Working In The Music Industry
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About this ebook
Working in the Music Industry is a collection of straightforward advice on preparing for and entering careers in the music business. Author Edgar Struble draws upon his extensive experience as a nationally known music director in presenting the myriad opportunities available in the field. In addition, throughout the book there are interviews with folks who are successfully working in the business.
Edgar Struble
Edgar Struble is a true music visionary and a much sought-after music director of television and film. He’s scored some of the industry’s most successful productions, including The American Music Awards and The Academy of Country Music Awards, and has recently produced a feature film, "Mickey Matson and the Copperhead Conspiracy."From 1976 to 1991, Edgar toured as conductor, arranger, instrumentalist, and vocalist with Kenny Rogers, contributing his talents to sell-out performances that broke even Elvis’ attendance records, and to recordings that went multi-platinum. As Rogers’ music director, Edgar arranged for and conducted the NBC Orchestra and Rogers’ Summer Pops Concerts at the helm of the Atlanta Symphony, and was responsible for the musical content of Rogers’ many network television specials.During his tenure with Kenny, he arranged for many other performers including Al Hirt, Dottie West, The Oak Ridge Boys, Lynda Carter, Leon Russell, and Ray Charles, and worked extensively with Dolly Parton, who called him “one of the best musical directors and instrumentalists I have worked with.” He continues in that capacity today, arranging the opening medley of the 2009 Academy of Country Music Awards for Brooks and Dunn, Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland, and Carrie Underwood.Edgar’s composing and directing talents have contributed to the success of many highly rated television and film projects including the CBS special, “A Day In the Life of Country Music,” and the CBS miniseries, “Rio Diablo” and “Gambler V.” He was responsible for the musical content of NBC’s highest-rated variety special, “Kenny, Dolly and Willie: Something Inside So Strong.” He also excelled as composer, music supervisor, and music editor for the CBS movie “Big Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story,” starring Michele Lee.In 1996, Edgar began a working relationship with Dick Clark Productions that continues to the present. As musical director for The Nashville Network’s flagship program, “Prime Time Country,” Edgar assembled and directed the house band, wrote the theme music, and performed on-camera. “This was one of the most exciting and rewarding milestones in my career,” says Edgar. “Collaborating with so many talented people to create a daily live variety show was exhilarating, and an experience I’ll never forget.”Since 1999, Edgar has been based in Los Angeles, where he’s scored music for the successful “Your Big Break” and “Greed” series, and TV specials, “Challenge of the Child Geniuses,” “It’s Your Chance of a Lifetime,” and “The First Family’s Holiday Gift to America” for FOX, as well as several documentary specials for TLC, A&E, and The History Channel. His association with Dick Clark Productions has led to Edgar’s current position as music director and composer for its annual, prime time network specials, The Academy of Country Music Awards and The American Music Awards.Edgar has produced recordings for Al Hirt, Michele Lee, Bobby Hatfield (of the Righteous Brothers), and for the comedian Gallagher’s Showtime TV Specials.
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Working In The Music Industry - Edgar Struble
Working In The Music Industry
Edgar Struble
Published by Peter Panic Music at Smashwords
Copyright ©2010 Peter Panic Music
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Hard copies available at http://peterpanicmusic.com/
Please note that many of the interviews were conducted in the early 1990s. Salaries and hourly rates for various jobs in the music industry have risen since that time, and recording technology has progressed from analog to digital. Although such details have changed over the years, the interviewees’ advice remains solid.
