The Music Gardener - Artist Manager, Music Marketer

Brandon Bee Creation West 2010

The Music Gardener spent the last two weeks of July on a musical adventure that took my wife and I on a journey through the beautiful states of Washington and Oregon. While its good to be back home in Nashville, we are already missing the cool dry northwest weather.

Our first stop was Enumclaw, WA for the Creation West festival. The new festival location made for a different experience than in the past. The views from the Gorge of past years were missed, but Mt Rainier as the new back drop wasn’t such a bad thing. One of our artist, Brandon Bee, had the privilege of playing for the communion ceremony just after the Newsboys performance. I must say that Brandon did a fabulous job leading 10,000+ people in worship while Harry Thomas, founder of Creation, presided over the ceremony.

The following day, another one of our artist, Holly Starr, took the main stage revealing some new songs from her soon to be released record, Tapestry. Showing a new rock side to her show, Holly strapped on a Fender Strat for the first couple of tunes. It is always nice to see an artist you work with, giving it everything they have to entertain and engage an audience and Holly did just that!

Mr Talkbox, Mike Silva, Kevin Thornton

After Creation, we took a drive down to Albany, OR for Mike Silva’s Willamette Celebration. Circleslide took the main stage on Friday evening and rocked out 18,000 attendees just before Skillet and the Newsboys. The following day Brandon Bee and Byron “Mr Talkbox” Chambers brought their music to the festival. Brandon Bee and his band really rocked it out in the 100 degree heat just after the Metal Mulisha did their motorcycle stunts.  Byron “Mr Talkbox” Chambers the did his thing bring the crowd to their feet and making the evening a blast for festival attendees.

We then traveled up the Columbia River Gorge towards Quincy, WA. What an unbelievable drive! Diana and I spent a couple of days on Lake Chelan in strategy meetings with our newly signed artist, Holly Starr. We held most of our meetings on a boat sitting in the middle of the lake. I think that has to be one of the best meeting locations we have ever used! Isolated from the rest of the world, we were able to accomplish some great planning.

From Lake Chelan, we made our way back to Seattle via a scenic pass through the majestic mountains of Washington. Another beautiful drive! Seattle then became our home base for the remainder of the week. We had marketing meetings with our partner, Save The City Records, and prepared for the Soul Shine event topping off the week. Byron “Mr Talkbox” Chambers, Bejiman, Kevin Thornton and Rachel Lampa really brought an incredible show to the Experience Music Project in Seattle on Friday night!

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“We Are Nashville” is the slogan that Nashville residents adopted after the major flood that destroyed much of the city and surrounding areas this past Spring. The national media was scolded for not covering the floods and eventually Anderson Cooper showed up and apologized for the media not giving Nashville the attention it deserved. Meanwhile, as the “help your neighbor” spirit was building within the Nashville community, the Gospel Music Association was apparently fast at work making plans to move the GMA Dove Awards Show to Atlanta. While the Nashville Visitors and Convention Bureau is scrambling to keep tourist coming to town, the Gospel Music Association decides to move the Dove Awards show to Atlanta? Now, that’s the perfect way to show love to the city that has supported your infrastructure for 41 years and is now in desperate need of tourism dollars. Yes, I can see the GMA is trying to be cool like the Country Music Association who took their awards show to New York a few years back but is this year really the year to be cool? The GMA should take notes from the CMA who kept CMA Fanfest in Nashville this year and they donated proceeds to Flood Relief. What the Gospel Music Association is really saying through this move to Atlanta is “We Are Not Nashville”

Seeing the GMA make this decision, makes me feel really embarrassed that I am a GMA member. I think back on all of the benefit shows that Christian artists rushed to put together to help the flood victims and now the industry totally misses the simplest way to help. I don’t plan on being in Atlanta for the Dove Awards Show this year even though Atlanta is my hometown and it would be a very easy trip to make. Instead, I will be donating the money I would pay for my 2011 GMA membership to the MusiCarers Nashville Flood Relief fund.

