To Plan Or Not To Plan?

In any live sound environment, planning is essential to success, and the same is true for starting running the business of live sound. A complete business plan for any company, live audio and production included, is vital to the overall health of the venture. While there are many schools of thought, at the basis of most expert opinions is that a business plan must not only be written and followed, but reviewed and adjusted during it’s implementation in order to get the best results from the efforts.

Researching experts in the field of business plan implementation turned up Andrea Cockerton, an independent pitch and fundraising consultant and founder of Mudhut Consulting, based in the United Kingdom, who has worked with everyone from start-ups to global brands like Microsoft in all areas of technology and more recently the arts. Cockerton advises in her interview with The Next Woman magazine, that there are three essential elements to any successful business plan:

1. Targeting a growing market with a need for your product or service.

2. That the team is talented and able to execute the business plan.

3. That your product, service or idea is groundbreaking.

Also in the interview with The Next Woman, Cockerton points out another vital piece of advice to new entrepreneurs, “You have to be prepared for everything - no part of the business is too small.  But when you first pitch it, don't fall into the trap of talking only about how great the technology or idea is - what investors really want to hear about is how it is going to make money.” For those seeking outside funding of any kind, these words of wisdom offer much insight. When attempting to pitch your business plan, or anything in life, remembering that most people want to know what it is going to do for them, how will it benefit them to be a part of the project? By asking those questions prior to pitch, it will allow for better plan writing based on what the business has to offer in the way of making revenue.

Two other noted experts in the field have also recently debated the pros and cons of developing a business plan. In the article, “Write A Business Plan Or Not? 2 Experts Debate”, is between David F. McShea, a partner in the Law Firm of Perkins Cole and Will Hsu, co-founder of Los Angeles based Muckerlab. According to McShea, writing a business plan is essential because it allows for the idea to be fully planned out, and ensures it’s probability for existence. Many ideas sound great but the reality of implementing them can be another story, this is where the business plan will show what it would take to move forward. McShea points out that, “Writing a business plan may actually convince you to dispense with or change your original business concept and create a better, stronger business concept instead. It is much cheaper to do this on paper than with a payroll.” Quick to acknowledge that not everything will go according to the plan, McShea says it is still a good thing to have because, “knowing that you will need to reevaluate your business plan when circumstances change is no reason to forgo creating one.”

Not everyone agrees with this though and in the same Inc magazine article, Hsu states, “An entrepreneur's time and energy should be put into solving that problem by talking to as many customers as possible and continuing to iterate the end product and the pricing. Time spent on writing a 40-page business plan would be better spent talking, selling, and understanding customers and their needs.” While much attention to detail must be paid, especially during startup, to the target market and satisfying the needs of that market, a part of that start up should be put into the business plan itself in order to keep on top of the project and avoid neglecting a vital area. McShea supports this with his statement, “Another advantage is that preparation of a business plan will enable you to portray your vision for the business more credibly and persuasively to potential investors, business partners, customers and employees. Many prospective investors will ignore you if you don't have a written plan to share.”

Hsu argues that there is more of a demand to hit the market faster with a hot idea than to plan the business out properly, he also suggests using whiteboards that can be easily wiped and re-written instead of a formally written plan. Hsu says that the biggest advantage to not having a formal business plan is that it is “faster to market” and “The business plan-centric approach to company building forces an entrepreneur to focus on strategies and plans as the first step of the process. By not having a business plan entrepreneurs will be forced to focus on their customers first and foremost.” While this idea may work for smaller projects and product based ideas, for the purpose of offering a service in a niche market, following Cockerton and McShea’s advice would seem the best course of action for the overall health of any new business venture.

