First Impressions, more important now than before.

Everyone is tired of that same old  phrase “you only get one chance to make a first impression”. It is repeated ad nauseum from business schools to beauty pageants and everywhere in between. As much as I would rather say to throw away the stuffy old phrases, parables and sayings, this is one that seems to grow more and more true every day. Especially in the music industry.

Of course it is important to make that strong initial impression, that is first and foremost. Second, having all the music, assisting materials, image, business elements and the presentation of these pieces in place is paramount and required. Third is knowing how to individually and specifically present to the person, company, or agency, and doing it the right way.

This last paragraph represents the gold standard that has been a requirement of the industry for years. The musicians that move forward are those that have all the elements in place. If they don’t, they might want to hold up on their forward motion and get those elements in order.

So why is it more important now?

The main reason the first impression is now more important than ever is because of the internet-based outlets like websites, social networks like Facebook, and online sales systems like CD Baby and iTunes, just to name a few.  Because of all of these resources, a new level of saturation has been reached. Years before every band had a website, a MySpace and other online perks, it was a smaller consolidated market, in which musicians had to work a hundred times harder to find a wider audience. Back then, we had mailing lists that we actually had to mail out. Yes, we spent hours putting stamps on postcards. Now the mailing list is actually an emailing list that can reach tens of thousands, and doesn’t really cost a dime.

The main point is that with the growth of the internet and the growth of the number of bands with such increased presence, combined with the decline of labels and deflation of the conventional music industry, it is definitely more important than ever to give off an impeccable impression. Industry professionals are seeing and being contacted by more musicians and groups than ever before, both amazing musicians and total hacks. The industry is being overwhelmed by “up and coming” artists, and many of these artists are doing more damage for the artists that are more prepared.

If it wasn’t hard enough, add in all those directories, lists and books that you can buy to get the phone, email, website and address contacts to thousands of industry contacts. The amount of music and promotion being sent both physically and digitally to people is at an all time high. Gone are the stories of Johnny Cash staking out the back door of a studio, to tens of thousands of artists mass emailing everyone they can with their music files and information. The staking out still occurs too and has in fact increased, thanks to all the contact lists that print addresses. You can find that “up and coming” artist with 15 cd’s on her waiting outside the building that she cant get in to, ready to hand off her disc In response, many companies now have altered their physical addresses to a post office or Mail Boxes Etc. box, just to avoid this onslaught of people.

Make an actual strong impression

Back to that first impression again. Frankly, it has to be incredible. You as an artist have to present yourself in a top-notch way that makes you stand out, while presenting materials that are also top-notch. The market is over-saturated with truckloads of artists, labels, managers and agents, and the bulk of them are unprofessional, arrogant, and unaware of what is required, as they base their presentation off the MTV dream.  The more unprofessional you appear, the faster you are going to be viewed as just another hack band. Even if the music is of the highest quality, and you have something that truly is marketable and industry-ready, you can easily blow your chances.  If you are the artist walking around with a boombox, thrusting it into peoples’ faces…stop. Whatever you do, you most likely are not going to be heard first. Your first impression is going to be basd on your ancillary materials. That strong first impression will be the critical step to get people to be motivated to listen to your music.

As much as you think everyone is going to listen to your music, many industry professionals will toss promo packages and discs before they listen to them, because the first impression is terrible. It’s not their job to listen, and with so many people sending so much music, there is no time to listen to it all.

Conclusion

So, what can you do to stand out? What can you do to deliver the best package that will make some one want to open it and listen to you in the sea of promo packages, discs and emails they have received in just that day? When you think in the mindset that every person or company you are sending anything to is probably receiving a thousand other packages, emails or discs that look just like yours, then you can step back, organize the right way, and regroup. Think how you can stand out in the crowd and present in a way that is going to bring attention in the best possible light. Think about everything from the cover letter to the envelope you are addressing. Think about your bio, your tagline, the content and information written about the band and the music. Make it right. Make it professional. Make it stand out. Make that first impression so much stronger than the bulk of others, so you can get them to listen to your music and get the second impression you really want them to have.

© 2009 Loren Weisman

www.braingrenademusic.com

www.twitter.com/bgellc

Watch out for Loren Weisman’s “Realistic Music Careers 101 Seminar” coming to a city near you and Loren’s book “The Artist’s Guide to Success in the Music Business” coming in 2010.

For more information on Loren, bookings or press inquiries, please contact his publicist and agent, Jenée Arthur at Rellihan Satterlee. Email: jenart@relsat.com Phone: 206-588-1998

Ten Tips that Every Musician Should Apply to Their Career.

As the holiday season approaches, and we get in to that thing about good will to all, all those other quips about being better people for a moment—which personally, I think should go through out the whole year and not just the shopping season (sorry, holiday season), I wanted to put out a quick rant (speaking of Good Will) that I’ll call Ten Tips that Every Musician Should Apply to Their Career. These apply to both the music and business sides of he equation. Many apply to those who are not musicians but work in the music business.
Hell, a few apply to anyone working in any business. So, New title: Ten Tips for Everyone Alive on the Planet.

Number 1. – Answer your emails.

Show a little respect and answer your emails. If you can’t respond at that moment, then acknowledge that you received it, let the sender know you’re backed up and when you hope to get back to them. Then, either list the email as unread, flag it, or mark a little notch in your calendar to respond to the sender when you promised. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. I respond to every email. Sometimes it takes a while, but I get back to everyone I can that has a direct question or is requesting something. It is a common courtesy that I am sure you would want when you send out an email, so do the same.

Number 2. – Have the guts to address concerns or questions.

Kind of attached to number one, if you have a concern or a question brought to you and you are not sure how to respond or are afraid to give a solid answer, toughen up! If you need to say no, then say no. If you want to say “Maybe, but there is an issue I need cleared up before we proceed,” then say that. But the passive-aggressive non-responses, the runaround when people just delete an email, toss away a phone message, or avoid a confrontation is much more insulting than a flat out “No way.”

And you do not want to be insulting people, even if at this particular moment in time time, they are asking for something and you are in the position to say yes or no. Things change (see below). Things always change. Next time, it may well be you doing the asking. A polite, respectful “I can’t do that” or “I am not interested” goes a long way to making that later approach easier.

Show some honor and address questions, concerns, or issues without shoving them in a drawer and hoping they’ll go away. They never do.

Number 3. – If things change, then keep everyone informed and problem solve.

Things change. They change all the time. From a club burning down and a gig being cancelled to a deadline being changed or a payment being missed. It happens, and it happens all the time. The problem is that when things change, many people are affected. Too often, discomfort over the situation leads people to delay notifying everyone who will be affected. Nobody likes delivering bad news—nobody is happy there is bad news to deliver. But other parties still need to know.

If you are supposed to pay someone by a certain date, and something comes up where you can’t do it, TELL THEM! It may mean they will now be unable to pay someone else by a given date, and that is important information for them to have.

I have no problem with someone saying they can’t make a payment when it comes to my production fees or consulting fees. In this economy, it is almost a given that out of so many clients, something will happen to someone at some point. As long as they come to me and say “this isn’t happening like I thought it was going to, I am not going to be able to make that payment on the date we agreed on, but here is what I am going to do about it…” how can I complain? They are acting with honor, treating me with respect, and in many cases, backing it up with a partial payment that lets me know they take the situation seriously. That is a person I want to go on working with. In showing me respect, they just won my respect—and that’s an artist I want to do business with.

