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This topic will tie a nice little bow on some of the things I have covered in previous episodes such as networking, finding our tribe, having multiple things going, doing things/telling people and picking yourself. In order to be able to live our dream and make music for a living, we will have to get out of our warm and cozy confines and go out into the big bad world with our art. And this is scary. Whether it’s talking to decision makers at publishing companies, self-releasing our music or even just admitting to others that "yeah, I’m a songwriter." We have to stick our necks out. And we often forget that the world isn’t waiting with baited breath for us to release our latest masterpiece. Most people don’t care. I don’t think that we realize how much convincing that we are going to have to do for others to take us seriously. People can be flaky. And people in the music industry…even flakier. A lot of people don’t have follow-through. People say one thing and do another. Or don’t do anything at all. We know that we have to put in the work and build things. Then, we have to tell people about it. But no one is going to give you a gold star because you tried something, because you wrote some songs and put them into the world. A lot of people write songs and put them into the world. And a lot of them are terrible or mediocre. First, we have to get good. We have to hone our craft. Okay, let’s assume that we’ve done that. Then, we start telling people about our work. Some people will get behind us, others will not. Not everyone likes Left Of Nashville. Not everyone likes “Your Everloving Arms.” And that’s okay. If enough people start to give us positive feedback and after a period of time, we still like what we’ve produced, then we can assume that it’s pretty much up to snuff. Or at least close. So then we start looking for channels through which to promote. It might be calling on publishers or getting friends in the industry to introduce us to people. It might be blogging about it, starting a podcast, or using social media. We go to meet ups or writer’s nights to get the word out. Okay, so now we’ve got our craft down and we are promoting it. This is when we start meeting people and building our network. We are looking for ways to add value to the people we come in contact with and things are starting to roll. With all these new connections, opportunities start to become available. Revisit the episodes of this season with Lauren Pritchard and Jordan Woods-Robinson in particular to watch these relationships evolve. I mention these two specifically because the podcast documents these relationships in their beginning stages. So now, we have a small body of work that we can be proud of, people are starting to become aware of us and we are building relationships through which opportunities arise. But here’s the thing. On Left Of Nashville, you are only aware of the people who said “yes.” I only showcase the people with whom I’ve built relationships. But there are just as many or more people that I have reached out to that either didn’t respond or told me that they would do certain things and then didn’t follow through.
And it’s the same thing with songwriting. I’ve been turned down or ignored numerous times when I would reach out to write with people. The key to handling rejection with grace (at least in my situation) is to be able to pivot when things don’t go your way. My publisher at one of the newspapers I worked for used to tell us reporters, “Have a backup for your backup." Remember what Brent Baxter said about how to get a good publishing deal? “Insert Quote” Having options is a beautiful thing in this business. And you are going to have to get creative with it. Think about what you will do if one thing falls through. What are you doing to do next? Because believe me, things are going to fall through. But if you have other options, you will not waste valuable time getting upset when someone inevitably fails to follow through on a promise. And if you keep your cool, sometimes those people come back around and want to help. Sometimes, they just didn’t manage their time properly and it fell through the cracks. But the main thing is for you to have a backup so that you don’t run the risk of burning a bridge. Just don’t take it personally. It’s easier said than done, but that’s why I suggest having many options. It is a terrific hack that I have discovered to keep my emotions in check. I’m so busy executing on my plan B that I’m not even studying those people anymore. But as our body of work grows, our reputation will start to precede us. And that’s when the tide will start to turn. We will get more yes’s than no’s. People will want to work with us. So I hope this episode illustrates how the many tactics we have talked about throughout Left Of Nashville culminates into a hack to keep our emotions in check when dealing with rejection. So to recap: 1)Put in the work-hone your craft. Get good. 2)Get the word out about it-Tell people 3)Build relationships-Opportunites will come out of that 4)Have many things going on to give yourself options If a thing falls through-don’t get upset and burn bridges…pivot and work your plan b or c. Left Of Nashville Brandon Barnett: Left Of Nashville EP Jordan Woods-Robinson LOLO (Lauren Pritchard) Man Vs. Row (Brent Baxter)
In this episode of Left Of Nashville, I talk about the struggles of dating when you're a musician on the come up.
