John Mellencamp

I became a Springsteen fan just recently and am starting to find the same appreciation for John Mellencamp (though he will always be John Cougar to me). His recent article in the Huffington Post certainly helped me in my respect for him, though I don't agree entirely with his opinions:

State Of The Music Business by John Mellencamp

John Mellencamp

It's Always Been This Way

The following is a phone call Buddy Holly made to Paul Cohen, the head of Decca Records, about his being dropped and them enforcing the 5 year non-rerecord policy. Holly would go on to record for Brunswick and Coral. One of the songs was "That'll Be The Day." Holly brilliantly did it under the name The Crickets as a way to bypass the 5 year non-rerecord restriction - though when it was a hit - it helped that Brunswick and Coral were subsidiaries of Decca to help him not get sued.

Buddy Holly's phone call

CwF + RtB = $$$

My favorite in the round performances are when artists perform the song they wish they wrote. Well, as a teacher, the following link is the lecture I wish I gave. Michael Masnick presented the Trent Reznor business model at MIDEM and in 15 minute laid out how simple the music industry's new era can / will / does work. In one of my classes as I played it, I could see i impacting my students. They have got to be sick of hearing how doomed the industry is and here finally is hope for the future - hope for a future.

Masnick's Reznor Case Study

Keep Your Nose Clean

The past week has seen a rainstorm of legal papers rain down upon me and my little label in a bully tactic from a major label claiming I was honing in on their territory. Well, we assessed our situations and our legal defense fund of $544 and one lawyer that owes me a major favor and a father who wors for free and decided to amount the fastest...swiftest..most hellaicious retreat defense and cotowed to every single demand. It isn't never a matter of right or wrong in these things, it is a matter of do I want to spend the next 5 years obsessing about it. So, my newest record is a collectors item. as there are now probably 15 in existance out there - yes, even agree to the order to destroy - sledge hammer meet CDs in my driveway - that was cathartic.

On an equally distressing note, just caught 4 students cheating on my last exam. I don't want to go into details how I know, but if you saw the evidence, you would be stunned that the brazen stupidity of these acts. Now I have to go through the process of busting them and turning them over to the Judicial Affairs folks. I hate this part of teaching more than anhything - it is a violation of the trust of give these kids everyday on the deepest level - come be yourself, try to be your best self, stand behind what you do - and to get this, renches my heart. Fun day in education land.

For Artists Releasing Their Own Music Or For Those Starting Their Own Label

So I just got back from the Southeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference that was held at MTSU and I was one of the three co-chairs. I will talk about the conference a bit later. Anyway, I was did a panel on Acting as Your Own Record Label and I just got an email from Carley Wolf asking about the same thing as she is about to release her new album on her own (BTW, she is great, check out her music at Carley Wolf, I saw her at Folk Alliance and SXSW this year).

Anyway, here is a bit of what I wrote (much credit goes to Al McCree from Altissimo Records, who I did a panel with at MTSU for Omega Delta Psi and he is world famous for this George Bush moment):

You have to put the same amount of energy, time and passion you put into marketing an album that you do writing and recording the album. So keep the same schedule that took you through the recording stage into the marketing stage.

There are three stages to releasing a record, think about it this way, just like you did when you made the record (preproduction, basic tracks, overdub, mix, master):

1. Creating Awareness - communicating the artist’s identity to an audience and that you exist and have a new CD out
2. Making The Connection - start and maintain relationship with fans, media and industry contacts. Two areas of focus – indirect (via the media and industry) and direct (fans / the public)
3. Asking For The Sale - create incentive for fans to spend money

There are eight areas of focus, think which ones you can afford and access then make the most of them, remembering job number one is connecting and communicating with your fans:

1. radio / TV
2. touring
3. retail price and positioning
4. publicity
5. the internet (blogs, streaming media, website, RSS, etc)
6. tradition advertising
7. direct / targeted communication with your fans / likely fans
8. creating word of mouth

From the "That was a smart move" department

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/us/05charlotte.html

"In Raleigh, executives at RBC Bank canceled the parachuters that
were supposed to appear at the grand opening of its new headquarters,
saying it was not an appropriate time to have people jumping off a
bank building."

Sorry, sorry, sorry

I have been a bad blogger, I know. I have been at 3 conference in the last 2 weeks - Arts Midwest, PAE and IBMA. I have a GREAT new post I am working on about career / life tips. It is culled from a discussion I had with actor / musician Ronny Cox last week at PAE while watching the Presidential debates. It really is inspiring / thought-provoking words of wisdom from him and some less insightful thoughts from my little pea brain.