E urope - Parent Directory

you know that your ex has never gotten over you, that she’s off her meds
and that she likes to show up and start swinging at every girl she thinks is
catching your eye…why would you invite he to your shows? Comb your
address book with a big, black sharpie pen and ink out the stalkers, crazies,
attention-getters, and overblown drunkards that will turn each and every
one of your gigs into a three-ring circus of drama that you’re forced to
ringmaster from the stage during your set.
Once you remove the drama from your musical career, you’ll find that
your gigs go smoother, your website is a more positive place for fans to
hang in cyber space, and the industry is less wary about getting behind
what you’re doing. It may seem silly, but too much drama can often be a
warning sign that something is really wrong with a band and you may find
that industry types will become gun shy around your band if they’re
worried that your reputation as drama queen will be more trouble than it’s
worth. Working in the music business is hard enough. Don’t give anybody
any reason not to work with you. Be smart. Leave your drama at home and
show the industry that your music is what’s most important to you and
your band.
Sheena Metal is a radio host, pro d u c e r, pro m o t e r, music superv i s o r,
consultant, columnist, journalist and musician. Her syndicated radio
p rogram, Music Highway Radio, airs on over 700 affiliates to more than
126 million listeners. Her musicians’assistance program, Music Highway,
boasts over 10,000 members. She currently promotes numerous live shows
weekly in the Los Angeles area, where she resides. For more info:
w w w. s h e e n a - m e t a l . c o m
DEALING WITH REJECTION IN THE MUSIC
B U S I N E S S
by Suzanne Glass, Indie-Music.com
© 2009 All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission
♦
Being a musician, by and large, is a rewarding thing. We get to indulge our
muse, spend time with other artistic types, and hear a lot of great sounds.
When it comes to jobs, being a musician is great work if you can get it.
U n f o r t u n a t e l y, it’s not all roses. The tremendous amount of competition
makes it likely that we will sometimes lose a gig, get fired from a band, or
be turned down for a songwriting award. Most of us handle the rejections
pretty well most of the time. However, problems can start to occur if you
have a run of too many rejections in too short a time. Musicians may begin
to doubt their talent, commitment, and even sanity when repeatedly slapped
with “no’s ” .
Tips to help you through the hard times:
1. Believe in your music and yourself. People tell you this all the time,
and you need to take it seriously. Many mega-hit songs were
repeatedly rejected before someone decided to release them to become
#1 hits. Believe that your talent is unique, and continue to pursue your
own musical path.
2 . If you hear the same type of rejection often, (“You need to pick up
your choruses” or “Work on your pitch”), you may want to look into
the criticism. Having an open mind may help you improve your craft.
3. If you get down on music, take some time out. Go to the beach, the
mountains, or your backyard, and do something enjoyable that has
nothing to do with music.
4. Give yourself the freedom to quit. This may sound contradictory,
though by giving you a mental “out”, it can help diffuse the pressure
when nothing is going right. Chances are you won’t quit, but you will
know you have a choice.
5. Go jam with some musician friends who do it just for fun, and forg e t
the business. People who strictly do music as a hobby sometimes have
a positive energy that will help your jaded, negative energy slip away,
and bring you back to the joy of playing music.
6. If you are in a situation where you can’t find a band to jam with, and
have excess creative energ y, consider another type of art or craft.
Doing something creative, even though it’s not music, will keep your
creative juices flowing. Painting, carving, candle making - activities
like these may also open your creative flow and inspire you musically.
7. If the problem is due to a conflict in your band, talk it out honestly
with the people involved instead of keeping it to yourself and
becoming cynical. Conflicts are common in bands (and every other
kind of group), and surviving them means the difference between
success and failure, since most bands will break up if the unresolved
conflicts are not addressed. It will NOT be a pleasant experience.
8. Write a song about it. Who knows, it might be a masterpiece.
9. Think back on all your successes and good times in music, and focus
on that energ y. Try to balance the current bad times by realizing it’s all
part of the flow.
10. If you can’t kick the down feelings in a few weeks, don’t hesitate to
talk to your doctor. Artists are known to have high rates of depression
and stress-related illnesses, and today there are many new treatments.
Make sure you follow a healthy diet and get some exercise.
Getting through those periods when “music sucks” is an experience all
musicians have been through at one time or another. Those that master the
down times go on to have productive musical careers. Those that get
bogged down in the problems and become bitter are doomed to less happy
- and maybe less musical - futures.
Suzanne Glass is the founder of Indie-Music.com, one of the Internet’s
p remier musician websites. The company offers thousands of re s o u rces and
contacts to achieve success in the music industry, including venues, labels,
radio, media, studios, and band listings, plus articles, interviews, and
reviews of indie music. Contact: www. i n d i e - m u s i c . c o m
B A B Y STEPS AND THE ROAD TO SUCCESS
By Chris Standring, A&R Online
© 2009 All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission
“If you can achieve one successful thing a day to help your music care e r
on the right path then you are on the right track”.
♦
I t ’s very easy to sit at home and get frustrated with the apparent lack of
forward movement in your music career. Especially when you know in
your heart that you have what it takes to succeed. It’s very easy to get
discouraged, for the simple reason that it seems “you are only as good as
your last event”. Musicians and actors are similar in that we like the highs
that our performances give us. We thrive on the exhilaration. It’s like a
drug. When it goes away we want it again.
All about perception
Gearing up to a live event is exciting. We can talk it up to friends and fans,
promote it the best way we know how and enjoy the thrill of the
performance itself. Then it is over and there may be a lull between events.
It can seem like your career is going nowhere. It’s very easy to feel that.
H o w e v e r, other people’s perception may be entirely different and probably
i s .
The music business is all about perception. It is based on hype and
salesmanship ability. I wish it was different but it is not and will never ever
be. If your band is perceived to be doing well then people will talk. If your
band is perceived to be on the way out then people will also talk. If your
band is doing nothing, nobody will talk! It is therefore extremely important
that you keep the hype factor up. This is one of the things you need to be
focusing on between events. Sit back and think about what you clearly
have achieved so far in your career. Think about the things that were
absolutely in your control.
Take baby steps
We are constantly bombarded with new creative marketing ideas, most of
them excellent, inventive and effective. However, the ideas that you
personally will primarily adopt are those ideas that you are totally
comfortable with. These are the things that you will make a priority. It’s too
easy to get overwhelmed with new promotional ideas so we put them off
The Indie Bible – 10 th Edition www.indiebible.com