I collected tons of clippings during my semi-sabbatical. This post from Jason Calacanis strikes me as important for working musicians on two levels.
First, I think the three keys Jason cites as essential for business are even more important for you. You probably love your music. That’s passion. But can you hustle? Can you get on the phone and call talent buyers and convince them that your band will pull more people into their house than anybody else on a given night? And if they say no, how quickly can you dust yourself off and hit the next name on the list? That’s resiliency. If you’re missing any of those three ingredients, you will not survive in this business, no matter what technological innovation hits the market.
The post details a conversation he had with an uninformed associate at a venture capital firm. As Jason’s trying to explain to the newbie that hustle counts more than innovation, it reminded me of calls I used to take when I worked in radio from folks who had no clue what my stations were about. The same goes for talent buyers. You can’t turn an acoustic coffeehouse into a punk venue just because “you rock.” Do your homework. Find out what’s working at clubs, and pitch the venues that match up with what you’re doing.