In yesterday's Go Home Already, I linked to a story which talked about the results of a report conducted by Wider Opportunities for Women. The report discussed the amount of money that people under certain conditions in different areas around the Washington metro area need to make in order to feel financially "secure." Of course, there's serious wiggle room in that phrase, and plenty of commenters argued the validity of the numbers cited -- for instance, a single person without children to support in the District was deemed to need a yearly income of $32,000 per year to be "stable."
I finally got a chance to peruse the report, titled "The Basic Economic Security Tables for the Washington, DC Metro Area," this morning, and thought that I'd share some of the information inside of its pages for you to squabble over. Specifically, the data on single people and what they need to get by.
One failure of the study is that it never comes out and explicitly states what its definition of "economic security" is. Based on the literature out there, the term appears to mean having enough money coming in every month to build a stable future. (I know, we're defining relative terms with yet more relative terms. Best I could do, though. If there are any economists in the audience, please feel free to define the concept to me in concrete terms.)
That said, what does the study consider basic budget items for workers? "The core BEST Index contains basic budget items essential to all workers’ health and safety: housing, utilities, food and essential personal and house-hold items such as clothing, household products and a landline telephone," says the report, which also notes that the Index also assumes that all work occurs outside of the home (incurring transportation costs) and that everyone pays their taxes. Aside from the fact that most single people I know carry a cell instead of a landline, that seems somewhat fair. The Index includes a provision for their progeny's higher education (obviously null for those without children) and homeownership saving. The chart to the above right represents the amount that those with "employment-based benefits" (read: health insurance) need to make call themselves financially secure.
Many excuses and accusations will follow in the wake of the November midterm election. Democrats will blame everything and anyone but themselves, reciting a familiar list of reasons why the populace did not vote for them: racism against our first African-American president, Sarah Palin's Facebook page, George Bush's recession, Tea Party "extremism," xenophobia, the Party of No, Rush Limbaugh, the Ground Zero Mosque, Jan Brewer, the Chamber of Commerce, Dick Cheney, secret money influencing our campaigns, a bad economy making Americans irrational and distrustful of science, and, of course, Fox News. These anticipated reactions would imply that the election results of November 2010 (should the Republicans fulfill the expectations) are simply the symptoms of traditional reactionary politics against the party in power. This year's election, however, is far more momentous than just the regular ebb and flow of American politics, swinging back from the blowouts by the Democrats in 2006 and 2008.
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FOX <b>News</b> Propels <b>News</b> Corp to Profit Growth
News Corporation (News Corp) is the world's second-largest media conglomerate (behind The Walt Disney Company) as of 2008 and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009. The company's Chairman, Chief Executive. ...
<b>News</b> Corp. Says MySpace Losses Unsustainable | Peter Kafka <b>...</b>
That big Myspace relaunch we read about last week? That's all fine and good. But the troubled Web property is a...really troubled Web property, its News Corp. parent stressed today. And it needs to get its act together before it gets ...
Good <b>News</b>: Bookmark-Syncing Service Xmarks Not Closing Down After All
Back in September, we heard that bookmark-syncing service Xmarks was shutting down in 2011, which came as awful news to those of us who relied on the any-browser extension to keep our bookmarks in sync no matter what browser we were ...
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In yesterday's Go Home Already, I linked to a story which talked about the results of a report conducted by Wider Opportunities for Women. The report discussed the amount of money that people under certain conditions in different areas around the Washington metro area need to make in order to feel financially "secure." Of course, there's serious wiggle room in that phrase, and plenty of commenters argued the validity of the numbers cited -- for instance, a single person without children to support in the District was deemed to need a yearly income of $32,000 per year to be "stable."
I finally got a chance to peruse the report, titled "The Basic Economic Security Tables for the Washington, DC Metro Area," this morning, and thought that I'd share some of the information inside of its pages for you to squabble over. Specifically, the data on single people and what they need to get by.
One failure of the study is that it never comes out and explicitly states what its definition of "economic security" is. Based on the literature out there, the term appears to mean having enough money coming in every month to build a stable future. (I know, we're defining relative terms with yet more relative terms. Best I could do, though. If there are any economists in the audience, please feel free to define the concept to me in concrete terms.)
