I’m sure you’ve heard of bad music management draining the assets of desperate artists or bands. Let’s face it; scams are scary and very real. The good though: there are many reputable people and firms out there. If you want to protect your investment, then do your homework when seeking a music manager.
Make a copy of the following list and keep it in your wallets and or purses, on your desk, embed it in your brain, recite it in your DAW, dub it to CD and play it in your car or while you are cleaning the house… just take heed…
1. As the internet is the common way of doing business these days; if approached, listen carefully and precisely at every word you are being told. Just doing this alone will prompt you to ask the right questions and assist in determining your next move.
2. The initial conversation should be two-way. If they are just talking about what they can do for you, and not inviting you into conversation, you are already grabbing your purse right?… okay wallet?
3. Don’t be hasty! Time is always on your side when it comes to making the right choices. Use it if you have to.
4. No one gives you or your band a performance name except the people who will own it. Shouldn’t that be you or your band?
5. When seeking a manager; please know upfront why you need them and tell them that. If you appear not knowing, a scammer will shoot to impress, and most likely win you over.
6. Don’t be easily impressed…. you know grandma’s cliché… “Everything that glitters aint gold… “
7. You may be asked to pay upfront, however, traditionally, management gets paid on commission of your income they help you create.
8. No management contract between two parties is one-sided. (You know this right?) Contracts are negotiable! Reiteration: You don’t have to accept the terms as written initially.
9. It is okay to ask for work history and references. If they don’t have any, honest folks will tell you that. If they brush you off with other industry work they’ve done or who they know… then take heed.
10. Know that a good manager manages you, goes to bat for you and looks out for your best interests.
11. Artists management contracts vary depending on your status as an artist. Study the differences in understanding if your manager is the right fit for you.
12. Don’t sign anything without an ‘experienced and reputable’ entertainment attorney to assist you. Pay him a few dollars now to save you loads of money later.
13. If you don’t have a label, most scam artists are after you. Even though a label is a separate entity from artists’ management, they know your label will know when something’s fishy… and more likely you will too.
14. If this list is a day late and dollar short for you, know that there are tons of very good management out there. Just keep moving forward and remain focused. Keep this list in mind…
Do you have any to add? Do share.
From the moment I heard his flavorful sound and lyrical mastery… I was hooked! Frankie digs deep beyond a place of creativity and delivers his soul. As I find a Lupe Fiasco’ish flow with Frankie, he manages to make you pay close attention to what makes him distinct!
Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Frankie always wanted to be in show business at an early age. In the fifth grade, his older brother introduced him to the sounds and lyricism of Keith Murray’s “Enigma” LP. Frankie was so captivated by what he heard and decided he wanted to become a rapper.
After graduating from high school in 2004, Frankie moved to Houston, Texas with his high school sweetheart. He attended Texas Southern University majoring in Business Administration. Due to his mother’s lengthy illness of Lupus, Frankie was unable to focus on his studies and decided to drop out and return home to care for his mother.
In late 2006, Frankie lost a bet to his close friend Milwaukee emcee, Young Focus. Little did he know that would bring him back to his childhood dream. Always an avid listener of hip hop, particularly focusing his attention on lyrics and storytelling, Frankie wrote his first song “Real Talk True Stories”, which talked about his struggles in the real world, coping with the breakup of his first love, and why he chose to drop out of college. He continued writing because it was his way of healing and letting go of emotions bottled up inside. He followed up with his second song “In The City Where I’m From”. This was the first song that displayed Frankie’s social awareness and ability to show people not familiar with Milwaukee an insider’s point of how life is being from Milwaukee. His third song was his first collaboration with Young Focus titled “Lolly Pop”. The two decided to write a PG-13 song, shying away from being sexually explicit, but making the imagery well known.
After passing out the song to local high school and middle school students, Frankie decided to change his lyrical approach. No longer was he going to help be a part of the problem. He vowed to stay away from writing songs that glorified violence, bragged about selling drugs without acknowledging the ramifications if caught, objectifying and degrading women, and materialistic values. Instead he chose to write similar to the likes of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Tupac Shakur, and Public Enemy by conveying messages of empowerment, and reaching out to urban communities and today’s youth.
Realizing the impact his songs had on people throughout the city, Frankie decided to enter a competition a few months later called “Talent Showcase Live.” Airing on local news channel Fox 6 in April of 2007, Frankie won the event and began entering showcases all over the Milwaukee area and often traveled to Joliet and Chicago, Illinois as well. A Few months later Frankie received phone calls from indie labels and various A & R’s out west urging him to consider relocating for more exposure. After discussing his options and making sure his mother’s health was stable, Frankie finally moved to Los Angeles in September of 2007.
