Roles & Contracts

Roles & Contracts

Record Companies


A&R (Artist & Repertoire):


Duties:

An A&R's primary job is to scout fresh and new talents that are yet to be discovered, hoping that they are the next big thing. However it's not as easy as it sounds as they have to search far and wide to find a "gem in the trash". Once they find a new talent with potential to achieve commercial success, they must convince them as to why their label is right for them and their direction of music.


Salary/Hours/Working Environment:

A&R's arguably have one of the most enjoyable roles in the whole industry and this is one of the reasons. Their working environment? Located everywhere that plays live music because when they hear a good submission from a band/artists, an A&R has to see the act perform live to actually see the artist/band in action before approaching them.

The hours are flexible as record companies can't give them a set amount of hours to work as most of the time, A&R's are going to gigs to see live performances and listen to music that are being submitted by unknown acts hoping that their music catches the ear of an A&R.

The salary is completely dependent on various factors such as experience and where you're located in the world but also mainly on yourself. One of the biggest factors would be the label you're working for because "the bigger the label, the bigger the pay check". It won't be surprising if you start off earning no money, however you gain something very important once you start and that is "Networking". Networking is perhaps one of the most important things you can get and expand on while working in the music industry as it can point you in directions you probably never knew existed before hand, which comes really handy for an A&R when they want to look for new talent. Also, one of the biggest factors that influences your salary is your track record. For example, if you've been recruiting acts that ended up in success then you get a bigger reputation and a bigger pay check, however if you recruit acts that are shelved/scrapped by the label after an album (or even a song), it's likely you'll be shown to the door.


Skills/Education Needed:

One of the main things that is mainly needed is experience in the music industry. For example, you can be an artist and be an A&R (i.e. Many sight that Jay-Z is responsible for the upstart Kanye West's career). Don't forget that it's always possible to enter such a career with little or no experience. A few examples of skills needed to be an A&R are:

*A wide knowledge of various musical genres
*A good understanding of songwriting, production & composing
*Very good communication in order to present themselves well
*Have an understanding of marketing in the music industry


Type Of Contract:

As mentioned earlier, a label can't place a set time for an A&R and their work so they'll most likely base it off their track records of who they have recruited for the label. The more successful acts they've recruited, the longer they stay on the label.


Payment Method:

It's highly likely that when you're in a major label, they'll pay A&R in points (points are percentage points from album sales, deals, etc). An A&R generally wouldn't ask for a ridiculously high percentage, but the more successful the act is, more money goes into the pocket of the A&R. A&R's can also get paid in bonuses from the success of the acts they've signed.


Risks Associated With Contract Type:

If you're not finding good acts and constantly going through "droughts" of not finding new acts, you will be shown the door.



Radio Plugger:


Duties:

Radio Pluggers are one of the many connections in the music industry that can take you somewhere, given the right time & place. Their main role is to make sure to get the artist's/band's new releases (typically singles) into the hands of producers and DJ's of radio shows, however depending on the popularity of the artist/band, the plugger may even bring them a whole album for them to play. Even if they can't get the artists/band on the playlist, let alone a rotation, the plugger will at least try and get a few plays. They also attempt set up the artist/band with a live radio session or interviews mainly based around upcoming gigs and projects yet to be released, but they both tend to go hand in hand. The whole point is to give the artist/band more exposure to the world.


Salaries/Hours/Working Environment:

The work environment of a plugger would typically be their home or they'd be working from an office. The hours vary as it depends on how much work they can find and how much work they can handle. The salary for a radio plugger is a little bit more complicated however.

There is no regular income for a plugger so they'll only get paid when they do their job but when they do their job well, they get paid really well. However, to get yourself in such a position, that takes work ethic and time. There are various methods on how a plugger can get paid, which will mainly be dependent on the client (client being record labels mainly) that hires the plugger and the reputation of the plugger. For example, the plugger could be paid upfront (if they have a really good reputation), get paid bit by bit as the band's/artist's exposure increases or get paid once the job is done.

It's not uncommon for new pluggers to charge the client at a much lower price. Some will even charge absolutely nothing just to gain experience and build up contacts within the industry. It also wouldn't be a surprise if even the high-end pluggers will do some jobs at a reduced rate or free of charge because they may simply believe that the artist/band involved has the potential to become big.