Take the initiative to make others aware when situations change—whatever the change is. If your drummer is in three bands and has a sudden conflict, share that information asap. Right now everyone has more options than they will two weeks from now. Be the communicator, the problem solver, the responsible adult, and in 6 months no one will remember what the bad news/stumbling block was, they will just remember who rose to the occasion, who was considerate of other people’s situations, and who must have left their phone off the hook that week.

Number 4. – Be on time or give a heads up.

Just like things change, things can come up that make you late to a gig, to a session, to a meeting. Still, with practically everyone having a cell phone, it seems crazy that someone who is running late cannot make contact with those who are waiting for them.

Once again, it comes down to honor and professionalism. If you are scheduled to be somewhere or simply said you were going to be somewhere, then be there. It comes down to a simple awareness of and respect for other people. As soon as you know you are going to be late, give a call, send a text. “Running late” and your new ETA. It’s easy and it will show you in a very professional light.

Number 5. – Get your gear off the stage when you are done.

I hear more bands bitch about this, and yet some of the same people that complain about other bands will leave their own instruments up on the stage while another band is waiting to load on. When your set is done, get your gear off the stage if another band is following you. There is a schedule to keep, whether the band before you loaded off fast or not, there is still a schedule. Be the better and more responsible group, and get your gear off stage so the night can continue.

Some bands say they need to promote and sell and connect immediately with the audience, and that is fine. Have one person with the least gear head to the audience while the rest of the group gets the gear off stage. Do it quickly, too. You do not need to take cymbals off stands on the stage if you are a drummer, you can take the cymbal on the cymbal stand off the stage so that next drummer can get moving on his set up.

The same thing goes if there is room in a club or venue side stage to set up some. Put together some of your set up so loading on can be faster as well. Get out of the selfish zone and consider the night, the other bands, and the club as a whole. You will get a reputation as a group that is easy to work with and professional, something that is a rarity in many places.

Number 6. – Follow up with booking agents, clubs and other bands.

A single gig can be more than a gig if you conduct yourself well. Playing one night with another band can lead to more than just that single show. Follow up with people, keep organized contacts and check in with them. Keep a spreadsheet or a file with the contact, how you connected with them, where they are and what your experience was with them. This is the real networking, and it predates the Internet, folks. This is networking in the most grassroots sense, and it can lead to many more opportunities than you realize. Send thank yous to clubs, cross link to other bands and stay in touch with people. Even if you take five minutes out of your week to keep in touch, update, or cross promote, you will create a larger more effective network that will allow you numerous opportunities instead of single one time events.

Number 7. – Stop f*%^ng over posting on Facebook and other network sites.

Stop with the stupid posts that no one cares about. Yes, maybe some larger scale stars can post, twitter and update about eating a Twinkie, but a fair amount of them have the fame and the celebrity status that draws people’s interest. For the rest of us, the technical name for that kind of post is “pointless crap.” Use quality, not quantity with your posts. While you think that all these people are reading everything you are putting up on Facebook, considert how many people have you as hidden just so they don’t have to read that stuff.

Separate your personal page from the music ones. On a music page, put up the info that will draw people to your links, your pictures, and your posts. If you are using it for a personal page, then by all means, do as you wish. But if you are trying to connect with other artists and fans, if you are trying to network and utilize the social networks as one more avenue to move yourself forward, then it is a professional tool, treat it professionally. Get away from the mafia wars, the farmer games, and anything that makes your page like a series of graffiti advertisements. As a musician, give them something that will draw them in as well as make them want more instead of giving them way too much information.

Number 8. – Be confident but not arrogant. Admit when you don’t know something.

Confidence is great, but arrogance can lock you out of opportunities and close doors that would otherwise be open for you. Too often, arrogance is clumsy camouflage for a lack of confidence or outright insecurity. Nothing is less attractive.

Lay back some on the arrogance and let your confidence shine through. Agents, venues, labels and industry executives are subjected to so much ego and arrogance-driven excesses every single day. By coming off strong, quietly confident and not over the top, you will be a breath of fresh air. You’ll be much for effective capturing the attention of whomever you’re talking to, keeping their attention longer, and being remembered afterwards in a positive light. There is simply no way to achieve that beating your chest and being an arrogant blowhard.

Number 9. – Follow the instructions when it comes to sending out packages , calling, emailing distro, etc.

File another one under “N” for “Not rocket science here”. If you are submitting music for licensing, going after a gig, a recording deal, an agent, a producer or whoever, follow the directions that are given on websites when it comes to soliciting materials. This is another one that predates the Internet. Everyone in every decision-making corner of entertainment is INUNDATED with hopefuls, wannabes, and actual legitimate applicants. They all have rules and requirements to keep this potential avalanche under control. None of them are going to toss those rules aside for you or look at your application favorably because you had to do it your way.

So, if someone has it written on their website to only send emails, then DO NOT CALL THEM. If someone has a certain format they require, then send your materials in that format. I have talked to way too many artists who send out things the way they want to send them out and ignore directions—and then wonder why they never hear back. It’s called attention to detail, and while you may still not have a response, you will at least be considered. You will not get that far if you walk in the door and announce yourself who cannot follow simple instructions.

Number 10. – Stop talking shit about other bands, people, etc.

Basically, be nice and shut your mouth. A lot of bands that rip on other bands get a reputation of being shit talkers. This is not a reputation you want to have. Be considerate. You don’t have to like everyone or everything, but as you are out there in the spotlight, in the media, and around many people who may like the person/band/thing you are tempted to bash, it is much better to keep your mouth shut. Be viewed in a positive light rather than one who is always ripping on other bands—bands which, incidentally, you may have to work with again in the future or who may be able to help (or hurt) you down the line. Be smart when it comes to opening your mouth.

Conclusion

This stuff is basic and yet often ignored. Try professionalism, open communication, attention to detail, and give consideration and respect to those you are working with. It can go a long way for you and your career.

© 2009 Loren Weisman
www.braingrenademusic.com
www.twitter.com/bgellc

Watch out for Loren Weisman’s “Realistic Music Careers 101 Seminar” coming to a city near you and Loren’s book “The Artist’s Guide to Success in the Music Business” coming in 2010.

For more information on Loren, bookings or press inquiries, please contact his publicist and agent, Jenée Arthur at Rellihan Satterlee. Email: jenart@relsat.com Phone: 206-588-1998

What are you listening to?

What music did you listen to today? Was it one of your favorite songs, albums or compilations? Was it something you listen to often? Once you’ve got that figured out, ask yourself a few more questions. Beyond practicing your instrument, writing your music and managing the business side of things, how are you nurturing your ears and your inspirations? Just as you needed books in school to provide you with a vocabulary that would allow you to write, you need to listen to music in the same way. It’s about connecting with what you like but also listening to where it comes from.

In some ways it’s like vitamins–musical supplements. While you might prefer big band jazz, it can be educational to listen to other styles, like pop, country and Latin, to name a few. Even crooners like Frank Sinatra listened to and even covered artists like the Beatles. It’s about understanding what inspires you, but also about being a student of music, which means listening to as much as you can, even the stuff you don’t like.