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INTRODUCTION
WORKING MUSICIANS
ROAD MUSICIAN
Interview with Tony King
RECORDING MUSICIAN
Interview with Russ Cantor
SYMPHONIC MUSICIAN
Interview with John Lawless
COMPOSERS
SONGWRITER
Interview with Frank Myers
FILM COMPOSER
Interview with Larry Brown
JINGLE WRITER
Interview with Dan Williams
Interview with Chuck Surack
ARRANGER
Interview with Jeremy Lubbock
COPYIST
Interview with Eberhard Ramm
ON RECORD
MUSIC PUBLISHER
Interview with Ree Guyer
RECORD PRODUCER
Interview with Barry Beckett
Interview with Danny Kee
RECORDING ENGINEER
Interview with Linell
A&R
Interview with Dez Dickerson
RECORD PROMOTER
Interview with Gerrie McDowell Lowdermilk
ON TOUR
CONCERT PROMOTER
BOOKING AGENT
Interview with Bobby Roberts
ROAD MANAGER
Interview with Pat McCollum
TOUR ACCOUNTANT/MONEY MANAGEMENT
Interview with Glen Grabski
ROAD CREW/MUSICAL TECHNICIAN
Interview with Mike Wolpert
MERCHANDISING/T-SHIRT PEOPLE
Interview with Mark Apple
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
ARTIST MANAGEMENT
Interview with Ken Kragen
MUSIC ATTORNEY
Interview with Steve Winogradsky
PUBLICIST
Interview with Cheryl Kagan
Resources
Recommended Reading
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This project was initiated in 1989. Four children, a career change, two cross-country moves, and 20 years later, it was completed in 2009! When I started this project, Polla Cunningham listened to and transcribed many hours of taped interviews. So did Sandi Carney. My daughter Bethany transcribed the later interviews. My mother-in-law, Joan Lindroth, edited the first draft, and Sarah Jensen proofed and edited the final, both of them far better writers than I. Kelly and Michael Walker came up with a wonderful cover design and sage advice. The many people who graciously sat down with me and shared their expertise really made this book come alive, and I am deeply appreciative of their contribution. And through it all, my wife, Lauri, has been an unwavering source of inspiration and encouragement.
A special thanks to Bethany, Sarah, Hannah, and Rachel, and to God, who blessed me with these precious children.
INTRODUCTION
I made the decision to pursue music as a career when I was a high school senior. Like so many other musically inclined students, I had been playing dances, football pep rallies, and wedding receptions with small combos of two to six performers. There were two options after graduation: I could continue to play in local nightclubs or I could go to college, study music, and become an educator. I chose the latter.
Four years later I emerged from Michigan State University as a qualified band director with a degree in music education. The day I graduated I went on the road with a seven-piece rhythm and blues band. I never looked back nor have I ever taught music for a living, with the exception of substituting in the public school system one winter. I guess I always knew in my heart that I would be a performer of some sort (my grade point average in college certainly reflected this propensity). With reckless abandon, I set out to accomplish my goal. Those were lean years. Some weeks I got paid and some weeks I didn’t, but it didn’t matter. I was young, single, and, above all, I was doing what I loved to do most, playing music.
After a few years floundering around every nightclub in the Midwest, I set my sights a little higher and decided to seek my fame and fortune in Nashville. Kenny Rogers hired me in the fall of 1976 (more on that later). That was a turning point of sorts and I have been involved in the commercial music business on a national level since then.
I have discovered that there are many, many job opportunities in the music business that I didn’t have an inkling of when I was a high school student in Scottville, Michigan. And that statement brings me to the purpose of this book. I suspect there are other people like me who want a career in the music business but do not have any idea what opportunities are available. Most high school students are told what I was: Go to college, get a degree, and become a music therapist, band director, choir director, or public school music teacher. The end. But it doesn’t have to work that way.
We see performers on TV who are immensely successful. We buy their records, attend their concerts, buy their merchandise, and watch their videos. But what about the countless other people who make that success possible? Most of the public looks at an entertainer and never imagines the scope of the support team required to get that entertainer on the stage or to get an album produced or to get songs on the radio. Their roles are as diverse and multifaceted as the entertainment styles they support.
In the following pages I have tried to describe some of the career opportunities in the music business and have included interviews with people who are working in these occupations. Some of the people interviewed are giants in the industry; some are just starting out. Some work behind a desk and some work behind a drum set. Each story of how they got where they are is unique. You may be surprised to find that some of these people have few or no actual music skills, but their love of music combined with a willingness to work hard has led to their achievements in this alluring industry.
