SXSW Primer

This is a bit of an annual repeat, but it’s a good reminder for those heading to SXSW in March.

If you really want to dig into some best practices for SXSW, you can read THIS free manifesto about how not to leave SXSW depressed and broke.

So…if you’ve gone before, you may already know but you may have forgotten. If you haven’t gone before, you probably don’t have any clue.

For a bunch of the good parties and shows that happen at SXSW, you need to rsvp in order to get in.  You’ll either be put on the list at the door or they’ll send you a confirmation email and you’ll show that at the door. Then you’ll be in. Then you will have fun getting out of your comfort zone and meeting people.

The rsvp'ing starts now! If you wait until you get down there, it’s going to be too late and plus cell service is horrible so it’s tough to do any of this work on your phone while in Austin.

Doing this work now will make your time at SXSW much better and you won’t be left on the street, literally.  You want to get in to some cool parties.

Here’s some resources to get you started, but don’t stop with just these.

Eventbrite- download this free app, search SXSW at start signing up for parties. You’ll get confirm emails, reminders and a schedule within the app. This is a no brainer.

RSVPster- costs $30 and is absolutely worth it.  They have curated a ton of good events, parties and shows, you simply click the ones you want them to rsvp you for and thats it.  Don’t let the $30 hold you back. Don’t buy coffee this week and sign up for this instead.

Do512.com- a free Austin resource/app that helps you rsvp to some parties and is pretty up to speed throughout the festival for the most recent updates

Twitter- here’s some good ones to start following now and during SXSW

@SXunofficial

@coolinaustin

@Do512

@LucidRoutes

@SXSWPartyList

@SxSWParty

@ChronSXSW

@SPINsxsw

@360sxsw

Just do this. Take a couple hours and knock it out.  Do this boring stuff now so you can have more fun and opportunities later.

If you’ve been to SXSW before, hit me with some of your tips and tricks and I’ll put together a post with all of them in the next few weeks.

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

When Everyone Else Finds Out

If you’re doing something that works everyone else will find out how you’re doing it.

Everyone will certainly steal your method, but they cannot steal your madness.

And the madness has always been the key anyway.

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

You’re Not Curing Cancer

You could be (helping at least), but you’re not.  

There are enough organizations and information on the internet to where right now today, with whatever level of formal education you have, you could devote every waking minute to any of these noble causes…

curing cancer

fight against hunger

fight against extreme poverty

fight against sex trafficking 

advocating for the oppressed

helping single moms

educating the homeless

getting everyone in the world clean drinking water

the list goes on…

BUT YOU’RE NOT (not every waking moment anyway).

So here is what’s important to realize: The above list are all really really good, helpful and noble things to do…that is the list you are GIVING UP to have a career in the music business.  

Woah.

So you better believe you’re career is worthwhile and take action, because you could be helping cure cancer.

That’s the trade off.

This afternoon you could dive into the fight against hunger…but instead you’re going to do a writing session. And that’s great. You better make it a valuable worthwhile writing session, because the alternative (fighting hunger) is pretty important too.

This truth brings a tremendous amount of realized value to what you DO, as opposed to what you COULD DO.

You COULD go feed a homeless person. Instead you’ll do that radio interview…you better make it a good one. You better learn to care for the person you’re talking with, the receptionist, the assistants, the uber driver bringing you to the station.

Because if you’re not going to place the utmost value on what you are DOING, why even bother when the world could use your help in so many other ways.

What you’re DOING and what you’re GOING TO DO is infinitely more valuable than what you COULD DO.  In fact, the list of COULD DO these days is so long its almost irrelevant.  It’s too much. You could do anything, and everything needs help.

Instead you’ve chosen this.

So you better make this really great. Care for everyone people involved. Lift up the world around you however big or small that world is.

The things you do matter. They matter so much.

Because the things you’re doing aren’t hypothetical, they’re not possibilities…they’re actualities, they’re real life, and they’re the things that need your best right now.

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

Physical Danger

Artists spend a lot of time on their devices…the emailing, social media, scheduling…and even songwriting is done with a phone or iPad in hand, laptop on knees, computer at fingertips.

