worKing mUsiCiAn
Business Chops: why Are You in the music Business?
Clarifying Your Business mission statement
by John Stiernberg, member Local 47 (Los Angeles)
Every musician has a unique set of education,
experiences, aspirations, and motivations that
are different from anyone else. Consequently,
each musician is likely to answer the question
?why?? a little differently. What makes you
tick? What motivates you? How does the answer
to the question ?Why am I in the music
business?? relate to your career and business
plan? This article explores the topic and offers
suggestions for defining your music business
mission, vision, and values.
The Five motivations
Whether you are full-time or part-time in
music, your motivation is likely to fall into
one or more of the following categories:
1) Make a living. This ranges from ?pay the
bills? to ?get rich.? Some people are motivated
primarily by money or financial
need. Everyone needs a source of income.
For those of us who are not already independently
wealthy, the prospect of making
a living doing something we love (like
working in music) is attractive?a positive
motivator.
2) Fulfill a dream. ?I?ve always wanted to do
something in music? or ?If only I could be
in the industry performing and recording
full-time ?? Some of us may want to see
our names on the marquee, on records, in
the iTunes store, or in the Billboard charts.
Others aspire to business or technical support
roles, but are still involved in music
as a career.
3) Create a legacy. ?When I?m gone I want
people to remember my work (or influence
on the music industry).? Looking a
little further into the future, some of us
are motivated by the idea of creating a
company or a body of work that takes on
an identity or a life of its own.
4) Benefit other people. ?Take care of my
family? or ?Inspire others ?? Some of
us focus on our immediate family and
friends, while others are driven to benefit
the broader industry, community, or society
as a whole.
5) Adrenaline rush. ?There is no feeling like
the energy coming from a crowd during
a show.? This applies whether you are on
stage, backstage, or in the audience and
can also be a positive motivator.
A possible sixth category is ?all of the above.?
See how this sounds to you.
?I?ve always wanted to do something with
music that will benefit mankind?the big
audience out there. If I?m successful, I?ll make
a good living along the way and be remembered
as a positive influence on the world.
When I hear the applause during a show, I
remember what it?s all about?great music.?
Sound idealistic? Maybe so, but it?s a whole
lot better than, ?Oh well, I might as well get
a job in the music business because it?s better
than working the counter at McDonald?s for
minimum wage all my life ??
how to write a mission statement
A mission statement answers the question
?Why are you in business?? Whether you are
a self-employed musician, band member,
owner of a small music business, or in a
management position in a larger firm, articulating
the answer to this question is the
foundation for your strategic planning. This
applies whether you are in music full-time
or part-time. Here are some guidelines for
writing your mission statement.
1) Strong missions statements are usually one
or two sentences long. I?ve seen mission
statements that have gone on to two or
three pages of cryptic, single-spaced text.
Longer ones are flawed in that you and
the people around you will not remember
them and may not put emphasis in the
right areas when it comes to planning and
taking action.
2) Short mission statements are often
supplemented by clarifying comments.
These most frequently take the form of
?vision statements? and ?values statements.?
This is a good way to deal with
the temptation to make your mission
statement too long.
3) Vision statements describe your view of
the future of the industry or market. Vision
statements are part predictions, part trend
analysis, and part context information.
4) Values statements are your code of ethics,
or your operating principles, and are
fundamental to your business and unlikely
to change over a long period of time.
If you work alone or own the company, you
can assert your own values in your business?
assuming that those values are congruent
with those of your clients and fans. If you
work for someone else, it is important to
make sure that your personal values are
reasonably aligned with those of the organization.
This helps prevent problems, but
more importantly drives the business in a
positive way.
writing it down is Liberating
A rule of thumb in strategic planning is ?if it?s
not written down, it?s not a plan.? Sure, you
have to think through the issues, and yes, you
may have a good memory. Yet (as songwriters
and composers know) there is something
about the act of writing that is both clarifying
and liberating.
The other real benefit of writing everything
down is that the material can then be shared
with others: your business partners, co-workers,
employees, family, investors, vendors, or
other stakeholders. For now, I suggest that you
take a stab at drafting your mission statement,
or revising the one you currently have. Start
by completing the following sentence:
We are in business to __________________
_________________________ .
Congratulations! You?ve taken the first step in
understanding the fundamentals of business
and in taking your music business to the next
level. Good luck!
About the author: John Stiernberg is principal
consultant with Stiernberg Consulting (www.
stiernberg.com), a Sherman Oaks (Los Angeles),
California, based business development firm. Stiernberg
has more than 30 years of music industry
experience, including eight years as performer,
recording artist, and agent; 12 years working for
sound equipment manufacturers; and 16 years
as a business analyst and consultant. In addition
to entertainment technology industry affiliations,
he is a member of IBMA, the Recording Academy,
and the AFM.
Stiernberg?s book Succeeding in music: business
Chops for performers and Songwriters is
published by Hal Leonard Corporation. For details,
visit www.succeedinginmusic.net or e-mail him at
askjohn@succeedinginmusic.net. Follow Stiernberg
on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnStiernberg.
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