Managing and Encouraging the Aritst

I recently had a conversation with a professional in the entertainment industry. The topics we discussed were managing and encouraging the artist, and also issues concerning wants and needs of career goals. The professional, Sarah Zilch, had much to say on the topic of industry business. She was very informative on the issue of incorporating these topics into healthy management.

Sarah said, “It is important to remember, you are working with people whose hearts are worn on sleeves”. There is so much passion behind the dreams and talents of these individuals. It is one’s job, as a manager, to deliver quality service while defending the soul behind the song. I am responsible for understanding the wants and needs of the artist in order to reach career goals. I have to understand my client as a professional and a friend. I also have to understand when to separate the two. Most managers do not reach success because they concern themselves heavily with the friendship side of the relationship instead of maintaining a healthy balance between friendship and a business relationship. Sarah said, “See and understand the line between the two”. I have to find the line between helping an artist reach dreams and pushing the artist to be their best.

Sarah explained a key term: mutual benefit. It is explained as being, “you get what you want, and I get what I want”. Mutual benefit is something that can be incorporated in any situation: business, personal, even relationships. In the entertainment industry, everything is about making profit while producing quality entertainment. Mutual benefit is not something to hide. The idea can sometimes have a negative connotation, but it must be incorporated in negotiations. This is an idea that shouldn't be over-looked when discussing the issue of managing and encouraging the artist. It is important to remember that not only am I, as a manager, trying to make a profit but also I am working with someone’s career, dreams, and aspirations.

Sarah also mentioned that managers and agents should be encouraging the artist to follow after their dreams by incorporating their aspirations into their social media. She mentioned that the world is basically looking at you and forming their opinion based upon the reputation portrayed on the Internet. Sarah believes that helping an artist, or anyone looking to build their reputation, advertise their dreams, wants and needs on the social media outlets will only benefit because the dreamer will now be held accountable by his/her fans. The majority of social media is running on Facebook and Twitter in this day- “don’t take this opportunity to build your audience for granted”, says Sarah. 

Encouragement for the Industry

I had the privilege to talk with a family friend that traveled with a few artists during a combined tour. This friend, Terry Hagan, had much to say about artist management. He grew up listening to soft rock hoping that one day he could tour the states with one of his favored artists. As Terry grew older and gained knowledge applicable to the music industry, he peaked interest in making touring/managing his career. Terry had long been managing small artists here and there, before he came across an opportunity worth leaving his stationary office. Terry was presented with an opportunity to manage the tour of three major Christian artists that would be traveling through 32 states.

“This was the time when I knew I had to give up the small things, to chase after the big dream”, Terry said. Managing an artist, or a tour for that matter, is like planning how to raise your kid. One has to know every nook and cranny of every twist and turn. Terry wanted to give some insight on the passion it takes to be an artist manager. “You gotta have guts”, Terry says. This isn’t the kind of thing you up and decide it seems fun to do. One has to have certain attributes and personality skills to get the job done. One has to understand how to properly get group A to point C without leaving group B at point A – “It takes concentration and attention to detail”, Terry says.

Managing tours, artists and products has changed Terry’s life. He gives excellent advice on knowing one’s place in the industry. He encourages everyone to respectfully find their place in their career without losing the passion it takes to get there.

Although Terry’s career has slowed down, he has not lost the passion he possesses for the music industry. Terry says, “If one has give up everything to follow their dreams, I encourage that. Reach for the stars and you’ll at least grab a little something”.

Incorporating Professional Principles

Like Oprah, I was born in a low-income area to parents with low-income jobs. Granted, my family luck began to grow very soon putting us in the middle-class, but nonetheless I have always had to work for what I have. I appreciate that about this woman. I also appreciate that she stuck by her word and original path for success. When Oprah Winfrey said she was going to do something- she did it. I, as a professional, want to incorporate this principle into every category possible concerning business plans and careers.

Oprah also strived to be the very best she could. Considering her upraising, Oprah had to push very hard to make her way to the top. Just when Oprah thought she had made it to the top she kept pushing and pursuing exciting and motivational opportunities. This happened until she was given the opportunity to host her own talk show. I want to incorporate the drive and passion that Winfrey possessed along the path to success. I want to push and give all that I am until I have no more room to grow. I am not saying that I want to host my own talk show, this would be terrifying and not appealing to me, but I do want to one day have the funds to support many world changing businesses.

Like Trump, I want to make smart risks. I want to incorporate this principle into my personal life and business world. In my opinion, if one doesn’t take risks he/she will never know just how much success they can reach. I don’t want to sit on the sidelines; I want to be in the game fighting to make a difference in the lives of many. I want to make that difference by possessing a career and operating that position to the best of my ability. 

