LO1

On completion of this unit a learner should:

1 Know about the sound and music industries and how they relate to the broader entertainment industry

Live performance: eg setting up and promoting live performances, health and safety, tour management, event management, retailing, backstage, front of house, performing rights

Record companies: eg majors and independents, finding and signing artists, recording studios, retail, distribution, internet sales

Music publishing companies: eg finding songwriters/composers, A&R, promotion

Artist management: eg business management, sponsorship, tour management, artists’ and managers’ rights
Task 1: Areas of the Music Industry

·         Produce an article for the client commenting critically on the four areas below, weighing up strengths and weaknesses, pros & cons (eg the benefits of small independent labels compared to the major labels)

The Music Industry

The music industry is full of companies and individuals that bring in their income by creating music and then going on to sell it. There are many roles within the music industry, and each has a strong role. Not only are there performers, musicians, the companies and the professionals who actually do the making of the music there are roles such as, sound engineers, publishers, producers, booking agents, promoters, music stores, road crew and loads more.

Even the smallest of jobs are individually and equally as important. During this article I am going to be looking at four areas of what the music industry is about. I'm going to break them down by talking about positives and negatives about being in the music industry depending on your job role, they all have pros and cons no matter what the job is. 

Live performance

Promoting live performances

Setting up for a performance

Health and safety

Tour/event management, retailing, tickets; backstage; front of house; performing rights

Promoting live performances

Promoting for a live performance consists of a lot. Without promotion no one would end up coming to watch the live performance as no one would be aware of it. Some ways of promoting could be, making an event on Facebook/social networking sites, putting up posters around the town and passing on these posters/leaflets to your friends and family for them to put up where they live so this will spread the word and get more people knowing about you/your band. Promoting the live performance itself is an extremely important part of the process. Promoting for live performances is usually a job which is taken on by someone. They are responsible for actually finding the events and also selling the tickets. Promoters get their income from their margins. The promoter is also most likely going to be in charge of selling, merchandise, food and drink etc on the actual night of the event.

Pros and cons 
The good thing about having promotion is that this will enable you to get known as your gigs and your band, or if you're a solo artist, people will be aware of where and when you're playing so it's a really good way of advertising. 
A bad thing about promotion is that some people may not be able to afford to have a promoter, it doesn't come for free. It could be a good thing if you had a relative or friend that could be in charge of this for little or no cost at all, but if you're wanting a really good promoter which knows people, has contacts and actually does this for a living then you'll need to be have money to do this. 

Tour/event manager
If you're in a band, or even a solo artists it can be a good idea to have a tour/event manager, they are the people that take care of most things. Depending on what type of tour is happening depends on the level of work the manager will have to do. Say for example, if it is a big tour travelling around a lot, going around cities and towns, it is more than likely a lot of equipment will be needed. They are really the people that have to deal with all the obstacles that will happen during events and the people that are expected to make everything better if it all goes wrong. They hold a big responsibility.  If it is a big tour the kinds of jobs the event/tour manager will be in charge of is: 

• Basically being the boss and giving people job roles 
• The main source of communication, event and tour managers are always 'the middle man' and make sure everyone is aware of what is happening 
• Sorting out travel for people who are helping on tour, the actual performers and also arranging for how equipment is getting place to place 
• Hiring people to work with and help along the way, for example, people who will help set up stages etc 

If the tour is a slightly smaller tour, for example around local pubs, and small venues then obviously the tour/event manager will not be in charge of as much because it will be more of a chilled out experience and there will not be as much to deal with due to there being smaller venues. 

Tour managers will always travel without having to pay for anything, so this will obviously come out of the money that the performers make. 

Pros about tour/event management

• Everything is paid for you, accommodation, transport etc 
• Everyday something different is going on, so I personally think that it would be a very interesting and exciting job and everyday you'd be faced with difference
• Always learning new things and get to meet new people everyday 
• Satisfaction- seeing what you have made and put together all work out is something that is very rewarding 

Cons about tour/event management

• It can be a job which no one really appreciates the level that people go to, most times not even getting a thank you or please
• Have a lot of responsibility and relied on 
• Living out of a suitcase can be very difficult and stressful 
• Being away from family and friends can be hard as tour/event managers will be on the road travelling a lot 
• You must be able to adapt to change fast and work around any obstacles that you meet, this can be really stressful 
• Tour and event managers often feel very guilty when something they have thought of goes wrong and they feel as though they are to blame 
• If people need to be cut then the event manager is usually the first to be cut, this can make the event manager feel extremely on edge and pressured to do well therefore causing stress
• Boredom between jobs, although there is always normally something to do if there is long gaps inbetween events then this can become very tedious 

