Subject: Only The Lucky Ones...
You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on www.learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com. If you don't want to receive these e-mails any longer, go to the bottom of this message and click on "unsubscribe." Hey there Friend, Get to steal the show... "Lucky Ones" by LoverboyThere was a time when making it in the music business seemed to be more luck and "being in the right place at the right time," at least that was the perception. If you were reasonably skilled at your craft and you could somehow score an audience with a label representative, you might get a shot at getting signed. Or if an agent happened to be in a club and heard your band playing something that he liked, you might get a meeting. There are thousands of legendary "discovery" stories to help fuel the imaginations of musicians looking to make it big. Heck, look at the popularity of the reality shows like American Idol or Britain's Got Talent. These shows capitalize on the hope of unknown people finding fame through chance meetings and weird twists of fate. The problem with the TV shows and stories is they play on our natural attraction to games of chance - spin the wheel for a chance to win big. You don't have to prepare or do the work to earn that success - the stars just aligned miraculously over you and now you've made it. Instinctively we know things don't work out that way, but that doesn't change the fact that so many people just continue to roll the dice, hoping for a different outcome. Like Glenn Frey sang in "Smuggler's Blues," "It's the lure of easy money, it's got a very strong appeal..." OK, not EXACTLY like that, but you get the idea. We all love happy endings. We don't necessarily like the journey it takes to get to that ending, especially if it's happening to us. When we hear the stories of bands we like and where they came from, their histories take on a romantic aspect. We live through their experiences as these band mates struggled and fought against the oppressing odds to claw their way to the top. But human nature leads us towards the easiest, least painful and resistant paths and we try to avoid the struggles that may actually have been the very things that made other bands successful. There are just as many stories of bands that worked the club circuits for years without getting that "lucky" break. Or bands that DID get backing from big labels and were able to build a huge regional following, but could never break out nationally, either due to management or promotional issues. It's certainly not for a lack of trying. Case in point - the Michael Stanley Band. Despite working with some of the top producers, engineers and labels of the day, not to mention guest appearances of well-known musicians, MSB couldn't seem to break out of the local market. New album releases sold hundreds of thousands copies, shows sold out in the area, but MSB couldn't get any national backing or traction. Even with two charting singles from their "Heartland" album, they couldn't break out of the gravity of Cleveland. So it's not just luck that opens up opportunities for artists. There are many variables that have to be attended to have the best chances for success. It's true there have been the rare discoveries of raw, natural talent, but more often the reason successful artists/bands have made it in the past was they worked their tails off, they approached their music like a business and they managed the variables. They were driven and focused on the aspects of creating product and improving their performance. All the members were focused on the same end goal and they each did their part to help the band get there. They built and served their fan base, proved they could maintain that following and eventually the big labels came knocking. It's a different game today than the music business used to be. In the 1970s and 80s, labels had nearly all the control. They were gatekeepers for the music that was going to be heard on the radio or be seen on the new cable station MTV. They controlled nearly all the money for recording and touring. Recording was a very expensive process, so labels weren't willing to risk money on unproven artists. If they didn't know or like you, good luck getting your music heard - you'd have to rely more on that lucky break if you weren't bringing a lot of fans to the negotiation table. Show proof people were actually willing to buy your music, and you had a huge advantage over other bands competing for those contracts. Having a strong fan base and getting people to shows was a sure way to get noticed. The good news for artists today is that hasn't changed - showing the label that people want your music is as important today as it was back then. Maybe even more important. Because the big labels don't have that control anymore. The music industry has seen many large studios and record labels go out of business since digital recording and the Internet have become mainstream. Those that couldn't (or wouldn't) adapt to the changing technology and business models were basically doomed to get rolled over by faster and leaner studios. While that was bad news for the top executives, the changes have made a music career much more accessible for artists. I didn't say "easier" necessarily, but you don't have many of the traditional roadblocks anymore. That's good new for independent musicians. There are a lot more options today to not only make music, but also get it to market. You can easily get set up in a small home studio for less than $500, record and engineer your music with free software on your home computer, then upload your songs to one of the services that will distribute the music to online sellers. You can even press your own CDs and vinyl for a few hundred dollars. This allows you to control your music career more so than possibly having your musical direction dictated by some label executive because he wants you to emulate whoever is hot in the charts right now. Of course, the other side of that is you also get to manage funding, promotion, booking, marketing, sales, and all the other things necessary to grow your brand. Again, I could go on, but for now, let's close for the day. Go out and support your fellow local artists and start educating yourself in the business of music. Even if you don't have any desire to grow a music career, it's still very fascinating stuff to learn, and it doesn't just apply to music. Learning how the business works can help you in almost any career choice. And since I already know you are an interesting person (you're a musician!), I'm sure you'll enjoy learning about it. To get you started, here's access to some free video resources at the New Artist Blueprint. You can also get a free copy of The $150000 Music Degree by Rick Barker here and Music Business Strategies by Dave Kusek here. Enjoy! Peace~ Dave Dave "Eddie" Vance is a rock guitar enthusiast and gear nut. He has been playing guitar for over 30 years and enjoys tormenting the neighbors every chance he gets. When he's not slaving for the man, you can find him rocking out with his B.C. Rich Bich guitar, a cold beer and some sweet tunes. He also runs Learn-To-Play-Rock-Guitar.com, but you knew that already! Follow Learn To Play Rock Guitar:I welcome your feedback! Did you like today's message? What other topics would you like to see covered in my e-mails? Please let me know at: dave@learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com As always, please feel free to forward this email to a friend! I review products before recommending them. If you buy a product based on my recommendation, I will receive a commission. 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