Why I Go to Showcase Festivals, Forget Facebook Time (Cashbox Story)

It's summer and I thought I would do some reruns (yes I have learned well from my years in the TV industry). This is the chronicle I do in Cashbox Magazine Canada and Record World. It's longer versions of any topic I have done in the blog like I wrote with a deeper dive into the subject.

Here is the link to Cashbox Magazine Canada, visit them to find other writers also.
https://cashboxcanada.ca/features-music/why-i-go-showcase-festivals-forget-facebook-time/3366

I did two festivals on the same weekend. First Focus Wales where The Magnettes was playing. Then New Skool Rules where Adée and Tale the Rapper where playing. So, during six hectic days I did two panels, two speed meetings sessions, over 30 booked meetings sessions. Traveled to two countries and two cities. Saw over 50 showcases and meet people. Yes, it is a hectic time right now. And it di not stop there. Many more festivals came in May and they all collided. Youbloom in Dublin, Midem in Cannes and Medimex in Bari and of course Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan at the end of June.

Some people ask why I'm doing so many festivals. I guess we can reveal now why. Three years ago I decided to build a network all over the world so I have the contacts myself to evaluate different offers and situations. In the end, I want to have such a vast network that I can break an artist on a global scale. I guess right now I'm pretty close. They have been joking around me in meetings I always answer, well I know someone that can provide that if they asked a specific knowledge or service in a certain area.

The thing is that we are all connected digitally. A rather interesting discussion came up during Enea Springbreak, the importance of the physical meeting. It seems like some people mainly think if you are friends on Facebook they are included in your network.I feel that Facebook is a good tool to just keep up but the real stuff where things happen is live face to face. It is in these situations you find these small but crucial leads will go to something bigger. Just the way people say stuff is revealing. All that is lost in social media. And you can easily see when a person is out networking in a physical world move very much faster than the ones that rely most on social media contacts.

If your manager, booker, record label only visits one event in the year and it's always the same, you probably have hit a dead end. That was the old days when you just needed to go to Midem once a year and do your business. Today that is not good enough. Yes, Midem is a crucial meeting point but the industry is going so fast that if you only do it once a year you will miss out on so much new fast information that is not on social media. They are just in the discussion between people in the industry on these events.

It seems like the industry have seen my work with this network going on and now we are getting more and more projects that are based on this whole concept. Today’s music industry is built on opportunities not a built-in same old system like in the 90’s where if you have distribution and a co-publishing in an area was enough. Times have changed and we need more real facetime not social media time.

Still, a lot of work must be done. Specially to maintain the whole thing. I guess I must wait and see when enough is enough.

Risk Is Part of the Game (Cashbox Story)

It's summer and I thought I would do some reruns (yes I have learned well from my years in the TV industry). This is the chronicle I do in Cashbox Magazine Canada and Record World. It's longer versions of any topic I have done in the blog like I wrote with a deeper dive into the subject.

Here is the link to Cashbox Magazine Canada, visit them to find other writers also.
https://cashboxcanada.ca/features-music/risk-part-game/3346

I often hear from artists that I work with these two questions. #1: Is this good for us, I mean the best we can put our money into? #2 How big are the chances we get something out of it?

It doesn’t matter what the topic is. The only time they gladly spend money is when they buy new instruments or record, sometimes even videos since it’s fun and centers around them. When it comes to PR, traveling, meetings and other activities that cost money, these questions arise. I’m fascinated that it’s only in the creative business I experience this. It is the same in the movie industry, but I never really got that in the normal startup race that is out there.

If you start a company, you must, in most cases, invest money. Let say you have opened a small shop selling clothes not in the center of town but on a backstreet. It goes pretty well. Suddenly you get an opportunity to get a good spot at the top of the busiest streets in town. You also get to double your floor space. It's a great opportunity. Of course, you need to invest in the new store if you take the space. You would have to buy more inventory, hire more staff and with expansion, you must do PR for your new location. A lot of work and risk.You can be safe keep your old shop, just keep going. Or take the chance and start something bigger.

