The 'Master' in the 'Masterpiece': Why Professional Mastering Matters

The world of Pro Tools and other recording software has changed the game of music. Independent artists can now create a professional sound with their music without the use of a professional studio. They can mix their own tracks and accomplish the majority of the recording process in the privacy of their own home lab. Even with all the technology available though, recording music will only ever be a hobby unless an artist takes their craft seriously enough to have their music professionally mastered.

Mixing and mastering, while often thought of as the same thing, are two separate critical elements of the recording process. Mixing is putting the track together. It consists of setting the levels of the different sounds, the placement of select instruments and effects, and creating the overall “picture” of the track. Mastering, however, is what makes the music commercially viable and “radio ready”. If mixing is putting the puzzle together, then mastering is the coating of shellac that one would want to put on a puzzle that they were planning on framing and putting on display. Mastering gives the final product that “sheen” that it needs to be taken seriously in the professional world of the music industry. Here are some reasons why it’s worth it for an independent artist to have their music professionally mastered:

•  While an artist can easily mix their own work, it is only through the fresh ears of a music mastering professional that the song or album can be truly polished. When an artist tries to master their own music, they aren’t able to be objective, as they are too close to the project. Having one’s music mastered by someone new who has never heard the music before ensures that the track is ready to be consumed by the music-listening public.

• When a song or album is professionally mastered, it will sound great whether it’s being played on a car stereo, on a laptop, on an iPod, or on an at-home stereo system with sub-woofers. When an album is mastered, each of the tracks will have consistent volume levels. Neither of these things can be accomplished with simple mixing. An artist should make sure that their music sounds great on whatever format it’s being played.

• If an artist plans on pressing CDs for release, they must have a mastered album. Mastering allows the music to be prepared for duplication and ultimately, commercial sale. Whether an artist is giving away their music or selling their CDs for $5 a pop at a show, the final product will sound amateur without proper mastering.

Professional mastering does have a cost attached, but the trend in mastering studios is to give an artist a free sample of their work to show a “before” and “after” of the artist’s song. This allows the artist to make sure the person mastering their work is a good fit for the style and genre that the artist wants to represent. A truly gifted sound engineer has the trained ear and artistic skill to master different types of genres in different ways. It is important for an artist to find a mastering professional that fits their vision for their music, and therefore foster that relationship throughout the artist’s career.

There are some great websites that go into far more detail about mixing and mastering. For more information on these two essential aspects of the recording process, check out the following links:

http://www.sageaudio.com/blog/mastering/what-is-the-difference-between-mixing-and-mastering.php

- A mastering studio blog that describes the differences in detail, along with an example of the “sample our work” offer that many mastering studios provide.

http://voices.yahoo.com/what-every-independent-artist-know-the-72266.html?cat=15

- A good article about the mastering process and why it matters.

- One of many great videos from this YouTube channel (Pvtchrislee07) showing the difference in audio quality of a mixed vs. mastered track.

Show Me The Money!!!

In my success book readings, I've often come across the thought that says something like the following, "Success is finding something you love to do so much that you’d do it for free, and then figuring out how to make people pay you to do it." The music industry is known as a tough business in which to make money, so anyone starting out in this industry must know that it’s NOT for the faint of heart. You must have a powerful drive and determination to be successful whether you’re in the role of the artist or the many supporting roles that are found within the industry, such as artist manager. Many who are new to the music industry can benefit greatly by understanding how the money is made. One topic they should cover first is how royalties are paid and to whom. In talking to some of the artists with whom I work, there seems to be some confusion in this category. To help clear up some of the confusion, I thought it would be a good idea to post some resources that will help educate everyone on this very topic.

