MIA JOHNSON
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Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………………………3 2. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………….4 3. Mission Statement………………………………………………………………………………………..5 4. Vision Statement………………………………………………………………………………………..…5 5. Music Industry Overview………………………………………………………………………………6 6. Artist Bio, History, and Functions………………………………………………………………….7 7. Key Players……………………………………………………………………………………………………8 8. Audience……………………………………………………………………………………………………….9 9. Graphics and Branding………………………………………………………………………………..10 10. Recording Project………………………………………………………………………………………11 11. Press Kit…………………………………………………………………………………………………….12 12. Merchandise……………………………………………………………………………………………..13 13. Pre-Release Promotions…………………………………………………………………………….14 14. CD Release Party……………………………………………………………………………………….14 15. Booking…………………………………………………………………………………………………….14 16. Media Strategy………………………………………………………………………………………….15 17. Fan Base Development and Website/Technology………………………………………16 18. Distribution/Retail Strategy………………………………………………………………………18 19. Video Production………………………………………………………………………………………18 20. Songwriting……………………………………………………………………………………………….19 21. Sponsors/Investors……………………………………………………………………………………20 22. SWOT Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………………..21 23. Goals…………………………………………………………………………………………………………22 24. Financials………………………………………………………………………………………………….24 25. Conclusions……………………………………………………………………………………………….24 26. Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………………………..25
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1. Executive Summary
Mia Johnson is a talented young singer and songwriter from Minneapolis who is fresh on the Chicago scene and ready to show this city her incredible talent. Deanna Miera and Stephanie Hardy enthusiastically began managing singer-songwriter Mia Johnson in October 2013 after discovering her at a Columbia College open-mic night. They were blown away with her haunting voice. After meeting with Mia a few times, her new management team developed goals and immediately got to work with implementation. Mia Johnson’s management team was able to expand her fan base by about 167 people over the course of three months, increase her overall social networking activity, schedule recording time for her first EP, Design and Launch her electronic press kit, update her bio, consult her on her on image and branding, guide her in the launch of her merchandise store to fund her first EP, and sign her up for Columbia College’s Acoustic Kitchens, Big Mouth, and Little Mouths. Deanna and Stephanie also familiarized Mia with the music industry, they got her a gig at Columbia College’s event Deck the Haus, got quotes on CD pressings and advised her to record and share videos of her singing on YouTube. Because Mia is fresh on the scene, Deanna and Stephanie’s goals were to give Mia a foundation on which to begin her new music career. It was important that her management team introduce her to different ideas that could work for her image as well as give her the tools to begin getting booked at local venues. Part of this was the implementation of her EPK. Talent buyers need booking materials in order to make decisions about the artists that contact them. Ia was unprepared for this. Her management team hopes they have left her with the proper tools to begin booking shows on her own. Besides recording her first EP, creating booking materials was the most important next step for Mia Johnson. Managing Mia Johnson was a valuable learning experience. Deanna and Stephanie’s long-term goals don’t include talent management. Both are ambitious young ladies who are ready to move onto new and exciting chapters in their careers. After managing Mia, Deanna and Stephanie learned that it can be challenging to manage an artistic and strong-willed personality. Mia’s management team felt as though Mia needed a little help getting started, but can handle things on her own for now until she is truly ready for management. It was a pleasure for her management team to work with her, but the team will be parting ways after this experience. 3|MIA JOHNSON
2. Introduction
Mia Johnson is a singer who currently attends Columbia College. She has an array of musical talents; she writes her own lyrics and composes songs to which she plays guitar. Mia can also play the piano. She does not prefer to work with a band because she likes to be in total control of the music that she writes. Being a solo act makes it easier for Mia to hop around from coffee shop to coffee shop with minimal hassle. While Mia most commonly plays acoustic shows, she also sometimes enjoys playing the electric guitar. Mia’s management team, Stephanie Hardy and Deanna Miera, interviewed Mia in order to better understand where she stood as an artist and what she hoped to accomplish over the course of the next three months. She told them that her mission was to inspire people through her music. Mia came from Minneapolis to Chicago with the dream of learning how to successfully navigate the music industry in order to grow a career as an artist. She is a very young woman with very big dreams. Her management team met with Mia in October to interview her about her dreams, goals, and current standing in her career as a music artist. Mia explained what she wanted her image to be and how she wanted to appeal to her fans. Her management team listened to Mia’s ambitions and goals and got to work on the implementation of the necessary work to achieve some of these goals. See appendix A: Artist Interview Questions
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3. Mission Statement
Hardy-Miera Management Team The Hardy-Miera Management team aims to celebrate Mia Johnson’s outstanding artistic talent and creativity by directing, organizing, and guiding her in ways that increase awareness of her music, increase her fan base and her confidence in herself through which she will engage the minds and stimulate the senses of those who listen to her music. Mia Johnson Mia Johnson’s mission is to provide outstanding music performance and letting her true self shine through while still maintaining an air of mystery in the process. She hopes to connect to her audience through her music and not have to resort to scandalous techniques that other pop singers have used in the past.
