5 Things To Not Be Grateful For In The Music Biz

by Cari Cole

You know me, I’m all about a positive mindset – and gratitude is a HUGE part of that. But as an independent artist today, you’re facing some situations that you absolutely DO NOT have to be grateful for. In fact, you should run away from. Keep on reading for the 5 things you better be careful about listing at the dinner table.

1. Pay to Play Clubs – Really, come on! You aren’t impressing anyone by playing in a pay-to-play club. If you just need a place to practice performing – hit up an open mic or frequent your rehearsal room and invite friends. If you’re having trouble getting booked, you may need to play somewhere with no cover and collect tips to help grow your confidence + fanbase. If you’re a band with a growing following, pick venues that fit your genre, where you can charge a cover, and wait until you sell out a room to move onto a bigger venue!

2. Home Recording Gear Galore – Fine, if you want to make demos, but a home recording is generally not professional enough if you aren’t an expert. And even then, almost no one is an expert in recording, mixing, and mastering – not to mention singing, playing, and producing yourself. Just because it’s accessible, doesn’t mean it’s the right way to go. Save yourself the time and expense and hire professionals at a studio if you aren’t (or don’t want to be) a recording tech wizard. Do what you do best – and let the pros take care of you and your music!

3. Free Information Online – Do you find yourself online for hours a day researching about how to market your music – but don’t actually put anything to use? Free info is great, but not if you don’t take action! You might just be wasting away in Information Overload. To avoid the time suck – write down one actionable task or idea you can put to use after every article you read, podcast you listen to, or video you watch. And not only that – but add the task to your calendar and actually implement the tip when you say you’re going to. Better yet – don’t allow yourself to read another article until you’ve implemented something you learned from the last one!

4. Compliments from Friends & Family – Yes, they’re your foundation. They pull your spirits up when you’re down and love your music. But really, that’s not enough. How many times have you said, “That was great!” to someone because you didn’t want to hurt their feelings? If, “That was great!” is the feedback you’re getting from friends and family, you might want to get a second opinion. A professional opinion. If you’re really building a true fanbase, then you’ll start seeing more strangers buying tickets to your shows than friends. It means you’re really onto something!

5. High Social Media Numbers – You may be rolling in Twitter Followers – but how’s your list? It still stands that the most important number to grow is your email list. Why? Because it’s still the best sales converter (i.e.: $$!). Plus, you can target by region, so you can send reminders about tour dates in specific areas rather than blasting your whole list. You also have control of it in case Twitter or Facebook goes the way of Myspace in a few years…you never know!

Let’s turn the tables! How about you? List one thing about music or the music business that you’re grateful for and one thing you aren’t in the comments below!

©2013 Cari Cole, Vocal Mag, Inc. All Rights Reserved.