JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum IAIRA - Who are they and what does this mean ????

I received an email stating this:


"ARTIST: Justice
CURRENT RELEASE: Pressure
CIN: 20100157110
CHART POSITION:14
*****************************************
Dear Justice,
The International Association of Independent Recording Artists, IAIRA, recognizes and honors artistic achievement, technical proficiency, and overall excellence in sound recording by monitoring chart activity as published in various reporting charts from around the world. According to our research, on 07/24/2010 the above referenced release; Pressure, by Justice, had attained The Number 14 Position on at least one of the charts monitored and verified by IAIRA. On the basis of that research, IAIRA has qualified the aforementioned release as eligible for Certification as an International 'Top 15'.
On behalf of the entire IAIRA staff and the Recording Arts Community at large, please accept our most sincere Congratulations and Best Wishes for your continued success!
Sincerely,

IAIRA Research Team"

What does it mean and who is IAIRA? Legit / or what?

Tom

Tom I just answered a similiar post by another JPF member-in the Musician Forum

not to burst your bubble-but these folks dont look very impressive to me overall.....they have moved from Nashville to Virginia Beach,Virginia........regrouping or retreating or whatever cause though Virginia Beach is a major Navy town and beach resort city-it isnt a major media center.......their new strategy may work for their survival-but I aint sure what it will do for you-or Justice....so I would be real skeptical about them myself...........I spent 7 years in Virginia Beach before moving to Nashville-and though I miss it alot-it just isnt a major music/media center.......so thats my opinion for what its worth........

best of luck to you and Justice........


Tom

The following is from Wikipedia. I think you can expect a bill for Certification in the not too distant future.........

IAIRA
This article does not cite any references or sources.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2010)
The International Association of Independent Recording Artists
IAIRA Official Logo
Industry Recording Arts
Genre Recording Industry Resource
Founded Nashville, TN, U.S. (2006 (2006))
Headquarters Virginia Beach, VA, USA, Surigao City, Philippines, U.S.
Parent IAIRA, LLC.
Website [1]www.iaira.com

IAIRA is the acronym for the International Association of Independent Recording Artists. Throughout the world International Association of Independent Recording Artists recognizes and honors artistic achievement, technical proficiency, and overall excellence in sound recording. IAIRA certification is issued without regard to advertisement, political prowess, subjective interpretation, or personal opinion. IAIRA extensively researches various credible reporting charts and certifies the chart position attained by a specific work released by entities not affiliated with major record companies. IAIRA is dedicated to share the art and creativity of the Independent Recording Arts with the world. Certification is not automatic; for an award to be made, the record label must request certification and pay a fee to have the sales of the recording audited. The audit is conducted against actual chart position.
Presently, an IAIRA certified release is a single or album that has attained significant chart position on an internationally recognized reporting chart. Originally, the requirement for a IAIRA certification was Top Ten and Number 1. In 2009, IAIRA began recognizing top 100 releases. Reflecting growth in the independent recording market, in 2010 the GOLD Seal Certification was reserved exclusively for IAIRA certified Number 1 Releases. Because of these changes in criteria, the award level associated with a particular award depends on when the award was made.
Nielsen SoundScan figures are not used in IAIRA certification; IAIRA conducts its own actual audits of internationally recognized charts as published and verifies chart position manually. This system has allowed, at times, for record labels to promote an album as certified simply based on large promotion budgets.
[edit] Mission Statement

IAIRA strives to:

1. Heighten awareness of the Independent Recording Arts and its impact on the recording and entertainment industry at large.
2. Serve as a trustworthy, unbiased repository for historical information, while providing a forum for industry leadership dialogue toward its goals.
3. Support its on-going growth by recognizing artistic achievement, technical proficiency, and overall excellence in sound recording without regard to advertisement, political prowess, subjective interpretation, or personal opinion.
4. IAIRA is dedicated to share the art and creativity of the Independent Recording Arts with the world.
5. We will continue the tradition of leadership and professionalism, promoting the Recording Arts, and recognizing excellence in all its forms.
6. While fostering a spirit of community and sharing, we will respect and encourage creativity and the unique contributions of all.
7. IAIRA will be a place to celebrate success and find information to aid in the pursuit thereof. We will take risks, embrace change, and always exceed the expectations of those we serve.

thanks Colin

YIKES!

nice scam they got going-putting you on a indie chart they run -then billing you

no way Amigo!

