Musicians ask for help to promote their work online |14 April 2012

Held at the ex-National Assembly hall at the National Cultural Centre, the event was a workshop for musicians, divided into two sessions.

The first part was on media kits and interviews and covered mainly what musicians should know about dealing with the media. The presentation was given by American entertainment consultant, writer, photographer and radio DJ Berverly Shaw aka Sista Irie.

The second presentation was on legal basic for musicians by Jamaican entertainment attorney and music business consultant Lloyd Stanbury, which covered issues to do with copyright and contracts.

Although prepared for musicians, a number of other artists were present, including DJs, singers, dancers, poets, producers and studio owners. Also present was the new national arts council chief executive Jimmy Savy.

Speaking to those present, Sista Irie said they need to understand the role of the media and that in this day’s music industry, they need to have a media kit containing their biography or profile, music samples, videos, previous press announcements and publicity photos.

She also gave tips on media interviews and how to get the maximum out of an interview.
“It is important to contact the media house or journalist in advance, and to also determine key focus of interview,” she said.

“You should also agree to duration of interview in advance, be punctual, and be able to explain what your musical goals are.”
 
Addressing the audience’s concerns on promoting their music online, she said they should develop an online fan base and create long-term relationships on the many social websites available, such as Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and YouTube and websites specific to music like Reverbnation and Sonicbids.

Speaking about copyrights and contracts, Mr Stanbury explained legal terms such as copyright law, transfers and licenses of copyrights, joint copyrights and co-authorship.

He added it is normal for musicians to have legal representatives but their roles and boundaries should be clear-cut.

“Contracts are necessary to address the business relationships between the various individuals and entities involved in the management, production, promotion and distribution of music,” he said.

“The most popular contracts are used for artist management, live performances services and for a recording agreement between the artist and music producer.”

He added there were various types of agreements and contracts available on the internet and easily downloadable for free, hence removing the need to pay a lawyer to draft a contract.

Various queries were raised by the artists, such as on the issue of piracy, selling music online, and whether it was really viable to produce music in Creole.

Others were concerned about the cost of producing an album and how to get maximum revenue from a piece of work.

I.H.