#Merch

04 Mar 2011
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More Social Media Etiquette When Approaching Entertainment Industry Contacts

More Social Media Etiquette When Approaching Entertainment Industry Contacts

A while back, I wrote a blog on “Social Media Etiquette When Approaching Entertainment Business Contacts” http://wp.me/pu8Se-4 and I can see I need to expand upon that topic. For those of you in the entertainment industry looking for the person to help you get your big break, you need to understand what you should and should not do when approaching them. It will only help your chances in getting the help you need and increase the odds of success in an industry where “making it” is very slim.

First off, don’t spam people with your links of any kind. That is the fastest way to getting no one to pay attention to you. If you use twitter, do not have an auto DM set up with your links for people to check you out. Develop relationships first; if you are interesting to them they will check you out. Otherwise, you are just another spammer.

Secondly, don’t send the same message to a hundred different industry people on your open time line for us all to see. That is another sure way to make sure no one pays attention to you. Don’t be so lazy and don’t be so insulting to our intelligence.

Thirdly, if we do check you out, we will check your account first before watching your video or visiting your web page. If you act unprofessional, use horrible language, do nothing but hit on other people then we know how professional you really are by that alone. Do not engage in any type of unprofessionalism, slander, libel, or any other thing that detracts from your true goal. Nothing says unprofessional faster than your behavior online. Stay clean, focused and use appropriate language and marketing. This goes for industry professionals as well.

Fourthly, don’t ask them to RT your music for you when they have a list of their own clients they are trying to promote. That isn’t fair to their clients, and usually they won’t anyway unless it’s a personal friend. Please remember, our DM boxes are filled with requests all day long from people asking us to “check them out” or “do you have any advice,” all this on top of our already overfilled days of work. Our jobs as managers, agents, PR — or whatever role we fill — is to get OUR clients form of entertainment out there, not anybody elses.

Lastly, make sure you know what they do before you contact them asking for representation. Look at their list of services. If they don’t say they are a talent agent, then don’t ask them to be yours. You can’t get everything from the title of a company. Do your research and make sure you don’t waste anyone’s time.

Good luck!

24 Sep 2010
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Picking The Right Professional or Team for your Career

Picking The Right Professional or Team for your Career

 

The power of social media has its pros and cons. The pros obviously are the ability to network and get your message out there. The cons are you don’t know whom you can trust. With so many people out there saying how great they are and making huge promises you have to be very careful about whom you choose to share your info with and put your hopes and dreams in the hands of. In the entertainment world it’s a crap shoot to begin with, so make sure you spend the time necessary researching the people who are offering their services to you or making huge claims about what they are going to do for you in the “industry”. Also make sure you research exactly what they do or the services they offer so you can decide if it’s really what you need as an artist.

I recently did some research on a person who claims to be in the music industry. For the past year, this person has been making huge claims about how they are going to “change” the industry with a new platform. First of all, from what I understand, a platform like the one they hope to “change the industry” with already exists. I believe in practicing what I preach, and began to research this person.  I contacted a well-known, reputable friend who has been doing business on Music Row here in Nashville for more than 20 years, asking if they have ever heard of this person, their company or their work.  My friend is in the same area of the business as the person who is making the claims, and my friend sent an email out to all contacts. The result is that no one had ever heard of this person who claims to be “revolutionizing the industry”. There is no bio on them, no track record, no website, no clients, no proof of anything showing that they can do what they say they can do. Even worse, they are not listed on ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, Harry Fox or Music Row as what they say they are. Now you have to be listed with at least one of the following ASCAP, BMI, SESAC or Harry Fox to be what they say they are, so this leaves you with either (a) they are a fraud, (b) they don’t know what they are doing, or (c) they are possibly operating under a different name, which also means their online presence is a lie. They have been putting together a team of people who, like them, seem to have no real track record. You can see that in how they promote themselves on the web. Don’t work for a person, or hire a person who doesn’t have their own business together with proper imaging, websites, photos, content and most important – actual proof of their work. This is the entertainment industry. Image and proof of solid work is everything for everyone, not just the artists.