References

http://bpexpertviews.blogspot.com/2012/08/andrea-cockerton-angelo-meneguzzi.html

 http://uk.linkedin.com/in/mudhut

http://www.thenextwomen.com/2008/12/27/expert-interview-13-questions-on-funding-pitching-part-1

 http://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/should-you-write-a-business-plan-2-experts-debate.html

Samurai Shotgun - The Next Evolution Of Music

Music fans of the world, unite! A new musical force is on the scene titled Samurai Shotgun, and they are out to convert every audience into hordes of loyal fans. This five-piece band boasts a roster that is as culturally diverse as the music they create. While in college nearly 10 years ago, the band was the brainchild of Mateo “Prince Golden” Henley, and fellow Recording Arts classmate, Marquis “DJ Qeys” Blocker.  They reformed the group in 2011 with its current lineup, adding Bryant Harp on bass, Tyler Mulder on guitar and Jovan Lecaro on drums.  Like the great warrior spirit they pay homage to, Samurai Shotgun is set to take on the musical world. Although they are loosely categorized as “progressive/alternative hip-hop” on indie sites such as Reverb Nation, this doesn’t come close to describing the unique sounds they produce. Blending and layering hip-hop rhythms, lyrical old school rap, and cutting and scratching with Latin that’s been infused with punk-influenced drumming, they top it off with slap and pop, funky bass and a heavy intricate bluesy guitar. Samurai Shotgun is the ultimate crossover band. Founding member DJ Qeys sums it up this way, “We all have totally different backgrounds and different ways of life, but on that stage when we come together as one, it’s perfect. A great mix of all these different influences, different genres, and the way we blend them together is what allows us to make our mark.”

The effectiveness of this blending was definitely apparent during their recent set on Sunday, May 26, at Ybor City’s Crowbar. From the first strains of “One Mind, One Heart, One Soul”, the band soon had the attention of the entire audience, from patron to employee.  All eyes were on the performers, and for the next thirty minutes they proceeded to entertain, move, shake, mesmerize, scratch and pound away at their craft. Vocalist Prince Golden never stopped moving, jumping from stage to PA, to floor and back. Lecaro was a blur on the drums, Harp and Mulder were both in their own musical world while still fully in tune with their band mates. DJ Qeys and his tables acted as one entity, with each intricately layered element of the group working in perfect harmony. Pouring everything they have into each live show is the motto for this motley bunch and the experience they offer while on stage is not to be missed. “We want to deliver something fun, energetic, and exciting, something that will bring joy to people’s ears,” says bassist Harp when describing their approach to music and performing. Within that thirty minute set list, the genres crossed from funk, hip-hop, R&B, Latin, rap, rock, and metal to name a few. Other beauties that night included, “Ecuadorian Stand Off”, “Downtown Funky Pants”, the soulful “Escape Above”, and “Heavy Arms.” They finished the night with the heavy hitting “Force Of The Shotgun” in which Lecaro’s drumming could be felt in everyone’s chest as it reverberated out of the PA with ground-shaking results.

The band is quick to acknowledge that their diversity is key to their unique approach to songwriting and performing. “We all have open minds about our performance and we continue to learn from each other about music, which is what makes us so much more complex,” explains Lecaro. His statement is further strengthened by guitarist Mulder’s description of their show, “You really don’t know what you’re in for when you come to see Samurai Shotgun, it is truly a cornucopia of sound.” Sticking with the premise of something for everyone, this band is ready to make their way to the next step.

 As lead singer and founder Prince Golden quickly pointed out, “Not only will everyone find something they like within Samurai Shotgun, when people attend our show, the one thing they can expect is something they’ve never seen before.” “Force Of The Shotgun” is the first single from their self-titled full-length album currently scheduled for a late summer release.  The band has plans for hitting the road in support of their first album as the year progresses. Until the release, the official video is available on YouTube. Their next show is scheduled at Crowbar for June 4, which will be a great opportunity for their fans to catch this band phenomenon that calls Tampa Bay home before they strike out for the big time.

