Final Course

It has been a year since I decided to be crazy and begin my Masters in Entertainment Business. Why you ask? Well, why not? The opportunity was there, and I decided to take it. Many people, including my parents, have asked me what will I do when I graduate. "Are you getting a job?" This question seems to be the theme of many conversations. No, I am not getting a job. I have a job; I own my own business, and I am almost 40 so stop asking. I do not think many of my close friends even understand what this means. Owning your own business may seem like a breeze because you do not have to answer to any corporate thugs, but it can be all consuming. Jeremy and I love living as our own bosses, but this also means we are responsible for every part of our business. It also means we never close. There is no closing time. We can't leave the office because everywhere is our office.

I have literally completed work, and course work from Las Vegas, Disneyland, the beach, a cruise ship, the seat of my bands tour bus, back stage at Alice Cooper. You name it, I have probably been completing course work or work for a gig at that location. I have learned many valuable lessons over the course of my Masters program which will make me a better business owner, a more effective communicator,more reliable and efficient, great at time management, and a more employable person in general. I'd like to take this moment to reflect on my journey and offer advice to anyone entering into a graduate program. #1. You can do this; there are no excuses. Seriously, if I can do this anyone can. I have maintained a household, raised a teenager and for three years of my schooling since 2010 also bartended 40 hours a week. The wonder of online courses is you can take them anywhere with you! Amazingly, if you have a smart phone, much work can be completely from that devise! It is an amazing new world we live in.

#2. Ignore the naysayers; and there will always be naysayers. There was a time where I was one of these horrid people. I did not think furthering my education would do anything for me. While I may never be a millionaire, I feel better. I went back to school, and completed six years of education for myself, and to set an example for my son. I did not do this for anyone else. This does not mean I am not hurt by the naysayers; I do get hurt from time to time. I have close friends and relatives slam higher education, and slam obtaining degrees in my presence. While this stings, I have to forgive and forget and remember I am have not done this for their approval. #3. Time management. You will figure this out. You will figure out what works for you. Sometimes 2am will work for you. Do not feel like you need set hours determined by some unseen force. The time management skills I have learned from being in school for six years are irreplaceable.

Now, let's talk about what scares me. I'm graduating in less than three weeks. I will now have a plethora of time on my hands. I worry about the need to be busy,and the need to fill my time. I worry about getting bored and frustrated by not feeling that sense of accomplishment. With each document I submitted during my courses I felt a sense of accomplishment. Once that is over, where will I pull my sense of accomplishment? I hope to push myself to grow the business, to obtain more clients, and help others along the way as they begin or continue on the journey I am about to complete. I am proud of myself, and I do not expect others to understand or offer congratulations. I did not do this for attention, I did it for my own sense of self. "You've got to trust your instinct, And let go of regret, You've got to bet on yourself now star,'Cause that's your best bet".

Business Plan Experts; Part 1

We are lucky there are experts out there in the fields of writing and/or reviewing business plans we can learn from. Before writing your own plan it is good to seek out the experts, and what they expect to see when they receive and review a plan. I have researched the business plan expert Tim Barry. First off his website is spot on. He obviously has either a digital marketing degree, or employs an expert in this field. I am very impressed by his amount of blog posts. Barry is not just an expert in business plan writing, he also judges business plan writing competitions (I was not aware this even existed), and is a member of an angel investment group. The critical and key components he is looking for in a plan are: the problem the business solves, the businesses solution, why a consumer/client should pick your business, management team experience, and growth goals. These points are key because they get down to the nitty gritty quickly on what your business is all about. I like the suggestion on the growth plan. You cannot get people involved or interested in your business if they do not see a place for you in the future. Next I researched Ross Blankenship. He is an expert on Venture Capital, Startups and Angel Investing. He says in his book “Kings over Aces," the four core ingredients to consider before investing in a company are People, Product, Execution, and Timing (financials). Blankenship “wants companies who will maintain their success against their competition because they know how to adjust their product or service to fit the needs of the market. They know how to spend their money responsibly; and they know that even when they reach profitability, there still will not be enough time in the day to get everything done” (Blankenship, 2015, p. 21). The point he makes we at my company Trade Sound Productions live by is to know even when we make money and are profitable there is still a tremendous amount of work to be done. Never stop moving forward.

Booking Bands in a Digital Age; it's not what you think.