When picking out people you want to work with, please review and research them in detail. Never trust an online profile that doesn’t list any information about themselves, their company or who they work for. Ask their clients if they are happy with their service and make sure they have legitimate things happening for their clients. Make sure there is a proven track record for the service they claim to provide. If they don’t have anything to show for their success then it’s a big risk. Especially pay attention to how they behave online with their twitter and other social media accounts. If they behave unprofessionally – flirt, make huge promises, offer a special free of charge opportunity to a hundred different people for months on end, make false claims against another with no proof or get involved in mud slinging then run and run fast. That is not professional behavior and they will treat anyone like that, including you. It will hurt the chances for your career to be involved with someone who behaves improperly, especially in the music industry, where the reality is that the odds are already stacked against you. If their followers or fans grow at a very slow rate, that is also a sign. It means they have nothing to offer content wise. They aren’t adding value to the industry, so know one is paying attention. It takes more than listing followers and saying nice things.

Not everyone is a huge success or a huge business, that’s not the most important issue; making things happen is what’s important, proof of work. Finding a professional or a team that is hungry and works very hard is what matters the most. Never fall for promises that are huge; this business is too hard to make any kind of claims and promises – that is the reality.  When evaluating a person or company, let their work speak for them instead.

Please read our blog “It’s All About The Team Baby” by Sass Jordan, a Juno and Billboard award winning artist and former host of Canadian Idol for more on picking the right team! http://lowryagency.wordpress.com/2010/07/20/183/

Good Luck!

09 Sep 2010
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Writing Songs

Writing Songs

By Sass Jordan, The Lowry Agency Artist

Damaged

 

Writing songs is one of the main reasons I wanted to be a singer in the first place. I have ALWAYS had a lot to say, and what better way to say it than in a song? The thing that many people don’t realize is that writing songs is a skill, and needs to be developed as such. My first attempts were so clumsy in their construction as to be laughable from my current viewpoint – but we have to start somewhere! Some of the most magnificently skilled writers live and work in Nashville, Tn – and that is where I have had some fantastic writing experiences.

A song has to be written with a form in mind. There are myriad forms, many of which you will be familiar with, but only a couple of which you will find any resonance with. The particular genres that interest me, for example, are country rock, americana roots, hybrid and blues rock. I can write in the pop genre, but I’m only marginally good at it, mainly because it’s not as interesting to me as an artist/performer. I can hugely appreciate a good pop song, but I’m not that skilled at the craft. Look at people like Max Martin and the infinite genius of Tears For Fears – yes, Pure Pop for Now People indeed!

Are you targeting a specific goal, such as a particular radio format? You’ll have to study the way the majority of the songs that play on those stations are constructed.For example, listen to the songs of a band like Nickelback … it’s a certain style that they use in the structure and the songs are hugely crafted by the production approach. It’s shared by other bands like Shinedown, Theory of a Deadman, Default, Disturbed, Avenged Sevenfold, Hinder and Breaking Benjamin, to name just a few. They all have their roots in the ’90’s to me .. coming out of Seattle’s Alice In Chains and Soundgarden, but with more of a pop sensibility.

Lyrically, it’s tricky to walk the line between cornball, conceit, confusion and just plain crap. A great lyricist is a god, as far as I am concerned. One of my favorite things is to try to find ways to use cliches with a twist. A master of this approach would be someone like Elvis Costello, or Joni Mitchell. One of the most erudite songwriters ever, Joni is a master of painting the soundscape with words – her, Robbie Robertson, and John Forte, the story-tellers, among a great many others …

Songwriting, like song – listening, is so personal, and so powerful. Writing a song that touches many people is possibly one of the most wonderful achievements you can have as a musician and performer. It’s a gift … use it well. And thank you, from your potential audience…. me.

03 Sep 2010
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Do Yourself and Us a Favor

Do Yourself and Us a Favor

As many of my blogs, I am writing this in response to an interesting email I got a few days ago from someone shopping me as a booking agent. Now anybody who does their research and reads my website about our services (this email was submitted through my website) will notice a distinct lack of any reference of booking as a service. That would be because we are not a booking agency. We are a management firm, which is plainly spelled out in the “about us” section of the site.  If you follow us on twitter you will see a few booking tweets as we do try and help our clients book shows, but like all true management firms, we try and find real booking agencies for our clients.

