Association Green (AG)

For a company to go green now a day is very important. Especially if you have a specific niche market, like Purple Gorilla does. To go green can mean many things depending on your business but it basically comes down to adopting new and sustainable ways of consuming energy that don’t drain the planet of it’s natural resources nor render it.

Association Green is the Green Initiatives Division of Organization Management Group Inc. OMG supports for-profit and non-profit organizations. Association Green, AG for short, main goal is to create the opportunity for companies to network, educate and locate resources on becoming environmentally responsible.

There are many companies out there that want to go green but they don’t know how. That’s why associations like Association Green are important in today’s corporate like structure.

The research link on the AG site is an excellent source of links for companies who are researching their possibilities of going green. Most of time companies want to go green or they’re considering it but the big question is where to they start; now these companies have a starting point to start their green movement.

For Purple Gorilla AG can assist in many ways and organic clothing will be our first step. We’re a company that spreads the word on Social Good so we’ll be regarded as hypocrites if we don’t embrace the green movement to the fullest.

Regular cotton production uses about 25% of the world’s insecticides and more then 10% of the pesticides, so by using organic cotton or recycled cotton we’re able to reduce these numbers. Good news for the market is that the organic cotton industry is growing every year so environmental damage can be reduced.

Associations like the Green Association is a critical factor in the Social Good industry today. Via the association companies can network and unite to make even a larger effort to reducing environmental damage.

Association Green Official Website
The differences between regular cotton & organic cotton can be seen HERE

The Power Of Art

Patrick Chappatte is a cartoonist who uses clean, simple pencil strokes to illustrate to the point humor events. TED (Technology, Entertainment & Design) hosted Patrick in July 2010 where he talks about the power of cartoons. I think it should be referred to as art instead of cartoons because that is what they are. He's art illustrates world events in a serious/humorous way but tells the truth some people don't want to see.

Art has the power to communicate messages. In some 3rd world countries and even 1st world countries illiterate people are able to understand and visualize messages that art/cartoons are portraying. This bridges communication and language gaps that are faced in some rural areas around the world as well as in war areas.

In my business plan art messages play a big role. Purple Gorilla is exclusive/limited edition clothing line where each season garments will tell a different story. The goal is to partner with the WWF (World Wildlife Fund), the world’s leading conservation organization works in 100 countries. WWF's has a global reach with a foundation in science, involves action at every level from local to global, and ensures the delivery of innovative solutions that meet the needs of both people and nature.

Each season Purple Gorilla will release a new line of garments that focuses on a cause the WWF is fighting. All designs will be based on that specific cause so we can raise more awareness globally.

With the power of art and together with the WWF we can communicate powerful messages to everyone globally and so raise awareness to issues that need our attention just like Patrick Chappatte is doing with his art/cartoons. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Take a look at Patrick Chappatte's TED talk here

Another great read is from sustainable cities where art is used to help describe the situation in some Mexican areas. Read here.

Putting Together A Press Kit For Your Band

One of the key elements to any musician’s success is their press kit or promo kit. This package contains every piece of promotional material the band has used and will play a very important part in the every day life of the band. The press kit will be used to get gigs at venues of your choice and to get record deals. Now days it’s important to have two (2) kinds of kits of press kits, a physical copy and digital. Both should contain the same information.

A press kit should contain the following:

Folder (Only for physical copy)

Bio

Photos – Glossy 8 x 10

Press clippings, any reviews & articles (most relevant first)

Album(s)

Hot Sheet (Bulleted sheet of accomplishments)

Example – “Rolling Stone Band To Watch”

Record releases with dates

Tours (Dates and span of tour)

Artists collaborated with

Quote Sheet – 3-4 quotes from people in the industry saying good things about your band

If your sending a press kit out to a promoter or publicist, make sure to add a cover letter to your press kit stating why you’re contacting them. Explain that you’ve heard good things about him/her or them and state why you want to play.

Now that you have your press kit set-up, always try to get more reviews and shows with it to add to your kit. The more you can add to your kit the better.

Set-up a special website that will contain your digital press kit or you can do it in PDF format. Get your bands message, style and purpose across clearly in your press kit. Remember this is selling your band; get it right!

To get the word out about your band, after any show hand out promotional pieces (often from you press kit) to those who attended. Encourage them to take two and give to a friend. This is called word of mouth marketing.

