Stop Whining and Start Working

I have a problem with many of the musicians I meet. Simply stated - they tell me that they want to make music their career; but in conversation it is apparent that they are completely unwilling to work to make that career happen. They want someone to do it for them. If I suggest some DIY steps they could take, they tell me that it is too much work. If I suggest resources on the internet (blogs, free books) they tell me they don't read much. They whine and say that if only they could get signed to a label or if only they could get a manager; then they could "concentrate on their career". In other words - what they want to do is play music and live what they think the musician's life is.

Serious reality check - it isn't like that. Particularly for you - the Canadian indie musician. Managers and labels only want to work with artists who are doing all of the things to create success for themselves. They want to work with artists who are committed to their career. But if you aren't willing to do it - they don't want to work with you. And I am at the point where I won't even give a few minutes of my time to the whiners.

This is a prime example of what I am talking about. I was running a FACTOR jury and chatting at a break with another juror about the fabulous opportunities available to musicians today. She shared what one of the artists she works with had done - which was a great idea. I mentioned the artist on Twitter with 800,000 followers who does what she calls 'couch sessions'. Her followers suggest a song she should cover, she learns the song, videos herself singing it, and posts it on YouTube. Another juror (a musician) joined the conversation to say that both of our ideas "sounded like a lot of work". That's not the first time I have heard a musician say that and it probably won't be the last time.

Your career is yours to make. That's the beauty of the industry in its current state. However, you are going to have to WORK at it. If you don't want to - fine. Then music is your hobby.

But if you are serious and want to do things to build your career - I suggest you follow this project - http://blog.artistshousemusic.org/post/137058530/indieartistx
Some music industry professionals/bloggers in the USA have joined forces to:

The goal of the Indie Artist X Project is to develop a basic, actionable music marketing plan designed around simple strategy, prioritization of tactics, tools and a reasonable budget that can be implemented by any indie artist who has the inclination to follow it.

The musician at the centre of the project is an indie artist with the goal of making music his full-time career. Why not use this as a research template for your career? Stop whining and start working. Once you do that - you will realize there are a lot of people who will help you.

More on the Need to Plan

"Bands need to learn to create a plan, set goals, create roles within the band where everyone takes ownership of part of the process and has a job description". Great interview/blog post with the founder of http://musicnomad.com/. (Link to the full blog post below).

Personally, after three years in the industry and 'knowing' this because of an extensive business background, it is nice to get some validation through the many, many music industry blogs that abound now. The music business is a business. If you are going to put a price on something and sell it - you are in business. The music industry is not exempt from that because it is creative. If you want success, then you need business basics. Visioning, planning, and executing that plan. Each and every day.

“This new music business will require a new level of business sophistication. So the artists who learn the business and have a good business head will be the ones who survive and thrive.”

If music is your hobby - then it can still benefit by being treated as a business, but it doesn't need to be treated that way. If you aren't relying on your music industry income to live; then it is less of a necessity. There is nothing wrong with having music as a career or as a hobby. What becomes problematic is when you say you want a career, but you don't want to treat music as a business. Get clear with yourself. If you want a career, set goals, make a plan, and then execute the plan. Live that plan ... every day.

http://www.examiner.com/x-16453-Salt-Lake-City-Entertainment-Industry-Examiner~y2009m9d15-Music-Nomad--a-philanthropist-to-Indie-artists

You Are Not Entitled to Anything

I read a great blog entry in Music Think Tank this morning. It was titled "Artists Are Not Inherently Entitled To Monetary Compensation" - I could not agree more. The bottom line is that until you have built a following that wants to see and hear YOU (not just any musician/band), you are simply a commodity. Until that following is large enough that you can negotiate with the promoter because you know you can fill that room; then you get paid what the market deems you are worth. And what you are worth is very little because there are lots of other artists available who can fill that spot. That's what a commodity is - something that there is lots of and there is little distinction between the items in the group. No one owes you a certain amount of money simply because you are an artist.
Instead of complaining about how little you get paid; why not work to build your following? It has never been easier to do that. You have many tools available to you and many blogs that explain how to use them. Working to build your fan base is part of the job of a musician. It is not beneath you. Or, I guess you can choose to be above it; you will simply remain at your current level of earnings.
Your choice.
The entire blog post can be read here.
http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/artists-are-not-inherently-entitled-to-monetary-compensation.html

Follow the Plan

I'm not the only one who thinks that a career in the music industry requires a plan. It is a business - to succeed you need to make a plan and follow the plan. I could blog about how to make a plan for yourself - but I didn't need to. Someone else did that for me so I linked you to a great blog on career planning in the music industry complete with a template. And now, if you wondered whether it was just that guy and me who thought you need a plan ... here's a link to a blog entry called "Keeping with a Plan and When it is the Right Time to Change" http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/keeping-with-a-plan-and-when-it-is-the-right-time-to-change.html

As Loren Weisman says in it:

"It takes a lot of patience, professionalism and effort to put together a good plan of action, whether it’s a business plan or an attack plan when it comes to your career. It takes tens times as much when it comes to following through with that plan. All too often artists, and even business people, will set up a great plan, but then slack on it, cut corners, change it without a solid reason or just go in an entirely different direction. Much of the time, this results in failure because a hodge podge of unorganized and erratic work leads to problems". As Loren points out, there are good reasons to change the plan and bad reasons. "Just changing something because you are tired of doing it, feeling frustrated or just lazy is not a good way to go". Couldn't have said it better myself!

There are tons of resources out there for you. Through this blog, I am simply going to link you to some of them. I know that you want to believe a career in the arts is different and that it is not like business. I disagree, if you want a career in music you are in business. So find the resources to help you build that career and use them. But most of all, make a plan for your career. Follow the plan. Adjust the plan as needed, but keep working toward your career goals. Otherwise ... as Loren says, you end up in failure.