Skill/Education Needed:

*Contacts - Without contacts, radio pluggers are essentially useless.
*Patience - It won't happen all the time but artists/bands won't gain a ridiculous amount of exposure overnight.
*Good Communication Skills - If you talk to a contact the wrong way, you can kiss that contact goodbye. Also have to be persuasive so artists/bands choose you.
*Drive - If you're not determined to become a great plugger and try your best to expose any of the artists/bands that approach you, you will be left behind to bite the dust.


Type Of Contract:

For radio pluggers, it will be based on their track record. The more clients they satisfy, then more jobs will come their way.


Payment Methods:

Radio Pluggers can be paid either upfront, at the end or either paying by result (meaning the more exposure is gained, the more money the plugger gets paid). Pluggers can even get paid bonuses for gaining certain results (i.e. the artist/band gains a high demand, etc)


Risks Associated With Contract Type:


If people don't want to hire you to give their artist/band exposure, then you'll soon be facing a reducing income (or no income at all).



PR Officer:


Duties:

Public Relation (PR) Officers handles the reputation of their clients, so they do this through the use of media and their communication skills to make, manage and maintain their client's image and reputation. They also deal with the public & press should they want their client's attention (i.e. interviews), analyzes the media and any coverage they do about any of their clients and provides their clients with information about things like promotional opportunities, etc.


Salaries/Hours/Working Environment:

The working environment is pretty standard as you'd work from an office working 9am till 5pm, however it may may vary dependent on workload, meeting deadlines or responding to a "crisis" (i.e. client may find themselves in a mess where the media play the roles of vultures and rip apart their reputation) and they'll also need to travel to meet clients and attend events. Salaries can start from £18,000 per year but can increase as you grow in experience and rise in ranks, meaning that the yearly salary can go up to £100,000+.


Skill/Education Needed:

To become a PR, you don't need a degree to become a PR officer, however since the PR industry is very competitive, having a degree will surely play to your advantage however since any degree is accepted, some employers would prefer that you have a degree in Business, Politics, English, Marketing, etc. Some skills many successful PR officers possess are:

*Good teamwork - If you can't work as a team, you may be seen as a "thorn" by your colleagues.
*Creativity
*Communication - As a PR, you'll be speaking to many important people.
*Good presentation skills - You cannot present your clients in a negative way if you're to manage and maintain their reputation.



Contracts


What if I want to get out of it?

It's not unusual for an artist/band to want to leave a contract deal after signing one because of various reasons such as "the deal isn't for them" or maybe they didn't read the contract well enough and found out things they agreed to that they didn't understand at the time, etc.

It's really hard to escape from a record label for an artist and it always has been. Record labels always look for a way to keep artists/bands tied to their labels for as long as possible and mainly do this through contracts hoping that the artist/band slips up. The most common ways to escape from a contract with a record label is either buying yourself out of the contract or to simply see out your contract till the end of the agreed term.


Will it protect me?

When you sign with a record label (especially major), they'll look out for you so long as you are signed with them. They'll protect you from various things such as your songs getting sampled by another artist/band without permission (or someone making a case of you sampling someone else without permission) to hiring a fine lawyer for you should you be in court potentially facing time behind bars.


What guarantees will it offer?

One guarantee is that the label will push you and your music out there as far as they can push it, meaning they'll push towards radio slots, getting you interviews, selling merchandise, etc. They'll definitely provide you with a studio and time to produce music for the label.

Another guarantee is that the label won't cover all of your costs (unless they 100% believe in you and your music) as they'll charge you for measly things that will build up such as ordering lunch everyday to the studio, covering travel costs (should you be touring), etc.


How will I get paid?

When signed to a contract with a record label, you'll tend to get paid in royalties and royalties are based on the percentage of the standard retail selling price. However your royalties that are earned from outside your base country may be calculated differently, for example, 50% in America, 40% in Australia, 25% in Japan, etc. You can also get paid other ways such synchronization fees (i.e. your music appearing on adverts, games, movies, TV shows, etc)


Pros:

*They provide you with things you may have not been able to afford before singing (i.e. a state-in-the-art studio).

