Services
www. Aaron Bland .com
DoggAss Productions
This is more than a production/promotion company. It is a movement to get artists and bands on board to support the scene that they need to thrive. By banding together, groups can build showcases and support CD releases, sharing fans and creating a scene that people want to be a part of. They also have more pull when it comes to ordering merchandise, fliers, CD duplication, and marketing. It is all about making the music scene less competitive and more beneficial for everyone. As long as you put on a good show and support live music you are a candidate for a DoggAss Showcase.
Once a month, DoggAss puts on an event. Not just a regular showcase but a seamless stream of entertainment featuring 5 bands, 4 comedians, and 2 local artists. The show is like a 2-ring circus with stages alternating between acts and non-stop entertainment all evening.
We do a promotional event where bands ambush their public in a guerrilla showcase to let hundreds of people not only know about the event, but have a chance to see, hear, and have a conversation with the entertainers playing the showcase.
This has spawned a media buzz as we have consistently done radio interviews with the bands and live "on-air" broadcasts of bands playing in the studio. This creates a good environment for the bands playing the showcase to get together, hang out, and hear each other play before the showcase. It develops a friendship and bond between the bands and they are exited to stay for the entire showcase and hear their friends play which means their fans and friends also stay around to hear all of the talent of the evening.
When people see DoggAss on the marque or a flier, they know that they are in for an evening of good enterteinment.
B
Platinum Artist Development Services
2144
W. Emelita Ave. Mesa, AZ 85202
Aaron
Bland 602-339-4168 aaron@BPlatinum.com
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Photography
Pictures
can be acquired using a photographer of your choice, myself, or any
one of B Platinum's contracted photographers. The goal is at least
one 8.5 x 11" glossy photo for the press kit, publicity, and
signings. May include a photo session to develop a portfolio for
other marketing purposes.
B
Platinum will book the photo shoot, location, and photographer and
suggest wardrobe, style, theme, etc. to get the most marketable shots
possible. Bands may include individual and group photos.
All
pictures will be given to the Artist for their use and retained for
other promotional purposes.
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Audio Recording
Demo
recordings for press kits, website, and other promotional purposes
are a must have for any musical Artist. B Platinum can locate
instrumental tracks, generate backing tracks, record live or studio
performances, multi-track songs or theme music, mix, and master the
final product, and provide a CD, MP3, or studio files to meet the
needs and specifications of the Artist. B Platinum recommend studios,
engineers, and musicians for the specific project and will book
studio time at the studio of your choice, and provide all the
necessary equipment and personnel required to get the needs of the
Artist met on the budget set forth in the agreement. Final mixes can
be uploaded to Artists website, MySpace, etc. for promotional
purposes or for sale by Artist.
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Audio Production
B
Platinum can provide production in the form of musical and structural
analysis of the audio, and suggestions to maximize the effectiveness
of the song and the delivery. This may include arrangement and
instrumentation, vocal phrasing and content, and tempo/feel.
Production ideas can be used at the Artists discretion and B Platinum
allows the Artist to retain full ownership and control of their art.
It
is recommended to use pre-production before any studio session and
throughout the recording process. Artist will receive a written
analysis of music and notes on what can be done to enhance the final
product and have the opportunity to work with multi-platinum selling
record makers.
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Video Production and Editing
This
includes taping live and studio performances, video editing, and
delivery in the form of a DVD or video file. The video will be
delivered to the Artist and will be used for other promotional
purposes. Videos can be uploaded to Artists website, YouTube,
MySpace, Facebook, and other promotional sites.
Music
videos can also be sold or otherwise distributed on-line and marketed
however the Artist sees fit.
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Biography
B
Platinum will write biographies and descriptions for various uses to
target your audience and clientèle. B Platinum can also edit
your current bio to maximize the effectiveness of it. This is
effectively your sales pitch and is extremely important to your
success and future press. Newspapers, magazines, and websites often
use your written bio in publications featuring your act. Important
facts should be included as well as verbage to add a personal touch
and make the you stand out in the minds of those who read it.
Separate but often included in the Bio is a list of accomplishments
as an artist. Usually organized in bullets with a brief description
of notable performances, recording accomplishments, and press
releases and articles written about the act.
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Press Kit/Portfolio Compilation
The
press kit is the most important tool for an Artist to have when
marketing the act. It includes the most notable representation of the
Artist and determines whether or not the Artist gets a gig when
bidding for shows, and how often the act is used by event planners
and talent agencies. The press kit consists of photos, audio, video,
biography, press, contact information, and can also include notable
performances, testimony, past clients and venues, and anything that
can be included to sell the act. It is usually presented or
distributed I the form of a folder, binder, or portfolio, containing
the best representation of the Artist as possible. Electronic Press
kits are popular now and are usually delivered in the form of a DVD
and contains most of this information listed above.
