chapter11

The Music Gladitator Manual

A must read for any artist or label wanting to succeed in the music industry

11 SYNERGY
“And God said, Let us make man in our image.”

Your Team:
You will not be able to create your final outcome by yourself! Success in the music business only happens when
everyone involved are working together as part of the whole in harmony for the good of the mission.

Therefore, surround yourself with people who will unite and commit to working hard to see your objective come
together. “United and committed people to a common purpose.”

If you intend to accomplish anything significant, your first goal is to attain and create a team.

Selecting a team of people who are not going to work, but cheer you along the way will also cause you failure.
Therefore, establish a team who will work hard to see you succeed in your undertaking.

Dead beats are only going to assist you down the road to the dead zone.

There’s nothing worse than to have team of people around you who will say
•        We Can’t
•        We Won’t
•        We’re Afraid
•        We Might Fail
•        We Did Try, They Said No and We Left

Though no two people are alike and rightfully so, since people are the sum of their experiences and since no two
people have the same set of experiences, therefore each person looks at the world with different eyes.

Any person with we can’t, we won’t, we’re afraid, we might fail, we did try and they said no, therefore we left, mind
set; have experiences which are designed to help you fail in your endeavor.

Remember, people training for the Olympics know how to sacrifice for their dream. He or she knows they are going
for the gold. They know what it takes for there team to win.

You should lead by example. You are going for the gold record and beyond. Therefore you too should stop dating;
drinking and/or getting high, stop hanging out all night and start working on your career. Start sacrificing and do
what it takes to grasp the gold record. As a leader of your own destiny, lead and act with courage. Enjoy the rewards
of hard work. Never forget, competition is fierce and your CD is just one of a million other CDs trying to grab the
attention of the music consumers. How can you get your CD to the top of the pile and start gaining the clout and
money you need to succeed, if the team you selected to help you instead hinders you and everyone else involved
with you.

When establishing your team, they should understand the whole is greater than any one individual. However, as
individuals, each member of your team must:
•        Act professionally
•        Stay organized.
•        Keep detailed records and receipts
•        Be on time for meetings.
•        Expand your network.
•        Continually educate yourself.
•        Make it a team effort
•        Get everything in writing.
•        Shop around.
•        Communicate with each other
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.”

MANAGER:
Before I get into management, let me explain “The Line” of cause and effect. There were a lot of gladiators paired in
team of two. Their trainer would advise them on what to do in the arena to increase their odds of wining against
other team.

During the competition, both gladiators would fight as a unit of one.

The gladiator who made the last kill would look good, but it would not have happen if his teammate had not done his
part. After all, what if his partner had died immediately? What would have happened? And better yet, what if they
had not been trained to fight as one?

Many times a manager will do things, which allows an artist to be at the right spot at the right time and opportunities
comes out of nowhere, because of the artist being at the right place at the right time.
Don’t go behind the manager back to go for the opportunity alone. Let a manager do what he or she does best.

Therefore, why not advise your manager and let him or her help you make something out of it? He’s just as
concerned you becoming a success for the team as you are concerned in becoming a success for yourself.

Better yet, if your dedication to your manager is so weak, let him or her go before they are too deeply involved and
embedded.

Remember, if you could achieve it all by yourself you would. No one in this business can make it happen by them
self. As an artist, you will need help.

You do not need a manager as you get yourself together, but you will need one as you grow.

If you do not know how to get into the playing field to get your gold record/CD, ultimately you will need help earlier in
your career to get there.

Remember this, with or without a manager. You are the key to having success. The best coach in the world can’t
help a loser obtain victory if he or she has no drive and believes others are responsible in making the artist
successful. Management is available to advise and assist in creating opportunities for the artist. If an artist thinks all
they need to do is record, they need to get out before the competition begin.