ADIOS IAIRA!

Tom

It makes me mad that many songwriters/writers are targeted by so many scam artists. We are all just trying to do music, and maybe be heard, and we don't need the added aggravation...but it comes along with it, I suppose. Everyone wanting to make a buck...for nothing

Kim

Scam, Scam, Scam, Scam,
Noting but a money makin' plan.
Boot, boot, boot, boot
They just be after the loot.

Tom

Thank you for your opinions and I understand your concerns but I can assure you that our organization isn’t a scam. We are an independent third party verification source that helps solidify the achievement of recording artists by providing unbiased documentation of significant chart position. Our membership is FREE and you will find on our website a lot of useful information. I will make an agreement with you…I will certify your song for free and send you the certification. The only request that I have is that once you receive the documentation determine for yourself if we are running a scam and if you feel that we are not please blog how you feel about IAIRA and the certification. I implore you to visit our website (http://iaira.com/) or contact us directly (877.804.8938) should you have any questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to assist you.

Welcome to JPF, IAIRA:

You can probably guess that our membership of songwriters and artists are constantly bombarded by all manner of schemes designed to relieve us of our limited cash resources. Glad to see your rebuttal. I also expect you will be receiving a note from our founder, Brian Austin Whitney real soon to review details about your organization and operation.

Anyone associated with the music biz must eventually make money or they won't stay in business long... otherwise, you must have unlimited resources and deep pockets. Colin was nice enough to provide a clickable link to your site and I'm sure many of us will be visiting soon... once we have an "all clear" signal from Brian. Forgive our caution and concern. I hope you will participate here often and look forward to learning even more about how your organization functions.

welcome to JPF IAIRA

but why dont you identify who in the organization you are?

we always do

Tom

That was impolite of me for not introducing myself and I am sorry. My name is Ryan, Administrative Assistant.

thanks very much Ryan

nice to know who we are talking to

Tom

Hello ALL: My name is Mark Carman. I am the founder of IAIRA. I want to address some of the questions that are poppong up about IAIRA. First, there is no bill following the IAIRA certification letter. It is simply a notification of our research and a modest means of giving you respect and letting you know that an accomplishment is recognized.

I have worked in the music industry at the highest level including for nearly 30 years. During that time I have been a part of the creation of more than 2200 recordings. Many of those have earned great aclaim including Grammys, CMA, GMA, and other awards. In the 1980's I served as Director of Operations for CASHBOX Magazine and was responsible for the oversight of bothe the charts as well as the editorial of the publication. I hosted the Nashville Music awards in 1989 and was a part of the selection board for the American Music Awards.

I am presently a member of the Recording Academy (The Grammys), The CMA (Country Music Association), The GMA (Gospel Music Association (Dove Awards) I am signatory to the The American Federation of Musicians producers agreement and serve on numerous advisory boards pertaining to the recording and entertainment industry.

I will not "Name Drop" but suffice it to say, I still provide consulting services to a a few Grammy, CMT, AMA, ACM, and other award winning rtists and their management staff.

In May of this year I was invited to attend a conference and taping at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville featuring Joe Galante and Naomi Judd (http://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/calendar/view/1346?month=05&day=15&year=2010) During the conference we discussed the "Future of Music". By all accounts, the business is migtating toward independence and away from major recording labels. Presently there is no real voice for the independent artist, label, publisher, etc. That is why we made the decision to take IAIRA to a more universal platform and attempt (attempt being the operative term) to build an organization that will eventually be just that.