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Website
This
is the Artists interface with the world. B Platinum can help the
Artist acquire a domain name and generate a website to serve as an
on-line version of your press kit. This makes the Artist accessible
to anyone in the world and can be updated and maintained to build a
fan base, sell merchandise, and deliver your art to the world. B
Platinum will recommend a hosting service, web design, and suggest
various ways to direct traffic to your site and showcase yourself in
the most effective ways on any budget. B Platinum can also build your
website to your specifications and maintain it accordingly.
Hosting
is free in most cases.
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On-line Presence Consultation
B
Platinum will make sure that you are using MySpace, Facebook,
YouTube, Garage Band, CD Baby, Itunes, Blogs, Forums, and other
promotional mediums effectively. Linking them together so that you
create an on-line experience for anyone researching the Artist. B
Platinum will optimize your web presence, and in some cases take over
the sites to get views, friends, plays, reviews, and suggest
techniques to optimize your act in the major search engines.
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Promotion
B
Platinum will market the Artist to appropriate agencies and
promoters, develop a marketing campaign to bid on the kind of
showcases that the Artist wishes to play. This includes distribution
of press kits, demos, fliers, posters, and business cards to
agencies, event planners and venues to ensure that the Artist
maintains contact with current and potential fan base. Promotional
events can be booked along with radio interviews, television, print,
internet, and grass-roots marketing tactics. This will include
registration with PartyPop and Gigmasters and other online agencies
for future booking. B Platinum will draw up a plan for the Artists
approval, and initiate the agreed upon promotional campaign. We will
assess the effectiveness of the promotion weekly and modify it to
meet the needs of the Artist.
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Set Composition
B
Platinum will use the experience gained in the entertainment industry
to streamline Artists material in to a cohesive set, and offer
suggestions to enhance the delivery of the performance. Time
signature, tempo, and key signature of music will be taken in to
consideration when ordering the set. High energy performances will be
arranged with slower movements to capitalize on the diversity of the
act to create a thematic flow from the opening number to the finale.
Segues, and transitions will be fine-tuned to eliminate unnecessary
down-time and optimize the show. Performance enhancement techniques
and technology will be suggested to the Artist based on the nature of
the act.
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Performance/Stage Show Choreography
For
most acts, this is mostly in the form of staging. This is basically
where everyone is at each point in the set. Guitar player moving to
the front for the solo, singers interacting with to the audience,
etc.
B
Platinum will provide a written performance analysis and
recommendation for wardrobe, staging, performance techniques, and
choreographed movement on stage. Dancers are available to add another
element of motion to the stage show and can be contracted for
performances. B Platinum also offers stage plots and lighting show
design and will provide a rider for the Artist that details power and
mixer requirements, stage plot, and includes everything else that the
Artist needs to perform.
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Rider
This
is a detailed description of the power and mixer requirements,
microphones, drum riser, and stage plot for the act. It lets the
engineers know what is required from them to accommodate the
performance and also includes personal requirements like dressing
rooms, storage, parking, security, and travel accommodations needed
to perform. This is usually a part of the performance agreement
between the promoter/venue and the Artist.
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Performance Contracts
B
Platinum generates legal documents to ensure that the artist is paid
for the performance and compensated if the show is canceled. A
performance contract also details the requirements needed by the
artist and ensures that there will be proper sound reinforcement,
stage personnel, and security for the event. This usually includes a
stage plot and an invoice for the performance.
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Band Agreement
This
is another document that ensures that the the intellectual property,
equipment, and royalties are legally retained by the rightful owners.
It includes a clause to allow the band to fire members and recruit,
and puts in print the agreement made by the band in the case of a
break-up. No one expects their group to disband, and it is amazing
how many do under horrible circumstances because they do not have a
protocol for ownership in the band. This most importantly deals how
to handle money coming in and being distributed to the band.
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Business Establishment and Building
Plan
for the establishment of an LLC, open a bank account and establish a
line of credit, prepare write-offs for taxes, review contracts,
copyright music, band names, and other intellectual property. Work
with a publishing company and a label or establish your own. Be
referred to legal counsel and copyright attorneys. B Platinum will
write a business model for your approval and offer assistance and
advice as the Artist grows to become more established.
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Booking
B
Platinum will offer booking services to artists under contract for a
5% finders fee, or a 10% booking fee. Artist will receive notice of a
bid and decide whether or not to accept the offer. If the artist
decides to take the show, B Platinum will issue a performance
contract and see that all of the Artists needs will be met, secure
the payment, and see that everything is in order in preparation, and
throughout the execution of the performance.
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Management
B
Platinum offers a flexible management contract that will oversee all
of the above and look out for the Artists best interests, offering
consultation on how all of the elements can be optimized to suit the
Artists needs. A formal Management compensation is 15% of the bands
income. Services include expense reports, Artist development,
promotion, booking, production, and contract negotiation.