Great Tips on Succeeding in the Music Business

[ggalen]

I stumbled onto this great list of tips about making it in the music business. It's on CDBaby.Thought I'd pass it one.I think it tells it like it is on a lot of things. But I disagree with some of it, too. There are some things that I personally wouldn't do just to generate an "image". But I can see how the psychology works with the public and some audiences.http://diymusician.cdbaby.com/2009/07/t ... anonymous/

[mazz]

Glenn,What I find interesting is that your thread has been up here for two days with zero responses!! What does that say about us when a thread says "Great Tips on Succeeding in the Music Business" goes untouched for two days?If the thread said "Why we need free healthcare for everyone", we'd have 5 pages in two days.Hmmmmmmmmmm.BTW: There are some provocative and inspiring statements in that article. Thanks for posting. I'm really looking at why I avoided it for 2 days.Thanks,Mazz

[ggalen]

Mazz,Yes, you raise an interesting point.I don't agree with a number of the assertions in the list; I think some of them are aimed at being a certain type of pop star. But most of the stuff in there is great information worth thinking about.I thought this was one of the golden insights, for me anyway:Music business says: “If we don’t know you, go away” – We’re busy dealing with people we know & love."So give them time to get to know you, and become a friend! It's so important.

[sgs4u]

Glenn's link goes to a web page entitled. The Philosophies of Fame I don't think that's quite the same as Great Tips on Succeeding in the Music Business. Fame is a helluva lot easier to achieve than money is now.Mazz brings up an excellent point. Maybe people on this forum aren't focused on overall success... maybe everyone's focus is more on, creating a successful piece of music that gets forwarded and then placed. For some people, getting a Taxi forward is a monumental achievement. I remember my first time too. The first thing anyone should do if they want to "succeed" in the music business is define EXACTLY what success means to them personally. If it means hand-writing 10 pages to distill your thoughts into one 20 word line, so be it. How would a person KNOW, if they were successful? Obviously that's a very personal definition. There are likely some common perspectives. I don't think very many people on this forum actually define their version of success. We talk around sometimes, but we don't nail it down much. Success always seems to be a way off on the horizon thing. The first questions that come to mind are: What do you want to achieve? Are there any other ways to become "successful" in the music business other than using Taxi's services? Is this forum an Ok place to talk about other options?

[hummingbird]

Oct 5, 2009, 9:11am, sgs4u wrote:I don't think very many people on this forum actually define their version of success. We talk around sometimes, but we don't nail it down much. Success always seems to be a way off on the horizon thing. What do you want to achieve? Are there any other ways to become "successful" in the music business other than using Taxi's services? Is this forum an Ok place to talk about other options? I don't know if I agree that many people on this forum haven't defined their idea of success. I think the most successful ones have. I think others are exploring or trying to figure that out. Sometimes you need to try different paths and exercise different parts of your creativity to even know what it is you want. My advice to anyone thinking about joining TAXI is... figure out your business plan. A business plan includes a) your background/expertise, b) details of your product/service, c) market research, d) a marketing plan. Once you have your plan, then you have a basis for assessing services like TAXI's within that context.... whether the education & access to the market that it provides is worth the investment.Just to provide my own context - I decided, after listening to senior members of the forum chat at the 2006 Rally - that I did know people who were making money at writing music... and they were writing for film/tv. At that point I had no knowledge, skills or tools to be able to do what they were doing. I'd belonged to TAXI for more than two years and had yet to have even one forward. But I decided I was going to become a writer of music for film/tv. I figured it would take me 5 to 10 years to become successful at it, and I know I am firmly on that path.OTOH, I also define success as the ability to get up every day and do music for a living. Anyhoo... good advice from Steve on defining what success means to you... then setting your goals & finding support mechanisms.

[flyingtadpole]

I didn't reply to Glenn's post because I went off and read the URl, then other things happened. My money's worth, (and this is not a complaint or plea for sympathy, OK?.)...There tends to be an inbuilt bias toward seeing success as a geographic point to be achieved. As in "And the handsome prince married her, and they all lived happily ever after". Or "Well, I made it." Or, "I'm at the top now!". But the marriage often turns to divorce down the track, the GFC unmakes the made, and anyone at the top by definition is a clear aim for everyone else (in the arrow/bullet sense....)People confuse success with arriving at goals "I'm now a pop star!" . So what do you do when it goes "Hey, where did all the fame go??"Success has to be a process, or at least a steady state with things happening to maintain it. Success for me right now is that I DON'T have to be out in the vineyards pruning in mid-winter, wiping out my hands and losing the rest of my teeth to save the house and keep bread on the table, which is where I was, we both were, a mere 8 years ago when business folded then, as now. From the top 5% of earners to the bottom 5% in 3 months, both times.A bit short sighted? Not really, it took 5-6 years to get to this steady-state, and it was planned. Goals, milestones, work. Though we didn't expect to world to go insane quite so soon, another two years would've been better!. It's a huge bonus that I can be sitting here commenting on a thread with one hand and orchestrating a demo for a funding meeting with the other.So when you're defining what success means to you, think in terms of ongoing success, not just reaching a particular set of point goals.

[suzdoyle]

Great points.To me, success is doing what you love and loving what you do. And that can be as varied as the people living their success. 'Twas indeed a great article, Glenn. I read it and then continued writing music music music, rather than discuss the article. But I appreciated it nonetheless . . . Suz

[mazz]

I wasn't trying to guilt trip anyone, just wondering if there was a general aversion to "success", because there wasn't much response to the thread as titled.I agree that a clear definition of success is necessary to achieve it. And also knowing that the definition will evolve as the successes are achieved.My current definition: Doing what I love to do for a living and having a healthy life while doing it.Cheers!!Mazz

[mfowler]

Mazz wrote: And also knowing that the definition will evolve as the successes are achieved.That is exactly my sentiment... I joined just hoping to learn enough to put some songs together... now that I have some forwards under my belt, I want to continue to improve and hope someday someone will actually pay me for something I created... (btw.. I was in Montana writing a country song that will most like get returned.. so I'm catching up on the forum.. .. good excuse?)Marlin

[ggalen]

Glad the link was of some use. We've often puzzled here on the Forum why some artists are popular and others are ignored. But we've focused too much on the music itself; much of the answer lies in some of the other factors going on. And the article talked about a number of those factors. What I liked most in the piece was the "psychology of the music-buying public". Although too much of what the article said was about the "MTV world" and sensationalistic, silly stuff, in my opinion.To me success is about achieving "happy contentment" doing what I really enjoy each day, rather than doing work I'd only do because I am being paid to do it.