February 2013

Music iss

ue

The lifestyle magazine for the ambitious!

Making Dreams Come True Despite Adversity!

PG 25

PG 15

Terry Moorer

The International DJ Finesse

ambizion

AmbizionTable of Contents

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Ambizion the Brand Pg 3

3 Ways to Take Charge of Your Project Pg 4

How to Be In Charge Of Your Future - A Guide to Controlling Time Pg 6

Making a Music Video: is the Right Time? Pg 8

Do’s and Don’ts Pg 11

Cover Story- Terry Moorer Pg 15-17

The Importance of a YouTube Channel Pg 20

The International DJ Finesse Pg 25-27

Fashion and Style Tips for Men Pg 29

Starting Your Own Music Business Pg 32-33

How to Write and Send a Press Release Pg 37-40

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Ambizon Magazine- (Formerly known as Atlanta Ambition Magazine)

Ambizion Television Networks- (on Wisecast Television Channel 519)- (A global cable channel showcasing Independent talent and entertainment)

Ambizion Radio- Hosted by Damitra Stuart (Radio talk show on (Survival Radio Network)where celebrities are interviewed about their life experiences aside from fame) Every Tuesday night 10:00-11:00PM EST

Ambizion Talent- Talent agency for DIVERSE and Independent talent

Ambizion Events- Event planning company catering to Red Carpet and unique events for the Ambizion brand and for clients as well.

Ambizion Graphics- Creating logos, websites and etc.for clients since 2011

Ambizion Films- Damitra Stuart herself has created, produced and directed multiple original series for her cable channel Ambizion Television Networks with more projects in the works!

Ambizion Apparel- Clothing & Accessory line for the Ambitious and Business Minded. This is a unique and diverse brand that signifies Damitra Stuart and her laid back style for women, men, children and dogs.

Ambizion Dollz- Damitra Stuart’s new global organization for professional and ambitious women. First chapter will start in Atlanta Georgia!

The Ambizion Brand

CEO Damitra Stuartwww.ambizionmedia.com

To have a successful project, you must do the following: (a) deliver on schedule, (b) make sure to stay within budget, and (c) focus on making the customer happy. Regardless of your project, you must develop a plan, identify the right people to participate, overcome conflict when it occurs, and meet the objectives. As the project lead, you will encounter ob-stacles, some that you anticipate and others that surprise you altogether. To succeed, you must do whatever possible to anticipate potential risk events, and prevent them from occurring. Even one unforeseen risk can be catastrophic to your project. As the project manager, you are ultimately ac-countable for the success of the project. While you will need funding from the sponsor, and commitment from team members, you must en-sure that the final deliverable meets the require-ments promised to the customer. #1: Stay focused on the project requirements. Your company was hired to develop a sales training course for 250 sales associates. On Wednesday morning, your manager approaches you, and states the following: “Jack, we have a sales training program, but not one specifically for sales agents working the floor of an electron-ic shop. I need you to take what we have, and customize it to meet the needs of this customer.” You now have a project on your hands. You should immediately schedule a meeting with the customer to determine the exact requirements. It’s important to learn the final outcome. What is the goal of the program? In other words, you want to know the metrics by which the sales team is measured.

Once you have this information, you can roll out the project based on the requirements. #2: Make sure your team understands the plan. Share the vision. When putting the team together, look for people who have the skills needed to create the training program, the availability to stick with the work, and a positive mental approach. As the project manager, it’s your job to communicate the expectations. To experience success, create a rewards program. A monetary incentive approach might work, but non-financial rewards are effective, too. Regardless of your rewards system, make sure to praise excel-lent work, and look for opportunities to improve the knowledge of your team members. #3: Avoid making excuses. Do the work! You were not given the position of project manager so that you could point fingers when problems arise. You were hired to get things done. When a diffi-cult situation arises, take a proactive approach and resolve it. If the departmental manager denies your request for a specialist, try to negotiate with this person. If the manager is stubborn, go to Plan B. In your contingency plan, you listed another resource that can step in and do the work. If an internal employee is unavailable, consider outsourcing the work. In short, project management is solutions-oriented, and not on explaining why things failed to work. Becoming an effective project manager requires talent, creativity, hard work, and most of all, persis-tence. You must continually step up to the plate and take your best swing. By being prepared, and hav-ing the right people on your team, the chances of making your way around the bases safely, improves significantly.