On our site, we offer a lot of information for free. As we move forward, I will continue to upload more and more information including some 100 or so indusrty forms, letters, contracts, etc, which will be FREE.

As for certification. The certification cost $20.00 and each original certificate is $11.50. You can't hardly print out the CHART AND FRAME IT FOR THAT. We are mostly volunteer and make what money we do from sponsored links and advertising. I also make money from my royalties, consulting fees, and lecture engagements. We also work within the industry as musicians, writers, publishers, etc.

Our vision for the future is to upload video lectures by particular subject matter and again, provide that for FREE.
Now if you can find a scam in that please let me know.

Everyone may not agree that it is useful and I don't blame you for being cautious. In fact this has brought to mind an idea to add to IAIRA. What is your opinion about forming a "Watch-Dog" pannel to help expose some of the rip-off crap that is out there preying upon the dreams of creative people. And would YOU be willing to serve in that capacity?

If we can grow this organization large enough, it can become a powerful voice in the industry and in the lawmaking process.

The internet has become a leveler of the playing field. But, it does not simply make it equitable for everyone because of a lack of knowledge. When you are competing with a major record you are competing with a staff, not just the music. Collectively, an organization such as IAIRA can become a knowledge bank to combat that STAFF.

I am open for dialouge, questions, comments, answers, suggestions, whatever.

Please feel free to contact me directly if you like.

I am also planning a webinar (FREE) to address some of these concerns.


Mark

You can tell I wrote this mysel instead of hasing my exec assistant Ryan to do it because of all the typos! Lol If you need clarification, fell free to email. I will arrange phone calls if you leave me your number. email me here info@iaira.us.

Mark, it would be helpful if you would include more information in the email that you send artists notifying them of the chart position. In the email you sent to me (for Justice) you said that her song, Pressure, was number 14 on a chart but you did not identify the chart.

As noted above, we see a lot of questionable come-ons and approach things rather sceptically.

I applaud you sending your messages here and addressing the concerns. I will send you and email.

Thanks

Tom Shea

I sent Mark an email requesting he let me know what chart Justice's song was on. I will keep the group informed.

Tom

Thanks for your clarification(s), Ryan and Mark:

In today's difficult music biz environment, it is refreshing to know you have enough "moxey" to come back and explain more details about yourselves and your operation.

I'm unqualified to comment on your business model but I wish you success. Nothing ventured... nothing gained. I know that many of us will be looking forward to more posts from you... and to follow up on Tom Shea's experience with you. Thanks again.

Dave

Tom,

According to our records, on Sat, 24 Jul 2010 07:31:24 PM the Song "Pressure" by Justice was at number 14 on Indie-Music.com.

Also, I have just finished a meeting where I have directed the IT to make the initial contact notice more informative. Also we will be offering a PDF version of an Award Letter for FREE.

Thank you Tom for being an advocate for the industry. Any other comments you may have pleasew send them on.

Lastly, we will soon be forming a member advisory board similar to the CMA advisory board. We will be looking for folks just like you.

Keep in touch,

Mark

Hey Mark,

Could you tell us how many streams/downloads that represents ?

Unfortunatly, the numbers are tiny compared with regular airplay.

Don't get me wrong here, I think you're a strong advocate of indie music, but let's face it..... even the smallest of regular stations will broadcast to 5k people in 3 1/2 minutes. It takes me more than a month to get that many streams. ( I choose IACmusic.com and Tunecore.com to distribute my tunes )

Can a ranking really be given on the basis of one website alone ?

cheers, niteshift

Dear Collin:

I certainly appreciate your concern. As a result of your posting, I have issued a clarification of the IAIRA certification process.

Wikipedia has been corrected with a clearer explaination of the IAIRA certification.

IAIRA will begin to offer a FREE certification letter upon request. The free version will be delivered via email as a PDF doc. A hard copy version of the letter will be sent with a fee of less than $10.00 plus postage. Keep in mind, the board of education, the bank, the DMV, all have a small fee associated with documents. It just covers our admin cost and gives us a little operating funds for the office staff.

