Hello my name is Adele Lassiter and welcome to "The Music Business Diva" where we'll discuss all aspects of the Music Industry from the Creative Aspects to the Business and Marketing Aspects essential for a successful career in music.
A little about me. I'm an independent singer-songwriter with a passion for music and performing. I love all styles of music, but write mostly alternative country, rock/pop, and standards style music. I am a lyricist by trade, who also plays guitar and piano. I am an alumna of Belmont University in Nashville Tennessee, which offers one of the BEST Music and Music Business programs in the country. While in Nashville I interned at several labels and Big Loud Shirt publishing. It was while at Belmont I found a passion for marketing, promotion and most importantly Intellectual Property (I.E. copyright law, music licensing, etc...)
Upon graduating from Belmont in August of 2009, jobs closed up on Music Row, even for graduates with excellent industry connections due to the poor economy. Not particularly able to pay off my $100,000 degree with my one week shift at Cracker Barrel, I opted to head to Seattle to pursue a career in music and film in the Pacific Northwest. However fate stepped in when my 1988 Oldsmobile died in Gilette Wyoming. We ended up getting a 1987 Volvo in lieu of parts, which got us to Bozeman Montana.
Since the Volvo needed some work and I'd previously attended Montana State for a year, we decided to spend a few weeks in the area, and ended up settling in the Gallatin Valley permanently. This actually is a God-send as Bozeman has a great music scene and is only a days drive from Seattle. Frankly living in a large market is both good and bad for songwriters and performers. On the one had all the contacts you'll ever need on in town. On the other hand, there are hundreds if not thousands of equally talented and eagerly ambitious people wanting to make their mark on the Music Scene. I've seen a lot of talented musicians struggle to survive and never make it or just give up when they are competing with so many people on a daily basis. So living in a smaller market isn't necessarily bad, especially if you are savvy at the Music Business.
The purpose of the blog is to educate those on the Creative side of the Music Industry: I.E. musicians, songwriters, singers, etc...and those solely interested in the Business side about the ins and outs of the Music Business in an easy to access way. With each post we'll tackle a new aspect to the creative and business side of music.
Upcoming topics will include, but not be limited to discussions on:
- Copyright Law, the Necessity of filing your copyright and how to do so
- Publishing, Licensing, PRO'S, etc...
- Marketing and Selling your Music
- Information about the difference between Major Record Labels, Independent Labels and going it on your own, along with the benefits and down falls of each option
- Business and Accounting in the Music Industry
-Demos
- And lots more...those are just a few areas off the top of my head, but I promise I will turn this blog into Music Business 101, giving you a well-rounded introduction to the Music Industry and how to enjoy making music and make money from your craft.
*I will post sporadically until April 1st as I'm currently promoting my new novel "Burden of Proof" However after April 1st I will be posting a new entry (and possibly multiple entries) each week.
If you're interested in checking out my other blogs:
American Nomad - A Travel Blog: http://www.adelelassiter.blogspot.com
The Inkspot- A Guide to Writing and Publishing: http://www.adelelassiter-inkspot.blogspot.com