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3 Ways to Take Charge of Your Project

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The amount of time that you had allotted for the meeting is over. However the busi-ness is not concluded. This is where you could lose control by just keep going. Not only is this wrong but you have given up control. Time is equally important to your next customer who expects to be seen on time. Give a second appointment to the present customer. Be sure to tell them that you will need a full appointment to con-clude your business. You then are punctual for your next and every other appointment. In this way you are not only in charge of today but have established yourself as the controller of your future.

How to Be In Charge Of Your Future - A Guide to Controlling TimeBy Robert Stallard

Imagine that you are in the Dentist’s waiting room and feeling a little anxious. You announced yourself to the receptionist and she has motioned you to a seat. The time of your appointment has passed. You have read all the old magazines and the notices on the wall, including the one that says you will be charged for broken appointments. Thirty five minutes later a nurse calls you into the surgery. No one apologises for keeping you wait-ing or gives any excuse. The dentist starts his work but after ten minutes says that you will need extra work and should make a new appointment. Your day is ruined. You are now too late to do the other things that you had wished to do. You feel unhappy and of little worth, a person of no impor-tance. Guess what? You are a person of no importance. You did it to yourself. Let’s go back to the Dentist’s office. When you announced yourself to the receptionist did you ask if you will be seen on time? I always do, and if I am told that there may be a delay I ask her to let the dentist know that if I am not seen in twenty minutes I shall leave. I not only leave after twenty minutes, I bill the Dentist for a broken ap-pointment. It is important that the office appreci-ate that your time is of least as much importance as anybody else’s. If you do not respect yourself and value your time, why should other people? Now, of course the boot may be on the other foot as it were. You are with a customer who hasn’t recognised that this meeting is over and is witter-ing on.

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Many times, beginning bands that get a hold of some money ($100,000+) try to put out a video. There is nothing wrong with the intent, it’s just that their timing is off. What these bands will do is put all their money into the making of their CD and video, and have nothing left for promotion. I’ve already heavily covered how the promotion of a CD is more important than having the CD in the first place; now I’ll say the same thing about the video: Having a video (or even 1000 copies of that video) is irrelevant if it does not get promoted onto music channels. Having the video... but only having it on your CDrom or on the web... does not count.

Why does it not count? Because no one will see it. The few people that do see it (less than a couple hundred people) is not enough to cause anything to happen. Widespread awareness requires that several hundred thousand viewers see it, and this can only be accomplished by having a video on several local cable music channels; the web just can’t do it for you. The video channels I’m refer-ring to are the local cable music channels/shows that most cities have, as opposed to MTV and their ilk. And remember, video channels need high-quality Beta (or equivalent) tapes.

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By Zig Ziglar

And this is where the “timing” issue arises. It costs a lot to promote a video, and putting that promo-tion money into the video BEFORE you put it into radio is the mistake that some bands make. Re-member, only commercial regular-rotation radio sells large quantities of CDs... even major labels concede that videos don’t make any money... they just help build awareness through the cable video channels. So if you are going to make a video, only do it if you have enough budget left over to pro-mote to radio first, and video second. Video pro-motion costs about the same as non-commercial radio or specialty/mixshow radio. If you are going the video route, there are some additional things the video can be used for in addition to the cable video channels. The first use is to send a VHS copy to each radio station that you are promoting the CD to (yes, you MUST use a VHS copy... CDrom copies are not taken seriously). A good time to do this is when your video is airing on the local cable channel in the same city of that radio station. This is because you not only interest the station more in the band, but it gives them more to talk about on the air since they know the video is available for their listeners to view at that moment.

The second (more obvious) use of a video is to send it to the press, to give them an idea of what your show is all about. A third use is to send it to clubs when attempting to book.

A fourth use is to offer it for sale at your gigs... keeping in mind it will be tough to sell (much harder than selling CDs) if it is not currently on the local cable channel. You are only really doing this because you already have the video in your other promotions.

So if you do have the budget, and if you handle your timing right (by starting with radio and then pushing video,) you will have a very strong case for good sales and gigs in the particular markets that you are airing in.