While you might not enjoy this style or that genre, it can be beneficial to consume it, just like your vegetables when you were a kid. They didn’t taste that good, but they were brain food and they helped you grow big and strong–you know the old hype. In the same way, listening to something you don’t particularly enjoy is brain food. It can give you a better understanding of its successful elements as well as clarity in why you don’t like it. Personal knowledge along these lines will make you a stronger musician, writer and communicator when you’re asking someone to play something a certain way or even describing it yourself.

It’s easier than ever to listen to more than ever.

With Youtube, Itunes and countless artist websites, it’s easier than ever before to listen to and find music. From samples to full albums, there’s a pretty good chance it’s on the internet or possible to get a hold of. Researching music is much easier as well. Since it’s literally at your fingertips, why not commit at least ten to fifteen minutes a day to finding, learning about and listening to both new and old music?

It’s true: everyone has their favorites, and I know there are times when I can put on an old album and just listen to it a few times in a row. In many ways that’s the joy of music. That can also be educational. Still–add the learning, the exploring and the searching to your day. Find out about the past. Figure out the influences of your favorite bands and check them out. Hell, find out the influences of their influences and dig back even further. You might be surprised at what you learn and also what you like. As they say, try it before you say you hate it. Some of you probably didn’t mind the cauliflower after all–once you finally ate it.

A fellow ranter’s thoughts

Scott Ross, one of my favorite engineers and owner of Elliott Bay Recording Company in Seattle, sums it up perfectly: “If you are going to be in the music industry you have to know some damn music history. You don’t have to like Elvis, but you better know who he is. If you are a drummer you better know who Gene Krupa is. If you are a bass player, you better know who Abe Laboriel is. If you are a trumpet player, you better know who Maynard Ferguson is. If you don‚Äôt know who these people are, how can you connect yourself with the history of your instrument to know where it came from yesterday and where you are bringing your sound, approach or ideas to today.

It’s crucial to know the past. There are many different opinions on what drummer was the most talented and who was the best bass player and so on and so forth. It really doesn’t matter. It’s not about learning who was the best, the most famous, the most this or that, or spending too much time absorbing an entire catalog of music, though you might find an artist or musician who inspires such a pursuit. The point is to become familiar with these artists and to have a basic understanding that allows you a broader view as a whole and will make you a better musician, listener and student of music.

Compare, contrast and explain

It’s interesting how many people out there claim they’re doing something that has never been done before. Maybe they talk about how they can’t be compared to anyone at all and they are totally original. I have talked to way too many artists who claim they sound like no one else, and once I turn them on to a track or an album from some band they never knew about, even they can hear the similarities. This can go for bands, artists and even individual musicians.

I remember about eighteen years back when drummers were going nuts over Carter Beauford. Now don’t get me wrong, the guy burns, but there was all this hype from drummers claiming he was reinventing the drums and doing things that had never been done before. I’m not taking anything away from Carter. He’s a bad ass drummer, but if you study drums you can hear the influence of Tony Williams and Buddy Rich ring very clearly. Papa Joe Jones is another influence you can hear in his playing. When I checked out Carter for the first time and read some of his interviews, I was not surprised to find him state that those were three of his biggest influences.

By learning about the past as well as musicians you’ve never heard of, you’ll be able to compare, contrast and explain where you’re coming from, what you sound like and what you’re looking for when connecting with other musicians. The same information can help you develop your promotional materials. I know everyone wants to be original, but we all take from other places. If you can pinpoint influences or specify that you sound a little like this or that artist, it can potentially draw a new fan to you. If you have an array of artists, the mix might inspire someone to check you out who might otherwise not have.

On the harsher and briefer side of it, if you truly think you are recreating the freaking wheel, you don’t know history. It was probably done thirty-some years ago. Maybe not with the same effects, but, no, you didn’t invent it. Same goes for the lack of ability to compare yourself to anyone else. If you can’t, you don’t know your music history or you listen to a very limited amount of music.

It’s not that there aren’t innovators, people who are creating new things, but a completely new thing really hasn’t been done in a very long time, and since there are only so many beats in a bar, so many notes in a scale and so many alterations of a chord, there is a pretty decent chance that, while it may not be exact, you are in the ballpark of someone who came before you. I can already see the emails coming in to blast me for that paragraph, but so be it. I think its true.

Conclusion

Find out all you can about as much music as you can. Use the internet, use your friend’s collections. Try listening to something old or new everyday. Give it your attention and see what you love or hate about it. It doesn’t mean you have to own their entire catalog. It doesn’t mean you have to spend hours upon hours studying them, but get familiar with as much as you can. It will broaden your horizons and help you in more ways than you know. There’s no right way or wrong way to do it, just expand your horizon, your vocabulary and your ears. You might even enjoy it and find all sorts of things you never knew were out there to inspire you.

© 2009 Loren Weisman

www.braingrenademusic.com

www.twitter.com/bgellc

Watch out for Loren Weisman’s “Realistic Music Careers 101 Seminar” coming to a city near you and Loren’s book ‚The Artist’s Guide to Success in the Music Business‚ coming in 2010.

For more information on Loren, bookings or press inquiries, please contact his publicist and agent, Jenee Arthur at Rellihan Satterlee. Email: jenart@relsat.com Phone: 206-588-1998

Posting and announcing your gigs.

So you have a show and you want to promote it. Many artists take this pretty simply. They post on their website, announce it on Myspace, share it on Facebook, sometimes list it on Craigslist and then maybe send it to a local music magazine. There is this idea that people will just make the effort to find out about you. Now in some cases that can be true, but with each gig and show it is much more effective to pull those that already know you, reach out to those that might be some what familiar with you and connect with people that have never heard of you before.

When you take the approach of announcing a gig where you are reaching out to every one possible for that show but also keeping in mind you are continuing to work on your overall promotion for other shows to come as well as your awareness in that given town or city, you are taking the most effective path. So use the three-way effect when you announce a gig. Make that announcement, work for your existing fans, then the ones that might have heard your name and the people that have never heard of you before. Ads, posters, fliers or what ever that are designed that way are designed for the optimal effect.

Who, What, When Where, Why, How (much) Detail = good

Give people the information they need to see you. Do not assume you are that well known, even if you are. You can always attract new fans, new customers and a bigger audience. Make sure in the release about the show or the event posting you cover the who, what, when, where why and how much scenario. Give them all the information they need so they will come to see you. Too many people go too simple. Remember the economy is bad, people are going out less or they are going out to see their favorites. What can you add to your listing, announcement or release to inspire a new fan to check you out?

Don’t just list the venue, give the address, give a phone number and a website and add the bands site as well. Draw them in with information. In an over saturated world of music right now, the more information you can deliver, the better results you will have at some one looking at you as not just being another band in the blur of the hundreds of bands playing every night.

This goes for the poster too.

Make sure your poster is easy to read, clear with your logo, your tag line, the date, the venue, the address and all the other pertinent information so that the potential person walking by that has never seen you might take a second look and then maybe even show up. Put some more effort in to the posters and use them to attract those that know you but also those that might have heard of you and especially those that have no idea who you are.

