chapter1

The Music Gladitator Manual

A must read for any artist or label wanting to succeed in the music industry

Complements of JaHMa.net Written by; Kenneth Bosket

1 GLADITATOR AND ARTIST” COMPARISION
“The skill of the physician shall lift up his head: and in the sight of great men he shall be in admiration.”

Why is it that some people in the music business make tens of thousands of dollars a year, while others wallow in
poverty most of their lives? One possibility could be that people making money in the music industry has discovered
what it actually takes to get ahead while doing something they love.
I believe that the selected few have realized having talent alone is not enough to succeed. In other words, if you desire
to accomplish a goal and you have the talent, then you should educate yourself in reference to the field you desire to
accomplish you task in.
It is my desire to have this manual to assist you in developing and implementing your game plan to achieve your goal
of success within the music industry. For I believe that if you have the knowledge and know how to stay focus, you can
make it happen.
Whether your passion is being an onstage performer or starting your own label, you can achieve it from using your
most valuable instrument, which is the one that lies between your ears. Your brains!
Having talent as an artist or belonging in a band is not enough for you to succeed in this business. There’s lots of
work in becoming the next famous artist or band. If this was not so, you would not hear the same song over and over
the radio.
This is why you must become focus, stay focus, train and learn. Just as the gladiators would have to before entering
an arena to fight.

The Music Gladiator Manual has been written to help both the artist and the music entrepreneur understand what it
takes to rise above the rest aspiring to be famous and wealthy artists or label entering the business of music with the
same desires and goals as you have.
This manual is designed to make you aware of how important it is to evaluate the difference between having talent and
the desire to achieve success with your talent in the entertainment industry though knowledge and the desire to
achieve your dream.
The best example in reference to the above statement would be with the gladiators during the Roman Empire days.
Despite the bloodthirsty fights depicted in the movies, it was discovered that gladiator’s initial intent in the arena was
not to fight for the pleasure of killing. In reality it was the audience or the organizer of the games who decided whether
gladiators would live or die except in Rome where the emperor would make the call.
The good news is whenever two or more brave gladiators put up a good fight; both would often leave the arena alive.
In fact, ancient fight records shows that around 90 percent of trained gladiators survived their fights. However the
records also have evidence indicating that untrained gladiator meant almost certain death in the arenas. In other
words, a gladiator who received one-year of training was better off than the gladiators who did not receive the
additional training insight. As within the music industry, an artist with knowledge of what it takes to obtain success is
better off than an artist who has not gain the knowledge needed to succeed in their field of endeavor.

As a matter of fact, there is no real difference between the gladiators of yesterday and the artists, bands and music
entrepreneur (labels) of today. It is the person with additional knowledge who has a 90% better chance of surviving
and being successful within the music industry compared to the others who believe having talent combined with a love
for music will make it all happen.
A lot of wanna be superstars should be very thankful that today’s consumers are only able to decide whether to buy or
not to buy an artist’s music or attend his or her performance, instead if deciding whether to let the artists or band
members live or die, especially after a dull performance.
Before taking on the world to achieve success within the music industry, you need to understand the principles of the
gladiator’s survival of the fittest ideology. The difference between you and a gladiator is in the realm of strength. The
gladiator main source of strength comes from his physical strength. In the music industry, your strength within the
arena is based on your mental strength involving philosophy, beliefs, principles, ideas and having an understanding of
the music business.
The similar traits needed by both the untrained gladiator of ancient Rome and the untrained artist of today are in
reference to their desire to become victorious in their field of endeavor within the music industry.
Just as the professional gladiators were trained for one (1) year before entering the arenas of the Roman Empire,
artists, bands or record label entrepreneurs should train to improve their skills and knowledge of understanding before
entering the arenas of the Music Business Empire.
You should also have anyone involved in your career, increase their knowledge and skills in achieving their objectives
in reference to your career. This is necessary because you are only as strong as your weakest link. And I’m not
implying physical strength.
None-the-less, successful artists or band members must entertain as well and having the great vocals for hope of
fame and prosperity. The same was true for gladiators which were trained warriors. They entertained and were
entertainers for the audience of ancient Rome. In fact, the words “the girls delight” were found scratched after a name
of a gladiator on a Pompeian wall which is an indication of their notoriety.
Before continuing; did you know that many gladiators were free men, and women, in hope of fame and prosperity?
Liken to the music industry. A person is looking for success in this field of endeavor, not the disappointment of failure.

