CYNIC’S SEAN REINERT WANTS TO KNOW: “CAN I FINALLY PLAY MY DRUMS NOW?!?!”
I often get asked by fans, students and interviewers, “Do you have any advice for an up and coming musician who’s starting out?” In lieu of my normal response of “Well, you need to practice, practice, practice and of course be prepared to sacrifice a normal social life because you’ll always have to put your music first if you really and truly want or expect to succeed!”, I’m going to examine and explore one of the most overlooked and yet vitally important aspects of being a professional musician – the business side of things. After all, it is called the “music business” right?
I mean, don’t get me wrong – there is something almost transcendental to performing live, and there is almost nothing I would rather do. The same thing with writing and creating: we slave over the process for hours and hours to achieve the best possible result because we love the process and have something completely unique and personal to share. But, we must allocate a certain number of hours to our business needs. I mean let’s not kid ourselves here – we do need to make money in order to keep making our music. We need to buy new drumheads and drumsticks. We have to replace that cracked crash cymbal that broke last rehearsal. We need to pay for rehearsal studio rent and gas to get there. The list goes on and on, and if you’re in a band… forget it!!! You’ll need to finance PA gear, staging gear, lighting rigs, monitor rigs… it never really ends. So how do we fund our ever-hungry music habit? Better yet, how do we get our MUSIC to fund our music habit? (The musical equivalent of nuclear fission.) Well, the best way to maximize your income and opportunities is to get educated in how the music business works.
The quick answer would be to buy a book on music business (there are quite a few out there and most are chock full of information) and study it like your life depends on it (because if your are serious, it kind of does). The better answer would be to take a music business class at your local community college or university. An even better answer would be to major or minor in music business. Let’s face it, since the very first royal orchestras were put together, and since the very first recording session, musicians have been taken advantage of. The odds are already not on your side as far as being able to actually survive (much less thrive) off of music alone. Combine the sheer depth of the talent pool that you are competing against (that are all trying to do the same thing as you) with the random intangible called “timing”(which really means “luck”), divide that by the odds that you have to fortitude to survive the constant ups and downs that being a musician doles out, and you can see it’s not the “surest” of occupations. So you not only need to arm yourself with as much knowledge about your instrument and all styles of music, but you need a “strap” yourself with as many music business bullets as you possibly can. “MAN UP SON!”
The usual suspects would be understanding how deal with such issues as: management (personal/business), attorneys, music publishing, copyright basics, how royalties are generated and distributed, etc. Having a good understanding how touring runs is a great benefit. If you don’t already know, merchandise is the life-saver on tour, so understanding how to budget yourself and maximize your retail opportunities is vital as far as the income stream is concerned. The more recent advent of the internet/iTunes and mp3s have had a huge impact on not only how royalties are generated, but even how the music industry is working. Your online visibility has become almost as important as writing good songs, or mastering the craft of playing your chosen instrument. It has become crucial for the musician/band to have a eye-popping myspace page, website or EPK. It’s a tremendously powerful tool if used correctly. Again, we live in such an instant gratification world that being at the fingertips of any computer user logged online has become indispensable. Just as we need to keep current with the technology of our instruments/music software & hardware, we need to stay current with the business trends in technology (THE INTERNET!!!). It’s quite easy to get lost in the shuffle if you are not on top of your game at all times! (More armour please!)
Even as I type this blog, I am fighting off emails and making decisions with regards to the day to day “what/when/where/how much” issues that come with doing band business. We (CYNIC) have been self-managing for a little while now, and it is a full time job. In comparison to practicing, it’s not the most thrilling part of the gig, but once you get your hands a little dirty and see what’s really going on, you might get some surprising results. There are many a shark out there and we all know human nature is to want more, therefore we need to watch who puts their respective hands in our respective cookie jars! Especially in this musical climate and time of economic turmoil, it’s more important than ever to trim your fat and run a tight ship. Look at this way – at the end of the day who’s really going to look out for you? Well, the answer to that is YOU!!!
GOD, all of this business talk makes me want to circle back to the “But you really do need to practice eight to ten hours a day” rant!! (Which always flashes into my mind the corny old joke: “How do you get to Carnegie Hall? PRACTICE!!!”). Actually, I take that back. All of this talk about music business makes me want to play drums!!! Is it time to practice yet!?!?!
-SR
