Occasionally you meet people who become very significant in your life

Occasionally you meet people who become very significant in your life changing the way that one thinks, when this happens to me I am almost immediately aware of their significance, one such person died recently and I attended his funeral. He was my father in law as it happened, the father to my late wife and I must say someone who made life an interesting place.

One thing I learnt from him was life was made interesting by the energy that you put into your hobbies and into listening and being interested in other people; he was loved because he was so interested in others. He was musical and made friends with many including Oscar Peterson the great of jazz piano he was extraordinary because he seemed to know so many people including actors, top QC's, Knights of the realm and although he had been to Oxford he had not come from a particularly privileged background but seemed almost by accident to move in exalted circles. He was also important in the success of an international renowned DJ and a deva from the world of Punk that he heard perform in a London pub after which he contacted a friend who was an A and R man and she was signed up.

What he had was passion and when he loved something he became an expert, literally, he was great at languages but I was astounded that within two years of becoming interested in a little Spanish island he and his wife were totally fluent in Spanish and set up a course for doctors there to learn English.

When someone like this (who had incidentally a photographic memory, being able to not only recite poetry but could tell you on which page and where on the page it was), enters your life you have to reassess all that you thought you knew and subsequently when they leave I now realise that process happens again.

Going out for a walk on my own I started to think about how happiness is dependent on having that attitude of mind that makes events resonant, adding meaning however naïve those meanings may seem to others and what I learnt was that music does exactly that. John was the first man that I knew who could totally dissolve into tears when listening to music, any music, any music that is that had an emotional element. I suppose we are talking about someone who would have in the past been referred to as a renaissance man, a polymath, he was certainly brilliant and I learnt through him that great minds NEVER try to impress you with how clever they are and let me tell you that I have met many who want to show exactly how much Plato, Virgil and Shakespeare they can quote and they are often Public School headmasters in my experience.

You will be missed here but I am sure that where ever you have gone it will be all the better for your arrival.

Vic

 www.teachmusic.co.uk

www.bluescampuk.co.uk

 

 

Government reforms in Education and in the NHS

Government reforms in Education and in the NHS

A few weeks ago I was playing a charity function for a local Hospice and the band were just killing time as the show was running late; it gave us a chance to have a chat which we don’t really do very often.

The band is made up of professional people and they are the group that feature in my book ‘Notes on Business’. The conversation had wondered onto the subject of the education system interestingly not because of me but the vocalist started complaining about the problems with the latest raft of meddling from the government.

The bass player who is a pediatric specialist started talking about the NHS and he quoted a figure that in his words the government had ‘wasted’ on NHS reforms; the figure was a jaw dropping with the current reorganisation costing somewhere between 1.5 and 3.5 billion pounds.

In the last thirty years there have been at least fifteen major structural changes in the NHS. Even if we take the lowest of the estimates for the cost of the latest reorganisation, and assume the previous were less far reaching, so each cost on average say, £500 million, that's still at least £10 billion in thirty years, with no evidence of any long term gain for the patients.

I suppose it is good to know that it is not only education that the government waste money reorganising.

Vic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Political medling in Education and Health

On listening to the various reports from the party political conferences over the past few weeks what struck me was the amount of ideas that seemed to be there for the sake of it.

The problem with politicians is they want to make their mark by changing things even if something is working on some level. There is a fixation that there is a perfect solution, well maybe there is not; maybe something that empowers people would be better.

The amount of money that has been wasted in reorganising the NHS and the education system in this country is truly staggering and probably would have been better spent in other ways but somehow this wastage of tax payers’ money is covered by a veneer of statistics that hide the waste.

We are getting to a point where people are disillusioned with politics, as shown in voter numbers, we need another way. I am not sure what, but maybe start with government getting out of like education and health. This is a tall order because on the face of it they should be involved however where do you draw the line between the national interest and the prestige of politics which is all too evident in the ‘ let us make some policy changes’ fiasco.

The cuts in funding the arts is causing very serious problems for musicians incomes around the world and although this may create innovation because necessity is the Mother of Invention you still need to pay the bills will you are inventing.

In the world of teaching is there is an opportunity in the alternative view that education is about opening the mind and not just ticking boxes and that music maybe one of the few ways of achieving that. Let’s face it there are many that want to do music and it is not being fully satisfied at school.

I also see an opportunity to ride that wave of discontent in the music that is written and performed which takes us back to elements of the 60’s and 70’s a useful back-lash to X factor and politics I think

 

Vic

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Make Money in Music Publishing

Original from http://www.ehow.com/how_5783307_make-money-music-publishing.html

X

Ralph Heibutzki

Specializing in cultural and musical articles, Heibutzki has written for over 17 years. He has appeared in the "All Music Guide," "Goldmine," "Guitar Player" and "Vintage Guitar." He is also the author of "Unfinished Business: The Life & Times Of Danny Gatton" and holds a journalism degree from Michigan State University.