I think that being an event/tour manager it would be a very interesting job, although the cons that I have thought of by researching I feel like it looks much more of an exciting job on paper and when you say it, but then when you actually look into it you start to see all the disadvantages that comes with it. I don't think this is the type of job that I would be into. The main thing for me was the fact that they aren't appreciated for their hard work, this must be very distressing and frustrating. I think it is a job that gives you great experience, and enables you to pick up skills that you can take with you through life and into the future, for example, organisation and punctuality. 

Setting up for a performance
Setting up for a performance takes a lot of hard work. Types of jobs needed for doing this is: 

• Organising for equipment to be taken to the venue 
• If a stage needs to be set up then this could need quite a few people
• Setting up the actual equipment up itself, for example, microphones, amps, guitars, drums 
• Sound checks, these are important because it could prevent from something going wrong when the actual live performance takes place. Levels etc will need to be tested, so will lighting and any effects which is being used, for example, a smoke machine 
• Ensuring that everyone that is needed for the performance is in the right place and knows what they're doing, this will stop confusion on the actual night 
• Rehearsals- this is all part of the performance set up process and without it the shows wouldn't even be able to take place 
• Organising where everything is, for example, if the performer is changing their outfit half way through, to make sure that it's in a convenient place

 As you can see the picture to the left, they start with a black space normally in which they are in charge of filling and creating performance space, this takes a lot of planning and discussion in order to make everything go to plan and everything to be positioned in the correct places.

A roadie is something that would normally be used, a roadie is someone who is in charge of setting up, taking down, and just maintaining equipment for the band. They will travel with the bands and help with the general organisation of everything, and the equipment. Roadie's are normally girls, and if it is a man which is travelling with the band then they are usually referred to as techies. Roadies are sometimes paid but a lot of the time they are doing it out of their own good, and is a great way of gaining experience and breaking into the cycle of doing it as your permanent job or going higher in the system. 

Pros of setting up a performance

• You can gain a lot of experience 
• Getting to meet new people 
• Excitement of getting to tour with bands 

Cons of setting up a performance

• May not be getting paid 
• Having a lot of responsibility can be stressful, and a lot of people relying on you, being in charge of, for example, the equipment, it's important that organisation is key, this is because you may forget to bring something which will then cause everything to go wrong 
• Being away from friends and families, as you would need to be going where ever the band is performing, this could be out of town or even out of the country 
• Could get quite boring as you may be doing the same thing over and over again 

Health and safety
Health and Safety is something that needs to be taken into account when preparing for a live performance. For example, if the stage is being set up then this will require having a lot of people being involved in this. It's important to know exactly what everyone is doing because then this way there will be no confusion and a problem is less likely to occur. When setting up heavy objects, moving about big PA systems, amps and even instruments, for example, drums, it's important that the people in charge of doing this is wearing equipment that is suitable for these tasks. 

• Helmets is usually something that is used a lot, this is because, when using big PA systems sometimes they are moved from place to place using something which enables the PA system to go into the air and moved like this. A hazard is that it could fall, so helmets would need to be worn in situations like this. 
• Also, suitable shoes is something that's important, if heavy objects are being carried then  it is possible for these to fall on your feet causing bad injuries. Steel toe cap boots are a good way of preventing injuries if this was to happen.
• Hi vis jackets can be worn so everyone is aware of who is taking part and also if the area you are working in is fairly dark, and when lighting gets tested it's important that everyone can be seen

 The picture to the left is an example of a performance being set up, as you can see they are wearing hi vis jackets. 

Why is health and safety so important?
Health and safety is extremely important, if there wasn't rules set in place then no one would be aware of what could happen if you weren't to be careful. Especially with something like setting up for a live performance, this involves carrying heavy items, like PA systems and instruments that could be heavy, if we weren't careful when doing these types of tasks then injuries could occur. I can't think of any negatives about health and safety and being aware of it, the only thing that could be a problem is the gear that is required to wear, it could perhaps be uncomfortable for the workers, but this is something that has to be dealt with as it is too risky to not wear equipment.
It's important that there is enough people taking care of jobs to reduce the risk of injury. If something heavy needs to be carried and it isn't going to 'fly' (for example PA system) then it needs to be made sure that there is enough people that is helping.

