Kurb indie music promotions

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS
By Matt Turner. Copyright 2007. Don't steal without asking.

In the music business, Pride is the deadliest sin.

This should be a great little blog, because the most important thing in the music business – if you want to make it and stuff – isn’t something I know anything special about, it’s not exactly to do with the internet, or online promotion . . .

Just . . . Be safe, be scene . . .

Okay cute headline. Sure, but what do I mean, I said this was the most important thing in getting ahead in music. I mean don’t piss people off!

It means not acting like a prick. It means going to local shows and meeting people even though you might think they’re pricks.

It means if you are serious about your music, and I’m dead serious, your best position is if you’ve got nothing good to say about whats going on in your local scene, then keep it zipped. Or you’re going to sound like a prick. And pricks don’t get gigs.

It’s who you know – of course you know that – but if you know people and they don’t like you then you may as well forget it. So for starters - be nice, but you should of heard that by now. Rock’n Roll attitude is all very well for music videos and magazine covers but it won’t get you anywhere in your professional dealings.

Often not that many people come to the gig. Sometimes you don’t get paid, sometimes theres some hidden cost that no ones prepared to front up for. Sometimes there’s little shits online making fun of you. Sometimes you give someone your demo and they don’t get back to you. Acting unprofessionally in any of these circumstances is basically your ticket out of establishing any respect as an artist.

Stuff posted on forums, snarky backchat on myspace and the like – you are not to react to this stuff! Are you cut out for being a professional entertainer or a re you just another dickhead? People will make their minds up pretty soon.

New Zealand is a TINY country, the next most important thing after being nice and keeping it scene is probably moving to Australia but that’s another blog. Every place in New Zealand is ridiculously underpopulated so unless you live in Auckland which is still borderline . . . if you act like an asshole, you can just forget it.

Sure you can tell little fankids to piss off if theyre hassling you but NEVER diss another local band in open company. What have you honestly got to gain by going on about how much Elemeno P suck? You just end up looking bitter. Which isn’t really that rock’n roll.

Y’know. When a political incident takes place, when all is said and done it seems done, but when the months roll by and you’re getting less gigs . . . it’s a silent killer. You never really know the damage you’ve done to your professional reputation, and what opportunities you’ve missed because someone’s mentioned said incident to interested parties, and they’ve formed their own opinions.

Now when I’m talking about keeping it scene I’m not insisting you turn into some poser hanging on. You may not want to hear this but realistically, if you want a gig, you have to go to the gigs. Y’know hang out, meet people, get involved with whats going on. Even if you don’t like them. I mean you like the same music, don’t you? You don’t really matter sitting in your bedroom if you’re not really connecting with people one way or another.

And sure, the guys from the band that everyone loves right now might make you sick, but that’s the way it is. You only have to be polite. It’s good practice for when you’re starting to get traction.

Trust me, I hate this stuff, but it is so important. Am I telling you to be a fake? No! Be a professional musician, you want to get somewhere, be realistic! Don’t tell the promoter how wicked your band is and your recording soon. Tell them your committed to seeing the scene grow and you want to help build the gigs.

Promoters need all the help they can get - they get enough birds pecking at the pie once it’s baked.

I guess the main reason for writing this blog is because - not only has it been a big mistake I made in publicly comparing a popular television personality and local DJ to spongebob squarepants - But I just still see this going on all the time – especially on myspace - right across all kinds of genres, strife caused by personality clashes and what I’m saying is shit like that becomes a serious obstacle, you need a clear path on your way up.

Guys are working hard on their music, promotion, organising gigs, recording, putting their heart and soul into it . . . and letting it all slide because an unprofessional attitude that in a lot of ways just comes down to a maturity thing, dealing with frustration and being patient, and accepting that though I’m sure you’ve got a whole tonne of potential . . .

Wait your turn.

It’s called paying your dues.

Oh did you think paying your dues meant playing shitty gigs for only a year or two . . . ? Better revise on that. Cos it might just mean being nice to the girlfriends of the guys in the band and a whole lotta other stuff you may not have counted on. But not too nice! Haha.

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