Doing Things On Stage

The whole time you’re doing things on stage, you are hoping that some of the things work well.

So why not work on (and discover) these things beforehand?

And what’s more, when you’re up on stage during the actual show and something works well the chances are pretty high that you’ll be doing that thing again at some point (if not every night).

So why wait till the show to experiment and find out what works?

Artists say it’s because they want spontaneity, but really it’s because rehearsing the show is scary. Rehearsing the show requires someone (a show producer, directer, etc) watching you and telling you stuff that is difficult to hear.

But rehearsing the show speeds up the timeline for the show becoming great.

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

The Tour Thing

Only go on one if you have a show that people want to see.

Touring is too expensive and exhausting to go out there with anything else.

And songs people want to hear isn’t the same thing as a show people want to see.

A show people want to see requires different skills and focus than making songs people want to hear. It’s a different exercise, different muscles, different plan.

If you’re going to take the show on the road, start with the show, then hit the road.

***But if you haven’t played two hundred shows yet, take whatever show you have and get on the road. After two hundred, come back to this post.

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

The PR Thing

Young artists tend to want to spend money on a PR rep because they want to feel professional, and professionals have PR reps.

So they hire a rep for a thousand dollars a month for a few months.

After the few months is over and there’s been two blog features the artist can now join the club of ‘artists with a PR horror story’.

Every artist you’ve ever heard of is in that club.


Artists are so eager to hire PR that it doesn’t occur to them to ask what their money is buying them.

What work, strategy and results does a thousand dollars a month unlock? Is the rep being paid to try or being paid for results? As most PR companies/reps are being paid to try, it would be worth seeking out a handful of acts kinda like you who they’ve worked with in the past.

The bigger the act the less a thousand or a few thousand dollars a month matters, but even still why not be clear about what you’re paying for?


PR agents: consider changing your pricing structure from a retainer system where you get paid to try, to a results system where you get paid a premium when you come through.

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

The Manager Thing

You need a good one. You need the person with the most connections who is also willing to take a bullet for you.

A great manager is simultaneously down in the weeds and flying at thirty thousand feet.

And by doing that the manager better understands patience.

Artists rarely understand patience. They may indeed understand that they need to wait. But the manager is patient.

Understanding patience helps you know when to push the issue hard and when to let it breathe.

If you have a good manager you need to remember that they’re working harder than you think they are. Not getting results in accordance with your timeline shouldn’t (necessarily) lead you to think otherwise. They just understand patience better than you.

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

The Record Label Thing

The record label is the perfect excuse for you not doing your best work.

‘The people at the record label’ is a term that everyone even outside of the music business have a reference for.

So when you complain and say “The people at the record label made us do this or that even though we didn’t really want to”, you get a bunch of sympathy because everyone will agree with you that the record label is rich evil enemy who is out to ruin everything.

If you’re looking for an excuse for why your song or album didn’t do as well as you wanted it to, blame the label. They can take it. They’ve taken it before and they’ll take it again. It’s nothing new. And the excuse itself is nothing new.

‘It’s the label’s fault’ quickly shifts the responsibility to a faceless entity where you can always win the argument and you’re always right…and yet still unhappy.


If you want to do your best work it’s a good idea to sign to a label where the people there want to release your best work too.

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

The Booking Agent Thing

This is often a sticky situation:

The booking agent thinks “It’s my job to try and get you shows”

The artist thinks “It’s the booking agents job to get us shows”

Maybe upon first or second reading it seems like a match made in heaven. But there is a huge disconnect here.

For the agent…by definition a booking agent is someone who books shows. Not someone who attempts to book shows, but actually books shows. If you are not booking shows you are not a booking agent…you are simply trying to be a booking agent, which is a world of difference. So. Are you a booking agent?

For the artist or manager…now that you see the difference you can initiate the conversation and adjust expectations accordingly. Not in a nasty way but a clear way. We need someone to book shows, not to try and book shows.

For anyone in the music business…there is a job opening. It’s a long job title, but it’s highly paid and lots of people will be calling you if you do a good job, and you can start tomorrow. Job title: Person Who Raises Hand And Takes Responsibility For Artist Getting Shows, Both Opening And Headlining As Necessary.

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