4. Vision Statement
Hardy-Miera Management Team Mia Johnson’s management team wants to have affected her artistic presence through shows, media, and related activities. We strive to have increased her fan base, her talent pool, and to have fostered her artistic self through which she will create musical experiences that transform people's musical perspectives as well as heighten their senses. Mia Johnson Mia Johnson’s vision is to inspire people to make music and listen to more music. Mia wants to be a comfort by helping her audience through her music.
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5. Music Industry Overview
Digital products have, for the most part, replaced traditional products and services. This allows artists and publishers to reach their audience much more easily through the internet. Record companies have to rethink the way they distribute music in order to continue to make a profit. Because of the new business models emerging on the internet, artists can now sell their music directly to their audiences without having to pay royalties to record companies. Such services include ReverbNation, Zimbalam, and TuneCore. There are also online music stores which allow customers to purchase individual tracks or whole albums without; eliminating physical CDs or Vinyl from the equation. There are free music download websites, subscription services, and streaming services (Toolboxes). In fact, it is projected that by 2016 digital music revenues will exceed physical revenues. Live music is continuing to grow. It is projected that ticket sales and sponsorship should generate $30.9 billion in 2017. That growth will more than offset the declining record sale revenues (PwC). See Appendix B: Works Cited
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6. Artist Bio, History, and Functions
Mia Johnson grew up as an only child in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She took an interest in music from a very early age. Mia’s ambitions to sing began at age seven when she asked mother if she could take voice lessons. Her mother called a music instructor who advised that Mia start with piano lessons. After the first two years of piano lessons Mia took an interest in guitar. She is a self-taught guitarist and sings, plays both guitar and plays the piano to current day. When she was fourteen, Mia began taking voice lessons. Mia Johnson has sung and played guitar for several small bands in Minnesota. She has performed in venues such as The Guthrie Theatre, First Avenue, and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Mia is currently playing small shows in Chicago; particularly at Columbia College events and open mic nights. She is currently working on her first EP In Me, I See You which will be released January 2013.
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7. Key Players See Appendix C: Business Cards Deanna Miera Manager Deanna is an intern at Reggies; a Chicago complex that houses the two performance venues; the Music Joint, and the Rock Club. Reggies has three bars, including a restaurant, and a record store. She displays and distributes promotional materials for various artists booked in the venues. She assists with online marketing including social media and occasionally works as a Record Store clerk and as front-of-house staff. She came to Chicago from Albuquerque, New Mexico where she attended The University of New Mexico. At UNM she studied English and Arts Management. She transferred to Columbia College Chicago where she is now majoring in Arts Management with a concentration in Music Business, graduating Fall 2016. Deanna manages singer/songwriter Mia Johnson.
