The longer I'chiliad in music, the bigger my network gets and the smaller the music community seems.

I was on a layover at MSP (Minneapolis) and I saw Rashawn Ross, the renowned trumpet actor for Dave Matthews Band, Soulive,Lettuce etc etc. I'd never met Rashawn, but a quick glance at his Instagram showed that we take many mutual friends. Now, I must confess, I went upward to him, shook his mitt and said I was a fan before we started chatting almost a contempo event he played in St. Louis. We quickly made the connection about a mutual friend'due south new babe. Our chat was brief.

Iam a fan. I'd seen him a agglomeration of times over the years with Soulive and DMB, at the Hotel Buffet and the Troubadour with various local acts and I've followed his career for some time now. People would probably exclaim that you shouldn't innovate yourself equally a fan, only I don't care. I am a fan. Yeah, I'chiliad a musician and in the manufacture. But in this moment, I wanted to give him the adulation that I always appreciate receiving.

The route can be tough, simply getting a spec of recognition that you're doing something right, can go on y'all going another solar day.

Of course living in LA, information technology's quicker and easier to make connections with others in the industry. So much of the industry is here and many of your friends are in the manufacture. Let me rephrase, your friends in music, who stay in music, eventually rise to be respected figures in music. Because if they stay in music long enough it's because they don't suck and have discovered that music is their true calling.

Eventually, all of us in music, no matter if y'all're on stage, back stage, side stage or behind the proverbial stage in an function in LA, only stick with this unstable, unrelenting, inexplicable, occasionally rewarding career path considering it's who we are. Not merely what we practise.

If there are thirteen things I've learned about how to stay relevant, respected and prolific in music it is to avoid the post-obit:

1) Acting Bigger Than Yous Are

Zippo is more of a turnoff than when someone tries to convince me they have hoards of fans when they don't. This isn't but 'faking it till you make it.' When information technology comes to personal relationships and making connections, you want to be accurate. Confident, yet apprehensive.

It'due south i thing to have a coordinated, cohesive online aesthetic with closed production. And information technology's a totally other affair to relentlessly talk and tweet about your 'fans.' There is no shame in cutting your teeth. Gigging out to empty clubs. Having (authentic) minor social media follower numbers. Buying fake followers and talking most all your 'fans' when it's aptly clear you have none is embarrassing. You lot may go someone to have a second look if you have impressive social numbers, but one time they dig one layer deeper and discover they're all imitation and you actually have no existent followers and your music is non fifty-fifty shut to where it needs to be, you volition be written off.

2) Promoting Too Quickly

I will be the first to tell you that if you don't promote your music no ane volition listen. If you don't promote your shows no one will show upward. Equally Ben Folds says "Self promotion: if yous don't want anything to practice with information technology stay in your fucking basement." Yes, promotion is necessary, merely don't start implementing sales funnel style marketing strategies and throwing money at Facebook ads earlier you lot're ready. Play out. Exam the waters. Fail hard. A lot. Practise your ass off. Write a hundred songs. Build authentic relationships. Make friends with people who care about you and will tell yous if something is not ready without fear they will hurt your feelings. If you lot invite the manufacture out to your evidence or beg them to listen to your runway and you suck, you can bet they will never requite you a 2d look.

"Self promotion: If you don't want anything to do with information technology stay in your fucking basement" – Ben Folds

3) Badmouthing Anyone

Trashing others in your scene isn't hurting their rep, information technology's hurting yours. Stay positive. Surround yourself with positive people. People don't want to be around negativity. Be a positive presence in your scene. If you go into the habit of trash talking, you'll bad mouth the wrong person and it will come up back to bite you in the ass. The biggest deviation I noticed in the Los Angeles music scene versus most other local scenes around the state is that musicians in LA are here to make a living with music by whatever means necessary and don't let the endless obstacles get in their mode. They don't accept time for negativity. No one wants to hang out with people who bitch all the time. They desire to hang out with people who constantly inspire them and encourage them to go on pushing for their dream.

iv) Falsely Accusing Songwriters of Stealing Your Songs

The singer/songwriter scene in LA is pocket-size. Yes there are a zillion vocalist/songwriters in LA, but the community of singer/songwriters who are out there every night of the week playing, co-writing, networking, supporting, is tightly knit. Word recently spread that someone in the scene accused someone else of 'stealing' her song. No songwriter sets out to plagiarize someone else's song intentionally. All music is derivative and we're all influenced by everyone else. If you hear similarities in songs, let them be. It happens. If the vocal becomes a hit and earns lots of money, practice what Tom Petty does and be cool nigh information technology.

Don't sue. Don't publicly accuse someone of stealing when most songs won't earn dorsum the price it took to tape them. The person who accused our friend of 'stealing' has quickly been blacklisted. Think anyone wants to co-write or play shows with her now? Information technology's not how you build community. This isn't a competition. Nosotros are creating art. Anyone accusing someone else of stealing their creations is in information technology for the fame and coin and has their motivations completely skewed. Anyone who thinks suing over mild similarities in art is just 'protecting intellectual holding' isn't an artist, is motivated by money or is extremely insecure with their own creations.

