During the hottest day of this summer, I mowed the lawn. It was the worst time to do that chore, but the lawn still got mowed. And it was the only time I had before a stretch of gigs.
Sometimes we don’t have the best circumstances to train for a triathlon, or record a new song, or write that book, or whatever that creative itch is begging us to scratch, but rarely will we fail because it’s not the best day to proceed.
However, always saying, “Now is not the right time…” will end the same way.
When you train for a triathlon, like my musical friend Justin did, you are bound to have some bad days for training! Even the race day can be a rainy mess, but crossing the finish line still feels wonderful.
The best way to get new people to listen to your music is not about giving it away…
“This music is free! Go download it!”
I see this statement a lot, but offering your music for free doesn’t encourage new people to listen to it. Why? Because so much music is free now!
Here’s another statement quickly becoming a cliche:
“This [formerly on a major label band] is now going indie and needs your help! Support their Kickstarter!” It was an amazing story when Amanda Palmer did it; now it’s commonplace.
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Note, I love Kickstarter and I love how we can offer our music for free. (My wife crowdfunded her first book, and I’ve used Noisetrade to share my music for free. I’m a supporter of these opportunities.)
But this needs to be said: The fact that it’s free or crowdfunded shouldn’t be the story; those are footnotes to the actual story, a story about the music.
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When Radiohead released their music for “pay what you want,” it was interesting, new, exciting. When Allison Weiss had success using Kickstarter, it was a cool story: DIY artist funds new music through crowdsourcing.
But now those stories are commonplace. It’s no longer unique to say, “This music is free!” or “We are using Kickstarter!”
Instead, to motivate people to listen, you need to find the true story. The engaging story. The inspiring story.
Like:
He was working in the mental health industry, fighting off his own depression, privately; and he discovered the best way to fight his own depression was by finding music again. After leaving his job to be a full time musician, his new record, with hints of City & Colour, gives voice to fighting demons.
Or:
She was a back-up singer in a successful touring band, but when her husband found a new job, and she had to leave the big city of Atlanta for Michigan’s Kalamazoo, she thought her music career was done. Little did she know, Kalamazoo would be the place where she would find her own voice, step out into the spotlight, and defeat ‘the wolves” with an Americana sound.
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Stories about the human experience inspire; and that inspiration is what gets new listeners to check out your music.
Whether your music is free or for sale, crowdsourced or self-funded, find your story.
Detroit’s action of filing for bankruptcy has caused a media frenzy. Which story are you hearing?
1. You would be naive to disbelieve Detroit is in ruin: It has major crime, abandoned neighborhoods, poor achieving schools, failing infrastructure, overwhelming debt…
2. The media is only reporting the negatives and ignoring the positives: the new creatives, the Midtown revival, the higher education and medical districts, urban farming, the art community at Russell Industrial, Groovebox Studios, the investments by Dan Gilbert, Hatch Detroit…
Sure, we can argue which story is more true, but what’s more important–for you as a musician, artist, worker–is which story resonants more, for you.
Both stories are true. Both stories are here for us to hear. You choose which story resonates for you.
PS: The Detroit discussion is just like the current state of the music business (It’s terrible; it’s thriving). Both are true; which one resonates for you, is up to you.
PSS: If you seek positive media attention for Detroit, Natalie wrote a cool article for Forbes about the comeback of industrial centers. Read here
PSSS: Check out Molly Jean’s cool article about S’mittenfest happening the same day as the bankruptcy announcement. Read here
PSSSS: Another good post.
Don’t make a plan to achieve success; plan to stumble
In many narratives about successful artists or musicians, the person admits they found success by accident.
They stumbled upon it.
I’m rereading The World is Flat by Friedman. Halfway through the book, Friedman describes the story of Bill Greer, a freelance graphic designer with 30 years experience, whose job changed because of technology.
The emergence of Photoshop and Illustrator made his design work competition increase, and the pay decrease. So Greer adapted. He learned new design software, and stumbled upon brand new types of work, one design style coincidentally called “morphing. “
We hear this theme a lot: Technology advances can make high paying work a low-paying commodity; and we must adapt to find the new markets of upper end, specialized work that will appear.
But I want to emphasize this: We often find those new markets by accident.
Greer admits the new work he does in design now wasn’t found intentionally. “I was just available for the work and got lucky,” he says. (Friedman 299)
This story happened to cover bands in the music business.
Cover bands could make a livable wage in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s playing top-40 songs in bars. Nowadays, some cover gigs for bands are available, but usually pay half of what they used to pay. DJs have taken that market. Story over.
But new markets are emerging for musicians that never existed: teaching guitar lessons online; offering specialized training on Protools; voice-over work; Stage-it concerts; Kickstarter campaigns for unique, endeavors, tribute acts for cult bands.
The point is we often need to trust that our adapting, our constant learning, our continual exploration in our craft, will lead us to the new markets.
A symbol for adapting, found in Kensington Market, Toronto.
You don’t seem like a person who would do that…
I heard that statement a lot from acquaintances during my first year as a musician.“How’s teaching going?” they’d ask. “Oh, I’m not teaching! I’m playing mus—“
“You don’t seem like someone who would quit your job!” They’d usually add, “Good for you!”
Ironically, acquaintances from high school at my five-year reunion said,“I never thought you’d be a future teacher, that’s cool!”
Ah, the two realities. There is the outside reality, the reality of what “seems” to be so from another’s point of view; and then there is the reality that we think is so. If not so, at least possible!
It sometimes can derail our confidence to hear someone see our work or our ability in a different light; but rather let’s see it as an opportunity, to present the reality we believe.
