My Interview with the man himself

Well there are so many questions and concerns when it comes to the music industry. Some people go into it expecting to become a star over night and those of you who think like that need to wake up and smell the coffee. Working here at Mia Mind I have learned so much that I didn't know/didn't realize. I am so grateful to have the chance to see 1st hand what goes on in the industry. I asked the boss man here at Mia Mind Music, Stevie B a few questions about his company and the industry as a whole. Here is my interview.

1. How long has Mia Mind Music been around and what made you start up a marketing and promotion company?

MMM has been in business for 25 years. My partners at that time & I had formerly been involved of shopping deals for artists but it was around that time that the major labels "lost the plot to the script", in other words, decided to no longer invest in artist development. Their business model was to now sign artists who had already established a developed marketing picture and to for go the process of taking diamonds in the rough and shaping them into viable commercial entities. This of course was great for the record companies but it resulted in placing the burden of career development upon the artist. Thus, we saw the need to form a company that could assist these musicians in that endeavor.

2. The music industry is a very competitive industry. What advice would you offer for anyone trying to get into this industry?

Plan carefully, don't rush and be prepared to learn from your experiences. Embrace the philosophy that whatever doesn't kill your career will only make it stronger if you learn from it. One of the keys to our success is that we saw the need to offer artists a game plan or road map to developing their careers which is why after we hear what a client's business goals are we begin to lay out a step by step plan and timeline in how to obtain these goals. Remember, you will fail at obtaining some of your goals so be prepared to lose a battle but not the lessons you should learn from it.

3. What are some things an artist should have ready when coming to your company to utilize your services?

Goals. Most of the people who make CDs have given no thought to the why, how and who of the process. 1) Why? Did you make the recording to please yourself or do you want it to fit into the marketplace? 2) How? If you record only to please yourself then just press record and begin to play. But if you record to fit into the marketplace then other considerations and it's a bit more complicated. Like what works in today's market and how do I get my product into the market. 3) Who? That's a stumbling block for many and which is why you need someone on your team such as a promotion and marketing company to bring their experience and expertise to the table to help you in these areas.

4. With your experience in this industry and working with different artist, what would you say are the most common mistakes artist make?

Not planning, rush the project and moving in circles. It goes back to goes again. If you're not sure where you want to go it's unlike you're arrive at your destination. Why place unrealistic timelines on your project if you don't have to. Always build yourself a bit of wiggle room when you layout your plans that takes into account that if something goes wrong or is delayed, which some things more than likely will, then your whole game plan doesn't fall apart. And last, it's not deja vu if it looks like you're still in the same place you were a year ago it's that you probably didn't plot a course that envisioned being someplace realistically different from where you're ending up.

5. The industry is absolutely different then how it was 10 years ago. How has that change affected your business?

Everyone's scratching their heads trying to figure out who to continue to earn a living in the music business, including us. We all use to pretty much rely on record sales and publishing royalties as a way to support ourselves but music piracy has serious diminished the value of said currency and unless we come up with additional sources of revenue to supplement the loss of sales and royalties than we'll continue to see more careers fail over time.

6. What clients have you worked with in the past that have been successful in the industry?

There have been so many that MMM and our affiliates, such as Select-O-Hits distribution, have worked with but I guess if we have to drop a few names we'd include Madonna, Alex Chilton, Master P, Three 6 Mafia, Tommy James, L. A. Starr, The Wrens, Kennedy, Larry "Bud" Melman (aka Calvin Deforest), Men At Large......

7. How can people find out more about Mia Mind Music?

Easiest way is on the web at www.MiaMindMusic.com. They can also email us at MiMiMus@aol.com or call us (212-564-4611-M-F 9 A.M.-5 P.M. EST). So far we've received 23 Gold and Platinum Records and we'll looking for the 24th!