Making a Music Video:Is is the Right Time?

by Bryan Farrish

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Do’s and Don’ts For Audio and Other Music Oriented Interns:Or, How to Impress Your Internship Employer and Become

Successful in the Recording Industry.By Christopher Knab

Today, anyone who wants a career working in the music business with a label of some kind, or is looking into producing, engineering, or working in one of the many music-oriented jobs in the recording industry has many choices when it comes to educating themselves about the business. In addition to the many schools, programs, books, websites, and other informational tools at their disposal, the chance to do a good old-fashioned internship still exists.

In fact, more than ever many companies will not consider hiring someone unless they have had some ‘real world’ experience in a studio, post-production facility, record label, distributor, store, live performance venue, or other businesses related to recorded audio products.

For example, you may think you are qualified to work in a recording studio just because you have some training in Pro Tools, or have helped setup a school-related recording project. You may also have taken courses where you aced all the written projects, and marketing classes, and think you have what it takes to work for a recording facility or record label. Well, that is all great experience, but it isn’t enough!

Nothing is more impressive than having done some work as an intern. Businesses that offer internships may demand a lot of you. They may (and will) test your patience by having you do what you think are mundane, boring, or menial tasks…Stick it out. Most likely you are being given a form of initiation. Most people in the recording industry started out doing menial tasks and when given the chance to express their skills…did so, and were rewarded with jobs, job-leads, promotions or recognition of some kind.

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I can only do so much to encourage you to get yourself an internship. You have to bug your music industry contacts: teachers, producers and engineers you have met or just heard about. Also, go out and pound the pavement. Talk to guys who are working your favorite club or live venue. Bug the retail clerk at your favorite record store. Hang out in the music scene of your choice. Be pro-active. Ask everyone if they know of any internship openings in their field.Think about any website design work or blogs and or podcasts you have put together for a favoriite band or artist....ANY kind of experience you may have had, can help you get some kind of an internship.

Do research on the types of audio-related businesses in your city. Use the Internet. Go to the library and look up the many directories, and read the weekly and monthly recording industry trade maga-zines and journals. Get on the phone, and do some informational interviews with the recording in-dustry business you would most like to work for. Even knock on people's doors. Do whatever you have to do to get an internship. Internship opportunities do not come knocking on your door. You have to motivate yourself to get involved with this industry.

This technique has a tradition attached to it. It is called "The School of Hard Knocks". It means that ev-eryone worth anything in this business had to push themselves forward and find a way to get noticed. Producers have to do this. Engineers have to do this. Certainly recording studio, and record label have to do this. And, artists need to do this. So, while being laid back and mellow is a great way to relax, it will get you nowhere in the whirlwind world of the recording industry. "Get Up, Stand Up!" Do some-thing!

This industry is nothing but competition. Not just for jobs, but competition that finds one company fending of another company for clients and deals. So, businesses are looking for the most highly moti-vated employees they can find. Are you up for the challenge?Once you say "Yes, I'm ready to show the world how good I am" and you have found your first intern-ship, learn how to work that opportunity. You will have to take the good with the bad. Interns may start out as the low men and women on the ladder, but those that impress with their positive attitudes and dedication to their work, whatever it may be…will reap rewards. So, read the following sugges-tions on how to work with your internship employer for the mutual benefit of your career and their increased business.DO.... Be on time, and better yet, be the first one in, and the last to leave. Be hungry to learn. Be friendly. Introduce yourself to co-workers, even if you have not been introduced to everyone dur-ing orientation…and network often. Complete the tasks given to you before taking on other work. Make yourself invaluable to the company. (Look for things to do.) Make friends with co-workers, and offer to do some of their grunt work. Volunteer to take on the responsibilities of a worker who is ill, or going on vacation. Be willing to do the most menial of tasks. Even the most boring and repetitive work should be eagerly undertaken.

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Cover phones while co-workers are on break or at lunch. Ask permission to use any equipment, software or computer programs. Offer to help prepare for any studio-setup or tear-down, or to prepare any business reports. Organize the information you need to know to carry out your work. Create your own databases of any staff members, and their job titles. Know that as an intern you are not being trained to take a manager's or executive's job, so do everything you can to learn the jobs that lead to those positions.. Feel free to take the initiative when you the time is right. Make things easier for your employer or supervisor, they will remember you for that. Offer your help when you notice help is needed. Keep in touch once you are gone. Stop by and say hello! Get a letter of recommendation, and send the company a thank you note for hiring you and giving you the opportunity to work for them Phone your boss or supervisor first, if you aren't going to show up. Say thank you when any promo CDs or concert tickets, or free studio time are offered Attend as many concerts and events that are not your favorite music. (You will learn a lot by doing this.)

