So almost a year ago I heard that a music industry website, Supajam, were looking for a recording studio engineer or record producer to write a regular music industry column for publication on their site. The idea was to provide an insight from behind the glass. Not just the obvious stuff about how to make a record, but insights into the thinking that goes in behind the scenes: how to develop bands, to help them to develop their own fan-base, and to talk about how important brand is to all of that… The idea was to equip unsigned bands with the knowledge to help themselves in a more structured fashion. To help them understand that the music business is exactly that, a business. The key point of course is that art is the product which is ultimately delivered by that business.
I took a long hard look at Supajam and realised that they were doing a LOT to try to help artists and musicians. By their competitions they were unearthing real talent and providing them with opportunities to play at festivals across Europe. They were offering sync opportunities for those bands to get their music on television programmes and film. And they were offering publishing opportunities for songwriters to undertake commissioned work writing for TV ads. When I realised how serious they were about giving the unsigned market a leg up, I decided to take them up and my column, Machiavelli’s Guide to the Music Industry was born. I heard from them yesterday that it was one of the most read columns of 2013. If you haven’t seen it until now, go take a look: http://www.supajam.com/blog/l/Machiavellis-Guide-to-the-Music-Industry
Anyways, Happy New Year to you all and thanks for following my inane ramblings up to now. If health, happiness, recording music and new guitars are close to the top of your list, May 2014 bring you all you wish for!