The Rally Cry of the Indie!

You know, when I talk to many of my friends from all over the music spectrum, I find that we all have more in common than just making music. Sure, we almost “have” to classify our music, though putting labels on things that we create is something that we ALL hate doing. But just for the sake of this conversation, I think that we have to realize something: if we are looking to be “trailblazers” and “controllers of our destinies” then we are all indie artists, musicians, managers, producers and industry professionals.

Now, what do you mean that we are all Indies? Since I “cut my teeth” on creating and writing Soul and R&B music, I was finding it hard to narrow my search early on in my career when I looked for resources to help me. I, too, thought that Rock bands made indie music. I immediately began to think of the 3-5 piece garage band that loaded up their vans and traveled to “dive bars” to make a little money doing original music. If this is your view, then you are still correct. You see, Indie music is a genre and a description. It’s a noun and an adjective.

So with all of that said (and to completely wrap up the “classroom” section of our conversation!) Indie music is defined as Rock music that takes its name from "independent," which describes both the do-it-yourself attitudes of its bands and the small, lower-budget nature of the labels that release the music. The key words here are “attitudes”, “lower-budget” and “do-it-yourself.” Do you release music on your own? Do you believe that the “old ways” of releasing music: cut a demo, send your demo to an A&R, get signed to a lucrative record deal, release a hit, sell CDs, get on radio, etc., needs a major kick in the backside? Do you KNOW that you are the one that can supply the kick? Well, guess what, YOU are an indie! You may not make music that sounds like Beck, but you are someone that is among the growing number of “movers and shakers” who are going to make it on their own terms. YOU are an indie! You create INDIE music!

So what’s next? Now that you are hearing the “Rally Cry of the Indie,” what are you going to do about it? Are you going to dust off your library card and go find the resources you need? Are you going to take a look at the fact that Macklemore was not an overnight sensation that made a song about shopping at the thrift song and got famous out-of-the-blue, or are you going to take a look at the fact that he and his partner Ryan Lewis have taught us all some lessons about what it means to staying true to who you are? Are you going to let the fact that many in the Hip-hop community have dismissed him as a member of a genre that can get played no matter what they put out stop you from learning that he was able to keep all of his royalties because he and Lewis created an album with NO SAMPLES or GUEST APPEARANCES (two things that always kill a budget)? Am I going to keep asking you questions, or am I going to give you some resources? Just making sure that you were paying attention.

Hungry Artiz, the goal this conversation with you is to tell you that we are all one in this Indie Revolution. Limiting yourself, if only to stop and define what you are NOT for extended periods of time, is limiting to your career. It’s ok to say, “Hey, I am not a Country singer.” That’s fine, as you still have to define your audience. What is not ok is missing out on some valuable resources or lessons that could mean the difference between dreaming about making a living doing what you love and continuing to listen to your music on your iPod and making no effort to share your gifts with the world.

Update Your Status

Hello, Hungry Artiz. I hope that your month has been full of creativity, inspiration and motivation to reach your goals.

This month, I decided to take a look at another topic that I am asked most about by my musician friends and fellow Hungry Artiz: web sites. This is another one of those topics that I have found to be one of those scary things that most musicians don’t like to talk about, let alone go out and actually create. How do I know? Well, you could have counted me in that number too during the early stages of my career.

Now, I’ll try not to date myself when I tell you this, but I can remember a time when there was no Internet. There was no Facebook or Twitter. More than that, I can remember when the only way I could log onto the Internet in the beginning stages of its popularity was if there was no one on the telephone in the next room. Hard to imagine that my youngest son never experienced a world without cable, let alone one where logging onto the web meant that we had to pick a phone number from a long list and wait for a weird tone.

Okay, enough of that, I am totally dating myself.

Today, there is NOTHING that you can’t do online. You can watch your favorite television show or movie. You can buy a house or even order a pizza. My question is, why in the world would you ever believe that you can be a successful musician without having a viable website? Why would you see the merits in being able to keep up with your favorite television show On Demand, but not give your music a chance to be Googled or listened to by those who are surfing the web for gossip?

