more of these areas and hopefully I can point you in the right direction. In the meantime, get pro-active in your dreams and begin. Talk to you next time.

Sy Muhammad