This week I have spent much of my time booking the band our company, Trade Sound Productions manages; CO-OP. One would think this would be generally easy since the lead singer is the son of rock legend Alice Cooper, but it's not. The most difficult aspect is getting clubs who have never heard of the band to respond to either emails, or voice mails. When I do get a response I practically host a mini party. Usually this is my own personal dance party. With clubs and venues going strictly online through their websites and social media accounts for contact, bands can get lost in the mix. I have recently found our best foot in the door, is an actual, physical foot in the door. The face-to-face meeting has proven even though "old school," is still the best strategy to booking a band. Mina Change the Chief Executive Officer and President of Linking the World International stated "In today’s fast-paced world, you can’t forget to embrace humanity. Take time to genuinely get to know people because they are your best assets. Understanding why people do business is more important than understanding what they do, and this kind of understanding is only attainable through in-person interactions". I agree with her statement completely, and the strategy is working for me. According to the Time Management Ninja, the top five reasons it is important to have a face-to-face meeting are 1) Body Language is Communication,2) Ensures Engagement (you can see the person actually listening to you), 3) Clarifies Meaning (anything misunderstood can be followed up with instantly in person), 4) Drives Participation, 5) More Efficient According to Craig Jarrow "in face-to-face situations there is a greater pressure to get to the point". I have been out to two venues recently to meet the owners in person. These meetings have made all the difference in the world. I now have four dates booked for the band because of these face-to-face meetings. I have followed up after the meetings with voice-mails and e-mails. I have also followed up with the appropriate digital information. Now the club owners have physical and digital press-kits, and our actually meeting solidifying our relationship. A smile and a hand shake still go a long way in the digital world. References Change, M., (February 2015), Why Face-to-Face Meetings are so Important. Forbes, retrieved from www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2015/02/20/why-face-to-face-meetings-are-so-important Jarrow, C.,(2015),5 Reasons Why Meeting Face-to-Face Is Best, The Time Management Ninja, retrieved from http://timemanagementninja.com/2012/10/5-reasons-why-meeting-face-to-face-is-best/

Media Publishing and Distribution

I am currently enrolled in an Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution course. One item of interest has been reinforced with me this week; the need for a strong distribution channel when self-publishing ones material. I personally love the website CD Baby for the musical artist. It is a complete service for any musician needing and wanting to self publish their music. The site offers a large variety of services; the name does not give it justice. According to CD Baby an artist can, “Distribute your music to every popular download and streaming site. Sell your CD's and vinyl in stores around the world. Make money from your songs on YouTube. Share and sell music on your website and Facebook page. Collect global royalties with CD Baby Pro. No distributor offers more stores, more opportunities to make money from your music, and more heart than CD Baby” (CD Baby, 2015). The services I have found most useful are the physical duplication of music.Once signed up an artist can distribute their physical copies of their music in stores around the world. The site even has a graphic design department that can help with the art for CD cases of any type, as well as vinyl design. What many people do not realize is vinyl has made a huge come back. According to Newsweek “ In the first half of 2014, sales of vinyl records were 4 million, compared with 2.9 million for the first half of 2013, an increase of almost 40 percent"(Bernasekm, A., November 6, 2014). It is smart with music distribution to stay up-to-date on current trends. Even though digital downloads still out rank all album sales and were up to 70 billion songs downloaded in 2014, according to Nielsen SoundScan, the trendiness of vinyl records is on the rise. “When you buy virtual music you’ve got nothing to hold on to. So for the first time with records, kids are holding something physical in their hand and collecting something they can show off and be proud of” (Wright, C. Owner of Innersleeve Records). This is why services with wide distribution such as CD Baby are important to artists. These services stay current with trends so when artists reach out to self distribute, the ideas are already there.

