To quote a question from my favorite movie Almost Famous, “What do you love about music?”, the answer,”Well, to begin with…. everything!” The “Music Industry” is mainly made up of artists- people who love to sing, play and perform or sometimes just listen to the music that they live for. They’ll play for little or no money just because they love the “everything” about music. However, there is also the “Music Biz”, which is very different. Yes, the “Biz” seems like fun and excitement, but the people who are in it, are in it to make money. With artists in the “Biz” it’s not only about the music, its about building your fan base and keeping them. Now your music isn’t just your “everything” anymore, it’s your brand. Half of the battle to making it in the “Biz” is keeping your brand afloat and marketable. The other half of it consists of marketing this “brand” and making sure that you aren’t taken advantage of too much so that you can make as much money as you and your music deserves. And throughout all of this “bizzness”, an artist has to remember that they were once just a part of the “Industry”.
Music is an art. However, when it comes to the “Music Biz”, music is about money! A record label is a business created by companies that specialize in recording, producing, manufacturing, distributing and promoting audio and video recordings on various formats including CD’s, LP’s, DVD’s. Sounds technical and formal, doesn’t it? That’s because it is! Labels aren’t interested in how much you love your “everything”, they need to know if they can make money by marketing your music. In the “Biz” you have to worry about the manager, the attorney, the booking agent, and the tour manager. Then there’s the decision of going for the major labels,the affiliate labels, the independent labels, and the true independent labels. Working within this confusing mesh of “bizzness”, it’s pretty hard to succeed while keeping one foot in each pool, the “Music Industry”, and the “Music Biz”.
