The Artist Trap

You’ve met with the prospective manager/agent/publicist/etc a handful of times.  They seem ok, not great, but not bad.  And isn’t it better to have someone in that seat than an empty chair on your team?

And having met with them so many times now, there feels like a tremendous amount of obligation to hire this person.  They’ve even picked up the check a couple times.

And if you come on board sometime this week, there’s that special opportunity (they’ve been talking about incessantly) that has the potential of maybe happening sometime in the near or distant future…perhaps.

Doesn’t the answer have to be yes now?

They have a special opportunity MAYBE lined up? They picked up dinner? They have a cool office?  There’s been multiple meetings?

Hands tied.  Trapped.  You feel trapped.

But you’re not.

You feel trapped when you don’t believe you have options.

When you feel trapped, go meet with 5 other people in that same field.

Even people you don’t think you would hire. Even people you don’t think would want to work with you.

Your eyes will be refreshed.

Believing you have options gives you energy and power.

Give yourself this gift (of meeting with more people) and receive the freedom it brings.

p.s.  If someone is rushing you to sign, that’s a bad sign.

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

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CDs, Stealing And Streaming

I think I stole music because I wanted revenge for all the years of the $15 cd with only one good song on it.  Revenge and rebellion at it’s finest.

But any generation after mine (and I’m not that old, yet), doesn’t have the $15 to rebel against.

No one under 25 has any real recollection of associating “normal” with purchasing music.  People under 25 may indeed have purchased music, but it’s been the exception, not the rule/norm.

Rather, they are FOR simplicity and convenience…they’re not rebelling via Spotify, they’re not trying to screw you via YouTube, they’re not getting revenge against you via Apple Music.

The problem isn’t streaming.  The problem is we need more people streaming.

Collectively, as musicians and artists, along with the musicians and artists around you…we need to encourage fans to LISTEN to the music.  Not download, not purchase, not enter in a promo code.

We stole music partly for revenge and rebellion.

We stream music only for the enjoyment of music. Encourage that.

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

5 Star And 1 Star Shows

Think about your live show.  The way you walk on stage, the opening song, the flow of the show, the dialogue between the songs, the interaction, the aesthetic, the vibes, the dynamic, the last song, the way you end the last song, the way you walk off stage.

Now imagine someone wrote a 5 star review of the show. What would it say? What would they write about? What moments would they highlight, specifically? How would they praise your show? Why would they praise your show?

Now imagine someone wrote a 1 star review of the show.  Exact same show, different review.  What would it say? What holes would they point out? What improvements desperately need to be made? What is the glaring short fall of the thing?

If you’re feeling brave, take a few minutes and actually write these two reviews, yourself, for your live show.  You’ll learn a lot.

If you’re feeling extra sassy, ask everyone in the band to do this.  You might fight a little upon reading the reviews, but you’ll learn even more.

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

Of Short Term Importance

If you’re long term strategy is to make money by playing shows, but you never make enough money to keep playing shows, then it’s an incomplete strategy.  You’ll never reach your long-term.

It’s easy to not strategize and plan at all.

But then, once you get over that hump, the next easiest thing to do is to strategize the distant future…that way it’s far away, and has the least amount of connection to today.  You can strategize the distant future and then just go back to doing what you were doing, since the distant future doesn’t apply right now.

What’s your short term strategy for bringing money into your system? What’s your short term strategy for keeping the lights on and gas in the van?  What’s your short term strategy to make this year better than last year?

The long-term, big dreams and plans are crucial, but in order to get there, the short term strategy needs your attention.

The short term is a gateway to the long term.  The long term is a gateway to the short term.

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

ESPN Classic

When you know what the outcome is, the roller coaster of emotions seems a little silly.

ESPN Classic is one of the most relaxing channels to watch.  You get all of the greatness with none of the stress!

It’s interesting watching players and coaches in those games.  I already know who’s going to win, but they don’t.

They get fired up, tons of yelling and cussing people out, heart rates in the stratosphere, sky high positivity one moment, and the next, near debilitating negativity.

If you and your past situations were on ESPN Classic (or maybe for musicians it’d be called Band Life Classic…horrible name) and you could re-watch them knowing what the outcome was going to be, what over reactions, under reactions, decisions, headaches, sleepless nights seem a little silly?

Breathe. It’s a long game.

p.s. I’ve been in some real doozey situations in this wild music business…and I’ve done the equivalent of Bob Knight throwing the folding chair across the basketball court. (Indiana was going to lose that game, but Bob didn’t know it yet.)

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

What Bands Do

What bands do…

1. Write music

2. Play music for people

Inherently, that’s the deal.  That’s it.  Make these two things great.

In high school or college it was common to stay up all night writing a paper, finishing a project, studying for an exam.  The NEED was understood, so sacrifices were made to meet the need.  Even though we probably hated the entire situation anyway.

But when is the last time you burned all night to make the music great, or to come up with ideas to make the shows great?  The last time you stayed up to do something you actually LIKE!!??

It’s probably been a while, because you don’t feel the need.

But that doesn’t mean the need doesn’t exist.

It does exist.

I’m not saying you should stay up all night every night this year…but I hope you experience the level of “need” for great music and shows that staying up all night is associated with.

Write music. Play music for people. That’s the deal.

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