INTRODUCTION

In general, the purpose of a business plan is to put your ideas in writing, so
prospective investors, partners, and lenders can understand them and make
decisions as to whether they wish to contribute funding. In addition to this,
it is helpful to go thru this process to fine tune your ideas and develop them
to their fruition.

Following, is a sample of a business plan which covers topics that should be
included in any business plan for any purpose. At this website, entrepreneurs
can input their text and data to produce a similar plan, or plans that are much
more involved and detailed.

To display the potential variety of fonts and sizes, this sample plan shows 
different styles for each section. Your plan can have similar fonts and sizes
for text, or you can vary them, and can have different color print as well.

To develop your own business plan for free, go to the home page and click
on Develop Your Business Plan. Then develop your Summary, followed by
the complete plan.

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                                            DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

MUSICDIGS IS DEDICATED TO HELPING MUSICIANS ACCOMPLISH THIS
GOAL, AND AS A RESULT, TO BECOME A MAJOR FORCE IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY. 

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(The background of each owner & manager in resume format)

 

MUSICDIGS.COM will be professionally managed by Jack Root, the previous owner of ROOT RECORDS, and his assistant, Steve Garber, an MBA in the entertainment industry. Combined, both of them have 60 years of experience in the field of music and entertainment, and their efforts will be enhanced by a full time staff of degreed experts in internet commerce, which shall include Mike Wilson, the founder of MUSICNET and his entire team.

GENERAL MANAGER:   JACK ROOT

    EXPERIENCE:     1989-2011 Founded Root Records and Managed it successfully during its growth phase, 
                                  until it was sold to SONY RECORDS for $100 million

                                 1970-1989 North American V.P. for Sony Records

    EDUCATION:     1968 Graduated Summa Cum Laude from Harvard

ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER:  STEVE GARBER

   EXPERIENCE:     1975-2010 Was CEO of THE PANTON TALENT AGENCY, where he was directly
                                 responsible for developing the careers of numerous artists from around the world, including
                                 BUCKY HENDALL and THE TWISTERS.

   EDUCATION:      1971 Received MBA in the Recording Arts from the University of San Diego.

OPERATIONS MANAGER:  MIKE WILSON

   EXPERIENCE:     Founded MUSICNET

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THE MUSIC INDUSTRY HAS BEEN IN DECLINE OVER THE PAST TWENTY YEARS. MAJOR RECORD LABELS ARE FINDING IT MORE DIFFICULT TO TURN A PROFIT, PRIMARILLY DUE TO SEVERAL KEY FACTORS SUCH AS THE ADVENT OF DOWNLOADABLE MUSIC OVER THE INTERNET, CD PIRACY, LACK OF INNOVATION IN DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ARTISTS, AND STRICT CONTROL OF ENTRY INTO THE MARKET, INCLUDING RESTRICTED ACCESS TO STUDIO DISTRIBUTION BY NEW TALENT.

 

DESPITE THIS, MARKET RESEARCH HAS ESTABLISHED THAT THERE STILL IS A HIGH, PENT UP DEMAND FOR NEW TYPES OF MUSIC, ESPECIALLY IN THE UNTAPPED "UNDERGROUND" MUSIC MARKET.

FIFTY YEARS AGO, MUSICIANS WERE GIVEN RECORDING CONTRACTS BASED UPON STUDIO PERCEPTION OF THEIR TALENT, UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT GOOD MUSIC WOULD RESULT IN PROFITS. HOWEVER, OVER THE YEARS, THIS ASSUMPTION HAS FALLEN TO THE WAYSIDE, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE COMBINATION OF MUSIC AND VIDEO HAS PROVED MORE PROFITABLE THAN MUSIC ALONE. AS A RESULT, CONTEMPORARY MUSIC NEEDS TO LOOK GOOD AS WELL AS SOUND GOOD. BECAUSE OF THIS, MUSICIANS WITH GREAT TALENT BUT LACKING IN VISUAL APPEAL HAVE NOT BEEN IN DEMAND BY THE STUDIOS. BUT RESEARCH BY THE ANCHORAGE GROUP, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO HAVE ESTABLISHED THAT THE WORLD STILL WANTS TO HEAR MUSIC THAT SOUNDS GOOD, EVEN IF THE ARTISTS DON'T QUITE LOOK THE LOOK.

 

DURING THE PAST TWENTY YEARS, THE STUDIOS HAVE LEARNED THE BITTER LESSON, THAT A PRETTY FACE MAY EARN MORE PROFITS FOR THEM THAN A GOOD MELODY, BUT OVER TIME, THE PRETTY FACES FADE, AND PEOPLE GET TIRED OF LISTENING TO BAD MUSIC PERFORMED BY VISUALLY APPEALING ARTISTS. 