Dmmiera01@gmail.com C: 505-977-4795
Stephanie Hardy Manager
Hardysteph01@gmail.com C: 843-991-4891
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Stephanie Hardy is currently working at Biz 3 Publicity as an intern. According to URB Magazine Biz 3 is "Arguably the most prevalent PR firm in independent music today." This being said her job makes her a tastemaker in that she assists in getting clients on the covers of magazines, featured in large national publications, and performing on national television shows. More specific job duties include: public relations, writing press releases, budgeting, and tour scheduling. Stephanie has previously worked with promotion companies such as; AEG Live, Dead Fame, Girls and Boys Chicago and Silver Wrapper, doing campaigning, ticketing, and playing various leadership roles. She also has audio acoustic experience and has worked for recording studio Inner Sanctum productions as a sound technician. This included in studio and field recording. Being an artist herself she knows what it is like to be the talent and understands what it is like to work with managers and agents. As a vocalist she received a summer scholarship to Juilliard. As a dancer she has been in the Moscow Ballet’s The Nutcracker, twice. She’s choreographed; set designed, costumed, lighted, and staged five of her own dance pieces. Originally from Charleston South Carolina, she grew up in her father’s audio engineering studio and workshop, recording, building custom guitars and changing tubes out of amps. Previously living in New York and Los Angeles, she is presently residing in the city of Chicago. There she is studying Live and Performing Arts Management at Columbia College Chicago, and is finishing up her final year. She is now managing singer/songwriter Mia Johnson.
8. Audience Our current audience consists mainly of Columbia College students. Columbia students are generally between the ages of eighteen and twenty three. Fifty-nine percent are female. Because most of our audience is young, they are very internet savvy and purchase or download music mainly by online means. Our online fan-base is obviously internet savvy as well. We created a survey for our fans to tell us about themselves and give us an idea of who they are on Surveymonkey.com. We posted it to Mia’s Facebook page asking fans to support her by taking the survey.
Of Mia’s fans surveyed, five out of seven are full-time students at a four year university. Only one was in high school and one was not currently enrolled in school. Among Mia’s fans, the most popular place to buy and listen to music is an online store such as iTunes. All of the fans who took the survey currently reside in the Midwestern U.S. 57.14% of fans are between the ages of eighteen and twenty four. 28.57% are between the ages of thirteen and eighteen. 85.71% of fans surveyed are female. 83.33% of fans surveyed have an income level between $0 and $25,000. Some of Mia’s fans’ favorite artists are Jack Johnson, Radiohead, The Black Keys, Brand New, and Taylor Swift. Mia Johnson’s average fan is a female eighteen to twenty-four year old student in the Midwest with little to no income who buys most of her music through iTunes. See Appendix D: Survey Results
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9. Graphics and Branding
Mia’s management team spent a long time consulting Mia about her image and branding. Mia was very uncertain about the specific image that she was going for. She was going for a dark and mysterious type of theme. Mia and her management team decided that they would use a black and white color theme. Her management team encouraged her to make an appointment with the Graphic Design department at Columbia College. Mia chose not to go that route. In the end, she chose to create her own design on at AmericanApparel.com. Mia chose a graphic of a moon with her name next to it. On one of her t-shirts for sale, she also has a design in black and white that consists of a tree with no leaves and a feather underneath the tree (see Merchandise section).
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10. Recording Project
Mia’s recording goals were to finish a four song EP to have available for sale at her shows. She has already titled the EP In Me, I See You. The EP will consist of her songs “Cheap Sympathy”, “Intentions”, “Boy”, and “Me x You.” Mia has been building hype about the upcoming EP release on her Facebook page since August 2013. She had originally independently set her release date as December 9, 2013. At the time she announced this date she wasn’t scheduled for studio time. Mia’s management team set a date for her to record in a home studio with Columbia College student Chuck Abeling. The date was set for Sunday, November 24. Mia was unable to make the date due to unforeseen circumstances. Chuck never got back to management about available dates after that. Because of the setback, Mia independently contacted Droptone Studios in Excelsior, Minnesota and has booked a date to record in January. Droptone is a state-of-the-art, full service recording studio located in Excelsior, MN. Droptone is easily the fastest growing audio production facility in Minnesota, expanding in its legacy of legendary and current artists with a specialization in hip-hop, reggae, pop, and rock genres. Droptone is well established and well equipped to handle any and all situations, solving the needs of its clientele. Droptone offers recording, editing, mixing, and mastering services as well as full-scale production including song composition and arrangement. Droptone is located 20 minutes outside of downtown Minneapolis on an extremely private and quiet lot nestled in the woods by a small lake, designed to give artists and bands a relaxed, affordable place to record with outstanding sound, at a fraction of the usual recording studio costs. Mia will be working with one of Droptone’s skilled engineers.
