Margie Perez-A Most Versatile Singer Songwriter
The Ella Project helped Pérez with BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.), which operates as a bridge between artists and performance venues. It protects copyrights, collects licensing fees, and distributes royalties. “If it weren’t for the Ella Project, I would have made mistakes!” Pérez said. “They had the legal advice I needed for royalties and copyrights.”
Pérez has also attended sessions of the Ella Project’s Crescendo Program. This free, seven-week workshop series is designed to help independent musicians navigate the contemporary industry. It was at one of the Crescendo seminars that Pérez realized that she, in fact, did not have the correct publishing credentials. “Ashlye Keaton helped me correct it. I had not realized that I had to register myself as a ‘publisher,’ ” Pérez said. “This is a slow process that is still in the works.”
New Orleans doesn't need to be Austin. It's already a music industry city.
For as long as I have lived in New Orleans, which is several decades, there has been a lot of talk and numerous initiatives around developing a “real music industry” in this city. I myself am guilty of saying that there’s no real music business infrastructure in New Orleans. But, at some point, I had kind of an “aha moment” that changed my perspective. When I really think about what defines and constitutes a music industry, for me, it is obvious that New Orleans is actually a music industry city and has been for decades.