Major Concerts Hitting South Africa 2010/2011

Photo: Kings Of Leon by Brendon Weyers

When it comes to major artists touring South Africa... we've been left in the dark for a long time. Only over the past few years South Africa has become a major stop for artists to come play, for bands such as The Offspring, Billy Talent, Celine Dion, Enrique Iglesias, Counting Crows and few more. But 2011 is going to be one of South Africa's biggest years when it comes to big concerts. The reason for this could be a few things but the most important reason would be the FIFA World Cup South Africa hosted back in June. The success of this worldwide known sporting event proved South Africa is capable of hosting major events. New stadiums were also built during preparation for the World Cup and these stadiums need to be filled. Solution = Big Concerts.

2010/2011 promises a very entertaining line-up with the following acts:

Public Enemy
3 December, 2010 - The Alex Theatre, Johannesburg
4 December, 2010 - The Alex Theatre, Johannesburg
6 December, 2010 - Travel To Cape Town/Press Conference
7 December, 2010 - The Assembly, Cape Town
8 December, 2010 - Atmosphere, Cape Town

The Beach Boys
5 December, 2010 - ICC or Beach Arena, Durban
6 & 7 December, 2010 - Grand Arena, Cape Town
10 & 11 December, 2010 - Sun City

Rammstein
9 February, 2011 - Grand West Arena, Cape Town
11 February, 2011 - Coca Cola Dome, Johannesburg

U2
13 February, 2011 - FNB Stadium, Johannesburg
18 February, 2011 - Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town

Kings Of Leon
24 March, 2011 - Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
27 March, 2011 - FNB Stadium, Johannesburg

Neil Diamond
2 April, 2011 - FNB Stadium, Johannesburg
5 April, 2011 - Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
8 April, 2011 - Nelson Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth
11 April, 2011 - Green Point Stadium, Cape Town

Roxette
11 May, 2011 - Grand West Arena, Cape Town
14 & 15 May, 2011 - Sun City

Get your tickets HERE

Check out 30 Seconds To Mars talking about their tour experience in South Africa and what roll South Africa played in the making of their brand new album; This Is War.

Developing A Career Plan For Your Band

Professional musicians in the UK earn far less than the national average wage, recent figures reveal – with most sitting below the official poverty line. According to the music licensing agency PPL; nearly all musicians make less than £16,000 a year, which is extremely low compared to the 2010 national average salary of £25,500 across all types of employment in the UK. With this being said, it's important for musicians to go back to the drawing board and re-asses their career plans so they can look at their faults and look for opportunities for improvement.

I'll be posting sections of a band career plan so you can use it as an example to improve your bands plan. Sections will include budgeting, marketing plan, about the artists, experience, Evaluation of the artists (SWAT) etc. The first section I'll be posting will include the marketing plan, as always I'll use the band I'm managing; Ashtray Electric.

Development of a marketing plan

A. State of the Industry

Indie Rock takes its name from independent Rock. It is a do it yourself attitude; artist do not change their music style to sound like popular music trends. Indie Rock refers to a category of music were artist are unsigned or are in an independent record label. With the Internet and the file-sharing cutting into major labels, Indie Rock is better than ever. Indie Rock offers something different to the youth of America and that has quickly shot up the charts as a favorite of the next generation. We were unable to find information regarding the album sales of Indie Rock in general but we were able to find the album sales in the Alternative genre, which is basically another sub-genre Ashtray Electric will fall under. In 2009, 68,195 (million) Alternative Rock albums were sold. This is 15% less than in 2008. Sales are going down because of piracy and file-sharing.

No Indie Rock ticket sale numbers were available. Comparing Ashtray Electric to The Killers, since they fall in the same genre, The Killers concert tickets went on sale in September 2008 and sold out in 5 minutes. The same thing with Kings Of Leon, same genre, and their concerts sold out almost immediately. This proves that there is definitely a demand for this type/genre of music out there. Looking at Ashtray Electrics’ 2009 tour, the tour went of without a hitch and pretty much sold out wherever they went.

Opportunities for new artists within the genre

Ashtray Electric has a great future ahead of them and many opportunities exist for them to gain efficient exposure all over the world. They currently reside in South Africa and have had vast success in their country, booking tours in the US and well as the UK could begin their process of dominating other countries where their genre is embraced.

Each year South Africa films many big budget Hollywood movies, Ashtray Electric could submit songs to the movies with hopes of getting their song featured. This could create a larger fan base and expose them to other countries and genres as well.

Ashtray Electric is currently signed to a distribution deal with Rhythm Records, which is located in South Africa. If they were to reach out to a bigger label that focuses on international exposure they could have the potential to reach a larger demographic all over the world.

