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Becoming

Chocolate Barbie
a guide for professional women
in the music business

Althea René and Luther Johnson

Electric Lizard

San Antonio, Texas

Becoming Chocolate Barbie

Printed in the United States of America

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the publisher.

ISBN - 978-1-5323-7730-3

Copyright © 2018 by Luther Johnson

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Becoming Chocolate Barbie

Dedication

This book is dedicated to all of the female entrepreneurs and businesswomen who have inspired me throughout the different phases of my life. Young women, mature women, and women of all races and religions are special.

This book is dedicated to women who are musically gifted and to women who are not. This book is also dedicated my family, my friends, and the music industry experts that helped to mold me into the professional person that I have become.

Althea René

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Acknowledgments

My mother, Barbara McCullers, was my greatest influence when I was a child. My mother nurtured my desire to play the flute at a high level. I remember times when she would pay for private flute lessons by sneaking money from the family grocery budget. It was our little secret.

With proud smiles and nods of silent approval, my mother attended virtually every school concert I ever participated in. Concerts in elementary school, middle school, and high school; she was always a fixture in the front row. I could always count on her face to give me a jolt of motivation and encouragement from the audience.

Even in adulthood, my mother is my biggest fan.

Because of her unwavering effort to champion my musical development, I have a flourishing career today.

Presently, many of my fans recognize my mother when they see her in the audience. Her presence has become so common to my performances that people have joked that she is the “first lady” of my career. I could never thank her enough.

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Table of Contents

Foreword ........................................................................................... 8

Introduction .................................................................................. 11

PART ONE: Hard Lessons .......................................................... 13

Chapter One: How a Little Girl Began Playing the Flute .... 14

Introduction to the Flute ..................................................... 15

Elementary School Band Sexism ........................................ 16

Early Experiences with Colorism ....................................... 18

If They Don’t Like Themselves, They Won’t Like You.... 19

Daddy’s Influence ................................................................. 21

First Chair Fiasco .................................................................. 23

Chapter Two: Chocolate Barbie is Born ................................ 26

A Young Rookie in the Music Biz ....................................... 27

The Rise of ‘SolarFunk’ ........................................................ 27

In Pursuit of My First Recording Contract ....................... 29

Integrity Equals Respect ...................................................... 31

No One Wants to See a Sloppy Flute Player ..................... 32

Blue Note Disappointment .................................................. 34

Cheated Out of Payment ...................................................... 36

The Ugly Jealousy of Some Women ................................... 38

All Divas are Not Female ..................................................... 41

Inconsiderate Colleagues ..................................................... 43

Professional Etiquette .......................................................... 45

Pervert Politician .................................................................. 48

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PART TWO: Roadmap to Success .............................................. 58

Chapter Three: Fundamental Business Practices ........................ 59

Importance of Setting Goals ............................................... 60

Importance of Good Communication ................................ 64

Good Time Management Practices .................................... 65

Embrace Your Stubbornness .............................................. 67

Be Awesome and Stand Out ................................................ 68

12 Habits Successful Women Share ................................... 70

Chapter Four: Entrepreneur Tips for the Ladies ......................... 74

Balance Family & Career ..................................................... 75

Modern Prism of Feminism ................................................ 79

PART THREE: Music Business Concerns ................................. 81

Chapter 5: Anatomy of a Record Label ................................. 84

Record Labels 101 ................................................................. 85

Major Label Players ............................................................. 93

Major Label vs Indie Label .................................................. 95

Digital Music and Downloads ............................................. 97

What’s the Deal with 360 Deals? ....................................... 99

Chapter 6: Mo Money, Yo Money ........................................ 104

Royalties 101 ....................................................................... 105

Writer/Publisher Royalties ............................................... 109

Artist Royalties ................................................................... 111

They Want to Recoup Any Losses .................................... 113

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Internet Royalties ............................................................... 115

How Royalties are Tracked ............................................... 116

How to Get Paid .................................................................. 118

How Song Writing Collaborations Work......................... 120

Professional Royalty Organizations (PROs) ................... 122

Do It Yourself Ethic ............................................................ 126

Booking Festivals ................................................................ 128

Summary.............................................................................. 138

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Becoming Chocolate Barbie

Foreword

I would be remiss if I did not begin by defining the word

“inspire.” From the English Dictionary, “inspire” is defined as “to fill someone with confidence and desire to do something.” I am a firm believer in inspiring others, especially young women, women entrepreneurs, and those women who you know are open to being mentored.

We as women have an obligation to nurture the world.

We are the nurturers, the mothers, the matriarchs, the queens, and the keepers of the populations. It is time that we take on our full responsibility to grow the world through inspiration and entrepreneurialism. Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, offers this advice to us as women, the nurturers, the mothers, the matriarchs, the queens, and the keepers of the populations. “If you are successful, it is because somewhere, sometime, someone gave you a life or an idea that started you in the right direction.

Remember also that you are indebted to life until you help some less fortunate person, just as you were helped.”

Becoming Chocolate Barbie is an inspirational guide to all female entrepreneurs of all races, colors, creeds, religions, and age. You cannot help but be inspired. The interview style allows you to be a part of the book and to engage as if you were asking the questions yourself.

Althea Rene’ shares her triumphs, insecurities, and lessons learned as a woman, a Black woman, and as a 8

Becoming Chocolate Barbie

dark-skinned Black woman in the music industry. But, then again, the book transcends all industries. Althea René addresses issues of women projecting hate on one another and how it can create self-hate. The book challenges women to do a better job at loving one another, instead of ‘Hatin’. The hate and scorn that is projected on other women from women is devastating and counterproductive. The book is about sharing truths to inspire and edify all women.

This book is sorely needed in the entertainment industry. Even in the 21st Century, where equality for all is said to be the agenda, women are still not treated equally based on their talents, skills, experience, and knowledge. Women are still labeled, denied, objectified, and then asked to take less pay. Althea Rene’ has decided to speak up and out loud about all things that are a hindrance and bottleneck for women in the entertainment industry. Yes, this book could not come at a better time, when “Me Too” means more than agreement…it’s a movement.

Lastly, when you read Becoming Chocolate Barbie, you will feel Althea Rene’s strength as a woman. She wrote this book to give strength to all those who read it…but, mainly for our nurturers, mothers, matriarchs, queens, and keepers of the populations. From the words of Michelle Obama, “The women we honor today teach us three very important lessons. One that as women we must stand up for ourselves. The second, as women, we 9

Becoming Chocolate Barbie

must stand up for each other. And finally, as women, we must stand up for justice for all.”

Dr. Karen Semien-McBride

Executive Coach, Business Owner, Entrepreneur

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Becoming Chocolate Barbie

Introduction

I have been a performing artist my entire adult life.

However, for 11 years, I also worked as a Wayne County Deputy Sheriff in Detroit, Michigan. Most of those years I worked as a jailer; I was in charge of inmates. For more than 30 years, I have aspired to be an authority on fashion and style. Because of my appearance, some of the prisoners nicknamed me “Black Barbie Doll.”

Because of my philosophy on life and the pride I have in my skin color, my husband thought the angle was clever and appropriate. He playfully changed the nickname to

“Chocolate Barbie.”

The term “Chocolate Barbie” has relevance for me because I loved collecting the popular dolls as a child.

Barbie was my first impression of what it meant to be a career woman. Barbie dolls have appeared as fashion models, astronauts, surgeons, Olympic athletes, rock stars, doctors, army officers, air force pilots, diplomats, presidential candidates, engineers, and many other careers. By creating a toy for girls with an adult fictional biography, Mattel enabled talented and confident girls to imagine becoming anything they desire.

Successful entrepreneurs are usually inspired by other successful entrepreneurs. “Modeling” is when a person does exactly what a particular successful person does so that they too can become successful someday. That means if women don't have great role models, especially 11

Becoming Chocolate Barbie

role models with whom they can identify, they experience a huge disadvantage. In my opinion, that is the greatest among the challenges facing women who want to start new ventures.

The manuscript was written in an interview format.

Because this book references my personal testimonials and experiences, your experiences may differ. Most of my insights reflect some type of pitfall or negative experience. I believe everyone learns more from their failures than their triumphs. Although my life is an extraordinarily happy one, I chose to let this book focus on the negative events that helped me grow the most.

Any women who aspire to a life in business can appreciate my encounters shared in Section One and Section Two. However, the information in Section Three is specific to the things I learned regarding the music industry. Hopefully, this book may help women of all backgrounds to recognize their potential and give them the confidence to try something new.

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PART ONE: Hard Lessons

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Becoming Chocolate Barbie

Chapter One:

How a Little Girl Began Playing the Flute

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Introduction to the Flute

Question: How did you choose the flute as your
instrument?

I have my older sister, Valerie, to thank for introducing me to the flute. Our childhood relationship was typical; every day I tried to hang out with her, and every day she would kick me out of the bedroom. She found me annoying, just like how most older siblings view their younger sisters.

I have fond memories of Valerie playing her favorite Stevie Wonders 45 ‘I Was Made to Love Her’ on her record player before school every morning. My sister was the kind of girl that was adored by the popular boys in school. She had long beautiful hair, and some people insisted that she looked like the 70s actor/singer Leslie Uggams.

In an effort to spend time with my big sister I would encroach on her private time in the sanctuary of the bedroom. Valerie played the flute in the school band, but she expressed that she had lost interest in it. One day as I enjoyed pestering her, I noticed her student model flute laying on the bed. I asked her if I could play it and she replied that I could have it. Sometimes I wonder if she offered me the flute so that I would leave her alone quicker. That was the day that my love affair with the flute began.

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Elementary School Band Sexism

Question: What was my earliest music-related
disappointment?

Answer: One of my earliest disappointments I can recall occurred when I was five or six years old. My older brother, Frank, and I were participating in a Pattengill Elementary School Fall Concert. I was a flutist in the first grade, and he was a trumpeter in the third grade.

After school, families would proudly attend the early-evening concert in support of the many young participants. The annual Friday evening concert was a big deal among the students, staff, and faculty.

My 30+ bandmates and I were very excited to perform for our family and friends. For weeks, I practiced daily in preparation for the show. Every day, I would forgo playing outside with friends so I could memorize my music parts. For hours and hours, my tiny fingers would move back and forth across my flute keys as I learned the song. After the hard work I put into learning “The Majestic March,” I was convinced my contribution to the concert would be a strong one. I eagerly anticipated the opportunity to show everyone my skill resulting from all of my dedication.

The band teacher, Mr. Atlas, was a stocky Black man with a close-shaven head and a receding hairline. His stature reminded me of a cartoon bulldog—large muscular chest and arms with small short legs. He had tiny dark eyes that were incapable of showing emotion.

Mr. Atlas had a special affection for my brother. He recognized Frank’s natural ability and cultivated it as best as he could. He treated Frank with an unfamiliar 16

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brotherly mentorship. Mr. Atlas gave Frank much more encouragement and guidance than he ever gave to me.

Whenever my brother and I were near our teacher together, I always had the uneasy feeling of being ignored.

The evening of the show, I was very excited. Watching the gymnasium fill up with parents and teachers gave me warm butterflies. I was giddy all day as I looked forward to hitting the stage. However, Mr. Atlas had different plans for me. In a disturbing monotone whisper, he asked me not to play any notes. Initially, I didn’t understand his instructions. Looking at the confused look on my little face, he took me by the arm and then told me to pretend to play. “Just to move your fingers and do not to blow into your instrument,” he said.

I was heart-broken. My brother Frank was encouraged to play while I was given instructions to remain quiet. I felt anger, disappointment, and humiliation all at the same time.

Lesson Learned: This was my first time experiencing sexism. Although I was hurt and humiliated, I had to overcome it. This was the first instance where it was obvious to me that, musically, I was in my older brother’s shadow. Over time, I learned to turn that empty feeling of rejection into drive and motivation. I had to become substantially better than my male counterparts to receive any recognition.

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Early Experiences with Colorism

Question: Did you ever experience colorism as a child?

Answer: I noticed at an early age that my struggle differed from the struggle of many of my friends. A chocolate-brown girl has challenges that boys and girls of lighter complexion will never experience. Many dark-skinned girls get teased from childhood. Imagine the path of psychological development that child experiences throughout life. In my case, I was somewhat fortunate because I had good parents and a good family, which provided a solid foundation for me to see myself as I do today. However, that still did not eradicate pains that I dealt with in childhood and especially the teenage years.

It is not unusual for dark-skinned Black women to go through much of their adulthood feeling insecure and insignificant in the very skin they occupy. In a perfect world, beauty would be as diverse as humanity. Sadly, that perfect world does not exist yet, although we try to resist and redefine what beauty is. The reality you have to deal with is that some people, and yes including Black people, are going to find you ugly solely because of your skin. There is nothing you can do about that.

It would be a liar if I said that I’ve never wished I was

“lighter” when I was a child. When the world’s messages 18

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to dark girls across the world are that lighter is better, you’re going to be affected by it in some way. While I actively and absolutely detest anything to do with skin lightening products, I understand why some women turn to it. When women are being conditioned to feel that their value is measured by how well their physical appearance “fits into a particular box,” then, of course, they’re going to try their hardest to fit in that box.

Lesson Learned: Confront your insecurities head-on.

Give yourself the freedom to argue that the world is unfair. Challenge yourself to see yourself as you deserve to be seen. In doing so, you will realize that you will teach little girls to be free from the shackles of issues that would have affected them too. The skin God gave you is beautiful. Own it, love it, take care of it, be proud of it.

If They Don’t Like Themselves,

They Won’t Like You

Question: Do any specific memories of colorism come to mind?

Answer: Mr. Eddy was an overweight, dark-skinned Black man with chronically blood-shot eyes. I assume he was in his mid-50s, but it was a challenge for me to guess the age of adults when I was a little girl. He owned a neighborhood store near the house where I grew up.

Every time I encountered him alone, he always had a scowl on his face. He seldom spoke to me, but when he did, it was with curt one-line comments. When I was six years old, I found him to be very intimidating.

My best friend, Wanda, was a pretty fair-skinned girl with long sandy brown hair. Adults complimented her on her beauty all the time. We would visit the store 19

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regularly and buy candy and other snacks. Although I never felt comfortable in the store, it was one of our favorite detours after school because it was quality time spent with my good friend. Mr. Eddy had a strong fondness for Wanda. He even made up a nickname for her; he called her “Peaches.” She had a magnetic way about her that made adults share kind words with her on a regular basis.

A beautiful summer afternoon was ruined by Mr. Eddy’s harsh rant toward me. When Wanda and I stopped by the store to purchase our customary Now & Laters and Honey Buns, he abruptly blocked my entrance into the store. With an angry tone you might use to scold a dog, he yelled at me to get away from the door. “You can’t come into my store again, but Peaches can come in,” is what he told me. Both Wanda and I were confused and shocked at his outburst.

Without provocation, Mr. Eddy annihilated the spirit of a little six-year-old girl. As I waited outside the store with tears running down my chubby brown cheeks, Wanda offered to go into the store and buy the snacks we wanted.

Lesson Learned: I didn’t learn the truth until I was much older. As I matured, I understood that Mr. Eddy was the type of dark-skinned man that did not like other dark-skinned people. Sadly, self-hate is common among many African Americans. Years of slavery, Jim Crow, wanton discrimination, and torment have emotionally damaged many Black people over several generations.

Today, I can easily spot a Black person with low racial-esteem. Typically, they attack Black public figures that aspire to social and racial change.

