Why The New Music Biz Gurus Are Frauds

[richardmac]

 

I think it's telling that there is far more money to be made being a merchant of "how to " than actually making music.

 

 

LOL. You used the words "money" and "music" in the same sentence! No, you're right, the dream merchants are making money and lots of the folks they are helping are not. That bothers me. At least a lot of the online gurus are releasing their info for free. Guys like Bob Baker are selling products and advice. I actually think that his stuff is not that bad, but he's still a dream merchant. It beats telling the truth. The truth is that most amateur music simply isn't very good. But there's no money in telling people their music is boring.

[RickGoetz]

This is a straight cut and paste from Richard's other thread but it applies - I don't think you can't teach someone to have a product that people care about. You can teach people how to expose their music to the best of their ability given their resources but at a certain point you either have a product (recorded music or live) that people care about and pass on to their friends or you don't. The rest of the trick seems to be staying in the game long enough until your product improves to the point of resonating with people.

 

Compare it to any other business. If you have a pizza place and it's just okay - do you go out of your way to bring your friends there the next time you are hungry?

 

I can tell you that I have played in groups that people just responded to very quickly and opportunities just presented themselves for and I have played in groups where even getting the pity visit from the friends and family was like pulling teeth.

[richardmac]

Staying in the game until your product is good - this is an interesting concept. Can you learn to be a good songwriter? There are techniques that you can learn that can make your music more appealing to people. You know, I'd almost compare it to cooking. If you suck in the kitchen, you can definitely learn to get better, and you can get to the point where you can make scrambled eggs, lasagna, bake a turkey, make a hamburger, all those things, as good as the rest of the average American families can. Good enough that if someone comes over for burgers they'll eat what you give them and give you false compliments. And I believe that a person can learn to do this with songwriting if they are willing to work hard. And there's nothing wrong with hamburgers. But just like no one is going to pay for your scrambled eggs, no one is going to pay for your hamburger song. But there's nothing wrong with that at ALL.

 

Now you take the semi-pro guys. Maybe the guys who at one point in time were professional or wanted to be, but life got in the way. I'm going to lump myself into this group. Maybe I can make a burger that is special - definitely good enough to be on a menu somewhere. That's great. But that doesn't mean I've got what it takes to have a whole menu and open up a business. Maybe my meat loaf sucks. And I don't know the first thing about doing a fish fry. You get the point.

 

One of the issues is that no one has to TELL us that we're not fit to open a restaurant. We pretty much know it and we're cool with it. Oh, but in the music biz, everyone thinks they've got what it takes, if only the world would listen. Nope. You have to have the goods to deliver the whole menu AND be willing to live a financially insecure life and put music first and everything else second and gamble. Tough road, but it always has been.

 

We need to acknowledge the level we are truly on, and we need to be able to enjoy it. Too many of us spend all our time worrying about how we're going to "make it" (we're not) instead of going "You know, this hamburger is pretty dang tasty. A beer would go great with this." And put the game on, eat, drink, and have fun. And if we trip over some type of 15 minutes of fame, enjoy it for what it is.

[RickGoetz]

Unlike your meatloaf your music has a better chance of being consumed by more people than your immediate friends and family and if you make one particularly good batch just once (even on a fluke) it can put you in a whole new category. That is the lotto ticket aspect to all of this that keeps people coming back.

 

As for staying in... more chances at bat - more chances for success, the longer you stay in the greater ability you have to leverage your relationships to executive produce your product and hire or trade with great specialists to support your music... I'm a believer that far too many people record an album or two or three and say "Here this is it - this is what I do! It will never get any better". I look at recordings as just single slides in a motion picture rather than the end product themselves.

 

I'm not saying it's easy or universally true but for some staying in longer ups the chance of success.

 

Look, we all know people who we think can't make a living at music with all the time in the world. Their parents and friends know it, their girlfriend knows it - hell, their pets know it. What's really hard to know is whether that person is you or me. And then to your point Richard - what's wrong with playing music and having a come what may attitude? Music got much more fun for me personally when I stopped worrying if people would buy it.

