The New Music Industry revisited, part 2: James Moore’s foreword
James Moore is the CEO of Independent Music Promotions and author of Your Band Is A Virus. He had a significant impact on the direction of my book, The New Music Industry.
In 2012, I was working as a digital marketer for a music industry startup (that I had also invested in) and was making connections through social media at a furious rate.
While I would love to say I remember exactly how James and I got connected, it’s fair to say that the relationship began to develop as I was researching and discovering the various music business blogs that were out there, leaving comments everywhere I went. I remember trading guest posts with James too.
As my book was beginning to take shape, I asked James for his thoughts on it and if he’d be willing to write a foreword, and he agreed. In retrospect, I don’t think I could have made a better choice.
James gave me some much-needed feedback on the book, and that’s when I can honestly say I made the commitment to give it all I had — sharing about my likes and dislikes, favorite tools and most of all, beefing up the book with every bit of knowledge and experience I could. It was a multi-year endeavor.
This is part two of a series of posts reflecting on my first best-selling book, The New Music Industry. You can find part 1 here.
In this post, I will be looking at James Moore’s foreword and sharing my up-to-date thoughts on it.
The Independent Music Landscape is One of the Most Challenging of Any Profession
This is literally the first sentence from James’ foreword. I couldn’t agree more.
And, there are multiple reasons for this. One is that there are no rules for success. I also shared this in part 1 of this series, but beyond making great music, creating a strong brand and marketing message, working hard, building connections, and staying consistent with your efforts, there isn’t a proven formula for success.
The second reason independent music is one of the most challenging of any profession is because there are shysters out there. There are people who don’t want you to succeed, who want to take your place, who want to take advantage of you, who will lure you in with promises of fame and fortune, and leave you devitalized, demotivated, exploited and possibly even broke.
Even as someone with a music business, I can relate to this wholeheartedly. I’ve taken on clients I never should have taken on, and I’ve had relationships turn sour over time, even after going above and beyond the call of duty. Give an inch and they’ll take a mile.
The third reason is competition. James used the term “overpopulated” in the book, which isn’t an exaggeration. Today, in 2020, 24,000 new tracks are added to streaming platforms daily. It’s a frenzy out there. And yet, the only way to be in the game is to release new music regularly. If you aren’t doing this, your competition almost certainly is.
As an owner of a music business, I can honestly say a lot of these challenges exist in this domain too. It’s a small community, but it’s constantly fluctuating. A lot of marketers think the challenges the music industry is facing are fascinating (which they are) and want to give a go at solving them (I’ve been at this for 11 years). To be fair, I don’t think most people are going to last. They’re going to realize, relatively quickly, that there are no shortcuts to fortune and fame here, either (sound familiar)?
So, there’s a symbiotic effect. Musicians struggle. Music businesses struggle. But this doesn’t necessarily impact the industry or the majors whose gambit on streaming platforms (especially Spotify) has more than paid off.
And, the need to be smart has never been greater. The “vultures” James referred to in his writing are just as present today as they ever were. Many consumers don’t know how business works and want to get things for free, sending their favorite coaches and consultants to the poor house. Shills posing as experts will take a quick hit of money and disappear, adopt a new pseudonym and dive right into another niche they think they can exploit. And, as I’ve experienced, the exploitation of talent is — sadly — far from over.
Frankly, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a musician or a music educator. If you aren’t a shrewd bastard, you’re going to end up learning a lot of things the hard way, which can be painful to say the least.
Sales are the Wrong Reason — Music is the Right Reason
Why are any of us in the music business to begin with?
If you don’t have a clear answer to this question, then the music industry might be the wrong sector for you.
James proposes that music, not sales, should be at the heart of your career building efforts. And, while strategy is important — critical even, especially when so many are focused on tactics — it’s important to realize that wrenches will get thrown and they will upset the mix.
Fitting everything into a mold, especially in the realm of creativity, seems futile at best. Agility, flexibility and the willingness to pivot give artists a better chance at all the things they say the want — a fan base, a lasting impact on the world, creative freedom and just enough money to make it all worthwhile and sustainable.
James further advises us to let go of “mountain view” thinking. Wise.
Many artists want to go from zero to hero. The media has done a great job of making this seem possible and will even inject subliminal hints in their pieces as if to say, “See how dumb you are? You should have figured this out by now.”
Even as they’re talking about artists who spent the better part of 10 years working their asses off to achieve any level of notoriety. Take your pick — The Beatles, KISS, Rush, Metallica, The Barenaked Ladies, Billy Talent… You name it, they probably made good use of those 10 (and in some cases 10+) years.
Take note. This is where much exploitation can happen. If you’ve got stars in your eyes, it’s the wrong time to go chasing down a music educator or consultant, PR person, manager, or anyone else you think is going to put you on the red carpet. You’re bound to find those who know this about you and will gladly take your money, regardless of whether they deliver on their promises.
This is the right time to lock yourself up in a practice closet and learn everything you possibly can about music, your voice, your instrument, songwriting, production and more.
Are You Willing to Take it Step by Step?
This is the top question artists need to ask themselves. Are they willing to take the process step by step? Are they willing to play dive bars, stuff press kits into envelopes, send emails, share social media updates, create connections and ultimately, invest in themselves and their success? Can they do this consistently?
There’s a strong chance you’re not going to go from your couch to a TV screen in a hurry. And, even that sounds a little watered down. Let me say it like it is — it’s not going to happen.
Your success will hinge on your ability to make a routine, get up in the morning and do the things you’ve committed to doing, every single day. And, some days you will feel like balling your eyes out instead of getting up once more to make those phone calls (if you don’t know what I mean now, you will). You’ll need to ride out the highs and lows. It will be exciting and terrifying all at once.
If it sounds overwhelming, it doesn’t need to be. It’s a step by step process. All you need to be thinking about is the next step. And then the next. You’re not going to get anything done trying to figure out how to eat the whole elephant. The way to eat it is one bite at a time.
That’s how success is created — it’s the progressive realization of a worthy ideal. Do the right things long enough consistently, and you will make progress, bit by bit.
Final Thoughts
So, even as I look back at what James shared with us, I think his message is just as relevant today as it was when he first wrote it.
No question things have changed since then, which is one of the reasons I’m doing this retrospective, but it’s also important to realize that some things haven’t changed.
If you’d like access to more great content like this, I suggest signing up for my free, no-fluff newsletter, Music Career Tips Weekly.
And, when you’re ready, you can always find my best-selling book here: The New Music Industry: Adapting, Growing, and Thriving in The Information Age
