Bill Cahn’s clinic, “Introduction to the Business of Music” will be of interest to anyone who wants to pursue a career in music. It is conducted as an interactive discussion, so the clinic can go in various directions, depending on the interests of the participants and the time constraints of the clinic (one to two hours). No matter what direction, Bill can cover a lot of valuable ground. Any of the following topics can be chosen by the clinic’s presenter for Bill’s focus.
Communication skills are at the top of the list, and the importance of advocacy for music. Bill can look at the many music-related careers (for example there’s concert or record producer, composer, manager, sound engineer, booking agent, marketing, lyricist, publicist, publisher, promoter, film/video/tv music, advertising, touring services, reviewer, musical theatre writer, orchestral/solo/ensemble/theatre performer, and more) and he often begins the clinic with a self-evaluation by the participants using a concentrated questionnaire. This usually leads into a discussion of career planning and the audition process.
Bill can offer helpful information on budgetting and general financial planning, and this can proceed logically into an investigation of the merits of self-management, membership in unions, and artist/management contracts. Among the topics that could be covered, depending on the presenter’s focus, are music publishing and contracts; planning, producing and marketing recordings; and the formation and operating of ensembles. Other choices might be Bill’s useful simplification of the somewhat-complicated areas of copyrights and performing rights, and the contract clauses and organizations that govern them.
No matter the direction of the discussion, Bill finishes it all with help on where to find information when you need it. Whether a student or young amateur with thoughts of going professional, or a young professional starting out, or a mid-career artist who needs a brush-up on some of the nitty-gritty of career management, Bill’s clinic can offer excellent practical and well-tried guidance.
