Business Plan Experts

     I have been working on my business plan for about 9 months now. I have devised a plan that allows for me to open up a live music venue that caters to unsigned, local acts. The focus of this place is to not only serve as a platform for artists to present their music to their fans, but it also serves as a place where these artists can come and hone their skills by utilizing the venue as a rehearsal space. These past few months I have really been buckling down on the core values of my business. For this blog we were asked to research business plan experts and what were there views on the world of business.
     The first person I chose to highlight was Mark Cuban. He is from Pittsburg, PA, which is hometown to alot of my family. Mark Cuban is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Landmark Theatres, and handful of other businesses including the world of technology (IMDb.com). According to Mark, when it comes to reviewing business plans for potential investments there are a few things that he looks for. "The track record of the person opening the business will tell you alot, along with the financials of the business, if there are any". I agree with this statement because if the person is shady, then so will there business be. Also, if that business isnt making any money, then why would one invest in it? For more info on Mark Cuban click here.
     The second person I chose to highlight was Chuck Blakeman, head of Crankset Group. I chose to highlight him because of his unconventional style. He believes that one shouldnt waste time preparing and preparing for a business, but that they should tackle it head on, as soon as the idea is presented. He firmly believes that if there are any changes that need to be made, then tweak them on the way. According to him, "the key to success is the speed of execution" (Blakeman, 2011). I would have to agree with this, seeing as though so many businesses get buried in the process of planning. Sometimes you just have to go for it. For more info on Blakeman, click here

   

Fall Season: Whats Happening in Television

As the summer is slowly making its exit, fall is right around the corner. That means the trees and starting to fade and whittle. The air is getting a little cooler. Luckily for us, we live in Florida so fall doesn't necessarily mean cold weather, but one thing that I am personally looking forward to this upcoming fall season in the return of my favorite television shows. Anyone who knows me knows that my passion is any-and-everything music, but I am also an avid fan of television. So let's get to it! I'll categorize the fall shows by their network.

First is FX, the reason I am doing them first is because their best show, Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, premieres TONIGHT! I am curious to see just what mishaps these idiots will get into this season. They've gone from extortion, to getting addicted to crack, to running for office, to stealing boats, to being hobos. I cant wait to see what these misdemeanors will get into tonight. Click here for more info.

Next is Fox. I'll admit, I'm not a huge Fox fan, but they will be reeling me in every Tuesday because starting September 20, the third season of Glee premieres. I admit, I am curious to see how this season pans out with all the controversy surrounding some of its leading actors and the show's characters that will be graduating this year. So yeah, some of our favorites wont be returning for the 4th season. (But as long as Santana is still around, I'm happy). To find out more info about this show, click here


ABC has never really been a network that I strive to watch often, that is until they brought Modern Family and Cougar Town to their Wednesday line-up. It will be interesting to see the Dunphy's once, considering over the summer I became a HUGE Modern Family fan. Also, I am anxious to see Courtney Cox & Friends wisk up some hilarious drama once again. Both shows will be premiering their 3rd season this Tuesday, September 21. For more info on these and other ABC shows click here or here






 

And finally, the funniest night of all. THURSDAY!! Special Thanks to NBC for making Thursday night the staple of comedy ever since the hay day of Friends. They have followed this trend years later with what is called "Thursday Night Comedy Night, Done Right". With this, NBC airs ALL of its best shows on Thursday night. I will discuss them in the order that they air. First is Community, the little show that could. I admit, at first I was not a fan, but it has slowly become one of my favorite shows ever. Everyone's favorite study group will be diving into their third season this Thursday, September 22. After that, the next show that comes on is Parks & Recreation which I am super excited about. So many hilarious situations happened in its 3rd season finale, that I am super stoked to see what comically unfolds during the 4th season. And finally, the seasoned veteran of the night, and the most experienced show, The Office will be premiering its 8th season on September 22. Everyone is anxious to see what the show will hold considering the departure of Steve Carell's character, Michael Scott. There have been talks that Jim Carey will be filling in for him, and I've even heard Jay Leno. Who knows, but I will be tuning in Thursday night to see for myself. For more info on these shows or NBC, click here (Community), here (Parks & Rec), or here (The Office).

Long Live The Industry!!!!

A couple of weeks ago during class, I remember feeling as though I was an ancient dinosaur when I was the only one who actually admitted to buying physical albums, not digitally. The class tried to sway me to go digital and I still refuse. My personal thought is that by buying an album from iTunes is cool, but I'd much rather buy the physical album and upload it manually to my iTunes, than just paying $9.99 for basically, a file. Another reason is that I like to add to my MASSIVE collection. I have a huge briefcase that holds 264 albums, and I've just about filled it up, especially after yesterday.

So lets get to the Music!!