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I learned that some people will always dislike you ‘just because’. Often there is nothing you can do about that.

When people dislike you, generally they will treat you poorly. All you can do is roll with it and keep your distance. Continue to strive for excellence in spite of anything your naysayers may think of you.

Daddy’s Influence

Question: How did your father influence your
music career?

Answer: My father, Dezie McCullers, was one of the original trumpeters of Motown’s Funk Brothers. He was a seasoned musician who recorded in Motown’s horn section for almost 10 years. As a little girl, I remember seeing how my dad dressed in sharply tailored suits and cool Homburg hats. He always had the latest car that was immaculately maintained. He embodied my
impression of a superstar and I wanted to be just like him when I grew up. Periodically, performers like Diana Ross and Smokey Robinson would visit my home. On occasion, Smokey would practice with my cousin, Mikey McCullers. I often dreamed of recording with top artists and performing in nightclubs like my dad.

Unfortunately, my father expected me to follow the typical career path he deemed appropriate for a female.

His chauvinism was very apparent as he thought I should aspire to become a teacher, a nurse, or some other profession typically expected of girls. Chauvinism was just as common in my home as Saturday morning cartoons. I spent my entire childhood surrounded by male-dominated influences.

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My two older brothers, Dezie and Frank, were also very talented musicians. My brothers regularly received praise from my father, resulting in many hours of his music tutelage and guidance. When it came to music, I generally felt ignored. Dreams like mine were not encouraged because they were outside the norm of what was expected from females.

Question: Can you recall an instance where your dad’s chauvinism may have been an impediment
to your musical development?

Answer: Shortly after I graduated high school, I earned a Classico Scholarship to Howard University in Washington, DC. The problem was that it is customary for classical flautists to play an open-holed flute. An open-holed flute has holes in the keys, and I had never played one before. After studying very hard to become a classical musician with a closed-holed flute in high school, I learned that my index fingers were curved in a manner that would prohibit me from playing an open-holed flute with proficiency. If I began playing an open-holed flute as a child, my hands would have formed so that I could play an orchestra-style flute fluently.

My father and my childhood instructors failed to teach me about open- and closed-holed instruments, resulting in my hands not developing correctly. Professionals suggested that I get an open-holed flute when I was very young, but sadly my parents didn’t take the suggestion seriously. I remember my dad belligerently arguing that Charlie Parker played a saxophone that was held together with rubber bands. I can only assume that this outrageous claim was his male ego lashing out. Maybe he was experiencing discomfort with the inability to 22

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purchase the costly instrument for me. However, I always wondered if he would have made an effort to get an open-holed instrument for one of my brothers if it would have benefitted them.

Question: You mentioned that your father was
chauvinistic. Was he ever supportive?

Answer: Eventually, my father grew to be very proud of me. In spite of his chauvinistic ways in the beginning, he became an enormous fan. As my determination increased and my career flourished, he bragged on me to family and his friends. He respected my skill and my motivation.

In retrospect, I think that he was actually a little fearful of how toxic the recording industry can be toward women. He was a studio trumpeter for many Motown acts in the 60s and 70s. Over the years I am sure that he heard
many
horrifying
stories
regarding
the
mistreatment of various female performers. Sexual predators were everywhere. In his own way, I believe that he was trying to protect me from them. That may be why he initially tried to steer me away from popular music and toward classical music.

First Chair Fiasco

Question: What is your first memory of racial
discrimination in the music industry?

Answer: When I was a child, I practiced playing my flute daily; dreaming of someday becoming a concert flautist. As a 10th grade student at Cass Tech High 23

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School, I was a member of the prestigious classical orchestra. Every Tuesday morning at 7 am, the band instructor scheduled auditions for first chair. Mr. Davis was a short, Polish gentleman in his early 40s with a meek demeanor. Every day, he wore tweed sports jackets, khaki pants, and scuffed burgundy loafers. All day his breath somehow carried the strong medicinal scent of Listerine. He reminded you of the kind of white person that never had any Black friends and as a result, had an elevated discomfort whenever he was around many African Americans.

The ‘first chair’ is the coveted lead position among classical orchestra musicians. The first chair musicians of an orchestra have earned the responsibility of performing the most difficult parts by proving that they have the greatest skill among their peers. The 7 am challenge sessions Mr. Smith established were meant to be standing appointments. The intention was for students to arrive at school early so that they could challenge for the chair they wanted in the band. It was the responsibility of the band instructor, the current chair holder, and the challenger to be prepared to play in the orchestra room at 7 am.

A pretty, moderately talented, 12th-grade Italian girl named Karen held the first chair flautist position. She was clearly the teacher’s pet. Mr. Davis treated her better than most of my other classmates on a regular basis. Because Karen was not a very strong musician, she made many mistakes. Mr. Davis asked me to play the first chair song parts for her whenever she made an error. She simply did not have the skill to play the parts proficiently without my assistance.

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I prepared to challenge her every week. However, I was frequently faced with passive-aggressive opposition from the instructor. Either he was late to the scheduled session or he would argue that Karen was not available to defend her spot. Week after week, Mr. Davis would find reasons to cancel my challenge sessions, arguing that either he or Karen was not available for that particular day. He repeated this series of excuses for months. For some reason unknown to me, he was determined to keep her in that first chair spot.

Daily, Karen made mistakes on intricate classical pieces.

However, I distinctly remember her butchering Dvorak’s

“Serenade in D Minor.” After growing more and more annoyed, on a frigid winter morning, I demanded an explanation from the teacher. With the bluntness of a tack hammer, I asked, “why can’t I challenge for the first chair if I always have to play it for her?” In retaliation for standing up for myself, Mr. Davis yelled at me. Tiny grey hairs flared from his nostrils as a lonely blue vein throbbed in the center of his pale forehead. Small angry drops of saliva launched their way from his mouth as he barked at me while kicking me out of the orchestra room.

My reward for growing tired of helping Karen and standing up for myself was the humiliation of a week of after-school detentions.

Lesson Learned: I had never been in detention before. This was an instance when a man of authority has chosen their favorite female for a coveted position although she was not the best choice. Some people do not know how to be professional, and they let their bias get in the way of a good or logical decision. All I can do is to continue to do my best. My skill will be recognized; fans will notice, and I will be rewarded.

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Chapter Two:

Chocolate Barbie is Born

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A Young Rookie in the Music Biz

Question: How did you get started in the music business?

Answer: I got started in the jazz music business in a really unlikely way. Although I was classically trained, I started experimenting with jazz music in local clubs throughout the DC area. Jam Sessions were very popular, and I made it a point to participate in as many as I could. I was met with opposition from many musicians. Most of the opposition came from older men.

Frequently they would ask me silly questions like “do you have your flute with you,” “do you know how to play,” and very condescending comments like: “do you sound as good as you look?”

Lesson Learned: Men can be chauvinistic. I had to work hard to prove that I belonged. My skill had to be stronger than many of my male counterparts to command the respect that I deserved.

The Rise of ‘SolarFunk’

Question: How would you describe your
experience starting your own band?

Answer: In my early 20s, I needed to start my own jazz band because most other bands did not want to include a flute as a lead instrument. Generally, the only role reserved for females in jazz/funk bands was that of a vocalist. Although I could “carry a tune,” singing was not my strength or my passion.

If I was to perform regularly, it was up to me to create my own band. The name of my first band was

“SolarFunk.” Although the name seems a little corny 27

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now, I was really proud of myself. Because I already established a positive reputation around town by performing with a popular band called ‘David Myles & Milestone’, I could book my band without much resistance from club owners.

A challenge that I did not anticipate was one of age discrimination. As I worked to establish my band, I was often accused of being too young to understand jazz.

Both musicians and patrons, ranging from early 30s to late 60s, would argue that it was impossible for me to be proficient because I was from the wrong era. One day, a loud-mouthed gentleman told me that he doubted I could be entertaining because my musical vocabulary wasn’t large enough.

It was an uphill battle to gain the respect of some of my fellow musicians. Many of the guys did not want to take instruction from a woman. Often they did not want to rehearse my original material or learn new and innovative arrangements; they just wanted to cover songs they were already familiar with. That was never good enough for me. Often, male musicians wanted to lazily play the popular songs that they already knew.

Some were defiant and refused to learn new material.

Motivating male bandmates to learn new songs with intricate parts was a challenge.

Many years ago, my father gave me a powerful nugget of advice that will never forget. Because he was an experienced bandleader, he encouraged me to take charge of any endeavor that “had my name on it.” He knew first-hand that to be successful, I would have to demand respect from my subordinates.

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I recall an incident where I had to fire a bass player from an outside performance at Detroit’s Belle Isle Park. I would call out songs, and he would reply with a sorry excuse and a condescending smirk as to why he did not know the song. Because I provided him with material to learn and he failed to do it, I had to make an example of him. At the end of the first set, I replaced him. I contacted another bass player that lived nearby, and I asked him if he could be on stage in 30 minutes.

Although the replacement bass player did not know all of the songs from my set list, he was a strong improvisational performer. I figured that if I were forced to play with someone who didn’t know my songs, I would choose to perform with someone who at least respected me. We muscled our way through the second set. My new bass player was able to successfully fake his way through the show.

Lesson Learned: The responsibility of “everything”

falls on the leader. Respect from bandmates/employees is crucial. You must insist that your employees learn the music you want them to learn. Otherwise, your career will not flourish.

In Pursuit of My First Recording Contract

Question: How would you describe your efforts
to acquire your first recording contract?

Answer: By the time I reached my mid-20s, I was performing on a regular basis and building a name for myself around metro-Detroit. I felt like I was ready to go to the next level. My definition of “the next level” was for me to pursue a recording contract. I eagerly researched the popular record labels and established a contact list.

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I created a demo cassette tape that included a number of original tunes and a popular cover song by Annie Lenox.

I then naively mailed dozens of copies of my tape to record executives expecting to hear from them. It never happened.

After many months of rejection, on a muggy summer evening, my actions finally led to a meeting in a Detroit nightclub with an A&R person from Atlantic Records.

He was a tall, lean, and handsome African-American man in his late 30s. He was nicely groomed with a very short haircut and manicured mustache. His quiet, laid-back demeanor was misleading. Although I forgot his name, I could never forget how horrible his comments made me feel after we met. Initially, I thought he was going to help me, but his hidden agenda soon became clear. Wearing a navy blue three-piece pin-stripe suit, tailored white shirt, and a pink paisley necktie, he changed my perception of the music business forever.

With a faint scent of cigarettes and expensive sweet cologne, he told me that if I was willing to do “certain things,” he may be able to introduce me to the right people to get an audition. When I asked what “certain things,” he replied in a cryptic manner “whatever comes up with whomever.” I argued that when I become successful in the music industry, it was going to be on the strength of my talent. He laughed as he blustered that I will never be successful because nobody gets any breaks in “the business” unless they are willing to do whatever is required. His implication that I had to sleep with him and his associates to excel in the music business was really discouraging.

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Some women with dreams of stardom mistakenly assume that awkward and humiliating sex with people of authority is the only way to gain notoriety in the entertainment business. When you are a young female entertainer, men of influence often make it seem like sexual exploitation is an appropriate practice. In my opinion, if you have to behave like a whore, you will never earn the respect necessary to achieve great things in the industry.

Lesson Learned: Sadly, women get mistreated in various industries all over the world. The entertainment industry comes with a lot of B.S. and horrible things happen every day. You must assess your value and your standards. The challenge is to identify danger early.

Unsavory ultimatums are frequently given to artists. If you don’t know yourself, you may be victimized by people with power.

You don’t have to know what you will do to achieve success. But you must know what you won’t do.

Insecurities, whether it be your body image, how you sound, what you say, who you date, will be fed by negative people. You must learn to walk away.

Integrity Equals Respect

Question: Have you acquired recording
contracts without compromising your integrity?

Answer: Yes. I'm happy to say that after many years of demeaning conversations with slimy perverts and morally bankrupt liars, I respectfully acquired my first P&D (package and distribution) contract with a major label. Over the past 20+ years, God has blessed me with many different types of recording contracts and music 31

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distribution deals. I never had to do anything to be ashamed of. As a result, I can maintain the respect of my colleagues.

Many years ago, Jazz Singer Nancy Wilson shared some of her wisdom with me. She told me that if I aspire to be an entertainer, I must understand that I may become a target for rumors. If you exist in this world as a female with a platform, in the age of social media, there is a chance you can experience negativity from others.

No One Wants to See a Sloppy Flute Player

Question: How do you feel about Health and

Fitness?

Answer: In my opinion, it is the most important thing to help maintain proficiency and longevity. My family and friends often made wisecracks about my diet. As a Wayne County Deputy Sheriff, it was customary for my fellow officers in the Wayne County jail to order food from nearby Greektown eateries for breakfast and lunch.

Greektown is a historic commercial and entertainment district in Detroit, Michigan near the county jail. The district is dominated by Greek-themed restaurants.

Although tasty, much of the carb-rich food was not suitable for me to maintain the low-carb/high protein diet that I desired.

Because my fitness was very important to me, I decided to bring my breakfast and lunch to work. My female colleagues would periodically tease me with semi-rude comments. It became an ongoing ritual. I would get pelted with barbs like “all she eats is tree bark” and

“don’t invite her to come with us, she’ll just chew on the ice cubes.” The non-stop ridicule left me feeling 32

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uncomfortable around my some of my fellow officers. I felt like an outcast.

To help add to my discomfort, I learned that I could not argue with a group of people about good eating habits. If I were to rebut any of their comments, it would turn into a big argument. I could not successfully argue logic to a group of people who shared an unwavering negative sentiment toward diet and fitness. Over time, I got the impression that my colleagues didn’t really want me around because I reminded them of what they should be doing.

Lesson Learned: I could not let my negative surroundings distract me from my fitness goals. I had to maintain my discipline. My approach to physical fitness is very specific. If you change your mind, you will change your body. The beauty of this approach is when you focus on doing your best; you will look your best.

Question: Do you have a particular fitness
philosophy?

Answer: Absolutely! I drink lots of water, love fresh fruits and veggies, and I seldom miss workouts. A positive attitude is required, it is not optional.

I work on myself from the inside out. I strongly believe that people get fit from the center, which means thinking positively, speaking affirmatively, and moving actively. I heard this motto somewhere and I’ve adopted it as my own: "train the mind, work the body, lift the spirit."

Women can be sexy and self-assured in all shapes and sizes. I use fitness to build confidence, positive self-33

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image, and celebration and reverence for the female form. Fitness is sexy. I do all I can to be focused and dedicated.

Blue Note Disappointment

Question: How did you acquire your stage
image/persona?

Answer: Many years ago, my former college roommate, Denise, organized a concert showcase. She personally knew jazz icon George Butler and she happily arranged a showcase for me at Detroit’s popular Club Penta. Butler was an impeccably dressed Executive and A&R man for Blue Note Records. I was so excited to meet him; I felt like a little girl meeting Santa Claus for the first time. As if a light electric current was running just beneath my skin, I felt an indescribable energy. I eagerly anticipated wowing him with my ‘chops’ and becoming another one of his protégés.

George Butler was a man of distinction that launched the careers of many now-famous jazz artists such as Bobbie Humphrey, Wynton Marsalis, and Harry Connick Jr. I was going to be next on his list. My friend Denise encouraged him to fly all the way from New York to see my 45-minute show.