Staging Liabilities

Staging for concerts is becoming more extravagant. The concert goer is always looking for something new and exciting in the concert experience. This has pressured concert producers to up their game and create bigger and more elaborate stage sets. Outdoor festivals are becoming increasing popular. The elements of an outdoor concert cannot be controlled. Add into the elements a giant stage and new craftsmanship; every precaution must be taken to prevent an accident; even if precautions mean canceling a concert due to inclement weather. Stage collapses are rare, and honestly in my opinion should never happen. The person at the helm of the show should be pertinent to clear and drop the stage quickly before weather becomes dangerous, never AFTER weather becomes dangerous. Many stage managers, and production companies succumb to the pressure of concert promoters and do not err on the side of caution, and keep their stages flown until it is too late. The stage is a huge liability for a production company to take on. The company is responsible for the safety of the crew, the bands, and the guests of the concert. The most recently notorious stage collapse happened at the 2011 Indiana State Fair. According to IndyStar IndyStar, "Seven people were killed and more than 100 were injured" (IndyStar,2015). "Two investigative reports released in spring 2012 found that the scaffolding was not up to standards and the Indiana State Fair Commission did not have adequate emergency planning in place....three "knowing violations" -- were levied on Mid-America Sound Corp., which built the stage structure and leased it to the fair"(CNN, 2014).. Mid-America Sound Corporation has been in business since 1975. The company paid a $50,000 fine after the stage collapse and agreed to increase training of its employees. The liability sound companies carry when offering staging with super-truss is the education, experience, and reliability of their employed riggers. Not every state is unionized. Not every company employs riggers; most hired riggers are on a freelance basis. In the Indiana State Fair incident it would be difficult to point a specific finger, but to say the company and fair officials failed collectively. Production companies can also do everything in their power to structure a safe stage up-to-code to all regulations and still have an accident. The liability of such a large temporary structure over a crowd of people, crew, and performers still looms. In 2011 at the Pukkelpop Music Festival in Belgium, five people died when two stages collapsed. The storm came into the festival quick and unexpected. Uprooted trees landed on the stages causing them to collapse. Trees flying at stages is something no concert promoter, or stage manager can predict, or possibly even prepare for. In 2008 at Rocklahoma in Tulsa, Oklahoma two stages collapsed due to 65 mile an hour winds(Hasler J., 2014). Luckily no one was killed and only minor injuries were reported. Once again in this example of a stage collapse, even though the stage was constructed properly, it is not made to withstand the level of wind it experienced. The stage should have been dropped to prevent an accident, even if this meant upsetting a crowd. In this incident it was also pointed out just how much gear, personally owned by performers, and sound companies was destroyed because of the stage collapse. The staging company must always consider the lives of the crew and the equipment they are putting in danger by not making the executive decision of safety first and dropping the stage. Any sound or production company wanting to expand into staging for outdoor festivals must keep in mind the liabilities the staging presents. As I listed storms are the major foe in outdoor concerts. The second liability to staging is employing competent riggers. Production and staging companies need to protect themselves with insurance or chance bankrupting their company with one festival. "Concert event insurance can protect you and give you peace of mind knowing you, your crew, the concert workers and the fans will be covered if an accident or unforeseen problem occurs. You can typically either buy insurance for a single concert or as a yearly policy for a series of events" (Trusted Choice, 2014). As part of a business plan for a concert production company the assurance insurance will be provided for concerts is a plus. Concert insurance can and should include liability protection including general, liquor, auto, and third party, also property damage coverage for buildings and equipment, and medical insurance for staff. Also as part of a business plan, the production company should state membership to the Event Safety Alliance. "The Event Safety Alliance (ESA) is dedicated to promoting “life safety first” throughout all phases of event production and execution. We strive to eliminate the knowledge barrier that often contributes to unsafe conditions and behaviors through the promotion and teaching of good practices and the development of training and planning resources” ((ESA, 2015). This will ensure your company is practicing all safety guidelines available. References: Allen, P., 2011, Pukkelpop Stage Collapse Belgian Music Festival Cancelled, MailOnline, Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2027607/Pukkelpop-stage-collapse-Belgian-music-festival-cancelled-5-deaths.html#ixzz3fRpbEUH4 Botelho, G., 2014, $50 million settlement reached in Indiana State Fair stage collapse, CNN, Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/19/us/indiana-state-fair-settlement/ Evans, T., 2014,IOSHA, Mid-America Sound reach settlement on state fair stage collapse, Indystar, Retrieved from http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2014/03/31/iosha-mid-america-sound-reach-settlement-state-fair-stage-collapse/7118077/ Event Safety Alliance, 2015, Retrieved from http://eventsafetyalliance.org/ Hasler, J., 2014, Why Are So Many Outdoor Concert Stages Collapsing?, Popular Mechanics, Retrieved from http://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/music/a7108/why-are-so-many-outdoor-concert-stages-collapsing/ Mid America Sound, 2015, Retrieved from http://www.midamericasound.com/index.html Protect the Big Show with Concert Insurance, 2014, Trusted Choice, Retrieved from https://www.trustedchoice.com/business-insurance/liability/special-event/concert/

Product and Artist Management.

