heartland MARIMBA HM Building Your Music Business Future User Guide
- May 15, 2024
- heartland MARIMBA
Table of Contents
M atthew C oley, executive/co-artistic director
J enni B randon, co-artistic director
[email protected] | www.HeartlandMarimba.com
Quick Guide to Building Your Music Business/Future
Heartland Marimba is a multi-faceted company devoted to elevating the marimba art form into a sustainable future through performance, education, and an innovative approach within the music world. HMQ, HME, HMP, and CLF are our main branches with other projects (e.g. HMF) figuring into the programming less frequently.
Do some reflection.
What’s your idea for a music business? (Producing a concert twice a year, a
music group/ensemble, a private lesson studio, or a sole-proprietorship?)
How “business savvy” are you? (Low, medium, high?)
Do you have a circle of individuals that can help round out your skills?
Do you see a need in the arts/music scene? (Can your idea fill that need?
~J.Millea)
A music business can look like many things, and will vary year to year.
Crafting your Mission Statement
- 1 or 2 sentences
- This statement drives you everyday to fulfill your purpose.
- Other statements that you will eventually want to consider:
o Vision Statement – words that drive the mission into the future.
o Purpose Statement – clearly communicates to your team what you do and why, detailing and providing a structure for the transformation you’re trying to create and your larger aspirations.
o Values Statement – represents the core beliefs that inspire and guide choices for the ways you operate and deal with people.
The name of your business can and should be closely related to your mission statement. It can also help you drive the mission.
Note: The idea for your music business/ organization doesn’t have to be fully formed when you start up. Make sure the mission allows you the space to grow. After you do your first few seasons, you will see what direction to take. Give it 5 years to fall into place.
Examples:
Dance in the Parks – Dance in the Parks’ mission is to bring free,
professional dance performances to new audiences in the most accessible venues
in the Chicago-land area-neighborhood parks. We hope to expose audiences
unfamiliar with dance to the art form as well as to local performers and
choreographers in a relaxed, casual atmosphere.
Heartland Marimba – The mission of Heartland Marimba is to reach many audiences in order to support and advance the classical marimba art form, its music, and its composers and performers. This is accomplished through four components: community outreach, educational experiences, generating new repertoire, and opportunities for professionals.
Quick guide to forming a nonprofit organization:
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Form your team of at least 3.
o This will be your board of directors. The governing body at the ‘top’ of the org.
■ President
■ Secretary
■ Treasurer -
Write your mission statement.
-
Get some web-presence.
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» Now do your thing for a while! (See text box.) <<
Helpful hint: Be sure not to get too caught up in the minutia of all the admin work early on. Make sure your ‘ducks are in a row’ just enough to make it all work, but keep a priority on actually doing tangible projects/events that supportthe mission. Much of it will fall into place along the way. The barrage of admin tasks can start to get in the way of doing your craft well and often.
…continued nfp formation quick guide…
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Contemplate growing after you’ve attempted tangible projects that support your mission.
o Funding
o More people
o Incorporating
o More programming
o More marketing -
Get a bank account.
-
Write Articles of Incorporation and incorporate with your state.
-
Have regular meetings.
o Schedule regular meetings with you admin team.
■ It’s good to do a little research in the world of nonprofit leadership.
o You should do regular board meetings. (At least 3-4 times a year.) -
Write your bylaws.
o Consult a lawyer and maybe an accountant. Even better, try to get these people on your board. -
Incorporate with the federal government as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
o It can take a few months to get a response and cost just under $300 to file. -
You can also use a Fiscal Sponsor (e.g. Fractured Atlas) for a short time, as a transition to incorporating as a 501(c)3. Some organizations stick with a Fiscal Sponsor more several seasons.
And this is just the beginning. There is always more to learn.
Let us know if you have questions. Send an email. We want to be a resource for you in your career pursuits. We’ve tried a lot of things, some not so successful, some ‘flashes in the pan,’ and other successes. But mostly it’s a steadfast persistence and grit that will get you there.