“We know that there are some for whom music is so compelling and innately powerful, they are unable to contain it within themselves. They can no more separate themselves from music as they could their own limb.” – Musicians and the link to mental illness
Tis the season to be …. Depressed? Unfortunately for many this is true.
Being highly creative is a double edged sword. Gifted musicians are prone to periods of depression and the real “blues”. In fact, from my experience and observations, I would suggest that many if not most musicians go through a low period of life that they barely survive. The good news is with insight comes power. Becoming aware of depression is the first step towards being able to change it.
DO NOT IGNORE CLINICAL DEPRESSION. It can become a soul abscess, robbing you of the joy of your music… and of your life. If you think you could have it, get professional help, and don’t wait one more day to do it.
Triggers of Depression in Musicians
Trigger 1: A high in your musical career. Strange but true, just on the other side of a significant accomplishment in our musical career (our “baby” is metaphorically finally born) , we can experience a plunge in state of mind. I refer to it as artistic “post partum depression“.
Typical scenarios:
A cd project you’ve been working very hard on is finally finished, to your great satisfaction. The following day you feel strangely let down, tired and even sad.
You win a talent award you’ve been deeply hoping for that will launch your career to another plateau. Soon after you wonder why you are feeling so down and scared.
You get a deal… on a label, with a publishing company, with a booking agency. You celebrate, then feel empty.
You conquer a difficult vocal issue such as chronic tension in your voice. You are elated at your voice lesson, but soon after become afraid that you can’t really do that consistently. It becomes a self-fullfilled prophecy when your voice assumes the old nasty habits next time you sing. You feel like giving up.
How can you deal with a high-low cycle?
Know what it is. Just recognizing a post-high low can keep you from being afraid of it, and can take it’s power away to hurt you. It’s like a coat hanging on a coat-hook that looks like a monster in the dark… if you know it’s a coat, even though the lights are out you stop being afraid of it. You can even use the lows to rest, reflect, pray and get back to the source of your strength and get ready for what you’ll do next. Choose to see low is just a temporary balancing so the highs don’t burn you out!
Trigger 2: Too Much Sensory Input/ Too Little Self Care
Too much to do, too many people to be around, too many promotional events and phone calls, too many things happening at once, too many people talking, too tooo toooooo much! You find yourself on edge, unsatisfied, unhappy no matter what is “going right” and you don’t understand it.
This happens a lot to highly creative people. Many times artists fall into the trap of substance abuse just to find some peace. Here’s a better way… find some S P A C E! Silence and space can be restoring and healing. You don’t have to have money for a big sabbatical, just tell everyone you’re taking a break for an evening, day or week and then DO IT. Turn off phone, tv, limit talking, just chill. Ways I do this include my morning meditations and prayer, walks in the woods, time sitting on my deck outside, walks on any ocean shore.
Also, make sure you are attending to your physical needs… especially getting enough healthy food. This is one of the most overlooked causes of depression. Malnourishment, dehydration, toxic food/drink/drugs, lack of sleep and exercise, – all these things mess with your brain chemistry.
Trigger 3: Bitterness and Resentment
OK, if you say you have not fallen victim to these twin mindsets, you are lying, friend… or you are not from this planet! (I, by the way, am also from Earth) And those who don’t admit their imperfect attitudes are in the most peril of all… because a stuffed resentment can fester and even create more internal havoc than a confessed one. For instance:
You notice someone’s career moving faster than yours. (And there’s always someone…)
Someone else wins an award you were competing for. (Competition monster strikes again.)
You think someone has stolen your gig. (A big nasty trigger… especially if it’s true.)
Someone diss’ed you (critiqued or assessed your performance negatively).
You got hurt by an unfair music business reality or decision. (Radio won’t play you anymore, the label folds, your point man left the organization, the venue gypped you, your songs/music/production are not chosen for ___ project).
You hate yourself for your mistakes, failures and inabilities. This is a big contributor to depression, which is also defined as anger turned inwards.
There are so many reasons a musician lets bitterness and resentment take hold because we as artists are often fragile. This can turn into the end game… unforgiveness, which is truly a happiness, joy and peace killer.
We MUST turn these thoughts around, and the sooner the better. It helps to have a sane circle of friends to who we can be accountable, so we can say “I am having trouble letting this go. I admit it and I want to stop it.” You may have heard the phrase “The first step to getting out of a hole is to stop digging”. If this friend will help you STOP DIGGING THE HOLE of resentment deeper, but will instead agree with you that you need to forgive, forget, let go, wish the person well… and get your mind on your gratitude list… that’s the talk you need to have.