Would you expect the landlord of the new space to get you the store free from rent in 6 months? I mean you take a risk by moving there! Of course not, and most people don’t think that would work. In the first place, the landlord doesn't give a damn of your risk. He has space and takes a risk by not having it rented out. And you are a risk too. If you fail in your expansion you might quit, and he must look for another tenant and that can make him lose money.

This is pretty simple stuff, huh?

Why on earth is the same concept so hard to grasp around a creative career? Yes, you need to invest to make your career bigger. The more risk the faster things go. No risk at all and you keep it on the same small level.

Think about the big store as a showcase festival. No, they don't want to hear your whining on investment. They can easily replace you like the landlord can choose another tenant. Yes, if you are important it’s a different story. If it is an apple store being opened the landlord probably can let it go free in a couple of months for longer tenancy. But you are not, you are the small store getting an opportunity.

Can the landlord tell you that it will be risk-free to move in? Or if it is the best choice?

Of course not. It's a risk that you can never calculate. Maybe the city makes some changes in the plan out and suddenly this busy street becomes quiet. Maybe other stores move in and the area is not hip right now and people go in other directions. Or people are buying things online and they won't visit your store. No one knows if it is worth it, it's a gut feeling. Best choice? Well, maybe you get an offer from an even better location pretty soon. But it has taken you four years just to get this offer, so it's not likely that it will happen. Same here, you must have a gut feeling.

Same with a showcase festival. No one will know in advance what the outcome will be. You must have a gut feeling, a mind to take a risk and be a doer to get something done. In all these cases to minimize the risk you must work hard. Hard work will always bring the risk down. A good way to not take a risk is to not do anything special and just go with the flow.

No, we don't care that you take a risk. The days when you have grown bigger the less risk you have to calculate. But stop whining about it. You don't hear shopkeeper going around complaining around the risk they have to take. To them it's natural. It should be natural for people in the creative industry too.

Risk is always part of the game.

Taking Down a Song Online (Cashbox Story)

It's summer and I thought I would do some reruns (yes I have learned well from my years in the TV industry). This is the chronicle I do in Cashbox Magazine Canada and Record World. It's longer versions of any topic I have done in the blog like I wrote with a deeper dive into the subject.

Here is the link to Cashbox Magazine Canada, visit them to find other writers also.
https://cashboxcanada.ca/features-music/taking-down-song-online/3320

We received a message last week from an artist that we have with our distribution. “We are going to release some new songs and we want to clean up a bit on our Spotify list, can you take down some songs down before Wednesday?” (we received this request on Tuesday)

Please note that this is not a professional artist and doesn’t have many streams.

With this behavior they will never get anywhere, at least I hope they don’t. One of the critics in the early days of digitalization was just that song you might like will disappear from your collection. And by doing this you fulfill that fear. Before this was much more of a problem since you were giving it out in physical form and harder to erase. Today people seem to think that releasing a song is like making a Facebook post.

Another cliché you get from artists all the time is “this is the best song I have ever written”. The new stuff is always the best. If it was up to the artist, they would in many cases just take everything down so you could only listen to their newest creation “that is the best”.

The fact is that most of the fans would rather listen to that old hit instead of this new song. If the best always was the best, an artist's career would just go straight forward and every new release will be bigger then the last one. Never seen that happen.

Is it unusual that artists hate their old songs? No not really, most of them do. Mainly because they genuinely think the last, they have written is the best. Also they are tired of them (performing as well as hearing), but in some cases the artist is thankful that the song became a hit. I was touring with Motorhead and Lemmy explained in a very sober way his hate/love relationship to “Ace of Spades”. “It’s not the best Motorhead song, but I know that many of the fans are there to hear “Ace of Spades”. I would be stupid to exclude that song off the set list”. Depeche Mode has the same relationship with their breakthrough hit “Just Can’t Get Enough”. It has been on the set list for years, though the band has grown now with totally other styles of music.

The most usual comment on takedowns is “This song is not our style anymore”. If Depeche Mode did that only their last album would be up online. By saying that it’s not your style is also kind of stupid. You can hear if it is Depeche Mode but the style has change with it and people love to follow how an artist develops. There is always a difference between the artist's first product to the last, it would be very strange otherwise.

