It's not about money, but getting people to even listen to your music.

To think of your business as just records and shows is to think too small. The twentieth century paradigm is dead, but people don't stop expecting it to deliver for them. They want to be tapped by a label, get a deep investment and have the agent build them on the road with the promoter's support, as if nothing has changed. But EVERYTHING has changed.

Be glad for streaming services, people can hear your music on demand. It's all in one place, they just have to be incentivized. How does this happen?

Terrestrial radio has never meant less. Radio groups are downsizing. After protesting that kids were still listening to the radio they finally had to admit it, they weren't.

But that was the number one avenue of exposure of music, and now it's gone.

As is late night TV. CBS "Sunday Morning" still means something, but it skews old... I mean who watches appointment television anymore, not youngsters! As for SNL... It's become a clip show. There's no reason to watch it in real time, just wait a minute and all the good stuff will be on TikTok. Why wait for the musical act? But even worse, the show is about comedy, not music, so a performance may not even get any traction on TikTok. I mean how special is a live clip of an artist these days? Not very!

So where does that leave you?

Having a conference with yourself in the mirror, figuring out your marketing plan, figuring out how you're going to make it and support yourself, also knowing that just like an internet company, it's about getting users, adoption of the platform, before figuring out how to charge. Think of all the sites that started sans business model, like Facebook. But once it had a zillion users, there were many ways to make money.

How are you going to get a zillion fans?

Well, you don't need that many. But you need some. And they are your street team, although these days it happens on the internet. Do your fans want to spread the word on you and your music? If not, you're doing it wrong. That's the nature of the game, that's how everybody finds out things these days, from their friends, not even music websites. You trust your friends, and there are not so many that you're bombarded with input.

So the number one thing is you have to be available online. You MUST post videos on YouTube, where live performance is best. And you must post on TikTok regularly, hopefully once a day, but at least every other day, evidencing not only your music, but your personality. Something that will intrigue people so you can make new fans. The odds of a musical clip alone breaking your are slim. You need more.

And never be afraid of overloading the system, NEVER! How are you going to get lucky if you're not available?

I hear this from musicians all the time. They're not ready to post online. They've got to get it perfect. No, you've just got to start!

And covers can gain notice, but are ultimately meaningless unless followed by originals. The hard part is songwriting, much more than performing.

So the landscape is broad and the offerings are plentiful and where does this leave you?

With too many saying they put in their 10,000 hours complaining about the system... There is no system anymore, YOU'RE THE SYSTEM!

Don't dun gatekeepers, they have no power. You've got to go direct to consumer. But too many are scared of getting it wrong, but once again, if you don't play you cannot win. As for virality, no one can predict it, NO ONE! The major labels have been trying for decades now and they're still unable to create virality. Because what goes viral...isn't usually perfect, but evidences humanity. It's not a campaign, it's the person themselves.

It's more than filming your day.

I'd love to see a classic rocker doing some dance steps, like the influencers do online. You've got to have a sense of humor about yourself. Geddy Lee? Even Van Morrison! Stop trying to protect your image, that no longer works.

Build your fan base. And when it gets big enough, you can monetize it. And it doesn't have to be a gig at a Live Nation building, Ticketmaster doesn't have to be involved. You can start with house concerts, where you get all the money. That's where you make hard core fans, where people connect with you intimately.

And have cheap, innovative merch.

This is a business of creativity. I could come up with a plethora of ideas, but that's not how this works, you need to use YOUR ideas.

Don't sit around lamenting your cheese has been moved, the mouse is never bringing it back. This is the new world we live in. Yes, acts who made it in the old system, as late as Coldplay and the Dave Matthews Band on VH1, can shrug their shoulders and say they can make up for recording income on the road, but if you're starting from zero...

No one knows your name.

And look at YouTube...the platform only starts to pay with a certain number of views. How do you get there? Instead of complaining you can't get paid, figure out how to get enough views to get paid.

And it's not only Taylor Swift who can have a nationwide scavenger hunt. Start in your hometown. Make it fun.

Just think outside the box, the sky is the limit.

And just know no one is going to do it for you. And the slower it builds, the longer it lasts.

Sure, talent is important, great music is important, but that at most is fifty percent.

How come tech platforms can pivot, but musicians can't? Instagram went from stills to video. In tech, you innovate or die. Just being able to play and stand on stage and perform is rarely enough these days.

You're selling yourself.

Look at Jesse Welles. None of his songs have double-digit millions of streams on Spotify. But that's not where he lives. His message is sold in video, wherever video is streamed online. And this engenders word of mouth. Did you hear about Jesse Welles from the radio, or print or..? No, you stumbled on to one of his videos or someone sent you one of his videos and this is how he can now sell tickets. And since he's an underdog, people love to believe in him and spread the word on him.

This is a new business. And it demands a new approach.

Otherwise you'll be hanging with the rest of the sour grapes crowd stating the system is holding them down. NOT AT ALL! They're holding THEMSELVES DOWN!


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