Bob Tulipan - Rockin in the New World: Taking Your Band from the Basement to the Big Time

ROCKIN
IN THE
NEW WORLD

TAKING YOUR BAND FROM THE
BASEMENT TO THE BIG TIME

BY
BOB TULIPAN

An Imprint of Sterling Publishing
387 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10016

STERLING and the distinctive Sterling logo are registered trademarks of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.

2011 by Bob Tulipan

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-4027-7058-6 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-4027-8910-6 (ebook)

For information about custom editions, special sales, and premium and corporate purchases, please contact Sterling Special Sales at 800-805-5489 or specialsales@sterlingpublishing.com.

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www.sterlingpublishing.com

Id like to dedicate this book to Maureen Baker for being the best partner a creative person could ever imagine having, and for all of her dedication, support, encouragement, research, and hard work in helping me make this book comprehensive and timely.

Id also like to dedicate this book to the memory of Richard, Rick, Fred, and Freddie, who each taught me so much about what it is to be an artist.

CONTENTS

Id like to thank Vladimir Litvinov, Sergei Yastrzhembski, Glorianna Bartolo, Matt Kent, Steve Riggio, and the Kremlin for creating the momentum that brought me to Sterling. Michael Fragnito for championing the project and for his vision and love of music, Laura Swerdloff for making the process painless, and all those at PMA for representing my interests so expertly.

Id also like to thank the following people for their support and contributions to the book: Dave Lory, Lee Heiman, Gerry Gerrard, Rob Berends, Martin Atkins, Emma Quigley, Maria Egan, Roslynn Cobarrubias, Lisette Rioux Paulson, Lou Plaia, Bob Miller, Isaac Moredock, Bob Berman, Terry McBride, C. T. Tamura, Joshua Simons, Henley Halem, Mark Kates, Ken Krongard, Mark Donenfeld, Brad Rubens, Thomas Reitz, Keith Cooper, John Telfer, Peter Wright, Andrew Zizik, Steve Ayre, Etery Ordzhonikidze, Joe Brooks, Sascha Konietzko, Jen Ahlstrom, Jamie Perrett, Peter Perrett, Peter Perrett Jr., Jenny Maxwell, Howard Rosen, Pam Workman, Greg Benedetti, Bill Tierney, Tim McGrath, Cindy Sivak, Alia Dann Swift, Steve Swift, Scott (Scotty Hard) Harding, Greg Rollett, Nick Launay, and all of the artists Ive worked with around the world.

Of all the aspects of personal lifestyle, none surpass the power of popular music as the means by which people define their persona their memories, their social connections, their sense of fashion and style, their source of entertainment, their refuge, and how they choose to devote much of their leisure time. Music fans everywhere continually seek ways to express and enjoy their love of popular music, from recorded material to concerts, artist-branded merchandise, fan clubs, Internet sites, TV and radio programming, music-based films, and more.

JOSHUA SIMONS AND JOHN CAPUTO, ITSBANG

T here are more than eight million artists and bands posted on MySpace, according to the site Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owyang, and obviously so many more when you count all of the other websites and social networks. In fact, it was highly publicized through multiple media outlets and confirmed by Billboard on October 25, 2010, that Lady Gagas YouTube videos were the first to reach one billion views. According to Oliver Chaings Forbes.com blog of November 9, 2010, Justin Bieber hit the one billion mark as well. What this book will do is show you how to make your band stand out and be the one that people want to see, hear, and buy among the millions of artists and bands already out there in the marketplace. You are all smart enough to understand that having a band is having a brand, and that it takes a lot more than just great music and playing a few club gigs to make a name for yourself. I have interviewed people like you, with bands, from around the world and asked them to provide me with questions that I then posed to experts in todays music industry. This book, like no other book published before, will place you on the path to achieving your dreams in todays constantly evolving music industry. Im providing lists of resources and my accompanying interactive website (rockininthenewworld.com) to assist you along the way.

For more than three decades as a music industry insider, Ive seen creative genius, epic failure, booze, drugs, human endurance, heroism, miracles, humiliation, people whove ruined their lives, and people whove rocketed to the top and stayed there. A majority of musicians plod along for a while, scoring little successes here and there, getting a gig, or signing with a small or even midrange label. Then time goes by and their career goes nowhere. Things start to get repetitive. Personalities clash, the hours are grueling, shit happens.

Its not enough to have the drive, charm, skill, talent, and intuition. What is most important is that you are committed to your art, understand the business, and persevere. For those of you who have made the decision to commit yourselves and endure whatevers necessary to reach the top, this book is for you.

Together we will cover rehearsals, writing songs, recording, and performing live. Well discuss contracts and money management. Youll read expert opinions on everything from making the most out of music-related Internet services, developing and selling your merchandise, physical and digital distribution of your recorded music, publishing, building a fanbase, and creating the team that you will need to support you and enhance your efforts along the way.

What I will do is provide you with an inside track on how the business really operates, how to maximize your bands potential, and how to reap the benefits of creative and financial success.

Everyone seems to think that its record labels, agents, and managers who have all the ideas but its not true. Its the artist. All the other persons jobs are to interpret what the artist wants, so if the artist doesnt have a plan, then everyones in trouble.

GERRY GERRARD, PRESIDENT, CHAOTICA BOOKING AGENCY

CHAPTER SPOTLIGHT

R egardless of whether you already have a band, are assembling a band, or are working as a solo artist, you should read this chapter carefully. Any way you slice it, youre going to have to work with other musicians at some point, and its important to be clear and fair about who has what kind of power.

Your band is your core vehicle to success. If youre smart and a little lucky, you can put together your dream team right from the beginning and save yourself from a career dead end. Even if youre already up and running, you may find that you need to replace personalities that dont fit. Screwy issues between band members may seem small at first, but theyll grow out of control as time goes by. Its best to address issues head-on.

Which is better: figuring out roles, responsibilities, and money issues now, or waiting until later, after youve invested all your time and energy, only to have your band dissolve in a bonfire of vanities and lawsuits? Its important that you set goals. Start out with a list of what youd like to accomplish in the first three months, then expand it to cover your first year and thereafter. Go back and look at this list often. Check off what youve done and add to it. So much will be coming your way as things begin to happen. But it is very important to be organized right from the start. By seeing that youve achieved your initial goals, your band will gain confidence and your commitment will be solidified.