*for those of you who do not know G is owners Kirby and Marks baby girl

"Don’t drink Yoo-Hoo, and for gods sake take off the hammer pants."

 Check the great Bluegrass/Rap band at www.gangstagrass.com 

I was recently invited to take part in NXNE's newest event, the Transmedia Summit. I love how NXNE continually tries to stay ahead of the curve. Unlike the beast of SXSW that seems to be more driven by money, this staff has a passion for brainstorming and creativity among an often closed and private industry. There were 20 people in 3 groups: Music, TV/Film, and Technology. We were given a few questions which, in our group on the first session, boiled down to illegal downloading. I'm not going to touch on that topic today - that's for another winded post. 

After a lot of heated argument back and forth, I decided to speak. I first explained that I was coming from a different mindset than most at the table. I speak for smaller startup artists, not the bands already fueling a large profit who are on massive percentage deals. I pointed out I was coming from an independent perspective, and as soon as the word 'independent' left my mouth, the whole table jumped in, dumbfounded that I would perceive them as 'not independent.' That really stuck with me - not the arguments between industries, or the clear hatred for the general downloading public, but the actual identity of the word "Independent".

Let's take a look at how this popular keyword is used in the music industry today. We have a genre and sound labelled as Independent, or "Indie". There's an entire Indie culture pursued by a generational subcategory called hipsters. Indie music originated from labels considered outside of the major model, who at the time, called themselves "Independent". Eventually, organizations formed in support of these labels - firstly, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and then the National Association of Independent Record Distributors which, in turn, became A2IM, which you can't turn a corner these days without running into. While it's true that these companies are outside the major model that existed in the 80's and 90's, does that really make them "independent"? If so, are we, as an industry, moving any closer to a fair deal for musicians?

Independent labels run on the same business model as the majors, PERCENTAGE DEALS. They still take percentages and still claim some ownership on various levels of an artist's career. The details vary from label to label, but the natural order of any competitive business market makes most companies turn out pretty similar. Any label worth their weight has nowhere to go except up, which usually means as profitable, exclusive, and big-business friendly (as opposed to artist friendly) as possible. 

What frustrates me most about these "independent" organizations is the illusion that their cause is just and fair to the little guy. Perhaps in the 90's this was partially true, but in the grand scheme of things, I don't see much of a difference between major and indie labels. A2IM tells us, “The value of music in the marketplace shall not be predicated by the size of the gatekeeper.” (pulled from the A2IM website) Yet in my experience, independent record labels are just as inaccessible to most artists as the majors used to be on how to create that value. How many indie labels can you call up and get a consultation from? How many responses to emails do you think artists actually receive when mailing management firms or labels? How do we expect to level the playing field for all artists if the "Indie" industry keeps pushing the little guy (the largest group in the music industry) out, and continues to turn independent into the same old industry model? 

Today's industry is headed full force into direct-to-consumer control, and that requires new strategy. As the consumer gains more opinion and control on what they want and how they want it, The desire for transparency and accessibility will only increase. My companies mission is to put an artist's career back into their own hands. Artists have the potential power of knowledge on their side with the internet, and the more they learn, the less they need help from people who claim to have the "only" knowledge and power to make it in the industry.

The resources that majors and indies alike thrive off is their contacts. The facts are clear- all types of labels these days are usually outsourcing for everything from PR to Marketing. They're pursuing the same group of industry professionals that are generally open to being hired directly by artists. Now, I'm not saying every publicist or marketing company will work with every act that comes to them. Still, with enough determination, any quality artist can build a stock of industry contacts between hiring professionals and putting their act intensely out into the world. Of course, it may not happen as quickly as it might if a label were to take them on, but at least that artist's industry support would be there for their talent, rather then being the next "buzz band" within the industry to be quickly forgotten about. The truth is, if you're putting quality work out there direct to consumer, eventually, someone is bound to listen. This story hasn't changed, and never will. Some talent switches into high gear right away, some talent takes 10 years to break, but in today's world, I don't believe labels will always be that vessel of transportation. 

I might be alone on this, but I really don't pity artists having to spend money in the beginning. Any other career takes a major investment of time and money up front, which turns into long term payoff. When you sign with a label, they offer you a deal, but they're not giving away free money. They're offering you a loan. Unlike a college loan, I don't believe it takes hundreds of thousands of dollars to jumpstart your career. Several thousand? Yes. However we all feel about college fees, you're paying to be educated enough to have a career. Labels rarely want to share their secrets-that's bad business. The learning curve is not high. College loans may be hefty, but at least they don't own your career, and tell you where to go. Why sign away rights to something you created on your own? 

