Success Beyond The Score

There are some musicians who go for many years without really knowing how to earn consistently from their music, or how to turn their music into a successful and enjoyable music career. 

Here’s the good news, this Monday, I start 11 days of amazing FREE live sessions, on YouTube covering a variety of ingredients to help you on your journey. Feast your eyes on the topics:

1. Mon 4th July, 1pm: Welcome and what to expect. 
2. Tues 5th July, 1pm: Does your music have the juice to pull a crowd?
3. Wed 6th July, 1pm: Why do musicians get killed by sound?
4. Thurs 7th July, 1pm: I’m a musician. Why do I need a business plan?
5. Fri 8th July, 1pm: Three reasons why you should charge for your music starting today!
6. Mon 11th July, 1pm: Is playing for free a contradiction for musicians?
7. Tues 12th July, 1pm: Do you have a music hobby or a music business?
8. Wed 13th July, 1pm: This is why you should video record your Gigs.
9. Thurs 14th July, 1pm: Stop! Don’t record...

Now that choirs can once again sing together, BBC Songs of Praise Gospel Choir of the Year is back!

The contest looks for the best amateur gospel choirs in the country to take part in this celebration, which has become a popular and prestigious event in the Gospel music world. If you sing in a Gospel choir and think you’ve got what it takes to bring home the trophy, the renown and £1,000, this is your chance!

All you need to do is send in two recordings of the songs you’d choose to sing if you were to get through to the televised finals. All information, including the Entry Form, Rules and Privacy Notice can be found on the Songs of Praise website bbc.co.uk/songsofpraise.

The deadline for entries to be received is Midnight Sunday 3^rd July 2022. 

The televised finals will be recorded over one day on Saturday 22^nd October 2022 at The Monastery Manchester with the programmes themselves due for broadcast...

Since 2018, the UK committed to celebrate Windrush Day every year on June 22 to honour the British Caribbean community. To contribute in occasion of the day back in 2019, the Musicians Union invited Millicent to write for the guest blog, exploring the impact that the Windrush Generation has had on her and on the British music scene as a whole.

The article is called 'Children of The Windrush Generation Make Music'. You can read it on Millicent's website and also on the Musicians Union page.

The podcast Success Beyond The Score is soon to have a new season! The wait has been long but we promise it was worth it. We’ll provide details soon (as soon as the end of this week!), but while the time comes, why don’t you listen to the seasons that are already there?

No matter if it is your first time, or if you have already studied the episodes and benefited from applying what you learned to your career, we believe there’s always something new to take from these capsules of key knowledge of the music industry, provided by decades of experience by Millicent and her guests.

You can listen to the two seasons on the following platforms:

• Spotify
• Stitcher
• Libsyn
• Deezer
• Apple Podcasts

And you can watch the videos of season 2 on YouTube.

Stay tunned!

On Saturday 18th June, the Musicians Union will be joining the trade union movement in London to tell the government that the workers of England demand and deserve better! Members of the union are invited to join, assembling from 10:30 am at Portland Place in Central London. There will also be a rally from 1:00 pm in Westminster Square.

These are some of the demands:

• A real pay rise for every worker – and a real living wage for all
• Respect and security for all workers – ban zero hours contracts, ban ‘fire and rehire’
• Demand decent sick pay now
• End racism at work
• Tax energy profits to pay our bills
• Raise universal credit
• Boost union bargaining rights
• And more than that: we demand a government that listens and acts to support working people.

 Register your interest to join the MU on the March: [email protected]

 Additional information:

• Official TUC event website
• Need transport? Find a coach to London near you.
• ...

This was Millicent's speech to move the (MU) Motion 20: Being Black in the UK Music Industry, delivered at the TUC Black Workers Conference:

Good morning Conference. I am Millicent Stephenson, Musicians’ Union, and I am moving Motion 20, ‘Being Black In The Music Industry’.

Music is important and woven into the fabric of our society. It motivates, soothes, conveys ‘I love you’ and ‘good-byes’. It is a social, physical, spiritual thing which goes through our being. What would life be like without music?

Music is also a professional career choice on par with any other. However, within the music industry there are stratas and issues. One of which is ‘being black in the music industry’.

You may be familiar with Jazz music, songs like ‘Summertime’ and ‘At Last’, but did you know that it came from the black communities of the United States? Also, the root of Jazz is the ‘Blues’, the music of...

Clients that suddenly disappear when they are supposed to pay you. Promises of exposition and connections that never come to fruition. Conversations through e-mail that die as soon as you mention your prices…

If any of this sounds familiar, our newest webinar is for you! On Wednesday 25^th May, multi-award saxophonist Millicent Stephenson will be talking through Zoom about everything you need to know in order to get paid what you are worth. Learn how to determine your fees and what good practises you can adopt to ensure they are paid in a timely manner.

Sounds good? Here’s something that will make it sound better: the webinar is completely free! To join, just sign up on this website. Also, while the day comes, check this free guide with tips to get paid before gig day.

Don’t hesitate telling your friends about it: the webinar is open to everybody across the world!

You've prepared yourself, you have practised, you have ideas about how your shows would go... you just aren't sure about how to get the gigs. Sounds familiar? Well, there are two informative products you can find here to help you with that.

First, there's the booklet "Revealed - 25 Secrets of the Successful Gigging Musician, Singer, Rapper & Spoken Word Artiste", a compendium of the best secrets of the industry to prepare and deliver excellent gigs that will keep your calendar full of events.

Then, there's the "Ten Resons Why They Will Pay You Before Gig Day" list, a concise document that will give you pointers to ensure receiving appropriate payment for your work in a timely manner. 

CLICK HERE to download these two great products at no cost at all, and be sure to check the upcoming webinar "Get Paid What You Are Worth", which is also for free, in order to learn how to calculate your gig fees and communicate them effectively to potential clients.

Scenario 1: after a great gig that got you a standing ovation, you wait in the backstage for the person who hired you. They arrive to congratulate all the team, they pay the fees of the engineers, then come and tell you that your music made them jump and dance, and go out the door. You are left standing there, with no money, wondering if you should go after them, or maybe a call the next day... but why would you have to chase and press for payment, when you’ve already earned it fair and square? 

Scenario 2: a promoter wants you to play at their event, but they tell you, "Sorry, love, I've got no budget". However, they promise to introduce you to this and that big personality of the music industry, saying that you're sure to woo them with your performance and get new opportunities through them. The day comes, you play, and either the promoter never introduces you to anybody, or they do, but nothing comes out of it. 

Scenario 3: someone has been filling your inbox...

When talking about going on stage, there is a fine line between excitement and anxiety. The thrill of being able to share what we have with the audience fights against the fear of freezing under the spotlight and forget everything. We want to prove ourselves and we are afraid of failing ourselves at the same time. There is a bunch of butterflies in our stomach, and we are not sure what they are doing.

Every person feels this differently, but we all feel it. Some have developed strategies, little rituals to do right before the show starts. Others have taught themselves to disregard anxiety's insideous comments by actively turning all their thoughts into positive ones. Some more throw themselves to the heat of the moment and trust that the sight of the audience will shatter the insecurities right away. Whatever the case, you are not alone, and by communicating with your peers, you can learn, advise, and gain the confidence to face an audience eager to hear you.

How do you deal...