Your Band's Best Friend

One of the most important lessons I’ve ever learned came in the form of a rhyme.

I was working in the marketing department for a production company, and I was asked to come up with a script for a radio spot. It was my first shot at it, and I labored over those words (all 30 or so of them) for days. When I finally sent them to the president to review, he called me into his office.

He had printed off the email as he often did, and he read my copy, for the first time, right in front of me. Once he was done, his head shook back and forth in a “no no no, this is isn’t right at all” gesture.

Then came the rhyming words that changed my outlook on copy:

“Are you selling or telling?”

I read the copy, and it was clear: I was telling.

Telling involves… well, just telling people the facts. Selling involves giving people motivation to act, getting people excited, and conveying the types of emotions they’ll feel if they take action (or, sometimes, what they’ll miss if they don’t).

Example: Telling: “We’re playing a show next Friday at John’s Tavern in Houston, TX at 8PM. Hope to see you!” is telling (with a little bit of begging at the end).

Selling: “The lucky folks at John’s Tavern get to play host to our craziness for what’s sure to be a memorable, exciting, and surprising night of music and more. Next Friday, we will bring down the house. Care to join us?”

See? I’m still not good at writing copy that sells! But I think you’ll agree the second one is more likely to get a reaction.

You don’t want to be a car salesman (“Come on down for some deals!!!”) but you should at least try and get people excited about your shows (as well as other events in your career).

Don’t just tell. Sell.

For decades, the driving force behind the music industry has been the direct sale of recorded music. Vinyl, cassettes, CDs, legal MP3s… it’s all been a very simple business (in theory, anyways): record music, package music, sell music.

Today, more and more artists are opting to give their music away for free. I’ve posted on this topic before, and I stand by the opinion that it depends on your situation, your goals, and your strategy.

If you do decide to go this route, however, it’s vital that you have strategic reasons for doing so. “To gain exposure” is not enough. “Exposure” doesn’t pay your bills. “Exposure” won’t help you pay for recording that next album. “Exposure” won’t fix your van if it breaks down on tour.

Let’s take it out of the music world for a second…. You know those crazy ‘door crashers’ that big box stores have, where they sell products at ridiculously low prices (sometimes almost free)? They’re commonly known as ‘loss leaders,’ and for the most part, they work. Why? Because loss leaders not only get you into the store (so you’ll buy something more expensive), but they also get people talking about the brand, all of which leads to an overall increase in sales.

Essentially, giving away your music for free acts much like a loss leader. If you’re going to take this approach, you HAVE to have a plan as to how, specifically, you’re going to capitalize on the benefits of free music. A big box store isn’t going to sell a $100 product for $5 JUST for the exposure… they’ll have a strategy as to what else they’re hoping to sell to make up for the lost revenue.

More importantly, though, they’ll be prepared for those other sales (having enough in stock, displaying them properly, advertising, etc) and you should be too. If you’re hoping the $0.00 price tag on your album will bring more people out to your shows, make sure you have plans to tour… but more importantly, make sure you know how to reach those people who downloaded the freebie when you DO tour. Seems obvious, but it’s an important point that’s often overlooked.

Free music for your fans changes the fundamental approach to your career – namely, you’re going from a ‘direct sale’ to an ‘potential indirect sale’ – so realizing that potential is vital to success. There’s a big difference between giving something away for free and hoping for success, and giving something away for free because it’s part of your overall strategy.

Another analogy, but hopefully it will prove a point. Bare with me once again…

Let’s say you were going to bake a few apple pies.  In order to bake ‘em, you decide you need 20 apples, so you head to the grocery store.

When you got there, would you go to the produce section, pick 20 apples up, and carry them to the front? No, most likely the FIRST thing you’d do is get a basket, or at the very least a bag, to put em in. Otherwise, you’d lose some on the way to the check out.

If you’re a touring band, and you’ve chosen to build your fan-base by playing live (yes, there are other ways), then you need to realize that your fans are apples.  Success, in this case, isn’t having 20 pies at the end, but having enough fans to fill a venue/get signed to that label/get picked up by that agent, etc.

If you’re ever going to get there, you need a container to put them in.  Use Facebook fanpages to collect ‘likes,’ twitter to collect follows,  a good mailing list client to collect and use email addresses, or whatever else works for you.  But remember, you MUST have a container, and you must have it FIRST.

Otherwise, you’ll find yourself without enough apples, even though you SWORE you picked up enough.

I’m sure that “Am I good enough?” rolls through the minds of most musicians on an almost daily basis.  It’s natural, of course, but I think there’s a better question for artists to focus on, and that question is: “What’s my audience?”

To illustrate the point, I’m going to use a very strange example: Crocs.

Yes, these:

Are these shoes “good?”  Well, it depends on who you ask.

If you ask someone in the fashion world, they’d tell you that they’re hideous abominations that should never have existed.

If you asked a nurse or a gardener, they’d tell you they’re the greatest shoes ever invented.

