Hey, guess what! It's Record Label Profile Week! I know, I know, it's already Tuesday and this is the first you've heard about this record label homage week thing. Fair enough, but go with me here. Oh yes, I also know that record labels are oh so passé these days, but A) I don't believe that and B) I can't think of anything more inspirational as a music fan or music industry person than a good old story of a good old influential indie label. Oh, and C) these stories are also often instructive.

Oh yes, I said "inspirational" AND "instructive".

OK, so we're all on board? Good. Let's get this thing started with this 53rd and 3rd profile. Wow, I'm so excited. Seriously, you have no idea how much I love this stuff. Anywho...

Related Articles:

• 53rd and 3rd Profile
• Interview: Stephen Pastel

As promised, we have a guest blogger on deck today talking about the all important task of putting together your team. This blog is part two of a three part series by Rick Goetz on finding strategic partners for your music career. The first part, which focuses on hiring an entertainment lawyer, is on MusicianWages.com.  The third part about finding a booking agent will appear on Rick's blog MusicianCoaching.com in the next few weeks.  This article is about how to attract an accomplished music manager. 

In part one of this series I described my background as an A&R executive for major record labels like Atlantic and Elektra.  What I didn't mention was, my initial start in the music business was playing bass and managing a band I was in during the early 1990s.   Back then I would often attend the exact types of conferences and panels as an aspiring musician on which I would later be asked to speak on as an industry expert.  Ironically I learned more about how to build a following for a band because of my experiences playing in, managing and booking my own projects than I ever did in the role of a so-called expert.  No matter where the conference was or what they called the panel it was always focused on some aspect of how to make it in the music industry.

I never wanted to manage bands, but when the first "real" band I was a part of was just starting out, no one wanted the job.  I wound up taking over the management responsibilities for this project (adding insult to injury, it was an eight piece group) because I became frustrated when numerous missed opportunities fell through because we didn't have a clear-cut understanding of who was responsible for what in our business.  It was that frustration and the feeling that I was less talented than many of the other band members that led me to compensate and take up the role of band manager.   It's funny when I think about it now, because it was that split-second decision to manage that project at age nineteen that would completely change the course of my life; and this decision was also what would later lead me to work in the industry. But I digress... 

When I ask someone - "How is your music going?" I am dismayed by the pure volume of people who say something to the effect of "It's good... I am really just waiting to get a good manager." I think the majority of people who say they need management have a misconception of what an artist manager can really do and in most cases have not even come close to exhausting all of the possibilities for marketing and promoting themselves.  The questions I think that all artists have to ask themselves today are "Do I have a project that needs management?" and "If I were a music manager,  why would I want to manage me?"

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1. And you think copyright issues are complicated now. Just wait until the US Copyright Act of 1976 expiration rules start kicking in. Well. This should be fun. Read more on Wired.
2. You may remember that a few weeks back Lily Allen took a stand against file sharing and scolded musicians who have said that they don't mind the practice one bit. Now, she has explained herself a little further.  It seems she doesn't care if someone burns a copy of her album and sells it. She just doesn't want her music given away for free. So, basically, the one thing she IS ok with is for you to engage is the very clearly illegal activity of reproducing a copyright protected work and selling it for profit. Yes, don't share for free. Commit a federal offense instead. I think the bottom line here is that you should never, ever take legal advice from Lily Allen. Read more on the dreaded Perez Hilton.
3. Let's be clear about something. Going to jail doesn't help you sell more records. Going to jail simply prevents you from being able to record, tour, promote and all of those other things that are involved in actually selling music. While we're on the subject of who not to take advice from, don't ever take legal OR career advice from Lil Boosie.
4. On Musician Wages this week: How to Find a Music Lawyer. This very helpful article, written by Rick Goetz (check out his site), is part one of a three part series on how to find the right partners for your music career. Part two will appear here tomorrow. Part three will be on Rick's site next week. Enjoy!

It's weekly forum poll time again! First, the results from the last week. The question was: Should Labels/Musicians Still Press CDs? The results came down mostly in favor - 68% said yes, 21% said no and 11% said it depends. Interesting. It's not to late to share your thoughts about the question, or indeed the results, so let me know what you think!

And now, this week's question:  Do Full Length Albums Still Matter? Vote now!