That said, what does the study consider basic budget items for workers? "The core BEST Index contains basic budget items essential to all workers’ health and safety: housing, utilities, food and essential personal and house-hold items such as clothing, household products and a landline telephone," says the report, which also notes that the Index also assumes that all work occurs outside of the home (incurring transportation costs) and that everyone pays their taxes. Aside from the fact that most single people I know carry a cell instead of a landline, that seems somewhat fair. The Index includes a provision for their progeny's higher education (obviously null for those without children) and homeownership saving. The chart to the above right represents the amount that those with "employment-based benefits" (read: health insurance) need to make call themselves financially secure.
Many excuses and accusations will follow in the wake of the November midterm election. Democrats will blame everything and anyone but themselves, reciting a familiar list of reasons why the populace did not vote for them: racism against our first African-American president, Sarah Palin's Facebook page, George Bush's recession, Tea Party "extremism," xenophobia, the Party of No, Rush Limbaugh, the Ground Zero Mosque, Jan Brewer, the Chamber of Commerce, Dick Cheney, secret money influencing our campaigns, a bad economy making Americans irrational and distrustful of science, and, of course, Fox News. These anticipated reactions would imply that the election results of November 2010 (should the Republicans fulfill the expectations) are simply the symptoms of traditional reactionary politics against the party in power. This year's election, however, is far more momentous than just the regular ebb and flow of American politics, swinging back from the blowouts by the Democrats in 2006 and 2008.
bench craft company
FOX <b>News</b> Propels <b>News</b> Corp to Profit Growth
News Corporation (News Corp) is the world's second-largest media conglomerate (behind The Walt Disney Company) as of 2008 and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009. The company's Chairman, Chief Executive. ...
<b>News</b> Corp. Says MySpace Losses Unsustainable | Peter Kafka <b>...</b>
That big Myspace relaunch we read about last week? That's all fine and good. But the troubled Web property is a...really troubled Web property, its News Corp. parent stressed today. And it needs to get its act together before it gets ...
Good <b>News</b>: Bookmark-Syncing Service Xmarks Not Closing Down After All
Back in September, we heard that bookmark-syncing service Xmarks was shutting down in 2011, which came as awful news to those of us who relied on the any-browser extension to keep our bookmarks in sync no matter what browser we were ...
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FOX <b>News</b> Propels <b>News</b> Corp to Profit Growth
News Corporation (News Corp) is the world's second-largest media conglomerate (behind The Walt Disney Company) as of 2008 and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009. The company's Chairman, Chief Executive. ...
<b>News</b> Corp. Says MySpace Losses Unsustainable | Peter Kafka <b>...</b>
That big Myspace relaunch we read about last week? That's all fine and good. But the troubled Web property is a...really troubled Web property, its News Corp. parent stressed today. And it needs to get its act together before it gets ...
Good <b>News</b>: Bookmark-Syncing Service Xmarks Not Closing Down After All
Back in September, we heard that bookmark-syncing service Xmarks was shutting down in 2011, which came as awful news to those of us who relied on the any-browser extension to keep our bookmarks in sync no matter what browser we were ...
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In yesterday's Go Home Already, I linked to a story which talked about the results of a report conducted by Wider Opportunities for Women. The report discussed the amount of money that people under certain conditions in different areas around the Washington metro area need to make in order to feel financially "secure." Of course, there's serious wiggle room in that phrase, and plenty of commenters argued the validity of the numbers cited -- for instance, a single person without children to support in the District was deemed to need a yearly income of $32,000 per year to be "stable."
I finally got a chance to peruse the report, titled "The Basic Economic Security Tables for the Washington, DC Metro Area," this morning, and thought that I'd share some of the information inside of its pages for you to squabble over. Specifically, the data on single people and what they need to get by.
One failure of the study is that it never comes out and explicitly states what its definition of "economic security" is. Based on the literature out there, the term appears to mean having enough money coming in every month to build a stable future. (I know, we're defining relative terms with yet more relative terms. Best I could do, though. If there are any economists in the audience, please feel free to define the concept to me in concrete terms.)
That said, what does the study consider basic budget items for workers? "The core BEST Index contains basic budget items essential to all workers’ health and safety: housing, utilities, food and essential personal and house-hold items such as clothing, household products and a landline telephone," says the report, which also notes that the Index also assumes that all work occurs outside of the home (incurring transportation costs) and that everyone pays their taxes. Aside from the fact that most single people I know carry a cell instead of a landline, that seems somewhat fair. The Index includes a provision for their progeny's higher education (obviously null for those without children) and homeownership saving. The chart to the above right represents the amount that those with "employment-based benefits" (read: health insurance) need to make call themselves financially secure.