I’m six months out of my previous relationship and I’ve been out and about. And I’ve met some women in this time…women who seemed genuinely interested…that is until they find out about my financial situation. And look I get it, you can’t expect to attract a quality woman when you’re in the doldrums, when you’re at rock bottom. But my situation has improved markedly since Episode One of this season. I’m no Rockefeller here, but I’m getting back on my feet with my current financial situation and my dreams are becoming even closer to being a reality: The podcast is taking off, things are moving with my music in L.A. and Nashville, not to mention all the people that I have been working with of late. Life is starting to get good on the planet for me. BUT, I’m still in this weird limbo place with everything. But being a broke musician on the come up still doesn’t carry the same weight as say, a broke pre-med student. The broke musician thing is the kiss of death. It doesn’t seem to matter how much you are hustling, or how much progress you are making, it’s not enough. So if I were a 40 year-old wanna be musician with no hustle, with no progress being made, no licensing deals in the queue who was just bumming around getting stoned and drunk all the time, I wouldn’t date me either. I’ve already mentioned in the Crabs In The Bucket episode that I won’t even associate with THOSE dudes. I’m not that guy. I’m building a business here. But you’ve got to scratch the surface to find out those things about me. I’m not going to bend over backwards to try to assure every woman that I meet, that I’m not THAT guy. I’m not going to start blabbing about all the things that I have going on. Because that comes off as bragging. I stumbled upon an article in Digital Music News written by Gaetano, a singer, songwriter, producer and guitarist based in New York, who oddly enough, has been documenting his music industry experiences in his blog. Sound familiar? I’ll link it up in the show notes. The article was entitled: Why Dating As A Musician Is So Hard So I have recently come to some conclusions about my situation. I talk a lot about not raising your hand asking for people to pick you in your music career. I rail against the idea that I can’t make a living from my music unless some suit picks me. But no man is an island. The reality is that whether we are after a publishing deal, trying to gain 1,000 True Fans, or building an audience for our podcast, we DO need people to PICK US. But there is a mindset shift when we “PICK OURSELVES.” We put our art into the world and the rest be damned. Sure, we want an audience, but when we come from an abundance mindset rather than a scarcity mindset, everything changes. We have a confidence that is attractive. And while this is something that I have been working on professionally, I realized that in my personal life, that I am still looking for someone to pick me. Being a struggling musician on the come up may actually be a blessing in disguise. Being broke is actually a great litmus test to see who I want to invest my time in. When the topic eventually comes up about what I do and my financial situation with women that I meet, I immediately bring up the podcast. I tell them that if they really want to know what I’m about—and all the things that I’m doing to better myself, that they should listen to the podcast. I give them a certain episode to start with. I’ve even subscribed them to the podcast on their phones. Because I know that if I were really interested in a woman, and she had her life documented online, I would jump at the chance to get to know her better without investing a ton of time. Hell, I wish all the women I meet had a documentary podcast. That would be way better than investing a year’s worth of my life before finding out someone isn’t right for me. So if a woman can’t at least invest twenty minutes to listen to one episode, then I know that I’m not willing to spend my valuable time getting to know her. So Left Of Nashville has become this dating tool for me to weed out the undesirables. So I’ve decided to “PICK ME” in my personal life as well. I won’t always be broke and as hard as the last two years have been, I’ve got a pretty fun and interesting life. I’ve achieved a lot of things and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. And I need to respect myself enough to not just let anyone into my weird little world. Why Dating As A Musician Is So Hard Digital Music News Left Of Nashville Brandon Barnett: Left Of Nashville EP How To Get Noticed In The Music Industry When You're A Nobody (Like Me): An EbookIn the last episode of Left Of Nashville, Brent Baxter talked about how everything has changed in this age of Spotify as it pertains to publishing deals in Nashville. Songwriters are either hugely successful or they don’t make enough to live on. There is no middle ground.
