Posted on February 2, 2012 at 9:48 am by Ramon Ricker
in Being a Successful Entrepreneur, gigs |
If you have read my book, Lessons From a Street-Wise Professor, think back to Chapter 9: “Five Non-Linear Career Journeys.” These are stories of very successful entrepreneurial musicians. I chose to include them because they represent five different areas of the music business, but I had a secondary reason as well. They all have reached their goals in different ways. There really is no one single road to success in music. If you gain experience, be observant, have good role models and develop an entrepreneurial mindset, your time will come.
Once a friend of a friend asked me what her daughter could do to prepare for a career in music. Her daughter was then a high school student and was considering a college major in music. Half-jokingly I gave her a flip answer. I said, “Tell her she should 1) get a paper route, because then she will know how many papers she has to deliver just to purchase one CD; and 2) get a ukulele, because she will learn how to harmonize tunes with just three chords.” In other words, know the value of a dollar and work on your ears. But, something was lost in my profundity: I forgot that kids haven’t had paper routes in 30 years. Got to change that one.
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Posted on January 24, 2012 at 12:55 pm by Ramon Ricker
in Being a Successful Entrepreneur, Staying informed |
One of the listservs to which I belong is Thomas Cott’s, “You’ve Cott Mail.” As Cott says, “It’s a free service for professionals in the arts,” and he sends it most weekdays. I’m interested in it because it doesn’t just cover music, and we musicians can learn from our brethren in other areas of the arts world. The other interesting thing to me is he doesn’t editorialize. He collects articles and blogs from all over the web and presents similar content under a theme or title. There are usually 3-4 entries each day. Cott will sometimes summarize an article, but if they are short they are presented in full, and always with a link to the source. Today’s topic (Tues, Jan 24) was: Dealing with Negative Feedback, and the sources cited were:
Dealing with negative feedback on social media Rebecca Coleman on her blog, 1/23/12
Tuning out negative comments online Michelle, Talenthouse blog, 11/29/11
Why a negative review may not be so bad after all Matt Rhodes, eConsultancy.com, 6/8/11
Here is a sampling of other recent Cott posts.
Tues, Dec 13: When/How Will Arts Address Lack of Diversity?
Thurs, Aug 25: Double-Dip Recession & The Arts
Tues, Nov 29: Let’s Talk Tourism
Tues, Nov 22: Arts For Free?
Tues, Sep 27: Competing with Cirque du Soleil
We’re in an information age. There is a lot of information out there at our disposal, but the problem is often locating it. With “You’ve Cott Mail” you will know immediately if the day’s articles cover topics of interest to you. Check it out and see for yourself.
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Posted on January 5, 2012 at 9:41 am by Ramon Ricker
in Being a Successful Entrepreneur, gigs |
Some musicians feel that they must dumb-down their music in order to be “successful.” I once had a conversation with Maria Schneider in which she made an interesting observation: many musicians who are focused solely on making money underestimate their audiences. She commented that some musicians seem to think that if they write or present a particular kind of music, they will get a certain audience. A dilemma can occur if they happen to get lucky and are successful in gaining an audience. If they suddenly say “that’s not really who I am.” “Let me show you what I really do,” they will lose that audience, because those fans were on board for what the artist was doing at the time. They came to the concert just for that.
Of utmost importance is to be devoted to developing your own craft and your own voice. If you follow your artistic calling with passion and belief, when your audience does find you, they will be getting the best of what you have to offer. Be true to yourself. Don’t pander.
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Posted on December 22, 2011 at 1:00 pm by Ramon Ricker
in Being a Professional, gigs |
At the end of this blog is a letter to the editor that was published in the December 13 Louisville
Courier-Journal. In it the writer laments the absence of an orchestra at this year’s Nutcracker performance. The tone of her letter is typical of what I had read in the past when ballets have opted to use recorded music instead of live. The experience just isn’t the same.
Coincidentally, during the same time period I was playing the national touring company production of the Broadway show, Billy Elliot. The basic instrumentation (not accounting for doubles) was conductor/keys 1, keys 2, guitar, bass, drums, horn, trumpet, reed 1 and reed 2. In this particular production only the conductor/keys 1, keys 2, guitar and bass were in the pit. The four “horns” were in a separate, very large, room behind the pit. Our space was delineated by curtains on pipes. We had our “clubhouse.”