I surrounded myself with strong musicians to ensure that I could deliver a spectacular performance. David Myles and Milestone was the hottest band in metro-Detroit at that time. My guitarist, keyboardist, bassist, and drummer were all masters of their crafts. Everyone knew their parts and we were ready to annihilate the stage. The concert set list consisted of high energy renditions of popular cover songs like Luther Vandross’

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‘Never Too Much’ and standards like ‘Summer Time’. I played only a few original songs, one of which was my popular hit ‘Cook & Vandervender’.

From the stage, I could not see George Butler clearly.

The venue was dark and the stage lights were in my eyes.

However, my band and I delivered the strongest performance we could. Everyone killed their solos and remembered the freshly altered arrangements of each and every song. I could only assume that he was enjoying the performance. I was confident that was one of my best concerts to date.

Sadly, when I was in my late 20s, I had the misconception that I had to dress with over-the-top sparkles to make an impression on stage. As a testimony to my presentation immaturity, I was extraordinarily overdressed for the event. My hair was stacked and shellacked 12 inches above my scalp. Dressed in a flashy form-fitting red sequence dress and matching red sequence shoes, I looked more like I belonged in a Christmas pageant than I did leading a jazz band. My stage identity was not clearly defined and my appearance made that apparent.

When we spoke after my performance, he crushed my spirit. He told me that he did not know how to market me as an artist. Although he complimented me on my beautiful playing, he claimed that he could not determine who I was as an artist.

Lesson Learned: That was when I started building my brand. My sound and my fashion style needed an overhaul. I had to strategically determine who I wanted my stage persona to be.

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I also had to learn more about how I can serve the needs of the people that can help me. Because George Butler already had flutist Bobbie Humphrey on his roster, he probably didn’t need another flute player. I must do my homework before approaching record executives in the future.

Cheated Out of Payment

Question: Were you ever cheated out of payment for a performance?

Answer: Sadly, it has happened more than once. For example, one chilly autumn evening early in my music career, my band had a gig at a small downtown Detroit nightclub. The new venue gained popularity among music fans quickly. It was the type of establishment that would appear one day and vanish within a year or two.

In retrospect, I imagine it was probably an illegal front to help launder money from unsavory activity.

My young four-piece band and I performed for approximately four hours that night. We were energetic, happy, and eager to entertain the people. The crowd enjoyed our performance and we received many compliments. Because we were young and the club was so new, we understood that we would not earn very much money that day. The wage we agreed upon was $60 per person.

The owner of the establishment dressed like a stereotypical pimp. He wore a red pin-striped silk suit with red alligator shoes and several gold neck chains.

The chains were worn over his white tailored shirt and matching necktie. His skin was fair and his keen facial 36

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features were hard. He stood just over five feet tall but had a demeanor that made it clear to people that he was not to be messed with. The thick mustache on his face looked like it may have covered a scar on his lip.

At 1 am when our final set came to an end, I waited for the owner to come out from his back office so that he could pay me. Almost an hour had passed and the owner still was not available. As I continued to wait for him, I began loading my audio equipment into my car.

When I tried to re-enter the club, I was greeted by the owner and his ‘goon’. His henchman was well over six feet tall and had the stature of an NFL linebacker. He was a dark-skinned mountain of muscle with a wide nose and thick ashy lips. He had an expressionless look on his face. All I could see in his eyes was emptiness. I got the impression that he was some sort of a bodyguard and that he has hurt people before. As I stood in front of the club, the owner said only one thing, “the club didn’t make no money.”

Passionately I expressed the need for payment because my bandmates and I deserved to be compensated. As I tried to walk closer the owner, his goon pointed a sawed-off shotgun in my face. In front of my entire band, the bodyguard angrily yelled me to get me “to get the fuck off his property.” In my anger, I lost the better part of my judgment and began screaming that the both of them.

“That’s not right, that’s not right.” Luckily, my bandmates forcefully dragged me away from the building so that I did not make the situation worse.

All but one of my bandmates were sympathetic and told me that they were willing to take a partial payment for 37

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their work that night. Although he witnessed the ugly confrontational dialogue first hand, the keyboard player demanded that he get all of this money immediately. I paid my band from my pocket that night.

Three years later I saw the club owner at another jazz venue. He asked to speak with me. I didn’t know what to expect. Apologetically he asked me how much money he owed me from that night. I told him $400. He acknowledged that his behavior was inappropriate and he handed me $500 cash an asked for my forgiveness.

Lesson Learned: Because the entertainment business can be a little risky, I always try to eliminate problems before they can occur. Nowadays I only perform if I get a deposit payment in advance and my balance payment before I hit the stage. I don’t put a performance date on my calendar until deposit is paid and a contract is signed. Although on occasion things can still go wrong, I have found that handling my business this way eliminates much of the drama I experienced early in my career.

The Ugly Jealousy of Some Women

Question: How do you handle women ‘hating’ on
you?

Answer: Sadly, women can be more misogynistic than our male counterparts. Women can keep each other down without any influence from men.

I worked as a law enforcement officer for 11 years in Detroit, Michigan. When I was a Deputy Sheriff with Wayne County, my commanding officer was a petty and disruptive female sergeant. She caused me grief daily.

She was a stout fair-skinned Black woman in her late 40s 38

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who seemed to always be angry. The shape of her wide lips made her appear to always have a pained grimace. I assume that she was jealous of my music career. We were not friends and I had to tolerate her ongoing annoyances.

For example, it was understood that officers could take short personal mobile phone calls while working in the courtroom. Officers would routinely have phone calls so long as they did not interfere with the performance of their duties. Her desk was in a small office and she could monitor officers’ activity via video monitors. When she saw me on the phone she would embarrass me by calling me into her office over the loudspeaker. Because her bullying was so overt, other officers would sympathize with me. She would frequently single me out and give me reprimands.

On a power trip one day, she called me from my desk and asked me to her office. I had to walk several yards.

She tried to bully me into making instant oatmeal for her. In disbelief I asked her if she was serious; oatmeal from a packet and hot water. Her reply was that she liked the way that I make it. I refused to make the oatmeal for her, explaining that it wasn’t hard and she can do it herself.

I complained to her commanding officer on multiple occasions regarding her bullying. Not completely understanding the twisted dynamic some females share, the male Lieutenant simply suggested that I stay out of her way. I did the best I could to give her space, but she continued to find ways to pick at me during the workday.

My sergeant often created and changed department rules to suit her needs. In an attempt to follow the 39

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Lieutenant’s advice, I started spending my lunch hour away from the courthouse. I would change out of my uniform into my civilian clothes so that I could spend a pleasant 30 minutes outside uninterrupted by anyone. It is impossible to be incognito in a police uniform. An officer can never relax while in uniform because someone will always want something from you while you are trying to mind your own business. Shortly after the Sergeant learned of what I was doing, she gave everyone instructions not to change into their civilian clothes while on break.

After a series of her petty barbs, I took a short leave of absence from the department so that I could take care of my ailing 13-year-old son. The break from her ongoing bullying was pleasant. After two weeks away from her constant annoyance, my sergeant began pressuring me to come back to work. The ultimatum she gave me was to return to duty before my target date or lose my rank.

Shortly after my correspondence with the Wayne County Sheriff Department HR division regarding my options, I submitted my resignation.

Lessons Learned: My sergeant’s horrible behavior was a blessing in disguise. Her relentless bullying actually encouraged me to leave the police department and pursue my music career full time. Women are sometimes driven by jealousy, envy, and spite. Your success may remind some people of their own shortcomings. To help minimize conflict with women, it is wise to limit conversation about yourself with them.

You can be as polite as you can, as helpful as you can, and you will still may find that will feel like the outcast among certain groups of women.

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Question: Have you experienced any overt
jealousy among females in the music business?

Answer: Yes. However, most of the women I interact with today are strong, accomplished, and confident.

Jealousy among confident women seldom occurs.

I remember an incident where a young female saxophonist accused me of playing too long and reducing her stage time. We were two acts among a long list of performers at a popular jazz festival. She was scheduled to perform immediately after me. She was a pretty woman in her late 20s with moderate talent. She had little experience and did not appear to be seasoned.

When I returned to our shared dressing room after my set, she began screaming at me. Her volume was so loud that other musicians came to the room to help resolve the disturbance.

All Divas are Not Female

Question: Have you been denied the respect you are entitled?

Answer: At large jazz festivals, it is customary for artists to share dressing rooms on a rotating schedule with other artists that perform throughout the day.

Generally, performers would have the dressing room from one hour before their performance until 30
minutes after their performance. After the final 30
minutes, the dressing room is assigned to another artist.

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A few years ago I had a conflict with the very rude road manager of a popular Grammy-winning Artist As I was in a dressing room preparing for my jazz festival performance, the road manager arrogantly barged in.

With a condescending tone, he demanded that I leave the suite and find somewhere else to get dressed. The suite was huge. It had two rooms and a single large common area chairs and sofas. He argued that entire suite belonged to his artist for the whole day.

Although his artist was not scheduled to perform for another five hours, the road manager gave me instructions to leave the area. I was scheduled to hit the stage in less than an hour, but he offered no solution.

Because the situation made no sense to me, I contacted the festival promoter so that he could resolve the problem.

A few minutes later the festival promoter arrived, and we explained the dilemma. Rather than urge the road manager and allow me to share the suite with his artist for an hour, the promoter chose to support the Grammy-winner’s manager. After a few moments of thought, he suggested I get dressed in the common bathroom reserved for the backstage staff and sound engineers.

The restroom was small. The lights were dim, the mirror was tiny, and an annoying number of workers constantly knocking on the door so that they could use the toilet was enormous. I was embarrassed to be denied an authentic dressing room.

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To make matters worse, as I made my way to the tiny restroom, the road manager made crude jokes about wishing he could watch me get dressed. He made these insulting comments as he professed how beautiful he thought I was. It sucks to be objectified and embarrassed
while
being
denied
common
accommodations.

Lesson Learned: Incidents like this give me the motivation to create my own competitive jazz events.

The music business does not treat everyone fairly and on occasion, the more popular male acts can dictate how other acts get treated. Sometimes there is nothing you can do when the ‘powers that be’ don’t support you.

Although I’ve been in the business for decades, performed all over the world, and even had a number one song; I was being treated like a ‘newbie.’ When you are employed by promoters, you sometimes must deal with the sour feeling of being treated with less respect than you deserve.

Inconsiderate Colleagues

Question: What are your views on strong
communication skills among your colleagues?

Answer: Communication among performers is frequently a challenge. Many musicians and promoters have a very relaxed demeanor and don’t always take time-sensitive matters seriously.

A few summers ago I had a weekend performance in Florida. It was the first year for this outdoor event that 43

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featured several R&B and Jazz artists over three days.

This festival took place in a beautiful venue and the artist's accommodations were nearby luxurious
condominiums. Because this event was new, I assume that the staff was inexperienced because communication was so poor. Several weeks leading up to the event, I asked for a detailed itinerary multiple times. Via text and email, the event team only provided me with fragmented information that did not answer all of my concerns. I never received the information I requested in its entirety.

An R&B vocalist that performed the day before was still in my condo when I arrived. Fatigued from my lengthy flight, I noticed that the kitchen area, living room, dining room, and master bedroom were littered with her personal belongings. She was scheduled to check out of the condo several hours before my arrival. She simply refused to leave and the people at the front desk were not helpful.

During my stay, she continued to occupy the master bedroom and I had to sleep in a tiny room that seemed more appropriate for a child. It had a bunk bed. To make matters worse, her 55-year-old male cousin occupied the common area. His slim ill-shaped form lazily stretched across the sofa all day in nothing but stained boxer shorts annoyed me beyond description.

Although I was a concert headliner, I was forced to tolerate a strange man invading my space before and after my show.

Lesson Learned: As a result of poor communication and planning, I was extraordinarily uncomfortable during that weekend. The vocalist and her cousin 44

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dominated the master bedroom and common areas.

With better communication, this would have never happened. If the event staff were more professional about correspondence, we could have discussed the accommodations in more detail. I would have been able to describe what conditions would be acceptable. My expectations were very different from what actually transpired.

Professional Etiquette

Question: How important is courtesy and
respect among musicians?

Answer: A flute teacher and performer posted video clips of herself doing my songs without my permission.

At first, I was flattered when I saw that someone chose to perform one of my tunes. However, the warm and fuzzy feeling disappeared when I learned that she had recorded a concert of herself performing a half dozen of my songs. All of the songs were from my current concert set list.

As a music professional, I love to learn that my music has touched the hearts of music fans and inspired fellow musicians. I urge musicians to study, teach, and hone their craft. Every day that passes is an opportunity to learn something new from colleagues. However, she went way too far when she began posting videos of herself performing my songs on social media.

Unfortunately, some music fans that don’t know any better may mistake her performance for mine.

I don’t think she meant any malice. Because she was primarily a flute teacher and not a touring artist, I believe she just didn’t understand rules of the stage. It is 45

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important that musicians understand the professional courtesy typically shared among most performing artists.

There is an unwritten rule that musicians do not perform the active titles of other artists that play the same instrument. For example, a bass player shouldn’t publicly play a tune that is in Marcus Miller’s current concert set list. The only exception is if you are doing a

‘tribute show’ in honor of a specific artist, for example, Michael Jackson, Elvis, and Prince Impersonations.

Generally, when instrumentalists perform other musicians’ work, the song utilizes a different lead instrument, the song is several years old, or the artist that initially recorded the song has passed away. It is important the performers are mindful of the unspoken consensus shared among musicians when publicly performing cover songs.

Question: Any other courtesies young musicians should know about?

Answer: Absolutely. Just be polite. Most things are common sense. For example, if a performer invites you to perform with them on their live show, you must remember that you are a guest. Behave like a guest.

Don’t try to over-play or steal the stage. Your presence should enhance the concert experience, not take it over.

Over the years, I’ve known some silly young musicians that would brag about how they ‘burned’ another older/
seasoned artist when they shared the stage together.

Young cocky musicians like that seldom get called back.

They sabotage their careers with their arrogance.

Although they can play well, their behavior makes other 46

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musicians and promoters think that they may be troublesome. The main thing to remember is that colleagues and promoters must consider you a pleasure to work with if they are going to ever call you.

Question: Have you ever had to deal with
musicians that are under the influence of drugs or alcohol?

Answer: Sadly, I have worked with musicians that were high on marijuana before. I hate it. Over the years, irresponsible musicians have forgotten my music arrangements while on stage because their minds were not sharp. I find it insulting when a fellow musician performs with their wits and their dexterity impaired.

In my opinion, a professional person would never go to work under the influence of drugs. For some reason, a certain type of person thinks that it is acceptable for their employer to see them under the influence of a debilitating substance.

Lesson Learned: I have fired musicians off of gigs before. I cannot work with musicians that don't respect their craft enough to be sober during a performance.

They don’t take their responsibility to my show and to the audience seriously. An artist can never bring their

“A-game” if her band is “buzzed.”

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Pervert Politician

Question: Do you have experience avoiding
unwanted sexual advances?

Answer: When I was in my mid-20s, I had a gig at a popular club called Mystros in Detroit. Because my car was in the shop for repairs, I asked my friend, who happened to be a performing vocalist that evening, to take me home after the show. Unbeknownst to me, she was in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend.

Halfway through my last set of the night, her boyfriend came to the club and they began to argue. The result was that she left me at the club without a ride home.

Senator Henry Stallings II was at the show. He was a respected man and substantially older than me.

