Robert Witoschek's blog

Meet our new Coach Linda - "For me, the important thing is to keep at it and to keep "getting up" and moving on."

Robert Witoschek — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 07:41:10 +0000

welcome with us the new member of the Music Pool Expert:in team, the Berlin songwriter and singer Linda Stark! In this short interview she introduces herself and tells you what to expect in her new workshops "Berufswunsch Songwriter:in" and "GEMA von A-Z".

Please introduce yourself to the Music Pool community

I'm Linda, I write songs for other artists (Pop, J/K-Pop, EDM, Schlager), I'm interested in tables, numbers & other nerdery and I'm also on stage with my artist project LiLA. With my songwriter* management PAPER PUG, founded in 2021, I mainly support FLINTA* on their way into the industry.

Who should book your workshop? Who is the workshop suitable for...?

My workshops are most suitable for industry newbies or advanced students with unanswered questions. I love explaining terms or breaking down how things work in an industry standard way.

A good example on the topic of GEMA from practice?

I deal with the topic of GEMA a lot because it is ultimately responsible for how and why I and the people around me earn our living. For example, many artists don't know that GEMA pays out more to the creators of a concert without admission than is paid out to the promoters, making it totally worthwhile to report the concert and pay for the setlist.

Tell us about your biggest fail in the music industry and how / why you "got back up".

For me, working as a creative in this industry is actually a colorful string of "fails": your song doesn't get taken, you don't get booked, you get offered bad terms and so on. For me, the important thing is to keep at it and keep "getting up" and keep going. Not to take it personally and not to lose faith in yourself.

Do you have a music video, website, Spotify, song,... that you would like to share with our community?

www.lindastark.de

Photo: (C) Nadine Budja

MEET OUR NEW TUTOR JULIAN, WORKSHOP IN DECEMBER

Robert Witoschek — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 14:32:10 +0000

- Please introduce yourself to the Music Pool Community
Hi, I'm Julian from Berlin with a Franconian migration background. I write about culture and especially music on my blog www.schlingelentertainment.de, my Telegram channel, for music magazines and promo texts for bands, plus short stories. In addition, I work for a concert agency as a social media manager and as an organizer/evening manager at concerts. I also used to work as a booker and writer, and since 2011 I've been on the road as a DJ with nine different projects. I also work as a social worker in the field of psychosocial assistance.

- What was the most exciting project you worked on in the last 12 months?
There was really a lot of exciting stuff. Returning to Greyzone Concerts, writing reviews for Visions, to which I became a subscriber as a 16-year-old, were definitely highlights. But honestly, the most exciting thing for me was building my Telegram channel, which became my blog this summer. I had been a blogger and writer for most of my life a few years ago, and realized how much I missed being able to write freely about things that excite me. From there: www.schlingelentertainment.de/magazin

- What is your recipe / secret for success?
Just doing and jumping into the things that I think are right and feel good. Not looking too much at numbers and outcome, but also taking detours that are close to what you really want to do. Finding pragmatic solutions to practical problems or constraints. Keep a clear head and always remember that patience and composure are muscles that can be trained.
Good expectation management is enormously helpful. That doesn't mean putting your professionalism on the back burner, but keeping a realistic view of the craziness of the last few years in the music industry, including the fact that many things have gotten out of our control.

- What is your workshop about?
It's about messenger marketing and how I can use that as a music creator to communicate my content. This is an important topic, because it is a very good way to get in touch with fans and interested people and to place your own content.

The best way to learn is by making content directly experiential. My workshop is not only about the what of Messenger Marketing, but also about the how and why. And about dealing with the topic with fun and your own vision.

This workshop is especially suitable for music creators who are just starting out. For musicians who are still looking for the best way to present themselves and their music. For those interested in a DIY tool with a unique selling point and looking for ways to reach their fans and followers.

- Is there anything from you that you would like to share with our community?
My Best of 2022 list on Spotify, which I update regularly.

Meet our new tutor Andreas - "It's all about the artist brand" (new course in November)

Robert Witoschek — Sat, 29 Oct 2022 10:31:24 +0000

In November 2022 we will present our new tutor Andreas Weckenbrock and his new three-part course on Artist Branding. Find out now who Andreas is and why our new course (link to course) is just right for you.

Please introduce yourself to the Music Pool Community.
My name is Andreas Weckenbrock, I live and work in Berlin and as an independent Consultant for Artists, Brands & Music I support artists in various ways to get the attention they and their music deserve.
I grew up in the beautiful county of Bentheim near the Dutch border. After graduating in economics, I started my professional career in the music industry at Warner Music in Hamburg, first as a manager in digital marketing, later in international brand management. In 2014 I gained my first experience as a lecturer for online marketing at Deutsche Pop, in 2016 I moved to the 360° music agency Guesstimate in Berlin as Head of Recorded Entertainment & Publishing, where I later became Director Music responsible for Recorded Music, Publishing and Artist & Promotion Services. In 2022 I decided to work independently as a consultant.
In the last 13+ years I have worked for and with numerous national and international artists , such as Alle Farben, Beatsteaks, Biffy Clyro, Bruno Mars, Deepend, Deftones, Disturbed, Green Day, Linkin Park, Muse, Oh My Girl, Phoenix, Portugal.The Man, sanah, Twenty One Pilots, and YouNotUs. Together with my teams I could be responsible for more than 50 gold, platinum and diamond awards all over Europe.

