The Manager’s Corner- April

by Chris Daniels

I’ve managed my own band for 30 years. I’m in the Colorado Music Hall of Fame and we have 15 albums out so far. It’s been a fun career and it keeps developing. And despite the amazing changes in technology, success in the music business is built around some tried and true elements: great music & performance and really hard work and timing (often mistaken for luck). The book I wrote for my class at CU Denver on artist management called “DIY: You’re Not in it Alone” is exactly what you need to understand. Whether on our local Colorado “island” or in the greater internetville … there are a lot of us out there doing everything we can to survive… and we learn as much as we can from our peers. So here is a little of what I’ve been teaching and researching.

I’m a huge fan of Digital Music News and if you are a musician and unaware of this resource I strongly encourage you to check it out. What follows is largely my distillation of a March 4^th article in that wonderful online service but with added emphasis for the Colorado market place. The article, called “17 Things Local Bands Just Don’t Get” by Ari Herstand was spot on, and it bears repeating…though I have cut it down to the top ten.

First, “Trashing other bands in your scene isn’t hurting their rep. It’s hurting yours.” We are pretty lucky here because the Front Range tends to be a supportive community of musicians. We tend be really proud of our brother and sister musicians when they do well. But there is always a little jealousy when a contemporary gets a break and that can lead to some weird and stupid statements from other musicians. Focus on your OWN path and learn from the success of your fellow Colorado musicians.

The second observation was, “Acting disinterested with folded arms at the back of the room at other bands’ shows does not make you cool. Singing along at the front of the stage does.” Amen and go one step further…again… LEARN! Watch what other artists around here actually do…learn what really works connecting with an audience and what fails.

Your “image is actually important.” If the “I don’t give a shit about anybody attitude” is part of your act, fine, but if it’s not, you’re just being a jerk. And for god’s sake be original. Nobody is looking for another band that looks like Coldplay, the Grateful Dead or a bunch of guys standing around in old t-shirts. Be original.

Fourth, “Physical promotional materials are still incredibly important. Get out into the world and put up some posters and hand out some flyers. Don’t spend all of your time on Facebook.” Amen. And further, make the posters really easy to read by somebody on a fast walk coming into Twist & Shout or when passing them on the bulletin board at your favorite music store, paraphernalia store, school, whatever. You have about 3 seconds to get the info to the person walking by and that beautiful Goth lettering that takes a codebook from JRR Tolkien is not getting your message across. Plus, if your entire promotional plan relies on Facebook you are missing a whole lot of people. Your online reach should include Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, your own website and any other platform you can use without making yourself too crazy.

Five, “You need to conquer your hometown before you can hit the road. If no one cares about you locally, what makes you think people will care about you anywhere else?” This is crucial in Colorado and the West. As I have written many times, Colorado is an island. You are eight to 12 hours away from the next MAJOR market. So I plead with new artists and students to follow what I call “island theory.” Make the most of it by using every resource on the island: venues, supportive music papers like Colorado Music Buzz, local recording, mastering and pressing facilities, music stores, you name it we’ve got it. We even have a nationally recognized publishing company in Lyric House publishing! Today’s successful bands in Colorado, those artists who are about to break out – are in that position because they busted their butts making the most of this island.

Six, … according to DMN, “playing around town all the time weakens your draw. Spread out your shows so you can promote one big show every 6-8 weeks.” In Colorado this is a little different, especially when you are starting out. In your first year you need to BUILD your reputation, get as much experience playing in front of an audience and developing your music and show as you can, Once you start getting to where you have a buzz built, then make your shows an EVENT. Andy and the folks from Bop Skizzum are one of the best models I’ve seen for doing that with the Nerd Prom and the Motet is another great example of a band that makes their Colorado shows special.

Seven is all ours: the venues in Colorado rule. I don’t care if you play Polka-Reggae you can find a venue in Colorado that will support what you do. From Herman’s doing some metal shows to the avalanche of EDM and the tsunami of Jam Bands, you live in an area with more outlets for live music than any other market I’ve played. And here is the amazing thing, if you promote yourself well, work with the venue, and make your show an event; Colorado audiences actually come out to hear good music! It totally rocks. This state is filled with music lovers.

Eight: “No one in the industry cares about how good your music is. They care about how successful you have become on your own.” Ouch!! Boy howdy that says it all. This is the reason I spend my days teaching artist management. There was a time when labels actually sent A&R reps to go “find” new music. It’s over! What the industry is looking for now is the artist that doesn’t actually need the industry: the artist that has their website, business organization, publishing and 1^st album jitters all behind them because they’ve done it. The industry wants artists that are packing the local clubs, their 1^st or even 2^nd EP or record is selling and the local radio is playing their songs. They’ve formed their own publishing company, they have a vision of where they are going and they are creating a buzz on YouTube with tens of thousands of hits or more!

Nine: “Your scene’s gatekeepers are friends with each other. Get in with one and you’ll get in with them all. If you piss one off, prepare to be blacklisted.” This is especially true on an island. The folks from AEG used to be part of Live Nation. People working at Soda Jerk partner with both Live Nation and AEG on shows. This is a very small music community and we really do know each other. We are always recommending artists to friends in the business. Some of the people who are working at Open Air came from KBCO. The ‘buyer’ for The Boulder Theater and The Fox used to be the head talent buyer for Swallow Hill. These are ALL people who love music and if you get in with one of them and you or your act “have the goods” we will be talking about you to others … it’s called “buzz”…like this great paper you are checking out.

Last but not least: “Being respectful and friendly will take you much further than being superior and entitled.” Woof – amen and halleluiah! The music industry does not OWE you success no matter how great you may be. And I cannot tell you how many bitter older musicians I know who believe that they were cheated. Let me dispel this notion completely. Nobody owes you a damn thing. You will have to bust your ass, lose your mind, your lover, your health and your youth playing your heart out every night in some dive-ass bar where the owner stiffs you at the end of the night, just to get a shot at the brass ring. And if you are persistent, if you have gone out and done it yourself, you might get a shot. According to Colin Peterson who now road manages for JJ Grey and Mofro – and has stage-managed at the Fox for years, it’s simple: “kill em with kindness.” He’s worked with just about every up-and-coming band and the ones that “make it” are the ones that understand Colorado’s music scene is really a pretty small community…treat each other with kindness and respect and you just might get a fair shake.

Tags: Chris Daniels, swallow hill, aeg live, fox theatre, boulder theatre, the manager's corner, live nation, soda jerk presents

Category: Shop Talk