First and foremost, there is the issue of copyrights. In the U.S., a creative work or piece of intellectual property is considered copyrighted if it has been written down or recorded on some format. But just having that be true doesn't mean you as an artist will have time to track down everyone who may be using your material. That is why performance rights organizations exist, or P.R.O.s. There are three such organizations for this purpose in the U.S. They are ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. To save time, you can see a comparison of these three agencies here. These three agencies are in charge of collecting royalties from anyone who may perform or play your song. This may include but is not limited to: radio stations, Internet radio/streaming, restaurants, elevators, telephone hold music, etc. They basically track down any public broadcast of your music and collect royalties on your behalf. It’s important to familiarize yourself with these agencies if you plan on making your music career more than a hobby.

While those agencies cover performance royalties, they do not collect royalties from mechanical rights. Mechanical royalties are paid to the songwriter by the person (or business) making the mechanical copy of the song. For example, a record company will pay an artist mechanical royalties for every CD that is pressed, regardless of the sales that CD generates. The most prominent agency responsible for issuing and collecting royalties from mechanical licenses is the Harry Fox Agency. The FAQ page on the Harry Fox Agency website is recommended reading to help clear up any questions you may have when it comes to this complicated issue.

Just when you thought you understood all this rights and royalties business, remember; this ONLY covers the United States. There are a full set of different entities that operate in global markets. I found a great blog that addresses many of these same issues for the European nations called Music & Copyright’s Blog. It is a great resource that should be bookmarked by any artist or artist manager who is new to the music industry.

This information is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how royalties are paid. Unfortunately, this is a complicated topic that will require more reading and research. Here are some links to some websites that I have found helpful in wrapping my head around all the ins and outs of this area of artist management:

http://www.indieandunsigned.com/the-music-royalty-breakdown/

-A great article about who gets paid by whom and for what. A must-read.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/music-royalties7.htm

-Another really great break-down of how royalties get paid. Bookmark this one.

http://diymusician.cdbaby.com/2012/11/how-performing-rights-organizations-pay-royalties-to-artists-and-how-to-make-sure-youre-getting-paid/

-Not only a great article, but DIY Musician is a great blog to follow for any independent, up-and-coming artist.

Let's Make a Deal: Why and What You Should Know

For anyone in the music industry, there will come a time when you will have to negotiate with another party. It could be to work out appropriate compensation for a performance gig, to broker a fair and mutually beneficial record label contract, or anything in between. For this reason, it’s a good idea to understand the art of negotiating and how to accomplish the goal of getting the best deal while still preserving the relationship of the person or parties with whom you are dealing.

There are many sources from which to get this education on negotiating. I will be reviewing three of these sources for this blog article to get you started on your way to feeling prepared to handle any deal-making session in which you may find yourself.

The first source comes from a podcast created by Elkay Corporate Advisors, whose business mission statement is “helping individuals, entrepreneurs, and business achieve success”. The interview in the podcast is with Greg Williams who is an internationally known negotiator. In his interview, he discusses the need for proper preparation for a negotiation. Greg says, “In any negotiation, if you do not put your emotions in the negotiation, you will be better prepared to walk away from the negotiation.” In other words, if you are emotionally involved, you will be more likely to make concessions that you may not otherwise make if you were able to be more objective. Greg also emphasizes how important it is to develop a plan prior to heading into a negotiation. He suggests that background preparation is critical in setting yourself up for a desired outcome. Being prepared is also another way to make sure that you can keep the negotiations based on objective criteria. It’s hard to argue against an industry standard or statistics, as they are facts, not opinions. This use of objective criteria will assist you in staying away from emotions during a negotiation. Greg also discusses how body language and facial expressions can be just as powerful during a negotiation as the words that are spoken, if not more so at times. I encourage you to listen to the entire podcast to see what tips you can glean from this ‘Master Negotiator’.