 

Anyway, the people who were emailing me sent no information about themselves for review. No press kit, no websites, not a thing. Now anybody in any form of the entertainment business knows that you always have to SUBMIT something to be considered for ANYTHING. A generic email is the worst thing you can possibly do to try and get professional help.  I was nice and replied back, saying thank you for the inquiry but please submit the appropriate information as listed on our website and explained that we are a management firm and not a booking agency.  The person emailed back saying “I am one of the most well-known (popular – whatever you wish to call it) independent authors on the market today and one of the most powerful female Horror authors in history.” So obviously they were this big deal and didn’t need help with their business. They only needed help booking because they were so busy with engagements they couldn’t handle the booking aspect anymore and needed help keeping it up. Now mind you, I was perplexed at the thought that someone didn’t actually need help with their business (because we all do). I looked at the one link they sent back — now I was really confused.  This was a MySpace page, and a very poorly done one at that, with no scheduled bookings on it at all.

 

So to reiterate, no press kit, no websites, no proper submissions, no visible bookings, no way to corroborate the “awards” and “incredible popularity” this person was purporting, I was shocked at the arrogance portrayed in their email that they didn’t need help and were too big for that and obviously knew better than my agency did. Evidently the importance of branding, image, professionalism, marketing, social networking, how to approach industry professionals wasn’t important to them and they didn’t realize the power of being the best your business can be in all areas to increase whatever current success your are presently enjoying.

 

So the moral to the story is . . . please don’t waste any professional’s time if you aren’t going to do the research about their firm first before approaching them.  If you think you know more than the people you are approaching, don’t approach. Don’t ever send a generic email. If you don’t see submission policies, ask for them politely.  Then when you do submit your information, describe what kind of services you are looking for. The agencies don’t take the time to answer people who aren’t respectful and submit properly. Those who don’t submit properly are showing that they aren’t ready for the professional service anyway because they haven’t taken the time to be professional themselves.

 

Good Luck and do your homework!

19 Aug 2010
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The Comfort Zone

The Comfort Zone

 

Often times when trying to make a career happen or anything else for that matter, we tend to stay in a safe place. We do only what we are strong in and never work on our weaknesses. You see this a lot with musicians practice routines where they only practice what they know and avoid what they don’t.  We are scared to reach out and try something new.  It might be technology, social media, new venues, new band members or numerous other things that make us nervous.  We are scared of change in general, as is human nature.  We shy away from what we don’t understand or from the unknown.

Unfortunately, we never know what is coming tomorrow and security is usually just an illusion.  How many times have you experienced or watch someone loose a secure job, or a relationship that seemed secure and perfect only to find out it was far from the truth.  It catches us by surprise and it’s a major shock to the system.  It makes us nervous and scared to try new things, but in order to move forward, we need to step out of the comfort zone in order to grow.

A very popular quote from Albert Einstein is “The definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect different results”.  In your artistic career, if you aren’t getting the results you need or desire, then you need to try something new.  You need to do things that you don’t like or may not be comfortable with. You are responsible for making it happen especially since you are most likely doing this all on your own with out a team of people to help you.  Another popular quote is “Successful people do what unsuccessful people aren’t willing to do”.

As an example everyone knows that social media is the future and most are already late getting to it.  I have heard countless times from artists/entertainers that they don’t like doing social media. They don’t like twitter because it’s seems so trivial.  “What do I say?”, What can you put in 140 characters?” or “I just don’t get it, it isn’t my thing.”  These are the reasons or excuses that I hear for people not doing what is necessary for their careers.  Let me tell you as an artist and business owner, there are a lot of things that aren’t “my” thing.  I still have to do them to be visible and stay competitive.

In a world where the same big paying opportunities to be signed by a major label aren’t there, the artist has to find ways to get their product out there.  There is none cheaper than social media and since most artists are always saying they aren’t making any money gigging, they have no reason to not use social media.

I am encouraging you to step out of your “comfort zone” and put together a plan that will help you get to your goals.  Do the things you don’t like to do and you will be way ahead of those who aren’t and are at the same time setting yourself apart from the pack of mediocrity that is out there.

Good Luck!

10 Aug 2010
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Records and Interviews

Records and Interviews

by Sass Jordan – The Lowry Agency Artist

You Don’t Have To Remind Me

Pretty much the first thing you get asked in an interview when you are promoting your latest record is ‘what is it like?’. Not an easy question to answer, as an artist, because usually it’s about so many things. I like to have an answer already prepared so that I don’t have to think about it on the spot, and confuse myself and the interviewer as I jump around all the inspirations and moments that made up the songs. Generally, when I am thinking about making a record I will have a theme that I can work off of. For example, my most recent record, From Dusk Til Dawn, was thematically exploring the darkest hours before the dawn, the time when we feel the most vulnerable in every sense, and all the growth and expansion that comes from that. There was also a flavor of Southern California in the seventies, and a touch of Memphis vibe … just slight dabbling, not out and out excavation.