Web, Magazines, Radio, TV, Newspapers

With your announcement that has all the information one would need to have a basic idea of what you are about as well as where they can find out more, the show, the location and the rest of the basics, you need to get it out to for the best most productive effect.

Remember, when you are posting online or sending out a release or announcement, it is about that show of course but it is also about bringing attention to your group, your music and why you are interesting as a whole. The more the word is out about you and what you are up to, the more chance some of these sites might look to doing a story, a feature or a review on you. Yes, you want people to come to the show, but if you are advertising the show, while building your marketing, your name recognition and your promotion, then you are getting the most opportunities out of a single action.

Where to post

Of course post to your websites and your networking sites but shoot for other places too. Set up a database of contacts of websites, magazines, radio stations, newspapers and TV stations. Collect emails and information so that each gig you have, it can be easier. Make sure to individualize the email and send to the right people. Do not spam or you will set up a bad reputation for your name. Give a good subject header and address the email to the right person.

This can include colleges and local show reviewers. Entertainment bloggers and any one else that has a pulse on the music industry in that given area just reach out and make that list. Now this is a list you are not going to want to over abuse if you have the weekly gig. Personally, I think an artist should not be playing in a given area too often but if you are going to, then choose the best show every six to 8 weeks and do the full scale send outs for that. Do not overly hit the list too much or you become the option to maybe go see instead of the must see. Again, I don’t think you should play a given 25 mile radius more than once every six to eight weeks and spend the time working to play elsewhere instead of over saturating a scene, then in turn build up the excitement for the show.

When to post

By starting to send out four weeks or so early, you are also adding to the chances about getting a story or some build up in one of the papers, magazines or websites to have an interview, feature or some kind of additional review for your coming show. It also clears all deadlines for getting posted in as many places as possible.

This does not need to be done all in one day either. The most effective way to promote is to do the large announcement and then once a day, continue to work that list you build up. Just spend five minutes a day sending to reviewers, bloggers, writers, editors, posting websites, event listing sites. This will build more possible listings as well as more contacts and more optimization across the scene, city or area you are playing in.

As you build up the list, find out when the best times are to send information and how they prefer it formatted. The more you can specify the information to how the specific media outlet or media person wants it, the more that person or outlet will recognize you both as professional and potentially as story or listing worthy. Some places are going to want announcements or releases a few weeks out while some radio stations may want the information the day before for some calendar listings. Find out and send accordingly.

Conclusion

Stupid simple….Advertise, market and promote your shows the right way. Work to bring people through the doors for the night you are playing but also keep in mind how sending out announcements, releases and information for shows can help for future shows and other media opportunities. Work smarter not longer or harder. Make every minute you are working on the promotion count so you can spend more time with the music.

© 2009 Loren Weisman

www.braingrenademusic.com

www.twitter.com/bgellc

Watch out for Loren Weisman’s “Realistic Music Careers 101 Seminar” coming to a city near you and Loren’s book “The Artist’s Guide to Success in the Music Business” coming in 2010.

For more information on Loren, bookings or press inquiries, please contact his publicist and agent, Jenée Arthur at Rellihan Satterlee. Email: jenart@relsat.com Phone: 206-588-1998

End agreements in the beginning

Many musicians feel like the band they are in is destined for success and that the group will never break up. Even after being a part of a number of bands, there is still that glimmer of hope—which is not a bad thing, but often times it can set you up for problems further down the road. Imagine that things are really starting to take off, money is coming in, you have forward motion and momentum. At this point, things feel good, everyone is happy, decisions are made fast, and quite possibly, never formalized in writing.

Now fast forward two years. For some reason, whatever reason, someone is leaving. The band is breaking up. If there was already fighting going on, it escalates: arguments over who gets what, who is owed what, and who has rights to what. Everything is twice as challenging and twice as hard. In a lot of cases, people hate each other, the fights get louder and harsher. This is not an atmosphere in which any equitable decisions can made.

Simple Solution

It really comes down to a very simple solution: In the early stages, while the band is new, while things are getting ready to happen, and most of all while everyone is happy and friendly, work to set up your end agreements then.

You do not have to set up expensive meetings with a lawyer from the start. There are many template agreements out there where you can get a solid start. I tell the bands I produce to come to mutual agreements on the different items and concerns, then bring those notes to a lawyer to finalize it into a legal document. This way, you all know what you want and you are going to a lawyer to finish up everything, instead of working with him or her from the start. I look on it as writing a song at home before you go to the recording studio.

Cover your issues and your backside

Cover the simple topics while everyone is happy. Sometimes—and I know it can seem a little harsh—imagine if you hated the others in the band, they hated you, and nobody was speaking to anybody. Think about the worst case scenario and every issue that would come up should the group break up in that atmosphere. As negative as it sounds, it can be key to setting up an agreement to protect everybody, make sure everyone is on the same page, and everyone has a clear understanding of what each person wants and is ready to give or share.

Who has rights to what songs? What happens if a band member quits? How do you handle firing someone and is everyone agree on the legitimate reasons for firing? What is invested into the band as a whole? When money comes in, what is split, paid out, or reinvested? On the same note, what items belong to the group and what are personal items? Does the band lend money to members? This is just hitting the tip of the iceberg, but they are all issues to address now, so if or when things change, it will make it easier.

Conclusion

Think of all the things you want to be clear whether you were best friends or ex friends that will never talk again. Some think of it as a pre-nuptual, others think of it as planning a divorce or break up while things are still in the honeymoon stage. Prepare now for the issues that could be troublesome, expensive, and a true pain in the ass down the road. And then, regardless of what happens, good or bad, you know you don’t have to worry about it. If the day never comes, you are just that much more organized. If it does happen, you’re prepared. You’re making things that much easier if a hard time comes during the break up, firing or whatever problem may arise—and when those days come, “one less thing”, one less fight, one less anguish, will be more than worth the time you invested today.

© 2009 Loren Weisman

www.braingrenademusic.com

www.twitter.com/bgellc

Watch out for Loren Weisman’s “Realistic Music Careers 101 Seminar” coming to a city near you and Loren’s book “The Artist’s Guide to Success in the Music Business” coming in 2010.

For more information on Loren, bookings or press inquiries, please contact his publicist and agent, Jenée Arthur at Rellihan Satterlee. Email: jenart@relsat.com Phone: 206-588-1998

What happened? A rant about the work ethic of musicians

What ever happened to true effort, the desire to learn and develop ones ability? What happened to the problem solvers? What happened to the ones that could look at a problem or at something going wrong and continue on in the mode to make it right or at least better? What happened to the hunger that was followed with the effort to do that extra work, take that extra step or go just a little more above and beyond? When did the laziness set in, the complacency, and when did the expectations grow to the point where some think it should simply come their way and they deserve all they want with as little effort as possible.

This may relate to other areas, other professions and other people, but right now lets direct it at musicians and artists in particular. Also note, before you get your angry emails all fired up, this is not pointed at everyone, but there are so many musicians that lack the ability these days. There are many musicians that think success should just be handed to them and there are so many musicians that just flat out do not know how to work for their dream or, for that matter, anything.

Blaming due to laziness.

