Let’s start from the beginning. Of course, you’ve now spent hours and hours, day after day, for years in the practice room. It’s likely you now have multiple degrees devoted specifically to your craft (music performance, composition, conducting), or you plan to get multiple degrees. And, many thousands of dollars in loans. If you are someone that doesn’t feel like the traditional paths, such as full-time teaching or orchestral performing, are the right fit for you. And you are not sure where things will lead you following your completion of higher-education in music, then let’s talk. The “beginning” that I refer to above pertains to that moment that you are out of school and on your own as an artist. What comes next?
I knew that there was a lot out there to what I wanted to accomplish as a musician and creative person. Full-time appointments are great and are also a respectable way to go. If it weren’t for those individuals that have secured those coveted university positions teaching music, or the positions in major orchestras, and of course, our band and orchestra directors from middle and high school, we wouldn’t be where we are today. I have been lucky to hold a full-time college teaching position, and maybe one day it will happen again. But the field is changing, and there are numerous ways to create a fulfilling and rewarding path for yourself in the musical arts. I will primarily focus on the life of building a company, whether it is your solo business or an ensemble, from the ground up.
As I entered my professional life in Chicago, I found that there were so many aspects of the creative world to experience and I quickly learned that I had a passion for the business of a performing arts nonprofit. At the time, and for many years, I wouldn’t actually be able to put a name to that particular passion. I simply admired others that had built a performing arts company from scratch and discovered that I wanted to do the same. If you are a creative person, and I would argue that you are – you did decide to devote your life to working in the performing arts after all. If you have a penchant for marching to your own beat, and feel energized by the prospects of creating something from the bottom up. If trudging through the unending minutia of putting together shows, starting a nonprofit, or raising money for various projects doesn’t make you flinch. If you know you have a ton of creative ideas and are someone that can galvanize a group of people towards a mission. If you can see yourself one day admitting to the world that, yes, you have devoted your life and taken a chance on this one vision, with no security in place, and tons of reasons to not do it. Then, you’re ready for the journey. Let’s go!
I hope that the steps below will help you to find your path towards rearing your music business. In this instance, the word business can be defined as a solo venture for a performer or composer, to the decade long process of forming an ensemble or company with the hope that eventually this business will be your sole “100%.” Your full-time gig. Your big money-maker. Watch out, it may actually become your ‘9-to-5’! (To be successful, your music business doesn’t have to reach full-time status for you. It can be rewarding to keep it at a part-time level so you are able to experience and take on other work goals. Even though I hope that my music business will eventually become a full-time gig, I still bring together many other work ventures, and smaller music businesses, to find my “100%.”)
My experience in my work as Founding Executive/Artistic Director of the Heartland Marimba organization, and how I got there, has brought me to a point where I hope that I can help others to achieve similar goals. Formed in 2014, HM is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and has six branches: Quartet, Ensemble, Publications, Festival, Concert Series, and Consortium! The vision didn’t pop into my head like this, it all started with a 5-day summer festival in 2014, and over the following months and years I began to see the potential of a broader organization.
So, let’s talk about starting your own company. What’s your vision?
Establish a sound picture of the idea for your music business. Think it through. The concept may not be fully formed when you launch, but see how far you can take it during some brainstorming sessions. And, reach out to friendly colleagues to bounce ideas. I have a great friend that founded the Dance in the Parks company in Chicago 13 years ago, and she has always been my arts admin “consultant.”
Some questions to consider:
What does your company accomplish?
Who’s involved?
How does it grow?
Do you need money?
Does it make money?
Who are you helping, and who are you inspiring?
Do you do one thing or many things related to one thing?
Is it a charitable organization (see below) or a for-profit venture?
How do you want to market/promote it?
Do you need to engage your local community for volunteers and board members?
Ok. Board members. Volunteers. Marketing. This sounds like a lot doesn’t it? Don’t worry. Another good dance friend once said to me, “Just finish one thing at a time.”
As we go on I’ll approach this as if you are interested in starting a company of artists, run by a board of directors, functioning with a group of volunteers, offering a regular season of events, and eventually moving towards a full-time position for yourself. From what’s provided here, I hope you can apply what you need for the scope of your own music business idea; e.g. sole proprietorships, an LLC, or just having an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for your part-time work with your craft.
Forming the company:
Once you’ve pondered the questions above, take some time to form a mission statement (what drives you everyday to fulfill your purpose). It would also be good to start brainstorming some name ideas for your business. This can often be closely tied to the mission statement and help to drive it. You don’t need to finalize the mission statement yet, but starting to work on it will hopefully give you the extra energy you need to push the business into reality.