Tickets/retailing

Selling the tickets is what the promoters would be in charge with and also people that are 'front of house'. (see promoters and front of house section)

Backstage
Having people being in charge backstage is important because behind the scenes a lot goes on. For example, if the person that is performing is changing their outfit half way through the performance, then having some one backstage to quickly pass the performer their outfit, and make sure it is organised will help speed the process along. It depends on the size of the performance, if it is a smaller venue, smaller gig, then obviously the jobs backstage will be less compared to a massive live performance where much more is going on. The types of jobs for backstage: 

• Hair/makeup/clothes- this will obviously be before the show takes place, or even in intervals. They will need to be organised to ensure everything is in the correct places, to avoid any confusion and delay. 
• Carpentry- things like, making and preparing props if needed. 
• Loading, unloading, putting up scenery 

Performing rights
If the performer is performing covers during the show then obviously it's vital that a licence is something that they own. It's important that where the performer is actually playing that there is rights to perform there. For example, busking, to do this you need to have a busking licence otherwise this is actually against the law. It's important to have performing rights. Performance are considered public when they in a public area or venue, also on TV, radio and any other transmitted performance of a live song. 

If you are holding your own show but are still performing some covers then it's important to still have a licence to show that you have performing rights. 

Front of house
In the performing arts industry the term 'front of house', abbreviated FOH, is the portion of a performance venue that is open to members of the public. In theatre and also live music venues, front of house means it's the foyer area, not the stage or backstage areas. If we're talking about theatre then the front of house manager will be the person who takes control of ticket sales, selling drinks and also they make sure that the auditorium is set out correctly.
Where the lighting and sound operates is a small sectioned off area front of house, which is surrounded by the audience or it is at the edge of the audience area. This is a great place to be positioned because they have a clear view of absolutely everything that is going on and can also hear everything well. They will enable the operation of the main speaker system, and any other equipment.
Also the term, front of house, can be talking about the person who is in charge in dealing with patrons, this also includes house managers, ticket vendors, bartenders, merchandise vendors and ushers. These jobs are extremely important, without them it would make the performance feel unprofessional and not organised. You need people to collect tickets at the beginning of the performance, and people to show the audience to their seats.

 As you can see in this picture to the left, the FOH is positioned right at the back, behind the audience and they have a really good view of everything that is going on
 Another good clear example of what a FOH would look like 

Overall...
Being apart of a live performance can be very mentally and technically challenging. The late nights and lack of sleep can build up on an individual causing stress, let alone the actual stress that comes from the job itself. From all my research I think that overall it would be an interesting experience to be part of a live performance, not just being the performer, but everything that comes with it. I have weighed out the pros and cons and looked in detail about each job and why or why not it may not be a job that is suitable, but it all depends on the type of person. 

Record companies

Majors and independents.

Finding and signing artists.

Acts and material.

Recording studios.

Retail.

Distribution.

Internet sales.

Intellectual property and copyright management.

Digital rights management (DRM).

Industry organisations.

Major and independant record labels
An independant record label also known as indie record label is when a label operates without any help or funding from outside the organisations of major record labels. It's very common for musical acts to start off on independent labels, it's a great starting point. Independent record labels can still hold extremely complex structures and can be large businesses but they are just not under any control from bigger labels. Sometimes people use the term indie label because they tend to release music that isn't considered mainstream.

Types of independent record labels:

• Uncharted audio 
• XL recordings 
• Motown 
• Cherry Red Records 

Positives and negatives of independent labels
Independent record labels have both positives and negatives, positives being that it means you are not under any control and you will still have a small contract to sign but nothing too big and nothing which will really prevent you from doing anything else (like major record labels), they are great as they give you the support that you need. 
Negatives being that it sometimes isn't enough to help you get into the music industry as they will be very small record labels and money is tight so having the funds to do everything you need to do may not be possible, although they are really good for a place to start.

A major record label is a brand and a trademark which is associated with the marketing of music that is recorded and also music videos. A record label is also a company which publishes and manages brands and trademarks, also they coordinate the production side of things, the distribution, marketing, promotion and the enforcement of copyright for music is also something they are in charge of. Labels are also people that find new talent, this is called scouting (artists and repertoire' or also known as 'A&R'). They then sign contracts which recording artists and their managers. 