Although I didn’t personally know him, his full manicured beard and horn-rimmed glasses were familiar to all of the regulars in the Detroit jazz community. He was a big fan of live music.

After the show, the Senator knew of my dilemma and he offered to give me a ride home. Because he was a respected State official, I did not see anything wrong with accepting his help. Since I didn’t have many options at 2:30 in the morning, I happily accepted his offer. He helped to load my Mackie 4-channel mixer, effects module, and mic stand into the trunk of his dark luxury sedan.

In addition to being an active Senator, he owned several check cashing stores in the area. After we’d been driving for a few minutes, he told me that he needed to stop by one of his check-cashing locations before he could drop me off at home. I was a little uncomfortable with the 48

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detour because we were parked in a sketchy
neighborhood and I had almost $3000 in live audio equipment in his car. After weighing my options with my flute bag in hand, I chose to go with him into the building.

Within two minutes of entering his check-cashing store, he dragged me into a back room against my will.

Nothing was in the room except for an old black sofa with gross stains all over it. My fight-or-flight instincts went into full throttle. I tried to break free from his grasp but he forced me onto the couch and began to kiss me on my neck and face. His disgusting sticky saliva coated the entire left side of my face. I fought him off as best as I could, but he was too strong and much too heavy. In his attempt to rape me he tore favorite dress.

I was lucky that he wasn't able to maintain an erection.

Because he was unable to perform he decided to take me home. It was a bizarre and unpleasant experience to walk from the sofa back to his car. It was a long, uncomfortable, and awkward 20-minute drive to my house. I couldn’t get my belongings out of his car fast enough once he parked the car.

When the assault occurred, I didn't think that anyone would believe me. I was a young musician and he was much more powerful than me, physically and
professionally. He was a beloved senator. It was the most powerless I have ever felt in my life. Regretfully, I never reported the incident to the authorities. When he died in September of 2015, I learned that this was common behavior for him. Many women were victimized by him. He was a rapist.

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Question: Was that the only frightening incident you experienced?

Answer: Women have a burden that our male counterparts don’t share. We must always be on guard.

I understand why huge stars have bodyguards and an entourage. Creepy sexual advances are more frequent than most people would like to admit. Actions as innocent as posing for photographs can turn
uncomfortable for female performers.

Posing for photographs with fans after live concerts is customary. Many men have tried to sneak a grope across my butt or my breasts immediately after the photo is taken. When I fuss about the intrusion, they act as if it were an accident. The adolescent behavior exhibited by some grown men is really tiresome and pathetic.

I recall an incident when I was performing at an event in Killeen, Texas several years ago. My dressing room had a defective door. It would not close and lock properly. I asked a female acquaintance to stand outside the door as I changed clothes. Little did I know that she was an irresponsible person. After guarding the door for only a few minutes, she walked away and left it unattended without informing me.

The sound engineer for the event was a popular man among many musicians in the area. He was a lean light-skinned Black man with a shaven head. He was a loud trash talker but was good at his job. He ran sound for many artists in that region although there were rumors that he could be disrespectful to women. Most musicians overlooked his oddities because they appreciated his skill.

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The sound engineer knew I was alone in my dressing room preparing for my show. He took advantage of the broken lock and burst his way into the room. He caught me by surprise as he got a glimpse of me topless. In an angry reflex, I slammed his arm in the door as hard as I could. I tried to break it off at his elbow. Afterward, with a horny grin, he had the nerve to tell me “you look good!”

Lesson Learned: I did the best I could to spread the word about the sound man’s behavior. Soon musicians throughout Central Texas heard of his actions and refused to work with him. He lost many opportunities to run sound for international artists for more than a year.

Today, I still deal with occasional slimy sexual advances from promoters and club owners. The entertainment business is filled with many horrible people (men and women). Sexual advances can come in many forms. In spite of being happily married, concert promoters, club owners, and sound engineers still proposition me regularly.

For success in this business, it is crucial for you to surround yourself with reliable people you trust. Some entertainment professionals are good, honest, and fair people. However, many are not. I travel with my husband as frequently as I can to limit the uncomfortable
encounters
with
other
music
professionals.

When propositioned by colleagues, you must maintain your professionalism and steer a sexually-charged conversation back to business. I’ve learned not to get too 51

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personal with people because in many cases you open yourself to unwanted advances.

Question: Have you ever had a weird fan or a
stalker?

Answer: When I was 19 or 20, my father hosted a popular Thursday night jam session at the Visgar Inn in River Rouge, Michigan. The city is on the south-west side of Detroit. The Visgar was the kind of environment that cultivated rising young talent. Saxophone icon Kenny Garrett was among the many successful
instrumentalists that started their career there.

While enjoying an evening at the jam session with my fellow musicians, I met an odd man named Michael. He was small in stature and at least 15 years my senior. His thin black hairline receded from his bulbous scalp.

Michael had no facial hair and very smooth brown skin.

With his small almond shaped eyes, I would occasionally catch him staring at me from across the club.

Eventually, he struck up a pompous conversation with me, which reminded me of an annoying telemarketer.

Although most of the words that came out of his mouth seemed like bizarre utterances of a clueless drinker; he suggested something that caught my attention. Michael recommended that I visit another club that featured a local band called “Cut Glass.”

Seasoned vocalists Millie Scott and Orthea Barnes were the driving forces of the group “Cut Glass.” They were 52

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the female icons of the Detroit music scene at that time.

They were in their early 30s, they had great stage presence, and the band was top-notch. In spite of having no recognition, the ladies were gracious enough to allow me to sit-in with them and share the stage. We happily performed up-tempo R&B and Funk tunes together. I was young, excited, and I over-played. It was a wonderful evening, and to this day I am thankful that they gave me the chance to perform with them.

Weeks later I saw Michael when I returned to the Visgar Inn jam session. He asked if I sat-in with “Cut Glass.”

When I replied that I had, he claimed that I owed him “a little something.” I explained to him that I did not get paid for the performance, but he did not care. He argued that he should be compensated for the exposure I received while performing with entertainers of that caliber. When I told him that he was not entitled to any payment from me; that was the beginning of my first experience with a stalker.

Michael’s peculiar behavior became very apparent and I began to fear for my safety. For months he hounded me for money. He was obsessed. I warned my father, fellow musicians, and friendly jam session regulars that Michael’s conduct was irrational. His annoying and anxious actions continued whenever he would see me in public.

One evening, I noticed Michael blinking very quickly as if he were under the influence of some type of psychotropic 53

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narcotic. Michael saw me before I could get away. He caused a loud and intrusive scene when he rushed toward me. Luckily he was intercepted by three of my fellow male musicians. He was forcefully escorted out of the establishment.

The men began to fight outside in the street. Although I was curious, my buddy Carlos urged me to stay indoors.

I could see the ugly skirmish through the window.

Michael’s mental capacity became clear to me when I saw him bite the bottom lip off of my friend’s face like a wild animal. It was one of the most ferocious things I have ever seen. Michael ran away into the darkness as my friends tended to Carlos’ severed lip. I was so traumatized by the incident that I did not return to the venue for many months.

Carlos’ face was severely disfigured. When I saw him again weeks later, I noticed that doctors reattached his lip to his face. The scar was crooked. His mouth looked uncomfortable and a little misshaped. The likelihood of Carlos ever playing the saxophone or the flute proficiently again seemed slim.

I went almost a year without another stalking incident from Michael. However, one afternoon as I performed at a public outdoor event, I heard a deranged voice from the crowd screaming that I owed him money. I immediately knew it was him and it made me fearful again. Park security swiftly neutralized the disturbance 54

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and forcefully escorted him away. Although I felt a little relieved, I knew that it wasn’t over.

Less than a week later I saw a disturbing news story on television. The channel 62 news team reported that a Michael had broken into a family’s home, raped a woman, and murdered her husband. I assume that he went to prison. I never saw him again.

Lesson Learned: Initially, I had no idea that Michael could be dangerous. I just thought he was an awkward guy that said weird things. Sadly, some people with mental defects are attracted to the world of entertainment. Many people that offer help have hidden agendas. Be leery of people that want to be in ‘the business’ but have no true affiliation or experience.

Many people do not understand the nuances of the entertainment business. Unreasonable expectations are common among people that are misinformed. I suggest working with only seasoned professionals and people that come highly recommended by colleagues you respect and trust. Surround yourself with an entourage of people that have your best interest.

Eliminate Toxic People from Your Life

Question: How do you handle people that you
find distracting?

Answer: Surrounding yourself with positive energy and positive people is crucial to achieving success. It is okay to be selfish when it comes to protecting your peace of mind. I have personally experienced situations where 55

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family members and friends have asked inconvenient and distracting favors at inopportune times. It is important to learn how to say “no.” Although it may feel a little uncomfortable, in the long run, you will retain control of your life.

Another annoying distraction is people who are chronic complainers. They frequently dump their problems on you, regurgitating story after peace-crippling story into your ear, never respecting the advice have you tried to provide. These types of people are soul-sucking pits of negative energy. People like them seldom offer anything positive.

Needy,
one-sided
relationships
are
excruciatingly draining.

Please do not mistake ‘protecting yourself from toxic people’ for ‘not being available to help a good friend’. A friend who has suffered a misfortune may on occasion need your insight. It is appropriate to assist them because this situation is very different from a nagging acquaintance that simply enjoys complaining. If a friend needs to talk about a problem and you mutually discuss possible solutions, offering your advice, that is okay.

There is an old saying, “just because someone was your friend 10 years ago, does not mean that they have been your friend for 10 years.” People outgrow each other the same way children outgrow their clothes.

Lesson Learned: When you incorporate positive energy into your life, you remove yourself from situations and relationships that are draining. You then find yourself acquiring the tools that take you to the top of your game. If you let the fear of not being able to attain your goals stop you, just stop dreaming altogether.

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When you surround yourself people with no life plan or people with low self-esteem, they bring you down with them.

There are several ways to clear your mind so that you can receive positive thoughts and limit the negative thoughts. Prayer and meditation are popular options.

Some people prefer fasting. Whatever it is you need to do, clear your mind and take back control of your life.

Put yourself in the right frame of mind and plan for your success.

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PART TWO: Roadmap to Success

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Chapter Three:

Fundamental Business Practices

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Importance of Setting Goals

Question: Are attainable goals crucial for
success?

Answer: If you want to succeed, you need to set goals.

Without goals, you lack focus and direction. Goal setting not only allows you to take control of your life's direction; it also provides you a benchmark for determining whether you are actually succeeding. Think about it: Having a million dollars in the bank is only proof of success if one of your goals is to acquire riches.

If your goal is to practice acts of charity, then keeping the money for yourself is suddenly contrary to how you would define success.

To accomplish your goals, you need to know how to set them. You can't simply say, "I want" and expect it to happen. Goal setting is a process that starts with careful consideration of what you want to achieve and ends with a lot of hard work to actually do it. In between, there are some very well-defined steps. Knowing these steps will allow you to formulate goals that you can accomplish.

Question: What steps do you take when setting goals?

Answer: My methods have changed over the years.

Currently, my goal-setting steps are:

1. Set Goals that Motivate You

When I set goals for myself, it is important that they motivate me. This means I make sure that goals are important to me. There must be value in achieving them.

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of putting in the work to make them happen are slim.

Motivation is key to achieving goals.

I set goals that relate to the high priorities in my life.

Without this type of focus, I may wind up with far too many goals, leaving too little time to devote to each one.

Goal achievement requires commitment; so to maximize the likelihood of success, I must feel a sense of urgency and have an "I must do this" attitude. When I don't have this, I risk putting off what I need to do to make the goal a reality.

2. Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals

You have probably heard of SMART goals already. I learned about the concept a few years ago. It’s a challenge, but I try to always apply the rule. The simple fact is that for goals to be powerful, they should be designed to be SMART:

• Specific

• Measurable

• Attainable

• Relevant

• Time Bound

Set Specific Goals

Goals must be clear and well defined. Vague or generalized goals are unhelpful because they don't provide sufficient direction.

Set Measurable Goals

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Include precise amounts, dates, and so on that can be measured within the goal. Without a way to measure success, I would miss out on the celebration that comes with knowing I have actually achieved something.

Set Attainable Goals

I make sure that it's possible to achieve the goals I’ve set.

Setting goals that I have no hope of achieving is silly.

However, I resist the urge to set goals that are too easy.

By setting realistic yet challenging goals, I can hit the balance I need. These are the types of goals that are challenging and they bring the greatest personal satisfaction.

Set Relevant Goals

My goals are relevant to the direction I want my life and career to take. By keeping goals aligned with this, maintain the focus needed to get ahead and do what I want. I try not to set widely scattered and inconsistent goals, and waste time.

Set Time-Bound Goals

Goals must have a deadline. Again, this means that I know when I can celebrate success. When working on a deadline, a sense of urgency increases and achievement will come that much quicker.

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Question: Do you have any other suggestions for goal setting?

Answer: Yes, write down the goals. The physical act of writing down a goal makes it real and tangible. You have no excuse for forgetting about it. As you write, use the word "will" instead of "would like to" or "might." For example, "I will reduce my operating expenses by 10
percent this year," not "I would like to reduce my operating expenses by 10 percent this year." The first goal statement has power and you can "see" yourself reducing expenses, the second lacks passion and gives you an excuse if you get sidetracked.

Post your goals in visible places to remind yourself every day of what it is you intend to do. Put them on your walls, desk, computer monitor, bathroom mirror, or refrigerator as a constant reminder.

Make an Action Plan

This step is often missed in the process of goal setting.

You get so focused on the outcome that you forget to plan all of the steps that are needed along the way. By writing out the individual steps, and then crossing each one off as you complete it, you'll realize that you are making progress towards your ultimate goal. This is especially important if your goal is big, demanding, or long-term. Read our article on Action Plans for more on how to do this.

Stick With It!

Remember, goal setting is an ongoing activity, not just a means to an end. Build in reminders to keep yourself on track, and make regular time-slots available to review 63

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your goals. Your end destination may remain quite similar over the long term, but the action plan you set for yourself along the way can change significantly. Make sure the relevance, value, and necessity remain high.

Importance of Good Communication

Question: What are your thoughts regarding
professional communication?

Answer: Clarity is key. I’ve been ‘burned’ a few times by being vaguely expressing my expectations. Jokingly, I tell people that I explain things to others as if I were talking to a 10-year-old. This helps to eliminate misunderstandings.

The purpose of communication is to get your message across to others clearly and unambiguously. Doing this involves effort from both the sender of the message and the receiver. It's a process that can be fraught with error, with messages often misinterpreted by the recipient.

When this isn't detected, it can cause tremendous confusion, wasted effort, and missed opportunity.

Communication is only successful when both the sender and the receiver understand the same information as a result of the communication.

By successfully getting your message across, you convey your thoughts and ideas effectively. When not successful, the thoughts and ideas that you convey do not necessarily reflect your own, causing a communications breakdown and creating roadblocks that stand in the way of your goals, both personally and professionally.

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Good Time Management Practices

Question: What steps do you take to manage
your time?

Answer: Time management is an important component of success. Personally, I am an early morning riser and I’ve learned that it is a great way to get many things accomplished. Just like the familiar slogan of the US

Army, “we get more done before 9 am than most people do all day,” I am most productive when I wake up early. I block out portions of my day and dedicate them to specific tasks. Otherwise, I may not have time to do them later in the day. I am seldom hard on myself if I don't accomplish everything I planned for a particular day. I pick up the next day and the next, as long as I move forward.

