4 Steps To Teamwork That Makes The Music Dream Work

by Cari Cole

A friend of mine said the other day “who needs a manager, just build your own team.” Truth. Artists who gain ground build teams. Having team rocks, but having the RIGHT team is a serious game changer.

You definitely can’t do it alone (so don’t kid yourself).

“It definitely takes a village.”

1. Start by finding the smartest most intelligent, serious people who know what the heck they are doing in the music business (experts with a track record), who also happen to be nice, kind and savvy, and they believe in your vision.

It’s important that you find people who are not only good at what they do, but who are all on the same page. That said, it’s no easy task, but be patient, set up meetings, interview, and look for people who can truly help you. Don’t hang with pompous assholes who think their credits are better than you or are feeding you a line of crap like “you’re running out of time.”

2. Stick with them and stick by them

Don’t abandon ship before you’ve had a chance to give each other your all. You can’t grow anything real if you let cold feet or some stranger who is promising you more make you jump ship. That said, choose wisely. Interview a lot of people and choose the best (‘the best’ as defined in #1 above). Plus when you stick by people and believe in them (besides them believing in you) you get the best of both worlds. Giving and receiving on both ends makes your team even stronger.

3. Rise up together

Someone said it at an ASCAP conference years ago and I still hear people quoting it. They said something like: stop vying for attention from famous people in the business who are out of reach. Look around for the smartest and most talented people around you and rise up together. Check.

4. Become a leader

Read leadership books. It’s not about being a tyrant or ego-maniac, it’s actually the opposite. It’s about working with people and getting the best out of them. If you can do this one thing, you will master your business, no matter what it is and especially in the music biz where there are generally more followers than leaders.

Teams lift each other up but only when each member is focused on the same vision. The right team members, communication, and feedback are key. Teamwork makes the dream work. Who’s on your team?