Registration:
Before becoming a successful gladiator, a sponsor would take his selected person to a trainer who in return would
teach the new trainee the necessary skills needed to develop their potential of being successful. In the music industry,
it is called artist development. Useally the manager or label represents the artist in training during this process for the
artist or band member as the sponsor would represent the gladiator in acient Rome.

In today’s’ music industry environment, you will discover that the manager or label, which is usually an independent
label will do the artist development. Either way, development is necessary.
Once training starts, the gladiators are taught to realize survival of the fitness is not based only on their individual
body strength. They were advised and taught the importance of entertaining the audience while defending themselves.
This is why gladiators were trained on how to use their skills to amuse the ancient Roman spectators. A skill needed to
increase the gladiator’s notoriety.
The same is true with an artist or band. Because when consumers are entertained, your odds for fame and prosperity
increase. As a label, the success rate also increases when artist involved with your label can entertain the people. It is
all about training and learning the additional skills needed to succeed over others reaching for the same gold ring in
the music business.
This is why training is necessary. Thousands of new artist are seldom prepared to meet all the expectations of the
music industry.
It is teaching facts, which builds a knowledge base of understanding the minumum requirments needed in
acomplishing your dream of becoming successful within the music industry. To continue with the gladiator artist
comparisons, we should understand endurance.
When a gladiator was enrolled in gladiator school, they would exercise using stones as weights to build their strength
and physical endurance. Because endurance was needed to continue fighting in the presence of the audience before
becoming victorious.

Therefore an artist must also exercise to build their strength and physical endurance to entertain the crowd while
performing on stage and working the streets to create an awareness of him or herself. Breathing hard and not being
able to entertain as a performer for a certain length of time has the same effect to the audience in the gladiator arena.
As a new artist entering into the business, you too need physical endurance to continually work at selling your own
CDs whenever possible, while in the process of working very hard to make their music known to the public and fans
during performances.
Instead of working out with stones, as an artist you can increase your endurance by exercising in various ways. And
while working out, remember that an artist who barely trains will not be trained enough to accomplish the tasks
necessary to become successful as an artist. Just as the gladiator who fails to exercise has a destiny of death.

Training:
In the beginning stages of gladiator training, the trainees were not trusted with real weapons while developing their
combat skills, which is why they rehearse mostly with a wooden sword.

You as an artist must also learn additional skills in reference to your overall performance development. Because,
regardless how good you may believe you are. Your eyes can only see yourself from the inside out. Not from the
outside looking in.
The person, (trainer manager or label) looking and listening to you from a viewpoint of a consumer has the most
important viewpoint, which matters!
By the way, whenever you are practicing your show performance, practice with a microphone in your hand. The
microphone does not have to be working. The most important issue is in developing you performance, as it would
actually be on stage. Also, don’t stay in one spot on stage expecting your song to do all the entertainment for you.
Move around. Entertain. Standing still would be certain death for a gladiator.

Finding A Venue
The sponsor in the Roman Empire would find an arena and then pay for his new trained gladiator to entertain.
Knowing if the gladiator does well, the money will come.

The artist’s sponsor also has to discover venues, which would allow you to perform. However it should be noted that in
some states it’s against the law for a manager to establish a performance for their artists. This is because of a law,
which states the function of acquiring performance is the occupation of a booking agent. Either way, someone will
have to obtain a place for you to perform on a continuous basis.
Entertainment
After all the training, the games begin. The gladiator’s moment of glory is upon him. He starts by first entertaining the
crowd by getting the audience eyes to look at him. Thereafter, if the spectators are not please with who their eyes are
on, they become disappointed and search for someone else that grabs their attention.