Hope you enjoyed the Article written by Judy Rodman. I will tell you that I’m no stranger to having those ups and downs as well and I’m a believer that when we collectively work together, we improve each other not just in talent but in spirit. The biblical, iron sharpens iron thing. Rock on.
Thanks to Mary at band-vans.net for this excellent article.
Many bands think that if they master their instruments, write good songs and maybe even have some fans that the rest will somehow fall into place. They forget to ask themselves how other potential fans shall come across their band.
The big advantage of the internet is that you can present your songs and videos online. Similarly, the big downside of the internet is that all bands present their songs and videos online. More bands than ever before vie for the favor of music lovers. So, just as it is important to have a good band, it is equally important to make sure that the band is heard.
Who are you? – Your band as a brand
Make your band a brand. You have to define yourself first. If you describe your style, promoters and potential fans must be able to picture it immediately. This is the exact opposite of, “we can’t be put in a drawer”, “we make a mix of many different music styles”, or “we actually go down well everywhere”.
Do not try to please everyone; your product has to please you first and foremost. Find your unique selling point. What else can you offer that others do not offer? Why are you unique? Why should people choose your band from the many different offers?
Write a short and entertaining band info that tells people what they can expect from a show. For starters, you can skip a band biography (in my opinion) as that will only become interesting once you have a certain degree of popularity.
You can vary, but you will be successful if, by and large, you remain true to your style. This includes not only your music, but usually also a certain lifestyle. Everyone loves authentic bands that are true to themselves. Stand by your product, then you can sell it best.
How do you present yourself to the world?
Social Media
Only create profiles on the social media platforms that you can really look after. It’s rather counterproductive if you’re there but never publish anything. Which platform is best for you depends, among other things, on your region, age, political views, and the average lifestyle of your followers.
Website
I also strongly recommend a website as it has many advantages over a social media profile. First of all, it makes your band look more professional. A website is timeless while social media lives from news and is constantly changing content. A website can also be much more creative than a standardized page on a platform.
You have full control over your website while in the social media you are exposed to constant changes from the platform operators. You are also dependent on the rise or fall of the platform. Apart from that you can offer song or album downloads on your website.
Concerts
Play live as often as you can and present yourself to the world. In the beginning, you have to invest time and money. As musicians, you are still much more fortunate than artists of other genres who (usually) have very high expenses in order to be able to present themselves at all, e.g. in galleries, at art exhibitions, art fairs, etc.
Although there are also showcase festivals for musicians that can be worthwhile, you can usually find opportunities to perform without participation there. If you’re lucky, you’ll even get paid for the chance to present yourself.
There are idealistic local promoters who take the risk of letting an unknown group play, and you should be grateful for that. However, you cannot expect that these promoters shoulder all the advertising for your show on their own. There are bands that do not even share the Facebook event to their shows on their Facebook band page, let alone promote them for a fee.
However, the better you promote your shows, the better your chances are of being booked again in the same club. Many types of advertising cost you nothing or are very cheap. Create a local press distribution list and send press releases for your concerts to the local media in each city. Send your confirmed tour dates to fanzines and magazines; at least online, they are often published. Also, add your shows to online event calendars.
Create online flyers with tour dates and distribute the printed version at concerts. Share all Facebook events of your shows as soon as they are released and at least once more shortly before the show. Invite your Facebook friends in their respective cities to the concerts. You can also promote the Facebook events with relatively little money.
Banner
Have your logo printed on a banner that you can hang behind you on the stage. If you play as one of several bands and people like you, they will immediately know who you are and remember your name better. A banner should be at least 2.50 x 1.50 m in size so that you can see the print well from a distance.
Videos
Create videos for YouTube, Instagram, Facebook etc. It doesn’t have to be expensive. If the video is good, people will share it. To convey a good impression of your performance, a live video with good sound from a well-attended show in your hometown should do. You can arrange the show as a party, perhaps with invited guests along with free admission, a good support act and free drinks. This will always put people in a good mood.
Fan Loyalty
You should find out who your fans are. Trying to convince people of your band who are not interested is never the right way to gain fan loyalty. Tastes are different and you cannot force anyone to like your music. Instead, try to find and keep those who appreciate your music. If you have found these people, be nice to them and do everything that you can to keep them as fans.
In the beginning, your fans are the most important people for you. They are much more important than the bigger bands you want to support and also much more important than A&R managers, music journalists, booking agents, or producers who really aren’t good for anything without fans. Sure, they can help you to play in front of more people, but they only do that when it pays off. It’s much easier to get the average concertgoer excited than people who deal professionally with music on a daily basis.