DON'T....

Ask for free things like CDs, tickets or studio time right away Look like you are lost. Avoid standing around. Get involved in long conversations during work hours with co-workers, or celebrity guests who may be conducting business in your workplace. Offer your opinion on how you would run things if you were in charge Cop an attitude of any non-professional kind, even if you're being paid. Make any personal phone calls in front of co-workers during your shift Cruise the internet on your company's time Get caught reading magazines or sloughing off on the job in any way. Ask at any time "NOW, what should I do?" Be offended if someone snaps at you. (Everyone has bad hair days) Talk dirt about any recording artists, producers, or other companies while in the presence of co-workers, or at any networking functions. (It's a small world and you never know who your co-workers, boss, or supervisor knows, has dated, has worked with etc.)

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Wednesday Night February 13th 9PM-3AM

No Limit Pre-Valentine’s

Day Bash!

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$5.00 at the Door

Cover

Story

Terry MoorerMaking Dreams Come True Despite Adversity!

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Where are you from?

Brooklyn New York

How did your parents influence you growing up?

They made sure that my disability wasn’t an obstacle. They always encouraged me to do big things and make moves. My mother and father are very supportive. I am the only child so they constantly pushed me.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grow up?

A lot of things... lol A paramedic and a novelist and I am sorta there in life.. I help people and I’ve written music books...Funny but it came full circle.

What lead you to the road that you are on now business wise?

I was watching the American Music Awards when I was a young adult and Prince came on and performed. At that moment, I knew he was having fun and getting paid to do it. And I said to myself. “ I want do something I enjoy and I want to get paid for it. I want to be in the music business.”

Tell me about your business.

I have two primary businesses. 1) Learn the Music Business.com – a music business web-site that teaches artists about the music business, I am so honored to have MC Lyte as my business partner. My other business is motivational speaking. I talk about my disability and life in the music business. I’ve spoken on behalf of the Atlanta Hawks, Coca-Cola and other corporate companies.

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If anyone in business could be your mentor who would it be?

Prince and Malcom X. God is definitely a mentor in more ways than one.

What do you love most about your career?

Every day is different and I get a chance to meet so many dream makers!

How do you balance family life with your career?

I have to make myself take days off. I also will shut it down on Sunday..No work but its hard be-cause I am always thinking, planning and being creative.

Where do you see yourself in the next year? To be more dominant in the music industry from various areas. TV, Film, Internet Marketing. I want to take the music business membership site to a whole new level! To really set myself apart from other music professionals.

What is Your Ambizion? (Legacy)

That people remember for my spirituality and how I always pay it forward.

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The Importance of a YouTube Channelfor Your Music Business:

Tips for Video Sharing Success

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest. We all know that social media marketing is the way forward. But if you’re involved in music, there is really only one social network you should be using. YouTube is booming in popularity - 3 billion hours of video are watched every month – so if you’re not sharing videos, you’re missing out.

Whether you’re a musician, mogul, or marketer; your music business should have a YouTube Channel. It’s free to sign up, easy to fill out your profile, and you can get sharing video content in a matter of min-utes. Sharing your content with audiences the world over has never been easier.

Why Get a YouTube Channel?In a world where record companies have been replaced by independent musicians, YouTube is playing a vital role. Hundreds of singers, such as Justin Beiber and Esmee Denters, have bagged a record deal after being scouted on YouTube.

Video content is perfect for the fast-paced World Wide Web. It is shareable, relatable, and easy to go viral. So even if you’re not an aspiring singer, you can still promote your music-based business with a YouTube channel.

Like many other social networking sites, you can also interact with your audience. People who view you videos can leave comments, ‘like’ and ‘dislike’ what they see, and share the video with friends. This gives you a great platform to communicate with the people who will be buying your products. Continue >

5 Tips for Video Sharing SuccessSharing a video online is really easy. Not only can you put your video on YouTube, but you can embed it into blog posts and share on your other social media profiles. But putting the content ‘out there’ often isn’t enough to make an impact.