Who are the competing artists?

aKing is a South African band who often tour with Ashtray Electric. Both bands have a similar genre and share a coinciding fan base. Modest Mouse, Vampire Weekend, and The Bravery are currently extremely popular in the US, therefore Ashtray Electric would have very difficult competitors to live up to if future tours in the US are applicable. However touring with them as an opener band would be a great way to gain exposure from the US bands audiences and make them theirs as well. Indie music such as Ashtray Electric is becoming more and more popular in the US with bands such as Modest Mouse, which is why touring now is a great time to create more fans and establish efficient relationships.

How is the radio format for this genre doing in audience ratings?

Indie music is currently doing very well in audience ratings. Last month Vampire Weekend held the number one spot in the Soundscan sales chart. Genres similar to Ashtray Electric are played on the radio all the time from big-time city stations to your local college station.

According to Everhype a website dedicated to determining the ratings of popular songs around the country. The Killers, The Tings Tings, and the Kaiser Chiefs are all bands that share the same genre and audience and are all listed in the top 10. Therefore Indie music will soon be dominating radio and television everywhere, which gives Ashtray Electric a great opportunity to act now.

What international opportunities are there for the genre?

International opportunities exist everywhere for Ashtray Electric as stated before. Ashtray Electric has the potential to tour with larger bands such as Modest Mouse and Vampire Weekend in attempts to dominate the UK and US fan base, being that they are already very popular in South Africa.

Also featuring songs in movies is a great way to gain exposure overseas for the band and establish new markets and areas where their music is demanded. Signing onto a larger international label with the hopes of a 360 deal will be very efficient for the band in order to establish a larger audience in various countries and create worldwide success.

References: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/most_musicians_are_on_poverty_line.html

Purple Gorilla

Check out my Design Studio & Limited Edition Clothing line called Purple Gorilla. It's been active for about a year now and is getting bigger by the day! We've done work for Rock For Hunger Festival, Ashtray Electric, Gazelle and many others.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/_PurpleGorilla
Blog: http://purplegorillablog.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thePurpleGorilla

Interview with Ashtray Electric lead singer, Andre Pienaar

As international manager for South African indie rockers, Ashtray Electric, I'm working on a career plan for them and a possible US tour later 2011. To help with my research I called up my old friend Andre Pienaar, the lead singer of Ashtray Electric and asked him a few questions. I thought I'd share some of my industry related questions with you.

1. Are there any existing management, booking, recording, publishing, or corporate endorsement or sponsorship agreements in effect? If so what are the terms of these agreements?

Bookings are done by our booking agency Southern Pulse. They take 15% of gross profit for each show.

Our publishing is done by Sheer Publishing. It a pretty standard publishing contract shared with them and is 3 years long.

We are signed to Rhythm Records which has first choice to fund 3 albums. The capital given to record is paid back via album sales and once the debt it clears profits on album sales are split 50/50.

Endorsements with Levi Strauss, Jagermeister,VonZipper and Paul Bothners music store. All give product in return for their logo on our media platforms as well as flyers and posters etc.

2. Explain your professional assets? EX: gear, transportation

We own 3 electric Fender guitars. 1 Fender Bass. A full drum kit with cymbals. One bass amp, one guitar amp. And a couple of pedals between us. A 4 channel mixing desk for drummers in ear monitors.

3. Are you currently a member of a union such as AFM of AFTRA? If not have they considered joining one? Why or Why not?

We are not part of a union bu were are members of SAMRO (South African Music Rights Organisation)

4. Do you own a registered service mark on your name?

As far as I know we have not copywrited the name or anything of the sorts. I just don’t think weve known how or really bothered to do it to be honest.

5. Has your earnings increased over the course of the last several years? To what degree have they increased?

Our income has probably doubled or tripled on the past year.

6. What is your reputation and current image?

We have finally reached what I’d consider the top bracket of bands in the country. Playing all the big festival etc. But through our music we have maintained abit of an underground image…

7. Do you write your own material? If so are you a member of a performing rights society?

All material is origanl and as stated above. We are members of SAMRO.

8. Your past recording experience and track record?

We have recorded and 4 track EP as well as a full length album. We’ve also just gotten out of studio recording a song for South African Feature Film.

9. Your experience as a live performer?

Weve been performing now for 3 years all across the country.

10. What current industry trends might influence your career?

I guess anything and everything could influence our career. But we aren’t following any trends and allowing that to mold our music.