Then if people like the song it will come back online, if it’s missing it’s always someone that will provide it and it won’t benefit the artist on any monetary level. We have seen stupid attempts to take things off. Remember when Beyoncé found not so that flattering picture of her from Superbowl and tried to ban it from the internet? Suddenly everyone wanted to see the picture and for awhile you could only find that picture of Beyoncé. Even today, if you Google Beyoncé Superbowl you get that picture in the top searches.

Then it can be things that you might don’t want people to see. As a huge Ramones fan my favorite clip is a very early show, it might even have been the first one on CBGB’s. It’s far from the well-oiled machinery that The Ramones became. Still for me as a fan it is still really cool. Look just how Dee Dee are trying to do some cool moves and get lost in the song and smash the mic on the floor. Joey is more of a poser then a singer. How un-tight the playing is. How in the second song, they start arguing what song they are supposed to play. No, you can’t imagine this act doing over 2000 shows and would become one of the most influential bands in the world. I guess the band wouldn’t have been that keen on this coming out. It’s a documentary and you can find small parts that later became this cool things like Dee Dee’s shouting 1,2,3,4 which he actually screws up in this clip.

https://youtu.be/IwsVWZ-c8Eo

For me this is the start of the journey, if they don’t want me to see this because they want to be cool all the time, they won't go that far. Still what is cool today will be out of style tomorrow. Just look at pictures from 15 years ago and you are wondering what you were doing. Why that haircut, why that style of clothes? Because its was cool then not now, but there is no reason to go in and destroy all those pictures.

Luckily the reason why songs stay up is usually that the record label or partners around the artist has a say in what is going up and down. Taking down songs is a kind of amateurish move.

In my case, if any of my artists just suddenly want a song off it’s a very clear sign of that their career is over and it’s time to drop that artist. By taking down songs you know that you might have several difficult things ahead of you. This artist does not have what it takes to be a career building artist so just drop them. They are just releasing songs not thinking if they can up to their standard in five years.

No, keep the songs online, the audience knows you are developing. And don’t your best fans deserve to hear your old stuff? Or are you afraid not to look cool?

Is Social Media Killing The Rock Star? (Cashbox Story)

It's summer and I thought I would do some reruns (yes I have learned well from my years in the TV industry). This is the chronicle I do in Cashbox Magazine Canada and Record World. It's longer versions of any topic I have done in the blog like I wrote with a deeper dive into the subject.

Here is the link to Cashbox Magazine Canada, visit them to find other writers also.
https://cashboxcanada.ca/features-music/social-media-killing-rock-star/3342'

Many of the older A&Rs (read grumpy old men) are blaming social media for killing the rock star. That social media is taking off the magic away from the artist. At the same time many of the old rock stars were assholes, but in the media they were nice.

I heard so many times that John Lennon was an asshole. Maybe he was, or maybe he wasn’t. I don't know since I never met him and can only tell from the interviews and stories that people in the industry tell me who had met him. The interviews I have seen are, of course, controlled so it can’t give the true picture. It was under control so he was playing the role of the perfect nice guy. Someone that you would have to like.

During the past decade most stars were undergoing media training to look and act perfect when the cameras were rolling. They were different when the cameras were shut off. And this is why the people now say that social media is killing the star. Social media is like having a camera on all the time. If you are a creep it will shine through. Another aspect is that you come closer all the time. Many times, when you get starstruck and then spend some time with the star and you realize they are just a normal person, very talented, but still just a person, the icon and the status is falling.

Is this right? I don't know but what I can see is that interviews are rarer today with artists, especially around their work. What has replaced this in the media is more writings what they say on social media. Not unusual that a whole article is about a tweet of a famous artist. Today the media get the most information from Donald Trump in form of tweets!

Most careers are in very short forms.

Still the stars are closer now. I can join Taylor Swift’s social media accounts and follow her 24/7. Yes, a star like Taylor will post what she wants you to see. Many of the pictures are taken by professional photographers. One of my friends makes her livelihood by just going around and shooting photos for the stars. She is a photographer for Vogue and other big magazines. A major part of her income comes now from stars who want perfect pictures for their social media. But the pictures should not be so perfect in the sense of a photo shoot. But still better than your regular cell phone picture. And you can take off the ugly ones. You always look good. You then fill them up with some personalized shots.

