Making money probably wasn’t what stimulated your passion to create music for a living.
But over time, NOT making money will certainly deplete it.
A little jingle jangle in your pocket keeps the artist-boogie-man from creeping in so often.
The romanticism of the struggling artist only lasts so long, and then it turns into the jaded artist…I’ve seen a million times.
Making money has to be a part of your plan…not part of your hopes…part of your plan.
That said…if your burned out, you might actually be tired of writing songs, done performing, the depressed artist…or you might just need some money, honey.
I was up in Chicago a few weeks ago and had a day off. What to do, what to do…Cubs game.
I haven’t been a baseball fan for a long time, but I know Wrigley Field is big deal and I want to be a part of big deals.
The first step in this process was getting to and on the train. Actually, the first step was getting a late afternoon espresso shot…I was doggin it.
We find the closest train station. It turns out we weren’t the only ones going to the Cubs game. The lines to get the train passes which would, in turn, let you through the turnstiles and onto the train, were a million people long. We needed the passes to get on the train.
So we hop in at the end of the giant line and find out the passes would be $3 each.
As were whining and complaining about how long we were going to have to wait in line, a dude over by the turnstiles gets our attention.
“Come on come on, how many in your group? $2 each $2 each, come on hurry, you don’t need to wait in line like everyone else, I’ve got what you need right here”
He was offering us $2 tickets NOW…very good and beneficial things: a cheaper ticket and a huge savings of time.
But I/we were skeptical. How did he get these cheaper tickets? If we get out of line to buy his and his are bogus, we have to go back to the end of the line. Are his tickets legit? Can I trust this stranger? He seems to know what he’s doing, but wait a second, I have no idea what I’m doing, is he taking advantage of me in some way?
We hemmed and hawed with one another for a long long long time (while not really moving in line)…do we take a risk on this dude or not?
Ahhhhhhhh, lets go for it. “Hey man, there’s 6 of us…”
Worked like a charm. Money savings, time savings. And we didn’t get murdered or arrested.
(We went on to enjoy the game thoroughly)
This is why it’s hard to get people to listen to your music instead of the music they already listen to.
Listening to your music is risky, untested, unproven, not normal, out of the way.
But while this is why they don’t…this is also why they should.
The payoff can be wildly beneficial, for everyone.
Do you have $2 train tickets in a world of $3 train tickets? If so, you’re going to need an incredible sales pitch to sell your weird tickets.
We need one. Or two. There’s definitely some openings.
There are plenty of bands playing 2000-7000 seaters (and absolutely, those are big successful bands, no shame there)…but what about a new BIG band playing the arenas and stadiums.
A band that takes the world by storm again, who is that magnetic. We’ve had recent solo acts stand on top of the world…but come on, a band has a different type of soul.
Maaaaaybe you could say Kings of Leon most recently. But they’re only an arena band because they, in fact, play arenas….have you seen the show? They’re a club band that plays arenas.
We need a band to WANT to go big, to have the guts to go for it.
Why isn’t there a modern Stones, Queen, Zep, U2 (not necessarily stylistically, but effect)…because it’s really scary to prop yourself up that high, to come to the understanding that you have that kind of power. And then once you understand it, to run towards it (and not away from it) for the good of everyone around you.
There are not too many new bands running around being giant.
In fact, there aren’t really any.
So there’s an opening, a hole in show business.
Do you want to fill it? Are you willing to fill it?