By Ralph Heibutzki, eHow Contributor

Live concerts remain the glamorous face of today's music scene. However, the real money lies in the ownership and licensing of the songs themselves. Whether you sign with an established publisher, or opt to handle the job yourself, some basic business knowledge and administrative skills are needed to succeed.

Other People Are Reading

• How Music Publishing Companies Generate Money
• How to Run a Music Publishing Company

 

Things You'll Need

• Business license
• Checking account in publishing company's name
• Computer
• Internet access
• Publisher's application
• Songwriter's Market
• Tax identification number
• Writer's application

Show (5) More

Instructions

1. Learn How Publishing Works

   • 1
     Learn the basics of music publishing. As taxi.com explains, the writer of a song automatically owns all the copyright and publishing rights. Music publishing income, in turn, is divided into writer's and publisher's shares. If you keep your copyright and publishing rights, the songwriting money is all yours--meaning, if the royalties are $100,000, you collect $100,000.
   • 2
     Sign with an established music publishing firm if you don't feel you have the knowledge or networking contacts to market your material. Use music industry reference guides like "The Songwriter's Market" to get contact information, and whether or not a company accepts unsolicited material. Unsolicited material is material that has not been requested by the publisher either through an agent or as the result of a query letter sent to them. Unsolicited material cannot be submitted without permission from the publisher.
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   • 3
     Study how co-publishing agreements work, taxi.com advises. If a publisher accepts your song, you own 75 percent of the writer's share, plus 25 percent of the publisher's share. If your royalties are $100,000, then you get $75,000. If you transfer all publishing rights, everything is split evenly, and you'll only collect $50,000. The publisher only earns their percentage to market your material--so, if they don't expect any profit, you probably won't get a deal.
   • 4
     Make it your business to understand all potential revenue sources. Although radio play, music and TV licenses are the most visible--and most common--avenues, don't overlook lesser-known sources, such as sheet music, Internet downloads and cell phone ringtones, which are rapidly becoming an alternative income stream for performers.

   Set Up Your Own Company

   • 5
     Evaluate your career honestly before becoming your own music publisher. Without consistent airplay or licensing income, setting up your own music publishing company makes little sense. On the other hand, if you're seeking movie or TV placements, signing up with a well-connected publisher is the way to go.
   • 6
     Join one of the three main performing rights organizations--ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC--as a songwriter and publisher, since you'll wear both hats. Otherwise, if you only join as a songwriter, you'll effectively miss out on half the income that you may have coming.
   • 7
     Request a publisher's application from ASCAP, BMI or SESAC, music-law.com advises. If your bandmates aren't members, request writer's applications for them, too. Fill in the name of your new company and information for each band member, which is required to show how your band exists as a legal entity.
   • 8
     Return the form and any required fees. Once your company is accepted, music-law.com advises to apply for a new business license and tax identification number. These will differ from the ones made out for your band, which exists as a separate legal entity. Once you have those details, submit them to the organization that reviewed your publisher's application.
   • 9
     Think carefully before deciding on an equal split with your bandmates, no matter who wrote the song. That's because copyright protection exists for an author's lifetime, plus 70 years, and can transfer to heirs. This can be a major sticking point once your band is no longer active, according to entertainment attorney Joy Butler.

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Tips & Warnings

• If you set up your own music publishing, have another company act as an administrator. This places the burden of collecting and distributing potential income on someone else's shoulders.
• Don't forget to create a checking account in your new company's name. Royalty checks will be made out to your publishing company, not the people running it.
• Do an online search to determine if your potential publishing company's name is taken. Have several alternatives ready to go, just in case.
• If you have a band, work out ground rules for song ownership. If a bandmate contributes a part, you're still the copyright owner. However, if someone changes lyrics, or adds other distinct musical elements, they may have grounds for arguing co-ownership of your song copyright.
• Never sign agreements without understanding the terms. If you're not sure about the implications of signing with a particular publisher, have an entertainment law attorney review the agreement.

Read more: How to Make Money in Music Publishing | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5783307_make-money-music-publishing.html#ixzz29N28eaJb

Keep the country happy play guitar

Keep the country happy play guitar

At the RGT conference recently I was talking to a number of teachers and the question that seemed to keep coming up was how much work everyone had and to everyone’s surprise the pupil numbers had actually gone up for most which considering the economic climate was not what you would expected.

I had written about this a while ago after having a discussion with someone high up in a teaching organisation who was of the opinion that we were going to hell in a hand cart and my point was that even in the war people were learning musical instruments and therefore there is something else happening inspiring the public to learn.