Many excuses and accusations will follow in the wake of the November midterm election. Democrats will blame everything and anyone but themselves, reciting a familiar list of reasons why the populace did not vote for them: racism against our first African-American president, Sarah Palin's Facebook page, George Bush's recession, Tea Party "extremism," xenophobia, the Party of No, Rush Limbaugh, the Ground Zero Mosque, Jan Brewer, the Chamber of Commerce, Dick Cheney, secret money influencing our campaigns, a bad economy making Americans irrational and distrustful of science, and, of course, Fox News. These anticipated reactions would imply that the election results of November 2010 (should the Republicans fulfill the expectations) are simply the symptoms of traditional reactionary politics against the party in power. This year's election, however, is far more momentous than just the regular ebb and flow of American politics, swinging back from the blowouts by the Democrats in 2006 and 2008.
bench craft company
bench craft company
FOX <b>News</b> Propels <b>News</b> Corp to Profit Growth
News Corporation (News Corp) is the world's second-largest media conglomerate (behind The Walt Disney Company) as of 2008 and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009. The company's Chairman, Chief Executive. ...
<b>News</b> Corp. Says MySpace Losses Unsustainable | Peter Kafka <b>...</b>
That big Myspace relaunch we read about last week? That's all fine and good. But the troubled Web property is a...really troubled Web property, its News Corp. parent stressed today. And it needs to get its act together before it gets ...
Good <b>News</b>: Bookmark-Syncing Service Xmarks Not Closing Down After All
Back in September, we heard that bookmark-syncing service Xmarks was shutting down in 2011, which came as awful news to those of us who relied on the any-browser extension to keep our bookmarks in sync no matter what browser we were ...
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FOX <b>News</b> Propels <b>News</b> Corp to Profit Growth
News Corporation (News Corp) is the world's second-largest media conglomerate (behind The Walt Disney Company) as of 2008 and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009. The company's Chairman, Chief Executive. ...
<b>News</b> Corp. Says MySpace Losses Unsustainable | Peter Kafka <b>...</b>
That big Myspace relaunch we read about last week? That's all fine and good. But the troubled Web property is a...really troubled Web property, its News Corp. parent stressed today. And it needs to get its act together before it gets ...
Good <b>News</b>: Bookmark-Syncing Service Xmarks Not Closing Down After All
Back in September, we heard that bookmark-syncing service Xmarks was shutting down in 2011, which came as awful news to those of us who relied on the any-browser extension to keep our bookmarks in sync no matter what browser we were ...
bench craft company
FOX <b>News</b> Propels <b>News</b> Corp to Profit Growth
News Corporation (News Corp) is the world's second-largest media conglomerate (behind The Walt Disney Company) as of 2008 and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009. The company's Chairman, Chief Executive. ...
<b>News</b> Corp. Says MySpace Losses Unsustainable | Peter Kafka <b>...</b>
That big Myspace relaunch we read about last week? That's all fine and good. But the troubled Web property is a...really troubled Web property, its News Corp. parent stressed today. And it needs to get its act together before it gets ...
Good <b>News</b>: Bookmark-Syncing Service Xmarks Not Closing Down After All
Back in September, we heard that bookmark-syncing service Xmarks was shutting down in 2011, which came as awful news to those of us who relied on the any-browser extension to keep our bookmarks in sync no matter what browser we were ...
bench craft company
FOX <b>News</b> Propels <b>News</b> Corp to Profit Growth
News Corporation (News Corp) is the world's second-largest media conglomerate (behind The Walt Disney Company) as of 2008 and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009. The company's Chairman, Chief Executive. ...
<b>News</b> Corp. Says MySpace Losses Unsustainable | Peter Kafka <b>...</b>
That big Myspace relaunch we read about last week? That's all fine and good. But the troubled Web property is a...really troubled Web property, its News Corp. parent stressed today. And it needs to get its act together before it gets ...
Good <b>News</b>: Bookmark-Syncing Service Xmarks Not Closing Down After All
Back in September, we heard that bookmark-syncing service Xmarks was shutting down in 2011, which came as awful news to those of us who relied on the any-browser extension to keep our bookmarks in sync no matter what browser we were ...
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FOX <b>News</b> Propels <b>News</b> Corp to Profit Growth
News Corporation (News Corp) is the world's second-largest media conglomerate (behind The Walt Disney Company) as of 2008 and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009. The company's Chairman, Chief Executive. ...