So, give your promotional albums, downloads, or merchandise to the right people. These are not just artist agents or label managers, but those who love your music. If you have a lot of loyal fans, the agents and label people will eventually come by themselves or at least will be easier convinced.
Newsletter
Send out an attractive email newsletter to share important news like the release of a new album or an upcoming tour with your fans. Invite people to register at the merch table and through your website and social media pages. You can, for example, offer a discount for your new album for people who sign up, there are many possibilities.
Merchandise
Be creative and offer your fans something special. Your album cover does not necessarily look good on a shirt. I wouldn’t buy a boring T-shirt from a band just because I like them. If I buy it anyway just to support the band, I probably won’t wear it, and as a result, you (the band) miss out on an important advertising opportunity. When your shirts become your fans’ favorite shirts, you will often see people walking around with your logo.
If you know your fans, you can better match your merchandise. Is it particularly important to them, that the shirts are fair trade and organic? Do many women visit your shows? Do most of your fans wear black anyway?
You should always have a selection of products, different colors and sizes, etc. It is also important to have something to fit every budget from badges and fabric bags to shirts, albums, and collector’s editions. Then, even people who do not have much left at the end of the evening can support the band. Additionally, package deals are always a good idea.
Success in new regions/markets
If bands are already successful in their home region, they often expect that they will magically do well in other regions or countries. When marketing any other product(s) in an entirely new region, most people realize that they will have to invest a lot of work and, most likely, a lot of money in advertising.
It can, of course, help if you already have a certain degree of popularity in your homeland, especially if the scene there is comparable to that of the new target region. However, people will want to convince themselves first, so you usually have to start from scratch as long as you do not have a big international label behind you.
I recommend that you first establish yourself in a region where you are doing well and where there is a market for your music. It does not necessarily have to be your hometown, but this will make it easier to find a label or agency in new regions later.
Showcase festivals
In addition to regular audiences, people from the music business and other music scene actors are present at so-called, showcase festivals. These festivals exist in all sizes, orientations, and as mixed forms all over the world. You can apply for performing at these festivals, but you should be ready for it. You need to know where your band is going and your performance and promotional material should be professional. Once you do that, these festivals can be a good place to gain contacts, especially if you want to extend to new regions.
This article was taken from Tom Hess, professional touring guitarist and recording artist. I couldn’t of said it better!
Have you ever been in this scenario? You are trying to find new band members. You put out flyers, ads, or even post on forums online. Then, whenever someone shows interest in your band (they call you, or audition), they do not have the same drive and ambition that you have. This situation actually occurs for most bands throughout the music business. Unfortunately, most bands do not know how to solve this problem in order to find the right musicians. To help your band be more successful, read the following tips for finding committed musicians:
Rule 1: If you are in the company of band members who are truly success minded, there are no boundaries to what you can accomplish.
Rule 2: If you have a band full of unmotivated band members, the chances of succeeding in the music business are close to zero.
Rule 3: In order to build success for your band, you will need to consistently put out a great deal of effort (this applies even once you’ve begun to ‘make it’). If your band only contains a couple of people who do all of the work, the amount of work will simply be too much to handle on your own. As a result, the band will likely not achieve significant success. Once you start to notice that the other musicians in your band are not putting out much effort to help the band, bring this up with them. Tell them that they have only one chance to change their ways. If you then notice that they have not made any efforts to turn things around, cut them from the band. These people will only drag your band down.
Rule 4: It is very common for potential band members to talk about becoming successful, but not actually follow up on what they say. Every musician wants to become highly successful in music, but very few musicians will truly put out the effort in order to achieve success. You will run into these kinds of people all the time. People like this will want to join your band, but won’t be able to help your band in the long run (they will only slow down your progress). Keep away from these types of musicians at all costs.
Pat O’Bryan once said:
“You would be surprised by the amount of musicians and artists who are just waiting around for opportunity to knock on their door as they simply follow what all the other musicians and artists are doing.”
“Losers in a losing cycle, perpetuated by following other losers. Not such a great plan, but it is by far the most popular.”
Rule 5: Some musicians make for excellent band members from a purely musical standpoint. However, it is a very common situation that talented musicians actually prevent their band from making progress in music. This is because talented musicians (like any musician) can still be the ‘wrong’ people for your band. If you want to achieve great success with your band, you will need to focus on the wider scope of where the band is going. This means, if someone is the wrong person for your band, you need to let them go (even if they can ‘play’ great).