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11. Press Kit
Mia Johnson’s management team created an electronic press kit for her on the myband.is website. They chose the most professional-looking photo of her for the background. It is a very simple and clean design which adds to the somewhat mysterious vibe that Mia is going for. They added her updated biography to the EPK. They have two of her demo songs on the website and will add more at the release of her EP. Her EPK has her managers’ contact info for booking as well as links to her social media websites. This is important because it gives talent buyers easy access to the videos Mia has been uploading on Youtube for her fans. The EPK is mainly going to be used for booking until the opportunity/need for press arises in the future. See Appendix E: Electronic Press Kit
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12. Merchandise
Mia launched an online merchandise store with StoreEnvy.com. There is a 4x6 print that comes with a free demo download of her song “Like You Do”, three different styles of men’s t-shirts, three different styles of men’s sweatshirts, and her EP In Me, I See You available for pre-order. She did a Facebook promo telling her fans that as soon as she reached seven hundred fans, she would make merchandise available to them. Management had very little to do with the launch of the online merchandise store. Mia opened the store independently without consulting her management team. This means profit margins and cost were not looked at or discussed. There was not necessarily a need for merchandise due to demand from fans but the store will be used as a tool to earn money to fund her first EP.
(All merchandise, excluding bundles, comes with 2 Free Demo Downloads) Mia Johnson Official Store: http://miajohnson.storenvy.com/
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13. Pre-Release Promotions Our pre-release promotions have been done mainly through Facebook. Mia was building hype on her personal and artist social media websites for her new EP before she was under our management. Mia continues to promote the upcoming EP on her Facebook page. Mia has created a promotional video for her new EP and posted it on her YouTube page. After Mia releases In Me, I See You, Mia Johnson will reach out to local college radio stations with demos of her hit, “Boy.”
14. CD Release Party Right now, our main focus is getting Mia’s first EP recorded. At this time we have no scheduled CD release party. 15. Booking See Appendix F: Booking Proof
Venue Talent Buyer Contact City Date Capacity Required Materials for Booking Date Submitted Reply From Venue Confirmed By
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Performance: Haus – Acoustic Kitchen sbourne@colum.edu Chicago Wed. 10-30-13 179 No submission required
Performance: Potbelly Sandwich Shop Matt, (312) 2121605 Chicago
Call
Performance: Haus (Deck the Haus) Joei Bush, (253) 651-1159 Chicago 12-9-13 179 Soundcloud link
No submission required N/A
11-18-13 yes
N/A
Joei Bush
16. Media Strategy
The strategy that Mia Johnson is taking towards the media is focused toward college radio. Since a large percentage of her fan base represent the college aged listener, focusing on this outlet makes sense. Once Mia Johnson releases her EP, we will advise her to have a release party, for this she will need to seek out appearances on college radio within the Chicago area. LiveKick.com is another great tool that the she can use while releasing her album. The site allows artists to post their tour dates and upcoming events into a database where fans can create their own lists of bands they can follow. LiveKick.com assures fans will not miss their favorite band’s tours and special events. For future endeavors in the media bracket, exploring more radio broadcasting in Chicago would be excellent to get their music out to the public. Also, for print media, having a featurette in Metromix’s Music section located in the RedEye, would give Mia great exposure. Lastly, Mia Johnson plans to register her music through Nielsen Soundscan. This will prove to record companies and sponsors that she is being broadcasted and recognized by a larger audience.
