Originally posted by The Trichordist
There’s a media pile on claiming that Taylor Swift is going to lose her war on streaming… really? Is there a war on streaming? No. There is no war on streaming. The battle is over economic injustice, not technology. We’ve written about this before… Continue reading
You’re a musician…but is it a HOBBY or a “REAL JOB”?
(This article was written by entertainment attorney and indie artist Christiane Cargill Kinney. You can follow her on Twitter for more helpful indie-artist tips.)
As independent musicians, there are many times when we have to work second jobs to make ends meet, and after you factor in the costs of recording, manufacturing, marketing, touring, and other legitimate business expenses, not to mention sharing any profits you may receive with your co-authors, managers, agents, labels and distributors, the fact remains: independent music does not always turn a profit.
When tax time rolls around every year, many of us receive the same lecture from our accountants: “You need to start showing a profit, or the IRS may consider this a ‘hobby’ and not a ‘real job.’” If you haven’t heard this lecture in the past, you should probably get a new accountant. However, for those of you who have heard it, your reaction may be the same as mine. Read more »
Songhack helps artists “hack the music industry”. It’s a consumer guide to over 100 digital products and services targeted at musicians. Songhack features news, resources and coaching content to help musicians make money.
Watch founder Zac Shaw describe the mission behind Songhack and read more here: http://www.songhack.com/what-is-songhack/
Post by trichordist
Right now a byzantine system is in place that not only dates back more than 70 years but also differs depending on the distribution platform. Traditional radio stations, for instance, pay royalties to the composer of a song, but not to the artist or band performing it — known in industry parlance as a performance right — if they are different. Sirius XM only pays royalties for songs released after 1972. Pandora does pay government-mandated royalties to songwriters but has been aggressively lobbying regulators to lower the rate in recent years. Use of music in both professional and user-based content on YouTube and other websites and in TV shows or commercials is yet another category of music licensing, with the difference being that it is free-market-based and not subject to government oversight.
Text by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi
I totally agree with Ari in all the things he says in this podcast interview about how “freelancing” musicians or bands need to deal with clubs.. Actually, I’ve been advising musicians around me almost the same things. I think that the time has come that musicians and bands know how to deal with clubs. Yes, you can’t play for free anymore, as far as you’re professional and live from your music. But you have to collaborate with clubs to make a gig a success. As a musician you need to know what your responsibilities are. You need to know how clubs make business. You just can’t ask for a guaranty and expect that a crowd will show up. On the contrary, it’s very important that musicians can negotiate things with the clubs. You have to be flexible in your demands. Being a musician means to be the composer-performer and your own manager at the same time. In fact, you make yourself famous and the clubs could be a great help for you. But you need to know how to deal and work with them.
Post from CD BABY postcast: http://cdbabypodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/DIYMusicianPodcast_Episode131.mp3
