by Dr. Paul Guise (originally published in 2005)

PAUL GUISE
is an arts consultant, conductor and music educator living in Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Check out his website at CultureConsult.ca

This month we’ll be looking at a different type of clubbing, namely musician’s clubs (also known as associations, federations, societies, unions, etc.). These organizations offer a wealth of information and benefits, including networking opportunities, job postings, legal and financial help, and many ways to learn from the experiences of others. There are many different types of associations, so we’ll look at a few examples. For more information, look in the Links section at www.BusiMusic.ca.

Sometimes associations can be great money savers! For example, a common concern regarding a career in music is the lack of benefits (meaning health/dental/optical, not tickets/beer/etc.). However, many musicians’ associations offer their members benefit packages that are similar to those found in the corporate world, and usually at competitive rates. My local Music Industry Association (MIA), for example, charges between $70 and $136 per month for comprehensive coverage for your entire family. That’s not too bad. In addition to such coverage, most MIAs offer members access to professional development funds, which means you can establish or expand your business more effectively than if you were paying exclusively out of your own (empty?) pocket.

Another type of association here in Canada is SOCAN, the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada. SOCAN’s primary function is to collect and distribute Canadian royalty money to members and, through various reciprocal agreements, ensure that Canadian artists get paid for the use of their work in other countries. The organization is also takes an active role in furthering artists’ rights in Canada and abroad. Simply put, SOCAN members often make money through being members: how many associations can offer that? Actually, there are others in Canada, particularly CMRRA, the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency, which covers mechanical rights (CDs etc.).

No discussion of associations would be complete without mentioning the various performers’ associations that exist. No matter whether you’re a songwriter or composer, fiddle player or violinist, there is an association to suit your needs. Unfortunately, it is all but impossible to list the many organizations in an article such as this, but a brief web search or a look at the links mentioned in the first paragraph will get you started.

One of the cornerstones of musicians’ associations is the musicians’ union. In North America, that usually means the AFM, or American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (guess which part they added!). The AFM is extremely powerful in some regions, and where they are, you’ll need a union card to play: take this seriously. Where the union controls the market, they also control the minimum rate of pay for musicians, meaning venues that try to change the payout at the end of the session are asking for trouble. The union also works to improve the lot of professional musicians overall, so even if you’re not a “union person”, consider the merits of supporting this important organization.

Don’t forget to consider various forms of professional development, such as conferences, workshops, master classes, or song circles: professional associations don’t need to be long-term to be beneficial. Finally, take the time to read about each of these organizations on their respective websites, and consider joining the club! See you in December for a roundup of this year’s articles.

by Dr. Paul Guise (originally published in 2005)

PAUL GUISE
is an arts consultant, conductor and music educator living in Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Check out his website at CultureConsult.ca

Over the past several months we’ve looked at the basics of planning your music business. This month, we’ll consider some different sources of information that can help you establish whether there really is a market for what you’re selling, and if so, what the characteristics are of that market (population, spending patterns, cultural background, etc.). You can skip this step and simply start working as a musician, but taking the time to do your homework on the business side of your music career can save you time and money (as discussed way back in January’s article). So, where to begin?

These days, the first step that most people will take is to look on the internet. This isn’t a bad strategy, but remember, there’s more to searching the internet than just visiting Google. There are other websites out there that you can visit directly that will give you most of your preliminary information. Here in Canada, the place to start is the Statistics Canada website, statcan.ca. This website, available in English and French, presents a wide assortment of demographic data for every region of the country, and is especially useful for identifying trends in population and finance. Use this to get a basic understanding of whether your city or neighbourhood is an appropriate place for the business you’re planning.

Need more information? Then your next step is to head to the public library, where you’ll find two important resources: the collection and the librarians. Public libraries contain excellent collections of materials about the local business environment, and these materials are usually kept up to date. In addition, the librarians who work at these wonderful places are trained to help you find specific types of information within the overall collection, saving you time and effort. Public libraries are usually better suited to market research than libraries at colleges or universities (which are designed for academic research), so pack up your list of questions and make a day of it!

If you’re still looking for information at this point, consider a visit to your local business development office and/or chamber of commerce. Mandated with helping people start and grow their businesses, these centres are rich with print and electronic materials about the local marketplace, local regulations (such as registering your business or paying taxes), and personal contacts (such as mentors) to help you along your way. Materials are always kept up to date, and the staff is experienced in helping people like you find the information you need.

