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ARTICLES, ARTICLES, ARTICLES
Major &
Independents Must Join Together For Industry's Success
by BJ Truth
(Nov. 2010)
For those of you who truly understand this crazy animal called the music business, it is certain that you understand that it is comprised of two levels. That being the major and the independent levels of doing business. Whereas, the success or the failure of the other does not equate to the failure or the success of its counterpart. In fact, it is the very existence of one that supports the livelihood of the other. Let us for arguments sake call it the Yin & Yang components that help us to visualize the overall concept of being. To truly comprehend the music industry in its entirety one needs to take a sip from both cups, not to see which one tastes better, but to experience the best of both worlds. Several years ago when asked who you were with (in terms of your music being promoted) and you replied that you were independent, your response would have been greeted with a sarcastic and somewhat wry expression. Sort of like to say that you were a loser or a "wanna be", like the guy who is studying to be an actor but is presently driving a taxicab. The mere fact that he is studying to become something positive and at the same time doing something realistic to support his dreams denotes the fact that he is actually a winner who wants to continue to be successful in other areas. The concept of you doing both at the same time is a sign of the times. For anything worth having is definitely worth working hard to achieve. As such, as the basis of this article suggests, it is time for both the major and independent levels of the industry to come together to turn this industry around and get it back upon its feet. In order to commence upon this giant task let us first examine both levels in their day to day operations.
Major Labels
Plusses: They are the backbone of the music industry, they are the ones who set it off, keep it going and most importantly keep it in your face 24/7 without missing a beat. They can make your artist, label or product a household name with a flick of a switch. You can go to bed one night a virtual unknown and go on to lose your privacy in a matter of days. They can have your product spinning in rotation upon the top tier radio stations throughout the world and have your video presented on every top tier video station as well. They can place you as the opening act for some of the biggest names in show business with a phone call. First class seating on the airline of your choice with stays at five-star hotels and stretch limos all the way up to the door at the Grammy Awards.
Minuses: All the above costs major bread (money). We're not talking about a couple of slices here, we're talking about bags and bags of bread. As such, they are forced to recoup a considerable amount of money just to break even, not even mentioning the concept of making a profit. You have to take in mind the overhead costs involved to make these humungous organizations profitable. With offices across the globe, exaggerated video costs, legal staffing just in case problems do arise, radio rotation, etc, etc,. Its enough to make a sane person go insane. In recent times the major outfits have devised a plan to help ease the costs of doing business which has been given the moniker of "The 360". Under this scenario the major label shares in the profits of the proposed artist' revenue from concert performances, merchandise sales, etc,. The problem here is associated with how big the artist may be. Keeping in mind that concert and merchandise sales figures aren't going to be tremendous for a newly signed unknown artist as they would be for let's say "The Stones". For that reason the majors have been slower than normal in signing new acts. Simply put, it takes too much money to get the new act up and running, so they have been searching out those who which have built up something upon their own. As this would work to ease the costs of developing a following for the new act. There was a time in the not too distant past whereas a&r would scour the world looking for the next best thing, but in this present economy even this has become a major headache and expense of doing business. As such, many a&r today simply search online to see who or what is hot. This has prompted many independent artists to purchase software that will generate hits to their media pages such as myspace and others. The problem here is that even if your hits are for real--does that guarantee a transition into high sales figures. An important fact to note in regards to the major outfits is that one of or several of their projects can go gold or platinum and they could easily still experience a loss.
Independent Labels:
Plusses: They are the foundation of the music industry. They come from garages, park benches, clubs and stairwells across the globe. They normally don't have any music business experience in most cases so they are not tied down to doing business in any particular form. However, they are more in tune with what is good as they are not tied down to sales charts or presentations on what has or has not sold. They truly have the time to listen to and experience the music being heard. They do not normally have a large office or legal staff. In fact, there might just be a couple of people wearing several hats. Their videos are usually recorded on someone's mothers camcorder with the editing being done through some $100 computer video program. They can usually sell records without radio rotation as they normally do not have access to radio programmers. However, if the song is right and the video concept is appealing, they can become the darling of the internet on youtube or some other video upload website. Most important to note for the independent label or artist, they can turn a profit with as little as 5000 copies sold. In all reality 5000 units sold might net the independent more income than if they were signed by a major label and had ten times more units sold.
Minuses: Due to their lack of industry knowledge their chances of making it really big are slim. In most cases, depending upon their genre and physical location the chances of radio rotation might be little to nonexistent. This is not to say that they can't or won't make it. Hey in the early days of Rap, records were being sold out in hours without radio rotation, major concerts or even photos on the cover. The difference here is that the label had a plan in regards to moving their product. Thus, if the counterparts of the independent label don't have a plan to move their product or better still do not know how to move a product the end result may be zilch.
WHY AND HOW THE MAJOR & INDEPENDENTS MUST JOIN TOGETHER (To be continued)
ENTERTAINMENT PRESS RELEASES
Brandon Music Group Presents Indie Music
Stimulus Program
April 2009 Philadelphia/New York- At a time when many in the mainstream of the music industry are seeking ways to return to profitability, BMG has a corrective solution. The music industry's tight control by the majors, has grown to create many hybrids, giving BMG the ability to place in the hands of the creative indie, control of their own musical fate. Brandon Music Group's JaThom Records, Brandon Records and Spirit Soul Labels are ready to assist in the Indie Musical Freedom Act. The leaders of this movement are, Fred Sutton and James (Count Coolout) Minor. Sutton says they are looking to return the fundamentals to the music industry, where good music gets the spotlight. Hence they have created an Indie Music Stimulus Program, which provides entree to motivated professional independent production companies, publishers, and artists. This is a participation program, which enable the indie to get a distribution organization and its experience for an affordable cost while receiving a greater return on their investment (ROI). READ MORE
Brandon Music Group (BMG) Press Release
October 22, 2008 ~ Philadelphia | New York - For those in the independent music community, the problem remains the same. Who will listen to my music? Who will give me a deal? If I get a deal will my music be played on the radio? Will it be available in stores? Will you be able to download it on the Internet? If my music sells will I be paid my royalties? There is a new independent player that is making all answers to those questions YES.
