Prince the Icon

Prince is a music legend with ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Helping to start the careers of artists like Sheila E., The Time, and Vanity 6. Other artists like Chaka Chan, showing that even other icons love Prince and his music have also sampled him.

Tonight Prince was honored at the Billboard Awards with the Icon Award.  His performance truly left fans wanting more of Prince. Accepting the honor and giving the last performance of the show, he showed everyone why he is an icon.

When the new age of technology and digital music distribution came into play Prince was all for Internet promotions. He was giving his music away freely and still was able to sell out concerts worldwide. No one knows the reason why but suddenly he wanted all his music off of YouTube, The Pirate Bay, and even some fan sites. He didn’t want his image anywhere that was given away for free. Now some might think this shows that Prince does not care about his fans, while others believe he is just trying to preserve the rights for his image and music.

This can lead to a lot of questions:

Is it smart for an artist not to use the Internet to their advantage?

How does Internet exposure affect album and concert sales?

Has digital music sharing sites corrupted the music industry?

Should fans show their loyalty by buying their favorite artist’s albums?

Can Prince still sell out concerts without having an Internet presence?

No matter how these questions are answered, no one can deny that Prince is an icon. Providing music through out the decades of songs that you cannot help but sing along to.  Purple Rain was an iconic album and movie and if someone does not know anything about Prince, you can be sure they know about Purple Rain.

The Values of a Business Plan

Kevin Geiger and Dr. Steven Gedeon gave great points on the importance of a business plan and the key points of a successful business plan. The changes I will make in my business plan are making sure my financials are clear for possible future investors and that the credentials of the staff are highlighted, as well as, a clear presentation of all services that will be provided. I will make sure that investors can view how my company will turn a profit. This will provide a strong foundation to build up my company.

I will work with my partner to fill in key core positions for the company before the business plan is presented to future investors. I want a future investor to see a complete team base of core members. Researching exact items needed for the office and needed for services to be completed efficiently will help to give accurate number for my financials. The executive summary will become more direct and focused on exactly what the company plans to do and how we will earn our revenue. This will help investors see where they can make their return on investment.

Paying attention to trends for start up businesses and industry trends are very important. Knowing what my competitors are doing can help my company grow and show our creativity and what sets us apart.

The sections I feel are most important are the executive summary and the financial of my business plan. When a future investor read the executive summary it will peak their interest to want to continue and read the entire business plan. The financials will give a clear picture their numbers of the possible success of the company. Once these sections are clear and well planned future investors will not hesitate to become part of my company’s success.