2014 Grammy Awards

Sunday January 26, 2014 was a big night in music history. The Staples Center in Los Angeles held the 56th Grammy Awards. Celebrities everywhere looking great and some looking, well let's just say, not so great. There were performances from the entertainment industry's power couple Beyonce and Jay Z to a shocking performance from Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Madonna and Queen Latifah. 

The Grammy's kicked off with a hot steamy performance from my personal favorite, Beyoncé. Accompanying her was her hubby, Jay Z. The power couple performed their hit single Drunk in Love, which has taken the nation by storm hitting fifty five million views in one month. If you were not able to see the performance last night you can view it here.

The night continued with performances from Pink, Madonna, Kendrick Lamar, Imagine Dragons, Katy Perry and more. To view all of the performances from last night, courtesy of Thatgrapejuice.net, click here. A list of all the 2014 Grammy Awards winners can be found here. 

One of the biggest moments of last night’s awards was the performance by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Mary Lambert, Madonna, and Queen Latifah. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis performed their hit song, "Same Love”. Half way through the performance, Madonna joined the rap duo along with Queen Latifah coming on stage and giving the audience the biggest surprise ever.

Queen Latifah, along with 34 couples, appeared in front of everyone seated in the Staples Center, while Queen Latifah officiated over the same-sex and straight marriages. According to the New York Times, Queen Latifah was recently deputized by Los Angeles County to perform the weddings and will even sign the marriage certificates for all the couples that participated in the ceremony.

Grammy organizers knew that there might be some controversy surrounding the wedding ceremony being held live on television due to those opposed to gay marriages. Should the couples stay on stage or should they be in the aisle of the audience. Would CBS get backlash for broadcasting this on their network? To find out the full story on how this epic performance was created, please click here. To view the performance please see below.

Overall the performances were great and I can’t wait till next year. Check back next week for highlights from the Super Bowl and Bruno Mars halftime performance.

SoundExchange To Launch Monthly Royalty Payments System

SoundExchange is an independent nonprofit performance rights organization that collects and distributes digital performance royalties to artists and copyright holders. SoundExchange represents artists and is responsible for these artists and copyright holders in getting paid for their music played on digital radio. 

In the past, SoundExchange has been known for disbursing payment to artists and copyright holders on a quarterly basis. On January 14, 2014, SoundExchange announced on their website that they are moving to monthly royalty payments. The requirements to receive these payments monthly are:

• If the artist or copyright holder is signed up to receive electronic payments
• If the artist or copyright holder have royalties due of at least $250

If the artists or copyright holders do not meet these requirements they will continue to receive their royalty payments on a quarterly basis. By offering monthly payments to their clients, SoundExchange is taking their company to the next level. SoundExchange is the first company to offer monthly royalty payments. According to SoundExchange President and CEO Michael Huppe, and I quote, 

“While SoundExchange was already a market-leader with quarterly distributions, moving to monthly payments takes our service to the next level. By making performance royalties available sooner, we are making it easier for recording artists and record labels to focus on creating the music we all enjoy.”

So how many artists and copyright holders are eligible to receive monthly payments? According to Billboard, SoundExchange tells them that half of its 15,000 to 18,000 payments each quarter are made electronically, and approximately 40% of payees signed up to receive electronic payment will exceed the $250 threshold. There are over 2000 services that pay royalties to SoundExchange. Some of the services include, Sirius XM, Music Choice, and Pandora. Digital performance royalties have grown and SoundExchange has paid out more than $2 billion in royalties since 2000.

This is a great benefit to artists and the copyright holders. I never understood why the companies held the royalties for so long. If you are an artist or copyright holder, will you sign up for electronic payments? Do you think this is a good idea that SoundExchange decided to do? Will other performance rights organizations follow in the footsteps of SoundExchange? Only time will tell if this was a great decision made from SoundExchange.