So many of the people and artists to whom this is pointed at have shared all their excuses with those around them, “It is the industries fault.” “I can’t do this or I cant do that because it is harder to do in this city, this genre, this time” or a number of other pointless, pathetic excuses that are used to help them justify their bullshit. They point the blame in a different direction in order to feel better about themselves and where they are in their career or where they aren’t, more accurately.

Now sometimes there are reasons why something goes wrong, why something isn’t happening or didn’t happen. There are justifications and reasons within the industry or along a musician’s path that are legitimate hurdles and roadblocks, yet what are you doing about them? And how are you going to shift things to get what you want? This goes for the artists but also for every person that is bitching, whining or complaining about anything. Your complaining is pointless. Your action taken to make real change is what it takes to succeed. Saying you support something isn’t enough. You want health care reform? Then stop saying it and go out and research, learn and find a way to do something to move a potential health care reform bill forward or find ways to be a part of something that can directly effect your preferred outcome.

Don’t be like the musicians bitching on Facebook about the music industry, file sharing, royalty issues or which club, label or management that has supposedly screwed you over. You can be as pissed off at the RIAA, The National Association For Recording Arts and Sciences, this booking agent or that club, but what are you doing to change things? It is about getting off the passive protestor train and getting onto a train of real change. It is about being assertive. These “repost this message on Facebook if you agree” crap is not helping to bring about change. Instead, post a link for people to read entailing a potential plan and set up a document that allows electronic signatures that can be sent to the entities with whom you are hoping to inspire change. By simply setting up “I agree with this or that” non-dialog, you create a perfect example of part of the overall problem. Some people actually think posting a message on a networking site will change the world. Doing so is not a bad thing, it’s just not enough, and my hunch is it’s not changing much of anything.

The real blame and the real problem

What ever happened to true effort, the desire to learn and develop ones ability? What happened to the problem solvers? Where did the overall proficiency of an artist go? Why does it seem that those possessing the traits to succeed are so much more the minority these days?

I think it comes down to these 12 key deficiencies that many artists, musicians and for that matter a great deal of people outside of the music industry share.

• We are lazy
• We are undereducated
• We do not know how to win and we certainly do not know how to lose
• We do not have the social skills
• We are afraid of confrontation

• We are spoon fed with notions that we “can be anything”, so much so that we don’t put forth the effort associated with being successful
… Then, at the first sign of hardship or challenge…
• We are ready to give up on the drop of a hat
• We think a positive attitude is all it takes
• We don’t think about the details, instead, we just believe in the best case scenario
• Our egos have been boosted but our confidence is walking on eggshells
• We want instant gratification and lack the patience required for true success

Where does it stem from?

Different people will say it is TV, others will say it is the schools and the fault of teachers who are too afraid to point out a child’s areas of inefficiency…even more will say it is parenting. Regardless, it comes down to children growing up and not having the understanding of what it takes to do what it takes. And it may be a compilation of all these things.

We are lazy.

We are undereducated.

As a whole we are lazy. When I was a kid, I played outside. My friends didn’t want to be inside. We wanted to be outside, climbing trees, riding bikes. Hell, in my neighborhood we used to organize games in a field. We were active. A lot more children today are less active and want to play the games, be on the computer or be inside. Now this doesn’t count for everyone, but the viewership of television, the addiction to videogames, the growth in obesity clearly shows we are less active and a whole lot of that lack of activity can contribute to the lack of effort.

We are under educated as a whole or we are learning from the wrong people. When a brand new musician begins to study drums with a freshman in college, how much is he learning that is positive and how much is he learning that is negative? The college kid wants to make a few extra bucks and could be implementing bad habits and incorrect elements that will ultimately have to be unlearned. I know this first-hand because it happened to me. It took a good deal of time to unlearn and relearn things that were hurting me more than helping me. This goes for people telling us that things are a certain way even if they don’t know it themselves. It seems audacious that teachers that couldn’t make a music career for them selves teach students to do things in ways that weren’t effective in the first place. Or consultants that had a winning approach 20 years ago but does not apply today.

We are so spoon-fed and told we can do anything without effort.

We are ready to give up at the drop of a hat.

We do not know how to win and we certainly do not know how to lose.

Our egos have been boosted, but our confidence is walking on eggshells.

With all the PC crap in the schools where everyone wins together and everything is a tie, we are losing track of what it is like to win and what it is like to lose. We are losing the sense of having an understanding of good sportsmanship and how to be a good winner and a good loser. I believe that confidence and growing healthy self-esteem and worth is a good thing. But as a country we have gone overboard and are now creating a far worse problem in not allowing children to differentiate between their strengths and weaknesses. These situations only set children up to be disillusioned later in life. It’s important to know the areas that I need improvement and those areas where my skill is strong; then I get the opportunity to choose whether becoming better is important. Allowing everyone to feel they are equal is unrealistic and sets children up to find out the reality of otherwise the hard way.

So, yes… I’m comparing musicians to children who have been coddled and told they are good at something in order to keep them from getting their feelings hurt. Sometimes your music is not good – not all art is subjective – and you need to know why, lest you pave the way for ridicule, and worse, not being the best you can be.

I remember being in sixth grade and we played a game of kick ball at Fort River Elementary School in Amherst, Massachusetts. The teams were picked pretty fairly but the score was just devastating. The team I was on lost 11-0. I mean we got killed fair and square. The team that won did not overly gloat though they celebrated and we did not sulk too much. We were able to see where they were stronger and what we needed to work on. This was a positive experience on the whole. It was a clear understanding of what was good, what was bad, what was skill and what was luck. Mixed with good sportsmanship and a good work out, we learned as we played.

A friend of mine who has a kid in a local school in Seattle recently told me about how these kids on a team playing softball experienced the strangest situation of everyone winning even though it was a similar situation to my childhood. One team was creaming the other team and yet in the end, everyone was called a winner. It was viewed as a tie, the person coaching moved players from one team to the other, and while I am all about positive reinforcement, kids were being told they were amazing when they were doing awful! I AM NOT SAYING DO NOT GIVE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT. But isn’t there a decent medium where a child can be told they are good, they are smart, they are doing well while adding the encouragement and lessons in how to improve? Hell, maybe that is where a great deal of the ego issues come from in with the artists that think they are so incredible when they truly suck? Maybe there was an excess of too much support that it actually became a liability and kept the musician from actually doing the work required to get better and improve.

With so much of what possibly could be the excess of the positive reinforcement you can witness where confidence can be so sensitive that it can be broken in an instant.

I worked with a drummer in the studio whom I asked to change up a pattern. He gave it a shot for maybe a max of five minutes before he was in tears. Literally tears. I was not digging in to him, but it was clear that he had played and performed in a safety bubble where the moment he wasn’t doing something correctly he was a wreck. We had to take a break and we ended up having him keep the part that didn’t really work in the first place, but was one he could handle. Later, I overheard him telling other band members how I had been asking for the “stupidest pattern” and how in spite of the fact that he could actually play it but it didn’t work and it was terrible. Again, the blame! This is just another example of eggshell confidence and an ego that doesn’t allow for growth.

We think drive, determination and a positive attitude is all it takes.

