4:12 Productions Blog

Phrases That Can Cripple An Artist’s Career

May 11th, 2010

A friend once told me: “A wise man learns from his own mistakes.  An even wiser man learns from the mistakes of others”.  In my 10 years of experience as a recording artist, I’ve made many mistakes.  As I mentor other aspiring artists, I try to reveal common mistakes made by myself and others trying to establish themselves the industry.  Throughout my journey, I’ve heard indie artists make some pretty interesting statements.  It is my belief, that, if we consistently say certain things, we reveal what our thoughts are on an issue.  Thoughts inform our habits.  Consequently poor thinking will lead to poor decision making.  Independent artists, who are almost 100% responsible for their musical careers, literally cannot afford many bad habits.  This writing is a summary of a presentation I gave recently at a music industry event.  The title was: “4 things An Independent Artist Should NEVER Say”.  Three of them are included in this blog.

1. “All I have to do is finish this album and success will come!”

One of my mentors told me long ago that the word “business” is longer than the word “music”.  He knew that, as artists, we tend to get so wrapped up in our writing, singing, and instruments that we neglect the many processes that will actually make us money in this music industry.  I know what it’s like to near the completion of an album, and anxiously await that first shipment of shrink wrapped CD’s!  I also know what it was like to have huge amounts of inventory that I couldn’t sell because I hadn’t marketed properly before an album’s release.  Independent artists need to remember that the burden of producing, manufacturing, distributing, and marketing an album all fall on their shoulders.  In addition we have to manage our lives and rehearsal schedules.  There is no major label, with paid staff, doing these things for us.  Let’s not forget the financial commitment one must make in all of these areas.  If you are serious about traveling the path of an independent artist, think long and hard about this point. 

1. “I don’t have any money.”

Often we may not have cash on hand to complete our projects or finance other aspects of our music careers.  Other times, our lack of knowledge or ingenuity, prevents us from seeing opportunities that exist.  I always tell people your paycheck is only ONE way to finance your profession.  I have successfully tried a few approaches to this challenge but there are many more.  Here a just a couple of ways to find the money you need to get your work done.

a)      Properly budget what you have.  You’d be surprised:  if you revisit how you spend and save, you might have some extra cash hanging around.

b)      Write a letter to family and friends asking for donations.  Let them know how much your project costs to get done and give them donation options.  For instance $75 will buy an hour of studio time, and $300 will allow me to complete a full song.  Always promise some kind of return like a special invite to your CD release when the project is done, or a special mention in the credits for their kind investment.

c)       Start performing live!  Sing at weddings. Provide music for receptions, funerals, and special parties.  Offer private music lessons.  Use the money you generate for studio time, radio advertising, printing flyers or whatever.  Begin to use your talent to finance your business.

d)      If you need money to manufacture your CD’s, you can have people preorder your CD.  Simply start taking orders personally or plan a concert.  Use a portion of the ticket sales to raise money to cover your manufacturing costs!

1. “No one’s buying what I’m selling!”

The best piece of advice I can give here is to perform some market research.  This will help you find your niche and target your market.  I know you’ve heard it before, but it’s the truth!  Don’t try to get everyone to buy your music.  When I first started out, I thought that if I released my first gospel CD at my church, everyone would buy it.  How wrong I was!  Older people preferred traditional gospel whereas my music is contemporary urban. In addition, many of them still use cassette players!  Many of the younger people were still depending on their parents for money, and weren’t investing in gospel CD’s when they spent their dollars.  I was almost in shock.  Find those who really like your type of music and have the ability to buy it.  Sell it to them, and get them to tell their friends!  You might have to let some people sample your product, do a few surveys, and study what other artists are doing to sell their music.  Often the market gets away from us because we don’t take the time to understand its various segments.  When it comes to music…one size does NOT fit all!

Remember, this is not an exact science.  Following solid advice only guarantees that you will minimize errors and gain some momentum toward your goals.  Consistency is still perhaps the greatest key to breaking through.

 This blog was written by Stanley Porter, President of 4:12 Productions and award nominated writer/composer of three urban gospel albums.  To find out more on Stanley Porter visit www.stanleyporter.net

Entry Filed under: Business, Music