Likewise, you as an artist have to perform on stage. You should have a sense of urgency in reference to getting the
crowd eyes to focus on you as the entertainer. Anticipation and build ups, are appreciate by fans as they focus on the
stage waiting for you to walk out.
At this stage of the game, the new gladiator has a real weapon in his hand. No more wooden swords from this point
forward. It’s the real deal. A sword made from metal.
The same is true for you as an artist. Now you have to step up to the plate and know what must be accomplished. The
microphone is on and people are watching. No more practicing. From this point on it’s the real deal. Of course your
training doesn’t stop there, because as long as you are expected to entertain, you must be in shape to do such.
In ancient Rome the sound of the musicians situated around the arena would begin to play the gladiator war trumpets
and flutes, which would influence the spectator’s eyes to turn toward the arena to see their favorite gladiator.
The same goes for the artist in today’s environment. When the audience hear the beat of the music, their eyes begins
to focus on the stage looking for you.
As for the spectators watching the gladiator from the stand, once the action begins, it’s a fight to the death. And if they
like what they see, the crowd will cheer you on.
If you as an artist, band or group fail to entertain the audience, they will also create sounds of disappointment. And
more than likely, most of the audience will not pay to see you again.
This is a little different than a gladiator hearing negative noises such as hisses and boos while in the arena. Because
it was a sign which most of the times meant the majority of the spectators would have their thumbs pointed downward
as an indication to see death because of a bad performance.
You as an artist in the marketplace should always want your audience to cheer and feel good about you while you’re
entertaining in their presence. Because when your audience becomes displeased with your performance, you can say
good-bye to your career. And don’t expect to sell CDs after the show.
Very seldom will a person give you a second chance to prove how good you are.
Good thing the audience no longer has the power to you put to death for not entertaining them!

Nonetheless, a clumsy, unprepared artist cannot hide, because their actions and appearance will provide the
evidence. The same was true for a gladiator. One look at him and you knew he was a loser.
With such similarity between the artists of today and the gladiators of ancient Rome, I have based some of the
contents in this music success manual. Take the time to read it. It will help increase your chances to become a
successful person as an artist, group, band or record label.
You should think as a gladiator would think. With the same “I will win attitude” in your mind.
Even the entrepreneurs with record labels will understand what’s expected from an artist signed to their labels roster.
You should know at the very beginning if an artist lacks what it takes to become successful or will not listen to you as a
label or manager on improving the skills needed to become successful. Let that person die a slow death as with the
various other artists.
Make sure whenever you have an artist telling you how great he or she is and advising you on what you need to do
instead of taking your advice, don’t let your desperation of accomplishing your objective effect your better judgment of
leaving the artist alone.
After all, if you continue with your artist and things don’t work out, you will be the one taking the blamed from your
artist for the failure, plus you will be the one after the fact to realize why your objective was not accomplish as planned
within the strategy time line you established.
It takes time, training, wisdom and hard work to become a successful gladiator and if not taken serious, the gladiator
will die.
Words of wisdom, it take time, training, advise, wisdom and hard work to become a successful. And if the artist doesn’t
take it serious, his or her dreams will end in death as majority of the untrained gladiators who felt his strength was
enough to win battles.
Enough gladiator and artist character comparison. Let’s discover the concepts and applications you need to know and
understand to become a successful artist.
if you are starting a label and you are not the artist. Know what type of artist you need and want on your label roster.

A CHAMPION MUSIC GLADIATOR will always outdo any music industry wanna be.

If you understand the business of music, become aware of your competition and willing to do what it takes to out
maneuver physically and mentally your competitors, you will realize fame and prosperity were other will not.

M.B.A.

It's the competitive
spirit of the artist,
team and/or
company, which
increases its odds
for success.

Not money!

Money is the
results of your
worth from actions
taken by you or
someone else for
you.