There are differences between major record labels and independent record labels, and the meanings of the two terms. 

Types of major record labels (UK):

• The universal music group 
• Sony BMG music entertainment
• EMI group
• Warner music group

Positives and negatives of major record labels
Positives of a major record label is the funding is really there, there isn't really any limits in that sense of what you can do. The publicity and promotion that comes with it is so impressive and gives you some great opportunities. 
Negatives being that the contract you sign could be very strict and you could perhaps be very limited with what you do, for example, where you perform, who you do performances for, and even sometimes they completely change your style of music and you have this contract signed which you don't want to be in anymore.

Finding and signing artist
A&R are who are in charge of finding new talent, artists and songwriters. Obviously they're not the only way people get found but this is the main way. A&R stands for artist and repertoire. A&R are responsible for finding the recording artists and bringing them to the record companies. Their job is to find people that the industry will enjoy, and people that are likely to be successful. They need to be able to relate to the music that is in at that moment in time. Younger people are normally A&R people and they are sometimes music journalists or record producers. They are also sometimes slightly older as they are very experienced.
Looking at it like this, they have one of the most important jobs in the industry. Without them some of the artists that are around today wouldn't have been noticed. 

Some people think that to be successful and noticed you have to be found by an A&R, this isn't true, people that think this could then cause them to have their confidence knocked by them thinking they'll never be noticed. 
A positive about A&R is that they give fantastic opportunities to artists that are desperate to be involved in the music industry and gives them that stability into being brought into the music world.

http://www.allmusicindustrycontacts.com/record-label-ar.htm - This website gives a really good video about a man that talks about A&R.

Acts and material
Acts within a record label will mean the actual performers and artists which are signed to the record label, they then go on to making material which gets sold.  
Material within a record label is literally the music itself. Having your own material and being signed to a record label is a much easier way of getting yourself noticed as the record labels will also promote your music and give it the publicity that it needs. Material within the record label could be, physical copies, vinyl, mp3 and digital music.

Recording studios
Recording studios are places that artists go to when they want to produce and mix their music. A studio is usually a place that consists of 2 or 3 rooms; the studio itself, this is where the sound for the recording is created, the control room, this is where the sound of the recording is recorded and manipulated, and then there's a machine room which is where noisier equipment is kept that could affect a recording.
Before you book a studio it's always good to research a few and look about before booking the first one you find, you could be after a specific sound and you could book the wrong studio for this. It's always good to go round and check some out, also showing interest to studio owners to persuade you to use their studio they could even end up offering deals. 

Positives of studios are that they are a great way of allowing artists produce their music in the way that they want it to sound. It's a good way of letting artists gain experience in studio recording and how tracks are made. They are a good way of getting artists music known as it would then go on to being released, whether that just be on YouTube, or sites such as iTunes where people can then go on to buy music. Having songs recorded is good because it allows artists to earn money for their recorded songs every time they are played or bought. It's also a good way of trial and error because it can let the artist hear back properly what they need to improve on or what doesn't sound as good as they initially thought.

Negatives of studios is that they are extremely expensive which then is hard for artists which aren't earning a lot of income and struggle financially. Also, sometimes studio workers don't always allow artists to have a strong input in their songs so this can be very frustrating for the musician and can make them feel as if they have wasted a studio session as they haven't come out achieving what they were after.

Retail
Retail within music is basically the sales of records, this is in shops, to the general public. As well as selling CD's, a lot of shops tend to send sell things like, calenders, music magazines, and even concert tickets. Retailers will pay money to record companies and distributors at a reasonable price for CD's, normally they will arrange a deal, as long as profit is given both ways.

Within a record company there will need to be a retail sales managers. This person will, work, run and operate a retail music store. Within this role they would need to do things such as employee supervision, training, ordering, coordinate the timing and arrival of distribution shipments to the store. They will also need to manage the budgets and financial side of things. A big part of it is coordinating sales promotions for specific CD's. 

