Session Musicians

A session musician is somebody who is hired to perform on a recording or at a concert/tour. Many acts consist of just one or two people and so musicians are hired for,say, the recording of an album. Some musicians have formed ensembles with this type of work in mind .. eg string quartets and brass sections.

The skill of the session musician is to adapt to many different styles and to produce the required performance quickly. Success is often based upon word of mouth, so being a good all round musician who is adaptable, efficient and punctual is essential.

Agents

An agent in the Music Business principally deals with live events. On a local level, the agent will supply acts to clubs and pubs. Beyond that, many agents specialise in areas such as holiday centres, cruise ships and hotels. Acts are given gigs by agents in return for about 10% of the fee.

Typically, the venue will offer slots to the agent (eg "we need a band for next Saturday"). The agent contacts the band who do the gig and get paid. They are then invoiced by the agent for 10% of the fee. The advantage for the band is that somebody else has organised the gig and the booking is covered by a contract. This offers protection against cancellation and guarantees the fee payable to the band for their services.

Some venues only book acts through agents.For major artists, the agent, often working closely with the manager and tour manager, will organise and liaise with the venues that make up a tour.

Managers

A manager acts as a link between the artist and other parties eg record companies, TV and radio stations, venues etc. For the unsigned artist, the ultimate role of the manager is to navigate them to recognition and a recording deal. Such a manager would be constantly seeking opportunities to promote their artist.

There is no set rule as to when it is right for an artist to seek management but there does need to be mutual respect and belief. The act needs to feel confident that the manager will act in their interests and the manager needs to feel that the act is saleable to venues, press and ultimately record companies.

A manager's commission is usually 20% of the artist's earnings. Clearly, earning 20% of nothing when the band does their debut at the Dog and Ferret means that, to begin with, the manager's motive is 1. Madness 2. They're a mate/relation of the band or 3. They believe the act really has something (which can be similar to point 1).

Tour Managers

The tour manager is hired to oversee the logistics of a tour. Responsibilities include the hiring of technical personnel, the booking of hotels/transport and the creation and distribution of an itinerary.

On the road, the tour manager deals with paying bills, getting repairs sorted out, getting the act out of bed/jail, ensuring the act gets to the gig and any TV appearances as well as stopping band members from murdering one another.

Working to a budget, the tour manager is answerable to the act's manager and record company.

Publishers

A publisher essentially deals with songs and songwriters. A publisher's role includes finding good songs and placing them with appropriate artists or TV and Film companies. They then collect payments for the use of the music/songs and in turn, pay the songwriter. This is done in conjunction with the PRS. A publisher will often take a third of the payment leaving two thirds for the songwriter.

There are a number of types of publishing agreement. One type of contract involves the signing of a number of tracks for a period of years. Another may be the signing of a particular song as and when the publisher finds a user. In both cases, the copyright is assigned to the publisher, therefore the writer relinquishes control of that work. No money is paid up front by the artist.

The Publicist

A number of roles would fall into this category. A Plugger's job is to persuade a radio station to put a track onto the play list. The Press Office of a record company will seek to raise the profile of an artist by arranging interviews, reviews etc. with the media. The press officer, in conjunction with the manager, also has to act upon breaking stories regarding their act(s). (ie artist arrested after a pub brawl etc).

The Marketing and Promotions department would seek to target their artists to relevant groups (eg Pre-teens, Teens, College/University etc). This involves artwork, packaging and advertising. The role of Publicist involves being fully aware of breaking stories in the media. It is NOT suitable for those seeking the quiet life or a 9-5 job!

Q. How does the promotion of a boy/girl group and a Rock band differ? How do they look? What shows and magazines do they appear in? What age group is being targeted?

Q. Why must the boy/girl group be careful about what they say and do in public?

Record Companies

The basic role of a record company is to arrange for recordings to be made and then to sell as many copies of that recording as possible. The first point of contact between artist and record company is the A+R department. These people are the ones who must seek out new talent to sign. Junior members (talent scouts) are usually the ones who go out to gigs and report back on acts with promise.

Having made the recording, the record company needs to promote and advertise the artist (see the publicist section). But it's no good putting together a great campaign if the CD is not in the shops! Therefore a distribution deal is required that gets the CD delivered to the stores.

Major record companies have the size and finance to promote an artist on a global basis. They have established links with the media and so an artist has a good chance of at least some recognition. However, the big investment means that if sales are disappointing, the artist may well be dropped.