If you’re a YouTube newbie, we’ve compiled a number of top tips for video sharing success. Whether you’re looking to go viral, or just share something with your loyal fan-base, these are some tips you should follow:

1. Brand Your ChannelYou customise your Facebook fan page, and Twitter profile. You should make sure you take the op-portunity to brand your YouTube channel. Walmart is one company who’ve really taken advantage of the customisation features.

Keeping a consistent brand identity across all your social media pages is a great way to make you in-stantly recognisable. If you’re a business or an artist, you need to stand out from the crowd. Making your channel stand out is one of the ways to do this.

2. Sharable ContentThe key to YouTube success is uploading videos that people will share. Upload content that people want to see, and you’ll be able to reap the benefits. If you’re an artist, why not upload a cover of the ‘song of the moment’ to help raise your profile?

If you’re selling instruments, make your promotional videos interesting. Relate them to something current, and put your own unique spin on them. Whatever your role in the music business, make sure the content you put out there is unique, exciting, and entertaining.

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3. Tag Your VideosLike Pinterest, Flickr, and your blog; YouTube has a ‘tag’ feature, and you should be making the most of it. Make sure to tag your video with anything and everything that is relevant – including any slang terms (e.g. if your video is about a dog tag ‘pooch’ too). This will increase the visibility of your video.

The more visible the video, the more likely it is to be shared. You should also make the most of the YouTube categories, placing your content in the most relevant places. This again, will help make sure the right people see your videos.

4. Regular and Consistent UpdatesSocial media is a great way to raise your profile, and build a fan base. But it doesn’t happen overnight. So if you’ve worked hard to build up a YouTube community, you should make an effort to regularly update the channel.

You should also make an effort to reply to as many comments as you can. Obviously if you have thou-sands of subscribers this may be impossible. You should however, make sure you have an obvious and active presence.

5. Analyse Your AnalyticsYouTube offers free analytics through its ‘insights’ feature. You can quickly and easily see loads of valuable information about every video you’ve uploaded. This includes a demographic overview of the people who’ve viewed your video, and how they found you. This will help you when it comes to creat-ing future content so make sure you use this feature.

Making Your Mark on YouTubeAs a music business, you really should maintain an active YouTube presence. Creating, building, and maintaining your own channel is a great way to share your content, connect with your audience, and promote your business. By following these steps, you should be able to seamlessly integrate YouTube into your current social media strategy.

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DJ/HostClub PromoterMix Tape HostingSongwriterMusic ProducerSports Agent/Boxing Events

Contact: 770-402-6930Email: Incomingrecords01@gmail.comFB: @ Kyshon Dj Finesse TuckerMusic: www.soundcloud.com/TheInternationalDJFinesseTwitter: @Kyshon Dj Finesse/ LegendaryDJFinesse

The International DJ Finesse Kyshon “The International DJ Finesse” Tucker grew up in the E’Port section in the inner urban city of Elizabeth, NJ. Coming from the projects that was full of all the everyday street hustling, crimes, and hardcore living that happens in the hoods around the country. DJ Finesse started a career in the music industry professionally as a DJ in the early 80’s with the group called The Point Blank Mc’s out of Elizabeth, NJ tri state area. Recording singles off the Beauty and the beat label founded by the Legendary Ed “Duke Bootie” Fletcher co-writer of the Classic hit song “The Message” with Melle Mel from Grandmaster Flash and the furious 5. DJ Finesse also is affiliated with the Universal Zulu Nation were prior to professionally recording his 1st single got a jump start in 1978 with influ-ence from well know street artist such as Rayvon and Johnie Wah, The Crash Crew, The Treacherous 3, The Force Mc’s,The Cold Crush Brothers, and The Supreme Team. DJ Finesse quotes: “I was do-ing mix tape before CD came out. When it was only cassette tapes in the boom boxes in the streets”. DJ Finesse has performed and worked with artist for Decades such as The founder of HIP HOP The Legendary Africa Bambaataa, Melle mel, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie,and DJ Cool V The Fat Boys, Run DMC, LL Cool J, Dougie Fresh, Slick Rick, Jay Z, Kool G Rap, TKA ft. K7, 2 Short, Public Enemy, EPMD, Naughty by Nature, Queen Latifah, Word of Mouth ft. DJ Cheese, Common, The Fugees, KRS 1, Blue Magic, and Newer artist such as Baby from YMCMB, Gucci Mane, Rick Ross, D-Block, Soulja Boy, Hot Block Magazine, Swagg International, Plies, Fat Joe, DJ Unk, Young Joc, Kandi from Escape, and a host of others...