Positives of Retail 

• A great way to get your music selling 
• Promotes music as it is in popular stores and more people will get to know you as an artist
• Earn more income due to your music being on shop floors, as well if they are selling things like concert tickets then this is a good head start of selling gig tickets

Negatives of Retail 

• Can be a long and hard process of getting your music into places like this 
• Can cost a lot, just to get your CD's made so if you aren't earning a lot of income then this is something that could seem very far away
• It is sometimes a big risk, for example, if you don't sell as much as you'd hoped you may not achieve a big profit, or no profit at all

Distribution
Distribution is the actual process of making a product or service which will then lead to being able to be used by a consumer or a business user. There are three parts to this process, they are, product, pricing and promotion. Distribution companies sign deals with record labels and even sometimes directly with the artists, but this isn't very common. They then gain the right to sell music to record stores. The distributor will always take a percentage of the income that is made from the sales of the records then the label will receive the rest.
A lot of the time the distributor will want to get given the finished product so they will have no work left to do on it, but sometimes what happens is they'll have a deal which is called M&D, this stands for Manufacturing and distribution. This means that the distributor will pay all costs for the manufacturing process and the price of the album upfront, and then they will keep all of the money from the album until the rest of the investment has been finished and paid off.
Digital music can get sold to websites like iTunes and Spotify. 

Internet sales
Internet sales aren't something that is incredibly popular anymore, this is due to there being illegal sites nowadays where it is so easy for people to just effectively steal music. This is making internet sales fall increasingly and damaging artists income for their work. This is how artists make their money, by making and selling their music. Putting that aside...

Internet underground music archive was the first online music store that had full quality sound. This online music store started in California only in 1993 which isn't really that long ago. When April 2008 came iTunes was then named the biggest online music store due to them having 80% of the market. Today all of us are moving away from buying CD's, tapes and vinyls and are deciding to take the easy option which is buying it as a file on and it goes directly to your computer so you can listen to it when and where you'd like. (if you have a licence of course). A great example of showing how people buying music online rather than in stores to purchase physical copies is HMV, this was a massive music store which was all around but they recently went bust due to not having enough business so they continue their sales on a website online. 
Record companies will help and encourage you to get your music on websites such as big leading companies like iTunes and they will get you the customers that you need. 

Positives of internet sales: 

• Easy and quick for your fans to purchase music 
• Good to advertise 
• Using the internet is so popular so people will always be happy to do something online 

Negatives of internet sales:

• Due to having to pay for music online it could then lead to people downloading music illegally as they don't want to pay for it 
• Some people may not be able to afford to always buy music, again, leading to downloading music illegally 
• Can be a longer process rather than just popping into a local music store so some people may not even bother at all
• A lot of the older generation aren't always aware that you can do this so they could perhaps not realise this is an option to them, causing them to not buy it at all 

Intellectual property and copyright management

Intellectual property also known as IP is a legal concept and it refers to creation of the mind, which exclusive rights are recognised. Intellectual property law, the owners are owed certain and individual rights to a variety of intangible assets. These are things like, literary, art, inventions, discoveries, music, and it also covers words, phrases, symbols and designs. The common types of intellectual property rights include, trademarks, copyright, patent, industrial design rights and trade dress.
Copyright is a legal concept which is used by most governments. This gives the person who has created an original and unique piece of work exclusive rights to use it, this would usually be only for a limited amount of time. Copyright generally means that it is 'the right to copy', pretty much what it says in the name. If this happens then it gives the copyright holder the right to have their names credited for the work. It's a type of intellectual property (above).

Digital rights management (DRM)
DRM is a company which is in charge of what you can do with the digital media and devices that we own. For example, if you're trying to share a song, read an eBook or anything else, or things like not letting you play a  single-game player if you're not connected to the internet, this usually means that DRM are refraining this from happening. (SEE LO4)

This is something that could come up when you try and download something illegally. 

Industry organisations
There are a lot of music industry organisations within a record label. Industry organisations are what make up the whole thing.
Here is a diagram describing all the sections of the music industry. 


They are all the parts of industry organisations within a record label. 
Music industry organisations

• AIM
• BRIT school
• APRS
• PRS for music 
• UK music 
• MU 
• MPG 

Music publishing companies

Finding/selecting songwriters and composers.

Promoting the material.

Music sales and live broadcast.

Intellectual property and copyright management.

Performing rights.

Piracy.

Industry organisations.

Finding/selecting songwriters and composers
Organisations for music publishing works the same way as labels do when they go out to find artists. A scout will go out and search for, solo artists, bands, people who are involved in creating music, and people who make music for other people's use. Most musicians will send demo's to publishers, this is a great way of getting heard and noticed and gives the musician a head start.

