The following list highlights 10
habits you should develop if you want to make a consistent living from your
music. I can honestly say that these habits
are the habits of successful musicians I have known and admired:
1) Find
ways to get ordinary people who love music, to love your music. We live in a time when everybody and their sister can and
does make their own music. That doesn't mean, however,
that your music has what
it takes for record labels to invest their money and time developing,
promoting, and marketing that music.
Try your music out on "music
fans" in the same way you would solicit opinions from A&R Rep. Talent
scouts in the music industry are always following tips they hear from their
street connections. But remember, your music must truly stand out in some
significant, original, dynamic, and creative way. 95% of the independently
produced CDs out there contain regurgitated ideas that were ripped off from
some other more gifted musicians.
So prove to the industry that
ordinary music fans in your city love your music.
You can do this by giving away
samples of your music and putting some of your songs on the many internet
websites that allow people to download or sample new music. If people love
something they let other people know about it. So, you can find out quickly if
your music has what it takes to please the public by giving away your music,
for a while, until there is a real demand for it. Then continue to give away
your music, but in a more controlled or limited way.(Perhaps give away a song
or two for a limited time on you website, or through MySpace and/or Facebook.)
You will sense when the time has come to control this habit and charge a reasonable
fee for access to your music.
2) Play live often and don’t worry (at
first) about getting paid for every gig. You can always tell the difference between a musician who is
in it for the money, and a musician who is in it for the music. The dedicated
musician can’t not play music every chance they get. Money-focused musicians
whine about the fact that they can't get club gigs that pay anything. If you
really think that you can make your living solely as a musician in the first
three to four years of your career, you are headed for a breakdown and
disappointment. Think about it... almost every legendary, gifted musician who
has made a mark on our culture has been a musician who struggled long and hard
at their craft, and never gave up. Eat determination for breakfast! Go
out there and play on the streets if you have to, play at schools, fairs,
festivals, do benefits to help other people and organizations. Offer your
services to non-profits, charities, church groups, and any other companies or
organizations you can think of. Hang out at clubs, look for jamming
possibilities, or start your own jam sessions. Look around your city or town
and you will see many places and venues where musicians can play. As you
establish yourself and more and more people show up at your shows, the paid
gigs will increase. Remember... play live, and then after you play
live, play live again, that’s what musicians are supposed to do.
3) Know your instrument inside-out. One
of the curious developments of the late 1970’s was the huge increase in garage
bands, punk bands, rappers, and "do-it-your-self-ers", who just
picked up an instrument, or started to sing with some friends, and 6 months
later recorded a record and began to play live. Some great music, and new directions
in music, came out of that situation. But now, 30 odd years later, the novelty
of hearing amateurish thrashings has gotten a bit dull.
Prior to late 70’s, more often than
not, the music that is our heritage was made by musicians who, from the time
they took up their instrument, worshiped at the feet of some master bluesman,
jazz player, folk legend, songwriter, or whatever. The habit of these inspired
musicians was an appetite for perfection. A need to be not just "good
enough", but GREAT. Why settle for less? Whatever developing stage you are
at, go beyond it, re-commit yourself to your instrument or voice. Take lessons,
or better yet, sit yourself down at your CD player and choose a favorite
musicians record, and listen closely to what they are playing. then re-play it,
and re-play it again. Challenge yourself to go beyond your limitations. Who
knows, maybe you will fall into some new territory, wherein you will find
yourself, your "sound", and increase your chance to stand out from
all the mediocrity that is your competition.
Believe it or not, record labels
love to hear innovative, accessible new sounds. Actually in their heart of hearts, that is what they are
really hoping to hear on every new demo, and from every new act they go see at
a live venue. You see, in the business of music, when we hear something new,
original, and accessible to people, we can then invest in you with more
security, believing that if we put our "label brand" on you, with our
talents of promotion and marketing coming to the front, then we "have
something", and your music becomes our music, and we work together to
broaden you audience appeal. It’s kinda like a partnership... something about
"Art and Commerce"... they can work together you know?!