Practice the following techniques to become the master of your own time:

1. Carry a schedule and record all your thoughts, conversations and activities for a week. This will help you understand how much you can get done during a
day and where your precious moments are going.

You'll see how much time is actually spent producing results and how much time is wasted on unproductive thoughts, conversations, and actions.

2. Any activity or conversation that's important to your success should have a time assigned to it. To-do lists get longer and longer to the point where they're unworkable. Appointment books work. Schedule
appointments with yourself and create time blocks for high-priority thoughts, conversations, and actions.

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Schedule when they will begin and end. Have the discipline to keep these appointments.

3. Plan to spend at least 50 percent of your time engaged in the thoughts, activities, and conversations that produce most of your results.

4. Schedule time for interruptions. Plan time to be pulled away from what you're doing. Take, for instance, the concept of having "office hours." Isn't

"office hours" another way of saying "planned interruptions?"

5. Take the first 30 minutes of every day to plan your day. Don't start your day until you complete your time plan. The most important time of your day is the time you schedule to schedule time.

6. Take five minutes before every call and task to decide what result you want to attain. This will help you know what success looks like before you start. And it will also slow time down. Take five minutes after each call and activity to determine whether your desired result was achieved. If not, what was missing? How do you put what's missing in your next call or activity?

7. Put up a "Do not disturb" sign when you absolutely have to get work done.

8. Practice not answering the phone just because it's ringing and e-mails just because they show up.

Disconnect instant messaging. Don't instantly give people your attention unless it's absolutely crucial in your business to offer an immediate human response.

Instead, schedule a time to answer email and return phone calls.

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9. Block out other distractions like Facebook and other forms of social media unless you use these tools to generate business.

10. Remember it's impossible to get everything done. Also remember that odds are good that 20 percent of your thoughts, conversations, and activities produce 80
percent of your results.

Embrace Your Stubbornness

Question: What are your feelings regarding persistence?

Answer: I’ve been accused of being stubborn by the people who know me best. Most bands today are led by vocals, guitars, and saxophones. Because the flute is not a common lead instrument for a band, early in my career I was discouraged from my path. If I listened to all of the people that told me that I could not do it, I would be living an unfulfilled life as a Deputy Sheriff.

Persistence is necessary in order to move ahead in your life. You can't accept “No.” When someone tells me “no,” I hear “not right now.” It just makes me find an alternative way to achieve my goal. If I had a nickel for every time someone told me “no” I would be super-rich. People will deny your request for any reason. Too tall, too short, too old, too young, too dark, too light, too skinny, or too fat are all common excuses that often have nothing to do with your ability to accomplish your goal. The best thing to understand is that while one person tells you “no,”

there are others who will tell you “yes.” Be honest, always work hard, and remain humble.

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Be Awesome and Stand Out

Question: How did you go about building your
brand?

Answer: It was a wake-up call for me when Blue Note record executive George Butler told me that he didn’t know how to market me. I had to reinvent my image.

My meeting with him gave me my initial motivation to better define my ‘look’. Visually, everything from my physical fitness, hair, make-up, and clothing required close inspection. I made it a priority to learn as much as I could about fashion. Fondly called the “Chocolate Barbie” by my family, I perused the internet and fashion magazines to help educate myself with the attitude of an eager young student. I had to develop a strong understanding of what made me look best while performing. As a self-proclaimed ‘Glamazon’, it was my duty to become an authority on a classy-sexy image that suited my needs.

As an entertainer, it was important that I develop a style that was both visually appealing and functional from the stage. My stage attire had to accommodate wireless microphone and in-ear battery packs. Roughly the size of two decks of playing cards, the battery packs had to be fixed to a stylish belt and positioned at the small of my back during live performance. With such a constraint, I had to be clever with my clothing choices.

Reinvent my sound

A more difficult undertaking was to find my musical voice. For years my shows would consist of great songs that did not always go together well. I made the mistake common among many young musicians. I chose songs 68

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to impress fellow musicians that did not always appeal to my audience. As I matured, the songs I chose for my recordings and live performances were thoroughly scrutinized. I had to be strategic with the cover songs and original songs that I selected. With clever introductions and slick arrangements, they had to mesh well. A cohesive direction for my music was paramount.

I had to choose carefully which engineers, producers, and musicians to work with. The quality of the recordings could not be overlooked.

Social media

Cultivating my YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram accounts became an important part of building my brand. With a strong web presence, it became much easier to show the world who I am. Approximately every three to four months I flood the web with fresh photos from a recent photo shoot. Professional marketing and PR firms can help groom your image and create buzz. A strong social media strategy helps maintain your relevance in a constantly changing landscape.

However, you must be very careful with your word choice. Comments are taken out of context all the time.

If you aspire to be an entertainer, you must understand that you may become a target for rumors. If you exist in this world as a female with a platform, in the age of social media, there is a chance you will experience negativity from others.

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12 Habits Successful Women Share

Question: Have you learned anything particular from other women?

Answer: Every woman has her own definition of success. But there are certain traits that most successful women share. I spend a good part of my workday reading about women who have achieved great things, and I make it a point to surround myself with influential and creative women.

1. They are deeply passionate about what they
do.

If you don’t love what you do, you’re probably not going to be motivated to go above and beyond, to innovate and to stand out in the workplace. But if you’re passionate about your career, it will make putting time and effort into it pleasurable, not a chore.

2. They don’t expect perfection, of themselves or those around them.

Research has shown that wasting time and energy trying to be “perfect” only leads to unhappiness. Successful women know that that they can’t do everything well all the time. Beating yourself up for your perceived flaws will only dampen your abilities at work, not to mention your mental health. So don’t emulate Wonder Woman; think about what’s wonderful to you instead. Then boldly, audaciously, joyfully, leave the rest behind.

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3. Often, they become the boss.

Many successful women have figured out that if you’re the boss, you can set your own rules. The higher you go in a corporation, the easier it is. The truth is you get more control. And when you’re in control, you have the ability to create a saner, happy, and balanced workplace for yourself and your employees.

4. They marry well, or not at all.

Successful women know the value of a true partnership. I don’t know of a single woman in a leadership position whose life partner is not fully, and I mean fully, supportive of her career. Many successful women forgo marriage altogether. Despite not being wed, women like Oprah Winfrey, Condoleezza Rice, and Diane Keaton seem to be doing just fine.

5. They believe that they will be successful.

Believing in your own success, no matter how crazy your idea might seem, is integral to achieving it. You have to be so comfortable that you can think through and execute your desired outcome. I expected to be successful. Bottom line, having confidence and faith in yourself is key.

6. They’re not afraid to take risks.

All women should ask themselves the question: “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” Affecting change requires the ability to stop playing it safe every once in a 71

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while. Successful women don’t make reckless decisions, but they do know how to take a calculated risk.

7. They know that failure goes hand-in-hand with success.

Fail fast. Failure is not the opposite of success but rather a stepping stone to success. Successful women know that you can’t excel all the time, and that an inevitable part of taking leaps in your career is falling down sometimes.

8. They take care of themselves physically.

Many successful women have spoken about the value of regular exercise, not because they are trying to be thin, but because they know that exercise relieves stress.

Exercise also releases endorphins and increases energy.

If I didn’t work out or lift weights, I most certainly would not be able to perform at a high level.

9. They know that their to-do lists will never be completed, and they’re okay with that.

Sometimes you can be more productive by accepting that you’re simply not going to get everything done. Learning to let go of certain goals, responsibilities, and tasks can be difficult, but freeing. Getting rid of the anxiety of perpetually unmet expectations is so great.

10. They make sure to schedule alone time.

Research has shown that women tend to prioritize domestic responsibilities such as housework and 72

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childcare over themselves. Successful women know that they need to schedule alone time the same way they plan meetings, family dinners, and networking events.

11. Having a support network is important.

Keeping up your friendships and forming new ones at every place you work makes you happier and helps your career later on. You need to be comfortable asking for help and creating a great team.

12. They express gratitude to those around them.

No woman’s success happens in a vacuum. Wildly successful women acknowledge those that support them every day; both in their home lives and at the office. And that graciousness not only makes them better people, but fosters loyalty from their employees. Oprah is one powerful woman who understands the value of
appreciating her employees. In 2009, she took her entire staff and their families on a Mediterranean cruise.

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Chapter Four:

Entrepreneur Tips for the Ladies

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Balance Family & Career

Question: How do you balance family and
career?

Answer: More moms than ever are in the workforce.

Women now make up roughly half of all workers in the United States, with nearly 4 in 10 homes having a mom that is also a working mother. Being a full-time working mother can lead to feelings of guilt and stress because of divided attention between work and family. The key is to focus on a plan, get organized, and find the right balance between profession and parenthood. Here are 10 ways to help make sure both your career and your family flourish.

Let Go of the Guilt

Rather than dwell on how you're not with your child, think about how your role in the company is benefitting the family. Perhaps you can afford certain classes or educational opportunities for your children or you're able to put away savings for college. "The most successful career moms have found ways to be efficient in both worlds and that requires being able to focus on the priorities that are in the moment. Accept that there will be good and bad days. Mothers should know they are not alone and they should discuss their feelings with partners or support groups.

Make the Mornings Easier

Avoid starting the day on a frazzled note by getting organized the night before. Pack the kids' lunches, lay out their clothes (plus your own), and have everyone shower. Maybe even decide what to make for breakfast, 75

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and repack the diaper bag, backpacks, purses, or work bags to be placed by the door, right next to your keys, so you can grab them and lock up on your way out. Look over the next day's to-do list and divide the schedule, determining which parent gets the kids dressed, buys necessary groceries, and cooks the meals. This is also a good time to discuss any changes to the family schedule.

Knowing that a lot of the mundane tasks are completed will allow you to spend a few minutes eating breakfast with the kids without rushing out of the house.

Create and Organize a Family Calendar

Figure out your family's priorities. A calendar can include dates when bills are due, a chore chart for the kids, a list of school and family events, extracurricular activities, birthdays, and more. You might consider using Google Calendar, which can be easily shared and synced on smartphones, because they are color-coded and get superimposed on each other, so you can always be on top of scheduling challenges.

It’s a good idea to set aside 15 minutes each Sunday to review and prepare for the upcoming week's schedule.

This helps eliminate surprises during the week. If necessary, families should share the calendar with their babysitter or nanny so everyone is up-to-date on activities. Staying organized is also about having a clean environment. Experts advise having a "family command station" near an entranceway, where important papers and documents are placed, along with keys, chargers, batteries and petty cash. Carving out dedicated spots will save time and improve efficiency in your home.

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Communicate with Your Employer

Ladies who are self-employed really don’t have this concern. However, many women must balance a music career with a 9 to 5 job, and a family. That is a huge challenge that is more common than many people suspect.

Before talking to your employer or HR representative, construct a written plan detailing what you need. I suggest asking whether other employees have flexible arrangements and using this information to your advantage. This information will help tailor your proposal to the terms that your employer has already embraced with your coworkers. Every employer is different, and only you will know how much to share. Be as honest as possible. Be prepared to present alternative solutions so you can show how the arrangement won't restrict productivity.

Moms seeking maternity leave should ask questions when speaking with a supervisor. The two biggest questions to ask are: "How much time can I take off?"

and "How much of that time will be paid?" Discuss using short-term disability or vacation/sick time to cover some of your time away from the office. Weinberger adds, "It's best to know those answers to avoid any confusion during your leave."

Create Special Family Activities

Fifteen minutes is the magic number. I’ve learned that children
typically
need
only

15
minutes
of
intense/focused play every day. The busiest mom can squeeze out 15 minutes. Making time for your kids is 77

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crucial, both during the week and on the weekends, to nurture your family dynamic and allow everyone to bond.

If you're pressed for time, have a family breakfast or a family night with board games or movies. Create activities that regularly fit into your schedule so everyone knows what to expect and what to look forward to. When you do have family outings, avoid talking about work or checking your phone. Instead, focus on your kids'

interests such as friends, classes, and hobbies. With older children, ask for their activity suggestions and try to meet their needs. In the end, it doesn't really matter what you do as long as you do it together.

Create Moments for Yourself

By managing time wisely, you can fit in valuable "me"

time regularly. A refreshing break will help you recharge while taking care of personal needs. Because your time is divided between your home and your career, make sure to manage your energy well. You can't be an effective spouse or parent if you're cranky, so take time to care for yourself to feel relaxed and effective. Lose yourself in a book before you go to sleep, take a bubble bath once a week, or treat yourself to a spa day. Fit in time for exercise (like a yoga class) or focus on a hobby.

Remember to eat well and get enough rest; these are simple things that even the smartest moms neglect.

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Modern Prism of Feminism

Question: Do you consider yourself a feminist?

Answer: First, we must acknowledge that all women don’t share the same feministic fight. I like a term called

“prism feminism.” It is a type of feminism that looks at how women of different backgrounds experience oppression, looking at the differences in women’s identities and how they experience discrimination.

Prism feminism is like shining a feminist light through a prism that refracts that light into the various types of women like: young women, old women, women with disabilities, bisexual, lesbian, and transgender women, women with mental illness, and women of different races and ethnicities. Backgrounds, identities, and the issues that affect us are very diverse.

Personally, I don’t think that the mainstream feminist movement applies to women like me. Historically, the movement did not focus on Black women. The mainstream feminist movement omits many different types of women. It excludes the experiences that do not fit the mainstream American female narrative and it assumes that all women experience misogyny the same way.

Without the prism approach, basic feminism does not work. For example, basic feminism aims to close the wage gap between men and women, but what it fails to recognize is that most of the time, Black and Latina women earn even less than their mainstream
counterparts.

Privileges are places where we may hold more power in society than other people. For example, a white, straight, 79

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able-bodied woman who lives in a nice a neighborhood has privileges that not every woman shares. There are many challenges they do not experience. Women of color face barriers that other women don’t. Basic feminism ignores the role that ethnic Europeans have historically played in creating things like beauty standards.

Privileges help to shape your experiences in the world.

To support equality for others, we first need to understand what our privilege prevents us from experiencing. On feminist issues where we hold privilege, it is crucial that we listen to the women who don’t. Listen to them and raise awareness for the women who have less power. It is impossible to ‘walk the walk’ if you have no idea where the ‘walk’ even goes.

Lesson Learned: We need to look out for each other.

Nobody is going to be perfect and it is okay to make mistakes; however, the key is to make an honest effort to educate ourselves so we can keep moving forward.

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PART THREE: Music Business Concerns

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Introduction

The music industry consists of the companies and individuals that make money by creating and selling music. Live music performances, sound recordings, and music videos of songs and instrumental pieces have proven to be profitable over the years. The many entities that operate in the industry include songwriters and composers, singers, musicians, conductors and
bandleaders. Also, there are companies that create and sell recorded music and sheet music. For example, music publishers, producers, recording studios, engineers, record labels, retail and online music stores, and performance rights organizations are included. We cannot exclude those that help organize and present live music performances such as booking agents, promoters, music venues, and road crews.

The industry also includes professionals who assist singers and musicians with their music careers. These people are the talent managers, artists and repertoire managers, business managers, and entertainment lawyers. Those who broadcast music via satellite, Internet radio stations, broadcast radio and TV stations are included. Music journalists and music critics; music educators
and
teachers;
musical
instrument
manufacturers; and many others are very important.

