What If Your Biggest Threat Is Your Own Team

Welcome to this throwback of Blonde Intelligence. I am your host Ms. Roni and I always seek to give you exquisite cranial repertoire. If you’re calling yourself an independent music artist but your music isn’t properly registered, you might be building on sand. We get blunt about the unglamorous steps that separate a hobby from a professional music career: protecting your catalog, getting paid royalties, and surrounding yourself with people who actually know the music business. 

We walk through the essential music registration checklist, including joining a performing rights organization (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC), filing copyright via copyright.gov, and registering with SoundExchange for digital performance royalties. Along the way, we talk about why these moves matter for ownership, leverage, and income, especially as more artists go independent and rely on streaming platforms to gain visibility. If you’ve ever searched for “how to register my music” or “how do artists get royalties,” this is the practical roadmap. 

Then we shift to the human side of career growth: the dangers of homeboy management. Hiring friends or family who lack industry knowledge can lead to bad decisions, missed networking, weak marketing strategy, and even jealousy that keeps you stuck. We also unpack why cutting side deals behind your manager’s back can feel like quick money while quietly destroying trust and long-term support. 

Listen, then subscribe, share this with an artist who needs it, and leave a review. What’s the one business step you’ve been avoiding the most?

Transcript

The Pro Artist Foundation

The Essential Music Registrations

Why Homeboy Management Fails

A Real Story Of Bad Advice

Jealous Teams And Mixed Messages

SPEAKER_01 0:26

Hello, welcome to this week's Indie Artist Music Hustle with Blonde Intelligence. I'm your host, Miss Ronnie, where I always seek to give you exquisite cranial repertoire. This week I have a couple of I would say subjects that I'm going to talk about that will benefit the independent music artist. The first question you need to ask yourself is: are you considered a professional music artist? If so, then you need to think about the dangers of homeboy management and cutting side deals behind your management's back. So, I'm gonna start off with a few articles that I read. Independent music artists face several challenges in establishing themselves in the competitive music industry. Many of these artists lack proper registrations for their music, which can hinder their ability to earn income and gain recognition. According to an article in Rolling Stones, without proper copyright registration, artists risk losing their rights to their own music, which can limit their revenue potential. And when I first started my business, I tried to make this imperative to the artist that I was working with. And a lot of times the feedback that I got was, well, I've been doing it this way, but you're not making any money and you're not making any strides in your career. So it just makes me wonder why are you even telling me that this is the way that you've been doing it when you're clearly unsuccessful with the avenue that you have been taking? The absence of a manager can lead to missed opportunities for promotion and networking. A manager plays a crucial role in advancing an artist's career as they help secure gigs, negotiate contracts, and provide guidance on industry trends, and this is according to Music Business in 2023. As highlighted in Billboard, artists who invest in management often see a significant increase in exposure and earnings. Additionally, having an entertainment lawyer is essential for navigating the complex legal landscape of the music industry. Many independent artists overlook this step, leading to unfavorable contracts or disputes that can have been avoided. This year, Spotify introduced new resources for independent artists, emphasizing the importance of legal representation and ensuring fair treatment and proper financial management. For independent music artists to be recognized as professionals and to monetize their craft effectively, it is imperative that they take the necessary steps to register their music, secure management, and obtain legal counsel. By doing so, they can navigate the music industry more effectively and work towards a sustainable career. Without these essential components, artists may struggle to make money and be seen as professionals. According to an article from Rolling Stone titled The Importance of Music Registration, registering music is vital for artists to earn royalties and protect their intellectual property. Additionally, music business highlights in Why Every Artist Needs a Manager that a manager can help navigate the complexities of the industry, allowing musicians to focus on their craft. Billboard's article, Legal Guidance for Independent Artists, emphasizes that an entertainment lawyer can provide the necessary legal support to ensure that contracts and agreements are favorable. This year, new developments in the industry offer more opportunities for independent artists because a lot of artists are now going independent. And I wouldn't say necessarily because they want to, is because the record labels are cutting back. For instance, Spotify article, How to Use Streaming Platforms to Your Advantage, discusses how artists can leverage streaming services to gain visibility and generate income. Furthermore, the article, Essential Steps for Music Registration for Music Business, outlines the necessary registrations artists should complete. This is not exhaustive, but if you don't have these, then you're basically not considered a professional artist. You need to register with a performing rights organization, which is a PRO, which is AppScap or BMI or CSEC or any one of those, but you need a performance rights, performing rights organization. You need to copyright your music. Protecting original compositions is crucial to prevent unauthorized use. Because if you don't go through copyright.gov, you somebody can copy your work word for word or sample for sample or just the whole thing. But if you haven't copyrighted and they did, guess what you lost? Then you need to register with Sound Exchange. This organization collects digital performance royalties for artists. By following these steps, independent artists can establish themselves as establish themselves as professionals in the music industry. Ultimately, proper registration and support can lead to greater recognition and financial success. Now, a few weeks ago, I had a um guest speaker on talking about how artists can use their music to be able to purchase a home and how you buy investment properties such as duplexes or triplexes or things like that where you can generate some other uh residual income too. But if you are not registered um to be considered as a professional artist to begin with, then after so long you being in this industry and not being considered a professional artist, you're just a novelist. So now I'm gonna talk about the dangers of using homeboy management. And homeboy management is oh yeah, I got a friend that