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17. Fan Base Development and Website/Technology
Mia Johnson has a large variety of ways that she can keep in touch with her fans. She continues to expand in as many ways as she can. The best way Mia Johnson spreads her musical news is through Facebook, it acts like a hub for the rest of her social media sites. For an artist such as herself she is constantly making and maintaining close relationships with Mia Johnson fans. Below is a list of sources currently being utilized:
Myspace.com/miamichaelajohnson Music Player Biography Section Influences Fans/friends Contact Information Pictures Shows Facebook.com/miajohnsonmn Updated News Section Biography Section Influences Fans/friends Fan comments/questions Contact Information Pictures/Video footage Survey Shows Soundcloud.com/miajohnsonsound Two demos Fans Fan comments/questions Links to other social media
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Twitter.com/miamjohnson Fans/followers News Updates Shows Photos Fan comments/questions Youtube.com/miajohnsonsound Videos of: Demo Cover EP Promotion Fan comments/Likes Subscribers Miajohnsonsound.bandcamp.com Two Demos for purchase, $1 each Lyrics Merch Contact Information Myband.is/miajohnson EPK Music All links to social media Bio News Shows Contact Information
(MyBand.is is more specifically for industry professionals; here they can find Mia’s electronic press kit, bio, photos, gig listing history, and contact information etc. If they are interested they can also find her social media sites as well which are linked in.) Mia Johnson has taken advantage of the internet in many ways. She has taken upon herself to find a multitude of different websites in order to update fans and newcomers. Fans and talent buyers will want to stop by her sites for updates. Fans can leave comments at various sites and Mia responds in a timely manner so fans feel like they are closer to her as an artist. Fans are also able to stop by to purchase her merchandise through her StoreEnvy site which Mia manages herself. The store link and information is posted on all of her social media. Mia most recently posted a survey on her Facebook page to determine which regions and the types of fans that she needs to target. All in all her sites are easy to navigate with the appropriate sections. See Appendix G: Facebook “Likes� Graph
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18. Distribution/Retail Strategy
Mia’s merchandise and music is going to be distributed independently on her StoreEnvy website. Once recorded, Mia is going to distribute her EP In me, I see you at her shows. Her StoreEvny website has three different styles of men’s tshirts, three different styles of men’s sweatshirts, and her EP In Me, I See You available for pre-order. Management had very little to do with the launch of the online merchandise store. Mia opened the store independently without consulting her management team. After the release of In Me, I See You, we will advise Mia to utilize a music distribution website such as Zimbalam.com (where she will receive ninety percent of the royalties) to distribute her music. This makes it easy for her as an independent musician. 19. Video Production
Mia Johnson’s management team consulted her on the importance of uploading informal Youtube videos of her singing and/or performing her songs. They decided on this strategy because this model has worked for other artists in the past such as Justin Bieber. Youtube can be a very useful tool for reaching fans and allowing anyone with a computer to discover our music.
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20. Songwriting Although she does occasionally sing covers, Mia Johnson writes all of her own music. All of the songs on In Me, I See You are written by her. They will be use strictly by Mia and will be copyrighted before the release of her EP. “Like You Do” I've never been one to pick a fight, but I've always been one who comes off frank. I've never been one who likes to lie, like you do. But you, you're such a coward. You're so insignificant. You, you're such a child. I hope that you cry. I've never been one to have a heart of stone. But I've always been one to have a heart wide open. I've never been one to manipulate, like you do. But you, you're such a coward. You're so insignificant. You, you're such a child. I hope that you cry. Mia Johnson November 20, 2013 *“Like You Do” will not be featured in the EP
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23. Sponsors/Investors
*In October 2013, we thought that In Me, I See You could be released in December. Due to financial issues, it will now be released in February 2014.*
