Starting Your Own Music Business

                                  
You have a better chance of starting your own music business than trying to land a job in the industry. Whether you decide to start a label, put together a band, begin a recording studio, or any number of music industry gigs, follow these basic steps before you take the plunge.

* Make plans for the short- and long-term. These plans should be specific with clear goals and ways to evaluate them. One crucial aspect of planning is to determine the resources that you need such as people, things, a place from which to work, money, and more.

* What music products and services will you sell? You should have a pretty good idea of how you will make money from your musical endeavors. What benefits do those music products and services bring to people who buy them?

* Who is your competition and what are their strengths and weaknesses? Finding out useful information about your competitors can be one of the most difficult tasks. It is important that you know a little about what others are doing as it helps you in competitive bid situations. What makes you different from that competition? Direct on the heels of the above question, you need to know (and promote) what makes you unique from others who do similar work.

* To whom will you sell your music products and services? What specific people or businesses are candidates for what you offer? What are their specific characteristics? This information helps you focus your promotions effectively. Also, ask yourself how you will promote yourself? What particular promotional strategies will you employ -- letters, advertising, publicity, sales calls, Internet, and so forth? The ONLY way to ensure your success in today's music world is to master ruthless self-promotion. First, to find new customers and convince them to buy what you sell and second, to keep your existing buyers and, more importantly, get them to buy again (and again). Focus your promotions on reaching the greatest number of people who want what you sell. Determine the best way to contact them, including by what means and when. Launch your promotions. Make sales. Use your initial success to get more business. Follow this basic plan throughout your music business career. Because the minute you stop promoting is the minute your sales plunge and it all goes away.

* Set up the business. Decide on the legal structure of your business. Determine your start-up costs if they apply to you. These costs would be the initial money you would need to open the doors such as gear, furniture, professional services, business forms, deposits, licenses, and so forth. You don't need a huge infusion of cash to get started unless you are starting entirely from scratch. Chances are you already have some things in place and you just need some start-up money to take care of some legal and promotional matters. Also, find out what it is going to cost to stay in business. Often called overhead these costs might include rent, utilities, promotional expenses, professional dues, taxes, supplies, insurance, loan payments, etc.

* Take care of the money issue. Start a business checking account. Deposit all your music income into that account. Pay all your business related expenses using checks drawn on that same account. Alternately, use a credit card just for the business. Use the card for business purchases only and pay it off on time from the business checking account. Setup a basic bookkeeping system that lets you record your income and expenses in such a way that makes tax preparation and monitoring your financial situation easier. Also, make sure you fully understand all the tax consequences and how they affect you. You have to make regular tax payments along with the usual year-end tax preparation. Meet with your tax adviser or accountant to make sure you handle this issue satisfactorily.

* Protect yourself. There are several types of insurance that you must have such as health insurance and property insurance. You may elect to have life insurance, disability insurance, and liability insurance. Talk with your insurance agent to determine what coverage is right for your particular situation.

* Attend to legal business matters. If you plan to operate your business using a name other than your legal name, you will need to file a fictitious name statement or doing-business-as (dba) with your local government. Contact your local municipality for the specific requirements. You may also need to secure a tax ID for your business. In most cases, your social security number is all you need. A corporations would need its own tax ID. Also, states with a sales tax may require a separate sales tax ID number. Contact your state's department of commerce and industry. Find out and be sure to meet the specific regulations that pertain to operating in your town. You may need to obtain a business license from your local municipality. Also, there may be other regulations that affect your business. Go to your local clerk's office and ask them what you need to do to start a business from your home. And if you have employees, make sure you know and follow all the regulations that pertain to them.

Because this list is far from complete, use it only for the basics when planning your start-up. Consult with business professionals and/or do some additional research to make sure your music business venture is a success.


Written by Jeffery Peters

France braces for intense security around Euro 2016 championship

                               
Gun attacks, remotely detonated bombs and even drones carrying explosives and chemical weapons: These are just a few of the terrorist threats French authorities are preparing for at the Euro 2016 football championship, which gets underway on Friday.

Just days before the championship kicks off, Ukraine security services say they have arrested a Frenchman and an accomplice who were planning attacks on French targets before and during the tournament. The arrests are a reminder that the soccer tournament faces more terrorism threats than just ISIS.

The U.S. State department has issued a warning about the potential terror risk associated the tournament. And on Tuesday, Britain's Foreign Office issued a new travel advisory for France, warning of a "high threat from terrorism," specifically associated with ISIS.

"During Euro 2016, stadiums, fan zones, venues broadcasting the tournament and transport hubs and links represent potential targets for terrorist attacks," says the advisory.

"You should be vigilant at all times, especially in areas hosting Euro 2016 events, and follow the advice of local French authorities."

 As President Francois Hollande and other French officials have acknowledged, 100% security and zero risk are impossible to guarantee. ISIS has made clear its intent to attack the tournament.