You need to keep the facade up all the time. And in the end, you will be demystified.

I spent time with an influencer last year on a video shoot. She posted a picture of herself on the street and in 5 minutes she had over 5000 comments, not likes, comments. At the same time, she is not famous but she has over a million followers on different social media though. During dinner, we were talking about one of my bands and she was really impressed and told me that this band was really big. I told her that they not even had 20,000 followers on all their social media. Yes, she said but they do big things and they write interviews with them. She explained how the followers were not anything that really goes into media until you are a name. And to get the name you need to do extra good things. You need the normal interviews. You need the stardom and cool things still to become a household name that gets the chances to sit in front of the same cameras as a John Lennon.

Yes, the social media is bringing us closer to the fans. At the same time, you can still fake it to a certain point and right now we see a lot of reports of influencers that just have faked it. The question is if you can build up a star with a kind of mystic aura around them in the new environment?

What is a Music Company Looking For In An Artist? (Cashbox Story)

It's summer and I thought I would do some reruns (yes I have learned well from my years in the TV industry). This is the chronicle I do in Cashbox Magazine Canada and Record World. It's longer versions of any topic I have done in the blog like I wrote with a deeper dive into the subject.

Here is the link to Cashbox Magazine Canada, visit them to find other writers also.
https://cashboxcanada.ca/features-music/what-music-company-looking-artist/3309

This one will really hurt for some artists. What do we really wish for in an artist as a music company? If we could choose, what would we consider to look like a perfect artist to develop? Yes, this is a wish list not a list set in stone. Good to know is that you never get it all perfect.I spoke to some colleagues around this and it all boiled down to these topics.

Age, you don't want them to be too young because parents are a pain in the ass. Many times, the kid is just a substitute for their own failed careers and usually, they are not familiar with what the industry looks like today and really are a bigger barrier for the kid to move forward. So most desirable is age 18 to 20. Why so young? You calculate it takes 10 years to break an artist. If you take a person that is 30 it will break at 40. Also, after the age of 25, people start to have things that keep them back. Things like their own apartment, a partner, mortgage, probably a steady job that takes their time. Suddenly the rough introduction tour is not that appealing. of course, you can do it as an older person, but the obstacles are not smaller with age. I worked with an artist that was 35 years old. Great artist, no one was interested to work with him. In the end, we brought him to be #1 in USA. Suddenly age was not a problem. Then they were just interested in the money and success not what we had done to get there. In the end, he went on as an independent – ‘do it yourself’. Age is not a problem, is just people know in most cases it can be a problem.

Good work ethic is important. Mainly that they have a good work ethic in the right areas. Too many either just sit on the sofa waiting for others to get the job done. On the other side, there were some artists running around like headless chickens and swirled into the management world or the record label part making a big mess. Suddenly they were doing deals and stuff that really didn't work out because that was the area the record label or management should control. The part they should focus on is the fans, an area that very often is forgotten. Artists that worked hard to get new fans and entertain the ones they have are taken seriously by the industry people.

Motivation was also an important part. All of the people I spoke to tell the same story. In the beginning all the artists told them that their music career is what they really focused on. When it came to the real thing many failed. To take a gig when it was your best friend’s birthday or on your family vacation proved too often that many of those things went before their careers. Sometimes even the work as a truck driver was prioritized before important gigs.

Good songs were not that important. You can always buy them or get a good writing team. Then, of course, if they can write good tunes themselves that is a big plus. It keeps the costs down. You can do it faster. But the skills to working with other producers and writers was more important than the writing skills. To not have a big ego was brought up in all the sections.

Good live performance was important, but all thought that they could be trained and built up. Still it was a big piece in the puzzle. The less time thy had to spend in this area they happier they were.

So,therefore the industry looks for young talent around 20 year age that are very motivated. To be 35 with a good song is not as convincing in this game.

Of course, this is what we wish for. Usually it never happens. At the same time, I see artists have the same unrealistic dreams around the industry. Suddenly a music company just shovels in money and makes you famous in six months and you become filthy rich.