+22 Songs That Sound More than Similar Than Blurred Lines and Got To Requite It Up

5) Cheating, Scamming, Shaking Down The Unprotected or Naive

This is geared more than toward those who work on industry side of the biz. There are unfortunately countless examples of people who are dishonest and take reward of musicians who either don't know whatever better or are just unprotected. If yous shake down musicians when y'all are the reason you didn't make any money, convince musicians that 'paying to play' is the merely way to brand it, run pay for stream scams, lie virtually your deals, fudge numbers, withhold payment or dispense musicians or your co-workers, discussion will spread. You volition not last. It'southward short sighted and unethical. Cutting information technology out. We will find you and publicly out you lot for your shady practices.

Your victims may be agape to call y'all out for their own (unjustified) fright of blacklisting. I'm not. I will phone call your donkey out.

Btw, if you lot feel there are shady business people taking reward of musicians, running scams or employing unethical tactics, please let me know: [email protected] and I will publicly telephone call them out and shut them down.

6) Talking Most How Tough Everything Is

I learned the hard way when I get-go got to LA that no one wants to hear how hard information technology is to make information technology in LA. It's difficult for everyone, merely everyone figures information technology out – or they leave. No one wants to be effectually people who pity themselves. Yeah, information technology sucks to work a day job. Yes, rent is expensive. Yeah it takes money to invest in a music career. Aye, you don't go paid early on when y'all're all the same developing your craft. Anybody knows this. But no one wants to be effectually people who dwell on this. Dwelling in negativity. Get positive. Find creative solutions and stop bitching.

7) Being In It Only For Yourself

If in that location'south one matter I've learned from running Ari's Take (where I laissez passer along every piece of knowledge I proceeds to anyone who needs information technology), is that what goes effectually comes around. If you support others selflessly, yous will exist supported. If yous only go to shows when you lot're playing and ignore your community, you'll be left out in the cold. Friends like helping friends. Desire a leg up? Think about someone other than yourself. Go out of your way to aid someone if you tin without expecting annihilation in return.

8) Begging For Shortcuts

When people come to me asking for advice and they oasis't read my book, I politely tell them to read it. I fifty-fifty buy it for them if they actually are too bankrupt to buy it themselves. But if I run across that they keep asking around boondocks for favors and shortcuts without putting in the piece of work, I encounter it as a surefire mode to start losing support. People don't like those who inquire but don't give. Who try to find the like shooting fish in a barrel style out. There are no shortcuts in music. You lot accept to put in the work. Yous have to play the long game.

9) Lack of Self Conviction

Yous accept to believe in yourself offset before anyone else will believe in you. Confidence is attractive. Excitement is contagious. If yous don't believe in yourself, why should anyone else?

10) Airs

In that location's a fine line between confidence and arrogance. And it typically cannot be defined on paper. If you're confident, simply it isn't backed up by your skills, talent, and work ethic, information technology's typically seen as arrogance. Tranquillity confidence is the nearly powerful character trait. Don't get too self when you first to see some success. Yes, early y'all volition need to talk yourself up to a indicate. If you're besides humble and lack cocky-conviction people won't exist impressed with you and will retrieve that you lot're not taking your career seriously. Whereas if you're arrogant, it's a complete plow off. This is a difficult line to straddle, but it's always better to fault on the side of humility. Be confident. Only humble.

11) Burning Bridges

The music manufacture is smaller than you retrieve. If you start burning bridges with people, discussion will spread. No one wants to work with someone who is hard – no affair how talented they are. There are a ton of talented people out at that place. Talent, these days, ain't that unique.

People desire to work with talented artists who have a great piece of work ethic and a great attitude.

Talent does non excuse douchbaggery. Y'all are never also large, as well important or too talented to care for people with respect. This goes for execs, agents, managers, publicists and artists. Especially those with assistants. You think the assistant you lot're shitting on is going to stay an banana forever? Anytime you're going to need something from them and they are going to plough you the f down because yous treated them horribly. It ain't that difficult to treat people, of every level, with nobility and respect. Take a breath. Ho-hum down. Human activity like a person. You lot ain't Ari Gold. Get over yourself.

12) Giving Unsolicited Advice

I've learned this the hard way. As someone who has fallen into an advice-giving position (I literally wrote the book on how to make information technology in the new music business), I sometimes offer up advice to musicians who don't enquire for it and they exercise not take kindly to it. Anybody has something to teach. Everyone has something to learn. Offer advice upward but if asked.

13) Not Showing Upward

The music industry is all about connections. If y'all continue getting your dorsum scratched and never return the favor, that support will eventually dry upwardly and your back will scab right upwards.