3 killed,200 injured in Colombian rural protests

                         
Spokesmen of of a week-long uprising of tens of thousands of small farmers and minorities in Colombia’s countryside called for international protection after three protesters were killed, more than 200 injured and 100 were arrested.
According to the Cumbre Agraria, a social organization negotiating improved conditions in the countryside with the government, called in the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights to send observers.
The protest leaders say that clashes between riot police and protests that were meant to be peaceful left already three protesters dead, another 202 injured and more than 100 people in jail.
The organization asked the IACHR for protection status in an attempt to curb police violence.
The protests have been taking place throughout Colombia since Monday last week and have been swelling as the government and protesters fail to come to an agreement on improving conditions in remote areas.
A recent government report said that so far this year more than 100 children, mostly indigenous, died of malnutrition so far this year.
During a similar uprising in 2013, more than a dozen protesters were killed while hundreds were injured or jailed.
To end the uprising, the administration of President Juan Manuel Santos promised economic incentives for the impoverished countryside, but the protesters have said that three years later the government only fulfilled 10% of its promises.

Fire ravages Duesseldorf refugee centre in Germany

                                

A large fire has broken out at a convention centre in the western German city of Duesseldorf.

The centre acts as an accommodation hub for refugees waiting to be sent elsewhere in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Everyone inside hall 18, where 180 refugees were staying, was brought to safety, according to reports.
As the fire raged, a thick, black plume of smoke could be seen across Duesseldorf.
The smoke drifted close to the flight path from Duesseldorf airport.
The fire department advised those in the north of the city to keep windows and doors shut.Some 70 firefighters were at the scene.

The Federal Government has directed massive retrenchment and retirements in all paramilitary agencies under the Ministry of Interior.
The action is likely to put over 50% of current workforce out of job and worsen the already bloated unemployment market.
The directive came barely few days the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration urged commercial banks operating in the country to halt ongoing mass sack of workers.
The directive is coming with the approval of Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Danbazzau (rtd), through a circular dated May 25, 2016 and addressed to all chiefs of services under the Interior Ministry namely Immigration, Prisons, Fire and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
President Buhari had hinted during a national broadcast on May 29 of plans to sack a good number of workers in the federal civil service.
The president also disclosed that some 43,000 ghost workers had been discovered and weeded out from the civil service, leading to a saving of a whopping N4.2 billion monthly from the federal wage bill.
He had hinted that the plan to reduce the job lines in the federal ministries, departments and agencies had begun.
Signed by A. A. Ibrahim, Director/Secretary of the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Services Board (CDFIPB), the various heads of the agencies are by the directive, given a veiled order to commence its implementation after they have notified officers and men in their services.
The directive, a competent source at the Interior Ministry hinted, is sequel to earlier decision in December, last year, by the Joint Services Board (JSB), where it was resolved to “expand” the “parameters for retirement of officers and men” in the employment of agencies under the supervision of the board.
The Joint Services Board in that resolution, Independent investigation revealed, opted to go beyond the extant civil service provisions with regard to when an officer exits the service to “import other parameters” which, according to our source, are not only irrelevant to the agencies but strange to the various Acts setting up the paramilitary bodies.
- See more at: http://independentnig.com/2016/06/08/356132/#sthash.JtlqASqL.dpuf

Clinton clinches Democratic nomination – Sanders vows to fight on

                                       
Hillary Clinton has clinched the Democratic presidential nomination by becoming the first woman in American history to top the ticket of a major political party and putting immediate pressure on primary rival Bernie Sanders to step aside – though the Vermont senator vowed to keep fighting for “every delegate.”
As Clinton now launches a general election battle against presumptive rival Donald Trump, Sanders remained defiant at an early Wednesday morning rally in Los Angeles. Far from bowing out, he vowed to campaign through the final primary next Tuesday in Washington, D.C., and then “take our fight for social, economic, racial and environmental justice to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” the site of the convention.
The crowd erupted in cheers as Sanders announced he’d keep going, a decision he kept close to the vest right up until his remarks.
Sanders closed by declaring: “Thank you all, the struggle continues.”

Discovery:Bones From 6,000-Year-Old Massacre Found in France

                         
Archaeologists said on Wednesday they had discovered the remains of victims from a 6,000-year-old massacre in Alsace in eastern France that was likely carried out by "furious ritualized warriors".
The corpses of 10 people were found outside Strasbourg in one of 300 ancient "silos" used to store grain and other food, a team from France's National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap) told reporters.
The Neolithic group appeared to have died violent deaths, with multiple injuries to their legs, hands and skulls.
The way in which the bodies were piled on top of each other suggested they had been killed together and dumped in the silo.
"They were very brutally executed and received violent blows, almost certainly from a stone axe," said Philippe Lefranc, an Inrap specialist on the period.

China’s province records new Zika case

                                        
South China’s Guangdong Province on Tuesday confirmed a new Zika case, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the province this year to 13.
According to Guangdong Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission, the 32-year-old female patient is a Chinese citizen who lives in Venezuela.
The commission said that she entered China through Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport on May 30.
It noted that she first experienced fever on May 31 but only sought medical help on June 3 after developing a rash and suffering backache.
The hospital later confirmed that she had contracted Zika.
“The other 12 Zika patients in Guangdong have all recovered and are no longer under observation,” it noted.
China is on the alert as the seasonally warm weather may facilitate the spread of the mosquito-borne virus.
Symptoms of Zika include fever, joint pain, rash, conjunctivitis, headache and muscle pain.