Today, the majority of the music market is controlled by three major corporate labels: the French-owned Universal Music Group, the Japanese-owned Sony Music Entertainment, and the US-owned Warner Music Group.

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Labels outside of these three major labels are referred to as independent labels.

The music industry has undergone drastic changes since the advent of widespread digital distribution of music via the Internet, which includes both illegal file sharing of songs and legal music purchases. A conspicuous indicator of this is total music sales. Since 2000, sales of recorded music have dropped off substantially while live music has increased in importance. The largest music retailer in the world is now digital: Apple Inc.'s online iTunes Store.

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Chapter 5:

Anatomy of a Record Label

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Record Labels 101

Question: What is the fundamental function of a record label?

Answer: Remember that nowadays, many record companies are huge corporations that own a variety of record labels. For the most part, these companies are located in New York, Los Angeles, or Nashville. These corporations usually consist of a parent company that owns more than one record label. In today's economy, most large record companies are actually huge conglomerates that own a variety of subsidiary record labels. Often, the subsidiary labels are each mini-companies operating under the umbrella of the larger corporation.

To describe the hierarchy of a record company, it's best to start at the top. The CEO (chief executive officer) is in charge of the business of the whole company. In addition, each label also has its own president. Under the president of the individual label, there are vice presidents in charge of different departments. Let's take a look at the departments that make up a major record label:

A&R - The A&R (artists and repertoire) department is often considered the most glamorous department at a record label. This is because A&R is in charge of 85

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discovering new talent. A&R people work very hands-on with the artists that they "sign." They do everything from assisting with song selection to choosing the people that will produce the album to deciding where the album will be recorded. The people in this department work as the link between the recording artist and all the other departments of the record company.

Art Department - This department is in charge of all the artwork that goes along with producing an album. This includes CD cover art, advertisements, and displays at music stores.

Artist Development - This department is responsible for planning the careers of the artists who are signed to the record label. It promotes and publicizes the artists over the course of their career. According to Music Biz Academy, many labels no longer have artist development departments. As record labels have come to see artists as products in recent years, some artist development departments
have
been
renamed

"Product

Development." Many insist that this is because the emphasis in the current music business is to promote artists very heavily in the beginning of their career, as opposed to long-term planning. *If you don't want to be a "one-hit-wonder," pay close attention to how the record label views this aspect of career planning.

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Business Affairs - This department deals with the business side of things. It takes care of bookkeeping, payroll, and general finances.

Label Liaison - This is usually one person, or small group of people, who serves as the liaison between the record company's distribution company (either an entirely separate division under the huge corporate umbrella or an outside company responsible for getting the CDs into the stores) and the record company. The label liaison also helps decide when to release an album (when the album goes on sale to the public) and makes sure it doesn't conflict with any of the other labels the record company owns.

Legal Department - This department is responsible for all the contracts that are made between the company and the artist, as well as contracts between the record label and other companies. Any legal issues that arise (such as lawsuits between an artist and the company) go through this department.

Marketing Department - This department creates the overall marketing plan for every album that the record company will release. It helps coordinate the plans for the promotion, sales, and publicity departments.

New Media - This department is in charge of dealing with the newer aspects of the music business, including 87

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producing and promoting music videos for the artist. In addition, this department is often responsible for helping an artist create a presence on the Internet. It deals with the new technologies in which artists can stream music and music videos through the Internet.

Promotion Department - This department's main purpose is to make sure that an artist is being played on the radio. It must get an artist's new songs on the radio in order to ensure the future success of the record company. This department makes sure that all the other departments are communicating about the best way to sell the artist to the public. The promotion department may also try to get videos played on MTV or VH1
channels. This can be the responsibility of this department or in conjunction with the New Media department.

Publicity - This group is responsible for getting the word out about a new or established artist. It arranges for articles to be written in newspapers and magazines. They also deal with radio and television coverage of an artist.

Many artists also have their own independent publicists who help coordinate publicity with this department as well.

Sales - This department oversees the retail aspect of the record business. It works with the record store chains 88

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and other music stores to get new albums onto retailers'

shelves. The sales department often coordinates these efforts with the promotion and publicity departments.

Remember that any given record label may have a slightly different organization. As large companies buy up smaller record labels, the organization of record companies changes a great deal. Most record companies have their own Web sites where you can find what labels the company owns and what artists the company is promoting. For more general information on record companies, check out Music Biz Academy and Music Business Solutions.

Question: How important is the A&R
department of a major label?

Answer: The A&R department of a record label is often regarded as the gatekeepers of the record company. A&R
departments have a powerful reputation because they have the all-important job of finding and nurturing the musical talent. Imagine your importance in the music industry if you were the one who first discovered Luther Vandross or Whitney Houston.

A&R stands for "artists and repertoire," but many musicians joke that A&R stands for "attitude and rejection." Without being noticed or discovered by A&R
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signed to a major record label. Years ago, artists would send "unsolicited" demos (CDs/tapes that were not requested by the record company) to A&R departments, and the executives would listen to the tapes and hope to find the next big thing.

Over time, so many artists were sending demos that it became impossible for A&R people to keep up. Because of this, and other legal issues, labels soon stopped listening to unsolicited material. Because it is so difficult for the average musician's demo tape to even make it to the desk of the powerful A&R execs, many people ask how A&R people go about finding talent.

A&R people work through referrals. They will tell you that they are always bombarded with new material. They seldom have time to listen to the numerous demo packages given to them by friends, agents, managers, attorneys and other reliable sources. With only a few people serving as the gatekeepers and thousands of aspiring bands and singers out there, you can imagine how difficult it can be to break into the record industry.

It is also important to remember that when A&R
executives discover and promote a particular artist, they are putting their own name on the line. If the artist fails, the A&R executive's job may be in jeopardy. It is difficult for an average artist without record industry contacts to 90

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"make it." Although most bands get rejected, some still make it through the gates of A&R. When an artist is discovered by a record company, then the record label’s complete arsenal of resources begins the work on producing, promoting, marketing, distributing, and selling the project.

Question: Can you give an example?

Answer: Before artists can be signed, they have to be discovered. After years of performing professionally, I was ‘discovered’ by an A&R representative from Trippin n Rhythm Records. Before the A&R person went to the show, he reviewed many of my YouTube videos and online music by way of a trusted source. He was impressed with my live concert performance and he signed me to the label. After negotiations between my attorney and the label were complete, I signed a recording contract.

With the label’s help, it was time for me to plan my CD

“In the Flow.” The A&R director, producer, and I decided on the concept of the album and selected the songs that would be on the CD. Trippin n Rhythm gave my project a budget, which was used for studio musicians, studio engineers, and studio time. The A&R executive then coordinated a time for musicians to begin recording the CD.

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Other departments of Trippin n Rhythm were soon in full swing. A budget was allotted for advertising, art, publicity, and promotion. As graphic artists, designers, and copywriters began their work, the A&R department, as well as publicity, marketing, and sales, decided on a release date for the album.

The artist development department (along with other departments) planned a live performance for me and other label artists at the Dubai Jazz Festival. Trippin n Rhythm had to make sure that there was promotion me on the national, regional, and local level.

Near the time that the album was released, the label's departments were working hard to secure press coverage and radio play. All the machine's parts were working together to make sure that my CD “In the Flow” would sell well, ensuring the success of everyone involved.

This is an example of some of the things that happen when a record label signs an artist. A record label must do a great deal of work to discover, sign, produce, promote, distribute, and sell music.

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Major Label Players

Question: Who are the other major players
involved?

Answer: The major players in the recording industry are:

 Songwriter - The songwriter is the person (or people) who write the lyrics and melody for songs.

 Publisher - The publisher is the person (or company) who works with the songwriters to
promote their songs. Publishers usually get either partial or total ownership of the song copyright, known as "assignment" or "transfer" of the copyright. They pitch the songs to record labels, television or movie producers, or anyone else who
may be interested in it. They then license the rights to use the song and charge fees. Those fees are typically split 50/50 with the songwriter.

 Performer - Anyone who licenses the song in order to publicly perform it is the performer, or performing artist. The performer doesn't have control of the song (it's controlled by the songwriter or publisher) or the recording (it's controlled by the record company).

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 Recording company (record label) - The recording company creates, markets and
distributes the recordings.

 Performing rights organization (PRO) - A performing rights organization is an association, corporation, or other entity that licenses the public performance of nondramatic musical
works on behalf of the copyright owners. The major performing rights societies are The

American Society of Composers, Authors and

Publishers (ASCAP), Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI),

SESAC, Inc. (formerly the Society of European Stage

Authors
and

Composers)

and

SoundExchange.

 Mechanical rights agency: The right to record a song—mechanical rights—for most publishers is
obtained through the Harry Fox Agency in the United States, or the Canadian Mechanical Rights

Reproduction Agency (CMRRA) in Canada. These agencies issue the mechanical royalties for songs, keep track of them, make sure the users pay, and
provide statements to the publishers. They charge
a set percentage of gross royalty collections for their service.

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Major Label vs Indie Label

Question: What’s your preference between
major and indie labels?

Answer: This is a loaded question. I can adequately answer this question only if I provide a little bit of history. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages. Many record companies died as quickly as they had formed. By the end of the 1980s, the "Big 6": EMI, CBS, BMG, PolyGram, WEA, and MCA dominated
the industry. Sony bought CBS Records in 1987 and changed its name to Sony Music in 1991. In mid-1998,

PolyGram merged into the Universal Music Group (formerly MCA). Since then, Sony and BMG merged in 2004, and Universal took over the majority of EMI's recorded music interests in 2012. EMI Music Publishing, also once part of the now defunct British conglomerate, is now co-owned by Sony as a subsidiary of Sony/ATV

Music Publishing.

Genre-wise, music entrepreneurs expanded their industry models into areas like smooth jazz and hip-hop, in which composition and performance had continued for centuries on an ad hoc self-supporting basis. Forming
independent record labels (better known as indie labels) continues to be a popular choice for many artists.

Signing to such a label continues to be a popular choice for artists in genres like hardcore punk, jazz, gospel, and hip-hop, despite the fact that indies cannot offer the same financial backing of major labels.

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As it became more and more difficult for bands to get signed by the huge record labels, independent record labels began to pop up. Independent record labels can be as large as some of the smaller corporate record companies or as small as one or two people. The reason that so few independent record labels succeed is due to the sheer amount of money, work, and time it takes to run a record label. However, I’ve been releasing my projects under my own label and I LOVE it.

Now that you understand the organization of a record label, you can see how difficult it would be to take on the job of A&R, artist development, marketing, publicity, and sales with only a few people. The larger record companies succeed because they have the money and power to hire many people to do all these jobs. At an independent record label, it may be the same person who discovers the artist or band also calls the radio stations about getting airplay and arranges the artist's publicity.

That is not to say that independent record labels cannot succeed, it just takes a lot more work.

In my opinion, the best way to succeed in the indie record label game is to specialize in either local music or genre music. These are two areas that the major record companies may ignore. In this way, independent labels 96

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succeed by bringing music to consumers that the major record labels don't release.

The Internet has also done a lot to promote the success of independent record labels. If they have trouble getting retail stores to carry their product, indies can sell albums over the Internet. The Internet has also been host to a variety of contests for music artists wherein the winner receives a record contract with an indie.

Digital Music and Downloads

Question: Can you explain the rise of digital
music distribution?

Answer: Today, personal computers are the primary means to record, distribute, store, and play music. This caused widespread changes in the music industry.

Fundamentally these economic changes are reflected in the relationships between artists, record companies, promoters, retail music stores, the technology industry, and consumers. The rise of digital music consumption options contributed to a few fundamental changes in distribution.

An enormous impact of the new digital distribution paradigm was a dramatic decline in revenues from recorded music. Today, consumers spend far less money on recorded music than they did in the 1990s, in all formats. Recording artists began to rely primarily on live 97

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performances and merchandise for their income, which in turn made them more dependent on music promoters.

In order to benefit from all of an artist's income streams, record companies began to rely on the "360 deal.” At the other extreme, record companies also used simple manufacturing and distribution deals, which gives a higher percentage to the artist, but does not cover the expense of marketing and promotion. Many newer artists no longer see any kind of traditional "record deal"

as an integral part of their business plan.

Inexpensive recording hardware and software made it possible to create high-quality music in a bedroom and distribute it over the internet to a worldwide audience.

This, in turn, caused problems for recording studios, record producers, and audio engineers. This has given consumers an unparalleled choice in music consumption and has opened up performers to niche markets to which they previously had little access.

After 2010, services such as Pandora, Spotify, and Apple’s iTunes Radio began subscription-based “pay to stream” services. These services began to have a serious impact on the industry in 2014, lowering revenues still further. The turmoil in the recorded music industry altered the twentieth-century balance between artists, record companies, promoters, retail music stores, and the consumer. As of 2010, stores like Target, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy sell more records than music-only stores.

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Companies like Kickstarter and GoFundMe help
independent musicians produce their albums through fans funding bands they want to listen to. Changes in the music industry have given consumers access to a wider variety of music than ever before. However, consumer spending on music-related software and hardware increased dramatically over the last decade, providing a valuable new income-stream for technology companies such as Apple Inc. and Pandora Radio.

What’s the Deal with 360 Deals?

Question: You mentioned a 360 deal. Exactly
what is that?

Answer: Personally, I am not a fan of them. Basically, the 360 is an exclusive recording contract between a record company and an artist. In addition to monies from sales of the artist’s recorded music, the label shares in other income streams. For example, 360 deals include touring and live performances, merchandise, endorsements, appearances in movies and television, and if the artist also writes songs, publishing.

360 deals present major disadvantages for artists, but faced with a choice of the 360 versus no deal, the 360
may be worth accepting, but only if properly negotiated by a good entertainment attorney and only if the major pitfalls are avoided.

The 360 deal is not new and they have become commonplace. New artists signing with a major label or 99

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their affiliates can expect it as a matter of course. The reason for the prevalence of the 360 deal is the dramatic decline in income from sales of recorded music. This is the reason that labels began to pursue income from sources that would have once been important to the artist.

Under the traditional paradigm, the label would pay the artist a small royalty which was even smaller after all the deductions. The artist could expect to receive no recording royalty at all unless her album was a major commercial success. But she got to keep everything else: publishing, merchandise, touring, endorsements, etc.

However, these days, artists often generate more money from other activities than record sales. For example, 50

Cent’s deal with Vitamin Water turned golden when he accepted shares in the company in exchange for authorizing the use of his professional name in “Formula 50.” It is reported that his shares were worth over $100
million after Coca-Cola purchased Vitamin Water’s parent, Glacéau, for $4.1 billion.

These developments have spurred the labels to seek to participate in all the possible revenue streams generated by an artist. In my own practice, I have seen small labels also known as production companies get in on the act and insist that new artists sign 360 deals with them even if they put little or no money into recording and make no promises in regard to marketing or promotion. These companies expect the artist to provide fully mastered 100

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recordings for little or no money upfront, and they demand income from all sources of revenue. Bottom line, in my opinion these are horrible deals.

Many artists and their representatives would contend that it isn’t their fault that the labels are making less money from their records. 360 deals, they would argue, are just a cynical money grab by record companies who are facing dwindling income from recorded music because they have failed to react appropriately to the changing industry. Asking artists to foot the bill hardly seems fair. But the reality is that since all the major labels and affiliates usually demand 360 terms, the artist may not have much choice.

Question: How can an artist improve a 360 deal?