In 2012 DJ Finesse started out the year with a bang. Performing on the Legends of Hip Hop Tour DJ’ing and MC’ing moving the crowd with both his DJ and MC skills 1 man band proving today that he is still going hard on a major level in all areas in the game. The International DJ Finesse closed 2012 out with resent hit songs ft. YMCMB’S own Mystikal, Body Head Bangerz own Roy Jones Jr, 2 Piece, J Sapp and a host of others. Today DJ Finesse lives in Atlanta where he is now the CEO of Incoming Records, and also a partner with “ROC” energy drink. He is also hands on in the music industry doing production/song writing and vocals for multiple artist as well as hosting mix tapes and doing his own solo projects. DJ Finesse has worked with Rudeboy/Universal Records as Head of East Coast Distribution, and decades later are still going strong in the music industry. He is also active with the young in the inner cities around the country, working and mentoring trouble youth. Look for DJ Finesse to keep on working hard to make a difference in the Entertainment business, as well as the inner city streets, working side by side with the youth as well as adults to make the world a better place to live. Win/Win is the only option. Do you wanna win? Bet on The International DJ Finesse. The sure shot champion when it counts, with your best intrest first.

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Fashion and Style Tips for Men Gone are the days when fashion and style were the words that belong only to female dictionary. Now a days the modern men are breaking all the barriers which has till now stopped him from looking good. In olden times, there were only two styles which men used to follow- they either preferred to look sophisticated or rough and tough. Tailored suits were the outfit of the urban man while the rural or suburb men wore dresses which suited his daily lifestyle and work. But now due the increasing craze of fashion and in the race of looking good, men are quite ahead. So to help them in order to look good, here are some simple tips: • Don’t get overdressed, don’t remain under dress: each occasion has its own importance which you need to consider. Dressing can help you to stay above others or to disappear in the crowed without getting noticed, it’s all depend how you are dressed. If you are attending an of-fice party then you should look good but not bet-ter than your boss, if you are attending a wedding then you should wear a sober looking designer mens sherwani which is still not better then the groom himself. • Look for the shoes: what kind of footwear a man wears it shows his personality. Each type of attire has to be complimented with a particular type of footwear like while wearing traditional clothes you cannot wear sneakers or formal shoes. • Keep yourself fit: you cannot expect to look good with your shabby look or out of bed look, with unshaven unkempt beard, rough hands and feet. There are lots of saloons mushrooming these days around the city which can help you in men’s grooming.

If you do not want to get rid of your beard then keep it short by trimming it. Get pedicure and manicure to make your hands and feet look at-tractive. • Fitting of the attire matters: what you wear and how good it has been tailored for your body both the things matter while choosing the cor-rect outfit. When you buy tuxedo it is a must to keep the shape and size of your body in mind. It should not be too tight or too loose otherwise it will not complement your body. The basic tip behind looking good is asking others for opinion about your looks. So while buying outfit or while choosing a particular wedding kurta pajama take others opinion and then choose the attire

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You have a better chance of starting your own music business than trying to land a job in the in-dustry. Whether you decide to start a label, put together a band, begin a recording studio, or any number of music industry gigs, follow these basic steps before you take the plunge.

* Make plans for the short- and long-term. These plans should be specific with clear goals and ways to evaluate them. One crucial aspect of planning is to determine the resources that you need such as people, things, a place from which to work, money, and more.

* What music products and services will you sell? You should have a pretty good idea of how you will make money from your musical endeavors. What benefits do those music products and ser-vices bring to people who buy them?

* Who is your competition and what are their strengths and weaknesses? Finding out useful infor-mation about your competitors can be one of the most difficult tasks. It is important that you know a little about what others are doing as it helps you in competitive bid situations. What makes you different from that competition? Direct on the heels of the above question, you need to know (and promote) what makes you unique from others who do similar work.

* To whom will you sell your music products and services? What specific people or businesses are candidates for what you offer? What are their specific characteristics? This information helps you focus your promotions effectively. Also, ask yourself how you will promote yourself? What par-ticular promotional strategies will you employ -- letters, advertising, publicity, sales calls, Internet, and so forth? The ONLY way to ensure your success in today's music world is to master ruthless self-promotion. First, to find new customers and convince them to buy what you sell and second, to keep your existing buyers and, more importantly, get them to buy again (and again). Focus your promotions on reaching the greatest number of people who want what you sell. Determine the best way to contact them, including by what means and when. Launch your promotions. Make sales. Use your initial success to get more business. Follow this basic plan throughout your music business career. Because the minute you stop promoting is the minute your sales plunge and it all goes away.