First of all, one album that I had been waiting for was the highly anticipated follow-up to Lil Wayne's 2008 masterpiece The Carter III. The album, The Carter IV is a nice album, but I think artists mess up when they try to continue something they've already perfected. This album lacks the passion, tenacity, and creativity of the now classic Carter III. I personally feel as though Wayne should have named this album something else other than another Carter. That trilogy was perfect, 4 is a crowd.

Another album that I was personally waiting for was the new album from The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. I'm With You is their first album in 6 years. Like Lil Wayne, this album is another follow-up to a classic. Stadium Arcadium is widely considered their greatest album ever. How do you top that? Alot of artist fall under the "follow-up spell" and usually make an album exactly like the last one or they go in a completely different direction, leaving their fans like, "Huh"? The result is usually bleak, like the one we see above, yet the Chilli Peppers have seem to overcome this stigma. With the release of I'm With You, the Peppers have returned to form, giving us their unique blend of punk-funk that we all have grown to know and love.

Lastly, one of my favorite artists Lenny Kravitz is BACK!! Lenny is one of my favorite rock artists, and he, like the Peppers have released an album that you can tell he put alot of heart and soul into. The album is Black And White America, and it is rockin! Lenny has been a rock icon and an inspiration to me and many other for years, and this album proves why. Rich with soulful groovy ballads, and riff-heavy rockers, this album is definitely gonna be in heavy rotation on my handy-dandy iPod!

As you can see above, I bought way more than three albums, but these three are all the most current. Actually, they were all releases this past Monday. By the way, when did release dates change from Tuesday to Monday? For more reviews or to purchase music for yourself, click here.

The Industry: The Tables are Turning

The entertainment industry use to seem like this whole nother world to me when I was a young boy. I thought that in order to be in the circle of Hollywood, you had to be discovered. I thought that record companies and movie studios sent people out to look for talent in these uncommon places. As I grew older, my perception of the industry changed. I thought that in order to breakthrough, it was all about who you knew. Connections, connections! That was my frame of mind. In recent months I have acquired information that has shown me that in order to break into the business, you have to do it yourself.

Sure, there are a few magical instances where fate deals some unsuspecting Joe a winning hand, and before you know it, you have another Rebecca Black or Susan Boyle on your hands. However, with the entertainment industry changing drastically, in order to be taken seriously in this industry you have to be smart and cunning.

The key to this is self-publishing and self-distribution. Over the past month I have learned that you dont have to have a major studio to back your project. You don't have to have a major record label to be a music star, at least not initially. With the digital age, more and more information is becoming available. Now, that agent that you were waiting on to discover you, here's his info. Everything is up for grabs.

With the industry doing this massive overhaul, one must wonder. What is the future for these huge media  corporations. When your film is shot, produced, written, edited and distributed all by you, and it becomes widely successful, then who needs a studio. Who needs a record label when all you have is a Mac Book, ProTools, and a vivid imagination. Eventually, some of them will fall and make room for new companies. I seriously predict that in 20 years, big corporations like Warner Bros. Viacom, etc. will all be struggling to maintain, if they're even around at all.

Album Leaks: Good Or Bad??

     In today's digital age, more and more information is becoming readily available to good and bad consequences. In the age of today's music, that mass amount of available information can be a detriment, especially for album sales. If you look at the current trend of today, it is almost common for an artist to have an album or single that leaks. In the beginning, we as the public may have thought that this was by accident. I at least thought that there was some malicious evil person behind all of these leaks that wanted to destroy the music industry as a whole. I was shocked to find that in recent years, artists are INTENTIONALLY leaking their material.

The reason artists feel that they should do this is as a means of advertising for their material. An example of this would be if a certain artist was returning from hiatus and wanted to recapture the public's attention. However, this can almost certainly backfire on an artist, deeply affecting their album sales. A perfect example would be Beyonce. After her two year hiatus, Beyonce released the news earlier this year that her album will be released. Within weeks multiple tracks from her album had leaked to the public resulting in the worst sales of her career. Some may say this is due to impatient fans who anticipated an album while the release date was constantly pushed back. Whatever the cause, the album performed poorly, as opposed to Adele who has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

Nowadays artists are becoming more and more aware of the detriment that a leak causes. This has recently been observed with the release of Jay-Z & Kanye West's new album. With the unique release of Watch the Throne, it was highly recognized for being one of the few albums of the digital age that didn't leak. This was due, in part, Kanye West's demands that none of the tracks that were recorded had a digital footprint, and also the fact that the album was guarded closely by its contributors. The result was a album that not only performed well digitally, but with physical copies as well.


So I feel that artists should wake up and realize that album leaks are not a good thing. The more it leaks, the less it sells!

Entertainment Law: Whats Goin On?