Answer: The ability of the artist’s attorney to improve a 360 depends on the artist’s leverage as much as the lawyer’s knowledge and negotiating skills. For instance, if there is a bidding war between two or more labels, the lawyer’s ability to improve the deal increases immensely.

If the artist is already making significant income from live shows, if not from record sales, this can also aid the lawyer in negotiating better terms or at least carving out those areas where the artist is already earning money from the 360 deal.

If an artist is already earning revenues from a particular source, the lawyer should try to carve that stream out of the 360 deal. For instance, certain EDM artists are 101

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earning tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars playing large venues and festivals. If a label wants this kind of artist, it should be prepared to forego tapping into live performance income as they had nothing to do with creating it.

Convincing the label to pay advances for each stream or work for the money is a good option. The contract provided that the label’s take for various streams was as follows:

• 50% Merchandise

• 25% Touring and live performance

• 25% of “digital products” such as ringtones and sales from the artist’s fan site

• 25% Publishing

• 25% of Endorsements

• 25% of any other income from the entertainment
business including appearances on TV and movies,
theatre, book publishing, etc.

These above percentages are typical but the actual amounts vary from deal to deal. Whatever the splits are, the artist’s attorney should try to get the label to commit to doing something to deserve a share of each income stream. For example, in return for its 25% the label should commit to manufacture merchandise and sell it at 102

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retail, via the Internet and supply the artist with merchandise for sales on tour.

Question: How can a 360 deal impact a publishing agreement?

Answer: In regards to publishing, a 360 deal may include a “co-publishing” agreement in which the label has exclusive control of any songs that the artist writes during the term, and the label retains 25% of any monies generated from the songs. Or, the label may demand 100% of the “publisher’s share” or 50% of all income generated by the artist’s songs. In exchange for either of these arrangements, which are major gives, the label should have a dedicated staff committed to collecting monies generated by the artist’s songs, and that can pitch the songs to other artists for covers and music supervisors for placements in movies, television, video games, etc.

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Chapter 6:

Mo Money, Yo Money

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Royalties 101

Question: What are the most common types of rights and royalties?

Answer: Licenses and their corresponding royalties fall into four general categories:

1. Mechanical licenses and royalties - A mechanical license refers to permissions granted to mechanically reproduce music onto some type
of media (e.g., download-card tape, CD, etc.) for public distribution. The music publisher grants permission for the musical composition to be reproduced. The mechanical royalty is paid to the
recording artist, songwriter, and publisher based on the number of recordings sold.

2. Performance rights and royalties - A performance-rights license allows music to be performed live or broadcast. These licenses
typically come in the form of a "blanket license,"

which gives the licensee the right to play a particular PRO's entire collection in exchange for a set fee. Licenses for use of individual recordings are also available. All-talk radio stations, for example, wouldn't have the need for a blanket license to play the PRO's entire collection. The performance royalty is paid to the songwriter and

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publisher when a song is performed live or on the
radio.

3. Synchronization rights and royalties - A synchronization license is needed for a song to be reproduced onto a television program, film, video, commercial, radio, or even an 800 number phone
message. It is called this because you are

"synchronizing" the composition, as it is performed on the audio recording, to a film, TV
commercial or spoken voice-over. If a specific recorded version of a composition is used, you must also get permission from the record
company in the form of a "master use" license.

The synchronization royalty is paid to songwriters and publishers for use of a song used as
background music for a movie, TV show, or
commercial.

4. Print rights and royalties - This is a royalty paid to songwriters and publishers based on sales
of printed sheet music.

In addition to these royalties, the Audio Home

Recording Act of 1992 brought about yet another royalty payment for songwriters and performers. This act requires that the manufacturers of digital audio recording devices and the manufacturers of blank recording media (blank CDs, blank DVDs, etc.) pay a 106

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percentage of their sales price to the Register of

Copyrights to make up for loss of sales due to the possible unauthorized copying of music. There are two funds set up where this money is funneled. One is the Sound Recording Fund, which receives two-thirds of the money. This money goes to the recording artist and record company. The other fund is the Musical Works Fund, which receives the remaining one-third of the money to split 50/50 between the publisher and the songwriter.

Question: How does all of this fit together?

Answer: Let's look at an overly simplified example of how the major players I’ve listed work together to produce the music you hear on the radio, buy on CDs, or download (legally) from the Internet.

A songwriter writes the lyrics and melody for a song. The songwriter records that song in her basement and sends the tape to the Library of Congress to register the copyright. Although she knows it is automatically copyrighted when she recorded it, she is registering it because she's sure this song has the makings of a hit.

She wants to head off any infringement problems up front.

Now, although this songwriter has recorded her own vocal version of the song, she thinks it would do better if 107

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someone else sang it. In walks the publisher. Our songwriter signs a single-song agreement with a publisher who will pitch the song to the record labels.

Publishers are in the business of finding and exploiting new music by issuing mechanical licenses to recording companies or others who want to use the song in some fashion. In exchange for this "administration," the publisher gets 50% of the mechanical royalties for each recording sold (minus several things they have to pay for first, which we'll talk about in the next section).

Let's say that a major record label likes the song and has the perfect recording artist to sing it. They fill out a mechanical license agreement through the Harry Fox Agency and obtain rights to record the song. The song is recorded and is promoted heavily. It becomes a hit. Now, who is making money? The songwriter and publisher split mechanical royalties 50/50 for each recording sold, and the recording artist also gets a mechanical royalty for each recording sold (although that deal is set up differently).

In addition to the mechanical royalties, however, our songwriter and publisher are also paid performance royalties, which means they make money based on how often the song is played on the radio, in restaurants or bars, or in other types of broadcasts. These royalties are 108

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monitored, collected, and paid out by a performing rights organization like ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC; our artist is paid by the organization with which he registered
the
song.

For
subscription
digital

"performances," the recording artist now gets paid royalties as well.

Now, let's say that a movie producer is working on a new movie and wants to use the song in a scene. Now the song is moving into the realm of synchronization royalties. When a songwriter's work is synched with a scene in a movie, played over the credits at the end of a movie, or used in a television show or commercial, the songwriter and publisher are paid a negotiated fee to use the song in the movie. Also, performance royalties are paid when the movie is shown on TV or in theaters in foreign countries. The songwriter and publisher will also receive mechanical royalties from sales of a soundtrack.

Writer/Publisher Royalties

Question: How are writer/publisher mechanical
royalties calculated?

Answer: First, there is the calculation of mechanical royalties for writers and publishers. These royalties are paid by the record company to the publisher. The publisher then pays the writer a share of the royalty (typically split 50/50). Record companies and recording 109

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artists, as well as the writers and publishers, all make money based on the sale of recordings of their songs.

How those royalties are calculated, however, is about as intricate and controversial as everything else in the music industry.

In the United States, the royalties are based on a

"statutory rate" set by the U.S. Congress. This rate is increased to follow changes in the economy. Currently, the statutory rate is $.08 for songs five minutes or less in length or $.0155 per minute for songs that are over five minutes long. So, for example, a song that is eight minutes long would earn $.124 for each recording sold.

As in most areas in the business world, however, there is room for negotiation. It is not uncommon -- in fact, it is more the norm -- for record companies to negotiate a deal to pay only 75% of the statutory rate, particularly when the writer is also the recording artist. Although there is a statutory rate, there is no law against negotiating a deal for a lower one. Sometimes it is in the best interest of all parties to agree to a lower rate.

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Artist Royalties

Question: How are recording-artist mechanical
royalties different?

Answer: Recording-artist royalties (and contracts) are extremely complex and a hotbed of debate in the music world. From the outside, the calculation appears fairly simple. Artists are paid royalties usually somewhere between 8% and 25% of the suggested retail price of the recording. Exactly where it falls depends on the clout of the artist (a brand new artist might receive less than a well-known artist). From this percentage, a 25%
deduction for packaging is taken out (even though packaging rarely costs 25% of the total price of the CD).

That sounds simple enough, but there are many more issues that affect what a recording artist actually makes in royalties.

 Free goods - Recording artists only earn royalties on the actual number of recordings sold, not those that are given away free as promotions.

Rather than discounting the price to distributors, many record companies give a certain number
away for free (about 5% to 10% depending on the
artist). Recording companies also give away many
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is also a reduction in royalties made for copies of the recording sold through record clubs.

 Return privilege - Recordings in the form of CDs have a 100% return privilege. This means that record stores don't have to worry about being stuck with records they can't sell. Most other businesses don't work this way, but the music industry has to be more flexible and timed to demand. What's hot today may be forgotten
tomorrow. This leads us to reserves. The
recording company may hold back a portion of the artist's royalties for reserves that are returned from record stores. (Usually, about 35% is held back.)

So, here is how it looks so far. Let's say a CD sells for $15.

Right away we deduct 25% from that for packaging, which makes the royalty base $11.25. Now let's say our artist has a 10% royalty rate and that his CD sells one million copies. That sounds great! The artist would earn $1,125,000! Except 10% of those were actually freebies, so we really have to calculate that royalty based on 900,000, which makes the royalty $1,012,500, and of course, there are few costs we haven't talked about yet.

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They Want to Recoup Any Losses

Question: How do advances and recoupment
work?

Answer: Typically, when recording artists sign a recording contract or record a song (or CD), the record company pays them an advance that must be paid back out of their royalties. This is called recoupment. In addition to paying back their advance, however, recording artists are usually required under their contract to pay for many other expenses. These recoupable expenses usually include recording costs, promotional and marketing costs, tour costs and music video production costs, as well as other expenses. The record company is making the upfront investment and taking the risk, but the artist eventually ends up paying for most of the costs. While all of this can be negotiated up front, it tends to be the norm that the artists pay for the bulk of expenses out of their royalties.

For example, the recoupable expenses of the artist's $1,012,500 royalty we just calculated can help to clarify the process. Suppose the recording costs were $300,000

(100% recoupable), promotion costs were $200,000

(100% recoupable), tour costs were $200,000 (50%
recoupable), and a music video cost $400,000 (50%
recoupable).

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That comes out to:

$300,000 + $200,000 + $100,000 + $200,000 = $800,000

Suddenly our artist isn't making a million plus, she's making $212,500. But don't forget there is also a manager to be paid (usually 20%), as well as a producer and possibly several band members. The artist won't see any royalty money until all of these expenses are paid.

There are horror stories all over the internet of popular bands that did not make as much money as the general public assumed. Artists like Toni Braxton and the R&B
group TLC come to mind. Both signed bad contracts with Arista’s LaFace Records and filed for bankruptcy despite having grossed millions.

Question: Is it more lucrative to record music or write music?

Answer: In my opinion, an added twist is that the big money isn't in making the music, it's in writing it. While this is a true statement, controlled-composition clauses make it less fair to folks who are both the songwriter and recording artist of a song.

A controlled composition is a song that has been written and/or is owned by the recording artist. Because mechanical royalties paid to songwriters and publishers are not recoupable by the record company, they usually 114

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negotiate into the singer/songwriter's contract that the mechanical royalty rate she will receive as the songwriter/publisher will be 75% of the usual amount.

In other words, as the writer of a song you record yourself, you get 25% less royalty money than you would get for writing a song that someone else records. But you'll get performance royalties when the song is played on the radio, TV, etc.

Internet Royalties

Question: How are Internet royalties
determined?

Answer: With the explosion of the Internet and the ease of downloading music onto your computer, a whole new royalty arena has opened up in recent years. Record companies
usually
treat
downloads
as

"new
media/technology," which means they can reduce the royalty by 20% to 50%. This means that rather than paying artists a 10% royalty on recording sales, they can pay them a 5% to 8% rate when their song is downloaded from the Internet. In the case of downloaded music, although there is no packaging expense, many record company contracts still state that the 25% packaging fee will be deducted.

An alternative to this royalty payment method also exists for Internet music sales. While it is most often used by 115

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Internet record labels, it may still catch on as recording artists begin to push harder for it in their contracts. This other method creates an equal split of the net dollars made on music downloads between the record label and the artist. This net figure is determined at after the costs have been deducted, including costs of the sale, digital rights management costs, bandwidth fees, transaction fees, mechanical royalties to songwriters/publishers, marketing costs, etc.

For Webcasts and other digital performances,

SoundExchange
collects
and
distributes
those
performance royalties. Just as in traditional media, broadcasters of digital performances of music must pay royalties to the songwriters and publishers of the music they play. SoundExchange collects electronic play logs from cable and satellite subscription services, non-interactive webcasters, and satellite radio stations. They then distribute the royalty payments directly to artists and recording copyright owners (usually record labels) based on those logs.

How Royalties are Tracked

Question: How are performances royalties
tracked and calculated?

Answer: Performance royalties are tracked and paid out by the performance rights organizations (PROs) like 116

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ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and SoundExchange. The royalty trail begins when the song is registered with one of the performing rights organizations I just mentioned. Once a song is registered, it becomes part of that PRO's collection and is available to all of its users. Most of those users have a "blanket license" to use any or all of the PRO's music; however, some users license on a per program basis and only pay for the music they actually use. (This is good for users who don't use that much music.) The PROs deduct money for their operating expenses and the rest goes to the songwriters and publishers.

PRO customers include just about anyone who plays music in a public place, even those who play "hold"

music for their business telephones. These include television networks, cable television stations, radio stations, even background music services like Pandora and Spotify. Colleges and universities, concert presenters, websites, bars, restaurants, hotels, theme parks, skating rinks, bowling alleys, circuses, you name it. If they play music, they have to have a license and pay royalties.

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How to Get Paid

Question: How do you get paid for your
recorded music?

Answer: First, we need to distinguish between recording-artist royalties and songwriter/publisher royalties. In my opinion, if you’re not a songwriter and not multi-platinum recording artist you won’t make much money from your recordings. This is because recording artists and songwriters do not earn royalties in the same way. Recording artists earn royalties only from the sale of their recordings on CDs and via internet downloads. Recording artists don't earn royalties on public performances like when their music is played on the radio, on TV, or in bars.

Some experts argue that this is a long-standing practice is based on copyright laws and the idea that when radio stations play the songs, more CDs and downloads are sold. Songwriters and publishers, however, do earn royalties in these instances; as well as a small portion of the recording sales.

Established via the Digital Performance Rights in Sound

Recordings Act of 1995, the only current instance in which artists earn royalties for "public performances" is when the song is played in a digital arena like on satellite
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doesn't choose songs to hear. In these cases, the listener is a subscriber to the service. This legislation gave performers of music their first performance royalties.

Question: What is the first step?

Answer: Personally, I copyright my songs immediately after creation. Copyrights are very important because they identify who actually owns the song and song recording and who gets to make money from it. When songwriters write songs, the songs should be copyrighted as soon as they are in a tangible recorded form (some people prefer printed sheet music).

In order to sue for copyright infringement, the song should be registered with the copyright office at the Library of Congress. Registration should always be done before the song is exposed to the public. Otherwise, you may experience more challenges than you desire.

As copyright owner, you have the right to reproduce the song, to create variations of the song, to distribute it to the public, and to perform it publicly. If you have recorded the song with yourself as the artist, then you also hold the sound recording copyright, and you have the right to publicly play or "perform" that recording using a digital audio transmission.

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How Song Writing Collaborations Work

Question: How does it work if someone wants to record a song they did not write?

Answer: By giving someone a copyright license (or simply a license) you are giving them permission to use your song. Once the song has been recorded and publicly distributed, compulsory licensing kicks in. From that point, anyone who wants to cover the song can do so without your specific permission. They are required by law to pay you a statutory royalty rate, as well as notify you that they're going to release it. Monthly royalty statements are also customary.