Do Your Research And Plan Ahead (Cashbox Story)

It's summer and I thought I would do some reruns (yes I have learned well from my years in the TV industry). This is the chronicle I do in Cashbox Magazine Canada and Record World. It's longer versions of any topic I have done in the blog like I wrote with a deeper dive into the subject.

Here is the link to Cashbox Magazine Canada, visit them to find other writers also.

https://cashboxcanada.ca/features-music/do-your-research-and-plan-ahead/3406

Never fails, in June you get all the artists asking you how to get a festival gig this Summer. It seems they only think when things appear in front of their eyes. You know the festival is probably almost booked when they start to get ads in your Facebook feed.

A lot of the failure by the artists is that they more or less do things on the spot, there is no planning for the future. This summer’s gig was probably booked between October to April or sometimes the lineup is almost ready by January. Right now, you can't really do anything. Sure, there might be a gig coming up because an artist is cancelling but there is really no point of sending stuff to festivals who are already in turmoil to get their things going next week.

I just saw my own festival last week when we stopped the intake. The last 48 hours got more applications than the whole of March and April. In reality, we already booked most of the acts earlier this Spring, so you got a very slim chance to get on if you sent in the last 48 hours. Now a week later, I get emails from people missing the deadline and still want in.

The sad part of this is that many of these late emails are from so-called professional people. Every year, it seems like a surprise to many that there are festivals in the summer region. The same thing in December, it seems like music people are surprised that the radio starts playing Christmas music. As certain as getting these “ohh we need to book summer festivals” I get “ooh I just recorded a Christmas song” on the 10th of December and they want to release it 48 hours.

I guess a good tip-off is to be on time and plan ahead. So many times, when I send out in October to the artists to seek out festivals, they merely don't do it. They think it's a long time before the festivals, so they have time. Then they forget and, in the end, they try to squeeze in everything. Just stop doing this and know the deadlines of everything in the industry. Like when you apply for grants, when is the application period, when is it best to talk to people, when would get your chances to rise with 50%. And start figuring out that radio starts to program their X-mas music in October and you should be in the studio in July recording your X-mas songs to have a chance to get them in rotation.

Okay so right now is not a good place to try to book an autumn tour, yes, I know it's June almost July when this comes out. They are in booking for February and March at the booking agencies at the moment. So instead of getting down to the beach start to approach the things you need at the beginning of next year. Put your head in the freezer and start thinking of what you need for X-mas.

You need to be planning. This will work better for you and also it will stop you from having panic attacks all the time.

The Hard Truth About Showcasing (Cashbox Story)

It's summer and I thought I would do some reruns (yes I have learned well from my years in the TV industry). This is the chronicle I do in Cashbox Magazine Canada and Record World. It's longer versions of any topic I have done in the blog like I wrote with a deeper dive into the subject.

Here is the link to Cashbox Magazine Canada, visit them to find other writers also.
https://cashboxcanada.ca/features-music/hard-truth-about-showcasing/3324

I run one of the biggest showcase festivals in Scandinavia. Showcasing has become much bigger in the last fifteen years. Still, I feel that many artists don’t really understand what a showcase does and how to get something out of it. Too many times I hear both the artists and professionals mutter that they waste their time and got nothing out of going to a certain festival and that it costs money.

Most of the time these people don’t understand it. A showcase festival is an arena to move your career forward. You are here to showcase not play a festival gig. A festival gig you are booked because you draw an audience for the organizer. Here you get an opportunity to show off what you have to offer and find people to build your team.

Complaining that it cost you money to go on a showcase festival is rather stupid. I don’t know any fair where they pay the exhibitor to be there. Also, you are up against people that are willing to pay that price. I can confirm that there are bands taking their career serious enough to go to the other side of the world to play a showcase festival. Complaining about going a couple of miles in a car or not getting your usual fee or dressing room is just pathetic.And never, never ask the festival how you should find your money.

If you start a company (which an artist career really is) you spend at least the first three years just spending money on PR. Why would this be different just because we are dealing with music? If you don't want to spend money on your career, well stay at the local bar and play there, but don't complain that your career isn’t going anywhere. In a new company you would look for customers and people that can take you to new customers. Same here, the showcase is a place where you find these people.

