It's Like Complaining About Gravity

Here's an important lesson that could alter the way you view your place in the world of music ...

Do you complain about gravity? If not, why not? I mean, it is the source of so many frustrations -- scraped knees when you trip and fall, body parts that sag as you age, trees that crash and damage property during thunderstorms. Not to mention more extreme gravity-related tragedies like airplanes that fall from the sky or asteroid collisions that could alter life as we know it on the planet.

With all these obvious negative aspects of gravity, why don't you hear more people bitching and moaning about it? "I am so sick and tired of the damned gravity on this planet!"

I suppose you don't hear about it much because gravity is a basic law of physics. Everyone accepts it as an eternal state of life. And what good would it do anyway? No amount of complaining would change anything.

What does this have to do with your independent music career? Hang in there with me and you'll see ...

When it comes to gravity, human beings generally don't complain about it. In fact, we have learned to use the qualities of gravity to our benefit.

If it wasn't for gravity, we wouldn't have exciting activities like parachuting, surfing, skateboarding and windsurfing. There would be no home runs or pinpoint quarterback passes or Olympic diving competitions. Instead of accepting that gravity will forever keep us on the ground, daring engineers like the Wright brothers figured out how to use gravity (and other natural factors) to create lift and powered flight.

Instead of fighting with gravity, we have learned to work with it and use it to our advantage.

You know where this leading. How much do you complain about your local music scene or the music press or the sad state of radio or the lack of support from ... whoever? And what good does all the moaning do?

I'm not suggesting that the state of the music industry is somehow related to Newton's Law of Gravity. But there are certain things that you can always count on: people who won't support you when you feel they should, venues that won't book you, reviewers who won't write about you, and on and on. If you search for things to complain about, I guarantee you'll find plenty.

The trick is to treat these things like gravity. They're always going to be there to some degree. But if you're smart, you'll find a way to use whatever you have to work with to your advantage.

Think like an aerodynamic engineer or a parachutist or a major league slugger. How can you use the reality of your world to create opportunities and make something exciting out of a perceived weakness?

One Kick-Butt Music Web Site: Look & Learn

We can talk about the elements of a good music artist web site all day long, but the best way to really "get it" is to actually visit kick-butt music sites and see them in action. One indie artist who is kicking some major butt in the web design and clarity department is Scott Andrew. Pay a visit to www.scottandrew.com and see what I mean.

What I Like About Scott's Web Site:

He has a "branded" domain name. He isn't sending people to a GeoCities or MySpace web page. He was smart and registered his artist name. Luckily, it was available as a .com.

Scott is clear about the kind of music he plays. The main image at the top of every page says, "Scott Andrew, Lo-Fi Acoustic Pop Superhero!" It's descriptive and tongue-in-cheek funny, which reinforces Scott's persona.

On the home page, he spells out his sound further. The text reads "Indie pop? Folk rock? Americana? Geez, who cares? Performing songwriter Scott Andrew charms audiences by delivering scruffy, lo-fi acoustic pop with self-effacing wit and underdog bravado. That's really all you need to know." It gives visitors a clue while still being cool and a little mysterious. Much better than the vagueness that permeates most music web sites.

Instead of offering to send you e-mail updates, Scott asks you to join his Demo Club. And he entices fans by writing "Join the Demo Club to unlock new music, get discounts, tour dates and other neato stuff." Smart move.

Scott includes upcoming shows and blog-like news entries on his home page. This keeps things fresh and up-to-date. Fans always like to know the latest.

The music page is clearly laid out. Scott lists each of his CDs, plus you can stream or download each song or purchase each CD. There's no confusion over what you can do or how to do it.

He even includes a Music Usage Policy. The page begins, "This page should answer all your questions about using my songs in podcasts, film and other media ..." Brilliant.

Everything is crystal clear. It's obvious that Scott is an excellent writer (of the English language in addition to songs), and that's one of the things that makes this site so strong. Everything is spelled out for visitors -- in a clear and concise way. Nothing is left to chance, yet he keeps things light and friendly.

Take a look at your own artist web site and ask yourself if you're being as clear and inviting as Scott Andrew. Don't steal his words or design. But do use these principles to make your own site one that's more appealing to your fans.

DIY Books (and Bob) in the News

This just in from the Toot My Own Horn department ...

There's a fantastic article on self-publishing in today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch. I feel blessed that the writer, Shera Dalin, felt the tips and advice I dished out for do-it-yourself authors was valuable enough to use liberally throughout the article.

I hope that my story serves as an example to others that it is quite possible to pursue a passion and purpose -- and find a way to make a living doing it. If you're interested in publishing your own book some day, take a look at the new Self-Publishing Tips & Resources section I just set up online.

Whether you're doing music, books, film or art ... it's all about self-empowerment, baby!

Artist Empowerment Podcast #3

FYI, I just posted a new Artist Empowerment Radio show on my podcast page. The new show features snippets of songs from Gilli Moon and Scott Andrew, and the following inspiring segments from your humble host:

• What It Really Means to "Unleash the Artist Within"
• 5 Simple Secrets of Successful People
• What a Set of Nuts Can Teach You About Creativity

Aren't you curious about that last one? Give it a listen now.