But as songwriting has moved from sitting around with acoustic guitars to Logic grooves and midi…artists literally aren’t spending as much time with their instruments.

So when they get on stage to play their song, instead of having played it a couple hundred times already while writing it (so their hands already have the muscle memory built in)…there is a physical estrangement of artist to instrument. 

Sure it’s subtle. But when you don’t play your instrument a lot, there is a physical deficiency.

You can say ‘it’s just like riding a bike, so no need to worry’…but then it’s also worth noting that hopefully you’re not looking to just ‘ride a bike’, you’re not looking to just remember how to do it…you’re a professional and professional bike riders ride their bikes A LOT.

It’s not about remembering how to ride a bike, but riding at an elite level.

It’s not about remembering how to play your songs, but being a world class entertainer limited by nothing.

I’m not saying it’s the end of the world to do your songwriting on computers all day…I am saying that if you’re going to do that, then when it’s time to get back on the bike, you’re going to have some extra riding to do.

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

Paradigm Shifts and Innovations

An innovation is a new answer to an old question.

A paradigm shift is a new question, and thereby a new answer.

When the first iPhone came out we were all absolutely blown away.  I had a friend named Josh who was really into ‘all that stuff’ (most people weren’t back then) and he had watched the keynote…so he informed me that we were all about to experience a miracle.  He was right.

See…the first iPhone was a paradigm shift. It was asking a new question which was: What is a phone?

Subsequent phones were ‘merely’ innovations (new answer to an old question): How do we make the phone better? 

That’s why our eyes haven’t lit up like they did the first time.  

——

Another good example is Starbucks (tip of the hat to Purple Cow for reminding me of this…go read that book)…

I grew up in a very small town in Minnesota through the 90’s and early 00’s.  Coffee was for the grown ups at church and the farmers who bought it at one of three gas stations in town.

After I graduated high school and moved to Nashville, one of the first nights I was in town a new friend asked if I wanted to go to a coffee shop.

A what?

I agreed to go, but I had a lot of questions.

What do we do here? We just sit? Do I like coffee? How long do we sit here? Am I going to get in trouble for drinking coffee since I’m not a grown up or a farmer? Why are we still just sitting here?

Starbucks was a paradigm shift for asking the new question: What is a cup of coffee?

Now I get it. I love the new definition and utilize it every day of my life.

——

Paradigm shifts and innovation are both crucial.

There are countless high achieving, well respected, remarkable businesses that are built on each.  And different products within those businesses that may be a result of one or the other. (i.e. The iPod was an innovation…how can we put songs in your pocket easier and cooler than the other guys?)

The simple idea is this: be very clear with yourself and with your team about which one you’re going after, and then plan and serve accordingly.


Here are a few examples in music:

Paradigm shift: Napster- What is song ownership?
Innovation: Spotify- How do we make streaming fun, easy and legal?

Paradigm shift: The Beatles- What is a band? 
Innovation: Bon Jovi- How can we be a worldwide stadium band?

Paradigm shift: Bob Dylan- What can be said through pop music?
Innovation: Chance The Rapper- What needs to be said right now in pop music?

Paradigm shift: 1967- What is a music festival?
Innovation: All the other festivals- How do we make it feel more like 1967?

Paradigm shift: Spotify- What is a Chart? What is a popular song?
Innovation: TBD

Paradigm shift: new question, new answer
Innovation: old question, new answer

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

Building From The Show Up

If you start by building your career a great show, a show worth taking on the road, then when…

You’re label drops you

Or you’re agent changes agencies

Or your single flops

Or you switch management 

Or, or, or…

You can regroup with new and old team members and say…

“Things are crazy and messy and changing and uncertain BUT we have this thing called a live show that is really great, that people really like to come see, that generates great cash flow.”

No one can take it away, and you can take it with you wherever you go.

If a lot of people want to come see the show that you put on, the ‘emergencies’ of life in the music business become more like ‘inconveniences’.

*I started doing a thing on Instagram a couple times a week, kind of a short quote best of the blog. If you’re into that, follow me at gabethebassplayer

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