Experts Views on the Value of Business Plans

Oprah Winfrey was born on January 29,1954. Oprah was born into a poor rural town called Kosciusko, MS. In 1976, she moved to Baltimore, MD. While in Baltimore she hosted a hit TV show called People Are Talking. With much hype and popularity surrounding the show Oprah Winfrey went on to host her own morning show. After this, she dedicated herself to pursuing an extraordinarily long run of a show widely known as the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Oprah’s strategy in her industry was to keep her show free of tabloid topics. She wanted to remain true to that statement. This helped her business by gaining loyalty from viewers. Although her ratings were initially low, Oprah gained popularity quickly. Oprah’s overall view for a successful business is to be loyal to your message and purpose.

Donald John Trump was born on June 14, 1946. He was born in Queens, NY and was the fourth of five children. In 1971, Trump got involved with some large profitable building projects in Manhattan. Donald opened the Grand Hyatt in 1980. This opening named Donald Trump the city’s best-known and most controversial developer. With the success of many more development projects, Donald starred in the hit NBC reality series The Apprentice in 2004.

Trump had great influence in his life. In his early years, Trump was educated in a military academy. After graduating, he ended up at Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania.

Even at a young age Trump worked with his fathers company. He was a very ambitious individual. Trumps overall business plan philosophy is to work hard while taking important risks. Trump stuck to what he knew was true: in order to make money, one must make smart risks.

These two individuals, while different, have important and notable business strategies. For every successful business that has been launched with a well-thought-out business, it seems one can find an equally successful one that began with nothing more than scribbles and notes on a napkin. In saying this, Oprah and Trump may not have had a definite business plan for their lives but they each possessed drive and passion to reach their goals and visions.

Sources:

http://www.biography.com/people/oprah-winfrey-9534419?page=3

http://www.biography.com/people/donald-trump-9511238 

http://smallbiztrends.com/2010/06/business-plan-success-twice-as-likely.html

Promotional Codes- Everyone can Benefit

Promotions are made to draw customers. Promotions can be in any form (coupon, billboard sign, window advertisement, email, text, commercials, etc.). For all the business owners out there, know there is a mass of people that only purchase products or visit sites that only participate in promotional codes.

 Yes, we see promotional signs all around us advertising discounts and deals. These aren’t the kind of promotions I want to talk about. Have you ever bought a plane ticket and seen a little box right before your checkout that indicates an opportunity for promotional codes? Perhaps you’ve seen one while booking a hotel for vacation. Personally, I’ve used these promotional codes numerous times. The codes have ended up saving me anywhere from 5% to 35%. I didn’t know there were so many coupon codes until my friend had me search for one while purchasing some health products. There really are coupons for just about anything. Any time there is an opportunity for a code- its always an opportunity to save money. These little promo codes can end up saving you some big bucks if you just commit to a little research. There are literally hundreds of websites, if not more, which offer promotional codes. These websites will either list their codes right on the site or simply send you promotional codes through email. 

The next time you are completing your online order and there is an option for a promotional code- simply navigate to Google.com and search “promotional codes”. You can even search “promotional codes for (insert company or organization name here)”. I’ll list a few sites here that you can check out prior to making a purchase: promotionalcodes, tonsofcouponcodes, couponcodes. Promotional codes are meant to be used. They aren’t advertised very well but that doesn’t mean they are useless. If you have any doubts about promotional codes- take a few minutes and research. Try searching promotional codes for your usual airline, favorite online clothing store, or any other online purchasing company you use. You wont be disappointed.

Like I said before, all business owners that have an online market make sure you are offering promotional codes. By doing so, you can draw a completely new audience to your site and even gain popularity from search engines. This is an opportunity one should not pass up. 

Additional Resources:

http://promocodes2012.com/couponcode/

(from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf6TeBcpxyM)

Podcast Reviews

I have reviewed three separate podcasts concerning issues of business. The podcasts covered issues of trademark law, patent law and centerfor the rule of law. The objective of this project was to gain a better understanding of skills and techniques useful in maintaining a successful business. For the most part, I received very basic yet imperative information from these podcasts.

Trademark law has an important standard that every businessperson needs to understand. A trademark is a word, symbol, or group of words that are used to represent a certain seller or manufacturer. They are also used to distinguish products from another company. Occasionally, trademark rules can extend to color or packaging. State and federal law both govern trademark rules. The most useful advice I received from the podcast was to be unique yet relevant. The whole point of having a trademark is to set one apart from another. One must understand the importance of that fact. Not only does one need to understand how to properly form a trademark but also how to register and abide by the rules of the trademark law.

