Here are my thoughts.  In every profession there is an “expert” in a particular field.  Those particular experts are worth there weight in gold when utilized in the correct manner.  My point is that you might be surprised what possibilities are open to you as a freelance musician.

Most musicians will find that playing around in other groups will pay a little better than playing with there own band.  This idea works because you are providing a service that is needed.  It is really just supply and demand.

I know there are guys out there that love their band and they would never think to do anything different and that is understandable.  There are also people that don’t care about the money and they just enjoy playing and that is great.  I’m not endorsing selling out at all.  I’m just sharing my thoughts and experiences about opportunities to make some cash while still playing with your own group.

About 6 months ago I began thinking with this mindset and things have really escalated for me.  I began to look around on Craig’s List and networking my services to friends.  I am pretty booked this month and I am making more than I have in the past.  It really is a win-win situation.  It gives you some work and it provides someone else with what they need.

Something to keep in mind is that you don’t have to give up a project to do this.  I am still playing with Mosley and I just book my events accordingly.  A great example of this would be my friend, Josh Tailor’s, old band Ellington.  This band was amazing and these guys were all studio quality musicians.  Each of them while playing with Ellington had their own side projects that they were a part of as well.  The beautiful part in this situation is that even though these guys may not be making a killing, or anything at all for that matter, they can still pay some bills with other projects.

Some of you may be thinking that this would be a great idea but you don’t know where to start.  There are some great tools these days for us musicians and one that has really worked for me is Craig’s List.  I check this site constantly to find locals who need help.  The key is to first know what you are looking for.  I am not talking about what kind of music you want to play but know what your plan is.  If you don’t want to commit to a group then don’t audition for bands looking for permanent members.  It just waists everyone’s time and it gives you a bad name.

This, just like leading your band, is all relational.  People want someone who is confident and honest.  No one wants to be taken advantage of.  You have to create a name for yourself.  You also have to be willing to get out there and play for free.  You have to get noticed out of all of the other people fighting for a spot.  If someone calls you to try out then you need to get there and audition and then the ball is in their court.  If you get stuck in negotiations before you even audition then you’re just another guy on the phone.  If you arrive and have a great audition well now you are the guy they want.  Someone will be more willing to work with someone that they’ve seen and like.

Another approach is to offer free services to friends especially if the shows are in the clubs downtown.  In these situations it may be worth your while to play free at least once depending on where you play.  If you play in the club scene in Nashville it may be worth it to get in how ever you can because there will be a lot potential artists watching the show and if they like you they may try to contact you.  At this point you are now in the loop.  After all, it’s all who you know.

This is something that I’ve been thinking about for a while and it has been working well for me.  If anything you will get some great experience playing out with different people.  These experiences can open up your mind to new genres that you may never have participated in before and if anything, it definitely helps you to keep up your chops.  If you’re doing well it may also challenge your skills, which is always a good thing.

I encourage all of you to expand your horizons and try this.  It is a fun way to get to know people, to network, and to build a brand.  And sometimes it can even pay pretty good.

Well over ten years ago I was in a band called Car Twenty Seven and we played out constantly in Nashville and all over the southeast.  We managed to attract a pretty solid following but we still felt that there was much to improve on but we had no idea what exactly.

In 2001 we released our first and only CD.  We went all out with a professional 10-song album shrink-wrapped and the whole nine yards.  We were not aware of avenues such as CD Baby and other digital venues at the time so all we knew to do was sell at shows.  Well, we didn’t do a great job at that.  We would play at clubs in Nashville on a regular basis (at least one a week) and we could never seem to keep the clubs packed.  We were missing something.

More than ten years later and thanks to some great friends of mine I have learned a lot about entertainment and how to relate to people.  I have learned that if you want to be any kind of success in the entertainment industry you need to think about PR and relations over the entertainment.  I know this may sound odd but it’s true.  You need to think more like a tribe leader and less like a musician.

