ERIC ALEXANDRAKIS..A Music Biz Insider !
1. Please introduce yourself and let us know how did you get in the music industry.
My name is Eric Alexandrakis, I live in Miami, FL and I am a artist/composer/producer. I also own Minoan Music, a music production/licensing/branding/promo company.
I first started out in the music industry as a musician doing recordings on weekends with friends, and then interning with an independent label and artist management company in Miami. I later moved further into music production, arranging, and producing scores for promotional films and t.v. commercials.
2. Do you believe that University studies such as your Master’s Degree in Music Business and Entertainment Industries can help anyone stay alive in this industry?
Staying alive I think has more to do with being in the right place at the right time, but I think my eagerness to learn, enthusiasm within the field and love for music is what has kept me alive in the industry. Whether you want to be an artist, producer, publicist, etc., if you do not take the time to understand how the business works, you should not even bother being in it. On top of that, if you do not love music, you should try another trade. This industry suffers too much from people who don’t love music (the way music people do), and who wake up one day thinking that their next career change should be aimed at the music business…with no prior music biz background.
3. I have read that you have been involved in the technology of CD digital watermarks, can you tell us more about it?
When I was in graduate school, I produced an album of artists for our school’s record label, which was the first digitally watermarked CD. We worked closely with the company that invented it (Bluespike.com), and I’m still very much in the loop with the company’s owner. Today, every major label and film company uses a form of this original technology that we had used, as a standard in their copyright protection efforts.
4. How did you get in the music industry of TV, Cinema and where can we hear your compositions?
MTV got a hold of some recordings of mine that I did on a borrowed 4-track recorder, the relationship blossomed and I was able to get into a lot of other places by building. Here are some examples of where my songs have appeared:
A & E – “Biography”
CBS – “In Turn”
E! – “Uncovered: The Hidden Lives of Miss U.S.A.”
Miscellaneous – “5 Take” (New Zealand)
Miscellaneous – “5 Takes” (Hong Kong)
MTV – “Fraternity Life”
MTV – “Latina Factor”
MTV – “Made”
MTV – “My Super Sweet 16”
MTV – “Next”
MTV – “Pimp My Ride”
MTV – “Run’s House”
MTV – “Sorority Life”
MTV – “Yo Mama”
MTV2 – “Latina Factor”
MTVTR3S – “Power Chicas Weekend”
NBC – “Miss Teen USA”
NBC – “Miss USA 2006”
NBC – “The Martha Stewart Show”
Oxygen – “The Bad Girl’s Club”
Warner Brothers – “High School Reunion
5. What’s the advantages & disadvantages of being a “hired gun” musician for TV and Cinema than being a typical artist with a label contract?
If you are hired by the network directly, you make more money, whereas if you are on a label, you lose at least half of what you could be earning.
Under a label, chances are your master is owned by that label…and sometimes your publishing. Film, T.V. and advertising licenses pay for the use of the master recording, and the publisher side of things. If you own neither of these, then you will hopefully make a profit from your songwriter royalties, which are always assigned to you. If you are hired directly without any label contracts as you say, you keep the master and publisher side.
6. You also run Minoan Music, so what exactly does your company do?
We are a music production company that provides custom-made music for various projects, or ready-made music. We also represent several high profile artists for licensing and promo, work with the major labels and publishers, and provide strategic branding for major artists.
7. What about your solo career, what are you up to now?
I’m finishing up an album for release in 2009, it’s called “Terra”. It’s very poppy/experimental at the same time, and is meant to be a really fun and colorful record. John Taylor from Duran Duran is on it.
8. Do you use theatric elements in your live appearances such as video projectors and flying barbies?
I do, although lately I’ve been too busy to play live. Usually my set-up includes slide projectors, lighting, and a good ton of electronic gear in front of me for sound effects and backing tracks.
9. How do you predict the future of music industry ?
You don’t! Everything is being in the right place at the right time, and who you know. Grant it though, if you work hard and are good, you’ll always get noticed by someone. Until the major labels change their business model, they will continue to lose money and go down the tubes…which is fine by me! The internet has opened up a lot of possibilities, but a means that can be profitable is still yet to be truly discovered.
10. How easy or hard is to live and play music in USA ?
It’s a matter of finding a place that will allow you to play. Creating a fanbase, creating a buzz and actually generating something to live off of is what is hard. That comes with smart marketing, and constant touring.
MYSPACE PROFILE FOR ERIC ALEXANDRAKIS: http://www.myspace.com/ericalexandrakis