 

As for fame? The more I know about fame the less I understand it and the less I want to be around it. Eating bugs on TV or being particularly stupid and in shape are much easier methods for getting 15 minutes of fame these days.

[BlueStrat]

 

I'm not saying it's easy or universally true but for some staying in longer ups the chance of success.

 

 

You don't think there's a point of diminishing returns? Everyone had a different definition of success, but I'd think if I was striving to be a performer at the national level for 30 years and I haven't done so by age 55, another ten years isn't going to get me any closer. At what point does tenacity become denial and then delusion?

[flatfinger]

You don't think there's a point of diminishing returns? Everyone had a different definition of success, but I'd think if I was striving to be a performer at the national level for 30 years and I haven't done so by age 55, another ten years isn't going to get me any closer. At what point does tenacity become denial and then delusion?

[RickGoetz]

Yea I'd say there is a law of diminishing returns but I don't know that you can ever know when or if you cross that line. It is absolutely something that people have to figure out for themselves.

 

There is also the reality that some people might spend the rest of their lives asking "what if?" if they walk out on music. (We've all met this guy - he's the bitter ex player who is still actively mad at the industry, his wife, his kids, the man etc for ruining his shot at the big time).

 

So what's worse - Doing what you love and not getting as far as you want or deciding you don't have what it takes and wondering for the rest of your life if you quit one day too early? I sure as hell can't answer that question for anyone but me. Me personally - I'd rather know than not know but I don't have terribly lofty goals for my own playing.

[sventvkg]

 

You don't think there's a point of diminishing returns? Everyone had a different definition of success, but I'd think if I was striving to be a performer at the national level for 30 years and I haven't done so by age 55, another ten years isn't going to get me any closer. At what point does tenacity become denial and then delusion?

 

 

Well there is a point where you need to quit and get realistic, sure. That's obvious. For everyone that's going to be a different point though. I know people that are 40 like me, who are just getting some songwriting success that is well deserved after developing their craft and talent and they are ready. They wouldn't be if they had given up earlier and gotten a job. Also, I know of a few singer songwriters who are out there making records, playing house concerts and other gigs all over the world who didn't start until their 40's or 50's and they are doing great! All this bull{censored} about not being able to do do it etc..It's crap. I'm sorry but i'm calling bull{censored} on it. If you have the {censored}ing talent and tenacity you CAN have some success as defined by you! For me, success is making a living with my music. PERIOD. I define what making a living is FOR ME and it's certain that my definition is going to be different than someone elses. That's just the way it goes. Nothing worthwhile ever comes easy except for on very rare occasions. If you want to do something you just have to go do it and if you fail, at least ya tried, right?

 

As far as making money from recorded music, it's getting tougher and tougher but if you play shows, THAT'S where you will sell your music because you have a captive audience who wants to bring home a memento. REAL shows, not cover gigs where the focus is not on your or the music. But house concerts, songwriter's nights, etc.

 

Pat for you, you gave it a shot and ultimately weighed your options and chances against what you would have to do just to slog it out in the blues world and you made the choice that was BEST for YOU. I commend you for that man because it takes balls. I know many other GREAT and talented musicians who have done that same thing and I do not fault them one bit. We each have to make our choices for what's best for our families and ourselves. There isn't anything else for me but writing, producing and performing. PERIOD. Never will be. I'm miserable doing anything else and I never will. I'll make a living like I always have and continue to get better as a player, writer and singer. I think if you believe in yourself and you know you are good then ya move forward. That said, there are people who aren't even in the game, have no industry connections and don't try to do anything about it, stuck in some cover gig somewhere who have never done anything and never will, who genuinely think they are going to be successful!! I have met them all over the world and I truly, truly feel sorry for them..I feel so bad that they don't have the ability to either go try something for real or just get honest with themselves. What can ya do though? You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned Denial.

