IF you have an academy with a name like “Musicpreneur”, it’s pretty obvious what your institution is all about. Yes, Musicpreneur founder and principal Serene Cheam is very much into music but she also realises how important it is to be savvy in the business of music.
“Gone are the days when a talented singer or musician just had to perform well to make a living,” says Cheam, before cautioning: “These days, if you’re not entrepreneurially-minded, you will not be able to make it in the music industry.”
Having produced and self-financed a series of albums for her own singing career, Cheam decided to pool her knowledge of music and business to help aspiring and struggling musicians learn to carve out a successful career doing what they love.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED IN MUSIC?
You could say almost all my life. I started taking piano lessons at the age of four. By the time I was in my teens, I was writing my own songs and won prizes in many songwriting competitions. I was also the vice-president of my school’s music club. By the time I was 16, I was already certain that I wanted to make music my career.
PRIOR TO STARTING YOUR ACADEMY, YOU WERE A RECORDING ARTISTE?
I wasn’t a big star or anything like that but I do have a few albums to my name. My bigger ambition however was to teach music and I went to music college to learn to do that.
DID YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES IN RECORDING ALBUMS MAKE YOU A BETTER TEACHER?
It made me a better teacher of music entrepreneurship, which is basically to teach students how to make a business out of their musicianship. I didn’t just record albums. I took part in every step of the process, including financing, recording, designing, printing, distributing, marketing and even managing events and live performances. I wanted to learn everything I could about the music business.
WHAT EXACTLY DO STUDENTS LEARN AT MUSICPRENEUR?
We have courses related to music such as a voice training course and a piano course that students can take. But our unique proposition is our Musicpreneur diploma, an 18-month diploma programme which covers music production, music performance and music business.
IS THE MUSICPRENEUR DIPLOMA ACCREDITED?
It’s a UK-accredited diploma issued by City College Birmingham. We’re working towards getting Malaysian Qualifications Agency certification and we hope to eventually offer a degree programme. Our emphasis isn’t on academics but on arming students with real-world knowledge and experience to make it in the music industry.
ARE YOU ABLE TO HELP THEM WITH THEIR MUSIC CAREERS AFTER THEY GRADUATE?
I have another company called Serene Music Group which includes a talent agency, a music production house, a music publishing house and also a sales and marketing department. So students are able to make full use of these services to further their music career.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A YOUNG PERSON WHO WANTS TO GO INTO MUSIC TODAY?
Firstly, I’d tell them to view passion and career as two separate things. There are things they might do for passion that won’t make any money. That’s fine. They do those things for passion. But they must be made to realise that you cannot build a career on passion alone. You have to think like an entrepreneur in order to make money. That said, I always tell my students when performing on stage, don’t think about money or career. Perform with all your heart.
WOULD YOU SAY A CAREER IN MUSIC IS A TOUGH ONE?
It’s not an easy career because thanks to the Internet, nobody really buys music anymore. I have a lot of friends in music and I can safely say about 80 per cent of them are not doing well career-wise. Instead of pursuing their musical ambitions, they ended up teaching music to make ends meet. It goes to show that it’s no longer enough just to be talented musically. You have to know how to set up a website, do social media marketing, design posters and flyers; organise live performances and seek corporate sponsorship, among other things.
HAS THE INTERNET BEEN A BANE FOR MUSICIANS?
It depends how you look at it. On the one hand it has killed music sales. That’s for sure. On the other hand, anybody has a chance to become an Internet sensation. Look at how many successful YouTubers there are out there. In the past, you needed to get a recording contract in order to have a music career; today you can become a big star through your own YouTube channel.
DO YOU HAVE MP3s IN YOUR iPOD OR DO YOU STREAM MUSIC FROM SPOTIFY ON YOUR PHONE?
Neither. I normally listen to music through YouTube!
WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE MALAYSIAN ARTISTES?
Penny Tai for Chinese music and Yuna for English music.
O YOU HAVE PLANS TO RECORD AGAIN?
Actually, I have never stopped recording. It’s just that making albums is not my focus anymore. I want to build up Musicpreneur, which is just a year old. But I’m still recording music. In fact I just recorded a new single recently which I hope to release soon. In addition, I record jingles for commercials and movies. I even do backing vocals for some local artistes. In a sense I’m still a performer.