We consulted Mia on the idea of creating an Indiegogo website to help fund the recording of her EP. “Obviously recording an EP takes a lot of money, and that's why I am asking you to help contribute to the process. If you've ever wanted to support my music, now is the time. I have studio time booked in January, and in order to pay that time off, I'm going to need around a thousand dollars. This EP will be a full band experience which costs more money than just an acoustic EP. I'm very proud of the music I will be releasing as I've wanted to put out these songs for over three years now. I finally have the opportunity to do so, but I need your help. Although Kickstarter is the preferred method of support, you can always buy a t-shirt or two at the official Mia Johnson store: http://www.miajohnson.storenvy.com. If you've already contributed, I thank you. It is now more than ever that we need to come together as fans and artists to help support one another.� So far Mia Johnson has raised $352 of her $1,300 goal, with 22 days left. http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-fund-in-me-i-see-you?show_todos=true
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22. SWOT Analysis
Strengths Mia Johnson is a Columbia College student. Therefore we appeal to students on campus, who will be more likely to support an artist from their own school. She has all forms of social media already set up; therefore her social network has already been started and can grow from there. She is ambitious and feels fully worthy of recognition She has a network of people who are in the same industry who would most likely be willing to help Weaknesses Mia does not have much of a following yet, therefore it may be more difficult to get a crowd at her shows. She does not have an EP yet, therefore it may be more difficult to get her music out there to the masses. Mia is headstrong and dislikes working with other musicians Opportunity Our artist is still fresh in the industry; therefore she is more willing and open to ideas and suggestions. She is like a blank canvas in that at this point she can really go in any direction with her image and branding She is familiar with Minneapolis and Chicago and can begin to build fan-bases in both cities Threats Chicago is more of a hip-hop dominated city. Mia Johnson is a singer songwriter; therefore people may not be as interested in her music. There is a heavy concentration of aspiring musicians at Columbia College, and therefore more completion for recognition (this can also be seen as an opportunity for collaboration and/or inspiration and networking)
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23. Goals Within three months of our management, Mia wants to market herself; create a fan-base and get her name out there. Her management team wants to achieve this goal by creating a strong online presence using Facebook as the main social media tool. She also wants to record and release her first EP. Management will achieve this goal by booking studio time for her. Her management team would like to use our Columbia resources to the max to achieve this goal. The ideal for her team would be to meet an Audio Engineering student who needs to record an artist for a project; as Audio Engineer students are the only ones who can use Columbia’s recording studios. Her management team’s success will be measured when there is an EP recorded. Her management team came close to achieving this goal, as they had a date scheduled to record but Mia had to cancel. Another three month goal of Mia’s was to play regularly at local venues. Her management team achieved this goal by signing her up for Big Mouth and Little Mouth events, as well as by booking her for Columbia College Chicago’s event “Deck the Haus” at Haus. Her management team also achieved the goal of increasing her fan-base by raising her number of Facebook “likes” from 500 to 767 in three months. That is 53.4%! Releasing an EPK was one of Mia Johnson’s management team’s three month goals. They accomplished this by designing and launching an EPK on Myband.is. Mia’s management team also recorded the following goals in case they continued to work together after the class project: 1 year One year from now Mia wants to be ready for a Midwestern tour She wants to be ready to record her 2nd Album She wants to have continued marketing and continue to increase her fan-base Do Radio Interviews Album Release Party 3 years Perhaps hire a manager Collaborate with other artists
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Have a strong network of fellow artists Second Album Increased Radio Play 5 years Sign with independent label Continue recording National tour
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24: Financials
Appendix H: Financial layout for Mia Johnson thus far
