Welcome to the business tips section of our website. Ok, some of you might think this is the boring stuff, that’s there’s too much to read or if you’re an artist that you just wana focus on your art. But the hard reality is that in this game you simply can’t afford to not have your business side locked down. The more you have an understanding of how it works the better equipped you will be to manoeuvre and navigate your way to being a successful and trusted artist or African Hip Hop industry cat.

Maybe you’re an artist who has been working on your skillz for some time now and want to learn some business skillz or maybe you want to become a manager, promoter, booking agent or start your own label and you need some guidance.

We’re also always adding new information to the site so keep checking back for updates.

Basic rules:

• Don’t be late ! – this is one of the biggest problems in the industry in Africa today. If you want to be successful be on time, if your not, there will be hundreds of other hungry artists waiting in the wings to take the gap.
• Be reliable. If you say your going to do something do it !
• Think long term – being an artist is a lifetime journey. Try to build as many positive relationships as possible that might help you in the future.
• Work hard – this goes without saying but remember things take time. Most cats who make it have been working hard for many years.
• Develop other skills – there is nothing wrong with working in a job and being an artist at the same time. Having a job will make you the money you need to make a demo and will take the pressure off your art.
• Have fun – this is an exciting industry

Who does what:

We’ve compiled a basic list of industry personnel with a description of what they do.

Artist Manager

looks after the artists business affairs, responsible for developing the artists career. A manger also performs a buffer zone between the Artist and the rest of the industry. In some really developed industries an artist can actually have more than one manger to perform different functions. A "business affairs" manager would look after thinks like legal issues, contracts and finance while a more "general manager" would look after the artists day to day needs. Good manger are hard to find as it is a very challenging

Booking Agent

Finds, negotiates and books gigs. Does the deal with the promoter or venue.

Promoter

Puts on events and shows.

Publisher

Now this is a complex side of the industry. In a nut shell it refers to "intellectual property" - which basically is the music and lyrics you have created. Here is a list of what publishers do:

• Finding new and talented songwriters and composers and encouraging and supporting them as they develop their skills, whether through helping with their living expenses, providing them with the facilities they need to produce music or offering advice and guidance in writing for particular markets.
• Securing commissions for new works and helping to coordinate work flow.
• Registering the works of songwriters and composers with all appropriate collecting societies and agencies.
• Producing performance materials (score and parts) and demonstration recordings.
• Producing and licensing the production of printed music. Promoting composers and songwriters to performers, broadcasters, record companies and others who use music on a commercial basis.
• Licensing the use of music to TV, films and adverts.
• Monitoring and tracking the use of the music they own and ensuring that proper payment is made for all licensed uses.
• Making royalty payments to songwriters and composers in respect of the usage of their music.
• Taking appropriate action against anyone using music without the necessary licence;

Distributor

Distributes physical product into shops or to online sites.

Aggregator

Distributes digital music to online download stores.

Manufacture

Makes your cd’s / dvd’s / cassettes.

A&R

Works for a record label and looks for new talent (Artist and Repertoire).

Producer

Makes music but is also responsible for getting the best performance out of an artist and helping develop style and direction. Most produceres can also program (see below)

Programmer

Makes music on computers.

Sound Engineer:

• Studio Engineer – records artists in the studio
• Live engineer – mixes the sound for a live show

Lighting Engineer

Looks after the lighting for live shows.

Roady

Junior crew who travels on tour with an artists and helps with what ever is needed.

Tour manager:

Responsible for managing all elements of the artist tour.

Vocal Coach

Helps an artist develop their voice.

Ethnomusicologist

Yes this is a real job :-) In simple terms it’s a person with an incredible understanding of music theory and history. If there is a dispute about a piece of sampled music for example one of these guys will be called in to analyze the situation If you want to learn more en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnomusicology

Record deals

Record deals can be complex and are often changing as the industry changes. A record deal, also known as a recording contract, is a legally binding document between an artist and a production or record company. record deal, also known as a recording contract, is a legally binding document between an artist and a production or record company