Annika Nord

Mentor and What Does It Mean To Me

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To have a mentor is definitely an asset. One good attention to the mentor is that the relationship does not arise with a decision, but just takes place. It may arise whenever and in any way.

In my case, a meaningful event took place in 2003. I was spending the evening with my friends at Ravintola Ilves. Juhani Merimaa, the owner of the place, came to the place and sat on our table. When he heard I had written a book of music business contracts, he started a debate. I lived at the time in a different city and I had a ticket to the next outgoing train. I quickly realized that it is worth to stay and go with the next train.

Experience is a thing that has always fascinated me. When I write in my books that it is good to have at least one experienced player onboard, I will return to this moment. When he started talking about his experiences, the events he has faced in the international music business, the whole table got silent. We just listened. It was completely inconceivable that the music business professional that level gave three hours to us without being asked. Many things he mentioned, opened to me when practicing music law later on.

Now, 18 years later, I still continue to meet with him. To have a mentor – it also have an impact on the contents of my books. Or lectures. Such moments offer insights that you would not otherwise be even aware of. It is the experience against which the options are easier to weigh.

Here’s a picture from the last week meeting, Annika Nord also included.

A mentor meeting with Juhani Merimaa at Tavastia Klubi, Helsinki, Finland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To have, or to become a mentor doesn’t happen by force, it just happen. That itself is a good reason to keep your eyes and ears open – the same may happen to you too.

New Year 2021

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Happy New Year to Everyone! I hope you are all doing fine. This is my tradition and fashion to welcome the new year.

The publication year 2021 looks interesting. Last autumn’s lecture series at Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences sparked a variety of ideas. From the very first lectures I noticed that we are dealing with a new way of understanding the music business. Therefore, as on a structural level. Due to the activity of the students, I feel obliged to make a book about it. Duty though is a wrong expression here – it’s really about joy.

There will be several releases from the artists I represent coming this year. At least Delta Enigma, Melba Culp, Annika Nord and IRENE are releasing new material this year. Nevertheless, it gives room for writing. We have been doing groundwork throughout last year to make this year easier. We have got to know each other better, and there’s no need to take a meeting on every issue :).

In addition, more lectures are coming. Hopefully at some point the world will be open up again and we can do them live as well.

However, I am pleased to announce that this family will receive an increase when The Essence of the Music Business 4 – Artist Management goes into production. I haven’t started writing it yet as The Essence of the Music Business:Strategy needs a little update. Once this taken out from below, it is time for a new publication.

All you need to know about the music business in 2021

I want to tell you about the gift I received. I got a box of chocolate like this from Songtrust. Such a lovely gesture from them. I will use this as a prize. Whenever I successfully add a section to a book, I take one piece. There are 14 pieces in the box. I’ll let you know afterwards whether the writing happened faster or slower than before.

New Year's Box of Chocolate

Take care there and stay safe!

Mika

Final Course of the Year

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This has been a great course – not just for its substance, but the people. Given that we have not been able to meet each other, but at a distance, we learned how to work as a team. A lot has happened during these eight weeks. One might think that the charge will weaken in the wake of four-hour remote lessons. Or that everything is a mere theory. No, it didn’t happen this time. We let the story and necessities be our course. We grew along the way according to what new material we received for our lessons. We let our guests bring extra boost at the moments when our imagination met their limits. This course could have continued no matter how long. It is about management and intercession know-how after all.

Music Business Management Course Running at SeAmk
SeAmk’s Cultural Management Studies 2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

In reality – all this gave rise to a completely revamped The Essence of the Music Business:Strategy, as well as an adapted frame for the same course next semester. The first three times we went on our own, got to know each other and our ways of working. We worked between lectures in our social media group and analyzed the delivery of the lectures. After this introduction ran its course, it was time to welcome our awesome guests Annika Nord, Delta Enigma, and Melba Culp. They brought practicality to the course – presenting their current situation.

Mika Karhumaa's Music Business Course
SeAmk Cultural Management Students w/Delta Enigma

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we set out to consider their next moves – we found ourselves thinking about momentary co-management. The artists taught the students their own tricks and the students, enlightened by it, presented their own development suggestions. Quite a many of these proposals were workable. Some of them decided to be implemented immediately. Even in management – it is important to be able to think outside the box – to get an external view. Now the students of this course offered it.

Today we met for the last session of the fall – to evaluate the course. It was great that everyone wanted to be involved. That’s not all. It’s best to save the best for the last. The day began with a lecture by Mandy Aubry from Songtrust on music publishing. This, in some places, difficult subject becomes an easy-to-understand whole when presented by a professional this level.

Final Course of the Year at SeAmk
SeAmk Cultural Management Studies w/Jack McConnell, Annika Nord, Delta Enigma

 

 

Behind the Scenes – Story Goes On

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These behind the scenes stories have been asked a lot. Here’s one more. It’s been three and a half years since Annika Nord called me. Se was a troubadour at the time – dreaming of a career as a real artist.

When I went to see her perform for the first time, some thing captivated me. I don’t know exactly what it was.  She was so present. When we finally met in Person and started to talk in more detail, her work ethic was the thing I paid attention to. We weren’t talking about Management in any way – meetings and communication however, started to become regular. At first we went through a plan on how to move from a cover artist to an interpreter of your own production. It’s not always easy – especially if an artist is doing cover gigs at 150 gigs a year. It gets heard there, but easily identified as an interpreter of others’ production.

However, we decided to take advantage of that forum. Annika had her own songs, one at a time being included in the program. A large number of gigs allows repetitions. Gradually people started to get used to the few songs she had on the repertoire.

The reception encouraged us to think more. We started thinking about the story, the message that would hit Annika as an artist. The way she wanted to present herself to the public. In the summer of 2017, we decided to start writing lyrics for Annika’s upcoming repertoire – although my role was to be more of a mentor. Annika had six booklets full of different lyrics she had written over the years. Then on that kitchen table we started finishing them one by one.

I was getting married that fall and Annika was the natural choice to be a performer at our wedding. The wedding guests were also accompanied by other artist acquaintances of mine. I heard them start planning on the terrace so they could perform together, Annika as their soloist. Thus, this appearance was in no way pre-planned. The original intention was that Annika would have performed as a troubadour. Our guests had taken their own instrument and audio along without us knowing it.

When chemistry meets, it inspires. Originally a two-song performance turned into a three hour show in our living room. We had a crazy atmosphere here and the following week Annika travelled to the band’s studio. At that very moment, Annika Nord as a band was born.

You can only imagine the feeling. Well over two years from that moment, we are sitting around the same kitchen table where we started to work on the lyrics. The first full-length album is coming out in spring 2020.

 

behind the scenes artist and manager talking