Inside a Record Company

The UK plays host to hundreds of record labels including the three major record companies and a thriving community of hundreds of independent labels and music companies.

The three major record companies are Universal Music, Sony Music and Warner Music.  And each of these organisations are home to smaller labels. These often group together musicians of a specific genre which can be served by the label’s expertise.

Regardless of the size of the record company, there are various roles that need to be fulfilled in order to discover talent, make a record, market and distribute a single or an album, and finally deliver that content to music fans. Behind the end product is a whole range of people who work with an artist to ensure that their creative vision is brought to life.

How Can a Record Company Help

Whilst a Chief Executive will be the person in charge of the entire company – and a President may be appointed to look after the affairs of a specific label – the success of an artist will need the support of those within the sales, publicity, promotions, marketing, legal, business affairs, and A&R departments. And, of course, every company requires financial and IT experts and secretarial staff.

Record companies provide the money for the recording and manufacturing processes. They also find producers for artists to work with and pay to promote the record once it it finished. Because they pay for everything, artists may find themselves with less control and also receive less royalties as a result. The company needs to recoup their costs first before passing on any additional royalties.

Whether an artist used a record company or remains independent depends on their situation and what they’re hoping to achieve. An artist should weigh up all of their available options before deciding to sign with a record company. It is important to sign with the right label, not the first one that comes along.

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Top 10 Best Acoustic Guitar Albums

First, a few qualifications about this list of best acoustic guitar albums:

• This list is intended to cover popular music rather than classical artists. That means that we won’t be diving into the world of Andrés Segovia or Christopher Parkening.
• This list is more about being showing a cross-section of styles, rather than diving into a particular sub-genre.
• For more info, check out the references at the bottom. I polled a number of online sites and forums (as well as racked my own brain) to develop this list. The references below will lead you to some more great albums (Hmmm, I guess that makes this list “the best of the best acoustic guitar albums”?)

The List

Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963)

The granddaddy of them all.  Bob Dylan forged the way for modern singers to capture the attention with nothing but an acoustic guitar and a lyric.  (Personal favorite:  Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.  It’s like when Han Solo responds to Leia’s love with, “I know”.  So cocky, and somehow so right.)

More Info >>

Eric Clapton – Unplugged (1992)

It’s an incredible to toggle between the hyper-caffeinated version of Layla from Clapton’s Derek and the Dominoes days and his acoustic version here.  And while it works both ways, there’s no denying the happening groove Clapton brings here on the acoustic guitar.  (Personal favorite:  Old Love)

More Info >>

Nirvana – Unplugged in New York (1994)

Nirvana broke grunge as a mainstream music genre.  They capture the imagination with their crazy heavy sound and dysfunctional image.  To see them stripped down to acoustic instruments seemed like a trainwreck waiting to happen.  But then it was awesome.  (Personal favorite: Dumb)

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Michael Hedges – Aerial Boundaries (1984)

Hedges is one of the inspiration points behind the current generation of modern acoustic guitar fingerstylists like Andy McKee, Antoine DuFour, and others.  He was flashy, groundbreaking, spiritual, and iconic. (Personal favorite: Ragamuffin)

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Rodrigo y Gabriela – Rodrigo y Gabriela (2006)

So freaking good!  This nylon-string slinging duo are know for incredibly dynamic covers of metal songs and fiery solos.  Often, acoustic guitarists (and albums) can tend towards adjectives like “groovin”, “”relaxing”, or “mellow”.  Not this one.  (Personal favorite: Orion)

More Info >>

Robert Johnson – King of the Delta Blues Singers (1961)

If you’ve ever tried to learn an acoustic blues, this is the guy you’re trying to copy.  This album is a glimpse into another time.  Dig into the genius of old school blues. (Crossroads Blues is a fan fav)

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Tommy Emmanuel – Center Stage (2008)

Tommy Emmanuel is having a huge impact on guitar players right now and this album captures so many of his popular songs.  His thumb-pick style is derived from Chet Atkins but leaves the country boom-chicka behind.  His playing is melodic and modern and genius.  (Personal favorite: And So It Goes)

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Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago (2007)

This album spawned a generation of imitators.  But the ethereal vocals, the layered guitars, and the sense of otherworldiness – that’s hard to duplicate.   (Personal favorite:  It’s hard to beat the title track “For Emma”)

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Phil Keaggy – Beyond Nature (1991)

I grew up on Phil Keaggy so I’m a bit biased.  But I think with a lot of other folks in voting this an incredible acoustic guitar album. (Personal favorite:  Addison’s Walk)

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Damien Rice – O (2002)

I had the chance to see Damien Rice in concert last year.  It’s amazing that he can hold the rapt attention of a audience for two hours with nothing but Irish stories and his acoustic guitar.  Beautiful playing and arranging here.  (Personal favorite:  I have to cheat and say both “Cannonball” and “Eskimo”, but you have to wait for the peak in Eskimo at 3:30 – then just sit back and die.)

More Info >>

Got an Acoustic Guitar album you want to recommend?  Drop it in the comments below!