Hungry Artiz, this month I want you to think about your website. If you don’t have one, then well, you are missing out. Now, since we like to keep our conversations with each other motivating, I don’t want you to be discouraged if you do not have one. I just want you to think about something: are you on Facebook? If you are taking the time to let everyone know that you are having a great day, then you could be using that time to update your fans on your next gig, or show them behind the scenes footage of you in the studio working hard on your next album. Now I don’t knock Facebook, because I do have a Facebook page. It’s there for a reason and it is up to you to define what it is. If Facebook is the ONLY way fans can reach you, then you need to be asking yourself a few more pressing questions about what you want out of your professional music career. As hard as it is to believe (now brace yourself for this one) everyone is not on Facebook. Prince does not have a Facebook page.

Listen guys, I know that some of us are not computer-savvy web designers, nor do we have the money to pay thousands of dollars to create a spectacular “Internet wonderland” where things are flying across the screen in perfect sync with your music! The good news is: we don’t have to be. There are hundreds of resources out there that don’t require that you know how to write code or design websites. The best part is that many of them are FREE to use or try. Many of them, like Bandzoogle, even come with all of the tools you need to update your fans, post your gigs and even blog. Most, like Nimbit, even allow you to sell your music and merchandise. Got a t-shirt with your band’s logo on it? Share it with your fans on your website!

Make sure you check out the ones I mentioned in the previous paragraph. Here are a few other ones that I think that you will find to be easy to set up and maintain, yet powerful enough to get the “buzz” going on the Inter-web:

HostBaby - CD and digital music distributors CDBaby’s website creation and hosting

Four Four – free website creation platform created by two former musicians

Reverbnation – not technically a website, but has some of the same tools, super-easy to maintain and even has a blog

Onesheet – virtually, maintenance free; links to your social media, just a SINGLE PAGE

Squarespace – professional quality templates that are easily customized

This is, by no means, the end-all-listing-of the-best ever . In fact, I’d like you all to feel free to leave suggestions or even talk about some that you have found.

Now, get out there and build that site! After you have updated your status, of coarse! Here is a quick video to help you get started (now, there is no excuse!) Until we speak again, stay HUNGRY!

Get to Know the People Who Know: Meet Bob Lefsetz

When trying to navigate through your journey as a creative person, it is good to realize that there are people out there that know more than you do. This isn’t just true in the music business; this is true in, well, WHATEVER business you are in! Hey, this is true in life.

Once you have wrapped your head around the first fact, then you are faced with a decision: if there are people out there that know more than me, then how can I learn from these people? How can I determine which one of these people I should actually listen to?

Building your network and establishing connections takes a lot more research and is a little more difficult than just trying to connect with people who are “experts” in the area that you are trying to learn about. It takes research. Lots and lots of research. Do not be afraid to reach outside of your comfort zone if it means gaining perspective and knowledge. We are trapped, sometimes, in a cycle of failure when we don’t have to be. Failure itself is not a terrible thing. Repeated failure, however, can make for an environment where growth is not possible. Growth, especially to creative people like us, is one of the main ingredients of success.

So what is the point, Mr. Hungry Artiz? My point is, do not limit your growth by believing that you have all of the answers. Even Albert Einstein did not have all of the answers. Your favorite artist or band does not have all of the answers. Build your network and you have a better chance of success. In other words, get to know people who know. Tune into them on the radio, log on to their websites, and read their blogs, go to hear them speak, read their books. Give growth a chance!

To get you started, I am going to help you to build network here during our weekly conversation. The first entry in our “Get to Know People Who Know” series is an introduction (or re-introduction to some) to a great blog that I found called The Lefsetz Letter. Bob Lefsetz, the author of The Lefsetz Letter, is one of those people that you should really get to know.

So who is Bob Lefsetz? He is one of those people I recommend reading because he is a veteran music industry professional who has worked as an entertainment lawyer, industry executive and a consultant for many major record labels. The Lefsetz Letter has been published for over 25 years, and serves as a “must-read” piece of insider literature for everyone from up-an-coming artists to established professionals like Quincy Jones. His blog is also famous because of Lefsetz’ reputation as one who only serves “common sense” and has even been known to disagree with the clients and companies that he was paid to work for!

Get out of the box. Get to know those who know.

