A lot of you have seen me criticizing bands trying to make the big time. Doing their best to get signed and get fame. A lot of them think that social media and living around the Albany area, will make them famous. There are too many around here trying to make the industry. I can tell, and facebook is evidence of that. Musicians would try to enter themselves ridiculous competitions and contests to get on reality TV shows such as “X-Factor”, “The Voice”, “Idol”, etc. I even see quite a few bands trying to make, “The Grammy’s” competition show they got going for unsigned bands. Look, there is nothing wrong with trying your best to make it in the music business. It’s a great thing that these guys are trying to chase after their dream and become successful, but you have to be honest here.

Do bands and musicians have a chance in making the big time? Making the industry and get fame. Possibly, fame and fortune too?

The answer is no. A lot of them don’t have a good chance of making the industry, even though they try. Sorry to say but it’s true. Now, I’m not being jealous. I’m NOT trying to take away their success or take over their spotlight, it’s all about giving these guys, a reality check. I’ve seen plenty of bands and musicians trying to make it. Not naming names here ’cause this post will spark a lot of controversy, if I named names publicly. Plus, there’s a good chance they could respond and we could have a heated flame war here, so I don’t need that.

Why won’t they make the industry? Why don’t they have the chance? Simply put, they don’t have the marketing skills to get there. Sorry, but having between 1,000 to 10,000 fans in your social media pages is not going to land you a record deal. To grab the industry’s attention, you’ll need to reach a fanbase of about 100,000 or more. You need tons of fans to grab the industry’s attention. They won’t be interested in you, unless you have a lot of fans to prove them that you can sell a lot of records. Today’s industry is not the same anymore as it was back in the day.

Back in the day, record labels especially the majors, used to sign bands & artists if they like their music, but it don’t work like that anymore. Popularity is key to making it big. Plus, you must prove to the labels that you have the marketing talent which a lot of people in this area don’t. You see, it’s very difficult to get in the industry. It’s almost impossible. People in Albany making it in the industry only happens for a few bands & artists like drummer Jason Bittner, who made it and is now playing drums for Shadows Fall. Lana Del Rey also made it big. Phantogram, however, yes they are famous, but they are not in the major label industry quite yet. They’re almost there, but they didn’t quite make it big. Phantogram, still has a long road to go. I do wish Phantogram luck though, ’cause I like them.

Making it in the industry is a long tough journey guys. There’s only very few bands & musicians who have the potential of making it in the industry. EBJ? Maybe, if they keep it going and don’t give up. Sean Rowe? He definitely has a chance, as he’s almost there.

On top of this, you’re not going to make it in the industry, just by being stuck in Albany. Move to Nashville, NYC, or L.A. You have to be near those three cities where the music industry is nearby. I would recommend Nashville or L.A. You want to move in an area where the music scene is huge. Live in a music city. Again, marketing and promoting is key to making it. You don’t have the marketing drive and skills, the industry will continue to ignore you. It doesn’t matter how good your music is.

If you’re serious on making the big time. Learn and study up the industry. There are plenty of books out there. Get agents, managers. Get contacts from professional people from the music business. You have to have an extremely large fan following in order to make it. I repeat, having the marketing talent is key to getting there.

There was a singer/songwriter guy in facebook (nameless for now), who I got into an e-mail argument with. He thinks he’s going to make the industry, and I tried explaining all this stuff to him, that the industry is almost impossible to get to. Sure enough, he became defensive. He’s not going to give up this dream. He promotes himself publicly that he has a dream and won’t give up, going after it. You’ll figure out who I’m referring to, soon enough. He’s from Glens Falls area.

On top of all this, are you guys sure you want to make the big time? Once you do, you lose all control of your music. Your control of your music is gone. All of it. They’ll control your copyright. They’ll control your songwriting. The making of the albums. You don’t get to pick what songs you want on the album anymore, the label does. Plus, they do all the marketing and promoting for you. All these major label bands in social media sites like facebook, twitter, etc. Those pages aren’t really the bands behind those pages. It’s probably agents, managers, promoters, etc. Yes, sometimes the band themselves would write to the fans in those pages, once in a blue moon, but that still doesn’t mean they are in charge of their pages. Famous bands has better and more important things to do instead of hanging online. They’re too busy playing music all day long, and traveling the world.

