Today is Independence Day in the United States, so I thought it was a great time to ask the question...
What does "independent" mean to you?
I'm not asking for any kind of "flag waving" or political answer... I want to know why you choose to release your music independently what that means to you as a creative person.
Leave answers below...
Yesterday, I got notice that Performing Songwriter magazine is shutting its doors. Over the years, I've started (and ended) dozens of big projects, companies, and relationships, so I can totally relate to the emotions she mentions. Even when it's time to move on, and doing so is a very clear decision, it's never black and white.
Of course, quitting isn't really an end to things; it's a opportunity for something new.
For more thoughts on the subject, check out 10 Signs It's Time to Quit Your Band.
It always amazes me at how many musicians say they want to make a living doing music, yet have every excuse in the world for why they aren't doing the necessary things to make it happen, such as playing gigs, for example.
For whatever reason, if you can't find a club to play in, create one yourself. Can't find a band to back you up? Create it yourself...
See myspace.com/dubafex for more info on this guy.
Thoughts? Leave them below...
Gave a talk on radio syndication last week and a guy in the audience asked me if I had ever had any ideas that didn't work.
The answer is in this short video...
Take 8 minutes and 19 seconds to watch it. When you're done, post your biggest failure below...
NOTE: I'm not the author is this, but feel it's a great lesson for this blog...especially for those who got into this business in order to pursue a certain lifestyle or because they love playing music.
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.
"Not very long," answered the Mexican.
"Then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.
The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life."
The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."
"And after that?" asked the Mexican.
"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."
"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.
"Twenty or twenty-five years," replied the American.
"And after that?"
"Afterwards? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"
"Millions? Really? And after that?" said the Mexican.
"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife, and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."
And the moral is: Know where you're going in life ... you may already be there.
Thoughts? Post 'em below...
I've received some interesting comments via email about my interview with Eric Hutchinson, where he talks about losing his record deal and getting another, better record deal...with the same label!
One that just came in: "This guy must be lucky."
Thomas Jefferson had this to say about the subject...
"I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it."
So I agree. Eric Hutchinson is lucky.
Thoughts? Post 'em below...
SXSW is about six weeks away. Today, I was thinking about how much things have changed since I first attended in 1998.
Read some comments by Joe Taylor Jr. about wanting it more than ever, so here are some thoughts to go with his...
The music business is changing. Beyond any changes in how the business is run though, this industry is still something that, like many things, requires effort to get the rewards from. There is no "reaction" without the action.
In 1998, there were a ton of music conferences. Sponsorship was heavy, thanks to a strong tech industry, and every company with a "dot com" at the end of its name had money to spend.
I started my company in 1995, while still in college. By 1998, I was off and running, but certainly not comfortable. It's not that I wasn't making money...the issue was that I was spending it was fast as it came in, testing new strategies like crazy and doing whatever it took to grow things for both me and my clients.
I remember leaving Nashville to attend an industry event, about 1000 miles away, with $.11 in my bank account. It's uncomfortable, no matter how you slice it, but very uncomfortable when the friends you're meeting there are either living on venture capital money or collecting fat salaries from major labels.
While I was there, one of these friends, a successful manager, asked me if I wanted to join her and some friends for a meal...at Denny's. Thankfully, when I called my bank to check the balance of my account, I'd just received a $30 electronic deposit and was able to cover my food.
No money can be stressful. When you don't have a net, you make sure things work the first time or you're out of business. The "do or die" experiences I had early in my career are absolutely a major reason for my success at marketing.
Being able to do things on a small budget works well for you when the "big budget" finally comes around. The opposite doesn't happen though...and this is why most of the guys who were around in the mid-1990s, when I first started, are doing other things now.
A lot of people are complaining about the economy. A lot of people are agitated that major labels no longer have the big budgets they once did.
You should be thankful for this. It wipes out the people who aren't serious and don't really want it.
Never ask for things to be easier. Instead, ask yourself what you can do to become better.
There is a great opportunity right now for all of us to become better. It's easy to succeed when the wind blows us that way, but much harder when things shift. But shifting winds can also be a great advantage to you, if you know how to set your sail and work with them.
Derek Sivers just forwarded me this article on "Radical Honesty" in Esquire. Strangely enough, just got back from a few days in Los Angeles, where I talked about the concept with several people.
For those new to it, the concept of "Radical Honesty" comes from a self-improvement program developed by Brad Blanton, which challenges people to give up their addiction to lying. Since 2005, we've been practicing it weekly on Music Business Radio during the "demo review" section of the show...sort of.
From my experience, while "Radical Honesty" might work great in theory, it's not something that can be practiced 100% of the time in day-to-day life. I think the demo review section of Music Business Radio is a great example of that.
We review, on average, about 5-7 songs per episode. Most of the time, not all of those reviews make the final edit. This is due to a number of things, mostly timing issues. As a show on broadcast radio, we've only got an hour and the show has to be edited down to the second. This causes some content to get cut.
Sometimes, reviews are edited not because of timing issues, but because the music we get is so bad, and the reviews so bad, we choose not to air them.
For example, we once taped a show with a very prominent manager whose comments could be summarized something like, "Hey, [name of artist], Starbucks is hiring."
And that's just one example... While most of our guests are extremely nice, with good advice that will actually help an artist, even if the demo is bad, some just want a chance to play "Simon Cowell" for a few minutes.
Would it be entertaining? To some, yes. Funny? To some, yes.
Would it serve the music business community? Probably not.
Our job is to give good advice, which will help musicians who send us their music. It's to help further careers, not bruise egos or discourage people.
Criticism can be a valuable tool for growth. Honesty is an essential part of a healthy relationship. How far does it go though?
Mothers everywhere will tell you, "If you can't say something nice, don't say it at all."
How do you feel about this when it comes to a music review being heard by tens of thousands of people?
Would you want a "Don't quit your dayjob"-style review broadcast or otherwise distributed for the world to hear?
Leave comments below...
When Smart cars were first released in the US, there was a long waiting list to get one. Supply couldn't keep up with demand.
The wait is now over. I now see them everywhere and have been considering getting one.
When I tell people this, the first question they ask is, "What about safety?"
It's a reasonable question. After all, the car is small.
But small doesn't mean that it's not safe. And just the opposite is true. A bigger car doesn't necessarily mean a safer car. Look up the safety records of SUVs and you'll see what I mean.
Perception is not always reality. If you're working a dayjob, you may feel safe, but you've got a lot less actual security than the average working musician.
When you work for yourself, you can never get fired. Yes, you can go broke, but it's all your fault if that happens. If you're working for somebody else, you can be fired in a minute...for reasons that you have absolutely nothing to do with.
Can you find another job? Sure. But what happens if you've gotten so comfortable in your current situation that you've atrophied and have no skills anybody else would have use for? That happens all the time.
Not here to scare you... Just making the point that you may not have the safety and security that you think.
If you're a working musician, you've got to keep up your skill set. If you don't, you'll stave. There's not "safety net" of a weekly paycheck, which comes regardless of whether you do any real work or hang out by the water cooler all day.
If you're not providing value when you're a working musician, you're not making money.
That may scare you, but believe me, it's not nearly as scary as giving control of your life to somebody else.
If you're looking at quitting your job this year and "lack of security" is one of your fears, take a look at that. Your current situation might be less secure than going out on your own.
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