<b>News</b> Corp. Says MySpace Losses Unsustainable | Peter Kafka <b>...</b>
That big Myspace relaunch we read about last week? That's all fine and good. But the troubled Web property is a...really troubled Web property, its News Corp. parent stressed today. And it needs to get its act together before it gets ...
Good <b>News</b>: Bookmark-Syncing Service Xmarks Not Closing Down After All
Back in September, we heard that bookmark-syncing service Xmarks was shutting down in 2011, which came as awful news to those of us who relied on the any-browser extension to keep our bookmarks in sync no matter what browser we were ...
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I've witnessed a lot of personal friends struggle to make money with their music. Unfortunately most of them failed. Some say it is all about luck. Others say it is who you know. After observing my friends' attempt to surpass this ultimate musicians' challenge, I came to my own conclusion: Making money in the music industry relies on a dedicated effort and commitment to avoid spending money in the music industry.
You know that popular cliché "you have to spend money to make money"? Yeah, well it may have been true at some ancient time but it certainly is not anymore. With the technology we have available to us, there is little or no need to be investing money for self promotional or marketing purposes at any time whatsoever unless absolutely necessary.
This is important to at least keep in mind until you do have the money to spend on extra advertising. Free publicity and indirect or grassroots style advertising opportunities are every place we look. The trick for blossoming musicians however is to allow themselves to recognize and utilize these profitable situations instead of letting the excitement of becoming a famous rock star overtake their common sense, natural business mind and ultimately, the funds in their bank accounts.
That is where any musician I know begins to go wrong. It is understandably tough to look away from impending stardom. But what happens is these aspiring musicians get a taste of the fame and riches and they become absorbed and obsessed with it. One area of the music marketing efforts that I've witnessed to be a particular setback financially is in the making and distributing of the demo.
Demo CDs, for instance, and the promotional packages that go along with the music, can really add up in price if you are not careful. Think about it. You must spend money to put the entire package together in an attractive way that will stand out to booking agents and record companies and on top of that shell out even more to physically send the materials. And I won't even mention the amount of money you probably had to put down in order to get someone to produce the demo CD in the first place. Or the Pollstar subscription you bought for access to the addresses and phone numbers of important music industry contacts and performance venues to send the demos to. Yes, this all adds up real quick.
And of course it is understandable how a musician or band could easily get carried away with the demo distribution. After all, the goal is to get as many people to hear the music as possible, right? And if you happen to be starting out your music career with some kind of grant or family trust fund or maybe you made it rich working your butt off in some prestigious career before embarking on this musical journey, if one of these exceptions apply, I see no reason to not mail out unsolicited demo CDs.
For those on a budget, however, it is much wiser to act a little more stingily with your demo CDs. Sure, it's a good idea to make a handful of them to send out to people in your network who actually make a request for one. At least then you will know it is put to use. But as far as the typical unsigned musician self promotional strategy of mass mailing a bunch of demos out to all places that might be the slightest bit interested? Absolutely a big waste of time and money.
I can attest to this as a former professional in the industry. I probably received about 5 demo CDs a day and I hate to say this because I feel terrible about it but I maybe opened one or two a year. It wasn't that I was uninterested it was simply that a) I was too busy to deal with this task and b) the performance venue I worked at was inappropriate for almost every single musician who sent me their work. I knew the way the owner and management worked, and what type of musical acts they wanted (national, very popular and ones that could draw in over 1500 fans) and I was pretty sure these local or independent unsigned musicians would not be able to pull that off.
This, again, resulting in a giant waste of time, energy and money on the part of an artist who probably has some great sounding music. The key, then, in these situations is making awesome looking demo packages with your best music tracks inside and then proceeding to be extremely selective about who you pass them out to. This way at least you know your efforts will be appreciated and acknowledged as opposed to being tossed somewhere in a giant stack of other competing artists wanting the same break where you'll be lucky if anyone ever takes a second look at it in your lifetime.
Don't be discouraged, though, at this new idea about the low level of effectiveness in mass demo CD distribution. Thanks to our wonderful world of advanced technology there are many other ways these days to get your music heard, and if you are savvy about your efforts, you may not even have to pay a cent for them. See another Associated Content article of mine titled "Killer Ways To Promote Your Music For Free" for some unique cost free ideas to get you started as a profitable self promoter of your own personal brilliance.
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