4) Protect your investment...
register your songs for proper copyright protection.
I never cease to be amazed how few
artists are willing to spend $40 to register their songs with the Copyright
office. By the way, these folks are often the same folks who complain about not
getting paid to perform their unknown music. All I know is that when an
inventor comes up with some new product that they think will appeal to a
certain type of customer, the first thing they do is file for a patent on their
invention. The same reaction to protecting songs should be there for any
serious songwriter. If you really intend to work hard and develop your career
as a musician who writes your own songs, don’t wait too long to take care of
this simple, but essential task. If you really believe in your unique and
original music then take the time to learn the basics of copyright protection. From
the Internet to the library, there's an easy way to learn what it takes to
5) Design and write your promotional
materials so they stand out. The
topic of designing and writing effective promotional materials; bios, fact
sheets, cover letters, quote sheets, website and blog pages etc. is a lengthy
one to say the least. As far as some tips that can help musicians promote their
careers, and contribute to their getting any deal offers, is to make the promo
materials as compelling, and informative as possible. Take the time to
inventory any accomplishments, positive reviews, training and awards, past
sales, and live appearance highlights; and organize them into professional
written documents that you have saved for you website, MySpace and/or Facebook
accounts. Having done that, time also needs to be taken to research who to send
the materials to, and to ask each potential recipient what type of information
they would like to have sent to them. No "generic" kits should ever
be created. let alone sent to any gatekeepers in the music business.
6) Know the labels and music publishers
you hope to be signed to. If you were applying for a job with a certain company of
corporation, wouldn’t you take some time to ask questions about their stability
as a business, their reputation in the industry, and the executive’s background
and experience? The same is true when you are approached by any reliable music
industry company. Some musicians get so excited when a certain label approaches
them with a recording contract offer, or a publishing company offers to sign
them. Being approached for a deal is a compliment and recognition by a label or
publisher that a musician’s music is attractive to them. But, to rush ahead
without taking the time to learn a few things about them is foolish indeed. Ask...
how have they done with your particular genre of music? What specific
"points" are they offering you? Who runs the label or publishing
company? What is their reputation in the music business? How do you like them
as people? These and other questions can be crucial in making an unemotional
decision about an arrangement that could make or break your career.
7) Have your own ‘Entertainment Law
Attorney’ to represent you. The business of getting signed to any deal in the music
business has always had, has now, and will always have, the involvement of entertainment
law attorneys. No jokes will be inserted here, because any relationship between
a musician, a record label, a publisher, a merchandiser etc. will come down to
two attorneys hashing out the contract for the musician and the respective
companies involved. It should be pointed out here that when all is said in done
with the "courting" process, the musician is never present during the
actual negotiations. The musicians attorney and the music company’s attorney
meet, talk over the phone, and fax/email or snail mail their offers and
counter-offers amongst themselves. This fact serves to remind you that choosing
a reputable, ethical, well respected attorney with lots of deal-making
experience within the music industry is an absolute necessity for any serious
musician who wishes to fight the good fight in the legal arena.
8) Choose a well-connected and
respected personal manager. Great artist managers are becoming a thing of the past.
Self-management is always a valid option in the developing stages of establishing
your career as a musician. Much can be learned by taking on the jobs of
securing gigs, getting some publicity, planning tours, dealing with personal
issues that arise within the band, and schmoozing with A&R Reps and various
other label and publishing personnel. However, there comes a time, usually when
the daily tasks of doing the business of being a band takes up too much time,
and it is at this time that the services of a good manager can be very useful.
I have always felt that if any musician or band has worked hard to establish
their career, and achieved a modicum of success, they will have a better chance
to "attract" the services of a professional, well-connected and
respected manager.