I don’t normally like to write negative posts but the news of the GMA moving the awards show to Atlanta really struck an emotional chord in my soul. I witness many businesses and friends struggling to rebuild from the flood disaster.  There are still thousands of Nashvillians who are jobless due to the flood. This decision to move the awards show will have a negative impact on jobs and local businesses in Nashville and surrounding cities.

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Taylor Swift

I often wonder why people in the music industry like to bash successful recording artists? Could it be they are jealous of their success? It often seems as if people in the music industry feel like they have been assigned the position of judge for talent after the talent has already succeeded. The funny thing is, consumers and their wallets actually the judge who gets the top positions on the sales charts. When an artist has the one of the top selling records in the country, the majority of the public is saying “we like this artist,  they are worthy of our dollars and they should be put at the top of the list” Taylor Swift has been a perfect example of this over the last couple of years. She is currently one of the top selling recording artists and has the #3 grossing tour for the year. (Probably could be the #1 but she chooses not to gouge her fans with the exorbitant ticket prices that other artists are serving up) A day doesn’t go by where I don’t hear someone in the industry bashing her. Why is this? New artist Beckah Shae, recently tweeted the following “What if.. the music industry, Instead of being comparative, competitive & critical, Began to celebrate & cheer for each other?” I love that! I was personally convicted and have decided to take on that challenge. There will of course be exceptions in the case of artists who give music a bad name through stupid antics on and off stage and I will have a difficult time cheering them on. But for the rest, I would like to say thanks for your contributions! You keep this music thing going!

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As both an artist manager and a music marketing consultant, I sometimes find that the two hats which I wear conflict on certain issues. One of those issues is the price of music. The manager in me thinks the price of music is too cheap while the marketing side understands the need to be competitive.

Here are a few things to think about. The price of a single song on iTunes today is .99 cents which just happens to be the same as it was for a cassette single twenty years ago. Twenty years ago a gallon of gas was $1.08, a dozen eggs were .89 cents, and movie tickets were $4.00. Last week my wife and I went to a movie and paid $12/ticket resulting in a $24 purchase for the two of us to be entertained for a couple of hours. On the way home, we purchased gas at $2.70/gallon and bought a dozen eggs for $2.50. This bodes the question “why is the price of music suppressed and not allowed to increase in value?” Do consumers think less of music than a pack of gum, a soda, or a loaf of bread? The answer is sadly a resounding and obvious yes. But why? Is there anything that can be done to change the perceived value of music in the consumer’s mind?

One of the key principles of economics is supply and demand. It appears the supply of music is too great for the demand. I often wonder what would happen if the creators of music stopped production for a while.

What are your thoughts on the price of music?

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The Billboard Bulletin reported this week that the week ending May 30 clocks in as the lowest week for number of albums sold since Soundscan began tracking sales in 1994. At first I was in shock but then I remembered the music business has been headed in that direction for quite a while. I tweeted about the information and received many responses asking my thoughts on what was causing the decline. Honestly, I was at a lost for words for a minute. In the past, the last week of May would have been a great week as retailers ran huge sales with “graduation” themes.  My first thoughts were to blame it on the BP Oil spill, Obama, global warming, downloading or lack of hits. Then I remembered the many things over the last 15 years that appeared as warning signs. Many of the independent retailers screamed out the warning signs but the music industry chose to ignore them. First the home video industry took a bite out of the entertainment dollar, then it was video games and while both of those were going on, the music price wars were in full force. The way our world consumes entertainment does, always has and always will continue to change. We can’t stop it. However, the music industry does appear to be stepping back in time as it has once again become a singles business. Consumers are now enjoying the ability to “cherry pick”. I must admit, I do my share of “cherry picking”. I can’t help but wonder what would happen if we didn’t have the ability to “cherry pick?” The movie industry amazes me at how they continue to grow. Not only are they able to continue to increase ticket sales but many customers also buy the DVD when it is released. They don’t give consumers the ability to pay for and receive only a portion of a film. A movie is considered a full body of work. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see what would happen if the music industry forced iTunes and all digital retailers to move to the “album only” format? Yes, I know the fears of driving consumers to steal music but with the way sales are plummeting, it doesn’t appear they are buying music anyway? Instead, all we hear is that music is moving towards the “free” models. Is that really the direction the music industry has to go? The only people that hold the power to “Turn the Beat Around” are the content owners. Isn’t it time that the music content owners band together and stop the madness?  The world will be a boring place without a song!