*They have enough money to afford costs to promote you (i.e. create and sell your merchandise, advertise any upcoming singles/projects you've made, etc)

*If a record label (especially major) signs you or wants to sign you, it can indicate that you have some talent (Miles Davis signed to Warner Bros., Nas signed to Columbia, Jimi Hendrix singed to Capitol, etc)


Cons:

*They look out for themselves before the artist (i.e. look at people like Toni Braxton).

*They'll be shady when it comes to contracts, meaning they won't tell you everything you NEED to know, they'll tell you everything you want to hear.

*Once you sign to any contract they hand over to you, it'll be so hard for you to escape the contract.

Developing Music: Funk

In this piece, I mainly focused on the rhythm of the track to develop this piece from an idea to a developed piece of music. At first, I repeated my idea which was a melody that was rhythmically complex, which included syncopation and a rhythmically simple drum line because they went well together and sounded nice.

However, at one point, it grew boring and got too predictable so I chose to develop it by exploring my choice of scale and increasing the range, which was a scale of B. I used a drum kit, 2 bass guitars (one playing the role of a lead guitar) and 2 synths for my choice of instrumentation and created syncopation into the piece which you can easily hear in the melody and drums. The drums keep at a steady pace throughout the track and stays in time throughout the structure.

Developing Music: Latin

Instrumentation:
One of the ways I've used to further develop the rhythm of this piece is by initially having a basic idea and expanding it further on each instrument I've used (piano, bass guitar and drums), so they would be compatible with each other. Meaning when one instrument improvises, the other would play a supporting role (and the 3rd would either drop out entirely or also support).

Simple Chords:
I used simple triad chords for this piece rather than more complex chords such as sevenths because I didn't want it to take the attention away from the other instruments and I didn't want the piano line to clash with anything else. Also, I was already familiar with them and since they were easy to remember, that meant it became easier for me to put down ideas and that allowed me to progress much faster in terms of the composition.

Transposition:
I used this technique to further develop the piece because I wanted to maintain the listener's attention by transposing the relevant instruments (you can especially notice it in the piano and later in the bass guitar), thus making the piece more down-tone, as opposed to the introduction where it sounds bright and happy.

Finding Faults

Where it's happening
What's happening
How it could've been fixed


0:00
If you listen to the very start of both tracks, you'll notice in the "Goodish" version that there's a bass hit as opposed to the "Worse" version where it sounds like a snippet of the start has been cut off, meaning you don't hear the first note of the song.

This is a sonic issue as I feel that the producer/engineer is possibly responsible for this issue. Chances are that one of the two accidentally cut off the first bit of the song when arranging the song. This could've been avoided by double checking the whole song before sending it off to an engineer and/or uploading/releasing it.


0:02
You can hear movement in the background (note: could potentially be a kick drum) and you can hear a cough right after. This can either be the singer clearing his throat preparing to sing or the drummer getting ready to play (the coughing could symbolize nervousness).

This is a sonic issue and could've been fixed by the engineer in many ways. For example, by using a plug-in like EQ to doing something as simple as chopping it out.


0:05
Besides the first instrument (Lute/Harp), most of the instrumentation is panned to the right (most notably the drums & vocals).

This is a sonic issue and can easily be fixed by panning tracks on the DAW/mixing desk.


0:06 - 0:24
If you compare the "Goodish" and "Worse" versions, you can instantly tell there's a huge difference in the vocals due to the mixing. In the "Goodish" version, the vocals are arguably better due to the panning (Refer to the point above, 0:05) and sounds like it went through some EQing. Relating to the point above (0:05), the vocals are panned more to the right and has a high pass filter which makes it sound "dull" and "empty".

This is a sonic issue and can firstly be solved with the use of good listening ears, mainly by EQing the vocals and the use of other plug-in's should the producer/engineer decides to do so.


0:16 - 0:20
In the "Worst" version, you can notice 2 errors within this time bracket. Firstly, you can hear an unnecessary sound when he pronounces the "P" when the singer says "performance". Secondly, it sounds like the singer's voice has been chopped up and the original word sounds like "comfortably" however you don't hear that word at all in the "Goodish" version.

