When I started law school, one of the first things I learned was that a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client. The same holds true with respect to music artists. Of course you'll have no choice until you find someone to represent you, but that should be your first goal when starting out. You will almost never be taken seriously by a record label if you are shopping your own material. Even though record companies may listen to unsolicited demos (that means demos that they didnt ASK to hear), if they do, then at best theyll have an intern doing it whos probably got nobodys ear at the label who can actually do anything about signing you anyway. The way record deals get done 99% of the time is when a music industry professional who has a relationship with someone at a record label (either an A&R representative or high level executive) says hey, I have this great new artist that you have to check out. From the record label's perspective, this enables them to filter out all the material that isnt worthy of their consideration...remember what I said in lesson ..2, everyone and their grandmother has a demo, well this at least keeps all the grandmothers' demos out. Record company executives have so much stuff coming at them, and with shrinking budgets they also have the ability to sign fewer and fewer artists each year, so they need to be able to rely on professionals who they trust to bring them only the artists who they should be paying attention to.

So how do you know if someone is in that category of trusted and respected professionals who will get record companies to pay attention to you? Most of the time its about track records. Who have they represented in the past? If theyve represented successful artists then theres an assumption that they must know what theyre doing, and since many record company executives and A&R reps dont know what theyre doing, why shouldn't they listen to someone else who has proven that they do know what they're doing (or have at least done a good job of making people believe that they do).

With that said, how do you go about finding the right professional to represent you. First, you need to understand the difference between a manager and an agent. A manager is like your mom and dad in the industry, helping you to make all of your career decisions, including who your agent should be. An agent performs one very specific task, getting you booked for live performances (some go a bit further and help secure things like tour sponsorships too, but you get the basic idea). So initially, you should be looking for a manager (and not a business manager either, because he/she is really just your financial advisor and accountant). Ok, so where do you find one, in the Yellow Pages, on a street corner, at Target?? NO!!! And rule number one of management is never ever use your boy who you think happens to have some general business abilities just because he had a successful paper route when you were kids or was the most successful drug dealer at your high school. Trust me when I tell you that nobody at any record label will ever respect him and if you're lucky enough to get a deal in spite of his presence, he will always be a liability to you. You need to find a manager with experience, resources and contacts. Now here's the rub, the managers with the most experience, resources and contacts dont have time for you. Thats because they're out there spending their time managing their superstar clients who make them a lot of money right now and a new artist just takes too much time and attention to cultivate. So what do you do? One way is to get the attention of a mid level manager who works for the big-time manager. One day hell probably be the big guy and for now, at least he has the attention of the big guy and access to his contacts.

Another very valuable professional at this early career stage is an entertainment lawyer who specializes in music. Many lawyers have similar contacts at record labels and can get you a deal. In fact I was only Britneys lawyer when I got her her deal at Jive Records. I became her manager soon after that. But one word of caution with lawyers...dont EVER pay a lawyer to send out your packages. Trust me, if a lawyer truly believes in you he/she will not ask you for money to send out your material. Theyll do it because they want to get you signed and then make part of that proverbial fat cash you make when you go on to become a superstar.

Ok, now it's time to stop reading this, sign off of MySpace and start looking for that one person whos going to take you to the promised land!

I've been in the music business for 16 years now, first as an entertainment lawyer and then as a personal manager, and during that time I've represented many artists at one time or another during their careers, including: Britney Spears, Ashley Parker Angel, Justin Timberlake, 98 Degrees, Nick Lachey, The Backstreet Boys, Jessica Simpson, O-Town, Toni Braxton and DMX. Now I am telling you this not to brag about it, but to make a point. You see, there's one thing each of these artists has in common. They each have a certain "star" quality that is essential to the success of any artist. Of course, that's just where it starts...an artist needs so much more to succeed, including great music (A&R), a unique sound, a solid team behind him/her and, let's not forget, a whole lot of luck and timing (we'll come back to each of these issues in future lessons)! But it all starts with a star. Just like our solar system started with a star, so does a career. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it's true. Without a star there can be no planets and there can be no life. Without a star you can have a hit single but never a hit career. So what makes a star? That my friends is the million dollar question. It's kind of like the Supreme Court's definition of "obsenity"...they said, we can't define it but we certainly "know it when [we] see it". The best way I can define a star is to say that it's an intangible quality about a person that creates an unending demand in the minds of the public to see more, learn more and hear more about a person. Just look at the tabloids each week and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. And then ask yourself, what is it about Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, etc., that makes them interesting to the public? What do they have and how can I get it. Unfortunately, in many cases either you have it or you don't! But there are certainly many examples of celebrities who have created their star images (e.g., Marilyn Manson) very successfully. My point in all of this is to say that you will need much more than just talent to succeed in the music business today. Just remember, if it was just about who's the best singer, then all anyone would have to do to find the next hit artist is throw a dart down South and go into any Church that it hits, check out the choir and call it a day. Now don't get discouraged by what I'm saying...I'm just trying to get you all to face the facts and be real with yourselves. For you aspiring artists out there, take a look at yourselves, take a look at your MySpace photo(s) and how you're presenting yourselves to the public. What are you saying about yourselves...who are you??? So with that said, what are you going to do? If you're not one of those rare few who were just born with it like Britney was, are you going to quit or are you going to get creative. Are you going to think long and hard about what you can do to make yourself more interesting...to make yourself a star? You don't need to start by reinventing the wheel, just look what others did before you and change it up a bit. Take a look at Madonna for example. She's not a great singer (yea! that's right, I said it!) but she's one of the most famous people on the planet. Why? Because she understands what it is to be a star, and she's manufactured it from the beginning. Can you count how many image changes she's had? I don't have enough fingers. And each one was carefully calculated to grab the public's attention and focus it all on her right when she needed it. If nothing else, Madonna is one of the most brilliant marketing people to ever step foot in the music industry. I can also share a few personal examples with you...look at Ashley Parker Angel. When we started working together he had a big problem. Although he's incredibly talented, great looking, a great musician and performer (and a great guy all around), nobody really cared. The public just thought of him as "that guy from O-Town". So we launched "There and Back" and all of a sudden the public was interested in him as a solo artist, and not just as some ex-boy band member. An MTV reality show was Ashley's way of getting the public to focus on who he is and what he has to sell...great music! The same with Nick and Jessica. Before the Newlyweds, nobody cared much about them even though they were two great looking and very talented people. When Nick first asked me to manage him (which, for the record, I no longer do) I was honest and said I would but told him that I thought he had a big problem. At that time 98 Degrees was just about to break up and I said "you don't pass the who gives a s_ _t test", but that just created a challenge that we had to overcome. Then when the Newlyweds opportunity came our way, I knew it was the answer and I made sure it happened. Millions of people watched the show and found Nick interesting and now he's a star. Now what are you going to do to make sure that you pass the "who gives a s_ _t test??? That my friends is your million dollar question. Good luck!