Then you have the ones that only can play on weekends since you must take off time from work. Well just that you won't take time off work is a good sign you are not a professional band and more of a hobby band. On a Showcase festival, you try to get just professional bands since the hobby bands are more just a hobby. You are not strategizing to become something you are just happy to play. That is good but don't bother people that want to take you somewhere with it. This is more about the people that want to do music full time as a living.

A big problem also with the people that mutter is that they are not ready to showcase. I get questions from sometimes really big people in the industry that it's hard to fill out an application for a showcase festival so they rather send an email asking if I can play.

If you findthe forms tricky, that is a good sign that you are not ready. Just the fact that if you are going to succeed you probably will fill in another of these to get to the next stage shows that you need to get your shit together.There are many fields and if you can’t fill them out you then you are not ready; these forms are made to sort out the pros from the beginners.

On a normal festival, you usually deal with booking agencies that have all this for you. Showcase festival deals with the new ones and a good sorting point is to give some simple questions like, do you have a bio, a video, a Spotify link or just a live video can take off many artists that shouldn't play on a showcase festival at all.

A showcase festival also looks on things differently. Just because you have a big fanbase in your hometown doesn’t make you qualified for the event. In fact, an artist that is much smaller might have a better chance. This is because the festivals look at your team, who is in there already. The other they look for is the story and how that can adapt to the people they have on their festival. The smaller band maybe already have been on a blog that is big in their area. Such things can matter in showcasing.

To be ready is to also know that it’s not enough to go to one showcase and then think you are ready for the bigger things. In the new systems calculate to do at least ten of them in different sizes and territories to find your whole team.

This Industry is 100% or Nothing (Cashbox Story)

It's summer and I thought I would do some reruns (yes I have learned well from my years in the TV industry). This is the chronicle I do in Cashbox Magazine Canada and Record World. It's longer versions of any topic I have done in the blog like I wrote with a deeper dive into the subject.

Here is the link to Cashbox Magazine Canada, visit them to find other writers also.
https://cashboxcanada.ca/features-music/industry-100-or-nothing/3301

This industry is 100% or nothing.

Is it possible to have a Skype with you on Saturday?

“The whole band can be on than on other days we work.”

“I can't meet that time because I pick up my kids from school.”

“We can't play there I have a family vacation to attend.”

I have seen so many variations on these sentences as different excuses to not make gigs or having a problem to just set up a meeting. All these excuses tell me is that your career is just not your major focus, something else is occupying your life.

It might sound harsh to tell someone to give up their children to make a career. It is, and you should not do that. What you have to understand is that if you can't commit 100% then do it as a hobby. What the industry is looking for are the people that want it so bad that they give up kids, family, work to be on that stage. I guess this is more like a lifestyle than a job. I even have heard that older stars that have been on the road are now considering the road more a home, a bit like a home away from home. It has to be your everything and when I speak to stars you can always tell how many bridges and relationships they have burned to be on that stage. Stop treating it like a 9 to 5 job, because it will never be that. It’s all or nothing.

If you have a job where you can't get off for 20 minutes for an important phone call, then I will bet you are in deep-shit when your career starts, and you must ask to be away for weeks. Therefore, you always hear that stars had these really shitty jobs before they made it. Mainly because they can’t have two separate careers. Their only choice was that stage and just to get by they flipped burgers or wait tables.

When the excuses come, it tells me directly that you don't have what it takes. Too many think they can work a little bit until it becomes so big that you can live off of it. Sorry, it’s not the case, then it is a hobby and stays a hobby. You have to have all your focus on this to make it since the competition is out of this world. It’s nothing that is just a bit “cool” to do. These people are easily taken out. Many go under a one-hit wonder category because when the reality kicked in, it was hard to keep up with it.

It's all or nothing. Its better you stay on at your safe 9 to 5 work and get your life around that if you have anxiety or control issues. The music industry is one big giant rollercoaster and you just have to hang in there. That is your job, not to try to control the rollercoaster.

