The contemporary artist, writer, musician and performer, in order to facilitate career sustain ability, must necessarily become informed and proactive in the execution of product exploitation. Exploitation has the ring of manipulation or unfair game but to paraphrase from choice lyrics from the rapper Suga Free, "Pimp or get Pimped". Exploitation of publishing rights is the lifeblood of the music business. The artist, as well as observing and being knowledgeable of the operational methods established in the course of the trade industry's development, is obligated to be aware and protective of these interests. To protect these interests, alternately referred to as rights, is to prepare the product for varying degrees of marketability. The look, imaging and packaging of our music is bells and whistles compared to the engine of a songs pedigree. A good song will touch people in a personal way and appropriately delivered will become a reflection or addition to a listeners own personal experience. In that way the artist is a medium or conduit of universal connectivity. The value of a song will always be variable and yet along with consideration to compositional weight and relativity in reaching others, set rates of monetary allotment have been established by businesses serving as institutions of the trade and every contribution associated with and active in modes of the trade are entitled to compensation associated with invocation of rights/interests possessed with song ownership.
The modern artist executive must seize this time of disruption of business as usual. With the fall of record sales, major label down sizing and the multitude of limitations associated with seeking the mythical "record deal" being successfully challenged by well known artists, the taste for great music intensifies and mediums of obtaining selections of substance have widened. The credibility of the the digital format has solidified and usefully makes offerings of any one global...