The music business is cutthroat.

It's difficult to get started and even harder to make it big. Julianne Hintz, a 1999 MSU graduate, has already accomplished the feat as Joseph Perye, a communication senior, is just starting the path toward his goal of reaching music stardom.

Hintz, who is senior director of strategic marketing at Atlantic Records, started out at MSU working for POP Entertainment and helped bring national bands to play on campus. She said she loved being part of the management aspect of the music business.

She recently helped create an online reality show called "The Biz," which has contestants competing for the chance to begin and run their own record label. Hintz came up with the idea when she realized how interesting and fun life in the music business can be. She said she thought it should be made into a reality show because everyone else has one - so why shouldn't the music business?

"No one would want to watch a show about me and my friends, so we decided to make it into a music show," Hintz said. "We wanted to search for the next music mogul."

Once the idea was out there, Hintz said they were looking for a network to produce the show, but it just so happened that she got in contact with the new CEO of Warner Music Group Lyor Cohen instead. Cohen decided to make it an online show and they partnered with AOL to create "The Biz."

"AOL guaranteed us 30 million viewers," Hintz said. "All music revolves around the Internet right now so it makes sense to start online."

"The Biz" finished casting on Sept. 1 with 50 hopefuls from all around the United States. The show will begin broadcasting in November. Viewers can tune in via www.thebiz.com.

The 50 contestants will be narrowed down to 20 before the show debuts online, then the contestants will compete in both online and real world challenges. The top 10 finalists will be flown to New York City in October to compete for the grand prize. The judges will whittle that number down to eight through judges. Online audiences will be able to vote on the final two.

"AOL wanted edgy stuff, and this is an edgy show dealing with the music business," Hintz said. "Everyone wants to get into the industry and it's hard."

Hintz said the show also will help bring some bands up from the underground. In addition to forming their own record label, contestants will have to discover new music. The show will feature around 50 bands, she said.

Trying to make it big

Hintz has a job in the business working for a major label, but communication senior Joseph Perye knows the hard work involved with surviving in the industry.

Perye is an intern with the Career Services Center in the Communication Arts and Sciences Building and helps students who are pursuing a career in the music business. He said he was hired because of his experience and knowledge in the field.

"People think you need a deal to be a successful artist," he said. "It's better to put yourself out there independently and then look for a record deal. I realized that the best thing to do is stay independent right now."

Perye said he is an artist first, but had to start his own label in order to get attention from bigger labels - which is why he began Gator Cap Records in Detroit about a year-and-a-half ago. The 22-year-old student works out of a studio in Detroit where he pays an hourly rate.

"It's like leasing a car," he said.

For the past two years, Perye has commuted to Detroit on a near-weekly basis to work at the studio, but said he decided not to attend a college closer to the city despite the fact it would be easier; there is a big college market in the East Lansing area and he wants to tap into that, he said.

He has five people signed to his label, but runs it a little differently than the traditional way. Perye pays for the music himself, the artists don't pay him.

"I don't know if it's orthodox, but I put these artists on like an investment," he said. "If ultimately they get a record deal, I can make back what I invested. It's like investing in myself."

He copyrights everything in his name, ensuring that he's entitled to a percentage of the artist's profits if they make it big. Although the label began because he wanted to get his own music out there, Perye said the label is not just about himself anymore.

"It's about creating opportunities for my other artists," he said. It's a group effort. There is so much talent on this label."

Perye said he is part of a group called The Balfour Boyz, similar to Eminem's D-12 or Nelly's St. Lunatics. He said if one of them becomes successful, they will bring the other members in.

Perye, like Hintz, also said the Internet is becoming the best way to get music known.

"It's good to have an Internet buzz," he said. "There are so many opportunities to market your music on the Internet. People can download free mp3s and it's the popular method of marketing now."

He is releasing his own record around November, but for now people can get a taste of what's to come on www.soundclick.com/balfourboyz.

"The hardest part of the business is the financial difficulties," Perye said. "Students have lots of bills. There is so much talent out there, but many people don't have the opportunity or the means to get exposure. It costs a lot of money."

He said there's still money to be made independently and putting in the money in the beginning will always pay off in the end.

"Promotion and marketing is a big aspect where most people fail," Perye said. "Letting people know what's out there is sometimes even more important than the production process."

He also said it's best for artists starting out to do it on their own.

"That way you have the rights to your own music," Perye said. "People can screw you over. It's a shady business. You have to make sure everything is laid out on paper."

Another big part of making it in the music industry is building relationships. He said the main thing is who you know.

"You meet people on the spur of the moment, you could be at the right place at the right time," Perye said. "Networking is the key. Also, start searching for internships even if they're unpaid. You could use a major-label internship to learn how labels function and operate to start your own."

Benita Mehta can be reached at mehtaben@msu.edu.