Rule 6: Finding the right band members may sometimes seem like an impossible task. However, remember that the most dedicated musicians are also looking for you at the same time that you are looking for them. These people are also going through the same difficulties as you, and share the same desire to play in a successful band as you do.
Rule 7: There are many bands that have already achieved high success in music who are unsatisfied with some of their current band members. It is a mistake to assume that because a band is already successful, they are not actively looking to find the right musicians. It is very possible that people from these bands could join with your band instead or even that you could replace a member in their band.
Think about all that you will be able to do once you have found the right musicians for your band. This means being surrounded by musicians who not only ‘talk big’, but ‘do big’. These are people who are highly motivated, and work hard on a continual basis to make progress in their music careers. Once you have these people on your side, you will become a totally unstoppable force!
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Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to a new idea to network among musicians and do what we all love, play music!
Because this is a grass roots effort, we need participation to make this event happen. Concept is simple, signup, get in a band of like people (you may or may not know), rock faces and we have the biggest networking event yet for Wiregrass musicians.
This is open for all at whatever level you are in your musical journey.
All PA, Lights, Drums, Bass Rig, Keyboard, Mics and Guitar rigs will be provided. Show up with your instrument and rock out.
Step 1: Musicians fill out the form below. This will allow us to see how many bands we can make with all of the elements needed based on the desired genres of music. Once the bands are developed, an email will go out to introduce you to your jam buddies.
Step 2: We will be developing an online tool which will allow you to either select songs where the band votes or we provide a tool where bands can collaborate on the songs they are able to perform.
Step 3: If required, we will help support you with a rehearsal prior to the event. It’s critical that you commit to learning the material so you don’t let down your bandmates.
Step 4: We have a “making the band” showcase / jam event. Your band rocks faces and we have a big jam at the end of the night. We get to network and build some great relationships as the Wiregrass music community.
If you read part 1, you probably were thinking I was saying we should all play for free (don’t do it, unless a charity) and we should all just hug and sing John Denver songs (real name Deutschendorf BTW).
Nope, I’m like any warm blooded human and American, show me the money! let’s derail this train and make money!
Given “value” has two meanings, we can now consider both in our determination of overall value. We’re now armed with our values of why we do it outside of money. We can combine that with money to build our definition of real value!
Ok, back to money. It’s what pays our bills, it’s what puts food on the table, it’s what kept me up at night in my earlier years as I plotted to be a millionaire by 30 years old, it’s what people sometimes get obsessed with and die without enjoying it (where is the fun in that?).
So, let’s talk money. Strictly speaking money, we need to first consider a few value systems.
The market value
The values of the bar, venue, restaurant
The actual values based on numbers
The market value
In this area (and pretty much what I’ve seen in my travels), the market price for a musician performing at a small / medium club in 2019 is $100 per person a night (and it’s going down if we’re not careful). Yes, there are some folks who make more and it’s supported by the number of crowds and even music genres but I’m being general. If I’m wrong here, please message me and give me your secret because everyone I talk to tells me these same basic numbers.
Did you used to make more, absolutely!
Should it be more now?
The musician in me says “damn right, you know how much equipment, time, energy, blood, sweat, and tears I have into this music thing?” but the business analyst in me says “it sort of depends”. Why? Continue reading.
The values of the bar, venue, restaurant
Those places value people. The more people they can serve, the more money they generate, the more they can pay their bills and people. I’m sure they have the internal values as well but we are just talking money. They are after the same things we are, the glorious dollar. Instead of spending their time practicing for years on instruments or singing to be reimbursed, they spend their money they worked for years to obtain in hopes to gain profit (not much different and the goal of everyone, use your assets to bring more assets).
Leveraging some business strategy to get people, they utilize entertainment and other measures. In our case, they desire our bands (notice I didn’t say need us) to bring in crowds, fresh faces, and to entertain. They are essentially gambling at this point at time and asking “Will the band bring in enough people to pay for itself?” If it does, boom… we’re all successful.
One thing to know, bars / venues / restaurants for the most part are not trying to rip you off. They are trying to keep their doors open. Sure, many will try and get the best deal they can but this goes back to the idea of partnering for mutual benefit.
Therefore, knowing what you bring is part of the equation to consider.
Pretty simple. The venue desires people to make money and they need it to pay you. It’s a relationship I’ll most likely write a whole other article on but failure to understand the relationship completely can lead you to either never getting a gig due to your own perceived values, a disdain of clubs all together, or limit your ability to negotiate the best deal.