The music business is just that, a business, and its products are songs, albums, concerts, and merchandise. It requires product development and manufacturing, sales and advertising, lawyers and accountants just like any other industry. Figuring out how to best get the product sold is what makes any business go round. Every music industry job fits somewhere in that cycle. But I happen to think that unlike any other industry, the music industry is the most fascinating and rewarding.
So maybe you cannot play an instrument, but you love to read all the small print about studios, songs, or musicians that are included in the liner notes of a CD. Maybe you can’t carry a tune in a bucket, but learning about behind-the-scenes people like managers and agents fascinates you. Maybe you are a musician but traveling is not your cup of tea. Be careful because you may be opening up more than just a book, you may be opening up a whole new world for yourself.
WORKING MUSICIANS
Road Musician, Recording Musician, & Symphonic Musician
The sounds of a jazz group drift to my room from the hotel courtyard where they are playing for guests at Sunday brunch. They sound very good. However, I suspect that some or all the musicians will go to another job Monday morning (their day gig
) and they won’t pick up their instruments again until next weekend. You don’t have to be a full-time musician to enjoy it. This section is for people who might want to pursue a full-time career in performance, but please do not discount part-time involvement in the music business. There is plenty of work for a weekend warrior
and it’s a good way to supplement one’s income and have fun doing it.
For those who choose to be full-time musicians, whether in the studio or on the road, getting to that point can be the hardest part. You must have an unstoppable desire to go for it.
Patience and perseverance are required as well, for this is usually a process, not an event. I know of very few players who have simply walked into town and gotten a gig. More often than not, musicians end up taking a day job while this networking process evolves into the break that launches a career.
What if your break is a long time in coming? I am convinced that the place to look lies within. Are you really good enough? Do you have any alcohol or drug problems that are keeping you from success? How are your people skills? These are all questions that must be addressed before looking at any type of employment, but quite often are ignored by some musicians. I’ll never forget the singer (quite good) I spoke with in a Holiday Inn lounge one night. Holding a double shot of tequila in one hand and a beer in the other he commented, I don’t understand it, I’ve been singing in these bars in Des Moines now for 23 years and I’ve never made it.
By all means, be prepared to take a look at yourself and take the steps necessary to clean up your act.
I only mention symphonic work briefly because I am focusing on the commercial music industry. However, I believe a career in classical music is viable for those with the interest and ability.
ROAD MUSICIAN
When I was just getting started, I performed with a group that played at high school assemblies, pep rallies, and the dances after ball games that we called sock hops.
In college we played fraternity parties, dances, and anything else we could get. After college graduation, I went on the road with a rhythm and blues band and it seemed as if we played every bar in the Midwest. Then I moved to Nashville, and after four or five months of beating around in nightclubs, I was hired by Kenny Rogers to play keyboards in his road band.
The process can be essentially the same for anyone who wants to climb the ladder as a performing musician; however, the nightclub scene is not what it used to be. Many clubs are phasing out live music and replacing it with disc jockeys or automated systems. The exceptions are in the major music areas like New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville, where public demand and industry concerns have kept live music alive.
In Los Angeles, many clubs that feature live music charge the bands to play there and sometimes it’s a stiff fee. The club owner charges the band a certain amount for the privilege of playing but allows the band to keep the cover charge. If the club gets a good crowd, the band might recover the fee paid to play and make some extra as well. However, if it’s a slow night, the band could end up in the red. Talk about paying dues.
So where do you go if you want to play? There are still a few nightclubs that feature live music and there are always wedding receptions, private parties, and other casual
gigs. A musician can make a modest living doing this type of work.
Getting hired as a road musician with a recording artist, as I did, is another possibility. You need to be located where that kind of music is going on – Los Angeles, Nashville, or New York City – because you can’t afford to be two states away if there is an audition call. You have to be right there in the middle of it, meeting people, sitting in wherever and whenever you can, and getting to know the players who are already out there on the front lines. You need to get yourself in front of these people as often as possible and you need to be good.
Road musicians are generally paid by the day with rates that can vary greatly depending upon the income level of the artist/employer. Less established