Our Clubhouse
The drum set was also in this large room but he had a special little glass “house” which was about 20 feet from us. We all had our personal video monitors, which broadcast the conductor, and a mixing board that we configured in any way we wanted.
It seems that this set-up was chosen to better control the sound. The instruments that were in the pit we all electronic, and their sound went directly into the house sound system. Therefore no sound actually emanated from the pit. As they explained to us, if the acoustic instruments were in the pit, they would be mic’d, but some acoustic sound would naturally be present. The overall sound experience for the audience wouldn’t be as good, since the sound engineer would not be able to totally control the mix. The orchestra or parts of it in a remote location is an option that has been used for several years now by Broadway shows.
Sorry for the long-winded set-up just to get to the point of this blog. . . and it’s not even going to be about electronics taking over the music world.
My point is that the four “horns” didn’t feel part of a performance. Don’t get me wrong. I was happy to have the gig, and the four of us in our little clubhouse did form a bond over the two weeks. We had a good time and played well, but even though the pay was very good, it was somehow unsatisfying. We were literally “phoning our parts in.” We came to the theatre in street clothes. Sat down, did our thing and went home. It was like a recording session, but with no second takes. During the bows the conductor would motion to the four players in the pit. We wondered if the audience asked themselves, “where are the drums?” What concerned me was that the audience didn’t see half of the pit band, and had no inkling that we were even there.
I began to think that by playing our parts in a remote location, our importance to the overall show experience was devalued. The sounds that came from our instruments were anonymous. For all the audience knew, we could have been a recording.
My Musical World for Two Weeks
Then I read the letter to the editor that is at the end of this post.
In a way, what we were doing is a step in a progression to using total pre-recorded music. A musical experience is always better in a live situation. I don’t think any of us has given our favorite CD a round of applause upon its completion. The feelings the writer to the Louisville newspaper expressed, were similar to what we felt. Live is definitely better.
The following letter is from a reader and was published in the Louisville
Courier-Journal on December 13, 2011.
A Tradition Muted
What a very sad Christmas story tonight. Like so many years prior, my family
was very excited to attend the preview performance of “The Nutcracker”
Friday evening. The energy and richness of years past was replaced by a more
hollow experience.
Gone is the pre-curtain excitement and anticipation that mounts as the
musicians tune their instruments. Gone are the shadows of light and movement
as the musicians lead the way for the dancers. Gone are the lingering notes
that transition one scene to the other with the tenderness of a conductor’s
lead.
I had no idea how much the emptiness of the orchestra pit would impact the
experience, especially from the balcony. I was so distracted by the vacant
lifelessness of the pit, like a toothless mouth, the transitions of music to
OFF, the frequent speaker feedback which plagued the second half of the show
(my heart breaks for these technicians trying to replicate an orchestra). I
felt so sad for these dancers who have invested their bodies, souls and
lifetime of work into the thrill of performing live, and they now dance to
canned music with feedback (hopefully resolved after the preview).
Should we prepare for an eventual recording of the dancers on stage, too, as
the quality of the ballet experience becomes additional carnage? We could
run a “Nutcracker” recording from years past and save the trouble of
performing it live. Is anyone going to take the lead and figure out how to
undo this orchestra train wreck?
This was my first experience of the great loss for our city and of all of
the artists, technicians and patrons enduring the consequences. Bah, humbug!
KRISTIN CRINOT
Louisville
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Posted on August 17, 2011 at 10:13 am by Ramon Ricker
in Getting Ahead, copyright, web |
If you’re an older person with copyrighted material you probably have a different view about protecting and publishing your creative work than a younger person. Here’s an interesting blog from Andrew Taylor in Arts Journal that was posted on 6/7/11. It seems that times could be a changin’.
(more...)
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Posted on July 27, 2011 at 12:57 pm by Ramon Ricker
in Being a Professional, Musicans as Brands, professional |
The ultimate measures of success are trial and repeat, and the buyer is the final judge. If a manufacturer of just about anything, from dishwashing detergent to automobiles, gets you to try their product, and you are satisfied and return to purchase again, that is success. Using a music example, let’s say you get a last minute call to sub on a woodwind quintet educational concert in a high school. That’s your trial. If it goes well you are a hero, even if your playing isn’t absolutely flawless. In a last minute situation the other players’ expectations are reduced, and they will cut you some slack. They’ll be happy to get through the gig without any major train wrecks! But even if you do a great job and impress the other four musicians they might not immediately call you back. There just might not be another opportunity for a while. That quintet already has a permanent member, and as long as he or she continues to do good work, it will remain his or her position. However, the chances are very good that they will recommend you to other groups, or at least relay the story of how you saved the day.
