Tips On Working Your Local Music Scene

Q: I've reached the point where I know I need to meet new people to get my career up to the next level, but I don't know where to start. What do you think makes effective networking in the context of being a musician as opposed to an artist who has written songs? How do you know the right person to speak to and what in your experience is the best approach? A: In this third installment, I'd like to focus on the "local scene". While getting our fantastic demo and connecting with others online is a great start to getting out there with our music, there's nothing like playing locally. Here are just some of the benefits:Honing your abilities and improving your playing Meeting other musicians.Helping spread the word about the incredible job you do, and your "A-list" professionalism.Making some money so you can devote more time to shedding and self-promotion. Just as you must be both present and personable to make an impression in the greater online music community, you must be present and personable in your local scene as well. And remember, local doesn't just mean your town. "Local" can encompass your region.

First things first: your town...

If the people in your town aren't talking about you, then it's your responsibility to get out there and make sure everyone hears you. Make sure you're ready for this though... first impressions and all. Don't overstep or overstate your abilities. If your playing is worth talking about, the word will spread.
So participate: jazz jams, blues jams, rock jams... whatever. Hit every one of them that'll serve as a good showcase for your playing. A good bassist is worth his or her weight in gold. Band leaders know that the key to a good band is a great rhythm section. Thankfully for us - with this instrument - the pool is shallower than say good guitarists. There are simply fewer of us, which makes our mission that much easier.
Get heard!
Be willing to bite it and work for crumbs at first. It pays off more in the end if you can get your name out there. Don't let those low paying gigs go on for too long though, and don't let anyone take advantage of your good nature. Know that you'll have to pay some dues but also never forget your value.
For me, when I was coming up I had a rule. It was this: Say yes to every gig if it meets one of these criteria:
Musically and artistically satisfying
Good money
Good exposure
A chance to learn
More than one? Bonus.
Basically, while I was trying to make a name for myself, it either had to pay, get me heard by people I wanted to hear me or, at the very least, be a lot of fun or challenging in some way that tipped the scales.
Be careful though, and don't work yourself to death. Be patient too, because you don't get to be "in demand" right away. That takes time to get that top pay and per-diems and all the rest. Be willing to work for it for a while.
Go to the shows and meet the other musicians with which you hope to be associated too. If you want to get "in" with the jazz guys in town, you should start going to their gigs. Meet them, compliment them, mention how you play as well and have been hoping to meet some more players in town. Ask - politely - if you might be able to sit in if the environment is casual and the vibe is right. Sometimes, it might just make more sense to wait and be asked.
Good musicians are always on the lookout for other good musicians, and most of them are pretty good at reading people. Don't just start talking about how great you are. Good musicians tend to have finely tuned BS meters, and one thing you'll notice is that the greats never need to talk about how great they are. It's usually the "wannabe's" who can't stop bragging about themselves.
In other words, be cool and be social. Don't go into overdrive with your sales pitch. Just hang, listen, appreciate and converse when the opportunity arises. Tell them about yourself and definitely answer all their questions, but also be interested in them and the group. Don't be that person... click http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rq-phillips/89/216/275/ to continue Working Your Local Music Scene.

Reasons Artist and Musician Fail...

Reasons Artist and Musicians Fail...: Reasons Artist and Musician Fail...: Hope you're having a great day so far! Last night, me and my Bro-in-law were up late talking about the music industry. We've both ha...

Reasons Artist and Musician Fail...

Hope you're having a great day so far! Last night, me and my Bro-in-law were up late talking about the music industry. We've both had our negative experiences with the industry but have found success through unique avenues. We started discussing how there are so many truly talented people out there that seem to never succeed and identified three of the main reasons why.

Reason 1: GRIND

For whatever reason, it seems like people who are not as talented have a grind that is SUPER strong. Through that grind, they put themselves in positions that yield them success. Alot of times people who are talented rely on their talent to push them to the right people when it's simply not that easy. No matter your talent level, you've got to push HARD to get your music in the right places. Talent just makes things easier but it's not something to 100% rely on. I make sure to push myself TWICE as hard just because i'm talented. You never want to get complacent or lazy. There will always be things to do, areas to improve, and NEW avenues to explore. You have to be able to create new content, keep in contact with your supporter base(SUPER IMPORTANT), improve your craft, and much more on a CONSISTENT basis. Constantly grinding is KEY.

Reason 2: Being Unique

When it comes to artistry, you have to be unique. There's nothing wrong with having influences of some of your favorite artists or musicians, but your music must be unique enough to set you apart. Consumers LOVE new things. You have to take time and experiment until you find your unique sound. Take TIME! Alot of times artists want to rush and put their project out and don't put enough time into it's development. When you look at some of the most successful people in the music industry or any other industry, most if not all were unique. They'll never be another Michael Jackson. They'll never be another Whitney Houston. They'll never be another YOU! Make sure you take time to find out who God has crafted you to be musically and then push your sound out to the masses. I believe the greatest asset you have as an artist or musician is what naturally flows from your heart.

Reason 3: The BIG BREAK Mindset

Now this is something everybody has dealt with at some point. You sit around waiting for that Big Break. You think that all you have to do is get the right person to hear your music. You wait on that opportunity year after year after year. Every year you say, this is my year! The reality of this is, you're waiting on somebody else to facilitate your success when God has already put everything inside of you to make it happen for yourself. I'm speaking from experience. I remember plenty of days trying to find music industry executives on myspace or find their emails so I could send my music. I remember going out to different events and networking for the simple purpose of finding that big break.

One day, me and my production crew got the "big break." Got signed to a label distributed through universal. Sat in the luxurious office. Saw the small fleet of luxury cars. Got the professional photo shoot and the press releases written. Heard the promises of big checks, houses, cars, and all the other material things these industry guys promise lol! Guess what? The big break wasn't all it was cracked up to be. It was all smoke and mirrors. What people don't realize is in this day and age, being signed to a major label isn't needed anymore. You have tons of tools out here to make it happen for yourself! Ever since I shed that big break mentality and stopped relying on other people to facilitate my success, I've experienced a HUGE amount of success and people have been searching to find me! That's where you want to be. You don't want to be the one searching, but the one being searched for. This is called attraction marketing. Get out there and push yourself and opportunities will come to YOU. At that point, you're looking for things to enhance what you already have going rather than the "big break." It is tragic the way these major labels do business these days. I know several industry people personally right now who got that big break but once the buzz died down, they found themselves in a difficult situation. One of these guys is a super talented Sony affiliated producer that has HUGE placements! The industry is cut throat folks! Make your own situation!

Conclusion

I hope this information was helpful to you! I wish everyone who has read this great success. You can do anything you put your mind to. You just have to grind hard at it, be unique, and stop looking for others to make you successful. Go get em!