“Experts Views on the Value of Business Plans" Follow Up Post

In my previous post, I discussed two entrepreneurs’ views on business plans and whether there are is any value in having a business plan for your company. Chuck Blakeman is an entrepreneur and mentor whose views are that a company should not have a business plan. Steven Gedeon on the other hand believes every company should have a business plan.

For my company, I believe that having a business plan is very important, not only for me, but for every business. Just like Steven Gedeon, my business plan will focus on what kind of company we are, whom we are selling to, what is our price point for our services, who our competitors are and how we are different. These key points will give our potential investors an idea of whether or not they should invest in our company.

One of the changes I will make in my plan is to utilize the help of investors instead of using my own cash to start up my company. At first I thought it would be a good idea to use my own money because if I lost it all I wouldn’t have to owe money back to someone. However, whether I profit or lose money an investor has given me, knowing that someone was willing to invest in my company in the first place, would be one of the greatest pay-off for my company.

The most important sections of a business plan are the financial section, the overview of the business and the mission statement. The financial section shows an investor how much the company is worth and how much the investor can make if they choose to partner with your company.  The overview of the business shows the investor what your business is about and why it is a demand for your company in your market. The mission statement outlines your purpose of what you’re doing and why you are doing it.

Having a business plan is an important tool with every company. Whether you are trying to get a loan from a bank or ask a friend to loan you money for an idea, the most common question that will be asked by them is, “Can I see your business plan?” Stay ahead of the game and prepared at all times with your business plan ready.

“Experts Views on the Value of Business Plans"

As I was browsing through a website that focuses on experts in the industry and their opinions on business plans, I came across two experts whose views caught my attention. The first expert I read about name was Chuck Blakeman. Chuck Blakeman is an entrepreneur and mentor whose views are that a company should not have a business plan.

According to BP Expert Views, Blakeman says a business plan wastes time that could be spent actually doing the business. Since the future is untold, Blakeman feels that you should spend time doing the actual business instead of planning for it in advance. I agree with Blakeman statement. One doesn’t know if he or she will even be alive the next day, so how are you going to plan for a future that is unsure if it is going to actually happen. With the way that technology and the entertainment business is changing, why should someone plan for a future is they are unsure if the way things are happening now will happen in the future? You spend all this time preparing for a project that could either be out of trend, no longer marketable, or your competition may beat you to it first since you did not start acting upon it right away.

The second expert I read about was Steven Gedeon. According to Bp Expert Views, Steve Gedeon is a founder of dozens of private, public, venture capital and non-profit organizations; published over 100 articles, reports and patents; and delivered over 40 public speaking engagements and on-line videos on personal leadership, motivation, entrepreneurship and teaching.

Steven Gedeon views on business plans is quite different than Chuck Blakeman’s. Steven focuses on key points when drafting up a business plan. Some of the key components he focuses on are the following:

• What is the business?
• Whom are you selling to?
• What is the price point for the services and products you are offering?
• Who are the competitors and how are you different?

These key components help you determine whether your business has credibility and if your company is worth investing in. These components help measure the effectiveness of your business and prevent a company from making mistakes. Working on a business plan takes time, dedication and patience. The more effective you are with your business plan the more successful your business will be.

References:

Blakeman, C. (2011). Chuck Blakeman. How: the worst, most asked planning question, retrieved from http://chuckblakeman.com/2012/8/texts/how-the-worst-most-asked-planning-question

Hartwell, L. (2012). Chuck Blakeman. Expert Views on Business Plans, retrieved from http://bpexpertviews.blogspot.com/

Richardson, A. (2012). Steven Gedeon. Expert Views on Business Plans, retrieved from http://bpexpertviews.blogspot.com/

Got Bars Program

Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Kanye West is a rapper, producer, director, fashion designer and now the founder of a foundation in honor of his mother, Donda West. In 2013, Kanye West started a non-profit organization called “Donda’s House Inc”. The organization is located in Chicago, Illinois and has partnered with Chicago’s Ark of St. Sabina for “Got Bars” Music Writing & Fitness Program.

