Annika Nord

18.10.2021

Mentor and What Does It Mean To Me

Mika Karhumaa Articles Annika Nord, artists, Juhani Merimaa, mentor, Music Business, Music Industry, Tavastia

To have a mentor is definitely an asset. One good attention to remember is that the mentor relationship does not born 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 to the contents of my books. And 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.

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.

12.1.2021

New Year 2021

Mika Karhumaa News Amazon, Annika Nord, Delta Enigma, EBSCO, Godiva, Google, melba culp, Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences, songtrust, Strategy, The Essence Of The Music Business

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 were dealing with a new way of understanding the music business management. On a structural level I mean. Due to the activity of our students, I feel obliged to make a book about it.

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

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.

I am pleased to announce that this family of my books 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 it is completed, it is time for this new publication.

UPDATE: That new book is published at July 21th. You can acquire it right here!

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’ll take one piece. There are 14 pieces in the box. I’ll let you know whether this accelerated the writing or not.

Take care there and stay safe!

9.12.2020

Final Course of the Year

Mika Karhumaa News Annika Nord, Cultural Management, Delta Enigma, melba culp, SeAmk, songtrust, The Essence Of The Music Business

This has been a great course – not only because of the subject, but the people. Given that we haven’t been able to meet each other, but from the distant, 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 a 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 where the material at hand led us. We let our guests bring the extra boost at the moments our imagination met their limits. This course could have continued no matter how long. It is about the management and intercession know-how after all.

In reality – all this gave rise to a completely revamped The Essence of the Music Business:Strategy. 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.

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

Today we had the last session – 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 the lecture by Mandy Aubry from Songtrust – about music publishing. This, in some places difficult subject, became an easy-to-understand whole when presented by a professional this level.

27.10.2019

Behind the Scenes – Story Goes On

Mika Karhumaa News Annika Nord, Artist, Footwork, The Essence Of The Music Business, The Idea Behind The Music Business

These 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 show for the first time, something in her captivated me. I cannot say 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 the management in any way – meetings and communication however, started to become regular. At first we went through the plan how to move from the cover artist to the interpreter of your own production. It can be a tough nut – especially if the artist is doing 150 gigs a year. You will get heard, but also identified as the interpreter of others’ production.

However, we decided to take advantage of that forum. Annika had her own songs that one at a time being included in the program. A large number of gigs make repetitions possible. Gradually people started to like her own songs included in the repertoire.

The reception encouraged us to think bigger. We started thinking about the story – the way she wanted to present herself to the public. In the summer of 2017, we started writing lyrics for Annika’s upcoming repertoire – although my role was 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 a natural choice to be our wedding performer. 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 planned before. 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 is the chemistry there, it reflects to the whole room. 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 traveled to the band’s studio. At that very moment, Annika Nord as a band was born.

You can only imagine the feeling. It’s two years from that moment and 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