[sventvkg]

 

Staying in the game until your product is good - this is an interesting concept. Can you learn to be a good songwriter? There are techniques that you can learn that can make your music more appealing to people. You know, I'd almost compare it to cooking. If you suck in the kitchen, you can definitely learn to get better, and you can get to the point where you can make scrambled eggs, lasagna, bake a turkey, make a hamburger, all those things, as good as the rest of the average American families can. Good enough that if someone comes over for burgers they'll eat what you give them and give you false compliments. And I believe that a person can learn to do this with songwriting if they are willing to work hard. And there's nothing wrong with hamburgers. But just like no one is going to pay for your scrambled eggs, no one is going to pay for your hamburger song. But there's nothing wrong with that at ALL. Now you take the semi-pro guys. Maybe the guys who at one point in time were professional or wanted to be, but life got in the way. I'm going to lump myself into this group. Maybe I can make a burger that is special - definitely good enough to be on a menu somewhere. That's great. But that doesn't mean I've got what it takes to have a whole menu and open up a business. Maybe my meat loaf sucks. And I don't know the first thing about doing a fish fry. You get the point. One of the issues is that no one has to TELL us that we're not fit to open a restaurant. We pretty much know it and we're cool with it. Oh, but in the music biz, everyone thinks they've got what it takes, if only the world would listen. Nope. You have to have the goods to deliver the whole menu AND be willing to live a financially insecure life and put music first and everything else second and gamble. Tough road, but it always has been. We need to acknowledge the level we are truly on, and we need to be able to enjoy it. Too many of us spend all our time worrying about how we're going to "make it" (we're not) instead of going "You know, this hamburger is pretty dang tasty. A beer would go great with this." And put the game on, eat, drink, and have fun. And if we trip over some type of 15 minutes of fame, enjoy it for what it is.

 

 

My opinion on whether you can learn to be a good songwriter is Yes you can, provided you have some talent and skill to begin with. If you do, it's easy to develop your craft with a lot of hard work and time. Takes years I believe to write good songs on a consistent basis. I don't think anyone can tell anyone a way to write that elusive magical timeless classic. I think it's luck, persistence and hard work rolled into one, and once in a while a great writer will strike gold.

[BlueStrat]

 

There is also the reality that some people might spend the rest of their lives asking "what if?" if they walk out on music.

 

 

Or they might ask "what if" if they don't. I think regret is a human quality no matter what because, as my old man used t say, choose your future carefully, because saying yes to one thing means saying no to a million others.

 

Personality has a lot t do with it, too. Some people are glass half full and some are glass half empty types. I'm more the latter, try as hard as I might to not be.

 

I am having alot of fun, though, trying to help this younger person find success. Just because it's too late for me doesn't mean I can't be useful.

[daddymack]

Some people are glass half full and some are glass half empty types.

Me, I'm more 'the glass wasn't big enough to begin with' type...

[tocs100]

Im afraid that article doesn't exist. If anybody knew how to actually get fans they'd start a band, get their 5000 fans and then be too busy doing all the stuff you need to do to keep fans as opposed to spending time writing bull{censored} articles about how to keep your tons of fans happy. just my opnion. mac

That "legendary" article is your MBA master's thesis, specifically your statistical analysis section. (I was in college a year before I figured that out: then another 6 years 3/4-time before I got the right quantitative training. Graduated 6 years ago and have published one kind of disc or another per year, and I'm still about 3 years from getting that rare, elusive, 1,000 homestate fanbase.)

Basically, enroll in Bus 101 at your nearby community college, and put-in about 15 years 1/2-time until you at least get a bachelor's in some behavioral field like business or economics, maybe minor in music, and you'll be there. And flush the frauds. Also, I say 1/2-time 'cause most of us must still work day-jobs and hone our craft with an actual band, and band-skills easily take at least a decade to learn well.

On that last note, artists spend decades just getting competent at songwriting, performance, painting, etc., and nobody asks them to explain everything even in a 2-hour bio. Yet musicians constantly expect talent agents and accountants to explain the road to wealth in a few paragraphs!

[mikedavid00]

Hey I've been reading a lot about the topic and funny I saw this question. I believe I do know the 'real' answer to this.