How would you “Turn the Beat Around?”

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Photo Shoot

As an artist manger, I am realizing how important a great photo shoot is to the overall marketing plan for a music artist. While I have been involved in music marketing for years, my job in the past normally began after the product managers had the music packaged and ready to go. Now I find myself involved with every step in the marketing process and that being especially true with independent artists. Thankfully, my wife and business partner, Diana Stancil, has expertise in styling and photo shoots. Diana has been involved with many Jaci Velasquez photo shoots ranging from People Magazine shoots to movie shoots. I always wondered why some photo shoots were more expensive than others and why it is necessary to have so many people involved. This became very clear at a recent photo shoot for our artist Holly Starr.

Kristin Barlowe was the photographer chosen for Holly’s shoot. Kristin is revered as one of Nashville’s top photographers. She does an incredible job not only with photography but with the overall imaging. Kristin is especially great with females so she was a natural choice for Holly. Some of her past work includes photo shoots for Taylor Swift, Martina McBride, Wynonna, Jaci Velasquez, Kellie Pickler, and Amy Grant.

The first thing I noticed was how important the lighting and digital image team are to a shoot. The “Hood Brothers” (Derrick  Hood & Joel Hood - no relation) were Kristin’s team for the shoot and what an amazing team they are! Similar to a professional golf caddie, these guys were one step ahead of Kristin on every move. Not only did they take care of setting up the lighting and capturing the digital data, but they also suggested settings for Kristin’s camera keeping her abreast of how the pictures were looking on the computer screen. Extremely talented guys!

Libby Callaway was the stylist for the shoot and she did a fantastic job. Many of clothes and jewelry pieces will become part of Holly’s stage wardrobe so it was important that Libby capture and enhance Holly’s vision. Styling is the foundation and probably the most important part of every shot.

Megan Thompson- Fitchuck was the make-up/hair artist for the shoot. I was blown away by how quickly Megan’s artistry transformed Holly’s look for each individual setting. It was interesting watching how quickly Megan would change Holly’s hair style. She gave incredible attention to detail with Holly’s make-up and hair throughout the shoot. A great hair/make-up artist can prevent the necessity for a lot of costly touch-up work to the final photos.

My main take away from Holly’s photo shoot was how important every person on the team is to the final product. I now have a much better understanding of those budgets that I always thought were a bit crazy. A great photo shoot takes more than one person with a camera. It takes a team!

What photo shoot tips do you have to share?

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Nashville's SoundCheck Under Water

The Nashville Flood of 2010 will have an impact on music like no other disaster in history! Floods are never a good thing but as an artist manager I am realizing the impact that this particular flood will have on the sound of music created in Nashville.  SoundCheck, the largest instrument storage and cartage company in Nashville, was submerged in water for almost a week. Brad Paisley, Keith Urban and many other Nashville artists and session musicians lost their most cherished instruments. One can only imagine how that will affect the sound coming from Nashville studios and live shows in the days to come as many of the vintage instruments can’t be replaced. Other artists and musicians lost instruments and equipment in their flooded homes. The news footage of Kenny Chesney climbing in a boat and saving his guitar after his home was flooded says it all. One of the artist we manage, Gabe Martinez of the band Circleslide, lost most of his gear as his home was flooded with 4 feet of water. As I helped Gabe sort through his gear, we were met with a rush of brown nasty water as we opened road cases. We opened one case to find a flooded mixing board that had quickly become a home to maggots. Gabe was fortunate enough to save his vintage guitars which we are thankful for! As reality began to settle in, I was reminded of production cut backs that instrument manufacturers put into place over the last year due to the recession. The demand for new gear from Nashville musicians could create a major drain on the instrument/gear supply chain. For those fortunate enough to have flood insurance or enough cash to replace instruments, the race is on. My advice is to get in line quickly because it’s going to be a long one! For others around the world who have been looking for the right time to sell those vintage instruments, now would be a great time to list that gear on Craig’s List.

