Recording Artist Advocate: 4 kinds of people

I can’t take credit for this. I heard it at a writer’s conference.

You will meet 4 kinds of people in your life. Drifters, Surfers, Drowners, and Navigators.

Drifters just go along with whatever everyone else does. They don’t tend to be very loyal, but if they think you are popular they will follow you. Watch them at your merch table. They buy the shirts they see others buying.

Surfers are always looking for the next big wave. They are really just glorified drifters. They will still buy merch and come to your shows. But don’t be surprised when they jump to the next up and coming band.

Drowners always need rescuing. Help them once and they will expect you to bail them out forever. They live for drama and will try to wrap you up in theirs. They are great for song material, but observe them from a distance. If you’ve lived long you know several.

Navigators are the ones you want to work with. They know where they are going and will keep working to get there. They lock onto their “star” or guiding principal and steer towards it. For them setbacks are temporary. They are relentless. Look for a manager or booking agent who is a navigator.

One warning : Be sure you want to go to the same place. I hear lots of stories from bands who struggled with a producer or engineer because they didn’t have the same vision. You need a navigator willing to follow your star. (...or one very close to yours.)

If they don't, get out of there quick and come see me. 

Recording Artist Advocate: The weak link

Every band has one.

Sorry, that’s just how it is. In any group there is someone who doesn’t work as hard, isn’t as talented, or worse, is a boat anchor the rest of the group has to drag along.

My advice is to never be that person.

This could be the most important thing you do to make your band successful. Ask yourself who is the weak link, and why.

Be brutally honest especially if it’s you.

Don’t waste time feeling sorry for yourself. Just quit doing whatever it is that makes you the weak link. It may be spending more time practicing, getting to shows on time, or not getting drunk at shows.  

I’m not saying to ditch the weak link though it may come to that. But you have to identify the things that are holding you back and change them.

If you are in a group of misfits it may be time to remove yourself and find a better band.

The main thing is to be realistic and honest about your band’s future and do what it takes to get more shows, attract more fans, and be a success in this business.       

Recording Artist Advocate: Inspiration and how to find it…

An artist I work with is in the control room editing vocals while I write this. He just finished his latest CD and songs are still pouring out as fast as he can write them down. Has that ever happened to you?

I was at a writing class in Austin last week and the presenter was very insistent that you write… even when you don’t feel inspired.

Write, “I can’t think of anything to write.”

The act of writing and accessing that part of your brain will eventually pay off. After that it’s editing and re-writing. He even said that he doesn’t believe in “writer’s block”. If you have something to say, start writing and it will come together.

Your writing feeds on itself, and if you do it enough you will get inspired. That part of your brain will click on and you may find yourself more productive than ever.

When you get in that mode, good stuff keeps coming out. So write, and keep doing it.

I also read that poetry and music bypass the analytical part of your brain. You can excite your creativity by reading poetry exactly like working out exercises your muscles.

So, write, and write some more.    

Sorry for such a short post. 

The best part of what we do here at Rough Wood Recording Studio is when we catch lightning in a bottle. That has been happening tonight and I can't wait to get back in the studio.

Recording Artist Advocate: Steady Improvement

In any creative pursuit you will have people giving you advice. My first thought is to ask if that person has had any success doing the same thing. If I’m a painter I’m going to take advice or criticism from other painters, but especially one who has been successful. Some people will think you're just being defensive, but you need to work out the filter you run all the advice you get through. Some you take to heart and some you have to politely discard or ignore.  

People know what they like or don’t and they want to tell you all about it. When you get criticism you don’t have to take all of it or none of it. You can pick the parts you think have merit. For your own sake apply your filter.

I read that Craig Ferguson has a meeting after every show with someone who critiques his performance and helps him stay on his best game. Personally, I don’t know how he does it, or why that person doesn’t have his own show if he’s so smart. But the point is that Craig doesn’t mind the criticism. I imagine he takes the parts he can use and discards the rest.

We tend to take criticism to heart and often from the wrong people. A booker or bar manager sees more bands than anyone else, and they know how the audients reacts immediately. Their livelihood depends on it. I’ll take their advice. The person who just wants to hear his favorite song, not so much.   

If you’re not quite ready to ask someone you respect for advice, try this: Have someone video your performance and critique yourself. Listen and watch. Would you pay to see that show? See yourself the way your audience sees you and if there is something that needs changing do it.

Ze Frank has a YouTube channel and gives some real good advice. Look for the video titled “Thoughts on the Creative Career” where he goes over some advice he wishes he’d been given sooner. Check it out. I think it applies very well to musicians.

If you are willing to do the work to keep improving you’re already ahead of most other bands. Sorry other bands.

Keep writing. Keep getting better. Never think you’re as good as you can get.

Recording Artist Advocate: Help them help you.

EPK, Electronic Press Kits, are great for bands. No longer do you have to stuff all that info in a manila folder and send it off hoping someone will actually take the time to go through it. But now that every band sends out an EPK, how do you make yours stand apart?

Put yourself in the mindset of the person you’re talking to. If it’s a bar manager, they want to fill their venue with customers. A booker wants to find bands that make the venue folks happy. And music directors at radio stations want listeners. They also want to be able to say, “I discovered that band. We were playing their music before anyone else.”

For the bar manager tell them about the venues (not in their area) that consistently have you back. It speaks to the value you bring that they want you there again and again.

For bookers, highlight the events you’ve been booked into and how well they went. I’ve seen a booker sweat bullets because he needed to please his client and the band was late to set up.

And for radio, you should send high quality .mp3 files of your front man (or woman) doing intros they can use over the bed of your songs. This requires some detective work to make certain you get their slogan right. The radio station’s website will usually have everything you’ll need.

A little studio time is worth it if it gives you an edge and gets you radio play. This works for internet radio stations and anyone with an interview show. Think about what they need and see if you can make it easier for them to promote you. Those relationships will make all the difference in your success in this business.