First it is genre specific. If you do urban, you have no other choice but to do the Youtube/Twitter/free mix-tape thing. But that works well because that target demographic is the most abundant there. There is no such thing as an independent urban 'gig'. They don't exist. So for me to tell you how to hustle this audience is a whole other post. Completely different than what you'll be doing.

Now luckily for you, you play a stringed instrument. And you can play cheap. You can play gigs. The way you get fans is to do gigs. A lot of them. Consistently. It's all about quantity, and consistency. You will gain a LOT of experience doing this. You will sell CD's to audience members and you will be able to read the audience and see what they like and what they don't. Ever fan counts. I understand Facebook is a good tool for stringed audience fans. If you join a band, there will be more fans and a larger fanbase in general from what I read. Solo is much harder to get a fan base.

Going on tour and playing live is a must. You must do it to get fans. Only urban are doing the virtual online thing. The difference is, you are making a bit of money, the urban artists have their parents paying their way (studio time etc) and are making almost no money and end up getting a real job. You on the other hand, can never get signed, but still make money and do it professionally. I can't stress the consistency though in the touring and live performances.

If you don't want to play live, then you pretty much won't be able to build a fan base in your genre. It just isn't going to happen. That's from everything I read. Also since teens aren't your fan base, you won't have these die hard Bieber style fans. Don't think of fans like that. Don't think of exceptions to the rule, think of what actually works - playing live, selling CD's, and doing it for the long haul.

I can also rest assure, that most here on the site don't have a fan base either so they probably can't speak well on the issue. I got my information from music managers and music lawyers. They say you need to tour over a long period to build a fan base. They mention this 'live connection' that only happens when they see you live. I keep reading about that. They say some have it, some don't.

[ermghoti II]

 

First it is genre specific. If you do urban, you have no other choice but to do the Youtube/Twitter/free mix-tape thing. But that works well because that target demographic is the most abundant there. There is no such thing as an independent urban 'gig'. They don't exist.

 

 

Lots a of local hip-hop acts playing out in Boston, NYC as well, IIRC.

[richardmac]

Hey I've been reading a lot about the topic and funny I saw this question. I believe I do know the 'real' answer to this. First it is genre specific. If you do urban, you have no other choice but to do the Youtube/Twitter/free mix-tape thing. But that works well because that target demographic is the most abundant there. There is no such thing as an independent urban 'gig'. They don't exist. So for me to tell you how to hustle this audience is a whole other post. Completely different than what you'll be doing. Now luckily for you, you play a stringed instrument. And you can play cheap. You can play gigs. The way you get fans is to do gigs. A lot of them. Consistently. It's all about quantity, and consistency. You will gain a LOT of experience doing this. You will sell CD's to audience members and you will be able to read the audience and see what they like and what they don't. Ever fan counts. I understand Facebook is a good tool for stringed audience fans. If you join a band, there will be more fans and a larger fanbase in general from what I read. Solo is much harder to get a fan base. Going on tour and playing live is a must. You must do it to get fans. Only urban are doing the virtual online thing. The difference is, you are making a bit of money, the urban artists have their parents paying their way (studio time etc) and are making almost no money and end up getting a real job. You on the other hand, can never get signed, but still make money and do it professionally. I can't stress the consistency though in the touring and live performances. If you don't want to play live, then you pretty much won't be able to build a fan base in your genre. It just isn't going to happen. That's from everything I read. Also since teens aren't your fan base, you won't have these die hard Bieber style fans. Don't think of fans like that. Don't think of exceptions to the rule, think of what actually works - playing live, selling CD's, and doing it for the long haul. I can also rest assure, that most here on the site don't have a fan base either so they probably can't speak well on the issue. I got my information from music managers and music lawyers. They say you need to tour over a long period to build a fan base. They mention this 'live connection' that only happens when they see you live. I keep reading about that. They say some have it, some don't.

 

Heh heh. You're new here.