The Certificates are simply a commemorative. They are a really nice, I mean very nice, certificate, transcript(on security paper), and presentation folder. No more or more less than framing a copy of your CD or a print-out of your chart. We charge $31.50 for the first one $11.50 for each additional true original. We do not offer copies only duplicate originals.

I certainly understand your concerns and would not expect you to participate in the activities any organization that is contrary to your beliefs or that is not in your best interests.
However, if after you have completed your due diligence you find that IAIRA is something that does fit your philosophy, Get involved!

Thanks for your comments. You help make us better.


Mark Carman
Chief Operating Officer
IAIRA
info@iaira.com

Please give me a little more info and I will try to oblige. Artist, Song, etc or CIN Number.

Hey Mark,

Ok, how about, KAW Creation - "Linda Lou", ISRC USTC00964593

Anything showing up ?

cheers, niteshift

I am looking, I don't see anything in the system. My ex-ast, Ryan will research it again when he returns from lunch. Would you please email him your request at ryan.holly@iaira.us

Thanks,


Mark

Dang !

Even got some airplay in Brazil, Aruba, Argentina and Russia. Not to mention Florida also. Small, but meaningful to an indie.

Not even on the radar huh ? Oh well, back to the depths of dispair.

cheers, niteshift

Now, just because "IIIII" cant find it means nothing. I am old. I can barely operate my cell phone! Let me have a staffer dig a little deeper.

Welcome Mark

and thank you for all the in-depth information in your responses.....sorry I jumped the gun-we all try to look out for each other in this shark ridden business but theres no better site to be in once we know something is legit and pro-indie writers........your personal and organizational credentials are indeed very impressive and you answered alot of our concerns...my apologies and again welcome to JPF....we hope you like it here and we do strongly support those who help us in our efforts........thanks for that.......

Tom

Mark, I too am impressed with your forth-right discussion. I also think that your prices are reasonable. Your business model looks reasonable and you are offering something of value.

Thanks much

Tom (and Justice)

I checked out Indie-music.com, where I had signed up a couple months ago. They are legitimate. The JPF logo even appears at the top of their home page. It is difficult to tell how wide their audience is.

Pressure was ranked number 14 (per IAIRA) but there have only been 18 total song plays. So, it appears in this case, it does not mean much. Of course, IAIRA is just reporting what is reported to them. I am sure they cannot do a screening of each report to determine the significance.

I still think that IAIRA seems legitimate and provides a good service - just that in this one case it does not mean much.

Tom

Hello Tom

Just a side note. I have sent a request to become a mentor. I have a bank of knowledge, forms, contracts, etc., and access to some real heavy hitters if I dont have an answer.

Hey Tom,

No 14 from 18 plays ? Oh heck, that doesn't say much for the "certification" system on offer.

I think it makes for very expensive wallpaper.

cheers, niteshift

Ps - 17 of those clicks were from me, cos I liked your song so much. ( kidding )

You're right. We will re-visit that chart for its charting meathodology. We don't create the charts we only report on them. We've only been reporting on that particular chart for about a week and it appears that although legitimate, their charts are not really representetive of "significant" activity.

Ours is an evolving process as we move away from "paper" charts and without your feedback, positive as well as negative, we cannot measure our reletivity in the market.

Thank You

Hello all. I thought I would introduce myself. My name is Mike Alden and I am the director of media and marketing for IAIRA. I was recently brought on board to accomplish several objectives. Along with the normal marketing duties that I have preformed for most of my career I am tasked with finding new and innovative ways for independent artists to promote their careers in a cost effective if not free manner. Frankly this objective was my main reason for taking the job. It is what makes this job new and exciting.

Out of all the senior personnel at the company I have the least music industry exposure. What I bring to the table is a lengthy resume of marketing experience in various industries. Per our charter I hope to give the independent artists a way to level the playing field. There are some exciting things coming over the next few months. Keep an eye on the IAIRA website.