Describe yourself in 3 words.
Humorous. Committed. Empathic.

How did you get into the music business?
I played music myself as a teenager, was a singer and drummer in various bands and discovered a passion for music early on. However, I also realized early on that a career as a professional musician was out of the question and that I would concentrate on the business side. That was in my early 20s and I haven't regretted the decision.

What is your workshop about?
To be successful as an artist:in, a holistic strategy for your artist:in brand is one of the most fundamental elements of a career as a professional musician:in. Without a personalized long-term plan for one's own brand and communication, the chance of sustainable success - even if artists make excellent music - is close to zero.
The understanding of one's own brand and its relevance for the perception as an artist is essential to give additional expression to one's own artistic personality, to generate attention and to position oneself and one's brand in a target-oriented way. During the workshop, participants will learn what an Artist Brand Strategy is, how to develop such a strategy and how to bring it to life.

Who should book your workshop? Who is the workshop suitable for...?
The workshop is aimed at artists, management, labels, agencies, export offices and creative and music professionals who want to develop an understanding of artist brands and the relevance of the brand perspective for artists, and who want to learn methodologies that can be used to develop strong artist brand strategies.

Register for the workshop here.

THE ART OF MUSIC PR AND VISUAL DEVELOPMENT - second run!

Robert Witoschek — Tue, 22 Jan 2019 13:52:53 +0000

For the second time this autumn we are offering our four-part course on VISUAL DEVELOPMENT and MUSIC PR. In contrast to our other workshops, you have to apply for one of the places, because this course requires a very intensive cooperation of the course participants and first creative concepts or an upcoming publication. More information about the application can be found in the description below.

Description:

This is a practical, hands-on course about how cutting edge record labels promote records and their artists, using visual and audio visual content. Participants will learn to define key narratives (for an artist and/or a release), translate these narratives into an actual PR strategy and then define the visual tools that will be used to execute a content driven PR campaign. At the end of the course, participants will end up with a real PR strategy, a list of assets to produce and a visual brief for designers, filmmakers and other visual artists who could facilitate the production of these assets.
Outside of the standard visual tools we will also be looking into new-media solutions, as well as innovative product design.
Participants are highly urged to work on their own releases or those of affiliated artists. For those of whom who don’t have their own project to work on, a stand-in project will be provided. The course was created to cater to musicians, music industry professionals and designers.

1.Introduction to content driven PR
-types of content and visual tools used disseminate it
-basics of long term strategy
-basics of branding / defining and transferring core visual DNA to all visual content

2. Exploring personal narratives
-exercises to focus personal narratives
-exercises to translate personal narratives into a promo strategy
-exercises to translate promo strategy into visual tools used to execute it

3. An in-depth look at visual identity
-examining the possibilities of video, graphic design, photos, product design and new media

4. Communicating with visual artists
-creating a project / campaign
-writing visual briefs for designers, filmmakers and other visual artists

About the tutor
CLICK HERE

DATES & FEE
80 €

4 Dates,
08.10.2019
15.10.2019
22.10.2019
29.10.2019
2pm - 6pm each

APPLICATION
The work that we will be doing during the span of this course will be real work, as in: what a label and its promo, A&R and the art departments would be doing in preparation for an actual release. Hence, we would like to create a group of committed artists, ones who (ideally) have forthcoming releases, and are willing to do this work – as they will truly be able to benefit from this course.
The places are limited, and in order for us to make the final selection we urge all applicants to fill out the questionnaire below.

Please send your application (incl. all your contact details) and your answers via E-Mail to eileen [at] musicpoolberlin.net

1. What is your artist name? Please send links to your website, social media and discography?
2. Are you working on a forthcoming release? What stage are you in and what is the tentative release date? Will it be self-released or will you be working with a label?
3. Have you worked with a label and / or publicist before – what was the experience like? What would you like to improve on the next run?
4. Do you have any skills related to design or visual arts (photography, videography, sculpture, typography, programming..anything)? (If so, send links)
5. Do you have any visual artists / designers in mind for your release? (If so, send links)
6. What are some of the most pressing topics for you, ones which you would like to address during the span of this course?

From all incoming registrations, the tutor will select 12 participants for the course based on the above questions and your answers. Therefore we ask you to only apply for the course if you can really participate in all four dates.

Please note:
In addition to this questionnaire, which technically qualifies you for the workshop, we have to ask you to also submit your standard signup data for the Music Pool Project. Since we are a public project, we have to demand that information.

Promotion & Marketing