Lets face it.
Not all of us live in a major music city like Nashville, Atlanta, New York City, London, Boston or Chicago, where the opportunity for making it in music is very present and without this opportunity as a musician, you’re probably wondering how to make it in music.
How can it be done?
Where do I start?
What should I know?
Though major acts have traditionally gained traction because of major music scenes that were budding or already well established, that’s not so say any kind of musical success can’t be achieved in a smaller city or town.
What do you do if you’re not in Los Angeles and instead maybe in Arcata, California?
Fortunately, hope is not lost!
While making it in music (however you define it), is a challenge and can be a very daunting challenge for those without any sort of basics in marketing and business, making it in music is attainable regardless of where you are in the world – you’re just going to need some tools and some know how to make your musical goals a reality.
In this post, we’re going to look at the following points and answer the number one talk of musicians all around the world:
- what it means to make it (believe it or not, not everyone wants billions of dollars in music)
- some music industry basics guaranteed to take your band and turn it into a tight knit, focused, professional project making it ideal for
- the idea of the small town and what are some of the benefits you can reap from being in a small town
and of course: how to make it in music if you live in a small town.
What Does Making it in Music Mean Mean to You?
Making it means different things to different people and it’s important to first understand what making it means to you.
Do you want to have millions of adoring fans all around the world, play 14 shows a year and collect royalties for your sleep?
Do you want to just do some tours up and down the midwest, get paid a decent sum or cash and receive some press coverage, but ultimately don’t want it to get too out of control because it might interfere with your other life obligations?
Or do you just want to have a consistently paying bar gig every weekend that pulls in an additional $200 on the side?
Many have associated “making it” with huge shows, crazy fans, star power and the royal treatment, but to some, especially those trying to hold down a full time job and keep relationships with friends, family and loved ones healthy, that definition of making it might not apply.
It’s important for you the bassist and the musician to first define for yourself what it means to make it in music and there is no right or wrong answer to this question.
Unfortunately, I can’t tell you the reader and devoted bass player and musician what your goals and standards of excellence are. That is something for you to consider for yourself.
Equally important to consider is if you really do want to play music for a living. The music industry, especially in recent years, has been facing a significant decline in, well, everything entirely because of the rise of the Internet and the decentralization of the industry itself.
Many artists now are opting for small-time independent label representation or self promotion rather than turning to the big guys for support – especially since many of those large financial payouts that were a norm from the 1950s to the 1990s are nearly nil these days.
All the more reason to ask the question, what does making it mean to you, and use that answer as your True North to how serious you want to go with music.
How to Make it in The Music Industry: Some Must-Know Knowledge
Just like there are a thousand different definitions about what it means to make it in music, there are just about a million other ways to get attention, fans and payment.
Though there are great resources out there from fantastic music industry publications like Music Think Tank and Tom Hess and the aptly named, Make it In Music (with a fantastic article that all aspiring musicains should read about why Facebook is basically worthless for promoting your band), it was rapper Kellee Maize’s article on Huffington Post that really took me back.
Not only did I feel that this article neatly summarized all the main points, but her credentials speak for themselves: a self-promoted musician “with Licensing, Shows, MP3 Sales, and a Toyota Hybrid Sponsorship” and someone who can “do music full-time and focus on evolving my sound and my SELF, building a team and working more in my community”.
Impressive, no?
Moreover, there’s none of that “you need a lot of passion” and “luck helps” psuedo-advice here. Just practical tools and resources.
Here’s a summary of the 10 points from her article:
1. Don’t Do Free Shows
2. Don’t Contact Music Blogs
3. Don’t Worry About “Getting Singled”
4. Give Your Music Away For Free – Legally
5. Submit Your Music to Jamendo, Frostwire & Free Music Archive
6. Charge for Your Music
7. Let Others Make Money Off Your Music
8. Use Social Media to Turn Followers Into Friends
9. Have An Awesome EP
10. Email is the Holy Grail
Definitely check out here article here: Kellee Maize: How I Made It in Music
How to Make a Living Playing Music: Making the Most of the Small Town Setting
“But Mike, you gave me all this information about the music business and nothing about being in a small town. What gives?”
Well, in this next section we’re going to look at some of the benefits of being in a small town and how it ties in to the points that I made above.