Back to the Transmedia Summit - I was shut down in a matter of seconds by a renowned manager who works with a handful of major acts, who benefit from major and indie labels. His company was formed in the 80's, and my understanding is that he takes a percentage from his clients. Many record contracts have been directly negotiated by his firm. With all due respect to him and his truly prolific and honorable career, we were talking about two different forms of independent. There's independent which is the mask the major industry puts on to be more "likable" and the real independent true to the definition; "free from outside control; not depending on another's authority" aka percentages.  

My goal on writing this blog is to shine a light on the inner workings of today's music business. We can't call something independent without really understanding both the definition of the word itself, and the industry that inaccurately uses it to represent themselves. Big enterprise deluding themselves as the underdog is nothing new, but it's certainly a problem we're currently facing. 

Everything Independent takes no percentages, our contracts are non-exclusive, and we never take any rights. We offer up artists the guidance and tools to create their own success with their own work. I believe my company runs one of the only truly independent labels. 

Written by Kirby Desmarais

This year at NXNE the company sat on a panel called Demo Derby listening and "judging" artist's music submissions. While it was cool to be able to help upcoming artists and give advice the conversation shifted towards a topic we often converse about at the Ei offices, artist submissions. We always assume it's basic knowledge how to professionally submit your art to big companies and even more so how to represent yourself professionally in these first forms of communication. But, as we've come to realize it's anything but common knowledge as we sift through the hundreds of submissions we receive weekly. 

Here's some tips to help you submit to any industry companies properly.

1) Have an email tag - If we're interested in an act enough we will call them up right away. All too often we'll get emails with a single line often no band name, name of the person writing, no contact or EPK info. This first contact maybe your one and only opportunity to impress the company you essentially want something from. You wouldn't show up to a job interview without a resume and a nice outfit would you? In the digital age how you represent yourself and your band online is the same idea. We prefer to see in the body of the email or the email tag; name of the act, name of the person writing, email contact, phone number, EPK, and social media links. Give us all the info so it's easier to focus on the music itself and not spending time scoring the internet to find out who you are.  

2) Make your first song have lyrics in the first 30 sec - On average a new act gets 30 seconds to draw us in on their first song. If they draw us in we listen more and dive into your EPK deeper. If you're a lyrically driven band represent that in the first song within the first 30 seconds. Big long complex intros don't impress they annoy. 

3) Don't submit physical CD's or downloads - It's a waste to provide pressed product to any company besides radio stations. There's a reason the phrase "slush pile" was coined. It takes much more time to open a CD, insert it, play it, than to just click a link. Also I don't trust any files from strangers and don't want to clog up my computer with stranger's music. I don't want to have to wait or work to get to your music. And unfortunately the market being over concentrated with artist anymore most companies who are fair and listen to every submission like us just don't have the time to mess around, it's not personal it's fact. Provide a website with a media player, sonicbids EPK, anything that places the music in front of us quickly and easily, it will only help you.

4) DON'T add said professional on Facebook - You did not go to high school or college with this person, you do not send your kids to the same daycare and you don't drink with them and their friends on weekends, why would they want you to see these parts of their lives? PROFESSIONALISM is not Facebook. If they use their page for work connections (as some do) they will add you once you enter their circle, and no you are not part of that circle by having one conversation with a company interested in you. 

5) Don't lie to the company - Just because you take care of the managerial duties or the booking duties for the band does NOT make you a manager or booker.  People spend years earning these titles. Your firstly and lastly a musician, don't advertise otherwise. Even worse don't make a fake "person" or "label" up to represent your band online. You will be found out and it's more then unprofessional, it makes you look dirty and desperate. Be honest with industry people since you expect them to be honest with you. 

6) Don't bash the company if they pass on you - 99% of the time you will not receive a reason for a label, booker, service company passing on you. Again back to the job comparison if you applied for a job at an office and they went with someone else would you get up online and publicly bash the company? Not likely huh? There's thousands of reasons a company may pass on your work and most of the time it's not personal. It's not a company's job or responsibility to give you an explanation as to why they don't want to work with you keep in mind your band is the commodity. 

Bashing a company could also hurt you in the long run keep in mind. Just because a company passes on you doesn't mean they always won't want to work with you. Could mean they don't have the space for you at the given moment or are waiting awhile to see what your up to before pursuing the act (both things we do FYI). If you were one of these acts then hit up our sonicbids profile whining about not getting into the company we will pass on you even in the long run, again it's just not professional.

7) Woman work in the business too! -One last personal pet peeve coming from a woman in the music industry. There are woman in the world with boys names (like Kirby) and men in the world with girls names. You never ever know who you are dealing with when sending a blind email out. It's sexist to assume just because you're sending a record label an email it will be a man receiving it. Change and equality starts with the individual, you even in male dominated industries like this one. 

Written by Kirby Desmarais