Brandon Music Group with offices in Philadelphia and New York has developed a multi genre music distribution system for those seriously motivated production companies, publishers, record labels and entrepreneurs. They offer worldwide distribution on an ala carte basis for legally and fiscally functioning companies. You can choose to distribute your project in your home city, regionally, nationally or worldwide. Your project, if accepted will be promoted to radio stations, retail outlets, thru the internet, and all digital medium to include juke box, iTunes, ring tones etc. All projects must meet the A&R integrity outlined under BMG’s project protocol. READ MORE
BMG Presents New Music for the New Year
January 19, 2009 ~
Philadelphia | New York - Brandon Music Group (BMG)
is positioning itself for its 2009 artists releases. According to Fred Sutton BMG’s Chief
Operating Officer, BMG is still in the stages of developing
a multi-genre
roster from its Brandon Records LTD, JaThom Records and its newly developing
gospel label Spirit Soul Records. James Minor, Sutton’s right hand and VP of
A&R states that his mandate is to focus on not just A&R but artist
development, marketing and promotion, where he will be joined by Lenny
Dockery, Jr., Regional Director of A&R and Promotion.
READ MORE
BMG Seeks International Flavor by Expanding its Roster
January 20, 2009 ~ Philadelphia | New York - Brandon Music Group (BMG) is currently expanding its international music roster. "We have been reviewing projects for months,” explained Fred Sutton BMG's Chief Operations Officer (COO). “These projects are worldwide and come from the United Kingdom, Korea, Philippines, Canada, Iceland and Australia." READ MORE
FINANCIAL PRESS RELEASES
FSMG AFFILIATE
PROGRAMS PROVIDE MUCH NEEDED CAPITAL
IN THESE FINANCIALLY UNCERTAIN TIMES
FSMG REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATE PROGRAM
Are You a Commercial Real Estate Investor or Real Estate Professional ?
FSMG MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATE PROGRAM
Are You a Mortgage Professional Struggling in Today’s Market ?
FSMG ACCOUNTANT & ATTORNEY AFFILIATE PROGRAM
Are You an Attorney or Accountant in Today’s Market ?
Did you know that you could substantially increase your current income by simply assisting your clients in obtaining much needed financing ? READ MORE
FSMG SECURITIES BACKED FINANCING PROGRAM
Fred Sutton Management Group, as part of it's ever growing alternative financing programs, is now offering it's Securities Backed Financing Program. This program accommodates clients who have high yield assets and affords them the chance to acquire low interest loans for almost any use excluding the purchase of other securities.
FSMG SAYS CLOSING IS AN
OPTION IN 2010
MARCH 2010~PHILADELPHIA/NEW YORK
Many small businesses and entrepreneurs are having problems surviving the
current economic conditions. The primary cause for this is their lack of
access to much needed capital.
The Small Business Administration (SBA), United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA), and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) according to
James Minor of Fred Sutton Management Group, is providing plenty of money to
its lenders. After my conversation with James I concluded that the stimulus
in principle was the right thing to do, but in practice it totally has no
immediately benefit unless you are tied into Wall Street.
READ MORE
FSMG Announces The $1Million Real Estate Credit Program
Has the credit crisis taken away
your major investment avenues? With this crunch and future uncertainty of
the stock market and most other investments available, where can you turn to
generate large profits quickly during this crisis?
Fred Sutton Management Group (FSMG) announces the $1 million real estate
credit program thru a correspondent relationship designed to help our
clients successfully invest in real estate.
The $1 million real estate credit program is a unique program we provide to
our clients, where we arrange up to
$1 million in financing for real estate
purchases with a private network of investors. In addition to the financing,
the program includes personalized training on how to invest in real estate
by a millionaire real estate investor and trainer, which is necessary to
help an entrepreneur succeed.
READ MORE
FSMG Provides The Ticket To Get Aboard The Money Train
PHILADELPHIA/NEW YORK-- Pick up any newspaper and you will read article after article about the financial crisis. You will read how hard it is to get financing regardless of credit. Many companies have suspended operations or closed their doors altogether. However, now there is some good news for small business owners. Fred Sutton, Vice President of Operations for Fred Sutton Management Group (FSMG) says there is plenty of money for the business owners who understand the current market conditions. READ MORE
FSMG End Of The Year Update
January 31, 2008-
PHILADELPHIA/NEW YORK--
The
continued and deepening credit/cash crisis is requiring us to modify our
product offering and guidelines effective immediately. Even though these
changes may seem severe, these changes are reflective of the overall
attitude regarding the economic conditions that exist in today's market.
We want you to know that while many of our competitors are closing their
doors we are still in business and are still arranging financing via our
correspondent relationships. In the next few days, we will be issuing new
protocol guidelines, which include a retainer fee for all LARGE CONSTRUCTION
PROJECTS AND NON-REAL ESTATE PROJECTS.
READ MORE
BUSINESS PRESS RELEASES
FSMG Entertainment Division Introduces "The Shcar Luxury Lifestyle Footwear"