     I have been recently reviewing a few podcast revolving around the issue of Entertainment Law. The more I am learning about the business of entertainment, the more I realize just how lightly you have to tread  with the things that you do AND say. One thing that a person in the entertainment industry needs is a GOOD LAWYER, because as I have learned that people will file a lawsuit in a second. Whether it's a big company suing an average Joe or vice versa, nowadays everyone is trying to cover their heads. Its good to know your legal terminology in order to survive in this industry without someone taking you to court, and even then, they might getcha!
     The first podcast I heard was by Legal Talk Network called "Entertainment Law & The Challenges of Celebrity" in this podcast Gordan Firemark gives his legal advice on the use of intellectual property. I found it interesting when he began talking about his book on podcast law. I like the fact that he, as a lawyer is interested in people who blog, podcast, or post Youtube videos that have been running into legal problems. I like the fact that he realizes that these are regular people who aren't making any income from their posts, and how his book helps them to gain know on how to avoid these problems.
     The second podcast that I heard was by a panel for the University of Chicago. In this podcast, a panel of entertainment lawyers has a discussion with students from the University of Chicago. I will admit, a good bit of it is a bit pointless (I kinda hate when a presenter makes that entire presentation about them and what THEY have done) But one thing that caught my attention was a lady name Dahlia. (maybe it was Daria, the sound quality wasn't the best) She began talking about her past clients and the random phone calls she receives from her clients claiming people have slandered their name. It was actually funny when she said one of her clients claimed defamation when her co-worker posted a picture of her shoes on the internet.
     The third and final podcast that I found was by Female Musician Online, by Daniela Olivia. The podcast was concerning certain legal issues that surround the music industry and the women that try to break in it. No, I'm not a woman, but I am trying to get into the music industry. What I found interesting with this podcast was when she began talking about how you don't really need a lot of money to break into the industry, as far as demos and studio time. I also found it very interesting that she claims that you don't have to have a manager to get the attention on record companies. This is something that I will definitely take to heart while searching for a record deal. Basically as an artist, YOU are responsible for putting yourself out there.
     I was very pleased with the information that I acquired from thse podcast. I will defnitely use this information and apply it not only to my business, but myself as an entertainment entity. If you would like to listen to these podcast, you can either find them on iTunesU or click on these links below

"Entertainment Law, and the Challenges of Celebrity" by Lawyer to Lawyer - Law News and Legal                  
         Topics. July 25, 2011. http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/entertainment-
         law-challenges/id80013534?i=88562024

"A Professional Panel on Careers in Entertainment Law"by The University of Chicago Law School -                
         Open Minds: Student Events at The University of Chicago Law School. July 25, 2011
         http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/a-professional-panel-on-careers/id275226809?i=50436769

"Getting The Attention of Record Companies, with Daniela Oliva" by Vivian Clement - Female     
        Musicians Online. July 25, 2011. http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-attention-record-
        companies/id371103379?i=91824351

Hollywood: Inside The Courtroom

     Court cases happen everyday. We all see frivolous cases being handed on television, usually involving regular people with regular problems. For example, someone suing their neighbor for the damage done to their yard by the neighbors dog. Basically silly things. What we know little about is the court cases being handled in Hollywood everyday. Things such as copyright laws and liabilities often keep our favorite movies and music from being made. Here are just a few court cases floating around in Tinseltown.

1. Louisiana Judge Allows 'Expendables' Lawsuit Over Jason Statham Injury to go to Trial
  
      According to this article, the production company behind the 2009 blockbuster 'The Expendables' has decided to pursue its lawsuit against its insurer. This all started at the beginning of production when doctors found a growth in actor Jason Statham's throat. They were faced with the decision to either halt production before it began or to wait and halt the movie midway, costing even more money. They decided to stop before and allow the actor to recoup, even though doctors said he could work. The insurance company stated that because the actor was still able to work, then the shut down of production was "voluntary" and therefore they would not cover it.  The production company pursued the case and a few weeks ago, it was allowed to go to trial. It will be interesting to see how this pans out. To see the full article or to get the full story click here

2. Paulie vs. Pauly

     Jersey Shore star DJ Pauly D is being sued by none other than, guess who, DJ Paulie. The original Paulie, who is a well-known Connecticut DJ claims that because of the show's popularity his website has seen little to no hits and his DJ career has pretty much been scrapped due to the fact that people book Pauly D from the show, and not him. Paulie, whose real name is Paul Lis apparently beat the Jersey Shore star to trademark the name, but to no avail because since the shows burst of popularity he has been as he says, "wiped off of the Google map". For more about this case, click here

3. Wayans Brothers Headed to Trial over Alleged Joke Theft

     The Wayans Brothers, famous for bringing us such classic comedies as 'White Girls' & 'Scary Movie' are under fire for allegedly stealing jokes from their former assistant. Apparently Jared Edwards worked for the brothers for 10 years, and while working for them would always pitch ideas and jokes. He states that he came up with many of the jokes contained in their book You Know You're a Golddigger When.. According to sources, he is suing for copyright infringement. This is a peculiar case because the two parties have actually worked together and not just a case where a random Joe claims a film studio stole his "concept", so this should be interesting. To read this article, click here

These are just a few of the many many trials and cases floating around in Hollywood. I'll be sure to keep you posted!