There is no specific order to this list.

1. From the Basement

2. Largehearted Boy

3. Brooklyn Vegan

4. Daytrotter

5. Wolfgangs Vault

6. Six Eyes

7. Gorilla vs. Bear

8. 2 Dope Boyz

9. Smoking Section

10. You Ain’t No Picasso

11. The Black Cab Sessions

12. They Shoot Music – Don’t They

13. Chrome Waves

14. The Music Slut

15. Live From Daryl’s House

16. Muzzle of Bees

17. Pitchfork

18. For the Records

19. I Guess I’m Floating

20. La Blogotheque
Enjoy!

BTW if you haven’t, check that album out!

Later that day, I heard an M. Ward song on 88.1 KDHX and something clicked. I believe it was a track from his latest effort, Hold Time. I soon began to ask myself, what if these two forces met? With Ward’s lyrical prowess and compositional methods combined with the Key’s unique musical aura found in every song, how could this not be a great independent record? This would go beyond Blakroc (described as an experiment, an album the band now claims unsatisfactory). Him and It?

I am going to make a proposition. An experiment, per say. When was the last time that a fan suggested a collaboration album that was actually made? Far and few between. I will make an attempt to give the fans a word in the creative process. This is something all fans wish they had at some point in their tenure as a follower of an act. As experimental as both groups are, they should welcome such a challenge to work with each other. If we gain enough votes, digital and social recognition, then there could be a chance that this “album” could peak interest from both camps. Give the people what they want!

Vote Yay or Nay in the comment box!

I am sitting at the Volvo dealership here in St. Louis waiting for my car to be fixed.  The mechanic told me  “It will be an hour and a half, we have to run a bunch of diagnostics on your car.” A lightbulb went off in my head immediately, when will managers, or for that matter, artist’s  run diagnostics on their current status? This should be a once a month to make sure your “well oiled” machine is working properly. Otherwise, it will cost you. In my case, way too much to have my car fixed.

In honor of George, I’ve decided to do 9 questions.

Artist Diagnostic Test

1. Do your recordings line up with your live show?

• This is a must. It is hard enough to push albums in today’s giant vacuum of content. Artist’s must be the whole package today, not a half ass version.

2. Are you putting too much on your plate at once?

• Don’t overreach your boundaries. If you have a show at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe one day and a show at Los Angeles’ Spaceland, two days later, what are you doing? Focus on the task at hand, you are only a strong as your fans at home.

3. What could you improve on this month?

• Don’t ever think you are done perfecting, there is ALWAYS room for improvement. The moment you think you’ve won, you’ve lost.

4. How many positives are in your corner? How many negatives?

• This may be a daunting task for some, but it is completely essential if you want to get anywhere in this business. Line these up and be HONEST. If you aren’t honest with yourself, you aren’t being honest with your fans. Why let both down at once?

5. Where do you realistically see yourself in the next three months?

• This is subject to change a thousand times, but that is a good thing. It shows your organization is flexible, realistic, and aware. Awareness in this business is crucial.

6. What are other groups of your size or artist’s size in that genre doing to create awareness? Has it worked for them?

• Again, I can’t stress enough that being aware is so important. There is nothing wrong with a good idea made better.
• If you aren’t aware of others successes and failures, then how will you learn?
• This can be a great opportunity for teamwork. Obviously, it is a race to the finish, but helping other artists in your genre will only strengthen your band and your street cred.

7. Does your internet presence match up to your real world presence?

• I see this go wrong all the time, someone has a huge internet following and this fails to turn into ticket or door sales.
• You go to the show and there aren’t half as many people as you might expect. This is because they haven’t created that interaction, they haven’t been given that golden ticket to enter the factory yet.

8. How bad do you want to take it to the next level? Are you ready?

• Depending on how long you’ve been at it, if you cannot answer these questions, then you cannot pass go and collect $200.
• Every artist should be able to honestly look at themselves in a mirror and say “I got this, I want this, I will take it to the next level.” Repeat every day.

9.  Do you feel that you are getting adequate attention from your team? Bang for your buck? This can be reversed for managers (strongly encouraged to avoid problems in the future)

• This is a crucial question. If you have to, trim the fat.

2. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

3. Depending on how they answer, the next question should go as follows: How do you plan on getting there from what you’ve already accomplished?

