By Tess Taylor
“Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow that talent
to the dark place where it leads.” – Erica Jong
Humans seek the path of least resistance. When there is a promise of a free lunch, it’s enticing.
Except to those who know better.
In the music business, the notion is still widespread among artists that once signed to a record deal, the rest of the artist’s career will take care of itself, a sort of “free lunch” which will enable the artist to sit back and coast because others will do the heavy lifting (so the thinking goes).
Wrong. Especially in today’s competitive market and with drastic changes in our business, the real challenge begins for any artist once signed.
When the ink on the contract is dry, the artist becomes one among many other artists on the label’s roster and must compete for the limited resources of time, money and staff at the company.
And so the main thing labels wish you knew is that you must be a self-starter and have a plan. Labels don’t raise an artist from obscurity to widespread recognition (nor do they wish to, it’s too much work starting from ground level), but good labels can fan the flames of demand that already exist and build on this. Interest and demand must be there in the first place, and that must be created by YOU, the artist.
We’re attracted to people who seem like they know what they’re doing. Awash in the chaos that is life, it’s comforting to be around folks who seem like they have direction and focus, because so few do. Confidence attracts followers and builds momentum, and at a record label this makes you a priority.
The best way to make yourself a priority is to have a well-laid out plan to execute your vision, that will help the record company make money. Do you want to tour the world? The Southwest? Asia? Do you want to sell a million records, win awards, or write music for films? Great artistry (and success in general) is rooted in self-knowledge. This comes down to: who are you and what do you want to accomplish in life? As an artist, as a person?
This large question is usually swept aside and not carefully and constantly considered, because it’s easier to be busy with meaningless tasks that accomplish nothing than it is to sit down, focus and write out a good plan. And commit to your future. Over 95% of people in the world operate without a plan, and the results (non-results, really) are self-evident. If you have the discipline to create a plan for yourself, and to constantly update and modify it, your chances for success increase exponentially.
“Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.” – Henry Ford
Without a plan, you’re shooting arrows in the dark and wasting time. Time is precious, and the commercial shelf-life of the average artist is too short. Don’t waste time!
With a decent plan and the courage to execute, you will draw powerful forces to you, and you will attract the attention of people who – like you – are focused and working toward a goal. Energy begets energy, activity begets activity.
So I list ten (10) things here labels wish you knew. These tips are important for success.
1. Make a plan. The more detail the better, and it’s important to get your ideas down on paper so they can be communicated and delegated to others. Your plan should include the following:
· Identify your goal(s)
· Identify what you (think you) want
· Deadlines
· Create personal balance sheet
· Write it down! Do it now!
“I often notice, when I’m talking with people involved in the arts, that their concept of what they want to do is to aim for the biggest, most obvious target, and hit it smack in the bull’s eye. That’s success, whatever the particular field is. Of course with everybody else aiming there as well, that makes it very hard to hit…. As Jon Hassell always says, I prefer to shoot the arrow, then paint the target around it. You make the niches in which you finally reside.” – Brian Eno
2. Do it yourself. You create your own path and don’t wait around for others to lay the groundwork for your success. Only you can (and should) do that. Especially in a gun-slinger industry like the music business, anything is possible.
3. Ask for help. When you ask nicely, frequently the answer is “yes” and you do it with confidence and class, you’ll find a network of support growing around you in no time. Get over the notion that you are not worthy. You have a right to be on this earth and to achieve your dreams. Go for it!
4. Ask for clarification. If you don’t understand something the label is doing, ask! Don’t be afraid to appear the fool. It’s your career!
5. Assemble the tools you need. These include:
Elevator Pitch (who you are, what you want, why your music is different). 15secondpitch.com helps you define your 15-second marketing pitch and makes you found in Google searches. This site also creates business cards customized with your pitch and photo.
Artist Bio. This is your story, explains why you are different, why people should care about you. This should include success stories, such as shows you’ve sold out, charities you’ve played or anything different that sets you apart from the billion other artists out there vying for limited attention. Having a good story captures the imagination and attention of editors, programmers, people and fans. Great elements of “story” or “buzz” include one or more of the following elements (from “Buzz Marketing” by Mark Hughes):
· The taboo (sex, lies, bathroom humor)
· The unusual
· The outrageous
· The hilarious
· The remarkable
· The secrets (both kept and revealed)
One-sheet for retail (if you don’t know what this is, get samples of good ones from your label or any local record store – ask for the best).
One-sheet for agents / tours (similar but a bit different then the retail one-sheet).
Testimonials. These are words from your fans and industry executives, press, etc. who have said positive things about you. Can be woven into your one-sheets, bio and on your Web site. If you don’t have testimonials now, start asking for them!
