TIPS FOR SUCCESS

IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

Music Industry Survival Guide

1) Find ways to get ordinary people to love your music.

- Getting found and self-promotion.

- Making a business plan

- Who will buy your shirts?

- iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music - promotion

- Street marketing

- Indie and college radio promotion

- Blog promotion

- Merchandising

- Designing your own graphics and logos.

2) Play live often and don’t worry (at first) about getting paid

for every gig.

- Performance skills

- Entertainment factor

- Uniqueness

- Comfortable and confident

- JMC Ensembles

- Solo artist

3) Know your instrument inside-out

- Music Theory

- Song writing

- Lyric writing

- Music history

- Music arranging

- Music cultures

Why learn an Instrument?

LEARNING AN INSTRUMENT

4) Learn how to produce your own original music

- Music technology

- Sound production

- Music notation software

& Recording Software

- Home Studio

- Other opportunities

- 3D Games

- Film

- Production music

5) Be careful who you take advice from

- Have a good entertainment lawyer

- Manager

- Accountant

- Mentor

- Inspiration

- Be easy to reach and responsive

to constructive criticism.

6) Know your audience – connect on social media

and know your history!

- Create a brand

- Become accessible to your fan base

- Understand different trends

- Studying the influences of your

influences helps understand music

evolution

7) Meet anyone and everyone you can in this

business

- Find your local live music hot

spots in your area

- Make a business relationship with

agents / promoters

- Network

- Open mic nights

- Create a party / event / fundraiser

JMC International Alumni Student:

Nills

8) Mentally prepare yourself for how extremely

difficult the music business is

- Develop skills to be successful

- Be versatile and to wear several hats until

your “brand‟ is established

- Adapt and be a sponge for learning

- Be proactive

- Acknowledge defeat, but never give up

- Strengthen your craft

9) Accentuate the many advantages of youth!

- Greater energy and stamina

- Looks

- Greater optimism

- Fresher thinker

- Fewer family obligations and lower

salary demands

- Greater ability to fail and take risks.

10) Protect your investment

- Register your songs for copyright protection

- Understand Music collection societies

- PRISINDO: Performers’ Rights Society of Indonesia

- YKCI: Yayasan Karya Cipta Indonesia

- Understand the music business – touring / Branding / EPK

- Understand copyright – know your rights!

- Understand music publishing

11) Get a degree!

- Expand your mind, but keep your education

focused, skill orientated and real world oriented.

- Find your passion and grow as an artist

- Universities will always be there and ready

for any student to start learning.

12) Look at the wider creative industries

- Music Performance / Song Writing

- Music Business Management

- Audio Engineering / Sound Production

- Film & TV

- Digital Design

- Game Development

- 3D Animation

TIPS FOR

ARRANGING

THE SCORE

ARRANGING

• The process of transforming a collection of musical ideas into a complete

song

• Writing harmonies & adding new colours

• Re-arranging parts,

• Adding parts,

• Removing parts

• Planning structure of a song

• Adding affects (different accents, rhythmic changes, harmonic changes)

1) Listen, listen, listen!

• There's absolutely no substitute for experience, so be sure to analyse the

arrangements of all your favourite tracks.

• Listen to what other producers have done and try to figure out why it works (or

why it doesn't work, as the case may be...).

We Have All the Time In The World – John Barry

(Shannon Brown)

• Arrangement

• Tempo = 60 BPM

• Instrumentation - Strings/Backing Vocals/Solo

Violin/ French Horns/ Lead male vocalist

• Style – soft & delicate. Almost like a somber

lullaby

• Main tag line repeats with the solo violin and

brass instruments

• StructureIntro

Verse 1

Verse 2

Chorus 1

Verse 3

Instrumental

Chorus 2

Coda Ending

We Have All the Time In The World – John Barry

(Louis Armstrong)

• Original composition

• Tempo = 80 BPM

• Instrumentation - Strings/Drums/Acoustic

Guitar/Bass/Male Lead Vocals & Solo Trumpet

• Style – has a rock beat and blues feel, easy

listening

• Main tag line repeats and rhythm pulse continues

throughout the song

• StructureIntro

Verse 1

Verse 2

Chorus 1

Verse 3

Instrumental Solo

Chorus 2

Coda Ending

2) You don’t need to have an intro

• A number of tunes, particularly hip-hop tracks, do perfectly well without an intro.

• A popular technique is to have the vocal start slightly before the instrumental

parts, with the beats and music kicking in quickly on bar 1, beat 1.

3) Balance is important!

• If your arrangement seems crowded, try removing elements of certain parts that interfere

with each other.

• For example, if your vocal is clashing with a guitar or keyboard part, try cutting out the

guitar when the vocal plays.

• However, if you need to thicken the texture of your chorus, try reinforcing your vocal line

with an instrument part playing the same notes.

• BB King is the master of vocal/guitar part alternation.

3) Harmony – Add Colour!

• When selecting instruments for your track, think like a painter choosing colours.

• Look at the lyrics of your song and the story you are telling, and let that determine the

vibe

• Always ask yourself, "will this serve the song?" Make sure you're serving the artistic

expression of the music and not your own ego as a songwriter.

• Think outside the ‘normal’ use of chord. Add colour, add inversions - use your

knowledge of music theory to engage the listener and take them on an exciting journey!

• Example: Chord inversions / Tritone Substitutions / Model Interchanges

Amazing Grace

Example:

Chord inversions

Tritone Substitutions

Model Interchanges

Amazing Grace

Changes

Chord inversions

Tritone Substitutions

Model Interchanges

I ii iii IV V vi viiCmaj Dm Em Fmaj Gmaj Am Bdim

i ii III iv v VI VIICm Ddim Ebmaj Fmin Gm Abmaj Bbmaj

4) Turn your song arrangement into a

journey!

• Most listeners appreciate music that builds, that ebbs and flows,

that is dynamic and interesting

• Little splashes of what I call "ear candy" can go a long way to keep

the listener intrigued and focused as you allow the music to

breathe and build its way through your song structure

• Your bridge is a great place to experiment with some different

sounds.

• Some musicians devote their lives to arranging and orchestrating.

It is a craft that requires sensitivity, deep listening, good taste,

creativity, and knowledge of all the musical hues on the colour

wheel.

Thank You!

Using these simple tips and studying your favorite tunes will help you

achieve high quality and inspiring arrangements for your songs.

Best of luck and happy arranging!