Written by Matt O @boardinogilvie

I went to the A3C Conference & Festival in Atlanta last week for the first time and I left incredibly inspired and exhausted. A3C describes its conference as "Learn and build with hundreds of artists, professionals, industry experts and academics. Attend keynote addresses, panels, workshop, demos screenings, mixers and exhibits" and that's exactly what I did. I spent the majority of my time at the main conference hall going to panels because I was determined to learn and network with professionals. Once I left Atlanta, I realized how truly great the conference is. There were also tons of showcases and after parties at night which were fun but I'm here to provide info.

Who was on the panel?
Amy Oraefo @AmyOraefo
Jini Thornton @AskJiniT
Daniel Jackson
Jonathan Mason

“The best time to start handling your business is at the beginning.”

When your song blows up, everyone will begin saying they had a part of it and it will get complicated. A lot of what was said at this panel, I already knew but it's important that I share it with you because it is so important. If you take anything away from this article, it should be that you need to start treating your music as a business TODAY. In the trending and internet age, you literally can blow up overnight and if you aren't ready, you could get into a big mess. If you have your business in place and a foundation set, you will be in a much better place when you start having success. Another thing you need to start doing right away is looking at yourself as a brand. You can make money from more things than just selling your music such as shows, merchandise, TV/film placements, radio play, etc. Know your revenue streams! If you own the copyright to your music, you get paid every time your song gets played anywhere.

“You don’t need to have wealth to invest but you need to invest to be wealthy.”

Another important thing you need to do is build a team. The first and most important team member the panel spoke about was a Financial Adviser or CPA. This is someone who can help you set up your finances, taxes, and a legitimate business in the eyes of the IRS and State. If you already make and spend money on music related services or products, you need to write that down. Everything you pay for that is music related (studio time, mics, speakers, software, transportation/travel, etc) is tax deductible. If you perform in another state, you will have to pay taxes in that state so keep that in mind. If you are paying cash, get a receipt and write what it was for on the back. If you have a credit card, online statements will be fine. Don’t keep all your money in cash. You will eventually need to spend it legitimately and IRS will want to know where it came from.

"One of the best places to meet business professionals are at music conferences like A3C, SXSW, Tech808."

After you have hired or worked with a Financial Adviser, you can then look into a manager or PR team. It all depends on YOU though. I know artists that do 8 "jobs" and only need a financial person and booking agent. I also know artists that only create music and hire a team to do everything else, including social media which I wouldn't advise. Social media is about being personable and social. My advise is to figure out how much you can do to eliminate costs because marketing and PR are important. The last piece of advice they gave the crowd was to "Know the contract BEFORE you sign it." If you don’t know how to read a contract, find someone that does or do your research.

“It’s not about what people have. It’s about their longevity. What you have now, drive now will change over time. It’s just the beginning."

This was one of many panels I went to at A3C. If you are already doing all of this, you are on the right track. If you aren't, that's fine–start learning. Remember that no artist started at the top. It takes some artists 6 years and takes other artists 16 years. Check out the resources below and continue your journey to the top.

Resources: copyright.gov / uspto.gov / ASCAP / General Assembly