can do this, or my friend right here, he gonna he gonna help me with this. And sometimes that works out, but many times it don't. So, the dangers of using homeboy management. Independent music artists face numerous pitfalls when they include unqualified individuals on their management team. Firstly, hiring friends or family who lack industry knowledge can lead to poor decision making. According to an article in Beerboard, artists often find that personal relationships can cloud professional judgment, leading to decisions that do not align with their career goals. This can result in missed opportunities for growth and exposure. Additionally, when personal relationships take precedence over professional qualifications, it can create conflicts of interest, further complicating the artist's ability to navigate the competitive landscape of the music industry. Ultimately, maintaining a clear distinction between person and professional relationships is crucial for artists to achieve their ambitions. As noted in Rolling Stones, without a well-versed manager, an artist can struggle to secure important gigs or promotional deals that are crucial to their success. This lack of experience can hinder the artist's ability to build a strong brand and reach wider audiences. Having an inexperienced manager can lead to significant pitfalls for independent music artists. Inexperienced managers may not have the necessary skills to navigate the complex music industry. For instance, an inexperienced manager may fail to understand the importance of networking, which can result in missed opportunities for collaborations or performances. Additionally, they may not be aware of the latest marketing strategies leading to ineffective promotion of the artist's music. Overall, a manager's inexperience can result in lost revenue, limited exposure, and ultimately stall career growth for that artist. I managed an artist one time and he had a lot of homeboy management on his team. And so much so that he will listen to the advice of unexperienced people around him over me who have worked with several professional artists and producers. And I told him, I said, if you can't listen to me, I said, you're gonna end up in the same place where you are, where you're right now. And it's been maybe five or six years, and I'm not talking about anybody, but I haven't seen any strides. And all the people who he who opinions he value over mine, I told him, I said, they're just trying to keep you in the same place that they are because they're not moving forward and you're seeing movement in your career. Well, eventually we ended up parting ways because I'm not gonna beat a dead horse or I'm not gonna lead anybody to water, I'm not doing any of that shit if you can't listen. But to this day, still in the same spot, still with the same group of people that have not made it anywhere else. So having somebody in experience can lead to pitfalls. Additionally, having team members who do not fully support the artist's vision can lead to internal conflict. Because with this particular artist, I kept telling him, I said, um, I really feel like the people that you have around you are jealous of you because they don't have the same, I would say, talent as this artist did, but he was not a leader in his career, he was a follower. And I felt like that some of the decisions that they were trying to make for him were decisions that were going to excel them, they thought for a short-term gain, but excel them and keep him behind. That was my take on the situation. But a Spotify article highlights that when team members are not aligned with the artist's goals, it can lead to a disjointed strategy that confuses fans and dilutes the artist's message. Having competition and jealousy within a management team can significantly undermine the success of an independent music artist. When team members are more focused on their own ambitions rather than supporting the artist, it creates an environment of tension and conflict. This misalignment can result in a failure to connect with the target audience, making it challenging for the artist to build a loyal fan base. Competition among team members can lead to poor decision making as they may prioritize personal gain over the artist's best interests. Ultimately, this internal strife can hinder the artist's growth and success in a competitive industry. It is imperative for independent artists to assemble a management team comprised of knowledgeable and supportive individuals. As stated in Billboard, a strong team can be the difference between an artist's success and obscurity. By avoiding the pitfalls of unqualified management, artists can better navigate their careers and achieve their artistic goals. Without this crucial support, independent artists may struggle to gain recognition, face challenges in marketing their music, and miss out on valuable opportunities for collaboration and growth. Moreover, they may become overwhelmed by the business aspects of the industry, which can distract from their creative process. Ultimately, neglecting to heed to this advice can lead to a stagnant career or diminished potential. Now, I'm going to talk a little bit about cutting side deals behind your management back. And I haven't had this done often, but and it's just saying when I deal with independent hip hop artists that don't really know shit about the industry, I get a lot of pushback from these type of people. And I'm like I said earlier, I'm not the type of person that's gonna give you pushback or argue with you about it. I'll tell you real quick, fuck you in your music, and you get your shit and you go on. When independent music artists work behind their managers' back to cut side deals, the implications for their career can be significant and multifaceted. Such actions may initially seem beneficial as they can lead to immediate financial gains or creative freedom. However, as highlighted in Billboard, these side deals can ultimately undermine the artist's relationship with their management team. Managers are essential for navigating the complex music industry landscape. And when trust is broken, it can lead to a lack of support and resources in the long run. Rolling Stones magazine emphasizes that independent artists often rely on their management for networking opportunities and industry connections by circumventing their managers. So, in conclusion, while cutting side deals might provide short-term benefits, independent music artists should consider the long-term consequences of their career stability and relationships within the industry. Maintaining transparent communication with managers is vital for sustained success and growth. So, if you're an independent artist, I want you to look at some of these things, such as are you considered a professional music artist, the dangers of homeboy management, and cutting side deals behind your manager's back. As always, you can find Indie Artist Music Hustle on all podcasting platforms. You can find us on social media, and you can find your merch at www.blon-intelligence.com. And again, I am Miss Ronnie, your host for Blonde Intelligence. Bye.

SPEAKER_00 14:36

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