This is a sonic issue and sounds like the engineer of the track was carelessly dragging audio files in the right place without properly editing the files.


0:19 - 0:25
Comparing both tracks, in the "Goodish" version the singer is actually singing the lyrics as opposed to the "Worst" version where it sounds like he's either singing without effort or simply rehearsing the "foundation" of the song (so he can listen to it over and over so he can drill the lyrics in his head, making the recording of the actual song much easier for him).

This is a recording issue as this is affected by the singer's performances. Such an issue can be avoided next time by the performer rehearsing over and over and over again until he feels ready to record a take.


0:24 - 0:29
Once again comparing the tracks, the bass guitar is (most notably) quieter in the "Worst" track within this time region.

This is a sonic issue because it sounds the bass guitar is directly from a DAW and doesn't sound like a live bass guitar. This could be solved by simply turning up the volume of the bass guitar.


0:30 - 0:48
When you listen to both tracks carefully, there are subtle differences but you can tell in the "Worst" track that the vocals (lead & backing) aren't mixed as well.

This is a sonic issue and can be solved by using an EQ, however adjusting the volume can also allow the engineer to have more accuracy because some aspects of the lead vocals and backing vocals can overpower the other.


0:52 - 1:13
In the "Worst" track, the singer's voice sounds like it went through a filter which makes it sound very flat and "depressing" in comparison to the "Goodish" version.

This is a sonic issue and was probably caused by the engineer simply choosing the wrong button on the plug-in (which is most likely a filter plug-in)


1:36
Comparing both tracks, the singer in the "Worst" track, once again, sounds dull due to the mixing and this has proven to be a constant issue in this song.

This is a sonic and can be solved by, again, using an EQ on the vocals.


1:42
This part of the song specifically separates what makes this song sound like a single and a song from an album. On the "Worst" version, it has an abrupt end while on the "Goodish" version, you can hear the reverberation of the synthesizer which makes the song sound much more complete and professional and you can almost anticipate another song coming straight after it.

This is a sonic issue and can be solved by adding a longer reverb effect on the synthesizer towards the end.

Developing Music: Electro

Rhythm:
One technique I used to develop the rhythm of the piece is by replacing the role of a drum kit with my own voice and with the use of a Vocoder, I was able to adjust the pitch information which allowed me to make and develop my rhythmic ideas. By doing so, the rhythm develops throughout the song from a simple idea to a complex outcome.

Timbre:
Once again, by using my own voice (through a vocoder) as an instrument, it also allowed me to develop the timbre of the piece by changing the tone of my voice which gives each little sound (audio/recorded voice) their own unique character. For example, Vocoder Synth 2 works more like a bass while Vocoder Synth 3 sounds like a moth's/mosquito's wing with a feint synth lying underneath it.

Variation:
By chopping my recorded voice in different ways, creating  patterns and using different notes, this allowed me to get different sounds which I achieved by changing the pitch information throughout the track. By doing so, this allowed me to turn it into a progressive track which meant I didn't need to use the same idea over and over.

Being Self Employed & Earning Money

Being Self Employed & Earning Money


Self-employment


Definition:

To be self-employed is to be an owner of a business and to earn money by working for themselves as opposed to working for someone else as an employee.

Of course, there are pros and cons to being self-employed (like many other things), here are a few examples:


Pros:

*Be your own boss - No one can tell you what to do and you have the freedom to be as creative as you want and try out as many ideas as you desire.

*Choose your own hours - This is convenient as you can wrap work around your family life.

*Claim tax relief on things such as transport, advertisements, etc

*National Insurance costs less


Cons:

*A lack of free time - Since you own a business, it's going to keep on your toes.

*You'll work longer hours than most people.

*Cut down on holidays - If you take holidays, you miss out on money (same thing if you take a sick leave).

*Can't take a break from your work life as long as you're self-employed.

*You're responsible for any losses.



Why is it important that you have a professional approach within in the music industry?

If you want to be the best at what you do, then you need to carry yourself to the destination you desire to be at. Simply put, you cannot rely on others to hold your hand and take you there. The music industry these days isn't just about the music, it's also about the money now so artists (regardless of how good they are) also need to have a business sense if they are not only to rise to the top, but to also sustain themselves at the top.