So that’s my intro now I want to talk about some of the things brought up in this thread and keep in mind my thoughts come from the marketing side as I have the artistic creativity of a slide rule.

It was brought up that the IAIRA might have made a poor choice in relocating from Nashville to Virginia Beach for its U.S. operations. If our business was focused on the established music industry I would agree that a Music Row address would be the ticket. However our clients (you) are independents from all over the world representing all forms of music in an electronic age. True centralization of the music industry is quickly becoming a thing of the past. The business truly is in the midst of a revolution.

So why Virginia Beach? Why not. As was said before it is a great place to live and for me an even better place to visit when business requires me to come to the home office. I look forward to a little beach time.

Nightshift made the wallpaper comment. From an artist point of view I would agree that a number 14 ranking on what may or may not be a relevant chart hardly seems worth bothering with. After all if that sites charts don’t get enough traffic to be relevant they my not even be part of IAIRA’s tabulations in the future.

Now as a marketing guy I see things a whole different way. I see an opportunity to promote my song. I can now release multiple press releases letting the world know that my song is out there and on the way up. I can literally drive traffic to my song raising my music’s relevance along with the chart where it was posted. And if all the stars align I might even sell some of my songs but even more important than all of that I am establishing myself with media presence. The IAIRA website has all the tools to do it and it costs nothing to utilize it.

To do what you guys do you have to be an artist. To do it and be successful you have to know how to promote your self at every opportunity unless you have the bucks to hire the people that do. IAIRA is there mostly for the ones who’s pockets may not be so deep.

A bit lengthy but hey, that’s what I do.

Thanks

Lets see... they've got a Mark... and now they have a Mike... I wonder if the secretary there is named "Mindy"... LOL!

Tom, this has been an interesting thread... and Mike, thanks for "weighing in" on this for us. (Welcome to JPF)

I doubt if I'll ever have a need for your services (I'm just too old and ugly... LOL!) but at least now, I know you exist in the city where "Alabama" began to soar to the top of everyone's charts. It can happen again, you know!

Best wishes to all,

Dave

Well the Bama boys got their "break" in Myrtle Beach. We are a few beaches north of there. The only reason I know this is because Mark penned a few of their songs over the years.

AS to being old and ugly that is a condition that seems to catch up with most of us. Fortunately IAIRA only concerns itself with the music. We leave the fashion shows to the big labels.

I personally shall be hoping to hear again from you folks when one of Justice's songs hits on a bigger chart.

Tom

Hey M&M,

Welcome again to JPF.

Well, Ok, I checked out your organisation, had a good look around.

First impression ? I'm getting a feeling it's lacking substance and credability. ( Don't mind me, I'm not slow in coming foward LOL )

I don't knock anyone who promotes indie music and artists, but the general impression I'm getting is a company set up for it's own purpose. Why ? Just a couple of points.......

* The bios of the 2 main players allude to industry involvement without specifics. When I see "Grammy", I'd like to see which, what and where. When I see "Cashbox", well, that's been a strange troubled entity for awhile. To be "associated with" or "involved" ( as everyone has ) without more detailed information could mean anything.

* Sponsors. Are they really sponsers, or advertisers ? There's a big difference. JPF for example, has real sponsors, that provide contra deals for the membership here. Does running an ad from Sony, make Sony a sponsor ?

* Membership - there are no known members displayed who are "proud to be associated with" IAIRA. Is it a slip in marketing, or a failure to attract substantive independent interest ?

* There is no overview of how "certification" is achieved. Airplay ? , streaming ? downloads ? and which companies supply statistical information in order to achieve ranking. Are they well regarded ? And if so wouldn't they want their "charts" and back links on your site ?

I guess I'm just not seeing a statiscally valid model here. Just a collection of publically avalable data, which is way off in terms of validity.

Example - 1 spin on a small regional station, would in my opinion outrank a "chart" position on a small internet site any day.

At the moment, I'm seeing the site as a "service" site which is all too common. Give out a shiny certificate, for lack of performance, and make everyone feel good. And perhaps make the small indie with a few streams of his song, pay for the privelidge as well.

