Part one of this article looked at what I would call basic commonsense business aspects of running any kind of musical project. That said, as an old boss of mine used to say “Commonsense ain’t so common”
Ultimately whether you are an artist, platform host or running a record business, unless you can fund the time involved, all the enthusiasm in the world is never going to ensure long term viability. Musicians and artists are well known for often (not always) having a pretty naive view of “the music business” which follows the rules of any other business. This is also true for signing to a record label. The record label will invest in the artist, but like any investor, understandably wants a return on their investment.
One of the smartest minds I have come across talking about such matters is Robert Fripp, who I have been following for 47 years. He talks about the reality of being a professional musician as opposed to a hobbyist, where music is not your primary source of income –
“I recommend my students not to be professional unless they really have to be. I tell them, ‘If you love music, sell Hoovers or be a plumber. Do something useful with your life.’ Robert Fripp
My own discussions with professional musicians (most of who are never on social media as they are working to maintain a living) reveal that earning a living from music is a huge amount of work and few people achieve the heights they aspire to. Personally I fund all such musical activities from other work so I am not beholding to anyone. I pay all band members for rehearsal and gig time from my own pocket and out of respect for them as performers.
Social media presents a very distorted picture of what its like to earn a living from musical activities. Many music based platforms are trying to sell all manner of services and in many (not all instances) these are not affordable to many musicians who have to think very carefully about how they spend money. Ad copy like “expand your career” always amuses me as in most (not all) cases the advertiser is trying to present a magic solution which is unlikely to translate into real life opportunities.
I’m working on building a music platform at present to be revealed later this year and its been fascinating. In looking at existing platforms there are some good ideas, but also some delusional thinking where people imagine have not thought through what they are aiming for and have now really tested the audience demographic to see what is achievable in the real world outside the mutual appreciation on social media.
There has never been a better time to reach a wider audience for musicians, but this requires constant reflection and refinement and not believing everything you read or hear! Ultimately I wish every artist well and am mindful of an old Eastern saying –
“Trust in Allah, but tie up your camel”