A close friend of mine and member of the band Red! White! Blue!, Josh Taylor, has given me some great advice about how to relate to an audience.  Josh and I were in C 27 together and we both knew what it was like to play to empty clubs and his new band definitely doesn’t seem to have that issue now.  They are packing out clubs left and right and playing out all the time.   About two months ago I asked him what the secret was on how to pack the clubs and he explained that it was all about relationships.  He explained that him and his band make it a point to talk to everyone at a show and they try to answer all emails and even phone calls of fans even if about nothing.   Josh said that because the band is friends with so many people then those people feel as if they are true friends of the band and that they are welcome at the shows.  It gives them a feeling of ownership.  Now this can get exhausting and you may want to recruit a volunteer to join the band for no other responsibility but to keep fans happy.

That is the magic recipe right there.  Another friend of mine and current band mate from Mosley, Robbie Russell, recently sent me some documents of a gentleman’s speech to a school about the future of the music business and he basically said exactly what Josh described.  The key is to make your fans “True Fans” and to make them feel like they are a part of the band and that they almost have a say in what the band does and releases.  He gave suggestions such as letting the fans choose the next single, or let them make the set list for a night.  It can even be as small as just answering the phone when an “aggressive” fan calls.  (I’m sure we can all relate to this one)  This all makes the fans feel involved which in turn creates a dedicated following for your act and is one step that brings you closer to making a living doing what you love.

I hope you find this post helpful and relevant and I would love to hear any suggestions you might have on this subject.

Madonna made number 1 on the “Top Money Makers” chart with her 2008 tour grossing just over $242 million.  Despite the fact that 40% of the gross was production costs, people are reporting that she made around $18 million in merchandise sales alone in which her profit margin is believed to be much better.  Among the top 20 was also acts such as Coldplay whose tour grossed just over $62 million.

I think this speaks volumes for all walks of life in the music world.  There is hope out there even though people are ripping CD’s and downloading free content.  I think the bottom line is that if you are in the entertainment business you need to have the mindset to work and work very hard.  As artists we can’t sit back and sell CD’s.  The digital era is a huge plus for us but I think that the other thing that we can learn from this ad is that touring and exposure pays.

While being on the road can be hard and exhausting, it is the best medicine for any artist.  People want to see you live.  They can always rip a CD but they can’t take advantage of an experience.  And I’m sure the profit margin for a tour will be much smaller than say Madonna’s, even though you probably won’t see the large numbers she’s raking in, you can still pocket some good cash.  Don’t forget the merch.  If you have a good variety on the table nobody goes home disappointed.

So, there is hope out there for us artists.  The question is, are you ready to put in the hours?

Now with me being a musician myself I can definitely understand the struggle between the musicians of today and the producers and engineers.  For the longest time I truly believed that nothing in the world could replace the “real” thing.  After programming myself and really learning how the timeline of a digital creation is drawn together I began to fall in love with the idea of sampled drums.  I found that when using good quality samples (even if it be your own) you as the programmer are left with many more options in postproduction than ever before.

It wasn’t until recently that I began to accept the fact that there was a shift digitally in more avenues than just percussion.  Is everyone familiar with the “POD” for guitars and Bass?  This particular item has come a long way since it was first introduced years ago.   A friend of mine has been using one of the newer models of the guitar POD and it sounds great.  He is able to get the exact sound he wants with very little effort and less time.

My eyes have definitely been opened after watching this video of Derek and hearing what he has to say about Reason.  It is nice to hear from someone who has come from the “old school” and has consciously made this digital transition under his own will.  In this video Derek shows a preview of one of his current projects and it sounds great.

Now again, don’t get me wrong.  I own a great sounding guitar cabinet that I will never part from, but by being on the other side and working behind a board I have to agree that with the technology of today you can achieve the same final idea as people have done in the years past.

The question is…  Are you ready?

-Now that I’ve shared my peace on this subject I would love to hear what you think about it.  Is the world of music changing forever, or is this just a current fad that will soon fade?-