Given that info, we can start to formulate things.
The actual values based on numbers (door or ticket sales)
Spoiler alert: your perceived value may not align with the actual value to others mathematically. Don’t shoot the messenger! This is a ugly reality and I did not enjoying typing it.
First, let’s categorize the places you want to play.
Large – 500+ people (Casino / Mega Club / Concert Venue)
Medium – 200 – 300 people. (bar, restaurant, venue)
Small – Less than 100 people. (bar, small venue)
If you are playing the large, this article probably never
applied. You are already with an agent or you’ve been through the small to
medium to get where you are at. You’ve obviously got your stuff together and
have a large draw. That’s awesome!
However, for us more normal working folks, let’s focus on the medium and small clubs and cover bands. Original bands are a different beast and unfortunately get even less sadly.
For quick math sake, small or medium clubs charge / or expect $5 a person as a baseline.
That means, the number of people you bring would determine what value (money) others may see versus maybe your perceived value. Think of it like ticket sales or even door sales (although there is a difference)
25 people = $125
50 people = $250
100 people = $500
200 people = $1000
300 people = $1500
If that were ticket sales and you sold 25, you made $125. Does that mean your band is only valued at $125.. i don’t think so.. but.. the numbers do. The bar / venue / restaurant may feel the same.
It’s kind of like a gofundme where you ask for $2000 and you get $125. It’s reality versus the perception of things. You may feel like you should have gotten $2000 but people may not like you as much as you think, at least not enough to let go of their hard earned money.
Even worse, a true “ticket sales model” in places like L.A. would require bands to actually pay money to play a location and then sell tickets to reimburse themselves and make profit (yikes).
And possibly even worse, companies like live nation are now exclusively signing contracts with venues / bars where they take a cut off the ticket sales and who knows how much more. I got to do more research on this but just yesterday they just signed the basement east in Nashville. Not sure the fallout for bands just yet (hopefully it’s positive?)
So how is the door different? The door is a collective of work where all parties share from the effort. Much like profit sharing, both bands and venues are working towards the promotion of an event. Everyone benefits from the hard work and nobody gets left out in payment. Bands receive those rewards generated by the venues hard work and promotion and investment as an example. (hint: choose venues that also partner). Some venues / bars are doing a guarantee plus door (overage).
So are ticket sales and door deals bad? It depends again.
If the Kid Rock asked you to play in front of 50000 people but only gave you $150 in tickets (to sell), is that good value? YES. Did you compromise on your “we know our value” absolutely no. You invested in your band and that gig is paying huge returns towards the real value.
If your local venue is packed and the place is electric with music lovers who will follow and become fans to your next event, is the door deal good value? YES. You invested in your band and it will pay dividends.
If the place usually has 10 people with no structure, no PA, and they are all drunk worth a door deal or ticket sales? NO. That is divesting in your band and brand.
Is playing the same places over and over with the same material good? oh, that’s a different subject. Short answer NO!
Simple rule: Assets bring your things. Liabilities take things away. Consider this in every step in your bands journey if you can.
Oh my, the meme is true! Musician: someone who loads $5000 worth of gear into a $500 car to drive 100 miles to a $50 gig!
Something to mention, at no point did I say anything about free. I don’t recommend it unless it’s for a charity. If you do, you could be impacting the market value we do have.
I wanted this article to be something which would spawn thoughts and just maybe put a different perspective on why we are generally seeing those rates in the area. I know in the 90’s it was around $1000 a night, 2000’s was around $750, and by 2015 it’s become $500 and dropping. You are seeing more lead singers doing solo projects and karaoke because venues / bars are not seeing where the numbers line up and the crowds are about the same. No disrespect for those solo folks, you guys are on the money.
It should however cause us to think, how did we get here and what can we do about making a change? Reviving live music and creating the scene (#CTS) !
My biggest hope is that this article would present another perspective and that together working with each other and bars / venues / restaurants, we can all receive value together that is fair and equitable and that increases the exposure of live music in real numbers with real expectations. I feel if we collectively work together, we’ll create a thriving music scene which will get those number back up in the market value and we’ll be having fun while we do it.
BTW, I’m waiting for people to say “I wouldn’t even get out of bed for $500”. My response, not talking about you dude, you are the best. Rock on.
Last, this video of the “beard of truth” gives a perspective from a working drummer. He reminds us why we got into music in the first place and shows a guy playing big shows and enjoying himself while doing so. Good stuff.