The internet has fragmented everything. It is easier than ever to get our music produced and out to the world. And that means there is more music than ever available for consumption. AND that means people’s attention spans are even shorter. This is an on-demand economy. If people want psychedelic polka music in today’s world, they can find it. The market has changed. It just has. And outside of getting hits on country artists or having a slash in your title, I don’t have a solution for the Nashville-only songwriter. So this episode is for the independent artists who want to put their music out themselves. In 2008, Kevin Kelly of Wired Magazine posted a blog entitled ‘1,000 True Fans’ that went viral. It is still quoted today and in my opinion was the catalyst that empowered tons of people (myself included) to become creative entrepreneurs. A True Fan is a fan who will purchase everything you produce. If you could get 1,000 fans who would spend $100.00 per year with you, that's a $100,000 yearly income. So here are some things to consider if you want to go this route: 1) Aloof, brooding, pretentious singer-songwriters need not apply. You must interact with your fans. Be a human being. I know that there has been a marketing strategy for years from record labels that artists should distance themselves from their fans to add mystique, but I believe those days are over. People want to connect. And now that connecting is just a “reply” button away, ignoring your supporters is the fastest way to become a douche nozzle in their eyes. Authenticity is the name of the game. 2) You are going to have to put out content for your audience to spend $100.00 a year with you. You are going to have to produce music and merchandise to make this work. This is what I have been working on starting with the Left Of Nashville EP. But I’m going to have to produce more than four songs to get to 100.00. I want T-shirts for the podcasts, stickers, music. But this takes time and work. Lots of work. 3) You have to build a fanbase in the first place. And this will take time. And again, you will have to release content to start building a fanbase. So, put stuff out as often as you can. You can’t wait until you have a $100.00 worth of product to deliver if you have no one to deliver it to. So this will be a slow build of releasing content and getting the word out. Then do it again. And again. Eventually, the snowball will grow and you will have both an impressive body of work and enough people that will want to consume it. That’s my theory anyway. And that’s exactly what I’m in the middle of doing right now. 1,000 True Fans-Kevin Kelly Left Of Nashville Brandon Barnett: Left Of Nashville EP How To Get Noticed In The Music Industry When You're A Nobody (Like Me): An EbookBrent Baxter is a Nashville songwriter with cuts by Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Ray Stevens and most notably, the top five hit 'Monday Morning Church' for Alan Jackson. He is also a songwriting coach and his blog “Man Vs. Row,” helps amateur songwriters turn pro.
Brent drops some truth bombs about "making it" in Nashville as a commercial songwriter. He talks about the importance of having a "dash" in your title, such as songwriter-singer, songwriter-producer, songwriter-barista, etc.
He wants to give dreamers some reality so that we can dream but also plan our careers so that we can have longevity in the game.
He also talks about the going rate given to new songwriters with publishing deals. 18 for 18: $18,000 for an 18 month contract. According to Baxter, the way to get the best publishing deal possible is to not need one...that is to do a lot yourself. We need to have a lot going on already in order to demand a higher rate from a publisher.
Brent moved from Arkansas to Nashville as a lyrics only songwriter. He also got the 'Monday Morning Church' cut before he landed a publishing deal.
Man Vs. Row
Alan Jackson with Patty Loveless performing Monday Morning Church
Left Of Nashville
Brandon Barnett Left Of Nashville EP
In this episode, Brandon talks about the balance of having enough time and money to pursue one's dream. An unexpected job offer causes him to reflect on the past two years.
Brandon talks about he left his career two years ago to allow for more time to pursue music. The one year of focused intensity led to more progress than the "nibbling around the edges" he had done in the six years prior.
But it came at a cost. Forward movement is essential. He realized that it is going to take twice as long and be twice as difficult as originally thought.
So we must start immediately. Whether we are working full-time or go all in, we have to find a way to build momentum.
The job offer caused some reflection on whether or not he would do it the same way if he had it to do over.
Brandon Barnett: Left Of Nashville EP
Left Of Nashville
How To Get Noticed In The Music Industry When You're A Nobody Like Me: An Ebook
In this episode, Jordan Woods-Robinson discusses the various services offered by SOSstudio. He explains how his recording service began as a personal project to write, record and release one song per week.
He covers how the recording process works as well as the nuts and bolts of the fees for indie artists looking to self-release their material as well as SOSstudio's recent foray (thanks to yours truly and 'L.A. Time') into demo recording.
And we end the episode with the finished demo of 'L.A. Time.'
iTunes
SOSstudio
SOSstudio Sessions (A Podcast)
Brandon Barnett Left Of Nashville EP
Left Of Nashville
From the publisher's feed