Again, so many people are out in the world talking about going after your dreams, yet there is little focus on the fact that in reaching for those dreams the journey will entail a ton of hard work and revisions to your path of success. Positive attitude should absolutely be there, and should be complimented through the tools and methods required to being a success, especially in the music business as it changes face and reinvents it self everyday. Simply having a positive attitude is absolutely not enough. Even those who believe in the “Law of Attraction” recognize that you must put action behind that energy and belief. Drive and determination both require ACTION.

We don’t think about the details.

We want to believe the best-case scenario is attainable with no question.

We want instant gratification and lack patience.

A lot of musicians don’t want to think about the details. It clouds the dreams. These people don’t want to implement the work and the patience required, they want that instant gratification like they see on TV, like they see on the Internet, like they believe and have grown to believe is real simply on its own. They want to dream hard and just know that if they keep the dream alive it will all happen. More of these people are the ruby slipper musicians that are clicking their heels three times over and over again but still going nowhere. Sorry Dorothy, in the music business, it takes more than the heal clicks.

These artists want to believe the stories they hear that will lead them to the fastest success, they don’t want to hear about what really happened or how long it took, or the bad contracts signed and learned from, or, for that matter, how every artist has to find and grind out their niche in creative yet formulated manners. It is why the upper level of the industry is still flourishing to a point. Many musicians are ready to sign on the dotted line before reading the contract without thinking twice until it bites them in the ass later.

Listening to the wrong people

There are hundreds of folks in the music industry that lack of experience or knowledge, and unfortunately, starving artists seek them out, setting up a blind leading the blind scenario. With the Internet, anyone can present them selves in a way that seems to attract the business they are seeking and the information being handed out is often wrong, outdated or inapplicable.

Just because someone has a MBA in music business does not make him or her a professional consultant. Ask them for their experience or a list of who they have learned from, what they have done and what they are about. It is the artist’s responsibility to read the contract; it is the artist’s responsibility to do the background on someone they are considering working with. It is the artist’s responsibility to make sure if they are hiring a coach, a producer or anyone associated with their work that they know who they are and what they can expect from being aligned with them.

The perfect gig

For those that just want to have the good times all the time, get freaking real!!!! I hear about how this musician doesn’t want to deal with the business and that musician doesn’t feel he should have to do anything but be creative. Wake the hell up!!!!!

Basic example. Some band bringing in 50 million in overall sales and only taking 25 percent or less is not a big problem. While that same band years later are taking in that 25% but only making 500 thousand doesn’t quite allot for the same sort of lifestyle. Point being: you are going to have to work and do things that you don’t want to do. No one has a job where they love every single aspect of it. Deal with and take care of the crappy parts too. Its just part of life.

Conclusion: What do you do?

It is one thing to identify a problem, and another thing to actually take action and solve it. I do not claim to have all the answers, but I do know it takes effort and execution. It takes taking a hard cold look at yourself, your music, your band and what you are doing, while assessing those things you might need to change and those things that should remain the same.

What are you doing everyday to get you closer to what you want? If you are, keep going. If not, change it. Maybe it won’t be overnight but start with the small steps to assure a brighter future.

What has worked for you or brought small successes? Analyze it, work on it and see if you can apply it to other areas that are not working.

What has to change? If you are not sure how to change the things that need changing, then reach out, find help, educate yourself and empower yourself with knowledge instead of going for that same piece of cheese that is electrified. Hell even rats start to learn not to do the same thing if the result is negative; maybe it’s your turn.

Stay educated on the business of music just like you are staying educated on the music it self. What opportunities are presenting them selves? What new methods are being applied that you can apply to your group? Keep your finger on the pulse of the industry. Just like a lawyer needs to continually stay up to date with the changing laws, a musician needs to stay up to date in the same way to be as effective and as successful as possible.

If something is too good to be true or seems too easy to be real, it probably is. Amazing things can happen, but make sure they are amazing in the way that are good for you today, tomorrow and next year as well.

Try to look at the traits above as a whole. Maybe none of them apply to you, maybe all apply and instead of being defensive, angry or in denial, begin to address elements inside you. The better you can “know thyself”, the sooner you can work to become stronger in the areas you are weak, your dreams and your career. No one is perfect and I have to address issues above just like everyone else.

Take the assertiveness and confidence you have inside with the things you are sure of, and work that to your benefit. Watch for teaming up or pairing with others who are not ready to do the work that has to be done. Surround yourself with the hardest working, strongest communicating and best musicians you possibly can. Respect the business side just as you respect the art side, and you will have a bigger chance in an industry where the chances of success become slimmer and slimmer day by day.

Good luck!

© 2009 Loren Weisman

http://www.braingrenademusic.com
http://www.twitter.com/bgellc

Watch out for Loren Weisman’s “Realistic Music Careers 101 Seminar” coming to a city near you and Loren’s book “The Artist’s Guide to Success in the Music Business” coming in 2010.

For more information on Loren, bookings or press inquiries, please contact his publicist and agent, Jenée Arthur at Rellihan Satterlee. Email: jenart@relsat.com Phone: 206-588-1998

Cancellations and Rescheduling

So the show got cancelled. Whether it was your fault, the venues fault, the manager’s fault or the weathers fault, it really doesn’t matter. It is strange to me that when something goes wrong, people seem to be much more about figuring out who did something wrong and assigning blame over the much more obvious and much more effective problem solving and doing what you can to make the best out of the situation.

Gigs are going to get cancelled or rescheduled. Times are going to occur when you are going to be double booked. You can take the right steps to organize and track things the best you can, but problems occur and sometimes they just can’t be helped. I have heard bands scream and moan about this booking agent or that manager messing up. Then I have seen the online postings where bands blast venues and then the venues go back blasting bands. This really doesn’t solve a single thing and it keeps you further as well as takes up time you could use to reschedule, take steps to make sure it does not happen again and reach out to your fans and people that were going to come to the show.

Reach out and touch someone

First off and most importantly, it is about the fans and not your bruised egos and blame assigning. Get the word out once you know there is a problem that cant be solved so you can be in communication with every fan that you can reach and hopefully before they come out to the show.

Some bands have text mailers, others have just emailing lists, others have network sites and many have all of the above. Use these the moment you know a show has been cancelled. Get the word out on your website, on your networking sites. Get the information out to your street teams if you have them. The show may be cancelled but don’t see it as being off the hook. Make that time useful in reaching out to the fan base that is coming out to see you. Ask the venue to post the cancellation on their website and visit any sites that are pertinent music and entertainment sites in that area to get the word out that you are not playing there.

Be Nice

Be respectful and be diplomatic when you do it too. Explain the show has been cancelled and will be rescheduled to that venue or to another location. Do not blast the venue, manager, booking agent or who ever is to blame. Be the bigger person. Just explain what has happened with out attacking or coming off rude. It doesn’t even matter if you are completely right and the other party is in the complete wrong, be the more respectful person.

Try to spin the cancellation in a strong marketing way. If people bought tickets, tell them to bring the tickets to the next show and maybe see if you can get a discount for them at the door or some piece of inexpensive merchandise. Maybe create a raffle drawing for people to bring their tickets to enter in to a raffle to win some of your more expensive items. This will show you care about your audience and may draw people to come out to see you again.

