Ready... Set... Go For It!

"Ready… Set… Go For It!"

by David J. Spangenberg
Music Business Consultant
& Contract Specialist

The time has come! You're on the road to becoming a really great singer, musician, band, group, etc., and you believe you are now ready to translate your creative, musical skills into a full or part-time successful career. Great! But, please read this first…

Now what? Do you know what to do, when to do it, how to do it, who to see, etc., so that you're not just spinning wheels wasting a lot of time and money going in no specific direction- or possibly the wrong direction?

"Well, I'll just get a Manager to handle my affairs", I often hear. Yes, it is great to have a trustworthy, experienced Manager, no doubt. They can help you out in many ways, from long term plans to the day to day responsibilities that go along with a successful career. They can also be more objective than you can about your music and your career and be very helpful in many other ways - if you have the right one!

However, will you be able to put your full trust in them to do what's right for you financially and career-wise? Even if they have your best interest at heart; if you knew how many Managers and Management Companies, Lawyers, etc., have come to me for guidance or consultation, you would realize that not all Music Business people have what it takes to successfully advance your careers without outside help.

Then again, are you sure what you really need is a Manager? Maybe you just need an Entertainment Attorney and/or an Agent. Maybe you're mixing up what a Manager does with what an Agent does - many people new and not so new to the biz do.

Simply put, a Manager's job is to guide a person's career. If you are just looking for gigs, and don't want to, or can't do it yourself, you can try to interest an Agent into representing you. [In reality, an agent is really someone who places anyone or anything for anyone with anybody for a piece of the action.]

Look, no matter who you "hire", even if they are honest, it's human nature as well as just plain good business sense for them to be protecting their own interests. So, who's going to be looking out for you?

Understand, I'm not trying to make you paranoid, I'm just asking you to be cautious. Simply put, to steal the subtitle from my book "The Music Biz", you ought to know "How to Get In, Survive and Succeed - Without Getting Ripped Off!"

Did you know that most of the big stars either studied business in college, have a background in business, or realized very quickly early on that they better learn the business end before it's too late?

I always think of the story I heard about Bette Midler when she was basically starting out. She was invited to sit in the back of a big limo with, to the best of my recollection, David Bowie and Mick Jagger. She thought, "Wow, I'm gonna hear some real dish!" Boy, was she in for a shock. She learned quite quickly where it was "really at". They spent the better part of the hour talking about finances and the business end of touring - and they were already stars with top Managers and Attorneys surrounding them!

I, myself, learned the hard way. Eons ago, when I was just 16, a song I wrote with another writer was going to be released on a major label. I felt really great -- until I realized my name wasn't anyplace on the record! I had no music business background, but I realized if I was going to survive, mentally, as well as financially, I had better learn the "Biz" of the Music Biz really quickly. The problem I had back then was that there were no books or music business schools, so I had to learn the hard way and it took me much longer to learn even the basics than can be learned nowadays.

Actually, I had one major advantage on my side that you also have. Since you are into the arts there is a good chance that you are fairly creative. And, to "make it" in this industry, it really is necessary to be just as creative on the business end as you are on the musical end. For example, you should come up with innovative ways to promote yourself.

Now, why don’t you put together that creative energy with some business know-how, and you've upped the odds considerably regarding having a successful career in "The Music Business"!

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