Again, nothing wrong with going after a dream. I kind of would like something like this myself a little bit, but who cares about getting signed, right? Just play music and enjoy. That’s it. Don’t take yourself so serious. A lot of us shouldn’t care about getting signed, anyway. Being a local musician, just play music for the love of it. We shouldn’t worry about getting in the big time. I don’t care if I make it or not. That’s not what I do this for. Quit living in your fantasy worlds, and just enjoy life, and play music. That’s the end of it.

Kev

Okay, yes, I’ll admit it. I can be a bit of an asshole in music at times, and for good reasons. Is it bad to be an asshole in music? No. A lot of people make the  mistake that they think it’s a bad thing, but in reality, it’s actually a pretty professional thing to be an asshole in music. Let me explain why…

I honestly believe that all those musicians out there who want to be positive, lovable, and be a “yes man” at everything, is doing it wrong. Some musicians mistakenly see music as being positive, but not everything is going to be. You have to do what’s best for yourself as a human being and for your music. You can’t be friendly at everything, there are times when you need to be negative.

You can’t trust everyone you meet in the music scene. That includes other musicians, the venues you work with, or hell even regular music fans. The music world is one crazy ass place. So if you want to go somewhere with your music and keep doing it, this is why you have to be a bit of an asshole. Also, don’t be afraid to turn down gigs you don’t agree with, you don’t have to say yes to everything that throws at you which a lot of bands seem to be doing around here.

It’s about protecting yourself, and your music.  This is why I do what I do. Being honest and real about everything, also helps give you more respect from people and the industry. I’m real tired of people thinking how I act is wrong. I’ve heard that from many for years. It’s about being yourself. Being who you are. If you’re the lovable and the “Yes man” type, then you’re not being true to yourself. You also need to be a bit of an asshole, if you want become successful. Being a jerk sometimes, actually helps.

You need be the Simon Cowell of music sometimes, to make your dreams come true. Think about why all those bands and musicians who stay positive all the time, never make it anywhere. Think about it a few minutes.

Kev

Edit to add: Yes, I can be a positive guy in music a lot too, but only when you feel it’s worth it. Being real about yourself is how you go forward in music.

So some of you have been seeing me criticizing the way local bands promote and market themselves. Yes, a lot of them really DO suck at it, and that’s just MY opinion. If you don’t like it? You don’t have to read it. Hell, there might be even plenty out there that may agree with me. If you don’t, that’s cool too, ’cause the truth needs to be said. I still stand by it, that this area is absolutely horrible when it comes to marketing. There are very few that know what they’re doing and very good at it, but most musicians around here are amateurs, when it comes to marketing.