Avoid the blame game

Remember, cancellations do not just mean you can blame and end the night on a bad note. Make a cancellation work for you in the best and most effective way possible. Reach out to every person you can through every media source. Get on the internet, on the phone and in the streets to get that information out to people. Even the small thing like a big magic marker that you buy and hit some of the posters in the area of the venue stating that the show was cancelled and more information is available on your website is a simple and smart idea.

Take the steps to ensure the mistakes do not happen again but put your focus on your audience and you will see them return next time and the time after that. Think effectively, execute expediently and communicate clearly to keep everyone in the know and displaying that you really care about the people coming out to see you. It will set you a notch above most that just pack up and go right home.

© 2009 Loren Weisman

www.braingrenademusic.com

Watch out for Loren Weisman’s “Realistic Music Careers 101 Seminar” coming to a city near you and Loren’s book “The Artist’s Guide to Success in the Music Business” coming in 2010.

For more information on Loren, bookings or press inquiries, please contact his publicist and agent, Jenée Arthur at Rellihan Satterlee. Email: jenart@relsat.com Phone: 206-588-1998

Drive and determination are not enough

“I will make it in this business because I believe in myself. I have the drive and determination to be a success. Plus, I have great songs and an amazing band!” Hey, while we are here, let’s add, “I’m smart, talented and, gosh darn it, people like me.”

Reality check, people: it takes a lot more than drive, determination, a positive attitude and believing in yourself to make it in the music business. I’m not saying you don’t need those things. They’re helpful, but they are only one small piece of the whole.

Talk is cheap

If song or artist is good enough, they will be found. Bullshit.

If you just believe it will happen, it will. Bullshit.

If you just know it’s going to happen, it will. Bullshit.

Talk is cheap and, unfortunately, talk is currently taking the place of action. Many artists put all their energy into the determination, the drive and the attitude while they forget to do the actual work to make their dreams real. I am all about positive attitudes and believing in yourself, your dreams and your goals, but you have to do the freaking work in order to achieve them. Too many, and I mean WAY too many, seem to forget that. Without doing the work, you’re just living in a dreamland.

Mixing the drive with the direction

You want success? Then do the work and make it happen. If all you got is talk, determination and belief, then keep your day job. Stop talking and start acting on your dreams.

Think of the positive attitude and the determination as fuel. All those nice happy elements have their place, but without the action, they’re like gas in a parked car. It takes clear direction, it takes a solid plan, it takes consistent work and it takes an engine and a driver to turn the key and move forward. Gas on its own is just fuel. A dream on its own is just a dream. It takes commitment and effort on the worst and hardest days, not just the easiest, to work your ass off in order to make your dreams the reality.

Too many people also claim that they know exactly what it takes to make it in the music industry. But if you have all of the answers, if you have it all figured out, why aren’t you where you want to be?

It takes the right direction. It takes the right approach, a clear plan of action and an approach that will fit you, your situation and your goals. If you are working off of models of artists from 20 years ago, I guarantee that you will not have the same results of those artists. This also goes for all the studios, the producers and the engineers that you talk to that claim you have the best stuff they have heard in years. Now, it may not be all of them, but a lot of them are giving you the compliments you want to hear so that they can get the business and cash they need.

Avoiding the swing set

Avoid the really high highs and the really low lows. Working crazy hours non-stop leads to burn out which leads to neglecting the work that needs to be done. Spread the work out evenly across a number of days maintain your endurance. Of course some days you are going to have to work more than others, but if you have a regular schedule that is easy to keep, the work will easily become habit.

The same goes with the hype. If you spend all of your time talking yourself into how your career is just going to take off and then going around telling everyone how big you’re going to be, you will not only burn out others’ trust in you, but, eventually, your trust in yourself. Talk with confidence and back it up in action. Instead of bragging about how you are “on the brink”, talk about the small steps, like a review you received or how sales are going up, something a little more real and tangible. Otherwise you are just another annoying artist that comes off talking shit and not showing follow through.

Will power, positive attitudes and drive can hurt as much as help

If you spend all your time talking about it and not doing it, you are not moving forward. Be positive, but then use that energy to push you to do the work: call a venue back to inquire about a booking, make sure you get a sample of a song out everyday, etc. That’s showing the drive and determination by applying a plan and executing it.

Plans and workloads

Establish an effective plan and stick to it. If it has to change, then change it for the right reasons and not because you are tired or you don’t want to do the work. Learn from books and other artists who are doing it the right way and getting the right results now. Work on the immediates, such as internet postings, song samples, sending emails or press packs for reviews, posting pictures, doing online sales, giveaways, etc. Reach out to other venues, bands and artists. Research labels, touring companies, booking agents or talent buyers. Divide the work load to take positive steps everyday to ensure that you are being as effective as possible with the allotted time. This is just skimming the surface, but success hinges on a solid plan and continuous execution of that plan.

Conclusion

Instead of talking about what you are going to do, do it. Take small, forward steps everyday. Build the foundation of your music, your product, your branding, your marketing and promotion so that, as you move forward, you do not have to reinvent the wheel. Step up and do it right. Don’t cut the corners. These efforts will pay off in the end. You will appear much more professional and together than a lot of other artists who are appealing to the same people.

Stay positive but match that with the planning, the work, the endurance and the effort. Do it the right way and take the right steps to be in as much control as you can while moving forward in the best way possible. Otherwise, your music will only ever be a hobby.

© 2009 Loren Weisman

www.braingrenademusic.com

Watch out for Loren Weisman’s “Realistic Music Careers 101 Seminar” coming to a city near you and Loren’s book “The Artist’s Guide to Success in the Music Business” coming in 2010.

For more information on Loren, bookings or press inquiries, please contact his publicist and agent, Jenée Arthur at Rellihan Satterlee. Email: jenart@relsat.com Phone: 206-588-1998

Honor

All industries have liars and the music industry is definitely no exception. Many people do not follow through on their word; many people lack honor, consideration and professionalism. It’s unfortunate that those who do lack honor—who lie or skip out on promises—grow defensive about their lack of honor when called on it. Instead of righting wrongs or taking steps to modify their actions, they give excuses and reasons why it is okay for them to be dishonorable.

Loren Weisman

In the arts, as in any other profession, you must have professional abilities and skills, but today, with so many artists going after the same jobs, the same tours, the same records, it takes ability, professionalism and honor for people to call on you and continue to call on you again and again.

Your word, it is that simple

This is not rocket science. In fact, it shouldn’t even need to be mentioned. But honor is an issue. False promises, outright lies, back stabbing and just plain absence is a problem in the industry, but the industry is getting more and more fed up with it. While many superstar names have been troublesome in the past and put up with these days, with the economy, time restraints and other issues, more people are leaning towards working with those who can not only play, but also have the honor to show up, perform, follow through and deliver. Attitudes, egos and lack of professionalism are not tolerated like they used to be.

When you give your word, follow through with it. Honor it. This will lead to more work than you know.

Your actions

When you are booked for a session, a show, anything, be there and be there on time. If you are going to be late, call. If there are things that are going to keep you from fulfilling your obligation or your promise then do everything in your power to remedy the situation with a replacement or some kind of fix.