Why Settle for the Slow Track?

One of the cool things about blogs is the ability that readers have to post comments. I found a great one that deserves some extra discussion. An anonymous reader responded to my post called Why You Need to Get Off the Fast-Track Mentality, which encourages artists to take the long-term, time-released approach to success instead of the knee-jerk "get famous quick" mentality.

Anonymous wrote ...

I have a question. Why put a quantity on it? There is no reason to say "you can't do it faster."

What about the people who have music as their full-time job ... who practice hours a day, and through small self-promotion efforts and word of mouth ... seem to grow their audience exponentially without all the hard effort you talk about ... just because their music is really appealing to their audience?

I have your Guerrilla Music Marketing book, and it has worked wonders for me ... but I think discouraging the possibility of massive success, or telling people it's going to take 7-10 years, seems a little extreme.

It would be much more helpful for me if you were to encourage the possibility of promotion into bigger independent success and the possibility of eventually becoming valuable to a major label ... not as a tool for a break out, but as a genuine promotional partner to extend music to a wider audience ...

Great points. Here's my take: My original motivation was to provide a reality check for those weekend warrior-type musicians who may also be lured by the rags-to-riches drama of American Idol. But I also wanted to provide a voice of encouragement for those musicians who aren't starry-eyed dreamers but who get frustrated by the apparent slow pace of progress.

There are a lot of truly talented singers, songwriters and players who "give it a shot" for several months or a couple years and then throw in the towel when they haven't reached a certain predetermined level of success. And that's fine. Not everyone has the drive and passion to keep plugging away when the money or the fans or the critical acclaim are in short supply.

So I think it was important to point out that it's okay to be patient, as long as (as the anonymous poster says) you are continually working on your craft, reaching out to fans and attempting to grow.

However, his or her comments shed light on a flaw in my advice: The implication that you should automatically "settle" for it taking a long time. I'm a big believer in the power of expectations. People with positive expectations generally enjoy positive results. So, by all means, think big ... dream big ... fully expect to succeed.

The trick is not becoming too attached to a particular outcome or specific timeframe. The most successful people set adventurous goals -- but they are infinitely flexible in adjusting their plan and rolling with the challenges (and new opportunities) they face along the way.

Maybe my headline was wrong. Instead of "Why You Need to Get Off the Fast-Track Mentality," it should have been "Why You Need to Be Committed to Your Ultimate Success -- No Matter How Long It Takes."

Help Me in San Francisco in August

I'm going to be in San Francisco, CA, for five days in August -- the 19th thru the 23rd. While the trip is mostly for pleasure, I'm not opposed to mixing in a little semi-business. If you know of a speaking opportuntity in the area, please let me know.

I'd also be open to a more casual event, such as the networking-type parties that Derek Sivers did a couple years ago for CD Baby members. If you can gather together 50 or more music people at a store, studio, school or other venue, send your idea my way and let's see if we can turn it into a cool August event in San Fran. Just send an e-mail to Bob AT TheBuzzFactor.com.

A New Day for Indie Music?

Are you a believer? Do you think that advances in technology mean a new day has dawned for indie artists?

Not everyone is convinced. For instance, regarding an item I posted earlier this week, Jonathan Carson (a former indie rocker and current word-of-mouth business expert), wrote this on his BuzzMetrics blog:

"I find it hard to imagine music blogs, or p2p or iTunes or any of these other potential disruptive technologies, truly breaking the current pop music paradigm. I have come to sincerely believe that most people want their music force fed to them, and have no interest in exploring the long tail of independent musicians who are doing things on their own."

While I respect Jonathan's work and like to think I'm open to a variety of opinions, I have a different view. And the thing is, I agree with him. "Most people" aren't overly concerned with how they get exposed to music. They're happy to encounter music as background noise and turn to commercial radio and other safely programmed sources to learn about artists.

So new technologies won't influence a good chunk of the population -- which means there will always be a place for corporate-created tunes.

However, independent artists shouldn't concern themselves with "most people." That's the mentality behind the old major label way of thinking -- blockbuster hits on a massive scale. In a recent Small Business Trends blog post, media expert Robin Good articulated the point I'm trying to make here quite well ...

"Artists are saying 'Who needs audiences of millions?' Without the marketing burdens and the huge overhead of trying to reach mass markets, artists find they can be successful and make a profit with fewer customers."

Bingo. Don't worry about "most people." Zero in on that small percentage of the population that is open-minded not only to music blogs, podcasts, digital downloads, etc. -- but also to your particular style of music. And considering there are about a billion people worldwide with online access these days, even a miniscule percentage can equal tens of thousands of people who could potentially embrace your sound and become lifelong fans.

And that's where new technologies are making the most impact. Allowing artists to find those previously hard-to-find fans.

At the same time, it isn't all about new tools making all the difference. I believe musicians have always had a lot more power to steer their own careers than they ever gave themselves credit for. But now it's a lot easier and less costly to reach savvy music fans using technology. Whatever era we happen to be in, it's all about looking for opportunities, creating your own lucky breaks, and making the most of what's right in front of you.