Now pursuing his musical ambitions full time, Frankie completed his first album “The Storyteller” in June of 2008. With most of the production hailing from Kellen “Klassik” Abston in Milwaukee, WI, Frankie’s primary focus with this project is to show his love for the art form of storytelling. In tune with his “quality over quantity” approach, Frankie has the right mindset to connect with listeners that are hoping for a breath of fresh air in today’s hip hop. The only thing that matters to him outside of his family is getting his music in a position to reach the masses and help inspire a generation full of greatness.
‘The Story Teller’ album available now.
‘New Beginning’ album available now
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Coming up with the right name for your music business is an important step. Many describe their names as cute, clever, stand-outish, catchy, and even strange.
The good thing is you can name your business whatever you want; however, the following are the things you should consider first:
1. Stay away from local names. Including your city or state name as part of your business name may work for you early on as your local patrons use your services, but when you begin to span outside your area, potential new clients will assume you only cater to those in your area… therefore you lose business.
2. If your name can’t reside on a roadside billboard without offending somebody… then you should consider something else. I use this as a model because I’ve seen names that include profanity and sexual verbiage. Think about what type of marketing and other business opportunities you are limited to. Also consider potential clients who will be turned off simply because of your name.
3. Consider your target audience or clientele. If your company is Rap Artists Entertainment, then I’m assuming you are selling Rap music, and I surely won’t think you have Pop or Rock Artists on your roster.
4. Consider a name that will allow you room to expand your business. Look well beyond the here and now. Lil Swagg Daddy Entertainment is not cute 15 years from now when you’re 40.
5. Think branding. Consider a name that looks good in several media outlets such as web, print magazines, mobile, newspapers, cd covers, billboards, electronic press kits, television, etc.
6. Be mindful of your competitor’s name and how it’s working for them. Because your competitor share the same market and are doing well in it… understand what makes their name stand out so you can choose a name that does the same thing for your business.
7. Check if your prospective name is available as a domain. If you plan to have an online presence, you will need a domain name to reflect your business name.
As I’m listening to his latest album ‘Can’t Get Enough’, Darrius Willrich, a musical genius, proves why he’s necessary to the music industry. His music speaks loud tones of urban soul embodiment as he delivers artistry. With now 3 albums under his credit… Darrius reminds us to pay close attention to detail…
Seattle’s soul-singer-songwriter Darrius Willrich drips a sensuous interplay of soul, jazz, and inner city longings. He’s sure to engage all your senses with the look, sound and feel of yesterday’s soul-today. The spirit of Stevie Wonder, D’Angelo, and Herbie Hancock seasons the musical stew that is Darrius…Sweet Urban Soul.
Darrius Willrich’s sound is sweet, melodic, harmonically rich, and infectious. Initially inspired by Stevie Wonder, Prince, and Babyface, Darrius has crafted a fun, colorful, and sexy style. He is definitely top consideration as a soundtrack for love, sex, romance and living life fully.
Being a trained jazz pianist, a soulful singer, and an intelligent songwriter with love for Hip-Hop, Darrius Willrich delivers feel good music drawn from a wide skill spectrum. The lyrics and message uplift and encourage you to live and love without constraint.
With a degree in jazz piano, a voice full of tone and songwriting rich in sensitivity; his songs take you back and propel you forward all at once. Darrius’ years of experience as an instrumentalist, sideman, leader, producer and recording artist allows him to paint soul using a diverse sonic palette of warm colors and textures. With the urban elements resonating in rich and thought provoking lyrics, Darrius mixes an array of genres delivering Sweet Urban Soul.
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When I first heard the extraordinary vocal gift of Íris Hólm, I was wowed at how this young woman dominated ‘Dreaming of Bermuda’ (one of my favorite songs from the band). The flavor of Bermudaz proves they are professional musicians with the artistry and know-how of leaving fans wanting more.
Bermudaz, was founded in 2004. They started as a cover band playing songs of Destiny´s Child, Jamiroquai, Kylie Minogue, and mostly Pop, R&B, and Funk. In 2008, things started to heat up when singer/songwriter Íris Hólm joined the band. Soon thereafter, many new original songs surfaced as they began to focus on building a larger fan base outside their dedicated fan base in Iceland.
After their first single, Bermudaz’s style was categorized as “PowerPop”. Although the demand for the band’s performance was huge while they still played cover on the weekends, their domestic plans were to be recognized as serious musicians and artists who were dedicated to their craft. Bermudaz foreign plans are to continue to deliver quality music and to maintain their style of which they’ve been branded.
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