 

Um. Yeah, I can't argue with anything you said, really. I think you have the right idea, with one missing detail - the discussion is academic, not me specifically saying "How can I make it in the music biz?" I've already made it in the educational technology biz - I'm pretty sure I make more money than I could make in music, unless I were very very successful. So whilst I appreciate your advice, I'm really more interested in discussing how everything works vs. dumping my 16 year career in education/wife/kids/dog/house/cars to go sleep in a van and drive the back roads up the east coast. I do play local gigs, about 1 - 2 times per month, and I do release CD's, about every 2 - 3 years, because I love the whole process.

 

See, for guys like me, all this stuff is fascinating. The music biz that I grew up with is being torn apart and the rules are being rewritten every day. It's really interesting stuff. For me, as a local artist, I suppose I should still set goals, such as playing to more people/bigger crowds, selling more CD's, all that jazz. My goals are pretty modest. I have done small dupe runs of my CD's - sold out the first CD, sold out the second, and I have about 15 left of my third. My interest tends to ebb and flow... when I first come out with a new CD I'm all about gigging all over the area and getting on local radio and tv and all that. But then once the buzz fades down I lose interest. I definitely do not have the drive, at 45, to keep my name out there all the time. I know some local guys who do. They play better gigs than I do, they play more often, they sell more CD's. But they're not making any real money. Nowhere near enough to live on. But I digress.

 

I also think that absolutes are always wrong at least once. So while it is extremely unlucky that a 45 year old guy with an acoustic guitar could gain national attention on YouTube, I agree, it is NOT impossible and not only could it happen, it probably will, eventually. But you're right - it's not a valid strategy because the odds would be like winning the lotto.

 

I would also NOT assume that everyone here has no fan base. A lot of us have small fan bases, true, but that's not none. Some of us here have been successful in the past with previous bands, and that experience is worth something. I tend to give a lot of weight to Pat's posts (BlueStrat) because he's toured and has tons of practical music biz experience.

 

You have all the right ideas - the best way to make it happen is to know your genre, gig like mad, etc.

[BlueStrat]

 

If you don't want to play live, then you pretty much won't be able to build a fan base in your genre. It just isn't going to happen. That's from everything I read.

 

 

So you don't really know any of this stuff from experience?

 

You may well be right, but touring doesn't guarantee you a fan base, either. You may have a better chance of getting one, but it depends on a ton of other factors-what you're selling, where you're touring, the venues you're playing, what your touring and marketing strategy is, whether you'e established measurable goals and success markers, whether you're even marketable or not, and so on. So yeah, you're right, withlout playing out you aren't likel to build a fan base, bt just playing out doesn't automatically mean you will.

 

here are some things I learned, many of them the hard way.

 

1) Not every gig you play is beneficial. Some guys say they'l play anywhere, anytime, for anyone, for an amount of money. It's a complete waste of time and a joke, unless you think playing the local auto salvager's Christmas party where they would rather listen to their country CDs while you're on break is going help your career.

 

2) Though you won't make progress without effort, effort is not always progress.

 

3) Touring without a strategy and a purpose is a waste of time and gas. You may as well throw darts at a map.

 

4) Just because you are playing to crowds doesn't mean you're making fans.

 

5) Making CDs and schwag and going on tour without a marketing plan is like starting any other business without a plan. It's not going to make it.

 

6) The more specific you are about your goals, the more you have a realistic chance of reaching them. Saying "I want to be famous" or "I want to be successful in music" isn't really goal, it's a dream.

 

7) The more realistic your goals are at the level you are, the more chance you have of success. Starting a new band in Salmon, Idaho and saying "I want to be signed in a year!" is fine fantasy, but as a goal, not so much. But saying "I want to be playing 3 out of 4 weekends a month in a 100 mile radius by July 2012, and work on getting into events" is a realistic goal. You don't eat the entire meal in one bite-you do it in little ones.

[richardmac]

Great points as always, Pat. I'd add, from observation but not experience:

 

6) You need to make great music, and you're probably not a good judge of your own music.