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Starting Your Own Music Businessby Jeffrey P. Fisher

** Set up the business. Decide on the legal structure of your business. Determine your start-up costs if they apply to you. These costs would be the initial money you would need to open the doors such as gear, furniture, professional services, business forms, deposits, licenses, and so forth. You don’t need a huge infusion of cash to get started unless you are starting entirely from scratch. Chances are you already have some things in place and you just need some start-up money to take care of some legal and promotional matters. Also, find out what it is going to cost to stay in business. Often called overhead these costs might include rent, utilities, promotional expenses, professional dues, taxes, supplies, insurance, loan payments, etc.

* Take care of the money issue. Start a business checking account. Deposit all your music income into that account. Pay all your business related expenses using checks drawn on that same account. Alternately, use a credit card just for the business. Use the card for business purchases only and pay it off on time from the business checking account. Setup a basic bookkeeping system that lets you record your income and expenses in such a way that makes tax preparation and monitoring your financial situation easier. Also, make sure you fully understand all the tax consequences and how they affect you. You have to make regular tax payments along with the usual year-end tax prepara-tion. Meet with your tax adviser or accountant to make sure you handle this issue satisfactorily.

* Protect yourself. There are several types of insurance that you must have such as health insur-ance and property insurance. You may elect to have life insurance, disability insurance, and liability insurance. Talk with your insurance agent to determine what coverage is right for your particular situation.

* Attend to legal business matters. If you plan to operate your business using a name other than your legal name, you will need to file a fictitious name statement or doing-business-as (dba) with your local government. Contact your local municipality for the specific requirements. You may also need to secure a tax ID for your business. In most cases, your social security number is all you need. A corporations would need its own tax ID. Also, states with a sales tax may require a separate sales tax ID number. Contact your state’s department of commerce and industry. Find out and be sure to meet the specific regulations that pertain to operating in your town. You may need to obtain a business license from your local municipality. Also, there may be other regulations that affect your business. Go to your local clerk’s office and ask them what you need to do to start a business from your home. And if you have employees, make sure you know and follow all the regulations that pertain to them.

Because this list is far from complete, use it only for the basics when planning your start-up. Con-sult with business professionals and/or do some additional research to make sure your music busi-ness venture is a success.

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How to Write and Send a Press Releaseby Suzanne Glass

In the music business, the press release (or news release) is a common tool used to bring an artist or business “free” publicity. Basically, a press release is a simple, neat-looking sheet that provides news to reporters, editors, and other media people. Any publication you get from your press release will be free, so it’s easy to see why writing a good press release is a valuable skill.

When To Use A Press Release

You can use a release to notify the media about any sort of happening - such as a new CD release, special gig, or label signing. The key thing to remember is, this is supposed to be “news”, so your press release needs to be “newsworthy”.

So what is newsworthy? Well, that requires a little research into your media contacts. What types of stories or articles are usually published? Will the readers of the publication care about your music? You need to target your releases to proper sources - that is, someone who actually cares about your news. If you continually send announcements of gigs to a paper that does not print calendar listings, it will be a total waste of time... your time, and the editor’s, which is unlikely to make you popular around the paper’s offices.

Make sure you do your homework and find out what kind of topics get coverage in each media outlet. Naturally you will send a press release announcing your new CD to the local music paper. But you will also want to explore different “angles” with other outlets. For instance, if your band has a popular website, perhaps internet magazines would be interested. If you offer a percentage of sales on your CD to the Save the Rain Forest organization, perhaps environmental publications would find your news worthy of printing.

Remember that a writer or editor has a duty to the readers - not you - to report interesting news. They do not owe you a story, so you must make it interesting. If you can send news that will appeal to the readers, you are far more likely to get printed.

The free publicity you generate with your press release will be many times more valuable than any ad-vertisements you could buy. Studies have shown that people respond to articles at a much higher rate than ads, because they are perceived to be more credible. After all, anyone can buy an ad, but if there is an article written about you, you must be “important”.