Amidst all the loss, Tennessee is proving itself to be worthy of the name “Volunteer State” as residents are pouring out in droves to help neighbors. Several benefit concerts have recently been announced. This Sunday, May 16  7-9pm there will be a benefit concert at the Ryman Auditorium featuring Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler, Lady Antebellum and Jaci Velasquez. For more info visit http://www.wsmv.com/entertainment/23501009/detail.html

There is also a great opportunity to help Nashville Flood Victims for only .99 cents. Byron “Mr Talkbox” Chambers and Key of B Productions will be donating all May proceeds from iTunes download sales of his song “Everything Works Together” to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee’s Nashville Flood Relief Fund. Click this link for more info http://bit.ly/c53LhC

While the flood may have silenced a few instruments, one thing is sure, Music City will rebuild and the show will go on!

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Mac Power Charger

I write this post while being stranded in San Antonio. I traveled here this weekend as an artist manager to see a new artist we are working with. I had a wonderful, beautiful weekend with one exception. I failed to pack the charger for my Mac. When I first realized I had left the charger at home, I thought “no biggie”. If my computer battery dies, I can live without it for a couple of days right? I still have my iPhone and I did remember to bring that charger. I also have a Mophie Air Juicer as an additional charger for the iPhone. For some reason, my iPhone battery doesn’t last very long when I’m traveling so the iPhone died quickly. Lucky for me I had a fully charged Mophie Juicer. I quickly ran the Juicer battery down. Then I realized, the Mophie Juicer charges via a connection with my Mac which needs to be plugged into an AC outlet. From that point on, my iPhone with a regular charge was my only connection to the internet. Nashville had severe weather and flooding going on so my flight was canceled. By that time, all batteries on all devices were dead. The dead iPhone & Mac battery prevented me from getting rebooked on another flight quickly. The result was that I wasn’t able to get out of San Antonio for two days because all of the other affected passengers were able to call Southwest Airlines before me. Crazy outcome of events all because I left my charger at home. I did find an Apple Store in San Antonio and they were kind enough to allow me to camp out for a while and charge all my devices. While in San Antonio I was reminded of the famous quote “Remember the Alamo!”. I have now adopted my own motto “Remember the Charger!”

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Byron Chambers and Manwell

As an artist manager, it is a very special time when your artist is honored for excellence with an industry award. This year’s Dove Awards were extra special as our artist, Byron “Mr Talkbox” Chambers, was awarded Hip-Hop/Rap song of the year for his writing and production on Group 1 Crew’s “Movin”! The Dove Award comes at a perfect time as Byron just released his new record “My Time”. Byron “Mr Talkbox” Chambers has been doing a great deal of work for artists behind the scenes over the last 10 years. He has toured as a musician with NSYNC, Britney Spears, Martha Munizzi and Group 1 Crew. I would encourage anyone who reads this blog posts to visit iTunes and pick up his new record “My Time” Byron is making music that is much different than most in the Christian industry. His music is relevant to the music that is happening in the mainstream while holding strong to his positive message. Please trust The Music Gardener on this one. YOU WILL ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS RECORD! Byron is currently on tour with Tobymac. If you are interested in having Byron “Mr Talkbox” Chambers play your event, please contact Artist Garden Entertainment.

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When marketing music, preparing and building your customer base ahead of time is vital. It is particularly important in marketing Christian music. There is a trust factor that has to be built with potential customers before you start trying to sell them something. At Artist Garden Entertainment we often refer to it as preparing the soil. The gardening model applies so well to marketing music. Social networks have given us incredible real estate with which to plant our garden. One of the first things I ask any artist we work with is “How many Twitter followers and how many Facebook friends do you have and how often do you communicate with them” Surprisingly, many artist have fewer than 100 followers!  If your following only consists of a hundred people, how do you expect to sell 1k, 10k or 50k records? Before an artist records the first note, they should be preparing the garden. You will need that garden when it is harvest time!

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