Your music career is a business, and you’re the founder and owner. Your job is to figure out IF your ‘product’ has an audience, and WHO that audience is.

Luckily, those two things usually happen at the same time.

Despite the enormous success and impact that social media has on our society (which includes the music industry), there are still some nay-sayers out there.  One of the more common arguments against it can be paraphrased by the following:

“Musicians should focus on creating music, not on Twitter and Facebook.”

The implication is that social media is a time-sucker. Every minute wasted on social media is a minute they could (or should) be practicing their instruments, writing new songs, and refining lyrics.

It’s true.  If an artist were to ignore social media entirely, they would have more time to write music. It’s a simple equation.

Unfortunately, it misses the point entirely.

If one were to take this simple statement further, it would also be true that if an artist decided to ignore emails, they’d have even MORE time to write music and practice.  Same goes for talking with their fans after gigs, attending music conferences, or learning about publishing.

Or what about the time artists have to spend preparing meals and sleeping? Imagine how much someone could get done if they didn’t have to focus on these pesky tasks.

The point is, no business owner spends 100% of their time working on their product or service.  Partly because they understand that there are other things that need to be taken care of (like sleeping and eating), but also because they understand that their business is more than just creating their product. It’s using everything in their arsenal – social media, traditional advertising, customer service, business development – to add value TO their product, and being completely immersed in their chosen business path.

Those who tell you that social media is a waste of time are the ones who haven’t figured out how it can add value to their careers.

It would seem, too, that they are quickly becoming the minority.

I’m frequently asked by artists if I think they should give their music away for free, and my answer is always the same: it’s up to you.

Now, I know that’s not that helpful of a response, so let me elaborate.

The free vs. paid topic is a pretty confusing one.  It’s hard to blame anyone who’s confused about the ‘right’ way to go, especially given all of the opposing viewpoints in the blog-o-sphere on the idea.  Here are two examples:

Giving Your Music Away for Free – Why it Works

Call to Indie Artists: Stop Giving Your Music Away for Free

The first is clearly pro-free music, the second clearly against.  Both seem to be from reputable sources.  So what’s the answer?  In short, what should you do?

Historically, musicians have looked to people ‘above’ them in a business sense to develop strategy and make the big decisions.  If you didn’t have a manager or a label to make those decisions, well, you actively worked towards getting one.

Today, however, more and more artists are flying solo for longer (or forever).  It’s important to note that if you’re DIY, either by choice or by default, you’re going to have to fill ALL of the voids of those industry roles: money, network, and yes, strategy.

So how do you decide?

First, research, and lots of it.  Educate yourself by talking with other bands, reading blogs, talking with industry, etc, to see what’s worked and what hasn’t on BOTH sides of the equation,  Remember, too, that the success of either approach can depend on many things, including geographic location, genre of music, and target audience.

Second, realize that either option will come with challenges.  If you give your music away for free, you’re probably banking on revenue from live shows, merch, publishing, placements, etc.  This means you’ve got to work harder and deliver more value in these areas, without revenue from recordings.  If you decide to charge for your music, realize that you’re going to be competing against those who don’t, as well as those who feel they shouldn’t have to pay.

Third, realize that with either choice, you’ll have detractors, so you’ll have to stick to your guns and defend your decision.  If you’re not comfortable doing that, then you may not be that confident in your choice.  Develop a strategy that you believe in, and don’t let anyone else tell you it’s wrong. Remember, it’s the wild west, and it’s YOUR career.

Lastly, decide what matters to you.  If you never made a dime from your music, would you be happy?  BOTH answers are OK, and saying no doesn’t make you less of a musician or an artist at all.

Having to make your own decision on this topic can be scary, but it can also be empowering.  Develop a strategy, be steadfast (but not stubborn), be creative, and make your career what you want it to be.

Regardless of your affiliation with a manager, label, publisher or agent, there are inevitably areas of your career that you look after yourself. The most important part, of course, is the creative side, which means that you are, in the simplest of terms, in charge of creating your product/service.

Like it or not, that makes you an entrepreneur. Sure, you may have other people taking care of some business stuff, and yes, that can cross over into the creative space. But essentially, you’re the CEO of your own company, namely your band or your solo career.

Don’t believe me? Think of it this way: you wouldn’t have signed with that label/manager, or taken that last gig, or hired that producer, or went with that manufacturer, etc., if you didn’t think that they could help you reach your career goals. So, you essentially made a hiring decision, a vital role for anyone who runs their own business.

So what does this mean? Well, if you’re the CEO of you, you need to act like it. Entrepreneurs are savvy, resourceful, imaginative, frugal, and selective. Are you? Do you know what it really means to be those things? If not, do some research and figure out how to get better in the areas that you’re lacking.

Lastly – and I cannot stress this enough – the most important trait of all for any entrepreneur to have is patience. Yes, swift decisions and actions are important, but you need to realize that building a company (and yes, you are) takes time, consistency, and the determination to stick it out. Careers are built, not created, and they’re done so over significant lengths of time. Know what you want, figure out how to get it, and go for it.

