Dustin J. Elliott
Absolute Music Productions, LLC
13358 Madison Ave.
Lakewood, OH 44107

Phone: 440-781-5813
http://www.absolutemusicpro.com

Business started: 2003

Member since: December 2005

Benefits of membership:
It’s always beneficial to be a part of a group. I feel that as an arts-based business, being a member of COSE shows you are ready to progress to the next level. It puts me in a position to network and reach out to companies that may need my services. There’s no “custom music” section in the yellow pages, so I need to put myself in a position that makes me and my services as visible as possible. I feel that COSE is a strong organization that can help me achieve that goal.

How have you combined art and business:
Since 1994, I’ve been making a living in music, mostly through band jobs, touring as a performer and a few composition commissions. In 1999, I focused mainly on the composition, production and engineering aspects. With a handful of clients, I worked out of my home as a freelancer until 2002. At that point, I decided it would be best to form an actual business and build a professional facility to go for a larger share of the pro audio and music market. Absolute Music Productions, LLC was launched online in 2003 and has been going strong ever since. I’ve written music for everything from cellphone ring-tones to film soundtracks. Outside of the typical “rockstar” success there is a huge market for product and advertising music that is often overlooked by people looking for their 15 minutes of fame.

Advice:
As artists, we are essentially creating a product or providing a service just like other businesses, so we need to apply similar principles to marketing and promotion. It doesn't matter if you are selling toilet bowl plungers or hand-made pottery, you still need to let the market know you exist and how they can gain access to your wares.

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