This is related to being self-employed more than you think. As I said earlier, you cannot rely on anyone to hold your hand if you want to reach the top so you must take everything upon yourself and do everything. For example:

*Going to the studio yourself (self-employed) rather than someone calling you to go (employed).

*Keeping track of your own profits and expenses (self-employed) as opposed to someone else (namely an accountant) doing it for you (employed).

*Booking studio sessions, arranging your projects, picking out your own clothes (for gigs/tours/interviews/etc) (self-employed) instead of having people paid to do such things for you (employed).


The main difference between someone who rises to the top then tumbles down and someone who rises to the top and sustains their position is to treat yourself and your music as a business meaning something you can sell to the market/audience/etc, but most importantly, you must rely on yourself and be responsible for everything, much like people who are self-employed and own a business.



Tax


In 5 years, I'd like to be working in the music industry mainly as a recording artist and producer, however I'm also interested in being a studio engineer.

Below is a hypothetical income scenario


£100,000
- £10,000 (personal allowance)
= £90,000
- £31,865 (tax bracket for 40%)
= £58135 - 40%
= £23254 

20% of £31,865 = £6,371

£23254 + £6371 = £29,625 (tax)


This is only relevant to you if you don't have tax deductibles. Tax deduction is a legal reduction of income subject to tax. For example, items you purchase that's related to your business are tax deductible such as studio equipment (mics, mixers, headphones, etc), a wardrobe of clothes for live shows and TV appearances, etc.

You take the tax deductibles off the £90,000 because your personal allowance is £10,000. Otherwise you have to spend £90,000 towards things relevant to your work to not pay tax. 

You also need to keep it "realistic" if you earned £100,000 in the (relevant) year and claim a lot of it (for example, around 50% of it or more) is tax deductible, someone may get suspicious and decide to check things out (or send someone to do it). So to prove/back-up your claims, you need to keep track of your finances by keeping things like receipts, etc.

There is also "self-employment tax" and "employment tax". The difference between self employment tax and employment tax: No difference, they just have different names. Both taxes are paid to the Social Security Administration, however self-employment taxes are based off of how much the business (that you own) earned while employment taxes are based off of how much the employee earned from employment (with an employer).


Expenses




Definition:

This is money you spent within the tax year that is tax deductible and reduces tax income because the items you bought are directly related to your work/business/etc.


As you are working in the music industry, you can buy many items which can be classified as tax deductibles, such as:

*Computer/Laptop - This can be really helpful when you're in the music industry, such as producing on a DAW, writing lyrics and mastering tracks, etc.

*Speakers - Because you're going to need some good quality sound to listen to your own music when you're recording/mastering.

*Instruments - Composing, recording and performance purposes mainly.

*Music (Vinyl/CD/MP3) - You make music, and there's the saying "nothing's new under the sun" so

*Transport (such as cars/motorcycles/etc) - However only to an extent, as you can use it to go to places such as gigs. Think about it, you go to a gig to listen to music and that is directly related to your job.



Then there are various examples of what musicians/artists/performers buy which isn't exactly tax deductible, for example:

*Alcohol - Very infamous, especially in Hip-Hop as rappers who would get a major deal would buy many things and the vast majority of them buy alcohol, namely Ciroc.

*Clothing - For yourself to show off rather than clothes for gigs/interviews/etc.

*Booking a hotel room.

*Food/Drinks.

Review - Term 1

1. Which piece of work are you most proud of?

My DJ assignment because I felt I put in the most work into that over other things (so far).

2. Career goals:

A) Where do you see yourself specializing?
Mainly doing studio-based work (lyricist/writer, producer, studio engineer, etc) but I'm also open to doing other things, like live performance for example.

B) What area of the course inspires you to study?
Recording and DJing.

Recording because I learn the process of many things which makes me appreciate music more (live recording, mixing, mastering, etc).

 DJing because in one of the lessons, I was in one of the production rooms on my own and I picked a random genre I wasn't familiar with (in this case, dance) and just improvised by picking and mixing songs based off tempo's and that little set of mine made me realize what makes DJing so good and why DJ's do what they do.