MUSIC IN A CHILD’S LIFE

 As a teacher, vocal coach and singer I have come to realize that music is a universal importance, especially to children. Children can almost connect to any tune emotionally and physically instantaneously. Children will be the one primary audience that VocaPOW Mania, LLC will market to. Finding ways to enlighten kids with the beauty of a melody will harken the interest of singing on a daily basis.

The one issue that strikes a parent is what age a child should begin receiving vocal training. Of course, the moment a child says they want to do something their parent quickly jumps on it in strives to please them. But for someone who has been singing for over 15 years professionally, I know how to train a child who hasn’t developed into his or her voice fully.

When I accept a client who is a child to teach them how to sing properly, I take it serious. I must understand that their voices are young fresh and should not be handled incorrectly. The one technique a child should do in a vocal lesson is be free but not yell. At the age of 6 or 7, a child could definitely retain professionally training on breathing correctly and standing with poise. Every child I give vocal training to have an extroverted personality and want to sing so I do not stop the chemistry between me and their voices. I give them tongue twisting exercises, and a few; melodic scale lines that won’t stretch them to an extent because they are CHILDREN! They will not be singing a C4 and be serious doing it like Leontyn Price or Cecilia Bartoli who are immaculate Soprano Opera singers.

Music has an effect on all of us. Children are very connected to rhythms, lively or sultry tunes that make them sway. Since they are sensitive beings to the Music realm they usually desire to dance or sing. I want every child I train to free in that entity. So Parents do not worry, there is no precise age for your child to take or not take a vocal class. Being smart about how they utilize their voices is what matters the most. A healthy singer produces a healthy sounding voice remember that.

Will there ever be an EXPERT at this thing called a Business Plan?

Knowing who various business planning experts are and what routes they've taken while pursuing success as an entrepreneur really could help me take risks in finding ways to finance my new idea of a company. After researching a couple of experts in business planning and pitch writing I believe I am prepared and ready to give it a try.

Business Plan Expert, Professor Steven A. Gedeon, PhD is a highly-regarded entrepreneurship educator, public speaker and angel and venture capitalist; who has founded and or led over a dozen private, public, venture capital an non-profit organizations. Dr. Gedeon is Associate Professor at the largest entrepreneurship program in Canada- the Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University and Director of the Ryerson Entrepreneur Institute. Being a licensed Professional Engineer in the U.S.A. and Canada; Steve has sat on over 30 boards and technical committees; and has won over 20 awards. He conveys that investors are looking for critical and key components such as, What is the business?  Whom am I selling to? are a few of the critical components within a business plan.  What’s the price for product and services the company offers? and How does the business differ from its competitors? are considered key because they measure the effectiveness of the business that can help it from making mistakes and failing.

VocaPOW Mania, LLC would definitely follow the key element Dr. Gideon expresses would lead to a successful business. That element is, Does it have credibility? and Is there a guide to action? .

Writing Expert, Ms. Andrea Cockerton is an independent pitch expert and advisor in the United Kingdom. She has advised over 300 entrepreneurs on pitching for angel or venture capital funding and or strategic partnerships or commercial deals that directly impact the value of their business. Andrea has also worked with corporates such as Microsoft and national law firms and spoken at networking events across the country on the art of pitching.  In 2009, she co-founded BRICK BAG, which is a business that delivers down to earth, life saving, self defense training for women, taught by women. She gives precise points on when to ask for money from investors and bankers before there is no cash left. Andrea states, how going to investors too late is a risky strategy. She even conveys that it is better to look at the long-term objectives and aspirations of a business and plan the fundraising sensibly…” With her pitch expertise Andrea shared 3 important components that should be included in a business plan pitch that could help gain a financial backing.  In an interview, she stated, “that you are targeting a growing market with a need for your product or service, that the team is talented and ale to execute the business plan, and that your product, service or idea is groundbreaking,” (Thenextwomen.com, 2008). So, when investors view the business plan, they will see the reason why the business would need to be established and what would make it … amongst its competitors.

If I were to consider any of the suggestions given by Andrea Cockerton for VocaPOW Mania, LLC business I would select  he three components stated that could really help investors determine if the business plan is conducive for growth and groundbreaking success.