 

I think it would be good if somehow there were a business you could go to, pay them a small amount of $, and they'd give you an accurate estimate of the quality of your music. Like:

A. You should play family parties.

B. You should play open mics.

C. You should play coffee shops.

D. You should play small nightclubs.

E. You should play big nightclubs.

F. You should play small tours.

G. Big tours.

H. Stadiums.

 

Yeah, I know, I know, that would be impossible. Still, most artists are clueless as to how good or bad their music really is.

[daddymack]

All the pundits still try to sell marketing as the key to success, but what it really comes down to, first and foremost, is product.

The old 'sell the sizzle, not the steak' concept only works short term, and these days, selling sizzle is an expensive proposition...and sooner or later someone will ask 'where's the beef?'.

 

And really the product is not the music, it is the performer. You might write the greatest songs ever in the history of mankind, but if your performance sucks, if the audience does not relate to you, if you are not engaging/entertaining, then you are not going to make it...except if you can place your songs with some one who can engage an audience...which is a whole different avenue.

Now, once you have your act together, then you need the great material, because the best most entertaining performer can only sing 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' so many times before people grow bored.

 

And now, with these two accomplishments, you go forth, only to find thousands of equally adept performers...easy answers?

Nope...there are none.

Cookie cutter solutions? Are you a cookie?

There is no correct, single, indisputable, infallible path to making it in any industry, particularly one with as many variables as music...it is not a science, it is not a straightforward methodical mathematical process.

[richardmac]

Good post daddymack. It is not science or math, and your ability as a performer is massively relevant. On that topic, and to further elaborate on what Pat said about bad gigs being a waste of time - I think the two are related. There are some gigs where I know better than to talk - I just need to shut up and play music because I'm the background and that's what I'm paid to be. But when I do an original gig with a receptive audience, I am developing into I think a decent to good performer - making the audience laugh, smile, in some cases cry, and just being entertaining. I have been performing music in front of people since I was 8, but I'm still learning how to be a good performer. It's hard work, it takes some natural talent, you can always get better, and putting on a good performance is mission critical. But when you nail it, boy is it fun.

[flatfinger]

...and sooner or later someone will ask 'where's the beef?'.

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Peller#The_Wendy.27s_Campaign

 

 

Clara Peller's "Where's the beef" line became an instant catch phrase across the United States. The diminutive octogenarian actress made the three-word phrase a cultural phenomenon, and herself a cult star. At Wendy's, sales jumped 31% to $945 million in 1985 worldwide.[6] Wendy's senior vice president for communications, Denny Lynch, stated at the time that "with Clara we accomplished as much in five weeks as we did in 14½ years."[5] Former Vice-President Walter Mondale also used the line against rival Senator Gary Hart in his bid for the Democratic nomination in the 1984 presidential campaign.[7] While hugely popular, the advertising campaign proved to be short-lived, at least for Wendy's. Peller had made actor scale wages - $317.40 per day - for the initial Wendy's TV commercial of the campaign in January 1984.[8] Her fee for subsequent work as a Wendy's spokesperson was not disclosed, though Peller admitted in an interview with People Magazine to earning $30,000 from the first two commercials and profits from product tie-in sales.[8][9] Wendy's later alleged that the company had paid Peller a total of $500,000 for her work on the campaign, though Peller denied earning that much.

 

[mikedavid00]

 

So you don't really know any of this stuff from experience? .

 

 

No I just listened to people like this who is probably more of an authority than anyone on the forum.

 

 

 

There's also the important part of a 'live' connection with the audience. If you don't got, you don't got it and it will be hard to gain fans playing live. Again that's just from what I read though from very high authorities.