THE UNDERGROUND MUSIC INDUSTRY IS CURRENTLY GOING THRU A REVIVAL FOR THIS REASON. ALL AROUND THE WORLD, THOUSANDS OF MUSICIANS ARE STAKING THEIR CLAIM AND MAKING THEIR MARK ON NEW FORMS OF MUSIC, AND GENERATING DEMAND BUT LACK THE ABILITY TO REACH LARGE MARKETS.

MUSICDIGS TAPS INTO THIS DEMAND AND OFFERS CONSUMERS WHAT THEY WANT; GOOD MUSIC BY NEW ARTISTS, WITHOUT THE INTERFERENCE OF THE STUDIOS.
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MISSION AND OBJECTIVES
(A discussion of the long and short term goals of the business, being as specific as possible, stating goals in outline format)

SHORT TERMS GOALS
   
   DEVELOP A FUNCTIONAL WEBSITE ENABLING MUSICIANS TO UPLOAD MUSIC 
   CHARGE THE PUBLIC $30 PER YEAR TO ACCESS THE WEBSITE
   ADVERTISE THE WEBSITE NATIONALLY IN MAGAZINES AND RADIO STATIONS
   GENERATE $100,000 IN SALES DURING THE FIRST YEAR

LONG TERM GOALS

   EXPAND THE WEBSITE TO INCLUDE VIDEO
   CHARGE THE PUBLIC $50 PER YEAR TO ACCESS THE WEBSITE
   ADVERTISE THE WEBSITE GLOBALLY IN MAGAZINES, TV, AND RADIO STATIONS
   GENERATE $500,000 IN SALES EACH YEAR
   PURCHASE A RECORDING STUDIO TO DEVELOP NEW ARTISTS
   PURCHASE A TV STATION TO PROMOTE NEW ARTISTS
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OUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
(A detailed discussion of what the company does.
Plans to expand products and services in the future. A discussion of how we plan to purchase or manufacture our products and services)

(under construction)

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OUR PLACE IN THE MARKET

(A discussion of how your business fits in. What need
does it fulfill? How can it be profitable? What exactly
is your market niche?)

(under construction)

OUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

(Expand on any competitive advantage that your
business has over the competition.)

(under construction)___________________________________________

EVALUATION OF THE COMPETITION
(A description of the competition and an evaluation
of their performance in the industry. How are they
different from you?)

(under construction)

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(Identification of your target market. Who do you
plan to sell to? A definiton and description of your
target customer. Is your typical customer local,
national, or international? Why would they buy from
your company instead of the competition?)

(under construction)

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KEYS TO SUCCESS

(What must your business accomplish to be
successful? A listing and discussion of several keys
to success in outline format)

(under construction)

OBSTACLES
(A discussion of the major obstacles to your business
succeeding. Must be honest and give as much detail
as possible.) 

(under construction)

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STRATEGY FOR ACHIEVING SUCCESS

(A discussion of your long and short term strategy
for achieving success. A description of how you plan
to overcome the obstacles you face and how you plan
to accomplish what you must to succeed.)

(under construction)

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OPERATIONS

(A discussion of your location, facility, required
equipment, as well as your suppliers and employees.)

(under construction)

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MARKETING PLAN

(A discussion of the methods you plan to use for
advertising. An explanation of why you believe one
method is preferred over another. How will your
chosen method reach your target market. Examples
of methods are TV, Radio, Print Ads, etc. Create a
mix of ads that fits your business.)

(under construction)

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS

(A discussion of your start-up costs, projected revenues, cash flow, projected break-even point, worst, best, and most likely case scenarios, and any
other financial considerations important to your
business plan.)

(under construction)

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REQUIRED CAPITAL

(Ask for what you need and explain why you need it,
using your financial information as a guide. Discuss
the reasons why you are not seeking more funding or less funding.)

(under construction)

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METHOD OF CAPITALIZATION

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

(An explanation of why you chose the method of
capitalization that you did. For example, why did you
want an unsecured loan? What collateral can you
provide an investor for a secured loan? Are you willing to consider taking on a partner? What would
ther terms of said partnership be? Do you want to
form a corporation and allow an investor to own
stock in it? Are you simply wanting to sell an existing business?)

(under construction)

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TAX CONSIDERATIONS

(A discussion of what you know about taxes
pertaining to your business idea, factoring in as much as you can about applicable tax rates.)

(under construction)

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LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS

(A discussion of patents, trade names, copyrights, and
other legal issues as applicable. Provide any info you
can that you've obtained from counsel about your
business plan. Discuss licenses required and other
considerations.)

(under construction)

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PROJECTED RETURN ON INVESTMENT

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