The Age of DigiRAMP – Part 1
If you’ve had a “real talk” with anyone in the music industry
lately, then you’ve unpleasantly realized that one seemingly insurmountable
curse haunts them: independent artists (and even labels) are not truly prepared
or designed to fully benefit from today’s digital world.
As technology evolves faster than we can keep up, musicians are
left to the mercy of those who know how to accomplish the tasks that a
traditional label would greatly overcharge for, and in most cases, divvy up the
rights that accompany such actions.
Well, in the vein of everything No Label No Problem stands for,
we’ve started looking for a trustworthy solution to this madness. After some
extensive research, we reached out to the exciting new online initiative for
musicians calledDigiRAMP.
NLNP sat down down with DigiRAMP’s Founder/CEO Peter Rafelson to discuss how DigiRAMP helps
independents easily take control of their money, business, brand and
future. As this is an incredibly important task, and one that should not
be rushed, you can expect the next few blog posts to be about DigiRAMP. We are
going to dive deep into all of the features that DigiRAMP offers musicians, and
with their help, bring in a new era of prosperity for the music industry’s
deserving independents.
–First
Interview below–
Lucky: How did you formulate the idea of
DigiRAMP and what were a few of the challenges you faced during its creation?
PR: The further along I got in the music business, the more
I encountered a broken system which stopped all of us from making a fair
living. I searched for a way to manage my own business and it just didn’t
exist. I finally met Max
Grønlund (our
brilliant CTO) and we decided to just build the solution. The music rights
industry is currently based on legacy models requiring change. DigiRAMP offers
our industry and artists a chance for progress instead of remaining stagnant.
L: After joining and digging deeper into
DigiRAMP, I found that it helps independents fill the void in the music
industry that major record labels have created between artists and income. Can
you talk about the DigiRAMP’s ability to assist independents to: a.) share
& sell music, b.) operate as their own label and c.) get more fans &
gigs?
PR: The moment an account is created on DigiRAMP, the user
is automatically set up with their own label and publishing company to handle
the same work done by large companies. Once you enter all your
information, you get your own store and you can sell or do business with anyone
you want – directly and transparently. Within one minute you can be
legal, professional and start making money with your own business.
Finally anyone can create, control, protect, share and sell their work, on
their own terms. Best of all there is no more need for a middle-man. Of course,
if you already have contracts with other companies or want to work with other
businesses, DigiRAMP makes it very easy to work with them as well. I get
that large companies cannot survive if they don’t own a big piece of the
artist. But what seems odd is that an artist would be forced to work for
a large company to do something which they could actually do themselves.
L: What would you say was the largest factor
in preparing you to take on a project like this (education, experience, etc)?
PR: I was once just a young songwriter looking to make great
music. I couldn’t get a break. In order to just be heard, I had to get
gangster: One night I broke into a big studio and left my demo for someone to
hear. That song was “Open Your Heart” and that someone was Madonna.
As my career developed I had enough success to remain independent. This
was a real luxury but the problem was that I now had to become a uber-business
man just to keep creating. Be careful what you wish for…. The school of hard
knocks was how I learned everything about this industry. I wound up
starting four publishing companies and two labels – not because I wanted to be
a CEO, but because I had to handle all of the business related to being a
creative person. I learned about law and business from the best people I
could meet. Now, I am here to share my life’s lessons with everyone else
and give them the chances I didn’t have.
L: How many people are in the daily team that
coordinates DigiRAMP and what are their roles?
PR: We are a very lean and mean company. Both Max (CTO) and
I built this platform to empower all people to come together and do a lot on
their own. As we grow and evolve the system, we are building a team of
best-in-breed experts to help strengthen every single piece we started.
We are now working with brilliant lawyers, great technologists and really smart
people to create the future and support our users. The reality is that
everyone who gets on DigiRAMP becomes a contributor to this system – we have
both industry professionals and independent users all working together as a
crowd-sourced pool of immense resources – this is incredibly powerful and
creates a beautiful sense of community with inexhaustible spirit and heart.
L: If you could offer advice to the future
members of DigiRAMP that you feel would maximize their effort, what would it
be?
PR: Dive in. Be fearless and learn. DigiRAMP is your best
friend – to lean on, to support you, to help you be the best you can be.
Connect with as many users as you can – each click is a chance to realize
your dream.
The Age of DigiRAMP – Part 2
Our last post was just the
beginning of a very important series: The Age of DigiRAMP. We began looking
into the unique features of the website that has the potential to change the
digital and financial game for independents across the globe. Our goal
this week was to dig deeper into the resources that makes DigiRAMP the
focal point of your business in the music industry. Once again, we'll be
talking with DigiRAMP's Founder and CEO, Peter Rafelson.
Lucky: Let’s begin with a very
broad question before moving into specificities: what are some key features
that you feel DigiRAMP offers that we did not address in the first part of our
interview?
Peter Rafelson: It all comes
down to the value of exposure and reliability – one’s reputation in any
business depends on trust: accuracy, credibility and competence. Why should the
music business be any different? DigiRAMP helps you establish and represent who
you are, what you do, and what you offer to others. By organizing accurate
information about your work and rights, this makes the process of building a
valuable reputation easier and quicker. In the end, people are motivated not
just by what you do, but by why they should work with you.
