Negotiation

            In the past few months I started getting more involved in the music industry. I have been doing things that make me interact with people, like discussing plans and making deals for future projects. During this time I started putting into practice specific topics about business. One of those topics is negotiation, so I took some time to interview Carlos Bonilla. Carlos is an attorney who concentrates on Real Estate, and has some experience in the entertainment field as well. At the beginning of our conversation, he pinpoints the meaning of negotiation in a few simple words: “discussion of specific term by two or more persons to have a solution". Carlos said, "If you think about it, every person negotiates in daily life. You don’t have to be a businessman to understand the negotiation process or make a deal. For example, try to imagine the life of a married couple. You see the negotiation in the sense that when a wife doesn't like to cook she can make a deal that if she cooks her husband has to cut the grass. When a boy asks his father for a ball, and his father says if you have an A on the next Math test I will buy you the ball, etc. But really, everyday people don’t put so much attention and awareness into negotiation like a businessman does". He stressed that negotiation works differently all the time. "We deal with different aspects that can change your perspective, sometimes for the best and sometime for the worst". What he meant by changes perspective is that, emotions are always involved. When he negotiates the other party cares and wants to ensure that they are going to get their part. He told me, as a professional he is always focused on the target point of the deal. Always makes sure that the other party feels free to talk and share comments. His strategy is to separate people from their problems with the details and focus on the deal. Having the attitude, knowledge, and bringing confidence to the table, will create a good environment to make a good deal and both parties will be happy. I took the opportunity to ask about a BATNA, and Bonilla responded that there is "always, in any negotiation or deal, it is important to have a back up not only for personal reasons, but for the company as well". The last point that Bonilla brought up was doing your best, you will receive a thank you and that means appreciation.

Songplugger

In the past few years I’ve experimented with music and acquired a great strength. Apart from being a guitarist, I am also involved on the creative side of music which is songwriting. I have analyzed the music industry in various ways, and have tried my hardest to make good songs, in the hopes that people will follow. In this area there exists one crucial procedure in order to produce a hit. Each songwriter must believe that his song is great. This rule applies in my case too. I believe that my songs are good enough to share with the world, however I’m sure it’s not everyone’s opinion. This is the reason why there exists a particular professional in the music industry whose job requires choosing those songs which he or she believes are hits. This professional is called a songplugger. The songplugger is the man you go to in order to find a hit song and put it on the right track. He takes whichever song he thinks might just be that next hit to managers, record labels, A&R people and music publishing companies, etc. to do business. The songplugger’s job is affiliated with what I will offer in my company. The difference is that my services will lean toward composer management, and the songplugger, artist’s manager and music publisher will be one person. The songplugger works representing catalogues of a collection of hits and pitching meetings to deal the song, including strategies of changing deals in the moment. This job takes time and patience to listen, and the ability to makes deals depending on the size of the catalog. The more songs in the catalogue, more time needed, the more the client will be charged. I think the role of the songplugger is very important because many songwriters have no idea about the intricacies of the business side of the music business. There are a ton lost songs out there, song’s we’ll never know about, because their songwriters are ignorant to the services offered by professionals of this type. Songpluggers can make THE difference to a great piece of music that is based on inspiration.

Sources:

http://www.musicnewsnashville.com/songpluggers

http://www.trioproductions.com/songplugging.htm

Real Negotiation with the Shark's

On this road, I have been working doing research to understand the deepest business aspects of my industry. Doing this, I have enriched my knowledge with different sources that expand my vision and leadership skills to become successful in the music field. This also applies to the negotiation and financial aspects in the business. A few months ago I became more familiar with a source that has been influential to me and others who are in the business, and have made my thoughts on the subject more clear of the things that I will be involved with in the future. This source is called Shark Tank, a reality television series on the ABC network, which features a panel of five wealthy entrepreneurs who are called “sharks”. The panel of “sharks” considers and negotiates investment proposals from entrepreneurs, either individually or in partnership with other panel members. This shows us how we can transform our business ideas into reality using a good proposal. However, it is not only a good proposal that is necessary to transform our ideas into realities. Good negotiation, excellent presentation, and, the most important aspect, understanding the numbers to finance your ideas. As the “sharks” say, the business does not matter, what matters is how to make money out of the investment. This teaches me a very important lesson in understanding the hard work behind the finance side of the business, and makes sure that all of the aspects of my company, such as the financial statement analysis, are correct. With this lesson in hand I may be brave enough to go out into the world and swim with the sharks that I will need to invest in my company. As an investor it is not only important to know if the business will be a good or bad investment. The emphasis is on how to analyze the Financial Statement. We have to learn how to develop financial literacy and be a leader in all aspect of the business.