The industry doesn’t care if you are picking up your kids at daycare. They don't want to have meetings on the weekend just because the band is free then. They will not adopt the tour schedule around your kids’ birthdays. If this is more important for you, stay with it being a hobby. You can still play great music and have fun. Don’t think that you get the same as the stars though, they have sacrificed so much to be on that spot. It’s not as simple as just writing a good song. It’s adopting a whole lifestyle.

This might sound scary. Still, It’s the same for professional athletes, I would love to hear the phone call when David Beckham tells the club he can’t join the practice because he must pick up the kids or that he can only practice on Saturday afternoons.  Many other professions are the same. My guess is that politics have the same issues. And just running your own business is like that as well most of the time.

Never slow down. One thing I see is that people think that when they have done half the work, they take a break. I guess if you do that in the Olympic marathon having the lead and pop in for a quick burger and a soda and sit in the sun it will make some headlines. It’s the same in the music business,  you just go on and on and on. When you take that break there is a big chance that you will stay on that level. It’s hard to get all these engines to start roaring again.

This industry is 100% or nothing.

If I Can Get Readers, You Can Get Fans (Cashbox Story)

It's summer and I thought I would do some reruns (yes I have learned well from my years in the TV industry). This is the chronicle I do in Cashbox Magazine Canada and Record World. It's longer versions of any topic I have done in the blog like I wrote with a deeper dive into the subject.

Here is the link to Cashbox Magazine Canada, visit them to find other writers also.
https://cashboxcanada.ca/features-music/if-i-can-get-readers-you-can-get-fans/3293

All this started with yet another one of the artists I manage who complained how hard it is to get fans.Or rather get them to stay and follow them.

My answer was that I could start a blog and be the old grumpy man I am and still get readers and If I can get readers you can get fans. The thing is it would be easier if you are an attractive artist with good songs to get an audience. I’m exactly the opposite, grumpy old guy from the music industry, nagging about things in the music industry.

So, the bet was on. And I started my blog. First thing, where was my audience? I guess my biggest mistake was that I thought I wrote for artists. There are so many blogs online about how the artist struggles. How they don’t understand why people don’t discover them, or why they don’t get this or don’t get that. I thought I could break into that market mainly just pointing out the angle that the industry has. All these questions would find an answer in my blog!

Was I wrong! I didn’t get it in the beginning. I was marketing the blog against the artist community all the time and hoped that people would go in and read it. All I got was silence. I saw that artists would read it but they didn’t comment or come back. I was puzzled. These are the answers on the questions the other was telling in the other blogs or posts I saw online?

Then one day, I was at the Grammy Awards in Sweden and had written a piece of text around a matter that was a bit new but still sensitive inside the industry. Mainly, my thought was to enlighten artists on a certain problem around digital distribution. I was hanging up my coat when the founder and owner of one of the biggest music companies in the world came up to me and asked:

“Is it true what you wrote in the blog around the issue on digital distribution?”

I was probably looking kind of confused. My first thought was, where have you read it? I was a bit surprised that he even had the time to read my nagging online. I was more than impressed that a guy in that position was reading it. But I answered, “oh yes, I got this info from my German counterpart.”

“I read your blog all the time, it’s full of good info and stuff I can get back to my artists.”

Then he got picked up by the CEO of a major label and went off. I then realized that my readers are the music professionals not necessarily the artists. I offer the voice of what they think and how they make decisions and they like to read about how others also look at the same problem.

This insight made me also understand about the artists that always thought that I wrote mean things. Of course, it was mean to them. The industry thinks totally different than the artist does. They both have the same goal - to get the artist’s music out there. But the path is different.

This was the thing I wanted to shed light on. To show this other part to the artist. Still they were not interested in it. It’s a bit safer if everything is magical, I guess. I get that, so I started to promote the blog more to the industry and yes, it took off.

My bet with the artist was to see how fast I can get to 100,000 views. The artist was supposed to, at the same time, get on social media so every post they did in that social media was around 1000 likes, hearts or views. I’m closing in on my goal. I guess it will happen this year.

I just went on that artist page; they have to step it up. Just 56 likes on the last post on Instagram. Like I said if a grumpy old guy can do it, you can do it.