I will write this 5 different ways I will write this V, different ways I will write Thi$, ….. different ways I will write, this five different ways This five different ways
This isn’t a grammar lesson or a tricky word problem, it’s about saying the same thing in a new way and new meaning.
When asked what makes a hit song, Gordon Kennedy said “find something that people need to hear and say it in a way that they’ll want to listen over and over”.
The first part is hard, the second part is harder. Both parts take a lot of digging and your own unique perspective.
Dig?
I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com
No matter what level of artist you are, you have the opportunity and responsibility of guiding your fans and culture in how you want them to consume your music.
iTunes, Amazon, Soundcloud, Spotify, Youtube, etc? Probably not Tidal.
The truth is everyone expects your songs to be on any and every platform they could possibly consume music through.
But when you’re directing your fans, where do you want them to go? What contributes best to your culture?
When you say, “Just released our song, check it out on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and our lyric video on YouTube”…you’re missing an opportunity to direct the narrative.
Do you attribute value to the max number of people who listen to it? Do you attribute success to people downloading and owning your music? Is it important they purchase it for money? Is the visual an integral part of who you are as an artist?
Each platform says something different about what you value as an artist and how you want your culture to grow.
True, a lot of people are going to hear your music across all the different delivery methods and aren’t gonna care where you’d like them to listen.
But there’s an important group of people who are looking to take your lead…they’ll go where you lead them because they believe you have a reason why. And hopefully you do.
I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com
I hear it said by a lot of artists, “we’re trying to make a different record “we really want to do something fresh” “this is going to be totally new for us”. Usually this is in reference to the production or subject matter of a record.
And then when the record comes out all they did was tweak how the snare sounds and add a little fuzz to the bass.
So if you’re talking or thinking about doing something different, taking a step forward, take a bigger step.
You’re doing something different, so do something that is noticeably different, that your fans (who aren’t music nerds like you) can actually HEAR.
It may feel like a giant risk to you, but your fans are a whole lot more capable than you think…probably MORE capable than you when it comes to a new road for your music.
So if it’s not scaring you, you haven’t gone far enough.
If it is scaring you, push a little further, you’re getting closer, don’t stop now.
p.s. It doesn’t have to be your goal to “do something different” (that’s a different conversations). But there’s nothing wrong with following up Please Please Me with I Want To Hold Your Hand.
I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com
If you decided right now, today, that you were done with the music business, your world hopefully would be sad for a second, but then your world would move right along and be just fine.
This thought probably brings you either freedom or fear.
You don’t HAVE TO do this (whatever it is you’re doing), but you chose to do it, so do it well, since that’s what you’ve chosen. You choosing it is what makes it valuable.
If you’re married to an idea that you need to stick with what you’re doing because that’s what you’ve always done and/or everyone would be just DEVASTATED if you stopped, you can let go of that idea.
They won’t be devastated. Your mother might be, but even she will move on after 36 hours.
Seth Godin had a really great post a while back along these lines that I think you should read.
Some of you run around thinking “what will everyone do, how will they react/live/look at me/respect me if I stop…and do something else”.
At some point you’ll realize that in life, you’re trading on your character, generosity, thoughtfulness, the essence of your passion (spoiler: your passion isn’t music even though you play it) and who you are as a person.
And the good thing is you get to take all of that with you after the last chords ring out.
I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com
I don’t love Third Eye Blind. I say that I do. I say that I love a bunch of bands and artists like The Beatles and Queen and Foo Fighters, but here’s the truth.
I love me and my life and thinking about me and my life in the context in which their songs are/were part of it. Narcissism (and nostalgia) at it’s finest.
I love the story that plays in my head when I hear their songs, what I’m telling myself. I love the way I feel. Me, me, me, I, I, I.
I listen to music for me, not for the artist. Best case scenario: I remember to give the artist credit in some way for allowing me to love me more.
This is the truth for all fans of all bands, and might come as a strange realization to some of you, but the more you know the better you can navigate the relationship between you and your fans/customers.
I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com
We’ve followed The XYZ’s forever. It was their album, ABC, that you produced that really put them over the top and made them super successful.
So we thought if we made what they made (a really good album), we would be successful too.
The natural next question was to figure out how they made it. Because if we could follow the same process, that would lead us where we needed to go.
That’s when we emailed you to produce our album.
When you agreed to produce it, we were thrilled.
We were following the path of The XYZ’s to the T.
While we were making our album with you we had an expectation that since we were making an album (like The XYZ’s) and were using the same process as the XYZ’s (you), that you could give us what we needed to become famous.
We never said that to you, but it’s what we were thinking the whole time.
And because we didn’t get worldwide acclaim from this album, we felt really let down by you and had hard feelings toward you for a while.
We’re sorry.
Now, after a year or so, we’re starting to see things a little more clearly.
We failed to realize that The XYZ’s blew up not because they made a good album, and not because they made it with you.
But because from the beginning The XYZ’s knew WHY they were doing all of this.
And we’ve never stopped to figure that out. We talk about WHAT we want and HOW we want to get it, but never take time for what we’re realizing is the most important part, the WHY. The reason, the motivation.
And without knowing it at the time, we expected you to make up for our lack of true purpose.
You’re great at your job, one of the best in the world. It just took us a while to understand the truth of the situation.
No hard feelings anymore. See you around soon…
The Typical Wanderers
I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com