It’s best to remember a couple of entertaining stories from the recording, and to perhaps discuss a song or two. I find that most interviewers are quite willing to be led where you want to take them – there are very few who are really prepared and come to the session with a real set agenda. Either way, it can be a lot of fun, especially if you have a sense of humor about it. The thing you can never forget is that you are promoting something, be it yourself, or your latest release or up-coming shows – these are the things that public wants to hear about, but tucked into something they can relate to as people.

Once in a while you will come across someone who is a total goof and really has no idea what they are doing, but in those instances you still have a choice. You can take them by the hand, so to speak, and lead them down the path they were supposed to take you down – OR – you can just dismiss the whole thing, which is probably not a good idea. Just have a sense of humor about it and realize that not everybody is up to speed!

Interviews are the place where you can deliver more of a direct message about what you do and what you are interested in and the ideas, people, places, and things that you want to support. If you have a particular charity, or piece of information you would like to share – an interview is the place to do it! Even if it’s just an energy or state of being – it’s another opportunity to reach out and affect or help other people, uplift them, get them thinking, make them happy (or angry!). I used to loathe doing them until I figured out that it was up to me how I felt – and not up to anyone else. Once you figure that out, that you’re in charge of how you feel – everything else changes for the better!

20 Jul 2010
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“It’s All About The Team Baby!”

“It’s All About The Team Baby!”

by Sass Jordan, Artist – The Lowry Agency

Stronger

Let’s face it .. you don’t do this alone. Even if you do all the work, and all the administration, booking, accounting, publicity, photography, performing, playing, travel planning, blogging, tweeting, booking, touring, advancing, writing, phones, ALL of that, and more, you’re still not doing it alone, because you do it for the fans – and they are what help you continue. As long as they want to see and hear you, you’re not alone.

On that note, the most important thing you can do for yourself and your work is to assemble a team of people that can facilitate the process for you. I think this holds true in pretty much any endeavour, but we are speaking in music business terms here, so that’s where we’ll focus. The craziness of running a musical ‘business’ can be pretty overwhelming. There are so many endless details to take care of, above and beyond the honing of your craft and developing your musical skills. I honestly have nothing but the utmost respect for performers who have managed to become well-known and can work consistently. Even if I don’t care for the musical style or even the personality, I still have huge respect, because I know what it takes to pull it off. It’s not for everyone. You need the courage of an lion, the patience of an ox and the energy of a jack russell terrier!

Probably the best place to start  a team with would be with a personal manager and a booking agent. You can build everything from there. I know people who have started with an entertainment lawyer .. but that works kind of the same way, because big entertainment lawyers know EVERYONE in the business end of things, and they can definitely hook you up with managers and agents, as well as publishers and record distributors etc. A manager is a wonderful player to have, but as usual, finding one who is going to be able to do the job the way you need it done with the budget you probably have, is a challenge.

You have to decide up front how you are going to pay people. That is a massively important point. If you are getting into a situation where you are signing on with a big management company, you will have little choice in the way things are done, and rightly so, as you need them far more than they need you. The thing to remember is, it is never THEIR name on the marquee, so any problems or situations that arise will be attributed to your name, not theirs. If you are hooking up with someone who is as unknown as you are, there are different things to watch out for, namely, do they have any experience at all, and how much will they understand what is going on and what needs to be done. The main selling point for a big , successful company is that they have endless contacts and lots of people that owe them favors. The downside is that you get lost in amongst all the big fish, the ones that make them all that money and favors. The main selling point for an unknown is that they are as hungry as you are, and have as much to prove as you do, therefore will work tirelessly on your account, with no other acts distracting them, and they will work to make you money, because that is how they make theirs! The downside, of course, is that they often don’t have a clue what they are doing, and they don’t have the clout to get you hooked up with other people that can help the cause.

In the end, you are going to have to go with your intuition and your own feeling on everything, as there are no hard and fast rules. If you have respect and integrity, you are likely to find that comes back to you – perhaps not every time, but by far most of the time. A team is the greatest thing you could have as a performer … and I wish you nothing but the best of luck in building one!