 

As far as urban, I am involved in that and can explain that in detail. If you are independent or up and coming in urban, do NOT plan for live shows (despite what managers etc will tell you). Do not plan on making money at all, do not plan on selling music. It just won't happen. If you make a Celtic dancing CD and sell it online, then by gosh you'll sell CD's but do NOT think that people are going to buy Urban online. It just won't happen and will work against you. It will cost you or you parents money to pursue urban until you give up. If you do get signed, that means almost nothing these days. Yes you can have 10,000 followers on your twitter, but won't sell albums, and won't be doing live shows. I see this daily. Here's the way to describe urban: You're better off financially with 100 jazz fans than 10,000 urban fans. That's how I would describe urban. If you play a guitar, flute, do celtic dancing, etc. then consider yourself lucky as you can make money, play live, have fun, and gain real fans. The urban game is not like this. Also the people involved. The attitudes in urban. You've never seen ego like an urban vocalist. Remember that rapper wanna be kid in high school? Well they get older and pursue urban and think they know what's best for them and you can imagine. At least musicians can meet each other and have enjoy each other company etc. With urban there's beefs and war.

[mikedavid00]

your ability as a performer is massively relevant.

 

 

That's not what I've read. I'm sure that's what musicians want to believe though.

 

Supposedly there is this magic that happens aside form music where you make a connection with the audience. Supposedly it is that very thing that matters most. When you get guns and roses in front of an audience in a small venue something special happens as compared to the average band. They could both be playing the same thing and performing just as well. Same with No Doubt.

 

I've read this live connection thing numerous times from different sources. The more you don't have it, the harder it will be to draw in new fans.

 

People are very shallow. People like to watch good looking, attractive people and connect with them. The quality of the performance? Meh.. I'd rate that second of importance.

[BlueStrat]

 

No I just listened to people like this who is probably more of an authority than anyone on the forum. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1C4F2fj5Ow There's also the important part of a 'live' connection with the audience. If you don't got, you don't got it and it will be hard to gain fans playing live. Again that's just from what I read though from very high authorities.

 

 

 

Well, first of all, I doubt you know any of the qualifications of anyone on this forum, but believe it or not, there are people here who have done this for a living, worked for major labels, and so on.

 

Hopefully, you do realize that if there were any definitive "high authorities", the industry wouldn't be scratching it's ass wondering which direction to go in, right? At best, you're getting educated guesses that in the end are still only guesses. The fact is, no one knows for sure what works now and what doesn't. For every success story you can point to, I can show you 1000 others doing the same things and it didn't work. And for every accepted 'rule', I can show you a dozen examples of people ignoring them and finding success.

 

It's great to follow advice, but most advice is based on what has worked in the past. But the business is changing constantly and rapidly, so what worked even 3 years ago might be ancient history.

 

You keep mentioning what you've read. That's great, but until you do it, it's all academic. And the reality is in today's music business, there are no rules and no formulas. Everyone is like a blind guy fumbling in the dark for the key to the door. If you think some guy writing a book or worse, a music lawyer, has all the answers, well...I can guarantee you they're making more money than anyone following their advice is.

Ultimately, after you've done all you can do, it still comes down to having the right product and the right look in front of the right person at the right time in the right place. I don't think there's a set way of making that happen.

[flatfinger]

your ability as a performer is massively relevant.

 

 

 

SMALL CORRECTION:

 

 

your ability to look photogenic as a performer is massively relevant.

 

.

 

 

There will never be another Janis Joplin........

 

 

 

 

No , I'm not being negative or jaded ...

 

It's just the facts.

 

 

 

.

[richardmac]

 

That's not what I've read. I'm sure that's what musicians want to believe though. Supposedly there is this magic that happens aside form music where you make a connection with the audience. Supposedly it is that very thing that matters most. When you get guns and roses in front of an audience in a small venue something special happens as compared to the average band. They could both be playing the same thing and performing just as well. Same with No Doubt. I've read this live connection thing numerous times from different sources. The more you don't have it, the harder it will be to draw in new fans. People are very shallow. People like to watch good looking, attractive people and connect with them. The quality of the performance? Meh.. I'd rate that second of importance.

 

 

You totally missed my point. Performing is putting on a good show. Which is making a connection. It is massively relevant. If you sit in a chair, stare at your instrument, and ignore the audience, no one will come back. Unless it's a classical guitar performance. A great performer is entertaining. David Bowie is a great performer. It's not like he hits every note perfect. He doesn't have to.