Sources:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq4m2FGEWiI

Eric Witacre A Virtual Choir 2,000 Voice Strong

          Music has always been a passion of mine. It frees my creativity and helps me to feel the most alive.  I will never forget the process when I was studying music education in the Conservatory of Music in Puerto Rico. When I took choir class the magic of the vocal sounds amused me and enriched my knowledge all day. Eric Witacre is a person who has influenced the world and myself with his music in the area of choir. He has been one of the most important and successful composers and conductors in the music industry. His compositions are known world-wide and have been officially adopted in the choir repertories. Two of his well-known choral pieces are “Water Night” and “Cloudburst” that have been performed and applauded around the world. I have personally had the opportunity to be a part of the Conservatory choir to sing these two famous pieces. On TED.com I observed and was enriched by this professional’s speech concerning music. Witacre stresses the process of his successful life, sharing strategies that impact singers and vocalists to be a part of their projects. According to the video, he talks about a project called “A virtual Choir 2,000 Voices Strong”. This project started when he saw a YouTube video with a girl singing a soprano line of one of his choral pieces. She made some suggestions and asked for Witacre’s advice. Witacre then shares a video conducting one of his pieces with no sound, pinpointing the tempo, phrases, dynamics, and all the music conduction aspects of the piece. With the purpose in mind of viewers practicing their own part with the right conduction. This video grasped the attention of the viewers and they began to record their own videos with Witacre’s direction. When you receive advice from or are a part of a project by a recognized professional, the emotion is amazing. Eric Witacre made it. Creating a virtual choral performance from which he picked 2,000 videos from all around the world, with different vocal sections, editing and placing together the sounds of a real choir. Successful professionals like Eric Witacre inspire me to help others with their music. He proves that the love and passion contained in a person for the things they love to do can made a definite difference. 

Resources:

http://www.ted.com/talks/eric_whitacre_a_virtual_choir_2_000_voices_strong.html

http://www.ted.com/

Song Circle Association

In the past few months I’ve begun analyzing and becoming more familiar with the Music Industry. At this point my vision is becoming more and more clear of the road that I want to travel in the future. My business Idea goes with composer management and music publishing. Talking a little bit about music publishing, there are several music-publishing companies which composers and songwriters are involved with, one of those is BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.). BMI is an organization that collects licenses fees on behalf of songwriters, composers and music publishers. This company has become one of the most important companies of publishing, which means that it is a little bit difficult to compete with the same. On the other hand exists a connection that new companies or associations can work together with this type of company that in my case can help me build my own company. In the music industry, there exists several association affiliates with BMI, one of these associations is the Songwriter Circle. Songwriter Circle association is located in New York which service is a creation of showcase to engage and help only songwriters to share their music and be involved in the public market. Even though this company and association are my competitors, they influenced me to work hard toward a target. Associations like Song Circle impact the world with the purpose of bringing opportunities to talented people that don’t fully understand how the music business works and strive to get more recognized songwriters. Offering a full service music community and social media destination site that every talented person can participate. This kind of association can affect my company because they have a recognized name and are affiliates with well-known companies apart from BMI with EMI Music. The objective of my company is well related with the Song Circle association. My company goes to bring the opportunity to the people who work behind the scenes in music, not only songwriters but with composers and writers that I can make a combination of talent and create a productive result for the music industry.

Sources:

http://www.songcirclemusic.com/#/about/

http://www.bmi.com/associations/listing

http://www.emimusic.com/