The free publicity you generate with your press release will be many times more valuable than any ad-vertisements you could buy. Studies have shown that people respond to articles at a much higher rate than ads, because they are perceived to be more credible. After all, anyone can buy an ad, but if there is an article written about you, you must be “important”.

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Continue >

How To Write The Release

Most press releases follow a similar format, and it's easy to learn. First, spend some time defining the Main Message you want to get across. You will need to tell the who, what, when, why, and where in your press release.

Start with an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of your letterhead. Many people suggest double-spacing your type, as well as leaving a minimum 1 inch white border on all sides. Use an easy to read font. You can use any simple word processing program to build your release, and print it on any decent computer printer. Lower-priced laser printers have sharper type than ink jet printers, but lack color printing capability.

The first lines you want to include are:

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" (or FOR RELEASE JUNE 30, 2001) and

"For more information, contact:"

followed by your contact information. (Make sure the phone number you give will be answered promptly during the period right after the release is sent out. Editor's who are interested in running your story may need to talk to you.)

Then, write your headline, which looks good in all capital letters. The headline is the single most important sentence of your press release - if the headline sounds interesting, it compels people to read further. If not - your release may be passed over quickly. Spend some time and creative thought on the headline. Read other headlines and notice what makes you read an article. This is the same kind of thing you need to accomplish. Don't be afraid to be dramatic, as bold headlines can draw the reader in. Don't make it too boring. "HELPING STOP DEAFNESS: ONE SONG AT A TIME" is a lot more enticing that "LOCAL BAND PLAYS AT DEAF SCHOOL" if you're doing a show at the Deaf School.

After you have crafted the perfect headline, you need to write the body of your release. Here's where you give all the details of your story. Write it in third person (using "He" or "She" instead of "I") and make it read like a news story. Press releases should be, at maximum, two pages long, and one page is better.

Special mention should be given here to the first paragraph. Just like the headline, the first paragraph needs to grab the reader's interest. In fact, many busy editors will only read past the beginning if you have "hooked" them in the first few lines. Make sure you include ALL pertinent details in this paragraph, since often papers will run releases verbatim. Use full city and state descriptions (Seattle, Washington, not just Seattle), and include the month, day, and year in dates (May 4, 2001, not May 4th).

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Describe your news without adding flowery adjectives (it's supposed to be NEWS). You can use quo-tations to add more interest. ("We always wanted to help deaf kids, and this benefit is how we're doing it", said Johnny about the band's gig at the Deal School.)

At the end of the release, summarize your story and add any "About Us" information that is necessary. Follow it up with a contact for further information.

End your press release with the symbol "###" (without the quotation marks) after your last lines of text. This lets the editor know they have successfully received the entire release.

-----

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:

Your NameYour Street AddressCity, State, Zip CodePhoneFaxEmail

HEADLINE

MONTH DAY#, YEAR (CITY, STATE) -- Important information answering the who, what, where, when, and why. Make sure the first paragraph summarizes your news clearly.

Add additional details here.

About The Band: blah, blah, blah

For further information, contact Your Name at (xxx) xxx-xxxx.

###

-----

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Sending Your Release

Almost any newspaper, magazine, radio station or other media can be an outlet for your music news release. You need to build a media list that you regularly send your releases to, and add to it as often as possible. Make it a habit to pick up copies of all publications you see when traveling, and record the information in a contact management program like ACT! or FileMaker Pro.

To build an effective media list that will work for your time after time, you need to build relation-ships with the journalists. Research the media outlets, and make sure you only send in news that is relevant to the editor's interest.

It's also wise to contact each journalist personally, and find out how they like to receive press releas-es. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to sending releases by mail, fax, or email, so you need to ask. (To be safe, use snail mail if you haven't inquired.) Be aware that most journalists do not like to be contacted via telephone and asked if they received your release. If the release is newswor-thy to their readers, they will print it. Writers and Editors are generally very busy people, and will appreciate it if you respect their time.

Address the envelope neatly and clearly, making sure to spell the contact's name correctly.( If you are unsure of the name, try "News Director", "Music Editor", or "Features Editor".) Include a photo and caption if you have one.

Wrapping Up

You can get some great free publicity by learning to write effective press releases. The coverage costs you nothing more than time and the paper to write the release on, and can bring invaluable promo-tion to your music or business.

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