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Erik Morales: The Business of Composing (My 35-year Journey) - September 28 from 7 - 9 pm Eastern Time

Erik Morales: The Business of Composing (My 35-year Journey) – September 28 from 7 – 9 pm Eastern Time

September 28 from 7 – 9 pm Eastern Time.

The Business of Composing (My 35-year Journey) (2 hrs session)

Topics in presentation order:

  1. Introductory remarks, where to begin (making a living as a composer)…
  2. Marketing yourself (self-promotion)
  3. Identify your target market/listening audience
  4. Identify and focus on what sets you apart from other composers (style, genre)
  5. Attend industry conferences. Connect with others in your field of expertise. (list resources)
  6. Necessities, aside from talent (the “nuts and bolts” and importance of getting heard)
  7. Your Website (list resources)
  8. Social Media (list resources)
  9. If self-publishing, equipment needed (list resources)
  10. Being published by another company
  11. Big publishers versus self-publishing
  12. Royalties – equity versus inequity (the controversial but standard 10% rule)
  13. The editing process, from draft to hard copy (timelines)
  14. Getting paid by others, how it works
  15. The importance of state music lists (for educational music composers)
  16. Advantages and disadvantages of becoming an “exclusive contract” composer
  17. Commissions
  18. Consortiums (what and why)
  19. My own process (rules to live by)
  • initial contact
  • set a realistic timeline based on your current workload
  • negotiate fee
  • “upfront percentage” versus “no payment until delivered” (and why I prefer the latter)
  • Be wary of “requests”. Don’t allow the needs or requirements of the commission to limit your creativity. It’s sometimes best to refuse a commission if too many requests are made.
  • Compose on your own terms. Trying to meet all of the requirements of a commission can ultimately have a negative effect on the way you create and negatively affect the quality of the final product. This is because you’re too concerned with meeting a request rather than the final product itself.
  • communication during your timeline
  • finishing and getting paid
  1. Copyright and performance rights organizations
  2. Copyright
  3. Hard copies versus PDFs
  4. My personal thoughts on photocopying and “fair use”
  5. Performance rights organizations, ASCAP, BMI & others (a key source of income)
  6. Final remarks and Q&A

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR PURCHASE

1. Once you make your purchase, you will immediately receive a paid receipt.

2. Aspire will send you confirmation by email, as well as your Zoom link for the masterclass.

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Biography

Erik Morales is an American composer, conductor, and trumpeter. He has composed best-selling music across many genres, including classical, jazz, and commercial. With over one hundred and sixty publications, his musical works encompass a wide variety of styles and settings, including works for wind, orchestral, jazz, and chamber ensembles, and have been featured in performances across the globe. He studied composition at Florida International University and completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 1989. Currently, he’s pursuing graduate studies at Loyola University, New Orleans.

His interest in composing began shortly after graduation from high school in South Florida, when his former band director offered to pay him to arrange music for the marching band (1985). This inevitably led to more music arranging jobs and opened doors to the educational music publishing industry. In 2002, Mr. Morales signed an exclusive contract with the FJH Music Company for his educational wind and string works. With the trumpet as his primary instrument, Mr. Morales has made a substantial contribution to the trumpet music repertoire. As a performer, Mr. Morales was a finalist in the 1990 International Trumpet Guild solo competition, which features the brightest young trumpeters in the world.

Mr. Morales is an outspoken advocate of music education in our schools and community. In 2016, he was inducted into the Louisiana Association for Jazz Education’s Hall of Fame and presented with a lifetime achievement award for dedication, support, advancement, and the continuation of jazz education in the state of Louisiana. In 2020, Mr. Morales was appointed musical director of the newly formed Covington Concert Band and is currently conductor of this community-based music project. In 2022, he was instrumental in founding the Northshore Music Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting concert and jazz music in the Northshore region of Southeastern Louisiana. Mr. Morales currently serves as president of that organization. Additionally, he is currently a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Jazz Education Network (JEN), and the International Trumpet Guild (ITG).

Mr. Morales maintains an active schedule of composing, performing, and conducting. Mr. Morales’ works are published by The FJH Music Company, Inc., MakeMusic Inc., and Alfred Publishing. All of Mr. Morales’ trumpet and chamber music editions are self-published and are available exclusively through MoralesMusic.com.

SPECIALTIES:

Music theory, arranging and composition
Trumpet pedagogy
Educational music publishing

LANGUAGES:

English

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