Artist Development

A lot of people say that artist development is gone. A thing of the past.

It’s not.

It used to be development was something the label did for you, or did to you. It was their responsibility.

Now it’s the artists responsibility to develop a knack for growth and also learn to surround themselves with people who help them grow.

Artist development is alive and well for those who desire it.  If you’re having trouble finding how to get it started, pay someone you trust $50 and tell them to give you an honest opinion of your landscape. Start there. Build from there.

You can release music whenever you want to. From your bedroom.

You can talk to you fans whenever you want to. From your bedroom.

You can make a video whenever you want to. For next to nothing.

It used to be that artists complained because they needed the labels to make the above things happen in order for them to develop.

Now artists can.

Now the gym is open 24/7. And you’ve got a membership. 

Pass It On

A couple weeks ago I put up a free eBook called 6 Things You Need To Know Before SXSW.  A bunch of bands and artists have downloaded and it seems to be helping and making a difference.

So with only a few days before the music part of SXSW starts, I thought I’d ask you to help me extend the reach of this material to a few more artists.

If there is one musician, artist, band, manager, blogger you care about who is heading down that way, send them this link and hopefully the book can be a good resource for them too. (Or feel free to post on FB/Twitter etc)

Click this link: 6 Things To Know Before SXSW

SXSW in no way is a make-or-break situation. But any situation you’re going to spend five days doing, it’s worth it to pay attention and do a good job. 

I hope this helps.

The Golden Rule-ish

The sentiment behind “treat others how you want to be treated” is good. And sometimes it’s accurate even in the literal sense.

But rephrasing it will help apply it to your band or team or organization…

“Treat others with love and respect, and that’s going to look a little different for everyone.”

This is a difficult thing to do, but you’re the leader so it starts with you. Today.

p.s. I could write an entire book on the times I’ve taken the golden rule literally and had it blow up in my face, while hiding behind it (the golden rule) all the while as my excuse.

The Plastic Grocery Bag In The Road

A plastic grocery bag is not a threat to your car. Your car will crush it. Your feet could crush it. Even a baby’s tiny, weak feet would crush it.

But a plastic bag 100 feet away from you, in the middle of the road while you’re driving poses a threat.  Why? Because you can’t tell what it is. It could be a rock or a bag of nails. And those would do some damage if you don’t swerve out of the way.

If you’re a giant Chevy Tahoe you don’t have the ability to get close enough to the object before making your decision to swerve or not. If there’s anything in the road you have to get out of the way as soon as it comes into view,  because by the time you see what it actually is it’s too late to make a decision.  You’re heavy, not maneuverable and sluggish

It might have turned out to be a plastic bag…so you just got knocked off course by something that poses no actual threat to you.

On the other hand, if you’re a Ferrari, you can get a lot closer to the potential threat before figuring out if you need to change course.  If it’s just a plastic bag, you can identify it as such and you don’t even have to slow down. If it’s a bag of nails, you slow down a tiny bit, swerve, and then your back to 100mph.

The object in the road 100 feet away says a lot more about you than it does the potential problem.

How quickly can your team swerve? How efficiently can you make important decisions that have consequences (positive or negative)? When you see a potential problem is it immediately debilitating, or can you maneuver to find out more and react/respond more accurately?

I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

The Drummer

You need a good one.

No, you need a great one.

If you write songs and you’re playing them live with anything less than a great drummer, you’re doing a disservice to the music.

The drummer is the engine, the center, the back bone, the foundation for the whole thing. It all runs through him/her.  If you have a great guitar player but the drummer is weak, everyone sounds terrible.

There’s a tiiiiiiny bit more leeway in the other instruments.  It’s just the way it is.  A decent guitar player sounds ten times better when playing with a great drummer. But not the other way around.

Having a beast sitting back there elevates everyones game.

You. Need. This.

So if you don’t currently have one…then one of two things must happen.  

The drummer must be replaced, or it just became your drummers full time job to get insanely good at the drums. Imagine that. Take private lessons, watch all the drum videos on the internet, buy a practice pad, practice a lot everyday, talk with other drummers.  And repeat for a couple years.

Nothing in the whole world feels better than someone getting up there and laying it down on the drums.

So do you have a great drummer? You’ll know 100% for sure when you have one.  And the knowing is the definition.

p.s. If you’re a band (of equals) the “replace vs. get better” can be a little more difficult. However, if you’re an artist paying players per show, you should have a high level drummer playing for you by the end of the day tomorrow.  

I know I know, you can’t afford a great drummer. 

Not true. That’s small thinking. 

How about only saying yes to gigs where you’re being paid enough (or it makes sense for some other reason) to have great players, in order to put on a great, high level, professional show that FEELS. SO. GOOD.

What BMI Is Getting Right This Time

SXSW is a mad house of bands and arists.  Along with all the music makers, there are an infinite number of companies vying for their attention.  Hoping their brand name makes it to the tip of everyone’s tongue.

For that beloved word of mouth value.

BMI is finally using the ace up their sleeve to strike up a little chatter.  Next Friday (during SXSW), when almost everyone who knows what a PRO is, will be in one place…BMI is cutting paychecks (or direct depositing).

They’ve scheduled their quarterly royalty pay-out for a day, where a highly concentrated part of their target market will be together, and be talking with one another.

What a great way to spark the conversation and getting your people singing the praises of your company!

For the last several years BMI has has had the March pay-out scheduled for the week AFTER.  What a waste.  But alas, they made a great marketing move this time. (I hope this wasn’t just an accident and they’ll keep this great idea happening every year from now on.)

Speaking of marketing…if I was the head of BMI, I would spend the entire years marketing budget on giving EVERYONE (who’s with BMI) bonuses (aka extra profit sharing) on next weeks paycheck.

Then everyone who gets their BMI paycheck with a BONUS wouldn’t be able to contain themselves and would have to tell everyone else who’s not with BMI, to get with BMI. And they would have a lot of people to share this relevant news with.

Making a slight, 1 week, change to their payout will make a significant, positive difference for BMI.  They were sooooooo close the last several years, probably without realizing it.

This is a great reminder to examine the “tiny” details in our routine practices to seek out more ways that benefit everyone.