WORK WITH JIM ROSE CIRCUS?

The word is out that I am going to work with a couple of bands this year. I've received some messages from artists asking to be considered. Please know that I can't be spread too thin so I have already selected the bands I want to work with and am in the process of sending emails to them directly. In all I will be sending out about 15 emails. Bands break up all the time or are in different phases of careers but I'm sure about 15 emails is all I will need to send out to narrow down to a couple of right fits.

I chose these bands because of their amazing talent and the type of music my friends in the  bizz are looking for this year.

I exchange emails all the time and have helped answer questions for a lot of people since my DIY marketing video was released and I will continue to be friendly like that, but it doesn't mean that everyone is the right fit for this special project I'm doing for a couple of bands this year. If you didn't get a direct email from me don't fret. Maybe we can work together next year or something.

So that there isn't any confusion this is the email I sent to the bands I'm interested in:

"Let's start off by getting on the same page so we can begin to answer each other's questions.
1) The music biz has changed a lot in the last few years. A career's fuse used to be lit by a record industry signing. Now they are fourth on the food chain because their revenue streams have dried up. The chain goes in this order: Big Agent, PR, Promoters, etc.

Now in 2014 the big agents are in charge of (touring, sponsorships, soundtrack work, etc, etc.) One thing to be careful about with the less experienced managers is that they try to push agents to the point of tarnishing your reputation. Bands can be guilty of this as well. The music business has less than 400 people who control careers. If there is friction everyone hears about it. This isn't an issue with all managers. I am just putting it out there.

2) Lower level agents can't get you high exposure tours.

3) Big agents are the only avenue in this era. They can put you in front of a lot of people opening for one of the known bands that they represent, or festivals etc. .  On another note, pay to play is a rip off. A big agent will never put you in that position.

I would appreciate it if you would also review these points:

1) You must be 20 years of age or older and out of school.

2) Will you put in the effort to make things happen? 

3) No one can have work,or domestic requirements that would keep you all from going out to do shows for a couple of months at a time. If you do, this will not work.

4) You are in charge of your own funds. The tours you are sent on are designed to make you good money. You need to have a couple of hundred dollars saved. You are in charge of paying for your first tank of gas etc. :)

5) I serve as an evaluator. The fee I charge is not funded by you. My job is to line you up with the right team. The way to do it these days is to be represented by one of the top players in the industry. I receive a fee after I have assembled the team, paid by them. Real agents have a full plate. They just don't have the time to find the artists. 

It's important that we are the right fit. If I goof up and propose mediocre talent, flakes or bands that are hard to get along with then the window gets closed. Let's be professionals. If we set up meetings then everyone must be on time.

I've researched and have found that your exposure and media coverage needs to be pumped up a bit to attract the bigger entertainment entities. Don't worry I used to own a PR company and I will show you how to DIY the press. I will help you do it with confidentiality. I have no interest in taking any credit for what we do together.

Again please know that you or a combination of your band members need to have a good work ethic to make this all happen. 

For approximately 5-8 weeks your band will need to be sending press release emails out. Sending these emails to push you as artists will require about 10 hours of time a week. If that is too much of a commitment we shouldn't go further at this point.

If you do have the time to help me push your band, then the next step is to have your entire band read this email and watch this video.  

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9PZgMchV2E  

Remember this video was made to show people how much you can get away with using light hearted media tricks. This doesn't mean that you have to follow the same path. There are many ways to get a relevant press pop: charities, political issues, etc.

Doing good community events can get as much publicity as controversy. Again the reason I did this video as part of a charity event was to show people that they don't have to fear the media.

The next step, after everyone in the band has watched the video and has read this proposal here, we will set up a Skype meeting with all band members present so we can see each other. Shoot me back an email with the day and time the band usually gets together so that I can compare it with my schedule and see what works for both of us. If you don't have Skype it's an easy set up and only takes about three minutes to download the app. 

I believe in you and think we can make magic together to get you out on stadium, arena or big festival shows across the country.