Eventually you can begin crafting a vision statement (words that drive the mission into the future), and purpose statement (clearly communicates to your team what you do and why, detailing and providing a structure for the transformation you’re trying to create and your larger aspirations).
Whether you plan to incorporate with the federal government at the offset of the organization, try to form your central team of at least three people to begin the business. When you decide to file for your 501(c)3 status you will need someone officially instated as the board president, secretary, and treasurer. You can also have a vice president and other board directors, as well as an executive director, operations director, and other management positions related to the daily functions of running the business.
Most nonprofit music groups begin with the artists serving as the administrative directors and board of directors. That is fine. Give yourself three years to separate the two by finding individuals to fill roles on the board. Heartland Marimba began in 2014, and didn’t incorporate as a 501(c)3 until 2017. At that time the board was a mix of HM artists and other individuals.
A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization is a charitable entity. Orchestras, churches, food banks, universities, ensembles, humanitarian organizations, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, dance companies are all nonprofits. It means they serve a community with a charitable mission, employees (administration, teachers, professionals, artists) are paid, board of directors are not paid, and all revenue/profit is invested back into the organization at the end of the year. There are similar companies that are for-profit organizations.
When you decide it is time to incorporate, you will start by incorporating with your state and then the federal government. Incorporating with the state is not difficult. You will need board members in place and then you will need to craft your Articles of Incorporation. Regular yearly meetings with your board of directors is required at this point. Three or four times a year can be sufficient. For the federal incorporation/501(c)3 status, you need to bring together your bylaws. This should be done with the help of a lawyer. The government has expedited this process for smaller nonprofits, so it doesn’t take as long now, and the fee isn’t more than $300. This status brings your organization to a point where you are exempt from federal income taxes. Because you are now engaged in public or private interest without pursuing the goal of commercial or monetary profit, you are recognized as taxed exempt with the federal government.
Other benefits of becoming a nonprofit:
Donors are more willing to donate because they will not be taxed on that money.
There are many grants available for nonprofits.
And passionate and creative individuals are drawn to these organizations.
Once you have some of these official steps checked off, you can begin planning your first project, concert, full season, or mini-virtual event. You will need a website, or web-presence. A Facebook page can be a great start to making a web-presence for your business. You may find as your organization grows that a website and other webpages are necessary.
Some early steps and considerations to planning your first concert or even the full season ahead include funding, press, venues, dates, personnel, and ongoing marketing. Early on it would be helpful to establish an organized system for keeping multiple timelines in motion (Google calendar, spreadsheets, Slack account, or Evernote). Think in three month periods. With HM business, we typically are juggling timelines that are 18, 15, 12, 9, 6, and 3 months out. There is also A LOT to do 1 month out from a concert, like sending out press releases for example. To plan/book a whole season, start 18 months out. To produce a concert, start contacting venues 15 months out. To fund an upcoming project, launch a fundraiser 12 months out, but plan the fundraiser 3 months out. To secure funding for a project, write a grant 9 months out. To announce your season, release marketing 6 months out. To promote a concert, release marketing 3 months out. And of course, you are still working on all these things at all stages at any point while you are thinking ahead for future projects and tasks.
I hope this will help you to get started on fulfilling and fueling your passion at greater levels. Stay the course through the hard times, because the good times will be bigger and bigger the further you take it!
Keep checking this blog for more Rearing Your Music Business posts. I’ve included some resources below that I’ve found helpful. Additionally, I’ve included a list below that exemplifies some of the many forms that your music business can take on. I am currently number 7 on the list. And one day, I hope my position with Heartland Marimba becomes the sole music business that I maintain. It all takes time.
Helpful resources:
Angela Duckworth – GRIT: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Joan Garry – Guide to Nonprofit Leadership; Because Nonprofits Are Messy
Sally Hogshead – Radical Careering
Abram Loft – How to Succeed in an Ensemble
Anthony Mancuso – How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation (www.Nolo.com)
IMPORTANT: A music business can look like many things, and will vary year to year. Here are some examples.
1. Regularly composing for a commission or project.
2. Starting a collective with other composers to produce concerts 3 times a year.
3. Starting an ensemble that you direct, compose for, and plan to grow each season.
4. Performing in an orchestra or chamber group, composing for a commission or project, and running a collective with other composers to produce concerts 3 times a year.
5. Teaching online composition lessons.
6. Teaching piano to young students, teaching music theory at a nearby college, and regularly composing for a commission or project.
7. Running a nonprofit marimba organization, orchestra management for a regional orchestra, occasionally composing and teaching, percussion gigging and performing and collaborating as a soloist.
8. Performing as an artist and doing administration for a nonprofit marimba organization, teaching music/percussion privately and at a college, percussion gigging, and artist coordinator at a museum.