25. Conclusions Mia Johnson is well prepared to take Chicago by storm from the help and guidance of her personal managers Deanna Miera and Stephanie Hardy. This singer-songwriter is currently donning the stages of Columbia College Chicago. She participates weekly in open mic nights and various acoustic events. Mia Johnson has placed her name in a roster of up and coming singer-songwriters in the College community. Deanna and Stephanie have worked diligently on creating a thorough artists management plan that will work with Mia Johnson’s needs. Over the past three months the management group has implemented various ideas into bettering Mia Johnson's career. Over a three month period they expanded her fan base by about 167 people, increased her overall social networking activity, scheduled recording time for her new EP, launched her EPK, updated current bio, consulted her on her on image and branding, guided her in the launch of her merchandise store, booked her at local open mic nights, acoustic kitchens and other local events, got quotes on CD pressings (see Appendix I) and familiarized her with the music industry. Mia is currently in the process of recording her first EP with Droptone Studio in Minnesota. Overall Deanna and Stephanie used their management skills to further Mia Johnson’s career and to lead her towards success. The goal they set for themselves was to better their artist, to gain appreciation for artist management, and to learn as much as they could during this three month period. They did just that and each played a beneficial and responsible role in the management team of Mia Johnson. The goals were reached because of enthusiasm and dedication. From this point on labels, venues, producers, A&R reps and various industry professionals will want to be a part of the Mia Johnsons uprising. Deanna and Stephanie will not be continuing to manage artist Mia Johnson, but will be moving on to different and exciting opportunities in their career. Despite this, managing Mia Johnson was a great learning tool and many skills are being taken away from this experience. 24 | M I A J O H N S O N
26. Appendix Appendix A: Artist Interview Questions
1. Are they (artist) at the beginner, intermediate or advanced level of their trade (singer, songwriter, producer, etc)? What work will be required to get them ready to market? She is advanced at both singing and playing guitar. Not much work will be required. She has been playing her whole life but really started to take it seriously 4-5 years ago. 2. What market demographic are they trying to reach? 8-12 year olds? 18-32? An ethnic market? What do you perceive their marketing angle to be (i.e. how will you market them to that demographic? o o o o
Ages 15-25 Mysterious vibe, doesn’t want to be “in your face”, ie. Katy Perry Willing to take any marketing angle in the future but still keep mysterious vibe Wants people to be curious and intrigued
3. What are their goals? (3 months, 1 year and 5 year) Will you be able to achieve those 3 month goals with them or are you in over your head? Are you on the same page and heading in the same direction regarding their goals? At our preliminary meeting, Mia made the following goals: 3 months – Market- Create a fan-base, get name out there Record and release EP 1 year – Midwestern tour Record 2nd Album Continued marketing and increase fan-base 5 year – Sign with independent label Continue recording National tour
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4. Do they absolutely love what they do? Are they doing what they do for the love of it or do they want to make a million dollars and live in a mansion on the hill? Either way, can you handle it? She absolutely loves what she does. It is her life. She does it because it’s therapeutic, but she wants to make money doing what she loves. She would love to be rich and famous. 5. Do they have any existing deals (management, productions, spec, recording, recordings)? Will any of these deals conflict with or complicate your involvement? Can they legally move forward with you or do you have to buy somebody out, comanage with somebody else, help get the artist out of an existing contract, etc? No existing deals. She can legally move forward with us. 6. Do they operate as a company or do they own any other companies (production, publishing, design, etc.)? No 7. Where do they live? City. How often have you agreed to contact each other regarding this project? And how? (in-person, internet, phone) o Lives in Chicago for school o From Minneapolis o Keep in touch frequently through email and facebook, more than phone 8. Do they belong to any unions, organizations, associations or guilds? Do they have any contracts that affect your involvement with them? No 9. What assets do they have (copyrights, trademarks, etc.)? They do not have to give you personal details like account numbers, serial numbers, etc. You just want to get a general sense of their assets. What debts (business/band) have they incurred? They do not have to give you personal details, just general debt facts. No copyrights, trademarks, or debt. 10. What do they believe are their strengths and their weaknesses as an artist? She is confident in what she does, but feels that she needs to be better about making connections in the music business world. She is good with social media and is comfortable performing. She is not always prepared, but she is good at last minute “pulling it together.”