There is often a self-fulfilling prophecy at work when the economy is ‘talked down’ by the experts and, as a friend of mine calls them ‘sheeple’, follow the instructions to the letter. However some arrive at the point of thinking ‘what the hell I want to do something interesting like learn an instrument’ and therefore problem times can throw up anomalies in human behaviour some of which are very positive for music teachers.

The more we focus on the positive outcome the more chance it has to manifest because you begin to notice opportunity around you that is how the mind is wired; to see things that match and confirm your thoughts.

In NLP there is a term for people who do the opposite to the expected reaction, the term ‘polarity responder’ would apply to the character who will change direction simply to be different from the crowd. These people are good for rock guitar because ALL of the early guitar greats where polarity responders because the guitar was the instrument for the social subversive and even though there is an abundance of college courses it is still looked upon as socially different to be a working musician. 

So the best advice for you in these times if the numbers are not stable or going up look at how you can attract new customers by offering group lessons and get them involved having fun playing. Focus on the enjoyment aspect of playing an instrument and make customers feel good about themselves. As there is scant little about to make anyone full of cheer making your music happiness enhancing will create a good USP for the business whether you are teaching or playing gigs.

Vic

 

English Baccalaureate!

Well the English Baccalaureate has been unveiled and it looks like we are  going back (as the abbreviated version Bac suggests) to something similar to the old O level and this was after the discussion of abolishing the A level.

This could be just a rant on my part but I want to focus on the long term aspect of education and what they focus is for this reorganisation is attempting to create or correct.

The idea of a race to the bottom created by the examination boards maybe a good point however I see pupils working much harder in the schools than I ever remember doing whilst I was at school and maybe this is why I am so good at playing guitar because I had time to practice!  My concern in all of this is why become educated? What is it that we are striving for? If the answer to this is to get a job then I would argue that the jobs market is changing so fast with jobs disappearing or morphing into something else with new disciplines appearing in areas that two or three years ago did not exist how can you prepare? If the idea is to broaden the mind and to learn to use your brain power in a focus yet flexible way then the education system has lost its direction and the ‘new’ examinations will also fail dismally.

Teachers in schools work harder than many other professions putting in extra hours unpaid as a normal part of the regime and as for the head of Ofsted to make the comment that teachers should go the extra mile probably makes most teachers so angry that they would like to take Mr Wilshaw and shove the Ofsted reports where the sun does not shine and maybe make that go the extra foot.

I have never involved myself teaching in the classroom for one very good reason it’s a thankless task and more about box ticking than teaching but I see enough of it and I know enough teachers to know the score.

What is the answer to this question? Well children are clever enough to do well whatever the system and if they are encouraged to have an open mind and become passionate about learning they will be able to outperform their contemporaries who may be far more privileged than they. Flexibility of mind is the answer, keep learning and to paraphrase Winston Churchill “Never stop learning, never, never stop learning”.

Vic

 

www.vichyland.com

 

Play in a band for three days with the experts and detress!

www.bluescampuk.co.uk

 

 

 

All you need is love

All you need is love

Over the last few weeks I have been going on about the need to be business like in the way that you approach business but this time I am going to readdress the balance and as with everything this outlook has to have its opposite.

So as the day needs the night I need to introduce to the equation of making a living from music that element of love. If you love what you do you can get anywhere because something that requires as much practise and hard work as music needs the devotion of love to get you through.

Watching the Olympics recently you could see this was the unspoken element that made these athletes great, the love of the sport and the willingness to sacrifice time and effort and to experience pain to get to the very top.

As with most things this idea is a metaphor for other aspects of life that you must love what you do to make things happen, it seems to be a given; so let us look at the element of love in this context.

I think that it is safe to say that love distorts reality making you think that the thing that you are in love with is the most beautiful and important thing in the world, in fact it is safer to say that all other objects move into the background and sometimes vanish in this state. Love is a form of hypnotic trance and in that state you can suspend the rules of reality and make things happen because you believe that you can.

An example in the case of music is the group of musicians who believe that their music is the most powerful or beautiful thing around and that they are the ONLY band worth listening to. If they looked at the statistics they would know they do not stand a cat’s chance in hell of getting anywhere but that logic fortunately slips into the mists of the trance.

Someone who believes in (and are obsessed with) an idea can develop a multi-billion dollar business with no formal training, they make a Microsoft, an Apple, a Virgin or a Google and when these things happen they confound the experts. This happened with Rock and Roll and Punk where the conceived wisdom was kicked out of the window by the passion and in the case of the former  lust for the music.

So go back and find what it is that made you fall in love with the instrument and compare this to other times of falling in love. Go into those memories and ‘double the feeling’ then bring them into your present and project them into your future visions.

Go out and spread the LUURV.  

 

Vic