by Joe Taylor Jr. on February 13, 2010 · 1 comment
By the late 1980s, MTV’s programmers weren’t content with scattershot ratings, so they experimented with original series and specialty programming blocks. Today, MTV’s harshest critics blast Jersey Shore and The Hills as having nothing to do with rock and roll, but each one of these groundbreaking series dealt with similar complaints:
#10: The State
In the early 1990s, MTV experimented mixed music videos with short comedy segments starring Ben Stiller and Alex Winter. With the premiere of The State, MTV flipped the formula to emphasize comedy, even though popular music pervaded the entire show. The NYU-based group managed to put Sid and Nancy on Pyramid, stage an Eastern Bloc variety show (that got its own spinoff), and chronicle a porcupine race.
#9: House of Style
Before fashion correspondents covered the runways on E!, MTV News spun its own style features into a newsmagazine that followed supermodels and designers around the world. Cindy Crawford hosted the original series for six years, presenting segments that analyzed how the fashion industry impacted social awareness as well as style consciousness. The series drew controversy for its examination of eating disorders in the modeling business. [click to continue…]
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by Joe Taylor Jr. on February 4, 2010 · 3 comments
Over the past few months, I’ve seen a huge surge of interest in my third book, Music Management for the Rest of Us. It could be that a bunch of folks are thinking about pursuing music industry careers, in the wake of crazy layoffs all over the United States. But it’s also likely that more independent musicians are thinking about building their success teams by training trusted friends and family members to help grow their audiences.
That’s why I’m so excited about this week’s special announcement.
Next month, I’m going to launch an eight-week “boot camp” for beginning music management professionals. I’ve been spending the last few months taking the ideas from my Music Management book and thinking about ways to develop some of the most crucial skills that someone would need to take on this important role for an artist.
Music Management Boot Camp participants will meet with me once per week, by phone, for eight weeks. During each of the first seven sessions, we’ll discuss how to develop a specific skill. I’ll even recommend some reading and assign some “homework” to drive each point home. The eighth week is about setting up an action plan to deliver meaningful results for your artist. We’ll follow up again ninety days later to check in on your progress.
If you’re self-managed, this course will help you learn how to look at your career through the eyes of a seasoned manager. And if you’re new to the business, you’ll learn how all seven of these skills trump experience and connections when it comes to getting things done for your clients. (Hint: they’re the same skills Brian Epstein used to help the Beatles — even though he was a retail manager only a few months before they met.)
There are only TWELVE seats available for this course, so I suggest you act fast. If I offer this again, it won’t be until the fall. Since I haven’t been able to open up any personal coaching appointments, this is one of the rare opportunities for us to get to work together on your music career in 2010.
Class starts on March 16, but these reservations WILL sell out sooner than that.
Visit our special Music Management Boot Camp website for all the details.
I hope we get to work together this Spring!
