My name is Dominique Blais and I am a professional music business educator, business consultant, and entrepreneur.

Music has been a great part of my life from a very young age, and became my infatuation when I launched my own music company at the age of 16. Always an inquiring mind with a hungry heart, I combined my musical studies at Berklee College of Music with Paralegal and Human Resource Management studies, which proved to be a precious asset to my career.

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Link:
www.themusicbusinessschool.com

1.) What elements and/or characteristics made you say to yourself that you wanted to be an entrepreneur for a living? Who are your influences/heroes/role models?

I don’t really believe in setting limits for myself. So, being an entrepreneur gave me the opportunity to reach the goals I set. I have always been very impressed by the work done by some artists’ managers. For example, Col. Tom Parker opened doors for Elvis Presley more than half a century ago, but many elements of his business model remain very relevant even today.

2.) What made you gravitate towards music education and consulting?

Education has always been a passion for me. I started teaching guitar at the age of 13 and at some point I had several hundred students and I managed over 30 teachers spread across three branches of the school I founded. In fact, me and my team were teaching around 14,000 courses per year. I also taught several music business courses including Concert Production, Music Marketing & Promotion, and Music Copyright in a private college based in Montreal, Canada for almost two decades. When I left this college, I held the position of Director of Studies.

3.) Everyone in life goes through adversity of some sort. Is there anything in your life that motivates you to do what you do? What is the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure on your path to becoming a music educator?

In my case, motivation is intrinsic. I like to develop new projects and I do everything I can in order to achieve the desired success. What I found most difficult when I started was to reconcile work and family life.

4.) How do you prepare yourself to take on the day-to-day tasks/challenges of entrepreneurship? What is your process?

First, the secret lies in setting realistic goals and proper planning. My first task in the morning is to organize my day. I don’t accept tasks to roll over to the next day. My daily goal is to finish the tasks I set for myself in the morning.

5.) Unfortunately the music industry is full of talented individuals who more or less become the “starving artist” and don’t get any recognition for their talent and/or work. What do you think artists are doing (or not doing) that is hurting their path to success in the music industry?

I sincerely believe that this problem would be less common if artists educated themselves regarding the music industry. It’s an industry which is always on the lookout for new talents, but which has less and less access to financial resources to properly invest into artistic development. Nowadays, I believe it is crucial that artists increase their fan base, before trying to get a record deal and advances from the giants of this industry. Many people know this. But are they really taking the steps necessary to succeed?

6.) What would you say are the pros and cons of being an entrepreneur?

Pros: You get to pick your projects and work as hard as you want on them to succeed.
Cons: Obviously, social and financial pressure.

7.) How do you think the internet and social media affected the music industry and how artists are able to market themselves? What advice would you give to up and coming musicians to help them navigate through a music industry that is constantly changing?

The Internet has changed everything. But this is no longer a new concept since this reality has existed since Napster in the early 2000’s. Despite the challenges that the Internet has caused to the music industry, the fact remains that emerging artists now have the opportunity to promote themselves via social media and distribute their songs easily. Before the arrival of the Internet, it was almost impossible for the album of an independent artist to be found on the same shelf as an artist signed by a major label in a brick and mortar store. But with providers such as iTunes and Spotify, music has become widely available, as has the offer. It is precisely where the real challenge lies. There are more products and fewer buyers. More than ever, it is essential that artists educate themselves and diversify their sources of income.

8.) Social media is obviously an extremely important element in today’s world, especially when it comes to business, branding, marketing, etc. With that being said, do you think anyone in the music industry absolutely needs to be social media savvy to survive in the industry? If not, would they need to work with someone who is?

Yes of course, this is now “mandatory”!!! As you know, social media requires a lot of attention. I often advise my clients to hire a virtual assistant when possible. Even if the artist masters the different social media tools available, it is often preferable that they devote time and efforts to creating and performing live. That said, I still believe that the artists who respond to questions and comments from fans are doing the right thing.

9.) In a time of economic crisis and unemployment going up, what are entrepreneurs such as yourself and others in the music industry planning to do to stay afloat and thrive in the economy? What do you think musicians need to do to thrive in this economic climate?

I’m under the impression that economic crises occur every decade or so. It’s a concept that has always existed. The businesses that make it thru are usually the most creative and flexible out there. Nothing stops artists from creating. The real challenge is to monetize music. Artists must therefore also be flexible and creative.

10.) Professionally, where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

I put all the efforts so that www.themusicbusinessschool.com becomes a leader in music education. I hope that this objective will be reached within 5 years.