30 Jun 2010
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Developing Your Own Style

Developing Your Own Style

By Sass Jordan, Artist – The Lowry Agency

What I Need

The key to the all important ‘style’ is absolute knowledge of your vocal limits and strengths. I remember a couple of years ago, I was doing a songwriter circle, and one of the other songwriters was an artist I love, by the name of Ron Sexsmith. We were doing a group number with Roger Hodgson, of Supertramp, (another one of my faves), and there was a hideous out of tune issue going on .. we were trying to find the source of it, when lo and behold, Ron held up his hand and said .. “Guys, it’s me. I can’t sing in tune. It’s my style”! It broke the ice, and we laughed non-stop from that moment on.

The thing is, Ron wasn’t really kidding – that wavery, blue tunage type of thing is very much ‘his style’, and it completely suits his amazing songs and melodies. He is a consummate artist in that he knows what works for him, what delivers for him-and he doesn’t try to be anything he isn’t. It’s the same as anything else – you know if you’re a size 6 shoe, you ain’t gonna be wearing a size 10!

You have to develop your thing from a variety of influences. First of all, what type of styles do you love and admire in other singers? I was (and still am) a HUGE Chaka Khan fan, but there was no way in HECK I was ever going to be able to sing like her – I just can’t do it physically. However, I developed a couple of tricks that I use now, that came from trying to imitate her sound. Same with Tina Turner, Paul Rogers, Lou Gramm, Steve Perry, Al Green, Curtis Mayfield, Leon Russel, Dr. John, Linda Ronstadt, and a host of others.

Another thing to consider is the style of music – there are certain types of phrasing etc that are intrinsic to certain styles. I personally think that Stevie Wonder is the originator in large part of a very popular singing style we have been hearing for the past fifteen to twenty years. Singers like Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera are skilled at it. It incorporates a lot of what is known as ‘vocal gymnastics’, but to be good at it you have to know when to lay out. Less is ALWAYS more.

Your sound has more to do with your physical structure than anything else. If you have a great big resonant skull, like Pavarotti, you will be able to make sounds that other’s with less cranium can manage. It’s also down to lung capacity and the strength of your diaphragm – all massive contributors to sound and style.

The development of personal vocal style is like the development of your personality, and actually works hand in hand with it. Age and experience are two factors that cannot be underestimated in terms of their impact on a singing style. Your style is the one thing that sets you apart from other’s, and is an identifying feature, along with your tone and personal energy. The great thing is, there will only ever be ONE of you, so you never need to think about ‘competing’ with another singer, which goes against everything music is. People either resonate with you, or they don’t. NEVER worry about it!

22 Jun 2010
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Merch Tables and Other Necessities….

Merch Tables and Other Necessitites…

by Sass Jordan, Artist – The Lowry Agency

High Road Easy

As an artist/performer in the slash and burn world of making a living playing music today, you have to have a fairly high level of people skills. There are a few performers that can get away with not saying or relating much-basically doing it through the music, but most of us need to develop a congenial type of relationship with our fans. We realize that it is not an easy thing for most people to come out and spend their well-earned cash – a lot of them are raising families and just trying to get along in today’s climate – not a particularly small task in this uncertain world. The skills I am talking about are related to making a fan feel included, making them feel they are part of the process. In fact, they are, in more ways than I can list, not the least of which is if there is no audience there is no show.

One of the best ways to create an on- going and loyal relationship with your fans is to sell your merchandise after the show. This way people get an opportunity to exchange a couple of words, get things signed, and get a pic with you. These things need to be set up properly, however, or you run the risk of having a bit of chaos on your hands. Assuming you and your crew know what you are doing, I think it’s an awesome way of understanding your audience, and getting a feel for the type of people that like your music and vibe. The more successful you are, the less easy it is to do this, of course, but then you can get into VIP packages for fans, where a select group (usually contest winners) can come and get things signed, pics taken and maybe even a little mini-concert before the big show. The only time I think it’s right to not do a signing is if you are too tired (bad for the voice), there is no security or professional set-up, or you have to travel immediately following the performance.

You do what you do FOR the public, for your fans, for your audience. Cultivating a meaningful relationship with the people who buy your wares is worth the time and the effort, and is a way of thanking them, as well.