Services
www. Aaron Bland .com
Performance         Teaching         Recording         Development
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


_______ 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.

_______ 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.

_______ 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.

_______ 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.

_______ 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.

_______ 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.


_______ 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.

_______ 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.


_______ 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.

_______ 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.


_______ 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.

_______ 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.


_______ 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.

_______ 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.


_______ 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.


_______ 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.

_______ 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.
www.BPlatinumEntertainment.com

See a wealth of resources here on this site plus some of the groups that I work with.