Thanks,

Jim

Skype contact: jimrosecircus

#jimrose
#jimrosecircus

WHAT HAPPENED TO RECORD COMPANIES?

We have all heard the story about a band playing their heart's out on stage while a mysterious person in the audience was lurking around. After the gig the mystery man approaches the band and tells them he is a record executive for a big label and wants to sign them to a contract worth millions. The band signs it on the side of the stage and instantly become mega stars. If this story was ever true it sure isn't now.

Due to the revenue streams drying up because of the ability to download content for free, everything has changed. Record companies now wait until the artists are signed by a big agent before approaching. The reason is because of the new paradigm in the music industry. There has been a power shift over the last couple of years and the big agents now have a strangle hold. Do the big agents want this new power? No they don't. They would love to revert back to the old days when record companies were in charge of PR, promotion and getting bands airplay. The music industry still makes many people a lot of money. Someone had to step in and save it after the collapse of record company spending and it was the big agents. If they hadn't have stepped in there would be anarchy. 

Anarchy sounds good in principle but it's a disaster for the music industry. Anarchy would mean that there would be no structure in place for artists to rise to the top and get out of a 40 mile radius of their home town. Anarchy would mean that there would be no system to weed out the bands that suck. 

How did big agents save the music industry? I will explain that in my next blog.

#JimRose

#JimRoseCircus

13 Rules For Breaking Into Hollywood

An article in BULLETT magazine by Adi Shankar who is the producer of several films, including The Grey, Broken City, and the upcoming Lone Survivor.
Click on here to read his 13 rules in details.

1) Understand and Believe that Art is Important
2) The Internet is F**king Awesome
3) If You Want to be a Storyteller You Need to Have a Point of View
4) The Future Lies in Collectives, So Assemble Yours Now!
5) Do What You Love. Period.
6) Don’t Be Discouraged by People Who Don’t Believe
7) Don’t Spend Your Twenties in Nightclubs
8) Until You Make it to “Prime Time,” Treat Everything Like Practice.
9) It’s Later Than You Think
10) Niche Markets are the Future
11) Disrespect Authority  
12) Life is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
13) Don’t Underestimate Anyone

#jimrosecircus

#jimrose

BANDS BE CAREFUL CHOOSING A MANAGER

In the 1990s managers were a very important part of the music industry. They used their connections to get their bands record deals and made sure the deals were for maximum money. You could trust around 70 percent of them to be honest and try real hard. They did this for 15% of the artists gross income.

The record industry colapsed in around 2002 due to free online downloading. Most of their revenue streams dried up and they quit signing bands that didn't already have a media foot print. High end publicists became more important than managers. Small cheap publicists hearts are usually in the right place, but they don't have the connections to get much more than blogs or small mainstream press mentions.

Managers have been left out on a limb without much to do. It's usually better to hire an entertainment attorney to do a one time negotiation for around $400 than to have a manager take 15 % for the rest of your career.

This has turned most of the "manager" entity into scrambling for other ways to make money. For example: asking for a monthly fee or suggesting pay to play gigs; both of those proposals are rip offs. 

Bands be careful: over 60 % of managers operate that way these days. 

There are still some who do it for the right reasons but they are the ones who have established bands, and to them we salute you.

#JimRose

#JimRoseCircus

STREET EDUCATION FOR MARKETING

"I have spent most of my life getting a street education. No other subject has fascinated me more. Every opportunity to witness first hand the formulas that create angle driven controlled human behavior I would watch. Pick pockets, hypnotism, brain washing, how pimps turn girls into prostitutes, along with proposition bets to win free beers, etc. 
Art was in me, I was a spoken word performer and doing crazy stunts but no one was paying attention.
One day I had an epiphany: "What if all the street psychology I've learned was used in a legal way as part of a DIY marketing strategy?" I tried it with a show I was doing called the Jim Rose Circus and it worked. Due to the new marketing angles I ended up on the covers of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, FAST COMPANY MAGAZINE and was the featured example of advertising acumen in the best selling business book THE DEVIANTS ADVANTAGE.." -Jim Rose