Here’s how… a full explanation…

• They only rely on the internet for promoting – Not everyone uses the internet. You must do a lot more. Make ad flyers, post ’em up all over town at bulletin boards. Almost every where you look in town, there are bulletin boards with people advertising all kinds of events in your local town. Do yourself a favor and do that. There are bulletin boards in almost every store, restaurants, diners, gyms, liquor stores, etc. Also, go to block party events and go to other band shows, pass out flyer people. It works. You may also want to tell everyone as much as possible about your show. Tell all your friends, and as much people as possible. I do this stuff all the time whenever I got a gig. You can’t just rely on the internet.
• There’s not enough info on the show flyers, graphic art not eye catching enough – I’m seeing a lot of show flyers online, and they don’t put a lot of info on there. Sure, they do a good job naming the venue, pricing, the time the show starts, bands on the bill, etc. There must be more. How about a link of each band on the show ad? That way it’ll be much easier for people to look up the other bands playing on the bill. You may also want to make your graphic art as eye catching as possible. Get people interested. Show a picture of each band on the bill. Not just just the so called, “headliner” act. There are too many show ads, where the headliner is all over it, and the other acts, don’t get lesser recognition on the ad. If you want people to be interested in the show, give each performer the spotlight on the flyer too. Leave your ego at the door, please. I made my own flyers before, and would try to make it like this as best as possible. Also, make sure the ad flyer is not offensive or too sexual. Don’t do the middle finger or don’t grab your crotch. Some might find that stuff offensive and will throw your flyer in the trash.
• Social media promotion – Okay, I know social media like Facebook which is the most popular for bands these days is a favorite for promoting your band, but you must take that seriously too. 1) Don’t over promote 2) Don’t spam people 3) You only need to post your show invite once (you post your show invite like 10 times a day, it’ll turn people off). Speaking of show invites in Facebook, you must put in as much information about your show as possible. I see a lot of bands leave out so much important information. Mostly the time the show is at, and mostly the price admission. Fans are always asking bands what time the show is at or how much it costs, it’s important to put that stuff on there. In the show invite, name all the bands and artists on the bill with a link of each performer. That way fans can go to their websites and check ’em out.
• Don’t rely on social media promotion – A lot of bands & artists around here make the mistake that they see Facebook as their official website, so I see a lot of them use that only. You see, if you want to get somewhere with your music, YOU MUST DO MORE! Again, not everyone uses facebook people! This is why! Some avoid facebook like the plague. Start up an official website (name here.com), start up a twitter, instagram, pinterest, etc. Everywhere as much as possible. I don’t have an instagram yet, but that’s because I don’t have an Iphone or something like that yet, but I’m hoping to soon. You can even advertise on craigslist and local music websites like CRUMBS for example. Most of all, start up a blog too. This is part of the reason I blog for, ’cause it’s a good promoting tool with my music. All this entertainment blogging is just secondary to me. I’ve had plenty people come out to my gigs over the years ’cause they’ve seen me promoting it on my blog. It works!
• Advertise gigs through your local papers – Get out your wallet and throw in a couple of bucks to get your show ad printed in the papers. I’ve done it before. This works too. You don’t see bands promoting themselves in the papers anymore. You can’t just advertise in the Metroland.
• Have your own youtube channel – Youtube is an excellent way to promote your projects, shows, etc. It’s also a great way to showcase your talent. Videotape yourself performing at home, at a live gig, or just do videoblog. I see bands do videoblogs of them recording in the studio and they film a lot of backstage stuff. You should consider doing the same. Youtube is great. There’s not a lot of local bands around here who have their own youtube channel. Some do! But there needs to be more! I have my own.
• Let the music speak on it’s own – One great promoting tool is letting the music speak on it’s own. Don’t be so demanding. Instead of begging people to come out to your gig, ask. Instead of begging people to like your songs, wait for the positive feedback to come on it’s own. People will go to your show if they like your music, there’s no other way around it. Just put your music out there, and just see what happens. If people hate your music, don’t be defensive. Just focus on the fans who support your music. Replying to the haters is just a childish and unprofessional thing to do, I see bands do this all the time.
• Let fans hear music for free – If you want more respect, a great promoting tool is letting people hear your music for free. What pisses me off is that some bands would force fans to hear small clips of certain songs from an upcoming album of theirs. Or worse, they would release one song a week until the album release. Pretty stupid, and egotistical, in my opinion. It’s also a pretty cruel thing to do your fanbase. Let ’em stream all your music for free. I also hate those artists that forces fans to pay them to see live web shows like StageIt and things like that. There are plenty of free live webcasts. You don’t need to force fans to pay anything. There are too many money hungry bands & artists out there. Shouldn’t be about the money, in my opinion. Just my opinion, so don’t take this the wrong way. I understand bands want to make money to cover studio time, band equipment, travel expenses, etc. but you make that money from the gigs and merchandise sales.
• Socialize in the music community – Go to all kinds of local music events. Go to other band shows other than your own. Go to open mics. Songwriting workshops. Interact with other musicians in the scene and be a part of everything. Be at the center of everyone’s attention. Sometimes a bit of ego is good. You don’t see bands and musicians doing much of this stuff.

That’s about all I can think of for now. If I come up with more, I’ll add it in.

Kev