www.musicweek.com REPORT ARTIST SERVICES FIRST CLASS SERVICE
We speak to some key players at the forefront of the artist services sector to find out what kind of act should be using the model in 2014 and how they can make the most of it
28.11.14 Music Week 19
SERVICES n BY TOM PAKINKIS
A
lthough the artist services model is certainly not new, it’s only in recent years that its popularity has increased dramatically. Not
only are more artists opting to ‘self-release’ through their own outfit with the help of companies rather than signing a royalty-based contract, but the number of businesses that are offering a la carte service menus from which such artists can choose has increased as well. Today, all three majors have their own artist services offerings and work in the
ABOVE
“It’s vital that the artist gets involved. Their input and participation is key to ensuring true fan engagement” HENRY SEMMENCE, ABSOLUTE MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION
space alongside a number of competitive indies. Traditionally, the artist services model was
considered a route to market best used by established acts. Using the system, artists and managers pass on the chance to grab a big advance but are able to hold on to their copyrights, retaining control and reaping
Putting in the leg work: Top artists to have benefitted from services deals. Clockwise from top left: Alison Moyet (Cooking Vinyl) Nick
Cave & The Bad Seeds (KLS), Imogen Heap (Absolute), Saint Saviour (Believe) and Kaiser Chiefs (Caroline)
a much larger percentage of sales revenue upon their project’s release. They may well pay an upfront fee for services such as marketing, distribution, plugging and so on, picking up the bill for an overall album campaign. Successful artists often have the capital needed to fund an artist services campaign and the large fanbase needed for a successful release without the big marketing spend often required to break a new act. But, speaking to some of the key companies in
the artist services sector, the route to market may no longer be restricted to established acts. “We are finding that both established and
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
