First off: Sorry I have been so absent this summer with blogging. I must admit- I admire "real" bloggers. It takes a huge commitment to be consistent. Second: man do I have a lot to share. I have been extremely busy the past couple of months, had a few bites of humble pie, and had my ass handed to me a few times. When I started this blog, I thought I would keep it light and fun. Focus on beauty, fitness, blah blah blah. However, after realizing that being in the spotlight is WAY more than blah blah blah... I knew I needed to make a "REAL" post. For those of you wanting to have a career in the "Spotlight", whether you want to have a huge following on a youtube channel, be a movie star, singer, model, designer...there are tons of emotional and mental preparations you need to do. If you think you are "ALL THAT" stop reading now.
Everything that I am about to talk about- I've struggled with, made the mistake, and still learning "not to do". I cannot tell you how many times I've had to give myself a pep talk to "buck up" and deal with the industry. The industry full of rejection, failure, negative media, and to be frank BEING BROKE! If you haven't made it and your name is not out there, you are a struggling artist. Nobody is fooled. Those who have made it, know exactly what your credentials make. Why? They have been there. My lesson? Don't pretend to be above your pay grade. It will only lead to closed doors.
Money is the number one factor in everything. If you don't understand that is the main force of motivation for every spotlight industry- then you are mistaken. Venues will not book you if you cannot get people through the door. Managers will not work with you if you do not have a career to manage. Labels with not sign you if you do not have fans to follow. Radios will not play your music if you do not have people that give a flying fudge about you.
VENUES: Last year I was trying to book shows through Reverbnation. On their Gig-Finder page, you can find venues in whatever area you are looking to play. You have to fill out this information and on the bottom it ask what your expected draw is. Most starting out artist can draw maybe 10 people out. If its 1 show in every blue moon, maybe you can get 25. However, lets be honest your family and 5 close friends cannot come out to EVERY showcase you do. I've been playing out for a few years now and I can normally get around 30 regulars to come. This is still a small following. However I was tired of getting "no" or no response at all. So I decided to fib a bit on my expected draw. I was putting in numbers from 50-200. I couldn't believe the responses I was getting. I was finding it hard to get turned down from venues. Freaking out- I knew I could not get 200 people to come out to a show. I turned down a few shows, and marketed the hell out of the others. Also- I learned that I wasn't ready for these venues. I felt like an idiot when I told them I could bring 75 people, and 20 showed up. Guess what? They didn't invite me back for a long time. In the long run- some of those shows actually hurt me. I learned one thing. If you are not going to blow people away with the experience of booking you- don't do it. Make every show you do awesome. Its not worth the money you spent on rehearsal, clothes, food, or gas.
MANAGERS: I've had managers on and off through out the past 5 years. Honestly? This was extremely pre-mature. Lets face it, if you are not living a financially independent career, there is nothing to manage. I used to think "if I can just get a manager to help me schedule meetings, find booking agents, and endorsements- I will be set". Honestly it is pointless. I met with 3 large management companies and I've never felt so stupid in my life. Did they love my music? Of Course! Did they think I had "the package" absolutely! Was my "package" going to make them a lot of money off the bat? Nope! I wanted to find my Jerry Maguire. However- he is fiction and does not exist. When you are so overly booked and making enough money to pay someone a percent, THEN YOU NEED A MANAGER. Until then- buy a whiteboard, get organized, and stop trying to convince people you will make them rich someday.
LABELS: I met with a huge label in Nashville last summer. I was really excited and nervous. I was feeling entitled one day and looked up the VP of this particular label on linkedin and decided to reach out. He agreed to meet with me the following month. I thought for sure he was going to love me. I had the right outfit, press kit, great songs...I WAS READY! Right?! The first thing he asked me was- how many twitter followers do you have? Do you have a youtube following? He then continued to listen to my songs, and went on about how great they were. He even complimented me on having the confidence to reach out on my own and ask for a meeting. However his final words were, "I'd be glad to help, but just keep building your fan base and follow up in the future". I went to 4 other meetings that exact day and basically heard the same thing. I don't think I've ever cried myself to sleep so hard. Bottom line- they want to make money off of you. No matter how talented you are- you need people that will buy your brand, if you want labels to make your brand.
Check yourself:
1. You are not as original as you think you are. Sorry to burst your bubbles, but everything has been done before in some way. When someone ask what your music sounds like, be honest. Every successful band I've ever talked to can explain their music in 1 sentence. If you don't know how to describe your music- neither will the rest of the world.
2. Keep it Classy. Using profanity and being vulgar is not cool. I don't care how much you think you are "expressing" yourself. Please watch your mouth and keep your clothes on. Females: Know the difference between sexy and slutty. Males: Know the difference between slang and stupidity.
Getting naked does not mean you are original- it means you have no cards left...or clothes.
3. Learn to be a fan. I know a few people who claim to "not get phased by celebrities". Why not? They are successful and deserve to be "phased" by. No you don't need to worship them, or smother them, but understand you are not in the same ball park.
Also be a fan of other emerging artist.
Last week on reverbnation (which is a site that really doesnt matter after your career is through the roof, but I still love it ) I had a guy fan my page and leave a message saying he loved my music. I always try to respond to messages, so I wrote a short note thanking him. The next day I woke up to 2 extremely negative messages from him. 1. Saying that if I didnt fan him back immediately- he was going to unlike me, and unfollow. 2. He was claiming that I was a brat for not liking his page back, and I spread bad vibes. Um seriously? I will relay the message to Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, because I'm pretty sure they do not follow me on twitter, and I follow them. They must be brats! Come on dude! Yes lets support each other, but don't freak out because someone didn't fan you back. Honestly- I didn't even check out your page yet. I barely had a chance to walk my dogs and have a cup of coffee. So lets not harass people to "like" your page. My advise to myself? Don't let ridiculous people offend you.
I once met a guy who is trying to really launch his music career (lets call him Max) . He is super talented. However we were at a gig once, and their was a REALLY successful local guy closing the show (lets call him Joe) . Joe was kind enough to let Max play a few songs before his set began. Max left immediately after his set, and did not even mutter a thank you to Joe. Needless to say- Joe never gave Max a helping hand again. Honestly, neither did Joe's fans. The only people who really know what you are going through, are other artist. Be their fans, and grow that network. If you think you are the only unsigned talent that needs to be heard- then you can have a sell out show at Douche-ville.
4. My last point. BE GRATEFUL!! Be grateful to everyone and anyone that comes along in your career. It seems like it is such a simple thing- however it is probably the most forgotten. If someone is willing to help you- take the help, take the advice. If someone is wanting to support your career, show gratitude. Without people behind you- there is no Brand of "You". Without fans to support you- there is no Career to "Support". You need people. They do not need you. Never turn away someone who believes in you. Even if it is just some lady/guy who wants to take the time to tell you they enjoyed your coffee shop performance. Be approachable, and be grateful.
You can take everything I said and toss it if you want- or you can "buck up". But who am I to tell you what to do? I will try to blog more consistently, but its just not a strength of mine. So hopefully you will check back in on the next time I do post.
Until then- wash your face and take a bite of humble pie. We are all in this together :)
Much Love,
Kaela
www.facebook.com/kaelagardner
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