The South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival: Flying South for Exposure

Sometimes I wish that I could have been alive to see some of the great performers at their peak: Earth, Wind & Fire, Parliament, Michael Jackson, or be able to have attended great concerts like Woodstock. Today, we have our favorite performers that we want to see, but aren’t even aware that one of the best places that new and exciting performers are being discovered are at music festivals. The music festival is still alive, even here in the South, were the music scene is still fertile with new talent. One main reasons that the musical festival still has life is the one that began in Austin, Texas in 1987: The South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival, or SXSW (SXSW History, 2013).

Using Austin’s character and background, it’s vicinity to the University of Texas’ campus and great reputation as a popular party town, the SXSW festival grew from 700 registrants in 1987 to over 16,000 registrants. It has also grown to include the worlds of Film and Interactive entertainment into its festivities. 

You see, though this massive opportunity is world-renowned, heavily sponsored and brings together some of the most talented and well-connected  industry professionals in the world, its beginnings are still a part of what it still represents today. SXSW was a way to reach out to the rest of the world, and bring them to Austin to do business (SXSW History, 2013). But it has also become a shining example of how to bring together fans, musicians, industry professionals, music, technology, film and even education. This collection all in one place. Is it cheap, no. But is it beneficial? Well ask John Mayer. After performing at the 2000 SXSW, he signed with the Aware record label. After releasing his album the next year, Mayer earned a grammy for the song “Your Body Is a Wonderland”…but hey, who knows, maybe he fought over whether or not he could “afford” to go? Artists must pay their own travel and lodging, they make only a little bit of money if they are not headliners and will receive a wristband. I guess we know what he decided to do for the opportunity.

Music Is Medicine

Many of us have probably never heard of Robert Gupta. Probably even fewer of you know the name Nathaniel Ayers. Truthfully, neither had I, until a chance meeting between a reporter and a brilliant musician may have made it possible for some of us to be reminded of the power that lies in our gifts as musicians, singers or creative people.

I like log on to a very special website I found some years ago called TED.com. On this site, offered free of charge, you can find recordings of some of the most influential, motivational and informational presentations that you will probably find anywhere else on the Internet. TED, which started as a conference that brought together experts and speakers from three different worlds (Technology, Entertainment and Design), has evolved into a global phenomenon that has millions of people attending the annual conferences held all over the world. The great thing about TED is that is has also turned into a free source of ideas, inspiration and motivation in the form of videos on just about any subject you can think of. The videos show presentations and speeches from some of the most influential, motivational and interesting people delivering speeches that are sure to leave you with…something! The other great thing is that these presentations are not like the ones we sat through in school or during those staff meetings that we all “had” to go to. These “TED talks” are, well, interesting.

Ok, let me get back to Robert Gupta. He is a violinist with the LA Philharmonic who often speaks about the healing powers of music. Mr. Gupta, has a very unique interest in this subject, you see. This native New Yorker graduated from college with a pre-med biology degree at the age of 17, graduated Yale with a master’s in music just two years later and has done research at Harvard studying Parkinson’s, spinal cord regeneration and the effects of pollution on the brain. Unique to say the least.

In this TED talk, Robert Gupta talks about when he had the opportunity to give a lesson to a brilliant, but troubled musician by the name of Nathanial Ayers. Many years ago, Gupta began, a reporter named Steve Lopez was walking along the streets of Los Angeles,California, when he heard beautiful music. This music, as he found out, could be traced to a homeless man named Nathaniel Ayers. Ayers, the brilliant musician that he was, was playing a violin that only had two strings. How good of a player do you have to be to stop someone who would otherwise not pay any attention to you at all? Especially with only two strings?

Nathaniel was a classically trained cellist whose career was cut short by his terrible bouts with paranoid schizophrenia. A paranoia that was so crippling, he dropped out of the famed Julliard School and in the span of 30 years, found himself living on the streets of Los Angeles. A chance meeting turned into a series of columns in the Times, a book written by Lopez and later a movie starring Jamie Foxx as Nathaniel Ayers and Robert Downey, Jr. as the writer called “The Soloist” in 2008.

The reason I love this short speech is because it touches on a few different aspects of my personal views about music. I believe that we are very fortunate people as “creatives.” We are able to take the things that mean most to us, or emotions, and funnel them through a medium that brings them to life. Something you can see, something you can hear and most definitely, something you can actually feel. Where a system of cruel, painful and even unnecessary treatments that failed him, Nathaniel was able to find some stability in life in the “escape” that music brought to him. So many years on the street brought Mr. Ayers to the brink of loosing it all. If this had been the case, and music was not the only link to humanity this musician had, then Mr. Lopez would probably never noticed, or given much notice to Nathaniel Ayers, as he continued to live his life as a homeless person.