Positives are that it's a good way of getting found when you least expect it and getting scouted can lead you into the beginning of a good career. 

Negatives are that it can be very difficult to be scouted as a songwriter or a composer as normally you won't be the main part of a song (what it may look like to people listening to it) normally it would be the singer who gets noticed. So for example, if you've written the piano for the backing of a song you may not get noticed as an individual even if it is an incredible piece of music which you've created. 


Promoting the material
Promoting the material means for example, making people aware of songs that you've made, and also promoting anything else which relates to you as an artist, whether that be any merchandise you have, your website, or any gig dates that you have on sale. Looking at 'promoting the material' on the music side of things, this would be focused more on getting people to buy your music and go to gigs which you are holding. Nowadays how things like this get promoted is usually via social networking sites, and also posters which can be put up around towns, and word of mouth I believe is one of the best ways in which something can be promoted. 

Positives of promoting material is it gets your work known and makes people more aware of who you are and what you are about. Without people knowing about you then people's work wouldn't be sold because no one would be aware of it. 

Something that could perhaps be negative about that fact that it's so important for work to be promoted is that it can take an incredibly long time before it becomes a regular thing and it can be hard to get people to respond, you could be trying for months or even years just to get people constantly being aware of your music, this can become a very frustrating process.

Music sales and live broadcast
There are many ways to do a live broadcast. These are:

• Live radio 
• Internet radio 
• Liveblogging 
• Streaming media 
• Internet television 
• Live television

Some artists sometimes do a live stream, this is when they'll usually let their fans known that they're doing a live stream and it will enable them to listen to them playing live music over the internet and sometimes they allow the fans to ask questions and the artist will answer these. It's a great way to get more publicity. 

Music sales are now becoming lower and lower due to people downloading music illegally. Places where you can music is:

• Going into a store and getting a physical copy 
• iTunes 
• eBooks
• Amazon 
• Internet

Music publishers are responsible for making sure that songwriters and composers receive a fair payment when their music is used commercially. There will be an agreement made which is called a publishing contract. A songwriter or the composer will assign the copyright of their work to a publishing company. Once this has been done the company will then licence the compositions, this will then help monitor where and how the music is getting used. They will then collect the royalties and give them to the composers of the music. They are also very helpful in promoting music to recording artists, film and also television.

Intellectual property and copyright management
You need to protect your published music. Copyrights is one of the most important part of the process of managing your music career. The money that you gain from these protections is the way that you, as an artist, gets paid as a musician.

Music publishers are very concerned about copyright and they do everything that they can to ensure that all your music is protected against it.

Performing rights
Performing rights literally means having the right to perform in public. It is part of the law for the music's composer, lyricist and publisher to gain royalties if their art is reused and performed. If a performance is taking place as a concert, in a nightclub, in a public venue, pubs, restaurants etc then this is considered as a live performance therefore performing rights take place and if you're performing an already made song then royalties go to these people. You must have performing rights to perform a piece of music in public which doesn't belong to you.
Below is a picture of a form would look like if you were declaring the covers of songs you were to perform/use.

Piracy
Piracy is when a track is illegally downloaded, or this could also be films etc. They are normally downloaded on illegal websites. Piracy is one of the main issues in the music industry as it is causing lack of income to artists as their music isn't getting paid for. Most people are guilty of downloading something illegally. It's such an easy process, this is why it's such a common activity. Piracy is full of negative points and the list could be endless, the only positive aspect in doing this is for the person actually illegally downloading because they are getting illegal free access to things that they love.

Industry organisations
The music industry is full of little companies and individuals which make money by making and selling music. The individuals and organisations that create the music industry are:

• The musicians who create and also perform the music 
• The companies that create and they also sell the music that has been recorded, people like, publishers, producers, recording studios, engineers, record labels, retail,  online music stores, performance rights organisations 
• Live music presenters 
• Booking agents 
• Promoters 
• Music venues 
• Road crew 
• Then you have people like, talent managers, business managers, entertainment lawyers 
• People who broadcast the music, internet, radio, journalists, educators 
• And many more...

Artists management

Business management.

Sponsorship.

Tour management.

Artists’ and managers’ rights.

Royalties.

Merchandising.

