People Listening Now

Spotify did a big update on their Artist App a few days ago. It looks really good.

But the biggest newest thing is the metric taking up half the screen when you first open the app…

Number of People Listening Now

It’s incredible to have that information and it’s also the poison that will distract and disrupt many an artist from here on out.

The truth is, that’s a pretty good number to want to get bigger. It’s real listeners listening to your music. But as with any number…how many is enough?

I wrote a few weeks ago about Spotify Monthly Listeners and how you need 14,400 in order to average out having one person listening to your music every minute of every day. And artists and their teams are doing anything and everything to make that Monthly number go up.

But the truth is the Monthly number is a little difficult to digest and know what it means.

Now there’s a different game: The the manger is in a meeting trying to secure an opportunity for a new act. The manager takes their phone out, opens the app and sets it on the table and everyone sees what the number and watches in real time as it fluctuates up and down in real time.

That’s powerful. It’s real. But again, will we know what to do with it?

Here’s a quick math example that will probably surprise you.

So for an artist who has one million monthly listeners (which is a very strong number on Spotify)…what does that equate to for an average Number of People Listening Now?

Think about this for a second. A manager who manages an act that has one million monthly listeners and he opens the Spotify Artist App, what number does he see?

The answer: 70 People Listening Now

Is 70 a lot?

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Drop me an email: gabe@gabethebassplayer.com

I’m Home

If you’re someone who’s on the road a bunch then you’re also very familiar with the re-entry period of coming home.

The transition on the road, off the road, back on, off is an art and science unto itself.

But here’s a little practice that can make a big difference…

Have a friend in town who you tell when you’re back home and when you’re leaving again.

The simple act of texting “I’m home” helps you transition into being back home.

The simple act of texting “I’m leaving for a couple weeks” helps you remember that the road is different from home.

The transition off the road back home and from home to back on the road is hard. And it runs wild here in Nashville and the rest of the music business. It has the power to tear relationship and marriages apart. I’ve seen it. You probably have too.

It doesn’t have to be that way but it takes a lot of intentional work to make it better, smoother and connected throughout.

“I’m home” is a great place to start.

***When you tell someone you’re home they’ll probably respond with something like Welcome Back. Which is such so subtly meaningful to all of us. To be welcomed home makes home an even better place to be.

***There is surely much more to be written on this topic, specifically in regards to married couples. I’ll save that for another time.

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Drop me an email: gabe@gabethebassplayer.com

Source Of Credit

If, when working with you, you let them take as much credit as they want…They’ll always come back to you and work with you because you’re the source of credit and they want more.

No one is walking around thinking ‘ya know what, I’ve been given enough credit for my work’.

So let them have it.

***The long play that starts working in your favor is that you’ll be able to choose who you get to work with.

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Drop me an email: gabe@gabethebassplayer.com

Making Deals

You must make deals to grow.

Which deals? I’m not sure.

But a deal says I’m going to benefit you in this way and you’ll benefit me in that way.

It can look lots of ways: to let someone in, to share the risk and profit, share decision making, to make promises, to be for someone even when it’s difficult, to regroup after it falls apart, to compromise.

Make some deals. (Wisely, of course)

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Drop me an email: gabe@gabethebassplayer.com

From The Beginning: Shows

People like going to see other people do things.

People have been putting on shows for other people since the very beginning.

That’s why beyond streaming, social media, interviews, videos, radio and everything else…playing music for people is the most basic, precious relationship.

If you have that relationship, that’s everything. If it’s real, no one can take it away.

It’s worth building. It’s worth taking care of.

The show is the most basic, timeless element…and the most scary. Because there’s no hiding. You have to do it in front of people and there’s no editing.

If you have a great show, you have the currency that’s been used for thousands of years to satisfy ‘people like going to see other people do things’.

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Drop me an email: gabe@gabethebassplayer.com

The Whole Trick

There’s no gold medal for disregarding everyone’s opinion. And if there was one, that’s a lonely medal stand and no one is cheering.

The whole trick to the entire thing isn’t not caring what people think, but rather knowing who’s thoughts you care about. 

And then caring for them consistently.

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Drop me an email: gabe@gabethebassplayer.com