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The second you decide to turn your artistic expression into a commercial commodity you have officially entered the world of business. The pursuit of financial gain made possible by an existing business structure is what separates the professional from the hobbyist, the restaurant chef from Mom cooking for the fam, Kobe Bryant from the kids grabbing quarters off the backboards at your neighborhood ball court. It would be nice to just focus on your creative output and hope somehow the monetary part of the equation figures itself out, but who wants a room full of platinum plaques and past due bill notes? Not you I hope.

As a music producer your main BUSINESS client is not the record company but rather the music consumer. The artist is your creative marketing tool (when last have you heard of an acapella commercial record?). Even though a label may issue an advance against potential future earnings, it ultimately comes down to the fan being willing to pay for the music you create. If the label does a poor job at marketing and promoting the finished product, or decides not to release it at all your profit potential is automatically halted. I believe the way to avoid this is to take matters into your own hands and base your financial success on the ability to build an audience base for your works, regardless of investor participation.

You see the beauty of the Internet Age is that the general music audience now has direct access to the producer without the need of going through a record label distribution system. In fact the record labels can now be viewed as great potential business partners rather than mandatory gatekeepers. If the record labels decide NOT to invest in your music (which can be for a number of reasons outside of your music being superior in quality) that doesn't stop you from selling your music directly to the public. The key is to figure out the best way to facilitate the wants and needs of your consumer base (no matter how small) and a good place to start is identifying and understanding their behavioral traits.

We're now in the age of the interactive consumer where the music fan not only listens to music, they also want to participate in the creative process. Producers at the forefront have picked up on the shift in consumer behavior and begun to modify their business approach to accommodate the consumers demand. This for example may come in the form of licensing some of their music catalog (non-exclusive) for an affordable rate, which not only helps spread their potential consumer base but also general brand awareness. They may still keep certain records available for full rights purchase only and/or allow fans to listen only and get paid via an ad-supported platform (ex - ARS Program). You can even become your own record label and sell your instrumentals directly to the consumer or develop your own artists. The game is wide open now so it only makes sense to take full advantage of whats available to you, either way revenue diversification is the key.

The ironic part of it all is the more you do for yourself the more likely you are to find an investor willing to cut a check, especially if you have a proven consumer base for your product. In 2010 it's no longer a question of how can I break into the music industry its how can I generate business on a constant basis with my music talent. Anyone can get their hands on an industry email list and spam the world to death about how great their music is, but if your music is that good then go straight to the public, build your own audience AND get paid in the process! More producers are realizing that in this day of online digital technology you can start a production entity, develop your own artists and even build your own retail store at a relatively cheap cost. The difficulty in this, of course, is that it requires the perspective of an entrepreneur who is willing to build success rather than waiting for a break to be handed to them. Are you up for the task?

Most times the value of your product will be determined by the potential customer and this value is usually influenced by access and relevancy. What makes your music so unique from the countless others claiming to deliver the same product? Is your brand respected? You should be able to answer these questions if you're planning to be in it for the long haul. Understand that music has been around way before the birth of the modern music industry and it will be around long after the current concept has run its course. In short the lengths you're willing to go to stand up for yourself will undoubtedly determine what you'll get out of your quest. Give the audience what they want and the world is yours. This is about self-empowerment, power to the producer! - Legal Dollaz

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