Once a deal gets to that point, you can take it up a notch, but it’s important to learn all the details first. The International Music Business And Recording Organization, Inc. The International Recording Organization is a multi-million dollar record company. It specializes in music business, music industry contacts, music production, technology. These producers are successful but don’t share your genre and/or aesthetic.
So, if a consultant is asking you for a fee in order to bring your career to the next level, what should you do? You better do your homework before handing them a dime! First let’s classify “consultants” in three possible ways. The granddaddy 9 section chain whip of all music business scams, payola is bribery, pay-for-play, the music business equivalent of dark money. First, it was song pluggers influencing jazz-era bandleaders; then it was so-called indie promoters acting as record company bagmen.
When considering whether to hire a publicist, research their ability to generate press and help manage a publicity campaign. No publicist can guarantee anything, so don’t fall for any claims that they do. So let’s catalog the 13 insidious ways music business grifters are coming for your money . Scammers rely on ignorance and sloth, taking advantage of the uneducated and the lazy. Instead, it comes from the hard work of making great music and building your audience.
Scammers and con men are a part of every industry and the music business is no exception. As a matter of fact, there seem to be scores of unscrupulous individuals trying to take advantage of musicians’ lofty dreams. That being said, you have to approach all potential opportunities with cautious optimism. Remember, save the hard-ass business tactics for when a contract is actually on the table or money is changing hands.
This is a guest editorial by Mark Tavern, an artist manager, consultant, educator, administrator, and arts advocate with more than 20 years of music business experience. P.S. To learn the true secrets for music industry success, please sign up for my VIP Membership Club ($3500 a year) and recruit 28 of your friends for a 3% discount . OK, so hopefully I’ve succeeded in making you incredibly paranoid and distrustful towards every company, website and person related to the music industry…LOL. It’s all about the Internet, so let’s start from the beginning. Your browser will redirect to your requested content shortly. Globee Awards uses the information you provide to us to contact you about our relevant content award programs and success stories.
Payola was made illegal after a scandal in the late 1950s when DJs took bribes in return for radio airplay. It reared its ugly head again in the early 2000s and continues today, its cancer now spreading to services charging for placement on streaming service playlists. Many of these “consultants” try to dangle their former credits in hopes of luring in starry-eyed musicians.