Now let me preface this section by saying that I’m writing this post from Rhode Island.
For those that don’t know (or think I’m talking about Long Island, Cape Cod or some other chunk of the United States associated with Massachusetts or New York – I’m not!), Rhode Island is the smallest state in the United States and also one of the highest states for unemployment and resident satisfaction.
Morale is down in the state, political cronyism is rampant and has been since the founding of the state and many of the major industries that made the state it’s own economic powerhouse have since left to China.
The state basically functions on tourism, old money in Providence, Newport and South County and fishing.
Let’s just say, it’s not a pretty situation here but it does have it’s upsides.
But despite all the doom and gloom Gallup reports and other press attribute to the sate, musicians still have managed to make some kind of living in music coming out of this state.
The most recent example that comes to mind is the hip-hop metal act, Scare Don’t Fear which recently signed on to Vans Warped Tour 2014 and of course underground hip hop icon, Sage Francis is stationed out of Smithfield.
Heck – Providence is often called one of the nations most creative and artistic cities.
Small towns or medium sized cities often have a lot going for them in their own right.
1. You’re Separated By Only a Few Degrees to Someone Influential
The best way for me to illustrate this is in the form of a story that happened this past weekend.
A friend of mine playing in a local band was checking out new places to play in Rhode Island while he was down in Narragansett, a coastal town at the bottom end of the state.
While there, he noticed that a small venue/restaurant that had closed some 5 years ago was now open again. The place was called the Wheelhouse.
My friend went inside and the bartender greeted him and asked him what he’d have to drink. He asked for my friend’s ID, took it and looked at it.
He looked back up at my friend and said, “Cougars?”, referring to the mascot of the North Providence High School.
My friend nodded and the bartender said that he was class of ’87. My friend responded that he was the class of ’89 and that he was looking for the person in charge of booking.
*gasp*
Sure enough, the former Cougar of the class of ’87 was the person in charge of booking shows. He continued to tell my friend that they were looking to start doing shows again in August and he can book my friend’s band no problem.
Like that, the band had a gig lined up – and a very powerful inside-connection.
The moral of the story is that small towns, cities and states like these are the kinds of places where instant connections can form simply because of a few degrees of separation. these connections form.
These are the kinds of places where meaningful relationships can be crafted just by ordering a beer.
Moreover, these are the kinds of places you’re likely to be within 2 degrees of separation from someone who can connect you to a show or know someone in charge of booking.
It was through a similar means that my friend managed to land a show opening for rapper and hip hop icon, KRS ONE, when he came to Providence.
There is no secret formula. All it takes is the incentive to stick your neck out from time to time and say hi to someone new – especially if you’re in a small city.
2. Word Spreads Quicker (With Some Help)
This is where those business concepts from above come into context.
If you’re in a smaller city or state, it’s only natural that word tends to spread between people quicker and with lasting results.
Unlike in the big city where you’re voice is likely to get lost among the thousands of other people around you, in a smaller city or town this issue is significantly minimized – or at the very least has a higher potential of shrinking.
Combine the skills from the above section with a smaller, more intimate state where word of mouth is much, much more potent than any form of marketing and you have a recipe for musical success.
3. Cherish the Connections
Think about this: In a place like New York of Los Angeles, the sheer size of the population is ripe territory for recklessness.
What do I mean by that?
In a city that large, you can afford to burn a connection or two without suffering too much setback. Although it might not be wise to do so, like the reason above, because of the sheer size of the big city and the amount of people present, your actions good or bad have a hard time moving the dial in any direction for you.
You can be disrespectful and burn connections more recklessly in the big city, places that are magnets for talent all over the world.
Musicians, promoters, booking agents and all of that quickly become a dime a dozen.
Smaller cities don’t have that luxury.
Meaning if you burn the wrong bridge, that might be it for a long period of time.
The scarcity of opportunity to get gigs and get promoted, logically, presents an incentive to behave yourself, cherish your connections and put on the best show you can, rather than play fast and loose with opportunities knowing that there is likely to be another one just around the corner anyway.
4. Big Fish, Small Sea
Like the headline reveals: small cities allow you to be a big fish in a small sea of musical competition.
To craft your own partnerships, put on your own shows and become a presence of your own is significantly easier in a small city and nothing’s better then being on top – even if it’s a small mountain.
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