As for lyrics, they are NOT allowed to make any changes to the words or melody or change the "fundamental character of the song" without the copyright owner's approval. If the song is changed, it is considered a

"derivative work." Record labels rarely use compulsory licensing because they don't want to have to provide monthly royalty statements. Instead, they go to the copyright owner and get a direct license so they can negotiate the terms more freely.

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Question: If a song has multiple contributors, how do you determine who gets paid?

Answer: For example, if you write the lyrics to a song and your buddy writes the music, then you each own 50% of the song. You don't own all of the lyrics and your buddy doesn't own all of the music. You each own 50%
of the total song, music, lyrics, and all. This means you can't give someone exclusive rights to the song on your own if you have a fight with your buddy. If you make any money on the song, half of that money must go to your partner.

Typically you give control of the song's copyright to the publisher. Other forms of shared copyrights come into play when you or your publisher signs over a portion of the copyright to another publisher for a sampled composition. An example of this is when a hip-hop song uses a portion of an old R&B song.

Question: What is the record label’s role in the process?

Answer: In most music publishing agreements, there is a requirement that the songwriter assigns the copyright of the written song to the publisher. This is known as a

"transfer of copyright," or simply "assignment." This, in effect, transfers ownership of the song to the publisher in exchange for the payment to the songwriter of royalties 121

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in amounts and time intervals agreed upon in the publishing contract. Typically, song copyrights are held by the music publishers, while sound recordings are controlled by the record companies.

Professional Royalty Organizations (PROs)

Question: How do PROs track television and
radio performances?

Answer: The difficult thing to imagine in all of this is how these organizations track all of that music to get an accurate record of how much royalty money needs to be paid to which songwriters and publishers. Each of the PROs use a slightly different system for calculations.

Because I am most familiar with ASCAP, we'll use the ASCAP system as an example. ASCAP uses two methods for determining performances: it either counts them or does a sample survey.

For television performances, ASCAP depends on cue sheets that program producers provide them, as well as program schedules, network and station logs, and even tapes of the broadcasts. ASCAP developed its own computer program to help studios and program producers report performances.

For radio performances, ASCAP does a sample survey of all radio stations, including college stations and public 122

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radio. To do this, it uses a digital tracking system, station logs provided by the radio stations, and recordings of the actual broadcasts.

For live performances, ASCAP reviews set lists provided by concert promoters, performing artists, and others. In the case of symphony performance information, the printed programs are submitted. Licensed Internet sites, circuses, theme parks, etc. provide ASCAP with their own music use data. Others that use music, like restaurants and bars, are not surveyed and simply pay a flat rate that is distributed based on trends in local radio stations (based on the type of music).

Question: How does the PRO calculate the
money?

Answer: I’m not convinced that it is really important for an artist to understand all of the details of how Royalty Orgs operate. If a musician records music and registers the songs with their PRO they should be fine.

They will happily receive their quarterly payments. In other words, you don’t need to know how to build a clock to know how to tell time.

These calculations are quite difficult and vary somewhat between each of the three PROs. Here is an example of how the money is calculated based on the ASCAP
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different factors to come up with a song's total "credits"

and a fair royalty calculation. For example, the song is weighted based on the type of performance (theme, underscore, or promotional); this is known as the use weight. A song that is featured and sung by a recording artist on TV or radio gets more weight than one that was played as background music during a radio commercial.

The licensee (radio station, TV station, etc.) is weighted based on its licensing fee, which in turn is based on the licensee's markets and some stations carrying its broadcast signal. There is a weight applied to the time of day the music is performed (particularly in television).

Music played during peak viewing/listening times receives more weight.

ASCAP also uses a follow the dollar factor, which means that songwriters and publishers are paid based on the medium from which the money came. For example, money paid out from radio stations is paid for radio performances. A general licensing allocation is figured for fees that ASCAP collects from bars, hotels and other non-broadcast licensees. These fees are distributed to songwriters and publishers based on similar radio and TV broadcasts of the individual songs. In other words, they estimate that restaurants and bars are playing the songs at a similar rate as the local radio and TV stations.

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Here is an example of the calculation that ASCAP uses to determine the number of credits a song title has:

Use weight x Licensee weight x "Follow the dollar"

weight x "Time of day" weight x "General licensing allocation" + Any radio feature premium credits (bonus credits for top played songs that reach a specific threshold within a quarter) = Total number of credits The total number of credits is multiplied by the shares for the song (how the royalties are split between writers and publishers). This number is multiplied by the credit value for the song. The value of one credit (credit value) is arrived at by dividing the total number of credits for all writers and publishers by the total amount of money available for distribution for that quarter. For example, if there are a total of 10 million credits for a quarter, and there have been 35 million dollars collected for distribution that quarter, then the value of one credit for that quarter is $3.50.

The final number is the royalty payment. Here is how it works:

4,000 Credits x 50% (.5) Share x $3.50 Credit Value =

$7,000 Royalty payment

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Do It Yourself Ethic

Question: What is the DIY (do it yourself) ethic?

Answer: DIY entertainers do everything themselves.

On occasion, they may use independent collaborators.

This choice primarily reflects a need to emphasize its independence about big record labels and the music industry in general. Advances in technology and lowering costs have progressively made it easier for performing artists to be independent.

By controlling the entire production and distribution chain, DIY music artists can develop a closer relationship between themselves and their fans. The DIY approach allows more flexible total control over the final product without the need to deal with record labels. In order to have a really effective DIY methodology, artists must have a strong and trustworthy team.

Question: How would you describe a strong
team?

Answer: It is crucial that a female recording artist is surrounded by talented professionals that respect her.

Artists must develop relationships with people from other fields to assist them with their career. Everyone in the inner circle must be trustworthy.

The artist’s Road Manager oversees many aspects of an artist's career in exchange for a fee or a percentage of the artist's income. Roles and responsibilities can vary from artist to artist. Travel and lodging arrangements and 126

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communication with sound engineers are common tasks for managers.

A Business Manager handles financial transactions, taxes, and bookkeeping. A successful artist functions in the market as a brand and, as such, may derive income from many other streams, such as merchandise or internet-based services. These are typically overseen by the business manager and take the form of relationships between the artist and companies that specialize in these products.

Sometimes the roles of Road Manager and Business Manager can be accomplished by the same person.

Often this person is a long-time friend, family member, or spouse. Professional relationships required to successfully fulfill both roles require much trust and commitment.

An Entertainment Attorney assists artists with the details regarding their contracts with record companies and other deals. Many people claim to specialize in entertainment law, but they have minimal knowledge.

Personally, I’ve had more than a few bad experiences with attorneys that did not know how to navigate the music industry. A lawyer familiar with contract law might not be equipped to tackle the challenges presented in an entertainment negotiation. After a few hiccups, I have developed a professional relationship with a fantastic entertainment attorney. He has helped me to negotiate great deals.

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Booking Festivals

Question: How do you get booked for jazz
festivals?

Answer: Landing jazz festival gigs can be tricky. It is arguably one of the most effective ways to get your live show in front of larger crowds. Seasoned performers have different theories on the best way to make yourself visible to festival promoters. Please ask as many professionals as you can for their advice and do what you think will work best for you.

Every artist and manager should want to know how to get booked at music festivals. Most festival artistic directors and booking agents start their planning by securing their headliners. Then they start to fill the other slots with another talent. On occasion, they even book musicians they’ve never heard of before. These slots are fairly competitive. The larger the profile of the festival the more competition there is.

Like many things in life, the more you are seen, the easier things become. I am at a point in my career now where concert promoters approach me and invite me to perform at their festivals. But it has not always been that way. I had to record a lot of music and stay ‘relevant’ for many years. I try to record a new strong radio-friendly project every few years. I’ve learned that if you have a few strong songs on the radio, it increases your visibility and your likelihood of being invited to festivals.

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It may sound discouraging, but roughly 50% of jazz festival submissions get an immediate rejection.

Common mistakes made by young artists are as follows:

 Artist is not a style or genre that the festival is interested in.

 Artist is not ready for ‘prime time.’ If you’ve only played local shows in your hometown and haven’t released a professional recording, you are probably not ready to hit a large stage.

 Artist is not web-savvy and does not have the tools and resources to properly promote themselves.

Submissions like these are quickly declined, sometimes before the staff can hear the music. Remember, your festival performance career takes years to develop. Each festival you land increases your chances to be booked by more festivals in the future. Keep building your profile, improving your music and growing your network and following these steps and you are likely to see improvements.

1. Be Awesome - If you want to get booked at jazz festivals, you need to stand out. Your songs need to be strong and your live performance has to be memorable.

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If you are not ready for the big stage yet, it might be smart for you to spend more time writing music and gigging in small clubs for a while longer.

I have seen artists that have great songs and they play them very well but lack stage presence with their live show. Remember you are not just selling your music or yourself. It is your live show that festival promoters are interested in. A strong song on the radio is only part of it.

Having a killer live show is a great way to get booked at music festivals. You want festivals to contact you and invite you to perform.

2. Keep Your Bio Short and Sweet – I recommend getting someone you trust to write a short biography for you. Many people find it tough to write about themselves. Some professionals can write your bio for somewhere in the $150 to $300 range. Include your story in the bio. Who are your key influences? What are the most relevant highlights of your career? It is important to keep it short and sweet, only a few paragraphs. If it’s too long, no one will read it.

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3. Have Really Good Recordings - Having great recordings are required. A complete album is seldom required booked at music festivals. A few strong YouTube videos or online music files can do the job. You want to have these tracks somewhere online where they can be easily streamed and/or downloaded. Physical copies of your music should be available upon request.

Although it doesn’t often happen, a promoter may ask for a CD/DVD or a flash drive with your music.

4. Make Headlines - Recognition in the press is a powerful thing. The more relevant the source, the more powerful the article and the more weight it carries when trying to get booked at music festivals. A small community or college paper will not be as significant as a review in Billboard. A press strategy and publicist can be one of the most important elements of your overall business and marketing plan.

5. Live Audio/Video Samples – YouTube can be your friend. Strong video clips can be one of the most powerful tools you can ever invest in. Even if someone hears your CD and loves it, there’s no guarantee that your live performance is great. Professional quality 131

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videos have cost me about $2,000 to produce start to finish. I recorded a live concert so that I could share them with festival promoters and get booked at music festivals. I have secured many high profile performance slots which have paid for the cost of this video over and over.

This can be done at a cheaper cost if you have friends that can help or if you have the skill to handle the production yourself. The production value does not necessarily have to be fantastic, but if you can afford to spend on quality, it can only help. An actual live show in a cool venue with an audience that’s really digging it is even more effective, but also creates several variables that are less controllable.

Smartphone video footage is becoming more popular and more acceptable. I have many fans that record pieces of my live performances and share them online.

Sometimes a person in the audience can capture something really great. You can include a clip like that in your submission if you feel that it is strong enough.

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6. Be an Opportunist – Early in my career, I hired a local photographer and the audio engineer to record a concert from the feed from the audio board. This cost me $300 and became great sales and marketing tool.

Having some strong live content drastically eliminates skepticism from the promoters and makes it easier to get booked at music festivals.

7. Look Good in Pictures – I take new photos every three or four months. A few hundred dollars for some professional photography will go a long way to portray a professional image. Unprofessional artists rarely get booked at music festivals. Try to come up with a theme or an idea. Pick a cool location, look the part you’re playing. Dress the way you want to be perceived on stage. In my opinion, women are under pressure to look more polished than our male counterparts. Hair, makeup, and clothing must be ‘on point.’

8. Have a Solid Social Media Presence - Social media presence is key to building your music career today. It helps when trying to get booked. Many promoters and booking agents visit Google to learn about artists they may be interested in your online 133

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presence. It shows them how serious you are about your success and what your fan base is like. I’ve heard of promoters rejecting artist that did not have a presence on social media.

9. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) –

You are officially in the sales business now. The thing you are selling is your live performance. Your customers are music fans and jazz festival promoters. This is a very personal exercise and it varies greatly from person to person. Basically, you are looking for a method that will enable you to keep track of every festival you want to play, the people that you encounter that work at the festival, your conversations with these people and follow-up plans. Everything from an old-school Rolodex to fancy software can suit your needs (or any combination). You can even use the tools you have on your tablet or smartphone to create reminders and your address book to keep notes of your communication with people.

10. Track the Festivals You Want to Book - At a very minimum, you can use an app like Address Book/Contacts on your Mac or Microsoft Outlook. In the sales world, a ‘lead’ is a potential customer or client.

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Your leads are festivals that you want your band to play.

Here are the information fields you want to enter for each lead:

 Festival Name

 Festival Date

 Submission Deadline

 Submission links and process

 Key contacts at the festival

 Festival Website

 Facebook URL

While you are entering this data make sure to follow the festival on social media and like them on Facebook.

11. Thoroughly Prepare Festival Submissions -

Take your time, read everything and carefully provide everything expressed on the submission form. Provide them with everything exactly as they asked for it. This is almost guaranteed to blow your chances of getting booked at the festival if you make an incomplete submission.

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unclear. It is important that you do not make it a pitch.

Just ask questions about what they are looking for at their festival this year. However, some festivals specifically ask artist not to email them. I would recommend not emailing these festivals.

12. Show ‘em the Love - Assuming that you have your social media sites set up and active, it doesn’t hurt to show some love to the festivals where you want to get booked on. You may even get some feedback from the festival.

13. Leverage your Relationships and Contacts – I have been recommended for many festivals over the years. Music is a relationship business. Maybe someone you work with knows someone in the festival and can fire off a recommendation to their contact there. Promoters sometimes talk with each other and discuss artists that were a pleasure to work with. Maybe you’ve worked with a sound engineer and he works at this festival you are interested in. Having someone who can grab the attention of the festival team can draw some additional consideration to you.

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14. Follow-up Without Being a Pest - You can also use social media as a means to get this information into their hands. However, I strongly discourage emailing persistently asking them if they have decided yet. This will probably draw negative attention to your submission. I did this in my early days and have gotten the “please stop emailing us” response.

Question: Many types of physical music
mediums are available nowadays. What is your
favorite medium to distribute your music at your live shows?

Answer: I am still a big fan of CDs. Music downloads are available online 24/7, but an autographed CD can only be purchased at one of my concerts. Music fans often find that personal touch valuable. CDs are inexpensive to replicate, and most people can play them with no problem. In my opinion, other mediums like USB/memory sticks are too unreliable.

Many people argue that the compact disc is obsolete and that it plays an insignificant role in the way we relate to music today. However, the need for materialization of music remains. People want to see and hold a physical object when purchasing music from an artist at a live show.

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Summary

I hope that my personal and professional insights can help ladies everywhere. It’s a great time to be a female entrepreneur. There are plenty of trailblazers making their mark in a variety of different industries. You can find inspirational business women to look up to everywhere.

According to the 2012 National Women’s Business Council, there were 9.9 million women-owned
businesses in the United States. Eighty-nine percent of these businesses are sole proprietorships. These companies are bringing in impressive revenue of $233.2
billion.

I strongly believe that we learn more from our failures and misfortunes than we do from our successes. This book outlines some of the pitfalls that helped to mold me into who I’ve become. Hopefully, it can help women of all backgrounds to recognize their potential and give them the confidence to try something new.

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Document Outline

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Table of Contents

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