References:

https://ca.linkedin.com/in/stevegedeon

https://www.facebook.com/steve.gedeon.1

www.stevegedeon.com/about/

http://www.thebusinesshub.info/guests/andrea-cockerton/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedowsingsoundcollective

Arnitris Williams

arnitris1@fullsail.edu

T.G.I.O.- "Thank Goodness It's Online ", right?

“Thanks to the Internet, musicians and singers now have more control over their own fates.”

The Internet has made such a drastic change within the world as well as the Music Industry as we know it. Years ago the music industry had a different scene. It relied on CD sales, The Charts and radio stations. People even bought CDs and cassette tapes to parties then too. Today, all of that has changed. The progress in technology has decreased the need of hard copies of music in the music industry. The demand of digital mp3 moved the requirement to own CDs out of the way. 

Though satellite and digital technology is rapidly growing, live radio shows on the air are still important as they were in the 1950s. When it comes to news and vital information listeners take heed to it in their vehicles. Now there is Internet radio stations that give entertainment, such as Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Radio Reverb, iTunes Radio and many more.

Social networking has brought a new element to the music industry as well. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Vimeo, YouTube, etc.; provided a platform for users to follow musicians and discover bands. YouTube has meant that consumers no longer have to rely on MTV or purchase a band’s video or DVD to their music videos. Streaming services like Spotify and Pandora give listeners access to any music from anywhere with a liable Internet connection.

Technology has given artists the advantage to take control of their music careers now. With the accessibility to create beats, write lyrics through a mobile app, produce a song, then record through a program that is already installed into most computers today, artist should be successful. At least aiming to be with the easy access to an in-home studio.  Through unlimited access to social media sites, it can be easy and fast to promote a musical project and allow fans to enjoy the sounds of your band via online. There is absolutely no excuse, today.

References:

Alan, T. (2014, June 5). How Technology Has Changed the Music Industry.

Retrieved March 6, 2015 from http://www.business2community.com/entertainment/technology-changed-music-industry-0905712

Alan, T. (2014, November 19). How Social Media and the Internet Changed the Music

            Industry.  Retrieved March 8, 2015 from

http://www.business2community.com/entertainment/social-media-internet-changed-music-industry-01070744

Harrison, Laura. (2014, July 23). How has the Internet Changed the Music Industry.            Retrieved March 7, 2015 from   

http://www.socialnomics.net/2014/07/23/how-has-the-internet-and-social-media-changed-the-music-industry/

Kanchwala, A. (2014, November 30). 5 Steps to build a rocking digital marketing      template. Image retrieved March 8, 2015 from

http://socialmediawala.com/2014/11/30/5-steps-to-build-a-rocking-digital-marketing-template

What makes a GOOD songwriter?

#1: IS YOUR SONG FINISHED?

It can be so stressful within the walls of a recording studio. When its time to record, most producers and sound engineers prefer getting straight to work. They usually hate having to wait for an artist to finish writing a bridge or outro of a song. The art of creating different waves of lyrics and putting them together in a fancy way, is a talent, but the professionals at known studios, usually will not want to drag out studio time for a simple writing session that wasn’t scheduled to happened in the first place.

#2: WHAT ABOUT A ROUGH RECORDING?

            Every songwriter has a different writing process. The one vital part in making sure a song is complete is creating a basic rough draft. That means a using one instrument like a guitar and a vocal into anything like a hand-held recorder or a phone with recording access. “Here’s why you should record a rough draft: Without listening back to your song from the perspective of an audience member, you could miss a crucial part of the writing and editing process. Even if you have sang or played a song over a hundred times, sitting back with a lyric sheet to listen to your song could assist you in finding flaws within your lyrics or music. This rough draft can give you the precise outlook to make proper adjustments to your song and improve it. Every time you think you song is ready to record, I recommend that you create more than one rough draft. This way you can find different things within your song to make it better.

    

#3:  IS YOUR DEMO FLAWLESS OR WHAT?

            Ever feel like something is missing within your song? Well if you do, you’re probably right. Sometimes when I write a song and I have finished all the components of the process, I assume its time to record and that’s it. If you still find things to correct from your rough draft then you shouldn’t record a demo as of yet. You may save money by staying in the editing process longer than you think, so don’t let anxiety get you to rush a recording of a demo. Cliff Goldmacher stated, “Demoing to fix the problem is an expensive way to get unsatisfactory results” and I agree with him, from my personal recording experiences.