Alderman and fellow rapper Rhymefest is the Assistant Director over the Got Bars program and feels the program will change the youth musically, help keep them healthy and also give them a peaceful environment to be around. The children will be able to create songs to a beat that they will perform at a showcase when the program is over.

The Got Bars program is a program open to youth ages 15-24 who has background experience in writing, performing and recording. Only 30 students will be accepted into the program for each session. The program runs for a total of 12 weeks and the students meet three times a week. The first session was offered this past August and the organization has completed the first 12 weeks and will be having a showcase on November 21, 2013 at the Lacuna lofts located at 2150 S. Canalport in Chicago, Illinois.

Being the Director of Breezy's Performing Arts Academy, this Got Bars program caught my interest and I wanted to be apart of this great organization. I reached out to the organization and offered my services in any way possible to help our youth gain knowledge in the music industry. I was offered a chance to help with the showcase this upcoming Thursday and work the section where the press will be stationed.

I believe that the entertainment industry is based on hard work, dedication, and most of all your network. To be able to achieve the highest level of success one cannot do it alone. This showcase and program will not only help the youth but also help put me around an organization whose mission is to implement the arts, health/wellness, and literature experiences that transform our youth.

Checkout the music from the Fall 2013 class at Got Bars program.

Registration for the spring of 2014 will open January 2014. The application can be found at Got Bars program.

References:

Danitha, J. (2013). The Source. Kanye West Launching “Got Bars” Program For Chicago’s Youth, retrieved from http://thesource.com/2013/07/28/kanye-west-launching-got-bars-program-for-chicagos-youth/

http://dondashouse.com/

Digital Marketing in the Performing Arts

Breezy's Performing Arts Academy Students

Breezy's Performing Arts Academy is an arts training program for youth ages 5-14. BPAA trains the youth in theater, music and dance. The youth participate in workshops, such as, poetry, dj'ing, beat production, modeling and fashion design. The youth also create a music video, movie, commercial and participate in studio sessions. Breezy's Performing Arts Academy is located in Chicago, Illinois and was founded in 2012 by Stacey "Ms. Breezy" Gill. 

• The biggest problem for success in digital marketing for performing arts organizations is the lack of budget.

• 94% of the organizations use Google Analytics but 92% of the organizations admitted to not using Google Analytics to its full potential.

• Instead of using digital marketing ads, 45% of the companies are using mobile enabled websites and 35% are planning on getting one. 

• 60% of the arts organizations simply don't have the budget to cover their website needs.

Digital marketing is supposed to be used to track, measure and improve a companies business. Breezy's Performing Arts Academy is one of the companies that are going to invest their money into more digital ad campaigns in 2014. Instead of selling tickets by hand, BPAA will now start selling tickets online and also start reviewing their analytics reporting. If you are a company not using digital marketing to it's highest potential than success for your company will be hard to achieve. To be successful in digital marketing a company has to be willing to invest financially.

Being apart of Breezy’s Performing Arts Academy is the fun part, however, it takes a lot to make this business successful. Stacey has to not only find a location for her academy, she has to also promote her company, find reliable employees to work for her and use social media and digital marketing to help brand and grow her business.

To be a successful arts organization, a business has to spend money on digital marketing and ads. How much does a business spend on advertising for their company? Capacity Interactive did a survey with 50 different organizations in 2012. Some of the organizations included ballet and modern dance companies, theaters, orchestras and opera companies. The budget size for these companies ranged from $1 million to over $31 million. The data they collected showed the results of where the performing arts industry stands with digital marketing.

Source:

Capacity Interactive. (2013). Capacity Interactive. Performing Arts Digital Marketing Benchmarks retrieved from, http://www.capacityinteractive.com/ideas/performing-arts-digital-marketing-benchmark-survey-study/

Gill, S. (2013). BPAA. Breezy's Performing Arts Academy retrieved from http://bpaa.weebly.com/