Be the Change You Want to See in the Music Industry

by Joe Taylor Jr. on July 27, 2006 · Comments

Bob Baker’s saying it better than I can, but I’ll elaborate.

If you’re sitting around, pissing and moaning about your scene or the business or the A&R guys that don’t get it, you’re never going to succeed as a working musician.

Musicians that thrive in this business focus on four things:

  • writing music
  • performing music
  • building audience
  • staying healthy

If there’s anything on that list you’re not good at — get help. Attend a writers’ retreat and get good at songwriting. Rehearse or jam with another musician five or six days a week. Look at your zone map and work on your mailing list with your street team captain at least every other day. Work out with a trainer or with a gym buddy.

It takes the same amount of energy to complain about something as it does to make a change.

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  • Right on - and the magic catalyst is that you're definitely not the only one with the same complaint - so if you can enact a solution you'll suddenly have half the musicians in town backing you.

    I started the New Haven Jazzcast (www.newhavenjazzcast.com) because as a jazz player who moved to town a while ago, I found lots of incredible musicians but no centralized directory.

    So I launched the jazzcast to solve the problem, and the response has been great - area musicians get promotion, area fans can learn about upcoming gigs and get turned on to new artists, and I get to network AND help out the scene. Everybody wins.
  • Great way of crystalizing exactly what we need to be focusing on as independent musicians. Everything else we need to do can all be categorized under the 4 primary areas you listed.
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