References:

Goldmacher, C. (2011, April 11). Five Mistakes Songwriters Make before Demoing

Their Songs (and how to avoid them). Retrieved February 21, 2015 from http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/five_mistakes_songwriters_make_before_demoing_their_songs_and_how_to_avoid_

Industry Liabilities

The first legal controversy was about a lawsuit between producer Dr. Luke and former artist Ke$ha. There were allegations about the producer manipulating the artist career and sexually abusing her. The article stated how he forced her to do drugs and awful things.  She ultimately wanted to breech the contract because he was controlling.  She began to have an eating disorder and went to rehab in regards to it. I believe that artists should be careful who they sign contracts with. Making sure to a lawyer is present and that if the artist is 18 and in high school parents should be involved the uttermost. Even though Ke$ha’s producer made statements that she only made those accusations about him raping her and the such, so she could breech contract without penalty, then resulted in a lawsuit as well. Personally I think she was being brave by protecting herself.

In the second article, there was a lawsuit claiming Sony Music cheated former winners of the American Idol record label 19 Recordings. The lawsuits represented the interests of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood Christ Daughtry, Clay Aiken and more out of millions of dollars. American Idol Record Label 19 Recordings is suing Sony for allegedly failing o pay former contestants massive amounts of royalties due for their music. Some examples included treating streaming music sources like Spotify as “sales” rather than “broadcast,” which would have cost more under the terms of their contract.  19 Entertainment disputed how Sony Music classified sales of individual songs off albums on iTunes and is seeking at least $10 million in damages. Even though it was mentioned in the article that Sony hadn’t made any comment on the suit, I believe the lawsuit is right and fair.  No matter how long it takes, the plaintiffs should reap justice.

The third intellectual property issue I came across was the 2012 multibillion-dollar lawsuit alleging that Disney heisted the copyrights to some of the most iconic comic book characters.  Despite years of court losses, the resilient company that was founded by Stan Lee in the late 1990s still is attempting to convince the world that it was robbed a decade ago of many valuable franchises including Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, The X-Men, The Fantastic Four and Spider-Man.  Stan Lee Media Inc. is a company based in Colorado that the legendary comic book author Stan Lee founded but is no longer connected to- says it is the rightful owner of the copyrights to such characters mentioned above. There was a lawsuit that took place in October 1988 where Lee assigned the copyrights to his characters to a predecessor of Stan Lee Media. In November 1988, Lee signed an agreement with comic book company Marvel Enterprises “in which he purportedly assigned to Marvel the rights to the characters,” according to the lawsuit. Marvel never registered the copyrights, according to the lawsuit. Disney then scooped up Marvel and went on to make multimillion-dollar movie franchises around many of the characters. There also claims within the lawsuit that movies based on the characters have generated $3 billion in box office receipts in just the past three years. According to the lawsuit, The fact is that Stan Lee Media, Inc. owns the copyrights to Stan Lee’s creations”, but the Plaintiff Stan Lee Media, Inc. expressed that he is entitled to the billions of dollars of profits that have been kept by Defendant Disney. In my opinion, if it’s written and signed on paper in black and white then it is what it is and considered factual and legit. I must say the Plaintiff could have a point especially if he could prove that Marvel was suppose to register the copyrights, but it is also the Plaintiff’s responsibility to revise their steps and protect their creativity in every way possible so matters within this lawsuits would occur ever.

References:

Ingold, J. (2012, October 11). Denver federal lawsuit alleges Disney stole comic book Copyrights. Retrieved on January 10, 2015 from http://www.denverpost.com/ci_21745070/denver-federal-lawsuit-alleges-disney-stole-comic-book

Turner, A. (2014, February 21). American Idol lawsuit: Did Sony Cheat Winner Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood? Retrieved on January 10, 2015 from http://americanidolnet.com/american-idol-lawsuit-did-sony-cheat-winners-kelly-clarkson-carrie-underwood/

Ugwu, R. (2014, October 14). Kesha Accuses Producer Dr. Luke Of Sexual and Emotional Abuse in Lawsuit, Dr. Luke Countersues. Retrieved on January 9, 2015 from http://www.buzzfeed.com/reggieugwu/kesha-sues-producer-dr-luke-for-sexual-assault-and-battery