Don’t allow them to use you and your services as a crutch, they must understand that it is a team, without the artist, you can’t succeed, without you, they will have a hard uphill battle alone. Asking these questions to an artist will solidify in their mind that they are taking the plunge into an incredibly competitive business. It is apparent that it will soon be time to have a team surround them for the betterment of their career. One thing that artist’s should NEVER neglect is that, not only is their career in jeopardy, but so is their manager and the artist’s team. As Martin Atkins (Bio) says, “If you think you are fucked, you aren’t. If you don’t think you are fucked, you are!”  The key word in the third question is “accomplished.” An artist must be a self sustaining creature before any manager should even consider approaching them, two great examples of this are Ludo and Galactic. Think about those questions, some may even consider them fluff, but the reality of it is that they can lead to strong answers allowing you as a manager to understand whether or not this artist, at his/her stage in the game, is a right match for you and your services.

These companies work for you, not the other way around. Most have a one time membership fee or annual dues required.  Not only can you collect monies in royalty statements issued every quarter, they can also send you data, upon request, as to where the majority of your royalties are being collected. DING DING, you are correct if you see what I am nudging at. This could be the discovery of a whole new geographical fan base for you as an artist. There are a plethora of reasons besides collecting money to join a PRO, do your research and make a wise decision. I use BMI for singer/songwriters I manage because I feel that they have better connections to capturing public performance royalties than the other two. BMI is also free! Ask your friends, fellow musicians, and other industry professionals that have been around the block. REMEMBER, the decision is ultimately yours, choose whichever PRO makes you or your artist feel most comfortable.

You must create an environment that caters to the creative type, it must be comfortable, and most importantly, you have to be able to speak to an artist. This is a foreign language to most people, especially in the entertainment industry. Although, they usually think that they understand such code. If you don’t speak the language, they will be looked at as a “suit” to the artist, discrediting all advice on the creative front. Your goal as a producer or manager is to be viewed as a creative contemporary. Managers, take heed to this as well.

I hope everyone had a great holiday!

Today’s music market has taken all of us in the business on quite a wild ride. People’s tastes and attention spans are constantly changing and becoming smaller. Niche marketing is in and mass marketing is out. Marketing has become a 360 degree operation. It isn’t enough to just suggestively sell to a consumer, you have to make them feel that they are involved in the movement or campaign from the beginning, through the execution, through the end. For example, look at what ’30 Seconds to Mars’ has done with the new record, Guttersnipenews: 30 Seconds to Mars. What better way to make fans feel involved than by allowing them to help with the creative process. The whole reason why they love your act in the first place is the craft itself. Everyone wants to be someone, marketing is the one arena that you can allow that to happen for an artists’ fans. Everyone must be on the same page yet FEEL they are on a different one. Human beings, by nature, strive to be different from the next man/woman. Why not cater to that?

“INNOVATE AND CREATE TO BUILD A FOLLOWING BASED ON TRUST AND QUALITY” Trusted sources are crucial now, Rolling Stone is not and hasn’t been for years now, Daytrotter is and has been developing as a trusted source for some time now. STRIVE to be on the Daytrotter side of the fence.

When signing a new client to whatever deal best suits them in that stage of their career, I look them in the eye and hold both fists in the air. I explain to them that he/she is fist A and I am fist B. I then take both of those and connect at the top, creating a triangle. This simple reminder shows them that we, as PARTNERS, need to work to get to where that artist wants to be. There is only so much a manager can do, especially with a lazy artist. Remember, the artist and manager must reach that peak TOGETHER, and never separately.

The moment that artist begins to slip, you have to be there for him, as a brother would another brother. Remember when your parents said that they were “disappointed” in you, that was a direct knife to the heart, but more effective than grounding you for a week. Be a little tough but show them that they CAN indeed succeed (If their musical abilities warrant that). Sometimes though, there comes a time where a manager or an artist has to make a tough decision. The decision being, whether or not to end the contract because one of the parties is not holding up their end of the bargain.

Where is that line for you?

What if brands began allowing music fans to vote for what would make the new hot advertisement campaign? That is involvement that can speak volumes of you as a company which in turn can translate to a large increase in sales because you made them feel as if they were part of the team. This directly correlates to an artist building his fan base. Go!

How many times have you heard from a friend that “It was such a sick show, during this song so and so did something absolutely crazy and the feat had not been done before.” Which in turn causes you to feel as if you missed out on a wonderful opportunity from one of your favorite bands. These fans should at least have the chance to catch the video or web cast via that artists website. For those who prefer ultra-premium content, the option to be able to purchase it through online merchant giants such as Itunes, Amazon, and the artists website, most certainly should be made available. This will be interesting to see if this move by Live Nation is profitable and more importantly even worth it? Will it just end up another failed move by these giant companies within the industry?

When will these artists or ESPECIALLY their managers learn to cut out the middle man?