The Music Industry
Aside from a career in law, music is the lane that I truly want to pursue. If I fail in my quest to be an executive producer, I will be a lawyer dealing with curious thoughts of what could have been. I like law and have an interest in law, but I genuinely enjoy music. There is room for lawyers to get jobs because there is a large abundance of avenues that potential lawyers take. Keeping this information in mind, it would be rather difficult for an individual to make a deep impact in the area of law. However, the art of music is ever-changing and styles are constantly created. Thus, executives and artists within the industry have large influence on not only the projects they involve themselves in, but the whole music genre that they work in. The feeling of affecting the direction of a whole profession must be very fulfilling when a person has passion for that occupation.
Hip hop and the music industry as a whole are currently in a declining state. Record sales are plummeting, and labels are skeptical with the investments they choose to make. Last year, record sales were down 14% from the previous year. Artists with perceived talent do not have as much influence as talented artists did in the 1990s. The artists with the hugest hit records presently do not put as much effort into the content of their lyrics. The thought process seems simple while the formula for successful artists in the past consisted of complex substance. The one-hit wonders of the industry may not be selling albums, but they are selling singles and ring tones. These artists are influencing the consumer to the point where people will rather enjoy a catchy song than be captivated and interested by an artist’s content and career.
There is a scapegoat to these declining record sales. The main rebuttal that an executive or most figures in music will answer this question with is that this generation is going through the digital era. This point in time is the most technologically advanced that America has been, and the youth take advantage of that. People are downloading music projects weeks before they are released. Even movies leak onto the internet. Once the material is on the hard drive of their computers, they feel no need to purchase the product in the stores. Now, artists are trying to come up with new ways in which to incorporate the digital era into their marketing in order to generate interest in their product. Artists make it necessary to be up-to-date with every social network so that they maintain their relevance in the industry. Some of the most established artists believe that the days of selling millions of albums for each release are over. They are now incorporating ring tone profits into their contracts relying on their performances and shows for income. They are convinced that record sales are not a reliable source of income and thus, they try to capitalize on every opportunity.
Artists can sell their names to acquire endorsement deals. Sean “Puffy” Combs who is a popular mogul/rapper is involved with several business ventures that proved to be successes. He established enough credibility and success in his career, and companies are willing to invest in him. He currently has a clothing line and won fashion designer of the year, he has a brand of vodka that became the #1 selling alcohol, and he also released a top selling fragrance. His career outside of the music is larger than his executive position in hip hop. Music has the potential to allow a person to expand to a large amount of other ventures.
Personally, I am a believer that selling records at a high rate is still achievable. I do think that the digital era plays a role in declining sales; however, there were many records that were previously downloaded in mass amounts that still were extremely successful. For instance, consumers were able to download 50 Cent’s first album two weeks before it was released, and it went on to sell 10 million copies. The reason he was able to accomplish this feat was because he created excitement for people to actually purchase his CD. I think that the music industry is at a point where consumers are tired of investing their time in the same artists for years, and they prefer new, refreshing artists. I believe the problem with these new artists is that they are not trendsetters and leaders that have the power to interest the consumers at a national and international level. Thus, my goal and dream would be to change this perception. I want to bring in artists and develop artists to a point where they can maximize their respective audiences.
The Interviews
Artist Management with Jahi LaFayette
The area of music that would be the most enjoyable for me would be managing and developing artists’ careers. I feel that I have many ideas and a good ear for quality music. I would like to lead artists into success without compromising their styles for commercial interest. I interviewed Jahi LaFayette who has managed several artists.
What is your position and significnance to the music industry?
Initially, I'm a personal manager. My signficance is that I'm an evolutionary
from doing a street team to doing things outside of hip hop. I expanded into
high fashion, managing Leslie O.
What were the steps of your journey to arrive at your current situation?
I started out in the street teams
of Bad Boy Records and Ruff Ryders Entertainment. Then I traveled with
Disturbing Tha Peace Entertainment. Then I left the road and went to college
and studied journalism. I used my writing skills to develop press kits and
started my company HollaVision with Jared Parks, an attorney. With HollaVision,
we developed short-form media for the web. While running HollaVision, I
encountered my current client Leslie O, who became our on-camera personality.
From this, she received a lot of exposure and pursued her modeling/acting
career so that's when I became her manager.
Is education absolutely necessary when being involved in the industry and how
large of an impact does it have?
It depends on what type of
education you speak of. However, there is nothing more valuable than
experience. Just because a person
attended school for 4 years, it does not make them better in certain situations
than the next person. But education is very important. It just depends on how
you apply it to the situations that you are put in.
Considering the setbacks from the
recession and the recent decline of the music industry, is there room for
newcomers in this business?