Set list:

One Mind, One Heart, One Soul

Runnin’

Ecuadorian Stand Off

Escape Above

Downtown Funky Pants

Malone

Heavy Arms

Force Of The Shotgun

Music Festivals: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

In today’s economy, with consumer dollars being fought over by everyone in the music industry, putting together the ultimate music lover’s festival is more lucrative and chancier than ever. Music fans with less disposable income are less likely to spend money on concert tickets unless they can get a true value. It is with this thought in mind that we look at what goes into planning a music festival, and what it will take to get those tickets sold. Planning and executing a successful music festival is a lesson in time-management and organization.

For a new music fest being built from the ground up, it is best to start planning a full year before the actual event. This will allow for enough time to have all the necessary pre-production planning in place, along with securing the venue, promoter and all the talent. This initial planning period should be used to determine the size of the festival, how many stages and the duration of it. Ideally, the promoter, leaving the details to the production side, would bring any festival idea to the production company. ProSoundWeb’s Teri Hogan in his article, “One StopShopping: Captain, What Does It Mean, This Term Full Production”, says that, “Particularly for large, multi-stage festivals, hiring a single source to handle all the entertainment elements of the event is almost a necessity. The event director has too many other things to handle to have to worry about the details of his entertainment.” This means that after the event director has brought you, the production company on board, the responsibility for the overall execution of the fest is then in your hands.

First step in the planning is to determine the best location for the fest, how long it will last (one day or multiple), how many stages, and how many bands that need to be booked for the duration of it. Festivals with a theme, catering to a specific genre are generally easier to plan and book, to cross over and have multiple appeal, more thought and planning must go into booking and scheduling the talent to ensure the right mix of musical styles and crowds. Securing the bands is usually left up to the promoter, while making sure the riders are satisfied or reasonably accommodated is the job for the production company. Also, according to Hogan, one of the key elements to a successful fest is to hire, “the best technical person on staff must be in charge of production management. Even with the best preparations, all kinds of little things can go wrong, especially at multiple stages. One person not involved in production at any one stage has to be free to fight the fires, and this person should be well versed in technical knowledge as well as diplomacy.”

Be sure to list and verify all permitting that must be secured along with verifying all local and state laws are observed. Arrange for all safety inspections of the venue’s stages to take place as early as possible in the planning making certain that everything current for electrical and fire coding. Once the stages are in place and the equipment has been loaded in and set up, plan on a final safety inspection prior to opening the gates. Check the layout of the venue and how it will factor into ferrying the artists across the festival grounds and to the stage. In order to allow the stages to run as smoothly as possible with minimal set change times, full backline must be provided at all the stages and artists should be discouraged from bringing anything other than their basic instruments. Hiring the right amount of crew and techs for the show will also prove vital to its success or failure. There is never such a thing as too much help for large-scale music events, so make sure to utilize all personnel as needed. Each stage needs a qualified stage manager to ensure smooth transitions between sets, and enforce adherence to the strict festival schedule. Allowing an act to run over their allotted timeframe will cause interference with the other stages close by.

Vendors of all types are expected to be a part of the festival experience. In the eHow article, “How To Organize A Music Festival”, it advises to, “Make sure you contact the top restaurants and food emporiums in your area. It's not all about the music. People have to eat and drink as well, so you might as well make sure they are not hungry or thirsty.” This also gives a great opportunity for festival organizers to coordinate with vendors for the purpose of sponsorship of the event, and to determine what additional use of the venue grounds will need to be portioned off to accommodate the vendor area, and to what degree space for each will be allotted.

Another issue or major concern is to make certain that all insurance policies are in place for the duration of the fest. Coverage will be needed for the event itself, protecting all those involved and also against sever weather conditions that might cause a delay or outright cancellation of the event. In addition to coverage for the festival and attendees, there also needs to be additional Workman’s Comp coverage purchased to cover all workers and volunteers in case of injury. Consulting with a legal and insurance team for the promoter or venue will prevent any issues, as the day of show gets closer. Security is another important issue to a successful festival experience for all involved. Making sure there is adequate personnel to provide security for the event, from the front gates to the front of the stage will help to ensure everyone involved has a safe and fun experience.