Good photos of artist or band
Functional, simple Web site
Email collection capability (at shows via friendly but aggressive helpers, on Web site, etc.)
Knowledge of where your strongest fan base is, and who your most enthusiastic supporters are. If you don’t know this, it’s time to create more interest in who you are and what you do.
Business Cards and Database. Question: We’re artists, who needs this? Answer: everyone. If you can’t reach folks you meet and impress, or who may be helpful to you along the way, what’s the point? Keep accurate records, frequently updated. Very important.
Strong Network. This includes anyone of note you’ve met along your journey, people you stay in touch with.
Have an awesome live show. If your show isn’t stupendous, and you haven’t worked on this, you must put more focus on it. People want to be entertained, they won’t drive across town, hassle with parking, take time from their busy lives, pay good money to stand for hours in a club with no seats to listen to you more than once unless you thoroughly transfix and entertain them. Understand that when you perform, it’s about your audience, not about YOU (that is, if you wish to be a commercial success, and have people buy tickets to your shows and buy your music). Anybody can sell a CD or ticket to a few people once, but can you make those same people come back a second time and ask for more? That’s when you know you’re onto something. You don’t just want “mercy” sales, you want hordes of screaming fans storming your merch area to buy up everything you’ve got.
To improve your performance, rent videos of great artists and their live shows, see how the masters do it – across all genres. Great showmanship and excellent stagecraft don’t require lots of fancy stage decoration or a huge financial investment, it comes down to the person performing and his ability to connect with a crowd. If you can’t do this and/or aren’t willing to learn how and improve, you might as well stay in your garage or sell men’s shoes.
The best person I know to bring out the essence of the artist and perfect his stagecraft and show is producer Jan Kinder Koda of Angel Diva Music in Los Angeles. I have personally witnessed her take the mediocre and make it great so many times, that I continue to be in awe of her intuition and talents. Highly recommended, she is a frequent talent judge for our LAMN Jam Music Contests (artist show cases). Contact Jan or find someone like her to help you: jan@angeldivamusic.com. Videotape your shows and study how you can do better. Great songs are just the start. Delivery is vital, too. With zillions of artists trying to get noticed, you must be special. And frankly, “good” these days isn’t good enough.
6. Build your team. In the beginning harness the enthusiasm of anyone willing to help because you need all the help you can get. As your fan and support base grows, you will have a greater selection of good people – choose wisely. Enthusiasm is great (especially in the beginning) but it is not enough. Label personnel can be hugely helpful, but you also want people on your team who work for you and have your best interests in mind.
7. Educate yourself. Read. See my recommended reading list below. Know what’s going on in the business and in the world. Don’t become a news junkie, but figure out the best outlets for good information and keep up to date. This makes you more interesting and will alert you to possible trends and opportunities. Record executives love being presented with ideas and marketing strategies… make it easy for them to help make you successful!
8. Get to know everyone at your label. Offer to put on a free concert in the lunch room or parking lot, wander through the halls strumming a guitar, get to know the executives and the gatekeepers, the assistants and the mail-room guys. All of them can be enormously helpful to you in your career, and they’ll be more inclined to help you if they know who you are. I worked at MCA Records for over 5 years, and I can count on one hand the number of artists who came through the office to say hello. They made such an impression, that I remember each of them very clearly, many years later. I also remember that Tom Petty and Bobby Brown were the only artists to ever give gifts to the entire staff. Tom Petty sent huge flower arrangements to every department with his personal thanks after a successful campaign, and Bobby Brown waltzed through the offices one year just before Christmas handing out bottles of expensive champagne to everyone. This impressed me very much, and I always gave more effort and attention to their projects from that point on. Also, I remember a senior Warner Bros. Record executive telling me a story about Madonna. She had just been signed to the label, no one knew who she was yet. He left his office one evening, on the way home, and saw her sitting outside the head of publicity’s office. Madonna was taking a meeting with the then–head of publicity. As she did with the head of every department at the company. She requested meetings, introduced herself to each executive, found out what they did and how she could help to make her music marketing campaign outstanding. This exec was taken aback – and impressed – because he’d never known an artist to do such a thing. Smart!
9. Get your package evaluated. Are you ready to take it to the next level? Are you ready for a label deal? Artist development specialist Eugene Foley, who is also an entertainment agent, offers a great FREE service and will evaluate any artist / band’s package for FREE. It is immensely valuable to get feedback from someone of his experience. Mail your package to him: Eugene Foley, Foley Entertainment, Inc.90-100 U.S. Highway 206 North Suite 107, Stanhope, NJ 07874. There are no strings attached to this free offer – you will not be up-sold on any products or services, or be spammed until the end of time. Highly recommended. eugenefoleymusic@aol.com.