I am just finishing up another course of my masters program at Full Sail University titled Product and Artist Management. I can say I have fully enjoyed this course and it came at the most opportune time. The first week of my course we learned about what to expect when you take the artist you are managing on tour. The funny thing is, in three days I leave with my husband with the band he manages on a mini tour. You can image my delight when I learned my session in class was focusing on touring with an artist. I was thrilled to say the least and took notes like a mad man. Many of the topics listed in the session I was already familiar with, but it was validating to hear the information textbook style. One topic I liked in the session on touring was "the talent must be ready to go". Honestly, everyone in the management team, the booking agent, and the production crew can do their part to a t, but if the talent isn't ready, there was no point in the rest. I also liked marking off the objectives listed in the session of why a tour may take place. I was able to mark them all off. Our band Co-Op is taking this mini tour to: access a new market, be more visible, create a buzz, feature new music, and to make some cash. I have also worked very hard on the public relations end after reading about it in this course. I have made sure we are establishing personal relationships with venues and with fans. The more attached to the band professionals and individuals feel, the more they will promote for us, and come out to the shows. I am looking forward to a post conference after this tour to see what we did well and what we can improve upon. In the course I also enjoyed learning more about the talents and aspirations of veteran talent managers. As many of you know, I usually focus my efforts on Shep Gordon, Alice Coopers manager because I think he wrote the book on artist management. But, this course I researched Sharon Osbourne. I believe the public may find her a little crazy and quite eccentric, but I see her as a woman who stands by her family, shows us what true love is, knows how to do her job well, and will not compromise. I respect her a great deal. To me she sets the bar for women in management in the entertainment industry. I honestly wish this class could go on for a few more weeks. I would highly recommend both books, A Project Managers Field Guide, and Artist Management for the Music Business by Paul Allen, for anyone navigating the entertainment industry.

Negotiating and Deal Making: My interview with D Evans.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing D Evans for my Negotiating and Deal Making Course at Full Sail. As part of my masters program we are learning more about professionals in the entertainment industry and what they do to negotiate their successes. D is the front woman of two successful bands “Dierdre”, and “Southwest by Midnight”. Both bands have to work together in studio time, on albums, both digital and physical releases of records, booking of shows, budgets, and time. As we know, time is sometimes the most difficult item to negotiate. I sat down with D and asked her the following questions on how she has made it work, with not only one, but two successful bands. Me: “How do you separate the people from the problem when you are negotiating? What tips do you have for new negotiators who are trying to do this”? D. “If I was recording a band's album in the studio and we were all trying to decide what to name the album, we would do this in a democratic fashion. I would reason with them and give them the pros and cons of the choices that we all came up with/the choices at hand, and then we would use democracy and data and vote on all of the options". Me: I see that you use the important aspects of objective criteria, “appreciation, the desire to be recognized and valued; affiliation, the desire to belong as an accepted member of some peer group; role, the desire to have a meaningful purpose; and status, the desire to feel fairly seen and acknowledged”(Fisher, R. 2011). Each member of the band has a voice when you use democracy. Everyone having a voice makes them feel appreciated. Me: “How do you handle positional bargaining tactics? D: “If I am negotiating a deal, I already know the maximum amount that I can afford. I start low and I know what I want to pay. I will usually split the difference of 50%. So, when buying gear (studio gear, or guitars, amps, etc) for instance off Craigslist or other sites, if something was being sold for $800 and I was willing to pay $600, I would offer the guy $400 to start negotiations. With those kind of negotiations you usually end up at $600. A fair price for both parties”. Me: “Wow! Great example of positional bargaining! That is great you continued to negotiation for mutual benefit. When both parties in a negotiation win, everyone feels satisfied”. Me: “Can you give me an example of how you worked toward mutual benefit when you were negotiating a deal”? D “For instance, if negotiating a deal between a band and a bar/venue, and the venue doesn't want to put out any money to pay the band out of their pocket. We would negotiate a deal where the bar/venue could keep the money from the alcohol sales, and the band would keep the money from the ticket sales at the door. Thus, everyone gets a fair cut”. Me: “This is an awesome example of the term BATNA I learned in my course, which translates to “Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement” (Fisher, R. 2011) When an initial deal could not be made; getting paid upfront, the best alternative was to keep the money from the door. Negotiations are tricky, but as we can see when you separate the people and their raw emotions, from the task or problem at hand, a conclusion everyone can walk away happy with can be met". Roger, Fisher,, Ury, L.. Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. Penguin Books, 05/2011. VitalBook file.