The goal of any negotiation is to create a mutually beneficial agreement for both parties. This not only leaves both parties feeling as if they got something they wanted, but this also preserves the relationship between the parties for further potential negotiations. In searching YouTube, I found a great lecture given by Joel Peterson at Stanford Business School called “Conducting Effective Negotiations”. One of the concepts (and there are many as this video is an hour lecture) Joel illustrates is having “Rules of the Road” or ROR. He gives an example of how he wanted to be seen as a negotiator who didn’t move on price. If he wanted to do a deal for a million dollars, he would get it at a million and nothing less. After several serial negotiations with one particular person with whom he negotiated 300 deals in his career, at about 50 deals in, the other party caught on to his strategy. The other party said to Joel that he simply FELT BETTER if he could negotiate a price. So he told Joel that if he was going to want a million dollars on a particular deal, to just start the negotiations at 8% to 10% higher than where he wanted the deal to be made. So Joel did this and the two were able to make 250 more deals over the span of 20 years using this mutually beneficial arrangement. Once Joel found out what the other party’s underlying interests were, it became easier to negotiate based on those interests. If you’d like to view the entire video to learn more about Joel’s experience and knowledge, I’ve included it for you here:

Finally, no blog post about negotiation would be complete without including something about a BATNA. BATNA is an acronym for Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement. This concept is one that will likely determine the fundamental dynamics of your negotiation. Obviously when you go into a negotiation, you and the other party are BOTH looking to get something out of the exchange. But what if your negotiations break down? What if they fail? This concept is discussed well in a video on YouTube from a company called The Voluntary Life. It’s useful to have a BATNA, as it allows you to understand what your worst-case scenario is if the deal does not happen. In other words, what are you going to do if you can’t reach an agreement? If you have a BATNA that says your company will completely fail if you don’t make a certain deal, then you are already entering that deal in a weak position. You also must think of what the other party’s BATNA would be. This will allow you to work out with what position the other party comes to the table. Using a BATNA allows you to come to the negotiation table with a clear picture of what will happen if you need to walk away. You can listen to this and many other helpful concepts from The Voluntary Life by clicking the video below:

I encourage any entrepreneur reading this blog to further educate yourself on negotiating. If you are in the music industry, you will need to have good negotiation skills to protect your own interests and build relationships with other parties that can potentially help move your career forward. If you don’t get the education now as you enter the industry, I promise you that there will come a time when you’ll wish you would’ve heeded my advice. Thanks for reading, and happy deal-making!

Reading Is Fundamental

I am unapologetically a child of the 70’s and 80’s. These were the years of my childhood and teens. Since we only had three or four channels on TV back then, reading was much more of a common activity for kids than it is today. My mom was a huge advocate for reading, and took me to the library at least once a week. I remember a certain ad campaign back then for the Reading Is Fundamental Program, or RIF as it was often referred. RIF was the first non-profit organization that encouraged kids to read more and touted the value of books in the lives of children. One of the earliest commercials I remember was a RIF PSA from the early 70's that used the song ‘He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands’. Suffice to say, the love of reading was instilled in me early on. Later, in the 1980’s, RIF was one of the first PSA’s that I can remember where celebrities were used to compel one into action. One of my favorites is this one with Ed Asner who says, “Give a kid a book and you’ll give a kid a break.” Well, RIF has come into the 21^st Century, and now has this great PSA called Book People Unite. It again uses music, this time a funky little rap tune. I'm hoping it has the same effect on the kids of today as the RIF PSAs did on me, that being they made me want to read.

Although RIF’s goals as an organization are focused on childhood reading, I’ve found that many of the young adults with whom I work are also lacking in the area of being well read. In my generation, we had far fewer things vying for our attention. Now, with the evolution of technology and cable television, books are usually on the losing end of the battle for what both children and adults choose to do with their spare time. When it comes to being successful, however, there is no substitute for the knowledge that one can acquire through reading. For this reason, I have decided to list a few key books that can make a huge impact in the life of a budding music entrepreneur. No matter how many years have passed since Margaret McNamara founded RIF in 1966, reading is and always will be fundamental for anyone who wishes to be a success at anything.

One of the best books to help someone really define their dream and what they really want to do with their life is Put Your Dream To The Test by John C. Maxwell. Maxwell has written several books, most of which are on leadership, and he is considered an expert in the field of success. Put Your Dream To The Test, however, is a little different. It helps one understand the difference between a dream and wishful thinking. It will also help one gain more focus and gives practical steps to take to REALLY make one’s dream come true.