Just be sure you’re prepared to be in it for the long haul that awaits you.

It’s one of the most vital roles in a musicians’ team: the manager.  If you’ve got a great one, it can help immensely.  If you have an awful one, it can hurt you.  And if you don’t have one at all, you probably LONG for the day when you can have someone help you.

I read/hear the following question all the time: “When should I get a manager?” The most common answer I see given is that you should do everything yourself for as long as you can, and then bring on someone to relieve you of those duties. Heck, I’ve even said this myself in the past, and I totally get the financial reasons behind this. After further thought, though, I consider this to be only PARTLY true, for two main reasons.

First off, it implies that the only benefit to having a manager is time relief.  Or, to put it another way, that the only resource that a manager can provide is time.  That’s false.  Remember, you’re hiring a manager, not an assistant. Managers bring all sorts of things to the table, such as connections & industry knowledge.  More importantly, though, a good manager can (or should) bring the skills that your band members (or you) don’t have, such as the ability to sell, a keen eye for opportunities, and prioritization. If you try and do those things on your own, you might be OK at them, but it’s much more likely that a good manager will be able to take you further because they excel at these so-called ‘soft skills.’

As an example, let’s say you wanted to build a house.  You COULD do a bit of research, and then start laying a foundation, building walls, installing plumbing, etc., and then when you couldn’t figure out what to do next or got too busy, bring in an expert.  But what if you’ve done things totally wrong, and actually caused more damage than good? What if you have to start over again? The point is that, sure, there may be SOME things that you can do yourself, but if you suck at plumbing and you have to hire someone to re-do it, where’s the advantage?

Secondly, it also suggests that finding a manager is a linear path.  It’s not. You can’t work and work and work until you decide that you need a manager, and then go to the ‘manager store’ and pick one up.  Management should (and usually does) happen organically, and the truth is that most artists are found by management, not the other way around.  The key is to be prepared for when that DOES happen, so you have a clear idea of what your manager can do for you, as well as what to expect from him/her.

I talk a lot about DIY and how important I think it is, but it’s important to keep everything in balance.  Sure, you can do a LOT of things on your own if you do tonnes of research, and I think you should.  But if someone comes along and it makes sense to bring them on to your team, don’t discount it because you want to be an island or because you think you’re not ready.  EVERY situation is different. Again, the key is to be prepared and know what you want and need.

The DIY mentality isn’t only about doing everything yourself. It’s about being educated enough to make the right decisions about you and your team.  So when it comes to adding a manager, yes, it should be about capacity.  But, it should also be about filling in the skill gaps that you and your band mates simply don’t have.

After all… don’t you want to build the best house possible?

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What do you think? Should you add a manager early? Late? Never? Would love to hear from artists and managers alike!

The phrase “running your band like a business,” no matter how true, is probably the least appealing phrase in history to most musicians.  Isn’t being in a band supposed to get you OUT of doing business-like work? Isn’t that kind of the point?

These days, there are amazing opportunities for artists who want to be in 100% control of their career.  Barriers are broken down, DIY is now a strategy as opposed to a default, and there are incredible tools out there to help you manage everything.  But some artists hate the business part of the industry, and just want to focus on making music.

If that’s you, you’re also in a good spot: the industry hasn’t fully collapsed like some thought it would, but rather, it’s become smaller and more personable.  “Help,” in the form of labels, managers, and agents, is much more accessible.

Of course, “accessible” doesn’t mean it’s easier.  With revenues dwindling, those ‘helpers’ are much, much less likely to take any risks on a band/artist that they like.  Which means that if you want to get someone on your team, you have to do one very, very vital thing: prove that you can make them money.

Being an amazing artist is only part what those folks look for.  They also want to see that you have a track record of selling CDs/downloads/merch, filling rooms, and getting placements on your own.  And by track record, they mean hard, hard numbers.

Here’s an example. Let’s say you’re talking to a booking agent who you’re hoping to get on your side.  One of the first things they’ll ask you about, of course, is your draw.

Saying “At our last show, we sold out a 100 capacity venue at 8 bucks a head” is good.

Saying “We played venue X and had a great turnout” is bad.

The difference, of course, is that the first one is specific, and when it comes to them investing their hard earned time and money, specifics about your revenue is vital.

Think of it this way: if you ran a restaurant and you were looking for investors to help you open a second location, they’d probably want to know how much you made on a regular Saturday night.  Saying “We usually sell a LOT of steak, so you should give us $50,ooo” won’t cut it.  Saying “We average $12,000 in sales a week” is much more likely to get investors on board.

I know, I know… it’s dollars and cents talk, and that takes the glamor out of making music.  But if you take the time to track your sales, attendance, etc (note – spreadsheets are your friend), you’ll be in a much better position to get someone to take all that off your hands for a percentage down the road.