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Posted on July 16, 2011 at 12:50 pm by Ramon Ricker
in Being a Professional, Musicans as Brands, professional |
It’s important to understand image. Your brand exudes a certain image and is made up of the following:
Tangibles & Intangibles[i]
Tangible—Can you play accurately? Do you show up on time? Are you a good sight-reader?
Intangible—Do you have a beautiful sound? Are you musical? Do you make the notes come alive? Do you add something extra with your presence in the group?
(more...)
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Posted on July 9, 2011 at 12:43 pm by Ramon Ricker
in Being a Professional, Musicans as Brands, professional |
Here is the third installment in this series of blogs that discuss the musician as a brand. If you are new you can catch up quickly by reading the two previous posts.
You’ve probably heard the cliché, “To get ahead it’s not how you play, but who you know.” Certainly having connections or a network of friends and acquaintances can help your career, but that’s for another blog. What we will discuss here, for a moment, is the manner in which you connect, or bond, with your audience—the public, other musicians, contractors, conductors, producers, agents, etc., etc. In the end your success will depend upon how well you and your brand bond with your audience, which can be on different levels.[i] It could be that you connect:
Cognitively—They are aware of you and are familiar with your abilities. Do they consider you all the time? Are you the only one they consider? Are you one of many, one of a few or not on their radar screen at all?
Behaviorally—They may consider many, but they always come back to you.
Emotionally—They like you. They’ve hired you for years. You are friends. Or, they don’t like you. They had a run-in with you years ago and have never forgotten it.
Fit—Do your abilities and personality fit the need of the occasion perfectly, somewhat, or not at all? Are you well versed in the style of music required? Do you have a good attitude about playing it?
In the next post we’ll discuss image.
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Posted on June 26, 2011 at 11:07 am by Ramon Ricker
in Being a Professional, Musicans as Brands, professional |
What Is a Brand and Is Yours a Good One—What Is Your Brand?
The last blog gave a few definitions to work with. Now think about your brand. And it isn’t just about your playing, but we can start with that. What do people think of when they think of you? Make a list and write it down. Here’s an example of a hypothetical musician.
Good player, great sound, terrific technique, OK sight-reader, inexperienced in orchestra and show work, a little unreliable, no car (you have to give him a ride), can be argumentative. Does this list describe a person you would hire to play a show? Maybe not. His brand has too many negatives, or liabilities. But in reality some of the listed negatives could be based on isolated incidences. The person who views this player as unreliable and argumentative could be basing that on hearsay or on just one observed occurrence.
Musicians who wear several different hats (read: Legos) may be able to extend their brands to adapt to various situations. For example, a person who is a fine composer could also be a great instrumentalist and make violin bows as well. It’s possible that some may be familiar with this person only as a composer and have no idea of these other talents.
I hope that it is clear here that the type of good brand building I am talking about is based on good deeds and good playing, both of which occur in an organic sort of way. I’m not talking about a brand that is artificially created by an agency for a movie star, pop-music artist or boy band. I’m talking about the reputation that everyday musicians build over time, as they go about their daily work.
As previously stated, a strong brand is identified with a message or image that is meaningful to the consumer, stands apart from other brands and that the consumer feels good about using. Yo-Yo Ma, Wynton Marsalis, Renée Fleming, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger and Bono are all strong well-known brands. These are the brands of music mega-stars. But, there are also strong brands that are known only by the musicians in a particular subset of the music world. Think of orchestral trombonists, flutists, concertmasters, jazz saxophonists or bassists. Within each small music business subset there are those who stand out above the rest. The musicians in that field know their names. This is true of every community of local musicians, for example in your town or school.
Your brand is built over time and is determined not only by how well you play, but also on how you handle yourself. Recitals, performances and publications all contribute (read: Legos), but even non-musical things play a part in your brand, as well. For example, the people with whom you associate, your appearance, as well as your personality all add to or detract from your brand. It takes a considerable amount of time to build a good brand, but it can be tarnished very quickly with sub-par performance or actions. It only takes one example of sloppy technique to create doubt in the minds of others regarding your expertise. There is probably truth in the old saying, “You are only as good as your last gig.”
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