Lets give credit where credit is due: all four of the bands mentioned in the previous post worked very hard, eventually reaching a level where they qualified for a showcase where they were heard by professional ears. After being chosen out of more than two hundred submissions, these bands had earned this right.
This is a vastly different scenario than those who push their CD’s, plaster their clips and post their links, flyers etc…on others’ Facebook and Twitter pages, with no invitation to do so. I don’t mind the CD’s so much – but the unsolicited clips, links and flyers are a pain.
A while back, these posts got to be such a burden that I ended up going on a mild rant about them on ‘Twitter.’ This caused a few ‘unfollows’ and some reminders me that ‘others have dreams too.’
Of course they do. But dreams have to be earned. They are not an entitlement.
The reality is that most demos out there aren’t very good. In most cases, many, more years of hard work and experience are required for the music to be in the ballpark of being interesting to professional ears. No listening by me or anyone else is going to change that.
My observation/plea about unsolicited song clips, flyers etc… pales in comparison to a recent all out rant by Bob Lefsetz, a music biz blogger and hero of mine, whom I blogged about last year in a post. It had begun after he’d shared a link to an aspiring singer-songwriter whose song he liked, and was then flooded by MP3’s.
I think anyone gunning for a place in the music world on any level, needs to listen to him and take what he has to say into consideration. Read all the links at the end of this post. You may not like it, but he reflects the thinking of many pros in the industry.
I’m not saying I think this way. I could never be as ruthless with my words. But he makes some very valid points that no else has the balls to say.
As an artist, I know what its like to have dreams and wish for approval from those in the know. But it’s important to not be delusional about where you are in your progress. It may be hard to face reality, but doing so is what makes one motivated to put in the necessary work.
Here’s an example of Lefsetz’s words that I can relate to. This applies to anyone who pushes for their music to be heard sight unseen, without earning that right via an event such as ‘En Route To Heavy Mtl’ or a recommendation from someone known and trusted: “I am not in control of your life. I am not a freight train to riches, not even for myself. If you need to make it, you might. But you’re gonna have to sacrifice everything to get close, and your music will speak for itself and I’ll hear about it from someone else.” There are also some great quotes from marketing expert and bestselling author Seth Godin on
‘Permission Marketing’
“Permission marketing is the privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who actually want to get them.”
“Permission is like dating. You don’t start by asking for the sale at first impression. You earn the right, over time, bit by bit.”
Read Bob’s entire post here:
“STOP WITH THE UNSOLICITED MP3’S”
And the follow ups:
“WHERE I’M COMING FROM”
TRUSTED RELATIONSHIPS
A FINAL STORY