Independent labels tend to be more willing to develop artists and often specialise in certain genres. However, they may lack the ability to fully promote an artist due to lack of funds and/or influence. Indie labels come in all shapes and sizes. To work in such an environment, there has to be a lot of self-motivation and initiative. One person may have to undertake a variety of roles ... A+R, Press Officer, Plugger etc (see also the Publicist section).

What are they looking for?

The million dollar question!! Generally, a complete package ie great songs, an artist who suits those songs in how they perform and look and at least a couple of tracks that are potential singles. This package must be considered salable to specific markets. Two quotes from a meeting I had a few years ago: "We often get great singers and we sometimes get great songs, but we rarely get the two together" and "Imagine yourself performing on TV, what can you see?" It's amazing how many people who seek fame and fortune haven't got a clue how to answer the second question!

Singing cover versions will not do you any favours in this area. Remember that the current crop of TV talent shows are as much about creating a television show as anything else. So don't be fooled into thinking that a demo of "Unchained Melody" won't be lobbed straight into the office bin. Save it for the Karaoke Bar! .... though you could audition for a TV show .... hmmm....

Recording Studios

With the explosion of music technology and its substantial drop in price, the landscape regarding studios has changed dramatically.

Large studios will get most of their work from record companies and maybe film and TV companies. They will have acoustically treated live rooms capable of hosting bands, orchestras, choirs etc.

Bookings and the general running of the facility are the job of the Studio Manager.

Sound engineers deal with the technical side of things and only have a creative input if asked. They need to have a high level of competence in a wide range of areas ... from the selection and placement of appropriate mics to the execution of mixing functions through to sometimes complex editing and programming roles.

Furthermore, the engineer needs to be able to provide solutions quickly and under pressure. In a creative environment such as a studio, ideas can flow thick and fast and the engineer is the one who has to implement them.

Their job is not a glamorous one and the hours can be long. If the mix is great, the artist takes the credit ... If there's a perceived problem, guess who gets blamed!

The Producer (usually brought in by the record company/artist) will help shape the recording with creative ideas. The producer will also seek to coax the best performance from the artist (and deal with the tantrums!). These days, producers often possess engineering skills as well and so their role often blends with that of the sound engineer. A producer's skill is to see the "big picture" when working with a track.

Home studios have grown in number and play an important role. Artists increasingly demo their work at home ... some even manage commercial success without recourse to hiring another studio though this is still the exception rather than the rule.

Copyright

Whilst complex legal issues are best left to the music lawyer, a basic understanding of copyright can help you avoid unnecessary disputes and mistakes. Copyright is governed by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Copyright exists the moment lyrical or musical ideas are put into physical form ie lyrics are written down or music is recorded/written down. You can prove ownership of your work by sending yourself, via recorded delivery, a letter containing your words, a rough recording and maybe info on who played on the recording. On receiving the letter you must not open it!

If you're lucky enough to have a work used commercially, three types of right exist that can attract payment (royalties).

Performing Rights concern the playing of your work (eg on the radio) or its live performance. Royalties are gathered and distributed by the Performing Rights Society (PRS).

When a song is used commercially, three parties have a direct interest:- 1. The owner of the song (The songwriter or their publisher). 2. The owner of the recording (whoever paid for/arranged for the recording to be made eg a record company). 3. The people who performed on the recording.

The second point is the one that can be confusing. Let's say that a singer/songwriter is offered the chance to record, free of charge, by a local production company. In this situation, the artist owns the song and the company owns that specific recording.

Should the artist decide to pay for another recording of the same song, she will own both the song and that specific recording. If the song is used commercially, the production company will only be entitled to payment if their recording is used.

Mechanical Rights refer to the recording and duplication of your work - for example the recording of a single and the manufacture of CDs. Royalties are gathered and distributed by the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS).

Performers Rights concern the people who perform on a recording. Royalties are gathered and distributed by the Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL).

The Internet

The last few years have seen great changes regarding the web. Faster computers running more sophisticated software combined with broadband internet have opened up whole new opportunities for the music industry and the aspiring artist. This comes at a cost ... take a look at the section on piracy.

What can the unsigned artist gain from the internet? Well, with a relatively simple site, you can tell the world about yourself, post photos, advertise and review gigs, post demos of your songs, interact with your audience by using a guest book or forum, create mailing lists to inform your audience of events etc etc.

Social sites such as "Myspace" have made the self-promotion process even easier - and they're free. With the relative ease of setting up secure shopping on a web site, some are even questioning the need for a record company at all!

Piracy and other factors have caused a dramatic fall in CD sales despite a booming interest in live gigs.

Q. How do you think music will be sold in 10 years' time?