Other than How do I get a record deal? or How can I License my music? the question that comes up the most is How do I make it in the music industry?” “Making it” to me just means making a living playing, writing and recording music. Top 5 Behaviors that will help you make [...]
The Desk Where Dreams Go To Die
Posted By Musician Coaching on February 9th, 2010
No interview today. I apologize, I’m quite behind on interviews but I just wanted to write a bit about a disconnect I have been noticing with many of the musicians I know and have been working with in the last few months. When you cold call someone who is the one of the gatekeepers to a musician’s success – what do you think their desk looks like?
What I’m about to say is pretty blunt and I apologize but let me spell is out for you- No one gives a damn about your band. I know, that’s awful and sure you can point to a bunch of fans but when it comes to people who are gatekeepers to success it is really one of the most true things I have ever typed.
Why is this? Well most gatekeepers (Club owners, booking agents, music managers, A&R executives, music supervisors etc) got into the business because they loved music. They came to be in whatever their position by being an assistant, some by starting some entrepreneurial venture and some by dumb luck. Regardless of how they got there- as soon as they had spent several months or years in that position they began to listen to music in such large quantities that few of them are able to fully process and digest it.
People who filter large amounts of music are often overwhelmed with passionate people who can forget that said gatekeeper is running a business and has to make decisions based on the bottom line more than their love of music. If the musicians they are talking to haven’t demonstrated that they can sell tickets or merchandise or albums – it is very rare that an executive will take a chance on an unknown commodity for love of the music alone.
Be aware of this when cold calling people – don’t take rejection personally. Dig through the people you know who have a relationship with the executive you are looking to contact and get referred. Make sure when you do this that the person referring you has a good relationship though otherwise you may be better off cold calling. People respond to numbers. You don’t want to call someone and try to convince them that your music sounds great – they’ve heard that far too often. A much better tactic is to demonstrate that you have a viable product. Something like – “We bring an average of x people to our shows” or “We sell x amount of tee shirts every night” or “We have gotten our music placed in these shows, films, commercials”. With so much music out there it can really help to give people a tangible measure of your existing success to have them pause long enough to give your music a real in depth listen.
To this end your marketing materials are very important when reaching out to people who can help your career. They should be quick and to the point and highlight your achievements (no matter how humble) so they can get someone to pause long enough to live with your music. I often find that artists tend to seek out lofty industry executives without having spent enough time trying to target and convert everyday people into fans. It has been my experience that to get a gatekeeper to pay attention to a package that comes to them either unsolicited or from a chance meeting the best way is to provide them with proof (read: sales figures and statistics) that your music is viable to people who actually buy music, merch and tickets.
More soon,
Rick
Tags: A&R, Booking Agents, Music Industry help, Music Supervisors, Record Label
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7 Responses to “The Desk Where Dreams Go To Die”
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February 11th, 2010 at 2:10 am
If you already have a CD that is selling well, and booking shows and selling tickets and moving merch, etc, etc. Why do you even need to talk to these people?
I mean, and I really don’t mean this to sound like a troll, it seems that you’re saying the way to get these people’s ear is to prove that you don’t need them.
February 11th, 2010 at 4:44 am
Hi Sam, That is a valid point, however, there is always some opportunity that someone other than you holds the keys to… It may not be an A&R person or a manager but as a musician you will always be selling your project to someone for an opportunity at some point regardless of how much headway you have made (film and TV placement, getting on a festival, getting a decent slot at a club etc etc)
You should build up your following and target fans on your own until such time as your project can not grow anymore without outside help. With all of the tools available to musicians today many artists don’t need to have outside help to be a success at a local or even regional level but most need some kind of help to grow beyond that. The point of the article is that it is much more difficult to sell art to a jaded executive than it is to sell them art that has some indicators that there will be money in it for them. That is not to say that you have to have everything in perfect order and be 100% self sustaining but highlight your successes and use numbers when you can in your pitch – it will help.
February 11th, 2010 at 6:55 am
Yes I see what you are saying, it’s all about what level of the industry you are at, and nobody wants to pick up an artist at ground zero.
I went to a local music biz seminar where they talked about this exact issue, but their advice went like this: “Don’t even bother trying to contact any of these sorts of people. If you are doing eveything else right (good music, good shows, good write-ups, etc.) then they WILL call you.”
February 11th, 2010 at 7:14 am
There are gatekeepers in the process of creating good music (producers / engineers) and good shows (promoters, club owners) and good write ups (journalists & bloggers)… None of what I wrote is to suggest to not call people – I just think having your pitch and as much ammunition as possible ready for your pitch makes all the difference when you do… AND that before calling for long shot help – big managers and booking agents – that you make sure you’ve done lots of legwork on your own. My frustration is when I see people waiting for help – I often tell them to pretend it’s never coming because doing everything on your own when you are just starting out is usually the most productive use of an artist’s time…