Yes, there is very much room for
newcomers, but newcomers cannot come into the industry looking to sell millions
of records. They should work on appealing to certain demographics and find
their niche. Because of the recession, people are not willing to try new things.
However, if your product has a good foundation and is continually growing, then
you are set.
What is the best approach and ammo that a novice should be equipped with when
attempting to enter into the music business?
A face is good. You yourself need
to be a product and not be expendable. You need to make sure you know your
value and other people know your value. You need to believe in your product.
When approaching, you need to come equipped. For artists, they should have an
album ready because labels like to save money.
What is the difference between the music industry now and 10 years ago?
There is no more artist and
repertoire. There are no more grooming artists. There is no more star creation.
The relationship between artist and producer is deteriorated because everyone
is out for self. The team concept is dead.
What are the approaches you take
relating to marketing when trying to make your artists a success?
With my recent artists, I am
re-establishing the base. I like to let the artists find themselves. I rather
believe in my artists rather than mold them into what I want them to be. We let
the artist take their destiny in their own hands and we like to educate the
artists on the business that they are getting into.
What is the future of hip hop music and
its business components?
I think hip hop music will be around in the future, but I don't think it will be clearly defined. As far as the business side, there will be more ridiculous salaries. Also, look for executives, look for the pension to play a role in their contracts. I think the business side will be studied and will be something to be learned. Also, look for the artists to tone down their jewelry-flaunting and toning it down. Look for it to get back into the culture to relate to its fans. I think something dramatic is going to happen, such as a separation between hip hop and hip pop. Certain trends will not be accepted anymore.
Music Producer/Engineer with Alexander Bullock
I interviewed Alexander Bullock to get his perspective and gain insight on how I can possibly become a music producer/engineer. Not only does the business side of music interest me, but I am also passionate when it comes to making music.
What is your occupation within the music industry?
I’m a producer/engineer. I produce instrumentals for up-and-coming artists, and I direct their studio sessions.
What were the steps in getting to that point?
I’ve always had a love for music so I decided to take piano lessons. I took these skills and applied it to making music on basic computer programs, such as Fruity Loops and Reason. Within these programs, I create basic instrumentals, but I wanted more. I then decided to take a ProTools class for about a year so that I could learn about the most widely used program in the industry and perfect my craft. I paid about $4,000, and I became ProTools certified, which means that I’m a trained ProTools engineer.
Does a person necessarily need this certification?
Not necessarily because ProTools can be used without being trained.
What are the benefits of being certified?
When having an expensive product such as ProTools, it would be wise for the person who purchased the software and hardware to be trained so that they could use the program properly. The class teaches you the intricacies of the program that would not likely be figured out by the untrained hands.
Exactly how does an engineer/producer such as you actually generate profit?
Well, this also goes back to being ProTools certified. Having this title on my resume brought me more clientele. Artists recognize that I know what I’m doing, and they can put their confidence in me. With that said, I can charge artists more for my beats and more per hour for studio sessions legitimately. Contracts are signed, money is paid to my company, TheLexFactor Productions.
How does education play a role in your line of work?
Going to college is not absolutely necessary, but it can be a big help. The best route is to attend Full Sail University in Orlando. It offers the best education and training for all positions in the music industry. There is much to be learned there. At the time, I didn’t have the finances to attend that university, so I opted for a course to teach me specifically about ProTools.
Entertainment Law with Michael Steinbaum
Law has been my academic area of interest throughout college. If I were to pursue a career that directly stemmed from a graduate degree, I would definitely choose to become a lawyer. In the event that I become a lawyer, I would want to tie it into the music industry because that is where my true passion lies. Thus, the perfect combination would be to become an entertainment lawyer. I interviewed Michael Steinbaum because he not only is a lawyer, but he also has aspirations of becoming an entertainment lawyer.
What is your occupation?
I am a lawyer that specializes in
municipal and land use practice.
I would like to be a lawyer too. How exactly can I apply that skill to
the music industry?
There’s a lot that can be done. I have interest in being an entertainment law and that will be the next step for me. It seems like a good fit for you because you’ll be able to deal with the music industry and their contracts and negotiations and such. I hear it can get pretty intense.
What are the steps necessary to become a lawyer?
For me, I first attended Florida State University for my undergraduate degree in Finance. Then you have to take the LSAT. After that I went to the law school program at Nova Southeastern University. I wanted to have experience under my belt too so in between, I would be a legal intern and law clerk at several law firms in the summers.
Would you suggest taking the Kaplan class to improve the score on the
LSATs?
Yes, definitely. I took the class before taking my test, and it definitely helped. It teaches you exactly how you should take the test and how to time it. It’s a lot of information to take in, but it’s well worth it.
How does the route change to become an entertainment lawyer?
The difference with being in entertainment is that you must have connections. Connections will get your foot in the door in entertainment law.