(L): What should the personal
goals of an independent DJ, musician, writer or artist be when integrating DigiRAMP
into their professional and personal life?
(PR): I am a strong believer
in community. No man (or woman) can survive alone. By connecting and
collaborating with others, we build bridges and networks between creators,
professionals and commerce, which benefit each other. DigiRAMP is a huge source
of talent and resources, offering the chance to co-create: Each user’s Profile
has a feature called “Projects” - this is a great way to build teams and pool
resources. The beauty is that by using DigiRAMP to collaborate, the ownership,
rights and contributions in any work are established with transparency from the
get go. No more disagreements or time wasted on who did what and how much they
will earn from any Project. Everything is documented and legally contracted
during the actual workflow and creative process. It’s really nice to know where
you stand before you put your blood, sweat and tears into anything. Best of
all, you don’t need to do everything on your own – even a non-creative person
can now create manage and co-own amazing projects. Imagine that an investor or
a fan, who just loves music can now create a project with his favorite talent.
The possibilities are infinite.
(L): How would a DJ, musician, writer
or artist use the ‘campaigns’ function?
(PR): We all know what it’s
like to complete a great song and never have it heard. Campaigns is a powerful
feature for getting the word out: on any news or update, whether it be a live
show, a tour, a new album or just announcing to the world that you are there –
building a strong list of contacts and followers is important. Communicating
with them is crucial.
(L): Campaigns are usually relevant
to the marketing world. Do you feel it’s necessary for a DigiRAMP user to have
marketing expertise when facilitating campaigns?
(PR): It is always wise to
learn how to convey a compelling message. Make sure you know who you are
speaking to. Don’t send the same campaign to everyone. Organize your contacts
and groups into specific targets. For example, no music supervisor wants to
hear about your merchandise. It is so easy to ramble on and overstate. Simple,
clear and to the point is always best. Expertise in marketing is about knowing
how to take the bare minimum and deliver your message to the right
people. Every campaign is a chance to win someone’s heart or lose
one’s interest. Be respectful of your fans and contacts – they are
your most precious resource: your time is valuable – so is theirs.
(L): It’s difficult for independents
to highlight their successes. How does the ‘positions’ function assist in this?
What would you suggest be input into this area?
(PR): The DigiRAMP Control
Panel or “Dashboard” is the heart of the system – this is where you can find
all the important business features and mange your legal info, as simply as
possible. When you create or apply to a “Project” there will be specific
“Roles” to be filled. For example, a Project may be seeking a singer, musician,
producer, recording studio or even a financier. When you apply for a specific
Role in a project, you agree to the terms (payment, ownership, splits, etc..)
and services, which you will provide to that Project. The “Project Manager” can
then accept or approve you. Once you are accepted to a Project, you
then have a team “Position.” The “Positions” feature (in your Dashboard) is
where you can see all the Projects and Positions you hold and the status of
each project.
(L): How important is it to use the
‘social integration’ aspect of DigiRAMP and why?
(PR): DigiRAMP has “Share” buttons
in various locations (for example under each recording). Once you enter your
social links on your profile and you “Authorize” DigiRAMP to post to your
social accounts, it is very easy to blast out and post your music or message to
other sites. We are also developing a DigiRAMP “multi-blast feature” which will
allow you to schedule and post to all your networks with just one click. The
sharing of your work is so important to building an audience and global
awareness of what you do. Don’t expect your fans to just seek you out. It is
your job to find and engage them: You must push before you pull. Notifying
people on ALL your networks is key to being discovered and heard. Music is a
social experience – make it easy for your audience to find you. Then they can
share your work too.
(L): Is it your hope that DigiRAMP
will someday replace the professional functions of Facebook and other social
media networks?
(PR): The value and use of
other sites and networks will always exist and constantly change. DigiRAMP is a
global community - not designed to “replace” anything – it is here to “include”
and integrate other systems, making it simple and quick to harness the power of
all networks, connected in one transactional platform. We encourage
partnerships and bridges to all other businesses and networks - no one is an
island.
(L): Can you think of any other
relevant features that will assist the readers when dealing with the
‘campaigns, positions and social integration’ functions?
(PR): Your Profile is really
just a starting point. The “Custom Pages” feature in your dashboard is an
amazing tool to actually build your own complete website. You can create
beautiful layouts, EPK’s, portfolios, galleries, or a specific page you want to
use for any content. I love to see what different folks design for their
audience. You can even add your own images, videos, playlists, etc. as
“modules” on any Custom page. If you take the time to build something special,
people will really appreciate the extra effort. DigiRAMP is a tool for you to
build your own world, your own business and a prosperous future. Above all, we
aim to provide value to our users. You are what matters most.
In our next post, we'll be
moving into the incredibly important (and helpful) financial aspects
of DigiRAMP. If you plan on monetizing your music, you'll want to live and
breathe part 3 of our DigiRAMP series.