Another book that was a life-changer for me was The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson. After reading this book, I was suddenly able to see exactly what decisions I was making that were keeping me from achieving my goals. After reading it, at least when I made decisions that moved me further away from my goals; I knew exactly what I was doing. It will remove all the excuses one may have as to why they’ve not been successful. Ultimately, life is about the choices we make. No book illustrates this more than The Slight Edge.

One of the books we are reading at Full Sail for my Entertainment Business Finance class this month is Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad Poor Dad. I was really glad to see this book used as a textbook, as it contains some of the most important concepts about money that one could possibly learn. This was one of the first books I read when I started my Amway business, and will forever be grateful to Kiyosaki for sharing his knowledge. His illustration of the cashflow quadrant was one of the most influential things I learned when I started as a network marketer. There’s a great YouTube video that briefly illustrates the concept, but this is only a brief summary. There is no substitute for the wealth of knowledge that can be found in the actual book. True success cannot be found in shortcuts, so get the book!

Finally, instead of one book, I recommend the entire works of one particular author by the name of Og Mandino. While Og passed away in 1996, he left behind a legacy of books that will truly change one’s life on a spiritual level. He is a storyteller at heart, so his books are not only inspiring but entertaining as well. I have read every book he has ever penned, some two or three times. His thought process on creating a life of intention and purpose is something that no self-respecting entrepreneur can do without.

As I continue through my life’s journey, I continue to collect more and more books. Although I have recommended a few here, there are many more out there that are just waiting to be discovered. One thing I know for sure, reading is one of the best things you can do to improve your chances of success in anything. In fact, when it comes to success, reading truly is fundamental. So pick up a book next time you have the urge to turn on the TV. Your future you will thank you.

Your Own Mind Is The Key To Your Success

Whether I am functioning in my current job as a sales trainer working with new sales reps, or at the studio working with the artists who record with us at SadSon Music Group, my goal is to always empower them with the knowledge to help them be successful. The one thing I have done in my life that has made all the difference is reading every book on self-development and success that I could get my hands on. I read Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich and Master Key to Riches; Jeff Olson’s Slight Edge; Dale Carnegie’s How To Win Friends and Influence People; John Maxwell’s Put Your Dream To The Test; and many, many more. But reading a book, while extremely enriching and important, is a time-consuming process. So in my work with my sales reps and my music artists, I am always on the lookout for media that expresses a lot of the ideas that I have read in those books in a shortened form. One such piece of media is a video I came across of Napoleon Hill. It is a video of him explaining what he learned from steel magnate Andrew Carnegie over 100 years ago, and is just as relevant today as it was then. Hill shares how it is true that what ever the mind can conceive, and believe, the mind can achieve.

As brilliant as Hill is however, this is an old video. When working with the youth of today, it’s important to find ways to grab their attention and show them something that they can relate to. For that reason, I was thrilled to find this video montage of Will Smith speaking about the power of the Universe and the power of one’s mind. It’s several Will Smith interviews combined together in one video, showing the brilliance of his thought process. He gives some truths in this video that are so profound, that I find myself watching it over and over again. To enrich anyone reading this blog post, I now share this video with you.

One of my favorite quotes from Smith is when he talks about his “ridiculous and sickening” work ethic and how no matter how talented you are, you will never be successful if you don’t spend hours and hours every day working on your craft. He speaks of his treadmill thought process and how it sets him apart from others. “I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill. You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, but if we get on a treadmill together, there’s two things [that could happen]. Your getting off first, or I’m going to die. It’s really that simple.” Simply put, Smith is saying that he will succeed because he is willing to work as hard as he needs to in order to create the life he desires, or he’ll die trying. It’s a powerful thought process to know that one can create anything they desire if they simply believe they can and are willing to do the work (pay the price) to make it happen. Like I always say to everyone, life is about choices. If you don’t like your life, make different choices. Will Smith clearly understands this, and I hope those reading this blog post now understand it as well.