Note that the above options are all available at little or no cost. If you need still more help, look to a cultural research specialist (such as BusiMusic.ca!). Cultural research specialists are highly trained people or organizations that spend all day, every day, looking into the inner workings of the cultural industries. They are usually contracted to work on specific projects (meaning you have to pay them), but many offer free consultations or publish via newsletters or, increasingly, the internet. While many musicians don’t need to research their market in such great detail, the services of such a specialist can be indispensable to larger music organizations such as orchestras, universities, and record labels. One fine example of an arts research specialist is Hill Strategies Research hillstrategies.com, who produce a regular bulletin called the Arts Research Monitor. Browse their site for more information on how to subscribe.

Each of these sites leads to many others, and there are more links available at BusiMusic.ca. Let me know if you come across something that’s helpful and I’ll add it to the site, as we all benefit from sharing resources. Remember to keep thorough notes as you’re doing your research, as this will help other people help you! Finally, don’t forget your colleagues when you’re doing market research. Many of your fellow musicians will have words of wisdom that they can pass along, often saving you significant amounts of time. Just remember that even the wisest words should be confirmed through one of the sources we’ve been investigating, and that it never hurts to get a second (or third, or twelfth) opinion. Enjoy Thanksgiving – see you in November!

by Dr. Paul Guise (originally published in 2005)

PAUL GUISE
is an arts consultant, conductor and music educator living in Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Check out his website at CultureConsult.ca

The end of our SWOT analysis is in sight! Last month’s focus was on strengths and weaknesses. This month we’ll finish with a look at opportunities and threats through the eyes of ETOP, an Environmental Threats and Opportunities Profile. What follows is a very basic overview, as the creation of an ETOP can be a complex, formal process (and we don’t want that, do we?).

At the most basic level, the creation of an ETOP involves making a list of career opportunities and threats in your environment. These can be related to internal factors (such as your level of training or musical preferences) or external factors (such as the state of the economy or your competitors). Starting with the positive, let’s look at opportunities. Your extensive training as a composer of accordion music could suggest a career opportunity, as could your skills repairing brass instruments or your talents behind a mixing board. Mark these down on your list, and don’t worry about your competition: that will be addressed later.

Often you will hear it said that an opportunity appeared as if from nowhere. Rarely is this the case (it usually takes years to become an overnight success). By carefully observing trends in the world around you, you will be much better prepared for these “sudden” changes. For example, it has been suggested that we’re on the edge of a teachers’ retirement boom, which could lead to significant opportunities for people entering (or planning to enter) a career as a music teacher. Of course, this assumes that those retirements lead to replacement teachers being hired, an assumption that is threatened by changes in educational policy, a trend towards part-time employment, and many other factors. Which leads us to threats…

When considering threats to their future careers, most people think of the same thing: competition. Certain musical professions are extremely competitive and overflowing with talented people, such that entering into those professions can be highly risky (there’s rarely a shortage of excellent pianists, lead guitarists, or sopranos). In addition, some musical professions that appear to lack competition are simply too small to accommodate more than a few individuals (such as bassoon teachers, organ tuners, or electroacoustics composers). Finally, consider that the less competition there is in a certain field, the more likely it becomes that other people will enter that field: competition will fill a vacuum, unless the barriers to entry (such as education or cost of equipment) are sufficiently high.

Some threats are harder to see, simply because they don’t seem threatening on a day-to-day basis. For example, if you’re hoping to make a living as a touring musician, having a family can be a threat to your career. Some people can thrive professionally while balancing a touring career and family, while other have to choose. The changing demographics of society can also result in threats to your career. Here in Newfoundland, the number of youth is expected to drop to one-third of 1980s levels within the next few years. This is an enormous threat to those entering the piano-teaching profession (unless the number of existing piano teachers also drops by a similar margin).

Finally, don’t ignore threats from outside of the music world. As musicians, we often compete against other arts, pop entertainment such as television, and sports for our audience. A hockey strike could mean boom times for musicians, if there’s a common audience. The invention of recording and playback equipment over the past century has meant the end of a wide variety of live music, and yet the current omnipresence of “canned” music might cause a rebirth of live performance. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between opportunity and threat.

As you develop your own ETOP, try to keep it framed in terms of your own career. Are there opportunities for your chosen career(s)? Are there threats? Be prepared to discover that your career plans need modification. For some people, this may mean small change (jazz saxophonist becomes musical theatre saxophonist), while others will have to spend more time re-assessing their goals. Finally, remember that no matter how crowded any market may appear, there is always room if you are the very best. Try to be objective about this: your mother may not be the best source. Statistically, most people are not the very best.

That marks the end of our look at SWOT analysis. Hopefully you’ve noticed a few gaps in your understanding of SWOT, which can be quite complex but is a great tool to use as a professional. There’s a great deal of information available on this subject, so pay a visit to your library and dig a little deeper. The last three articles for 2005 will clean up some remaining details about the making of a business plan. See you in October!