Patents are used to keep already invented inventions from being made, used or sold by another without permission. There is certain amount of time given to patents. Like trademark law, patent law is another intellectual property. There is a specific criterion that must be present in order for a patent to be extended to someone. The requirements are that the invention must be useful, new and not related to another invention. The best advice I received from this podcast was that I must understand how to properly receive registration for patents. There is an utmost importance tagged on to the paperwork that comes with patents. Every businessperson needs to understand the facts.

The third and final podcast is basically about a non-profit organization that educates the public on issues about law. As a future businessperson, I need to stay up to date with legal issues and rules that come about. I can easily get caught up in my work and dreams and suddenly find myself in a lawsuit because I neglected to inquire about new laws. This center for the rule of law is a great way to keep up to date.

Current Industry Liabilities

HBO’s drama series ‘Luck’ recently ended due to the death of three horses. Two of the horses developed stress fractures and had to be put down; the third horse died in its stall after it started rearing up then suddenly falling. California Penal Code section 597 reads that every person who overdrives, overloads, drives when overloaded, overworks, tortures, torments, deprives of necessary sustenance, drink, or shelter, cruelly beats, mutilates, or cruelly kills any animal, or causes or procures any animal to be so overdriven, overloaded, driven when overloaded, overworked, tortured, tormented, deprived of necessary sustenance... is, for each offense, guilty of a crime punishable pursuant to subdivision. Luck was huge production for HBO but with all the dismay this incident has caused, the channel could not afford to keep the show. “Among those condemning the equine deaths was People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which called oversight of the animals' welfare inadequate and alleged that old, unfit horses were being overworked” (Elder, 2012). In my opinion I think the show should have been cancelled as well. There should be no reason why those horses were overworked. I understand that there are deadlines and dates to make, but horses that are retired racers should not be doing the work of a full time racer.

Earlier this year, the government of Ireland was sued by EMI for the delay in passing a SOPA-like law requiring ISP censorship. Minister for Research and Innovation, Sean Sherlock, fears this block will put a limit on the opportunity of innovation. There are currently 80,000 signatures opposing the legislation. In my opinion, I agree that this limitation will put a limit on the innovation for Ireland (Meister, 2012). I agree with the need for the law, but perhaps there can be a whole in the system for programs that involve innovation.

Barbara Walters was recently in a lawsuit that was holding her accountable for bullying her daughter’s ex girlfriend into being silent. Barbara didn’t want the lesbian relationship to “ruin” anyone’s reputation. Barbara previously mentioned the incident in her autobiography, but left out the lesbian description. She said her daughter’s ex-girlfriend was kicked out of school for abusing drugs. Barbara Walters won the defamation lawsuit. In my opinion, I think Barbara is guilty of this negligent act. I think Barbara should pay for bullying a young person into being quiet over her personal life so in order to protect her own (Gardner, 2012).

Sources:

Elder, L. (2012). 'luck' horse deaths: Hbo drama featured 'unprecedented' losses before cancellation. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/17/luck-horse-deaths-hbo_n_1355380.html

Gardner, E. (2012). Barbara walters wins defamation lawsuit brought by daughter's ex-lover. Retrieved from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/barbara-walters-lawsuit-defamation-305334

Meister, S. (2012). With foes aplenty, ‘irish sopa’ now is law. Biederman Blog, Retrieved from http://biedermanblog.com/technology

2012---Predict

The 2011-year’s technology industry brought us so many surprises and adventures. The year brought huge Internet IPO’s, such as LinkedIn’s IPO of $352.8 million and Pandora’s raising of $234.9 million dollars for its initial public offering. Off the topic of money---Steve Jobs died! 2011 also brought us Apple’s iPad 2 and Google+ social network. With the New Year just beginning I want to take a look at some of the predictions for 2012. These predictions concern tech and industry issues.

The first prediction I want to cover is the matter of social media losing its sizzle. “Revenues from social media have not lived up to the promises, and the vast majority of those thousands of startups are either dying or on the ropes” (Wadhwa, 2011). Many believe the Facebook will quickly face the same fate as MySpace.

The second prediction is an explosion of the tablet market. The prediction of these tablets includes a market driven by sub-$100 tablets. These tablets are projected to be Android powered and priced at $100 or below. The tablet manufacturers are predicted to sell this technology with data bundles at $10-15 a month.

The third prediction is that voice recognition will go mainstream. SIRI is an incredible invention used to distinguish your voice commands. This software has been utilized by Apple and is predicted to burst in the technology industry. This technology is predicted to be embed in the new Apple TV and future versions of iPads.

These predictions have come from an article found on CloudBeat. There are many other articles that involve predictions for the 2012-year. Whether these forecasts come to pass or not, it is exciting to think about how far we have come in the technology world in only a year. Take a moment to look over the inventions and updates of 2011. Prepare yourself for what 2012 has to offer.