I encourage you to take the time to listen to this young man. He speaks from a wisdom that is far beyond his years. 

Take Responsibility for your OWN Career

Let's face it. There is a lot of competition out there. Everyday, you turn on the radio (anybody still listening to the radio?) or log on to the Internet and hear at least one person who they believe is...well, not great. I mean come on, we all do it. No matter how much we want to say that we "Respect the musicians out there doing it" or "I support indie music," there is always that one song you hear and say: how in the WORLD did they get a deal? It's perfectly natural.

Now, this is not to say that it is okay to just be a "hater," because it's not. All that I am saying is that whenever you find yourself in a situation when you are saying that someone's music sucks, think about where you are and where you are hearing the song. Just give that a minute to sink in.

So what's the point, you say, Mr. Hungry Artist? The point is simple: don't be a hater. No, that's too simple and too overused. Let me say this: take Responsibility for your own career! If you do that, then you won't have time to be thinking about who stinks. Period. You'll be too busy honing your own craft to make sure that you don't stink.

There are several ways to gain success in the music business, and many of them are not smart. You could try and do what everyone else is doing or you could be a pioneer. You could do crappy, low quality YouTube videos, or put some thought into your music videos. You see the pattern?

Being in this business takes hard work and determination. Luck is something that you can't sit around waiting for or striving toward. Those people who are lucky to have that deal, or you think are lucky to be on the radio, they didn't set out looking for luck. They worked hard and were determined not to be stopped.

I don't love every song I hear on Pandora. I just think about where I am when I hear it. At least the song is on Pandora. I can skip it, but somebody else is out there listening to it. That's one more Pandora listener that this "sucky" artist has than I do at this moment.

Everyone Is A Critic

So as you have probably learned as a creative person, everyone is always looking to tell you what they think about your music. Your song is good, but if you add this, or take that out, it can be GREAT. I’m sure you expected that, right? But what is so hard for us to expect sometimes is exactly where the criticism is coming from. 

People who love you or care about you are expected to always give you support. That’s not being naive, that’s just what we as human beings with feelings come to look for in others. We never want our loved ones, or even those whose opinions we respect, to have negative reactions to something that you have worked so hard to create. Our creations are our babies, our life’s work, our…everything! How could someone not love it as much as we do?

Well, I’ll tell you how: because everyone is a critic. Everyone has opinions. That’s just how it goes. Musicians create music for their own reasons. Whether it is to make a million dollars or to sell a million records (NOT the same thing, but we’ll discuss that in a later post), we are all “in it for something.” But sometimes the hardest thing for us to remember is that everyone is not born with the same natural abilities or desires or skills that we have. We have used our time here on Earth to use these skills or abilities to fulfill the desire to satisfy the “reason” why we are here. Others become critics, even your fans.

So what’s the point, Mr. Hungry Artist? Well I’ll tell you: life is not about the things that happen to you, it is about how you react to the things that happen to you. I was always that kid who would get mad and “take his ball and go home”. If you blocked my shot as a young kid learning to play basketball, I would be so filled with emotion that I didn’t even want to play any more. It wasn’t until I learned why my shot was blocked that I grew as a person and became a better basketball player. I learned that I was taller than most of the other kids and could jump really high. I also learned that I did not weigh as much as many kids in my neighborhood or school. What I did was develop a jump shot (that was lethal, if I might add!) and use my height and jumping ability to be a good rebounder. Sort of like Dennis Rodman, without the colorful hair and with the ability to shoot the ball from the outside (I did mention the jump shot was lethal, right?). 

At the end of the day, you have to learn that even Bob Dylan was booed off of the stage. Now he may be someone that you are not particularly fond of musically, but he kept moving. He kept pushing and eventually, he became known as one of the voices of his generation. Are you a voice of your generation or are you going to take your ball and go home? 

Whenever you find yourself face to face with one of your “critics” ask them what Dylan asked one of the critics that decided to critique his music from the front row who let him know that he could not sing: “Hey fella, that may be so. But I’m up here doing this. What are you doing? Who are you?”