Get Writing that Book!

This month, the class I took for my Masters Degree in Entertainment Business Management is Media Publishing and Distribution.  This class rocks!  Not that I haven’t liked the majority of classes I’ve taken so far, but this one was very valuable. See, I’ve been talking about writing a book/memoir for years.  I even took two classes on writing a book and writing your life story.  Those classes were helpful in how to put your thoughts on paper, but not in getting published.  I had no idea where to start.  For those who know me, I am writing a book about my interesting life because people always tell me I should write a book.  Not only do I have interesting stories, I am good at telling them.  It must be my Irish heritage. 

My book is about concert production and life backstage from the view of someone who worked in various jobs that people outside the music industry, and possibly those in the music industry, may not even be aware of.  One of these jobs is hospitality catering and the other is a concert runner or production assistant (production assistant is really just a glorified runner in some cases). A concert runner is usually one of the first to report for work in the morning and the last to leave. The book goes beyond just the jobs but into the personal friendships and short-term relationships that came about as the result of a passion for music, the excitement of backstage, the artists, and the variety of people from all over the world who are involved in music.  This book is also about a simple life in rural Vermont during 1992-1998.  Interweaving life in the music industry while raising 2 children as a single mother, attending college. 

Through this class, I found some great resources.  I also found out that there are many agents out there looking for all kinds of material.  It is a good idea to find the agent who is looking for the kind of book you want to write.  There are also many self-publishing websites out there, some with step-by-step instructions on getting your book published.  A site that I found informative is www.writersdigest.com. I now receive email from Writers Digest.  Writers’ blogs on the internet are also very helpful.  There are so many of them.  It’s a bit overwhelming when you first look at them all, you have to go through them and find the ones that apply to you.  I did find this article that explains writers blogs and lists the best 39 blogs for writers, in fact, the article is called The 39 Best Blogs for Writers.  (Klems, 2012)  This article refers to another article by Writer’s Market editor Robert Lee Brewer called Best Blogs for Writers to Read in 2012.  These blogs are really good for finding people and information so that maybe I can get my book published.

(Klems, Brian). (February 12, 2012). The 39 Best Blogs for Writers. Retrieved on February 16, 2012 from http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/the-39-best-blogs-for-writers

http://robertleebrewer.blogspot.com/2012/02/best-blogs-for-writers-to-read-in-2012.html

A New Take on the Concert Industry: Playing for the Audience

Let’s take a look at the concert industry for the last 4 years. Who has been touring and selling out shows?  How much are consumers paying for tickets?  Who is the audience?  Are people still interested in live music? 

First, it seems as though the bands that are selling out, are bands that have been touring for many years, bands that were popular in the 80’s.  According to Live 2.0, the top grossing touring acts hasn’t changed much since 1988.  Here are the bands on that list that were also touring in 1988:  Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, and AC/DC.  (McCarthy, 2009)  Other “older” bands that are still touring and selling out stadiums are U2 (top grossing band of 2011), and Roger Waters.  Roger Waters, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and the original Van Halen are already selling out venues this year. 

So, who is the audience?  The audience is not just the “baby boomers” or those who could have been to any of these concerts in the 80’s.  Now a younger crowd, probably the children of those baby boomers are attending.  I think that the reason people are attending concerts is because they want to be there with their favorite band and be part of the music.  Ticket prices are high, but seeing your favorite band live is worth paying the high prices. 

I found an interesting article written in 2011, by Jim McCarthy, CEO of Goldstar.  The article included some informative links and a Ted talks audio, and talks about how the concert industry has evolved over the past 10 – 15 years.   A lot of this has to do with record sales.  Record sales have gone way down over the past few years, with the inexpensive price of downloads, verses vinyl and/or CD’s.  Because of the cheap price of music, people are placing a higher value on live interaction than ever before.  In the article, Jim made a good point, when he said that younger bands are going to have to start “tuning up” to entice the audiences of tomorrow.  The older bands like Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, and even U2 are not going to be selling out stadiums, or even smaller venues in 2020.  Other bands, venues, and artist managers are going to have to work and find out what the audience wants in a live performance.  






(McCarthy, Jim). (Jan. 15, 2009). Maybe I Should be Writing this on my Commodore 64. Retrieved on February 16, 2012 from http://www.download-not-available.com/quick-takes/maybe-i-should-be-writing-this-on-my-commodore-64-too

(McCarthy, Jim). (Nov. 10, 2011). Live Music Needs a Tuneup To Entice the Audiences of Tomorrow. Retrieved on February 16, 2012 from
http://www.fastcompany.com/1794113/pricing-live-music-to-lure-tomorrows-fans#ixzz1dmdaGsrS