The first, second, and third sign your art is good
You never 100% know when your art* is going to resonate with someone.
You might have a hunch, you can make predictions; but every time you share work, you will be surprised.
That scene that really loves a songwriter that influences you? They might yawn. You get to open for said artist? They might talk during your set. Happens all the time! (Some people call this paying your dues.)
But then, after you finish your last song, and stand in the back of the venue, there might be one, shy person who walks up to you and whispers, “Your song changed my life.”
One person makes all the difference.
That’s why you should release your work. The first sign that our art is good is it changed us when we made it. The second sign is one person comes up to us and says it changed them. The third sign is unpredictable, for the masses and the media embrace art for different reasons.
Always aim for changing yourself, and one person; then work on another piece, and do it again.
* * *
*Teaching is an art, and a lesson plan is often the same way!
Natalie guest lecturing at WMU talking about her first book, Swedish Lessons.
For 19 days, ArtPrize makes the streets of Grand Rapids resemble Time Square, a wonderful celebration in my state!
As of today, 37000+ votes have been submitted for the art competition. When the final votes are counted for the 1550 entires of art, there will be few winners; but art isn’t an action of competition, it’s an action of completion.
You can’t control how excited others are about your art. You can be excited about working on your art.
Go visit Grand Rapids, go cast a vote; but also, go work on some art.
Make time for those who get it; avoid arguments with those who don’t…
Jessica Hopper gave a great keynote this month, and one of my favorite moments was during the Q & A. Hooper was asked about addressing people who criticize her themes of feminism:
Did you watch to the end of that section? Hopper says, “But I also don’t have a ton of time to try to explain it to people who don’t get it.”
This might seem like the wrong attitude on the surface. We are supposed to stand for change, engage in debate, right?
In reality, I think all of us need to accept that there are some people who aren’t going to listen and aren’t worth the energy trying to convince. You know the type of conversations that are wastes of time, the type of discussions on the Internet that are asinine.
We need to find the openminded, the curious, the empathetic, the interested, the educated debater; we don’t need to engage the folks seeking an argument, a screaming match, an opportunity to bully.
Making time for people who “get it” doesn’t mean only talking with people who agree with you; it’s about finding the people who listen, be thoughtful.
It’s also an opportunity for us to be someone who “gets it.”
PS: Get Jessica Hopper’s book:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983186332
Brian and Nick from FLA and I enjoying lunch and spring’s weather before our Ann Arbor show. They are folks who get it.
@mikevial “small music” is redundant here. Sadly, blogs seem to be dead in general. Yours is the only musician blog I read.
— Josh Woodward (@joshwoodward) September 28, 2015
The day the music blog died was somewhere between 2013 and 2014.
I didn’t recognize it until yesterday* as I was updating my spreadsheets and realized 80% of the music blogs I used to* keep tabs on had stopped posting, or disappeared. The major ones are still posting away, but the little ones? Gone.
It makes me a sad to see so many small blogs disappear; the action of writing is so enjoyable. Seth Godin–who continue to post every day–says “writing clarifies my thoughts, keeps me noticing things.”
The disappearance of the small music blogs is disconcerting for an independent musician, but what about the freelance writer?
“Most of the media outlets I’ve written for have folded and then were flat-out deleted,” says Carter Maness:
- Fascinating read “All My Blogs Are Dead”: http://www.theawl.com/2015/02/
all-my-blogs-are-dead“
I can relate a bit. Years ago, I was writing for a small music blog for fun. My last assignment was to interview a new artist breaking out in the UK.
Who was that artist? Ed Sheeran. That blog ended before the publicist sent us back Sheeran’s answers.
Times have changed. Ed Sheeran is one of the most streamed artists on Spotify, and most music blogs have become ghost towns. And the ghost gardens aren’t even coming up in Google searches. The sites are gone!
The power of art hasn’t changed. People are still writing, composing, singing, drawing, photographing…however, the ability to get the work noticed continues to be the same, difficult challenge. During this transition, if you feel discouraged, I think we need to get back to the basics: the work, the art, the creation.
The Internet gives an illusion of a megaphone sounding over a flat world, but it’s the impact we can make right in our own communities that matters; so spread your arms out, check your wingspan, and let your art connect with real people in your neighborhood.
Other interesting reads:
http://www.vox.com/2015/1/30/
http://www.niemanlab.org/2013/12/the-blog-is-dead/
http://www.designsponge.com/2014/01/state-of-the-blog-union-how-the-blogging-world-has-changed.html
* * *
*Natalie and I bought a house last year, and we had a baby in March; that might be why I’ve been an ostrich with my head in the sand.
*used to–the irony isn’t lost on me, either.
Spotify top 500, Ryan Adams 1989; a sign of the turning point
After 4 days, each song on @TheRyanAdams‘s 1989 has had 450K-900K streams on Spotify.
I think we are at a turning point in streaming. Even my dad’a streaming on Spotify now. (“Mike,” he says, excited, “check out these Jack Scott records I found!”)
Spotify is sharing new data, which has demonstrated how the hit single of popular music is still king/queen of the times; but fans embracing an artists’ catalogue is powerful, too.
The top 25 artists streamed globally on Spotify this month are not that surprising. But I’m surprised to see artists like Bon Iver being in the top 200 a few days ago (now 400 today).
And streaming rankings change quickly. Pearl Jam was in the top 500 early this week; today they aren’t. Ryan Adams was in the top 500 artists (before the release of 1989) .However, today, he’s not in the top 500, even with 1989 getting curious listeners.
Here some artists in the top 500 today:
Wiz Khalifa (26)
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (62)
Beyonce (74)
Coldplay (72)
Eminem (82)
Sam Smith (84)
Jay Z (109)
Michael Jackson (130)
Zedd (136)
Snoop (164)
John Mayer (184) (He was 90 a few days ago)
Adele (190)
Paul McCartney (192)
Jason Mraz (214)
Marvin Gaye (226)
Rolling Stones (264)
Foo Fighters (272)
Green Day (282)
Dr Dre (306)
Jack Johnson (314)
Kelly Clarkston (340)
Nirvana (346)
Stevie Wonder (360)
Amy Winehouse (366)
Elton John (374)
AC/DC (378)
Oasis (392)
Led Zeppelin (414)
Bruce Springstein (478)
Pink Floyd (492)
Groups who were in the top 500 a few days ago, but aren’t today:
Eric Clapton
The Doors
Pearl Jam
Death Cab for Cutie
Ryan Adams
Wilco
Backstreet Boys
the Jackson Five
Talking Heads
Paul Simon
Jimi Hendrix
Bob Dylan
Tim McGraw
Carrie Underwood
Beach Boys
Keith Urban
