Hi there, parents of a music major. You are, by now, quaking in your shoes, wondering what good this major is, and how will they ever find a real job. As an ardent follower of all the newest trends and buzzwords that the current crop of MBA's throw around, I can assure you that if done right, … [Read more...]
Primer 6: What Is Your Value As A Musician?
Let's forget about your value as a creative human being, that's immeasurable. You're the apple of your parent's eye, your teacher's and all your friend's. What we want to examine is the actual monetary value that you bring to the table. How do you enhance a venue, or an audience's pleasure? This is … [Read more...]
Gaining Steam: Primer #5.. now you’re getting gigs
Eventually it had to happen. Everything you've done so far has resulted in happy audiences, happy venues. You're fielding offers, or venues actually get back to you when you submit. It's possible even an agent is trying to sign you up. Good for you. Now don't screw it up. There are mostly … [Read more...]
The Changing Face Of Gigs and Venues
Live music for the small ones (musicians, venues, agents and managers all) is once and for ever changed. The slate has been wiped clean, and while things may appear to back to normal, normal is going to be far different. Many of the smaller coffee-house type venues will be gone. Larger performing … [Read more...]
Beating Spotify
Yes, I know, Spotify sucks because they pay essentially no royalties. The CEO is worth billions, and the musicians who create the content get squat. There are a couple of life lessons here, and the sooner they're understood, the better you'll be at exploiting the systems in place. 1: You can't … [Read more...]
Venue Angst
When it comes the venues, there are no hard rules, as there are too many types. Again, we're not talking amphitheaters, only the smaller venues which concentrated on the "folk" scene. They start as small folk coffee houses, and can run all the way up to 300-seat performing arts centers. Some can be … [Read more...]
Why Everything Old Is New Again.
Jumping into a time machine and going back 50 years, the artists of today would be a little shocked at the sheer legwork of becoming a touring musician. No Kickstarter to fund your dreams. No internet to publicize your latest effort. No facebook to reach your fans whenever you wanted. Your career … [Read more...]
Leading Great Workshops
I'm a workshop nut. If used correctly by venues or artists, they can help far more in building loyalty and community than any advertisement or social media post ever will. You will educate, inspire, and build life-long fans. Workshops we hosted years ago have forged life-long friendships between … [Read more...]