Read what a manager agreement typically state at the beginning of the agreement:
Manager agrees to render advice, guidance, counsel, and other services as Artist may reasonably require to further
his or her career as a musician, composer, actor, recording, and performing artist, and to develop new and different
areas within which his artistic talents can be developed and exploited, including but not limited to the following
services:
(a) to represent Artist and act as his negotiator, to fix the terms governing all manner of disposition, use,
employment or
exploitation of Artist's talents and the products thereof; and...
•        Nowhere will it say a manager is to work harder then the artist.
•        Nowhere in the agreement will it say, if the artist doesn’t feel like working hard to make their career a reality
    the manager will work harder for the artist.
•        Nowhere will it say the manager will make the artist a success overnight.
In fact, it takes approximately 18 to 24 months to prepare an artist from the beginning for the almighty major label
singing. Though I feel you can do better without a major label during the beginning of your career. Nonetheless,
•        Nowhere will you find in a manager’s agreement he or she is to support you or state how the manager is your
personal bank teller.

Just because a manager believes in you is not an excuse to give you money. If you don’t believe in yourself why
should the manager believe in you? This is a joint effort. If you need money get an investor or figure a way to create
income. After all, you are in the entertainment field of endeavor.

If you are thinking in relation to how you read or heard where a manager paid a half a million bond for an artist to
get out of jail. Ask yourself, was the artist making money besides having some type of star creditability, or was it
during their first 18 month of starting their career. If it was during the artist beginning stage, you would not have
even known of the artist.

If an artist was making a million dollars a year, I will bail him or her out. Not to mention the artist will be paying me
back with interest as well.

In summary, the manager becomes a part of your team to assist you in reaching your goal as an artist. He or she
works for you.

As an artist you don’t work for the manager. In fact, you pay management, management do not pay you.

Do not get the two confused. A manager should not be though of as a record label. Don’t expect to get all the
benefits of having a record label from a manager.

The truth of the matter …. Creating superstars has never been an easy task and only a small percentage of
recordings have the potential of becoming a hit. Let the manager do what he or she was hired to do.

Your only concern should be to increase your odds for success. In this business the odds are already against you.

If you decide you don’t want the assistance of a manager or management team to assist you in your endeavor, don’t.

If you want the assistance of having someone experienced enough to be your advisor. A manager could point out
some short cuts on your path to keep you from making common mistakes, as well as being a good coach who would
hold you accountable to your goals. An advisor will spot your flaws and challenge you, so you will correct the flaws.
The decision will be yours. But don’t keep doing the same things over and over thinking one day you will get a
different result from your same efforts. IT WILL NOT HAPPEN.

STREET TEAM CAPTAIN:
The captain of your street team should be the person who wants to take things to the next level and coordinate your
interactions with fans. In fact he or she should be your number one fan. The sooner you start your street team and
put a solid trusted person at the wheel.
The sooner you'll succeed. This person will lead your team.

ATTORNEY:
Find someone experienced in entertainment law field look at every document you're ask to sign. You should locate
a firm who offer pre-paid retainer plans which include unlimited contract review for as low as hundred dollars ($100).
It no longer costs an arm and a leg to get extra protection added to your team.

ACCOUNTANT:
Once you have some money coming through the door, it's a good idea to add a neutral third party to keep track of it
all on your team. Remember only you should be able to sign your checks.

BOOKING AGENT:
A professional booking agent can't really help you until you're earning an around five hundred ($500) for each
show. But until you are making this amount for every show, you can get a street team member to handle this task
just as easily, and frequently just as effectively.

PUBLICIST:
One of your manager's tasks will be to bring a good publicist to the team. Publicity exist to indicate success, which is
why you're to meet with your publicist at a stage of your career where you are doing shows and you have your
product available somewhere so the publicist has something to write about. Bringing a publicist to the team any
sooner and you have thrown money down a drain.

Complements of JaHMa.net Written by; Kenneth Bosket

M.B.A.

Talk the talk; to
yourself.

Walk the talk; with
others.