10. Your Success Zone is equal to your Comfort Zone. In short SZ = CZ. The larger your Comfort Zone, the larger your Success Zone. Think about it. The thing which you MOST avoid doing is probably the thing that is most necessary for you to do. So have a good look at what holds you back from success, most likely it is YOU and the self-imposed limitations of your own mind. Get beyond these, and the world is yours.
“… he knew full well the consequences of failure. That, of course, was the strength of men like him: they were not afraid to fail. They understood that the great accomplishments in history demand the greatest risks; that, indeed, history itself was shaped by the boldness, not only of collective action but of individual initiative. Those who panicked at the thought of failure, who did not act with clarity and determination when the moments of crisis were upon them, deserved the limitations to which their fears committed them.” – Robert Ludlum (from The Parsifal Mosaic)
The universe is generous and favors the bold. No reason in the world you shouldn’t (and can’t) be massively successful on your own terms… if you do the work. Frankly, if you do most of these things, you won’t need a label. Better to have them beat a path to your door anyway, then you’ve got much better leverage and can remain master of your own destiny (and owner of your own masters – ha!).
Good luck to you! Here’s wishing you great success on your own terms.
“Everything you can imagine is real.” – Pablo Picasso
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Recommended Reading & Resources
By Tess Taylor
Updated June 2009
When I hear people say they have no time to read, I laugh softly to myself. That’s like saying you have no time to learn or improve. How ridiculous. Take a leaf from my father’s book: he carries something to read with him wherever he goes, which I do too. It’s a wonderful habit. If you think the cost of education (and the time it takes) is too high, consider the cost of ignorance. The key to continued success in this world is having an edge and an education. Besides, a library card is free. All books here support the goal of improving your plan and skills. Happy reading!
Artist Development: A Distinctive Guide To the Music Industry’s Lost Art by Eugene Foley. Very on-point with useful samples of fact-sheets and how-to advice. Author Eugene Foley offers FREE evaluation of artist packets, an excellent benefit. He’s seen thousands of them, knows what works and what doesn’t.
Buzz Marketing: Get People To Talk About Your Stuff by Mark Hughes. I took away great ideas from this book, which I implemented immediately with excellent results.
Don’t Make Me Think! A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug. We are redesigning NARIP’s site based on the excellent advice in this book.
How To Succeed in Business By Breaking All The Rules by Dan S. Kennedy. I recently discovered this author and have devoured all of his books. His advice is highly useful, direct, easy to apply immediately and yields results.
How To Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Buy this book now and read it several times a year for the rest of your life. Contains simple and essential lessons on how to get along with people. Learning skills in this book will put you light years ahead of the competition.
Indie Marketing Power by Peter Spellman. Peter Spellman is one of the few authors I know in the music business who combines practical knowledge and experience with a high level of academic rigor, scrutiny and research. This is an excellent book on marketing.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Dr. Robert B. Cialdini. Cialdini’s books are the result of years of study into the reasons why people comply with requests in business (for example, in sales) and other settings. Highly recommended.
Life is a Contact Sport by Ken Kragen. A top personal manager who has steered many artists to success, Kragen shares simple yet effective techniques for advancing any career (artist or otherwise).
Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive & Others Die by Chip Heath & Dan Heath. This book takes a detailed look at why some ideas and messages burrow themselves into our brains and are effective, and why others don’t. Very useful.
Power Schmoozing by Terri Mandell. A former publicist, Mandell’s book is a great practical guide to leaping out of your comfort zone, conquering shyness and learning how to handle social situations so you can enjoy smooth sailing in all your interactions. Essential for conveying yourself and your ideas.
Secrets of Power Persuasion by Roger Dawson. If you can’t negotiate, you’re at a disadvantage. Everything is a negotiable! Having had no experience with this growing up, I read every book on the topic I could find, and Dawson’s books are the best. I was so motivated, I phoned him up and negotiated 25 free copies of the book out of him.
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind By T. Harv Eker.Change your way of thinking to change your outcomes. Best advice: CZ = WZ. Your comfort zone equals your wealth zone. The more you expand your comfort zone, the more you increase your wealth.
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. This New York Times Bestseller got on the book charts for a good reason. It’s a fascinating exploration of how trends are created.
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Excellent check list of 13 principles based on commonalities discovered in over 500 super successful business people. Published in 1937, this book has stood the test of time because these principles work.
Write It Down, Make It Happen by Henriette Anne Klauser. I am a big believer in writing things down to make them happen, and this book details why this is such an important practice and the huge rewards it yields to those who do it.
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