Managers who do this job for a
living can only take on clients that generate income. Making money as a personal manager is no easy task, and
many upcoming artists forget that if any monenies are to be generated from
their music, it can takes years for the flow of that income to be reliably
there. So, as a band develops self-management, or gets help from intern/student
manager-wannabees, this can help pave the road for professional management.
Over the years I have heard several
horror stories about "managers" that approach upcoming acts and say
that for X amount of dollars, they can do such and such for the artist. No...
this is not the way legit personal managers work. Well-connected and respected
personal managers get paid a negotiated fee for their services (get it in
writing) for any and all business transactions they are responsible for
(15%-25%) over a particular contract period. No musicians should ever pay a fee
to a so-called "manager" who will not do any work UNLESS they are
paid up front. Flim-Flam men and women still abound in this business... be forewarned.
One of the most important jobs of a
manager is to secure recording and publishing contracts for their clients, this
is why it is so essential to choose well connected and well respected managers.
The music business is a "relationship" business. Who know who,
and who can get to know who, and who did what successfully for who... is what
this management game is all about. Choose carefully those people who will be
representing you in any business dealings.
9) Don’t take advice from anyone
unless you know that they know what they are talking about. At
the beginning of this article I stated that these 10 tips were just my comments
from years of dealing with the business itself and many musicians. Everybody
has their own list of Do's and Don'ts and the only real value they have is that
they present you with "opinions" about what to do to get established
as a musician.
To be quite candid, the best rules
in the music business comes from the experience of building your own career; learning from your own interactions with the gatekeepers at
labels, the media, management, and booking companies as to what is right or
wrong for you. For every Do or Don’t there is an exception to a so-called
"rule". As I reflect on the advice I sought out and listened-to over
the years, the most valid tips came from people who walked the walk, and talked
the talk. If you feel that the source you have contacted knows what they are
talking about, and has had first hand experience doing what you want to learn
about, that is the only feedback that might stand up over time. Choose
carefully.
10) Musician...Educate yourself! If
you want a record deal, learn what a record deal is, and learn something about
the business of music. Naive or mis-informed musicians are a menace to themselves.
Enough already!
Over the decades there have been
countless stories of musicians who were ripped off by their record labels and
music publishing companies. Why? Exploitation was the name of the game for a
long time. Keeping musicians in the dark was standard business practice.
However, the past has passed, and today any musicians who sign a record
contract (and learns later what he or she signed) have only themselves to
blame. Even 20 years ago, it wasn’t that easy to gain access to the inner
workings of the music business. (There are more letters in the word business
than in the word music.)
Today there are dozens of
outstanding books available on every conceivable topic related to the business
of music. They can be found in bookstores, libraries, and through the Internet.
In addition, there are many schools that now offer 2- 4 year programs on the
business of music. Seminars, and workshops are available on a year round basis
in most major American cities. Consultants, Attorneys, and Business
Organizations are all around and so it is only myth, superstition,
stubbornness, and immaturity that stand in the way of any musician making a
commitment to educating themselves about the business that exists to exploit
their music.
I cannot stress how important I feel
this issue is. I am here to tell you, one and all, that you have been told many
things about music that you did believe. "Spend money on quality
instruments and equipment"... you have done that. "Spend time and
money on practicing and rehearsing", you have done that, for the most
part."Spend time and money finding the best recording studio, producer and
engineer you can"... you have done that. "Spend time and money
learning all you can about the business of music"... well, no one told you
to do that did they?!
It has been said about education
that we don’t know anything until someone tells us. If that is true, the fault
in "not telling" musicians that they MUST spend some time and money
on educating themselves on music business issues is the fault of the
businessmen and women who kept their clients uninformed. (Ignorance IS bliss as
far as the old guard of music executives are concerned). But, KNOWLEDGE IS
BLISS should be the byword for the musician of the new millennium. Please...spend
some time and money educating yourselves about the music business, a few hours
now, can protect your future forever!
Sincerely
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