Business management
If you have a business manager they are not someone that is involved in your day-to-day life. A business managers job is to figure out what position you should currently be at with your business planning and they are also there to support and guide you into putting your plans and ideas into action and practice. He or she will communicate with your record and also your publishing company, they will speak about details, parts of your contract which may have altered, setting video and recording budgets and getting support for tours which you are involved in. 
In the US a business manager tends to be an accountant or financial adviser. However, here in the UK, your personal manager will manage and take care of you and also take on board the road of a business manager. This is sometimes a role which has an assistant of a personal assistant or manager which holds complementary skills. For example, Robbie Williams has a co-manager that works for him.

Positives of a business management:

• They give you great support as an artist
• Keep a lot of things organised
• Sort out the complicated side to things, for example, contracts 

Negatives of business management: 

• They don't come for free, so you need to be able to afford the funding for a business manager 
• Sometimes they aren't all they seem, so you could be getting into a bad situation if you haven't got a lot of experience so you may just end up believing everything that they say leaving you in a bad state

Sponsorship

Sponsorship means when an event, person, activity or an organisation is sponsored financially or through products or services. If someone is sponsored then they will receive support from whoever has sponsored them. For example, if you a dancer then you will usually be sponsored by a brand, meaning if you were sponsored by Adidas, you would receive clothes and accessories with their brand on, which also helps promote their business. It's usually sports, arts and entertainment which is sponsored. 

The positives of being sponsored is that you receive good support and also they usually help you with funding, so it can be good if you are struggling for income.

The negatives of having a sponsor is it could make you feel tied down and some sponsors don't appreciate you wearing other brands etc.



Tour management
If you are a serious and determined artist it's always good and helpful to have a tour manager. They will support you with creating your tour, helping find venues, being in charge on the actual dates when you are touring and they also help overcome any dilemmas that have come up. Tour managers are used on large-scale tours.
A tour manager is in charge of doing things like, setting accommodation bills, preparing schedules for the day, arranging the running order, travel arrangements, supervising set up, supervising support and opening acts, troubleshooting issues and problems that may happen and they have to find a way of dealing with these. 

Positives of tour management: 

• Keep most things organised
• Good support for bands/artists
• Help get you known as they are constantly trying to book you into venues etc

Negatives of tour management: 

• Can be very stressful for the tour manager 
• A lot to deal with 
• Tour managers sometimes tend to be left feeling guilty and to blame if something goes wrong
• Can be expensive to hire them, so if an artist hasn't got a lot of funding then having a manager could be something that they are unable to have

Artists' and managers' rights

Performing rights:
Mechanical licences and synchronisation licences are both two sources of income. There is another main source which is the right to perform a song in public. Publicly performing a song doesn't just mean you covering a song at your local pub, it also covers a song being played in a shop, a cafe, bars, literally anywhere that music is played in the public. PRS will be the people who are responsible for the collection of the royalties which goes to the artists when their music is played, this is if they are a member of the PRS company.

Publishing deal, rights granted:
Before you get a publishing deal it is common that you are expected to have copyright to the songs that you have created. This is so no other people have the right to publish your work. If you are already signed to a publishing deal then that publisher will gain the rights t act as if they are the publisher of those songs. 

It's important to know about rights before you sign up for anything.

Royalties
Royalties are payments which are given from one licensee to the other. For example, if I were to write a song and you were to cover it at a live venue, then royalties would be given to me, should we both licence holders. (PRS etc). The royalties are given to the original owners of an asset, whether that be a song, a piece of music, a piece of film etc. These types of people could be songwriters, composers, performers.

Merchandising
Looking at merchandise in the music side of things, is where the artist releases items which relates to them. Having merchandise for a band/artist is a good idea because it also promotes the artist too. Kind of things that is considered merchandise:

• Clothing
• Bags 
• Signed posters etc 
• Stationary 
• Key rings
• Badges
• Magnets
• Mugs

Merchandise for bands/solo artists are sold on their websites, and also at their gigs which is a good way of getting sales as it gives fans to see what the products look like without seeing it online.

Here is a website of an example of an artist which sells merchandise- http://lucyrosemusic.firebrandstore.com/

Positives of merchandise

• Gives the artist more income
• Promotes them

Negatives of merchandise

• Can cost a lot of money to make the products
• Sometimes they don't sell as much as you'd like so you don't gain a profit