I am amazed at how people give up with no consideration of the person who has booked them or what ever the agreement or contract situation is. I, for one and I speak for many, do not call people back that flake out, blow off or bail at the last minute. This adolescent behavior is unprofessional, dishonorable and disrespectful. This also makes me, as the producer, look bad to the artist or the client with whom I am working. I don’t care how good a musician is. When they show a lack of respect or consideration for me, the artist and the promise they have made, then I am done with that person.

Things do happen.

Now I am not saying things don’t happen that you can’t control. Car problems occur, accidents, emergencies, etc. can prevent anyone from being able to honor his or her word. When it comes to professionalism, honor and respect, it really isn’t as much about how you behave when everything is perfect. It is about how you behave when problems occur.

When anything, or everything, goes wrong, how do you problem solve? What kind of effort do you put in to rectifying the issue? If you get into a car accident and you are okay, but stuck waiting for a tow truck, are you the type to call and say you can’t make it and leave it at that? Or are you the type who either tries to find another way to get to the session or makes calls to the studio or producer asking if they can call anyone else while you, yourself, are working to find a way to get that session covered?

Your follow through

It comes down to the follow through, and while a solution will not be reached every time, if something has to change or a commitment has to be broken, I know that the person I hired did everything they possibly could to make it right. That is honor. That is professionalism. That is follow through.

You say you are going to be some where = Show.

You say you are going to do something = Do it.

You say you are going to pay some one = Pay them.

Honor your commitments, your promises and your own goals. If something goes wrong, do all you can to make it right.

Too easy. Really!

Regardless of the booking, the gig, the contract, the promise, as long as you do what you say you are going to do or make every effort to resolve an emergency situation, then you truly are a professional with honor in every sense of the word. You want to have a reputation of a skilled, competent professional whose playing matches his or her honor.

Be the person who follows through on commitments, takes care of business and can be counted on when things are going right and even more so when things go wrong. Be the dependable, honorable person. It can make all the difference in the world. When people know they can count on you through thick and thin, your reputation will spread like wild fire but don’t forget, the same thing goes for the opposite as well.

© 2009 Loren Weisman

www.braingrenademusic.com

Watch out for Loren Weisman’s “Realistic Music Careers 101 Seminar” coming to a city near you and Loren’s book “The Artist’s Guide to Success in the Music Business” coming in 2010.

For more information on Loren, bookings or press inquiries, please contact his publicist and agent, Jenée Arthur at Rellihan Satterlee. Email: jenart@relsat.com Phone: 206-588-1998

Set list for the sound man or woman

Do you ever find yourself wishing the soundman knew your songs or your music a little better? Telling yourself if he only knew about this dynamic or that change, or that you mean to make this horrible screeching sound that should not be compressed. Maybe you wish the monitors could be turned up at a certain section or maybe if there is a light guy to have him cut the lights right at a big accent.

You have seen it in larger shows where everyone just seemed in sync and you long for that, even if this is the only night you are working with a given soundman, monitor engineer or lighting guy.

The forgotten notes

A lot of artists will come up to a soundman and, before hitting the stage or during a sound check, barrage the soundman (or woman) with a series of verbal bullet points. More often than not, these are immediately forgotten, especially when there is a night where you are on a bill with a number of other artists. Your information will surely fall through the cracks and be history.

Then on the other hand, there are those places where the sound guy is going to get a linear level line just making sure that nothing is feeding back and everything can basically be heard. You are not going to see those nuances at that show. But, if you have the right venue, the right crew and the right information, you can take your show up a notch.

Give the sound man the 411

I heavily and strongly advise that every band has a stage plot and or input list printed out and ready to hand to the soundman once you arrive at the venue. If it is a larger venue, or you are going to have a monitor engineer side stage or separate from your soundman, then have two sets of copies. While some might look at you like you’re crazy, the professional soundmen will be both impressed and able to help you much more with your sound, your setup and your show.

Navigation

Think of it like giving directions for someone to get to your house. If you just give the address, that means people have to look up the route, guess or try to find it. This can mean extra time and extra effort that is seen as a pain to many people. Yes there is mapquest out there, but think of it as if it was before it was easy to just look up directions on the internet. There is no mapquest for your music.

By giving the sound crew your stage plot and an input list, you are supplying them with a blueprint to your set up. and easy to follow directions to get the fastest set up and sound going for your band. Ask any engineer that is worth their weight and they will more than appreciate the effort and work harder for you. Think of it in this way….You have just made life easier for them, they will likely return the favor.

The Soundman or soundwoman’s view

Take the view from the soundman’s side. All these bands want to have the best sound in the world and more often than not, do not do anything to help the sound crew make things go faster or easier. You now have a better chance of getting better sound on stage because you just made the job a little easier for the soundman.

Now taking it one more level, why not give the sound engineer a set list?

They do not need to know the songs by heart, but by handing off a set list with a description of how each song starts, ends and any abrupt or very important dynamic change along the way, you can give some additional direction and ideas to a sound crew that might go a little further for you.

For example.

1.   Stuck In A Moment – Loud Rocking tune

a.   Starts with drum opening then fill in to the band

b.   Breakdown fake ending in the middle with bass solo

c.    Outro – every one ends together

So the soundman that reads this might decide to bring up the drums a little more for the beginning. If he is working lights or has someone by him doing lights, he might cue that person to raise the lights on the drummer. Since the soundman is aware of a bass solo, he may bring the bass up immediately in the middle, instead of what often happens, where the bass player starts the solo and then the sound crew realizes what is going on and makes adjustments half way through if at all.

So that’s how it goes

Knowing the group ends together, he or she might pull the faders or even just cut the volume for an optimum effect.

Other things you might mention is about loops or samples that might be coming from the keyboards at certain times. If you are switching in between acoustic and electric guitars or switching instruments all together. Mentioning who is singing what songs so other microphones can be turned down to prevent feedback or extra noise.

Mentioning that the drummer might be using brushes, turning off a snare drum or anything else that might make the sound crew look up and wonder what is wrong. Give some simple directions that can make things easier for the front of house.

Of course you should be able to give the best show you can possibly from stage. I am not taking away from technical proficiency and basic showmanship as well as knowing how to perform on stage, but getting that extra boost from the soundman can help a great deal in adding that extra punch to a show.

Don’t write a book

Don’t go over the top with it though. Basic notes, basic song set list. Do not go asking for crazy things that change every song or if you really feel you need or want those elements, talk to the soundman about giving him some money or some type of incentive to do that little extra.

Otherwise, delivering a set list with a couple additional notes to the soundman can be a helpful extra that might make things sound a little better and make the sound crew’s life a little easier.

© 2009 Loren Weisman

www.braingrenademusic.com

Rellihan Satterlee and Music Producer/Drummer Loren Weisman present: Realistic Music Careers 101 Seminar: Drum Clinic for Non Drummers on Saturday, September 26th, 2009 in Seattle, Wa. For more information on the event, please visit http://braingrenadeentertainment.com/8news.htm

Watch out for Loren Weisman’s “Realistic Music Careers 101 Seminar” coming to a city near you and Loren’s book “The Artist’s Guide to Success in the Music Business” coming in 2010.

For more information on Loren, bookings or press inquiries, please contact his publicist and agent, Jenée Arthur at Rellihan Satterlee. Email: jenart@relsat.com Phone: 206-588-1998