Tuesday, June 23, 2009

tate music group...a good meeting today

I just wanted to write a quick post here to tell the internet world about a great meeting I had today with a potential Tate Music Group artist - we'll call him 'Jamie.' Jamie is incredibly talented - great musical skills, tremendous vocal ability, and writing that is off the charts (no, I am not exaggerating and no, 'Jamie' doesn't know this blog exists).

I am excited about this meeting because of a couple of reasons - 1 is that I am very excited about this partnership and seeing just how far we can take things with the music and 2 is that 'Jamie' is a go-getter that realizes what it is going to take to make it in this industry. He is out 3x a week performing at venues that probably range from 20 people to 200 people...but that doesn't matter too much to him right now because those people (20 or 200+) are walking away with his tunes in their head and his business cards in their pockets. Awesome!

That is something the Tate Music Group Acquisitions Staff is constantly trying to explain to many up and coming artists. It is vital to have an attitude that says, "I'm gonna go and do all that I can...and hopefully, somewhere along the way, I can get some help."

This is where we come in. We want to help artists achieve their dreams, one step at a time. Sometimes you just need that one door to open up...and other times it takes many doors and tons of phone calls to even get close to the dream. At Tate Music Group, our passion and purpose is to come alongside the artists we work with and help them get where they have been trying to get to on their own.

We believe dreams come true...but not without a lot of work and a lot of help.

Friday, June 19, 2009

tate music group...still growing

It is amazing to be able to see what is going on with Tate Music Group and our parent company, Tate Publishing. Most of our artists and authors don't even get to see it but we are growing at an incredible rate.

I find it amusing when I am giving a tour to a potential artist. The conversation always turns to "Wow, you guys are packing it in here?!" It is true, we are truly outgrowing (in fact, have outgrown) our current buildings (we have 5 separate locations within Mustang) and are now expanding again.

We have purchased a very large building across the street and are in the process of gutting it and rebuilding it to fit our needs - mainly the production side of our books and music. I am very excited because soon the Tate Music Group studios will be across the street, instead of a 10 minute car ride away.

It's the little things, you know?!

Seriously, we are all very excited about what is going on with Tate Music Group and Tate Publishing. I think the main reason is that this expansion just shows how successful and how hard-working our company and our staff truly are. As an artist, that would make me overjoyed - to know that the label I partner with is doing outstanding in, let's face it, a pretty rough economic climate nationwide.

There is something to be said about working hard, working honest, and trusting that God is always in control.

Now, let's put up some more sheet-rock!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

tate music group...apps

One of the things we try and stress to every artist we work with is the importance of getting and staying connected to your fan base. Why? Well, for starters, they are your fans. Simple as that. The fans are the ones who will not only buy your album...they will get the T-shirts and buttons, too. And, they're the ones willing to leave Milwaukee on a Friday to make it to a show you have in Cleveland on Saturday...in the middle of winter...and love you even more for it. True fans are dedicated to you and the music...as long as they feel like they are truly a part of you and the music.

For our TMG artists, we want to keep those connections as strong as possible. This is why we put a good amount of stress on social networking and connecting through online sites like myspace, facebook, and twitter. Basically, these sites and services are our modern day equivalent to the fan mail of the 60s and 70s. Artists of that era understood how important it was to answer the letters sent to them by adoring fans and friends. Why? To keep them as adoring fans and to make them realize that they truly are a part of the music.

We understand the importance of this at Tate Music Group...which is why I am so excited to be able to announce the new iPhone apps that we will be providing for all of our artists. These are AWESOME! They will be vital tools for our artists to use to keep their friends and fans updated on events, thoughts, music, reviews, and everything else...all while on the go! They will also be great sources of income for our artists because they will be apps purchased by fans...which means more sales and royalties to the artist.

They are also just plain cool. I mean, as a Tate Music Group artist, you are going to have your own app. Who else can say that?