New to Acoustic Guitar? Accelerate your skills with online lessons:
Get Info >> 

More Resources

• http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/tommy-emmanuel-picks-10-essential-acoustic-guitar-albums-591196
• https://jbonamassa.com/5-essential-acoustic-guitar-albums-you-need-to-listen-to/
• http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-06-10/unplugged-the-25-greatest-acoustic-albums-ever-made
• http://acousticletter.com/tonys-top-20-acoustic-albums/
• http://acousticguitar.com/10-essential-non-classical-nylon-string-guitar-albums/
• http://www.gigwise.com/photos/103876/nirvana-mtv-unplugged-anniversary-best-acoustic-albums-rem
• https://www.reddit.com/r/Guitar/comments/4gu6kl/question_what_are_the_best_acoustic_guitar_albums/

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10 Musician Accounting Traps and How to Avoid Them

You are first and foremost a musician, and your attention should of course be focused on developing your art. But as your career and earnings grow, the financial aspects can become increasingly complex and you’ll need a plan. This should be flexible enough to facilitate your successes and protect your earnings over the long-term. It starts by getting your accounting processes in place from the outset, which can save you an enormous amount of time, money and frustration further down the line. Don’t get caught by the typical accounting traps.

Get Ahead with Accounting

At the start of your career, it makes sense to handle your own business administration, mainly to save on costs. But we also encourage people to develop a financial understanding of their music business from the outset. A firm understanding will help you with making tough business decisions in the future. But more often than not, this gets relegated to the bottom of most people’s to-do-list.

The main reason is that there are always seemingly more important things to do, like making and performing music. It’s hard to argue with these priorities but it’s something that needs to be taken seriously. You will need to decide who is responsible for collecting income and making payments (usually the most organised member). Sometimes your manager (if you have one) may be able to keep business records for you. Make sure you clearly agree what role they will play and make them accountable by regularly reporting back to you.

Avoid These Accounting Traps

Avoid the musician accounting traps and learn how to be better prepared.

1. Not doing any organisation of paperwork until it’s too late. This is probably the most common mistake. The work piles up – probably in a shoe box – and you get further and further behind. Don’t let this reach the point where you never have the time to catch up. The more you try to hide from the problem the more it will occupy your thoughts.
2. Not using cloud accounting software. There are many electronic and cloud systems that are easy to use for people with no bookkeeping or accounting experience. Cloud accounting systems allow your accountant to take a look at your numbers at any time. This gives them a ‘real-time’ perspective which will inevitably lead to you receiving better and more informed advice.
3. Not having a separate bank account. If you mix your business and personal finances you’re just making life more difficult. Not least because you will have to separate it all out when it comes to tax return time. The first thing to do when you’ve set up your band is to acquire a bank account.
4. Not filing bank statements in order. It sounds simple, but you’d be amazed how many people don’t do it. What happens? You give your statements to your accountant and they phone back telling you you’re missing statements. This means you’ve just paid your accountant to organise your bank statements, when you could’ve saved money doing it yourself.
5. Not have a filing system for your costs. Have two files, one for paid invoices and the other for unpaid invoices. When you pay an invoice, write the date and method of payment on the invoice. Once paid, move it to the paid file. Keep both files organised alphabetically.
6. Not paying by card or transfer. Your bank will do most of your bookkeeping for you for free. If you pay by card, direct debit or electronic transfer, a permanent record of the transaction is provided. This will detail the date, amount and the recipients’ name. In bookkeeping terms, that’s a great start. So try and pay with cash as infrequently as possible.
7. Not retaining receipts. If you don’t, you risk failing to account for certain expenses, which means paying more tax than you need to. Even relatively modest expenses can mount up, so keep a close record of every penny you spend. Remember to keep receipts for even the smallest costs and record the mileage of all your music-related business trips.
8. Not budgeting for tax. Although you may not have any cash at the moment, your accounts may show that you made a profit last year, which means you will need to pay tax. Make sure you budget as you go, so you won’t get any great shocks at the end of the year. Open a deposit or business savings account and put money aside for your tax. Saving 25-30% of all income you receive likely means you’ll easily be able to pay your tax bill.
9. Not registering for taxes. If it’s your intention to make money from your music then you have a business. The tax authorities will expect you to register for taxes and file tax returns reporting your income. If you do not tell the tax authorities you are trading, the situation could be serious. This is because you may be charged penalties for failing to report your income and there’s a risk of prosecution.
10. Not getting help from a qualified accountant. There’ll come a point when you will need to hire an expert to take care of the legal aspects. This could be registering you with the tax authorities, calculating tax and when to pay it, as well as making sure all documents are filed on your behalf. When hiring an accountant, do your homework and ensure they hold the relevant qualifications and are experienced in your industry. A good music industry accountant will give you much more than you think. They’ll act as a sounding board to your ideas; they’ll be a connector to other professionals, and they’ll quickly become a key player in your team. A good accounting will help you to achieve your personal and business goals.

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Read Full Article Here: http://www.helpforbands.co.uk/10-musician-accounting-traps-avoid/