Welcome again to JPF. Being at the bottom of the musical sh*t heap, we're a tough bunch, but fair. Please persuade me otherwise, that your own interests are not paramount here.

Your thoughts ?

cheers, niteshift

I guess I will try and take these one at a time.
“The bios of the 2 main players allude to industry involvement without specifics.”
Very true and I agree with you. Mark and Franks feelings were that a bunch of name dropping and who knows who would just turn people off. After all our audience is intended to be independents not to impress established industry people. Myself, I am a shameless promoter. I will bend their ear on this and see if we can’t satisfy everyone’s need to know.
“Sponsors. Are they really sponsers, or advertisers ?”
We use a combination of both just like we use a combination of paid employees and volunteers. A huge amount of resources have been and are being put into this. The goal is eventually to get IAIRA self-sustaining. I really don’t see how this is different from JPF. We both want to provide services to the community without losing our houses in the process.
“Membership - there are no known members displayed who are "proud to be associated with" IAIRA.”
First and foremost we value the privacy of our membership. If any of our members would like to step into the light and volunteer an endorsement just email me and I will see if we can’t have a member endorsement page. From my point of view this is another great opportunity for us to do some name dropping but I have an uphill battle there. I will see what I can do.
“There is no overview of how "certification" is achieved.”
Good point. I will see if we can’t get some clarification on the web site. In short IAIRA uses online services where independents post their music. It is based on plays at that site. This is an evolving process as we determine which sites have significant relevance to independent producers of music. As to back linking to the charts used we have no interest in being in bed with those companies as we see this as a potential conflict.
“1 spin on a small regional station, would in my opinion outrank a "chart" position on a small internet site any day.”
Perhaps so, but it would be next to impossible to quantify at this time. In the future who knows?
“At the moment, I'm seeing the site as a "service" site which is all too common. Give out a shiny certificate, for lack of performance, and make everyone feel good. And perhaps make the small indie with a few streams of his song, pay for the privelidge as well.”
We are a service site. What makes us different is the vast majority of our content is free to the member. What we do charge money for is we feel inexpensive and certainly voluntary to purchase. The last part of your statement just plain perplexes me. I explained earlier in this thread what I believe the marketing value can be if used correctly. As to those who pay only to make themselves feel good why not? A couple beers make me feel good and they are rarely free. Value is in the eyes of the beholder as well as need.
“Welcome again to JPF. Being at the bottom of the musical sh*t heap, we're a tough bunch, but fair. Please persuade me otherwisw, that your own interests are not paramount here.”
We are happy to represent ourselves here on JPF. I myself tend to be a bit blunt sometimes but I do not ever mean to be offensive (ok maybe once in awhile). As for Frank and Mark IAIRA is a project of passion that has been evolving for several years. We will always strive to meet the members needs and to address their concerns. We also realize we will not always succeed. We will not be a fit for everyone but we are there for those that need us.

Hey Mike,

Thank you for your detailed rssponse. I think this sums it up for me.



Time for a coldie I think.

Although I value what you're trying to do, and passion aside, I'm still getting the impression that this a venture created to meet the own personal desires of it's directors.

If I could compare and contrast with the Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR), for example ( you've noted that I'm Australian by now I guess ) http://www.air.org.au/ , you'll see a world of difference.

AIR's Mission Statement - AIR is a national industry association, proactively serving and representing the interests and development of Australian independent recording labels across Australia and the world.

Their charts are calculated as follows http://www.aircharts.com.au/about-the-charts/how-the-air-charts-are-compiled

All above board, and almost all indie labels are represented. And soon, small self release artists will be able to join as well.

So, I can join AIR, a professional industry body, or I can join IAIRA.

On the basis of the information provided on both websites, as a recording artist, which would you join ?

I think you may have a good business model ( perhaps ) but I'm getting a pretty clear impression of whose interests are being served the most.

cheers, niteshift