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11. Do they have lots of friends or enemies in business? It is better to know soon than later since you may bump into some of these people (good or bad) along the way. You do not want out hear things about your client’ through the grapevine’. What other artist have they worked with? Mia has no enemies in the Music Business as of right now. She was involved with the music scene in Minneapolis and has connections out there. She has worked on covers with friends, arranges songs and has worked with another band. That project fell through. 12. Have they had a manager previously? If so, what is the status of that relationship? Mia had a manager when she worked with a different band but that project fell through. They are not in contact. 13. Have they put out any records or been on tour before? Find out their past booking schedule within the last 1-3 months. Where would they like to see you book them? She hasn’t put out records yet. She has one demo out, and has never been on tour. 14. Do they currently have: bio, photos, website, social media sites, logo, and merchandise? What are(s) do they feel would be a great advancement to furthering their career. She has accounts with Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, Bandcamp, Bandpage, and Soundcloud. Her Bio is on Facebook page and Soundcloud. She has no website, no logo, and some photos done by friends--not through hired photographers. She wants to have a logo and a website, she wants to make connections. She is trying to find an audio engineer, she needs a team but she needs to maintain creative control. She needs to find people who can deal with that. She envisions playing with a band but wants to be the front-woman, ie. Adele. 15. From the artist point of view, what do they believe is their mission statement? What does the artist offer to their audience? What is the essence of why the band/signer exists? What makes them different from any other actor or dancer out there?
She wants to inspire people, wants to help people through music, wants people to hear her music and come back for more. She wants people to hear her live show and want to buy and listen to the songs. It’s what she does; it’s what she’s good at. She believes in connecting with audiences. She is different because she writes her own music, darker music; she is unique in the Chicago music scene at her current level. She likes to be mysterious and doesn’t want to be “out there” like some pop-singers.
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Appendix B: Works Cited
"Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2013-2017." PwC.com. PwC, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.
"Music Industry Overview." Toolboxes.flexiblelearning.net. Commonwealth of Australia, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.
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Appendix C: Business Cards
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Appendix D: Survey Results
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Appendix E: Electronic Press Kit
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Appendix F: Booking Proof
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Appendix G: Facebook “Likes� Graph
Appendix H: Financials
Mia Johnson Expense Sheet:
Continuing Education
$0
Auto Travel (In miles)
$0
Coaching & Lessons Expense
$0
Audition Travel
$0
Music - Arrangements
$0
Continuing Education
$0
Downloads, CDs, & Recordings
$0
Job seeking
$0
Training
$0
Out-Of-Town Business Trips
$0
Rents - Rehearsal Hall
$0
Purchasing Job Supplies & Materials
$0
Tickets - Performance Audit
$0
Business Meetings
$0
Voice Training
$0
Parking Fees & Tolls ($)
$0
Promotional Expenses
$0
Travel - Out of Town
$0
Airfare
$0
Audition Tapes, Videos, CDs & DVDs Business Cards
$0
Car Rental
$0
Film & Processing
$0
Bridge & Highway Tolls
$0
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Mailing Supplies - Envelopes, etc.
$0
Parking
$0
Photos - Professional
$0
Taxi, Train, Bus & Subway
$0
Resume’ and Portfolio Expenses
$0
Lodging (do not combine with meals)
$0
Website Development & Hosting
$0
Meals (do not combine with lodging)
$0
Other:________________________
$0
Communication & Wi-Fi Access
$0
Supplies & Expenses
$0
Apartment Rent (jobs lasting less than $0 1 year)
Commissions - Agent/Manager
$0
Communication Costs
$0
Dues - Union & Professional
$0
Cellular and or Smart Phone Calls
$0
Gifts - Business ($25.00 maximum per $0 person per year)
FAX & Other On Line Data Services
$0
Instrument & Musical Supplies
$0
Skype & Internet Phone Service
$0
Meals - Business (enter 100% of cost)
$0
Other: ___________________________
$0
Postage & Office Supplies
$0
Equipment Purchases
$65
Publications - Trade
$0
Audio Systems & Amplifiers
$0
Computer & Printer
$0
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Recording Studio Costs Rents - Office, Storage, etc.
$0
Musical Instruments
$0
Rents - Equipment, etc.
$0
Pager and Recorder
$0
Repairs – Instruments & Equipment
$0
Smart Phone & Tablets
$0
Secretarial & Bookkeeping
$0
Software
$0
Sheet Music
$0
Speaker Systems
$0
Strings, picks, cords, reeds, etc.
$18 Tools & other Music Supplies
$0
Other: ___________________________
$0
$0
Other: ____________________________
Grand Total: $83
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Appendix I: CD Pressing Quotes
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