The Music Gardener - Artist Manager, Music Marketer

My only excuse for the goofy look on my face is that Dave was making me laugh!

One of the first things I learned about the music business was the importance of having a great press kit. I learned this in high school back when I was in a band looking for gigs. We couldn’t figure out why no one would hire us to play a gig. After all, we did have a really cool name and we would tell anyone who would listen how awesome we were. That strategic pitching plan resulted in absolutely no gigs.  Even knowing that, for somtainmente reason, we never invested in a great press kit. That was 28 years ago but I am still amazed at how many new artists don’t have a great looking up to date press kit.

We are in the digital age with EPKs, Sonic Bids, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and websites and it is so easy to forget about physical press kits. I am one of the biggest proponents of digital media as that is what I prefer. However, I am running across more and more people in the business who ask for a physical press kit. Most clubs and college radio still want to see a physical press kit in order to consider booking the band or playing their song. Recently, while pitching instrument companies for endorsements, I found that they prefer the physical press kit.

Every artists who is serious about their career should have some form of a physical press kit readily available. No need to create a big quantity but have a handful ready at a moments notice. You can include some of the current technology such as EPKs in the kit but some people in the business still want to actually touch that 8×10 and hold a physical one-sheet. I think one of the reasons a press kit is so important is that any person with a computer can set up a MySpace page and make it look great. It’s almost as if the physical press kit sets you apart and shows that you are serious about your career and willing to invest. Now I must admit I have seen some really bad press kits. I would encourage you to put some effort into creating a press kit that stands apart, looks unique and screams “we are serious about thing!”

Here are a 5 key things that every press kit should contain.

1) nice folder w/logo or some creative package to hold the press material

2) great looking 8×10 photo

3) one-sheet with a short bio, key facts, awards and accolades, last 6 months and future tour dates, management/booking/label contact info

4) cd or EPK

5) band or manager’s business card

http://www.artistgardenentertainment.com

Through the last 20 years, I have encountered negotiations in just about every aspect of my professional career . Negotiating is how we move forward with every business relationship from accepting a job to selling a product to entering contract based relationships. I have experienced some bad negotiations but I have been a part of some incredibly positive negotiations. One really important thing that I learned from some of the best negotiators in the music business is that every successful deal needs to feel like a win win for both parties. If either party takes everything without giving, then the deal starts off on the wrong foot. Once the deal is done, it needs to move forward in a positive way in order to produce great things. I have seen many business relationships produce poor results due to negativity that lingers when one party feels like the other gave nothing in negotiating the deal.

The first thing one should determine when negotiating a deal is “Do you really want to be in a deal with the company or individual you are negotiating with?”  If so, then prepare yourself for the reality that you will most likely not get every single thing you are asking for in a deal. And actually that’s okay. It’s how great business relationships are formed every day. Determine the things that are the most important and be willing to move on the things that are less important. Too many times, I have seen new people in the music business jump into a deal negotiation expecting to get everything they are looking for. They get advice from outside parties who have war stories from past deals they regret. It’s easy for those outside advisers to throw in their opinions as they aren’t actually in the negotiation and they have no vested interest in whether the deal happens or not. When an experienced negotiator ends up negotiating with a party, who only wants to take with no give, it can actually become insulting. The experienced party becomes frustrated realizing that they are dealing with an amateur or unreasonable negotiator and the deal heads south very quickly. Who wants to enter a deal with someone who always has to have it their way? That’s not a partnership and it should throw up red flags about what to expect from therelationship in the future.

I have seen artist lose their one shot at a label deal because they thought they had enough leverage to demand everything others told them they should have in the deal. My advise to artists is really simple and the same as I mentioned earlier. Ask yourself one simple question “Do I without a doubt want to be in a business relationship with the person or company I am negotiating with?” If the answer to that question is yes, then take off the boxing gloves and negotiate a win win deal. Yes, legend has it that labels, managers and publishing companies are out to take advantage of artists. However, I think that is really becoming a thing of the past with the access we have to information via the internet. You have countless ways to do your due diligence in this day and age. Google them, talk to others that have been in business with them and you will find more than enough evidence of what to expect from the relationship. There are still bad guys out there and you should absolutely have an attorney involved to make sure you are getting “fair market value” but honestly until you have put some points on the board you shouldn’t expect to get the same deal as U2 or Madonna. That will come when it’s time to renegotiate and if things go well you will have the opportunity to renegotiate!

Now go sieze the day! Negotiate some win win deals and watch things move faster in a more positive way for your career!

http://www.artistgardenentertainment.com

Last week, Artist Garden Entertainment had the privilege of accompanying Rudy Vaughn, an artist we recently added to our management roster, on a trip to London. Rudy won the Hard Rock Cafe Ambassadors of Rock contest securing him a spot on the Hard Rock Calling festival in London. What an incredible opportunity, as Rudy played on a the bill along side Dave Matthews Band, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and The Killers. Rudy and his band-mates have played out quite a bit but never to an audience of 50k. I could sense a bit of anxiety in the band as they knew this was their shot at the Big Show. Pull it off well and there will be more big shows in the future but choke and it could be the last shot at the Big Show. There were two shows scheduled for the band including one on the main stage on Saturday and then an additional show on the 2nd stage on Sunday.

Saturday was needless to say a bit stressful. As the band showed up for sound check, they quickly found out that there would be little or no sound check as Live Nation’s production team was operating festival style.. Rudy’s guitar player, Shane, plugged in his amp head and smoke immediately began to billow out of the back. A closer examination revealed that one of the tubes had been plugged into the wrong slot by mistake after being removed for the long flight across the pond. Next, the band would realize that the computer they use for additional tracks wouldn’t work the way it is supposed to. A little more stress kicked in as the stage manager began to yell frantically that they were on in three minutes. Just as things seemed like they couldn’t go worse, Rudy realized that the pick-up in his acoustic guitar was not working. As their manager, I began to get a little nervous. Could Rudy and the band overcome the obstacles or was disaster imminent? And then Rudy met face to face with a major milestone in his career. Rudy and the band performed as if there were no problems and they sounded absolutely amazing! They brought their “A Game” and nothing would stop them, not even technical difficulties. Rudy Vaughn was without a doubt ready for the Big Show. CNN International News was waiting for the band at the dressing room immediately after the show looking to do a live interview feed which aired around the world. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/showbiz/2009/06/27/boulden.uk.hyde.park.vaughn.cnn?iref=videosearch

This experience made me wonder how many bands looking for their shot really understand what it takes to play the Big Show? It’s much different than playing to 100-200 people in a club. The pressures are much greater and there is a high level of talent needed to play on the same stage as Bruce Springsteen and Dave Matthews. Fortunately, Hard Rock and the artist judges saw the star quality and level of talent that Rudy and the band possess.  One never knows when a similar opportunity may present itself. Are you ready for the Big Show?

Rudy Vaughn Band with Dave Matthews