oohh I'm doing something similar (kinda)!!
I can tell you a little bit about it because I've worked with bringing some jrock bands to the US and I have a lot of friends who work with the Japanese bands that come over here (Versailles, Rentrer en Soi, BLOOD, and several others).
If you're looking to start a business out of this, it really is a good idea to get your degree in music management (yes it is a degree!
). I'm currently looking into working in the music industry as well. While I'm flexible with working various positions I could possibly get offered in the music industry, a particular interest of mine is actually to be living in Japan and help manage bands to get from Japan to America for concerts and tours. I think communication seems to be a huge issue between US management and Japanese bands when trying to come over. On top of that, theres a huge lack of understanding particular conditions, so thats why I'm interested in that kind of position, especially in Japan. I'm currently trying to get into a University in Tokyo that offers Business Management with a particular focus on business in Japan. However, I think business management in general would get you far if you want to work on getting foreign bands to the US.
While the best thing you can possibly do for yourself is to get your degree in working with this, I will be honest in saying that it CAN be done without a degree. I don't advise you to do that, but I know a lot of people, including myself who have gone through it without any form of college experience. Without the proper education for it, its really a lot to think about and to really get a grasp on the business aspect (which it requires A LOT) I would definitely suggest you take Business Management as a major if you can't find a university that offers Music Management (its a difficult major to find). The best thing you can do for yourself right now is talk to people and get connections. I find the easiest way of doing this is just to go out there yourself and start talking to bands. Myspace is extremely helpful, and if you can, try to find your way into social networking websites that specialize in a language and culture of the types of bands you're trying to get over. Since my interest is in Jrock, I'm constantly using mixi to communicate with a lot of people and I'm now getting into Ameba.jp.
As for working with bands, basically in the first place it depends on the kind of band you want to bring over. What countries are you looking at specifically and are you looking for popular bands or indies?
My only experience is with jrock bands so I'm just going to use them as my example. I can also say that at the moment its EXTREMELY competitive. However, I find it easier to negotiate with a smaller less known bands and to get them to play at a convention rather than larger bands with high expectations and want a full blown tour across America. If you can get them to play at a convention, usually the con will pay for all expenses for the band, but you need to explain clearly to the band that America is different from Europe or Japan. Also, starting out small and working your way up is a great way to do things. If you start out with several smaller bands, word will eventually begin to spread. The more well known you get, the better your chances are of finding others who may have connections to larger bands and can help you out with working on a major scale.
Also, there may be particular aspects they're used to in their own country that we don't have over here -- for example, I was the US manager for a particular band about a year and a half ago. I was extremely close to getting them to play a couple concerts in the US completely paid for but they refused the entire deal because they couldn't fly business flight. As ridiculous as this sounds, some performers are really just this demanding and you need to explain how things work in America when it comes to the location of the venue and what their sponsors are willing to provide for them.
Another thing you need to think of is the money involved. If you have a band that doesn't want to work with a convention and would rather go on tour, you need to figure out how you will get the money to do this. There are several ways about doing this: First of all, you could see if the band is willing to pay for their own expenses. Surprisingly, there are some that want have concerts abroad so badly that they are willing to pay for themselves with certain conditions (such as a promised number of attendees). Another way to do this is to talk to others who are also in the same general organization as you. While you need to be careful with who you work with (EXTREMELY careful. People are out to take you for advantage left and right), find an organization, or a group of people who are experienced in this and see if they will help you out. This is also another great way of establishing connections and getting your name out there more.
The whole money issue is why I definitely say you need to look into business classes in college. While the ideas I suggested above are great and all, you need to figure out where YOU make money in all of this. Conventions will pay for everything because in return they make money off of the number of attendees by charging an entrance fee. Established companies who do this kind of work usually make money through the contracting part. The band and company must come to an agreement of who gets paid for what. Does the company get paid through attendee admittance and selling band merchandise or do they take a percentage of everything the band makes? The company must come to an agreement with the band (and even the venue) of who gets how much payment and while it might not be a lot to begin with, after a while it should end up paying for itself.
Honestly, I don't think there are really any set wages for things like this if you're going at it without employment to a major record label (such as Sony). Its not a high paying job until much later on if you can make sales off of popular bands. Personally, I think its really a fun job and if you're passionate about it, its worth going into. Just don't expect to make a lot of money off of it right away or to really gain an instant success. Its A LOT of negotiation work and a lot to do with who you know.
I hope that helps a little. Sorry my response was so long!! XD
i need a little help..., careers...