The problem with getting a real street education is that you have to go through a lot of hard knocks and pain for the degree. In 2005 Jim remedied that dilemma for the masses. He wrote the most complete book ever offered on the subject "SNAKE OIL" and it has just been re-released by Bartleby 
Press on the e-format Kindle."

https://www.facebook.com/73911349699/photos/a.422257754699.194164.73911349699/10151607117079700/?type=1&stream_ref=10

#jimrose

#jimrosecircus

PUNK GLOBE: 'Three-Card Monte' MYTHS

(click on image for details)

                            
The Three-Card Monte is an old street con game. 
It works like this: the dealer holds a red queen and two black kings that he throws face down on a table or cardboard box. The rule is to guess which one is the queen. The victim puts his money down on the card he thinks is the winner, then the dealer turns it over to show which one it is. It appears to be a simple game to beat. There is a general perception that street hustlers working the Three-Card Monte games always let you win the first time you play to get you hooked. This myth grew from seeing money changing hands with other betters. The other betters are in fact part of the scam. It is their job to make you feel comfortable enough to take out your money and try to beat the dealer. 

Keep reading on Punk Globe for more details and more card bets: http://punkglobe.com/jimrosecircusarticle0214.php

"The problem with getting a real street education is that you have to go through a lot of hard knocks and pain for the degree. Jim Rose has remedied that dilemma for the masses by contributing monthly to Punk Globe Magazine." It is Jim Rose's opinion that the psychology of being street wise is crucial to protecting one's self, furthering careers and in some cases just fun to know.

The contents of this article could be dangerous. Misuse of the material can cheapen an art form or at the very least make you look stupid. More importantly, misuse of this information may result in jail time or death. Do not attempt any of these tricks without the direct supervision of a responsible professional.

#jimrose

#jimrosecircus

THANK YOU DAVID BOWIE FOR YOUR KINDNESS TO ME

A few years back I got a phone call from David (we have been social friends for 20 years) and he said "Jim, I'm doing a show in your city in 2 months. Please come, I have a surprise for you." 

The date arrived and I went to the show. I was greeted by the tour manager who took me to the side of the stage where there was a couch and speakers in place for premium sound quality. This was really unusual because David rarely lets people watch his show from side stage.

The concert began and I was the only one on the couch. The third song of the set was "Scary Monsters" and he turned and sang it directly to me. Half way through the song the curtains opened wider to expose me to the audience while he was still singing. When the song was over he said : "Jim Rose, come give me a hug" and opened his arms. I walked to center stage, we hugged and then he said to the audience: "Jim and I have been friends for a long time and I want you all to know and appreciate how much he has done for art over the last few decades with the shows he produces. Every one give him a big hand."
We hugged again and I waived to the audience and walked back to the couch. The curtains closed just a little and the audience could no longer see me and the concert went on.

After the show we were hanging out and I thanked him for the kind gesture. His reply: "It's your home town and you deserve it. Thanks for being a friend all these years."

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152227761329700&set=a.422257754699.194164.73911349699&type=1&stream_ref=10

#jimrose

#jimrosecircus

BAND PHISHING BEWARE

Bands be on the lookout for phish emails that charge you "pay to play" or monthly fees to manage you. 

1) "Pay to play" is a rip off. No legitimate music industry person would sink that low. 
2) No real managers charge a fee to manage. The standard percentage for management is 15% of gross. 

Lately bands are getting a lot of phishing emails promising all kinds of things as long as they pay a monthly fee of $300. 
I'm not going to post the phish email word for word because they come back on you with a cease and desist because of posting a copyrighted letter. 
Can you believe the balls? An attorney threatening you with copyright infringements when you post an email sent to bands that is obviously phishing? 
It's happening so all you can do, bands, is to be on the lookout and avoid being a caught phish. I have personally sent this email to bands and am asking readers to share this message.

Thank You. 
#JimRose 
#JimRoseCircus