A: Develop a professional identity

 A1 Develop a Professional Identity

 

A professional identity is an identity that a musician uses in the music industry. It is different from their personal identity. It is how they represent themselves as a musician like having a stage name or an outfit that can be used on stage. Their professional identities can be presented through the internet by their own official websites or their social medias or contact details. They make a musician more memorable. Sometimes their identity must be quite formal on the internet so that people can hire them. A musician’s personal identity is their selves outside of the music industry, like on personal social medias which represent the real person’s personality and identity. It gives off a musician’s reputation. If a musician’s personal reputation is bad (like saying something racist on their social medias), it can potentially ruin their identity in the music industry and destroy their career.

 

 

Researching a few of my heroes

Geezer Butler

Job Role – Bassist, Lyricist
Job Description – Play basslines and write lyrics
Education Training – He began playing bass in his old band ‘Rare Breed’ during his first gig, he was originally a rhythm guitarist inspired by John Lennon.
Online Presence – He promotes his solo work on his Twitter and Instagram.
Endorsements – Lakland, Hartke
Discography – Black Sabbath (Debut - Born Again, Dehumanizer - Cross Purposes, 13 – The End). Solo Work. Ozzy Osbourne (Ozzmosis). Heaven & Hell Band.

 

 

Cliff Burton

Job Role – Bassist
Job Description – Bassist for Metallica from 1983 - 1986, sadly died in an accident. Played the basslines but also did bass solos
Education Training – Played piano at an early age. Begun playing bass when he was 13. Played music as a student at Chabot College.
Endorsements – Signature Aria Pro II bass.
Discography – Trauma (1982), Metallica (Kill ‘Em All – Master of Puppets)

 

 

Skills Analysis

I practice bass about 3-4 times a week, 2-3 hours at a time. I practice with the people in the college. I want to keep on practicing every week so I can learn to play more complicated basslines. Also need to practice my technique so I can jump down to a string more accurately and quickly. I’ve been learning where some of the notes are on my bass. I know how to play hammer ons. I want to learn to play slap bass and to play a 6 stringed bass. I started playing in late 2020 when I got my bass. I could also play a few songs on guitar. Started listening to rock and metal in 2018-2019. Played first gig in 2021. Money – Pink Floyd was the first song I learned on bass.

 

SWOT Report

 

A SWOT report is an analysis of someone’s personal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that relates to their professional skills in their business.

 

Strengths – I get to play bass a lot in college and practice at home occasionally. I get about 2-3 hours practice every time I do. I can learn songs fast.

 

Weaknesses – I find it difficult to learn very long songs as they’re hard to remember and I need to dedicate a lot of time to them.

 

Opportunities – I get opportunities to play live gigs with the college band.

 

Threats – A lot of disruptions in my house halt practice time and I can’t play late at night due to neighbours. Brother also broke my bass.

 

Requirements of Style and Genre

My identity as a heavy metal player would be a different from that of a pop or jazz player. Instead of casual clothes my image would be my leather jacket or my black coat with my long hair. It makes my appearance look suited to the heavier music I play and helps with stage presence too. I like to use a Yamaha bass as it looks more suited to play metal music with rather than something such as a Fender. For my bass skills I usually play quite fast and sometimes down tuned for a heavier sound.

 

Motivation, determination, perseverance. Confidence in performing before an audience. Stamina and dedication to continue practicing every day. Reliability and flexibility as you will need to work at irregular hours. Ability to work as a team. I need to work well as a team so we can work together well as a band and get recording sessions and songs done quickly. Creativity. Self-discipline and time management. Effective communication and interpersonal skills. Patience, resilience, able to take criticism and accept rejection.

 

Professional Etiquette

Do not publicly insult other musicians. Do not complain when you cannot play a show. Do not expect to borrow gear. Do not be a sore loser in a competition. Do not ask to be in someone else's band.

Understanding Expectations

You must work hard to be successful in music. You will not always have time to focus on music. Expectations of how much you will get paid pursuing music as a career.

 

Digital Footprint

A digital footprint relates to your online presence. Consistency is what and when and how you post. Stick to platforms that you know how to use. Schedule posts, allocate time and do not always rely on social media. This is something I need to get better at.

Creating your own opportunities using social media is a good way to build your online presence. Also going to gigs to build your network. Act straight away on opportunities. Be ready to go all the time.
 
 

 

Four Main Areas of the Music Industry

 

I need to know about the 4 main areas of the music industry as they all relate to my work in some way. I want to perform live and release music so knowing about these 4 will help me get it out there in the industry.

 

Live sound

Live sound is the mixing of multiple instruments live on stage via a mixing         console. This is done by the sound engineer; they must listen to the various audio sources and adjust them in a way that best suits the event. This is suitable for my area as I will be playing gigs live.

 
Record Labels & Recording

The record labels are the companies that manage the production, manufacturing, distribution, and marketing of the copyright for sounds and music. They distribute the music on either physical media like vinyl and CDs or on platforms like Spotify. The recording will be done in a studio. This is suitable for my area of music as I could be recording and releasing albums and playing in a studio environment.

 
-Music Publishing

The music publishers are the ones who play the role in the copyright of music. They can get an artist their money from when it is stolen or used without permission. It originally started with the publishing of sheet music. This is suitable for my area of music as I’ll need to earn money from my music I’ve released.

 
-Artist Management

The artists managers are the professional representative of a musician. They build the artist’s careers and get their clients music handed to producers to help them make money in the music industry. They can book gigs for musicians. This is suitable for me as I will need a manager to book gigs for me and help me earn money.

 

 

Career Development

 

Here are some examples of how you could go about developing your music career by marketing and funding ourselves as artists to help us grow bigger in the music industry.

 

The Musician’s Union – A bunch of people with the same ideas and types of careers the musician’s union is all about helping others. The MU will fight for you if you do not get paid for a gig. They will give you contract advice.

 

A Mentor – A mentor is someone who guides you and teaches you the ways.

 

College – Gigs with the college to get a view on what it is like to perform gigs. The college can give you time to practice and see what it is like to be in a band and give you a chance to record. It opens opportunities to meet more people interested in the industry.

 

University – It can build up your network, move you to other towns where you can play gigs and help your grow bigger.

 

A CV is required for job applications, it highlights professional history and attributes, qualifications, skills, and personal life.

 

Endorsements are when an artist are approving or supporting a product or a company. They can get deals with certain guitar companies and get custom made equipment issued to them. Special, blank, restrictive, and qualified.