Darrin McGillis Productions

The term "manager" does not have a precise definition in the music industry. A manager can range from a friend who helps book shows for you, to a corporation that handles dozens of artists. This column will focus on professional managers. A manager is someone who takes an interest in an artist's career and invests his or her time and energy in helping the artist succeed. The duties of managers are rather ambiguous. They include counselling the artist as to all aspects of the entertainment industry including record companies, advertizing and merchandising. Overall, a manger is your link to the entertainment industry. He will advise you as to standard practices, reputations, etc.. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to get a manager who knows what he is doing. Since the manager will be getting a percentage of your income, be sure you get what you pay for. Some managers will sign you up for a percentage of income and sit back and do very little and wait for the band to...

The question I am most frequently asked is whether a band has to send their material to the Copyright Office in Washington D.C. to keep other people from stealing their ideas. The short answer is no. As soon as you write down your lyrics or record your music (even on your portable cassette recorder), you have a copyright and no one can steal it. From the instant your material is "fixed in a tangible medium of expression" it is copyrighted and protected. By sending your tape to the Copyright Office, you are registering your copyright. So, if you hum a song in your head-no copyright; but, the minute you write it down or record-copyright. Once you put your ideas into tangible form, you have all the copyright you need to prevent someone from stealing your material. What you do need to be concerned about is to being able to prove when you created the musical work. If someone does steal your material, you have to prove that you thought it up first. The most popular way to date your...

Record contracts come in many forms. This stems from the fact that there are hundreds of different record companies. From the so-called "major labels" (EMI, Sony, Warner, PolyGram, BMG or one of their related corporations) to "mini-majors" (A&M, Island and Virgin, in the days of their independence, were the most obvious examples) to the "independents", the contract depends largely on the type of record company offering it. When you first see your contract, if you are like most bands, you immediately sit down and read it. However, you soon realize that it is written in a manner which defies grammatical english. Sentences run on for 14 lines, with little if any punctuation. There are terms and words which you have never encountered. Finally, the sentences constantly make reference to each other ("pursuant to 1(A)3(c)(ii)"). Where do you begin? The first place is with someone familiar with record contracts. Often, a band will be aware of and hav...

This column is simply some general words of advice for aspiring musicians. These comments reflect only my personal experience and observation (over the past 20 plus years), and you will find people who will disagree with me. With that caveat, take it for what it is worth. The first thing all musicians must do is act professional. The people who have power in the music industry (record labels, club owners, managers, etc.) are professionals. Music is their full-time business and their livelihood. They expect to be treated with respect. By acting professional, you immediately rise to another level in their eyes. When a musician calls me on the phone, I can tell in a relatively short period of time whether they are someone I should take seriously, i.e. professional. This sentiment is mirrored by countless other music industry insiders I have spoken with. Professionalism will take a band a long way. A similar bit of advice is to educate yourself about the entertainment industry. Take time o...