If you don't know who Jim Halsey is please google him. His list of accomplishments are way to long for me to list here, but he is probably most famous for managing "The Oak Ridge Boys" for over 35 years. The list of artist he has worked with is incredible such as Roy Clark, Clint Black, The Judd's, James Brown... the list goes on.
He has a chapter in his book that really hits home with me on the marketing side of the music business. So many artist are under the delusion that once they sign a record deal the hard work is over. That is just not true at all. Halsey talks about what it takes to be successful in the industry and one important point he makes is that the artist has to build a team around them. Halsey lists 9 essential members on pg 62 of his book "Starmaker". They are talent, artist manager, record company, record producer, booking agent, music/entertainment attorney, music publisher, press and PR, and promotions.
As you can see the record company is not the end all be all in this business. It takes a group of people performing different functions to make this business work.
Some other great points Halsey mentions throughout Chapter 8 that I think all artist or industry professionals should have stamped in their minds are:
- Take every gig - you never know when opportunity will strike - always be prepared
- Attend music conferences - network
- Showcase your talent - invite industry pros to come see you perform
- Submit your music to songwriting and singing competitions - Again you never know when opportunity will present itself
- Build your act locally or regionally first - Enlist the help of local media. Home town radio or news can bring attention
- Be persistent - Being successful in the music industry is not easy
Halsey's "Starmaker" is for everyone. It will either reintroduce ideas or techniques you already know or shed light on new strategies to be successful.
No comments:
Post a Comment