Steve Scott: Musical Whittling on Indie Success

"being unforgettable"

Indie Success: My thoughts on the plight of the indie artist:

It is a competitive world out there. There are many voices trying to advise you to do this or that; many gurus pointing you hither and yon; many counselors suggesting this strategy or that tack.

And now here I am with some “sage” observations to share with you.

You may choose to listen or not.

Will it come as a surprise if I tell you that the music industry has made dramatic, yea even traumatic changes over the past decade or two?  Have you heard that the old music business model with its label-centric emphasis has shifted into an unstable orbit as it seeks a new dynamic? “Paradigm” is the word in vogue.

It is now an indie world. The new frontier to tame is that of the Internet. How do we monetize activities in cyberspace? Modern communication science has democratized, equalized, broadened access, and pointed us all in the direction of promotion, social networking and marketing, with each artist admonished to establish their “brand” and build their artist Fandom.

Kat Lytning Nashville Artist

If you truly aspire to be a successful musical artist, that is, if you actually want to be a commercial success and have a career as an artist, then read on. If not, don’t waste your time because what follows is not for the faint of heart.

You see, my purpose here is to bring you back to a certain reality, to the bottom line as they say. That basic fundamental truth is, always was and will forever remain…you and your music. Do you really have a great voice? Do you really write great songs?  Do you really deserve success?

So the number one objective if you want to actually sustain a career and be a commercial success is to have an honest evaluation of what you do.

If you hired me, I would listen to whatever you had already recorded and I would give it some weight, but I would also know that a journeyman engineer/producer knows how to dress up tracks, help an artist find pitch and let the production-sizzle power the day.

I would definitely want to see you perform. This alone will tell me what I need to know. How do you handle your turn on stage?  Do you stumble and mumble with your material, including between-song patter? Can you actually play your instrument? Do you have a voice and can you vocalize with technique? Do you stand out from the pack and make a positive impression?

Eddie West in concert

And then I would interview you to find out something about what makes you You. What sort of passion do you have, what sort of drive?  What sort of personality are you?

I would do all of the above things in absolute confidence, and then I would provide you with my analysis. It would not be a critique so much as an assessment. For instance, if one just has a so-so instrument technique, but an otherwise good voice, the answer may be to bring on a side player who can add a bit of virtuosity and depth, or, the answer may be to hook you up with an instructor/mentor to raise the level of your playing performance several notches. If voice is the problem, then focused vocal coaching is the answer and I know some vocal coaches who in just 3 to 6 months can help an artist get career-ready. And then in another couple months, I would re-assess.

But, I will not lie to you. I will not worry about bruising your ego. Nor will I be cruel. I do what I do out of respect for your wanting to improve your craft and improve your chances for commercial success.

Rena Wren photo by Jay Matsueda

The personal interview tells me a little about motivation, dedication, ambition, passion. I will also share with you perhaps the greatest single factor contributing to performance success. It’s called practice and rehearsal.

I love to work with co-creators who love music, and see their music not as ego fulfillment but as personally rewarding, providing enjoyment, meaning, cultural and spiritual uplift. If one can provide a comfortable living for self and family from living out one’s passion for music, one has created success.

photo by Kat Ellis

The fact is that recording an album is not as important as you might think. Creating music, on the other hand, is very important. I would venture to say that fully 70% of what I hear recorded was not studio ready.  Unpolished lyrics, mundane arrangements and poor physical production decisions of engineering, instrumentation, mixing, sampling and mastering all play roles in whether a project is ready to record or be a new release.

There are a lot of ways to get something ready: workshop it to get comments and suggestions from others; perform it in an open mic event and have someone you trust listen to it and comment; record a “for-your-ears-only” demo for a mentor or trusted professional to listen to and comment on.  Remember, provide a lyric sheet and be grateful that you have access to these trusted professionals. Some songwriters collaborate with others in order to have different ears and a different set of experiences to draw upon and to provide support and challenge. An experienced A & R professional “knows” the sound of a commercially viable musical work. Do you?

If one is further up the ladder of experience and fan support, you may be getting close to actually having a successful/ working act. Remember, as a singer/songwriter, live performance is the single most important step to take toward establishing a career in music.

If you perform from a stage in public, you must entertain. You must command the stage. You must have a memorable act or you will remain mired in the sludge of boredom and disinterest that you have created. This is the critical stage where nearly all performers will either break out or break down.

You need help. You need a manager who knows the ropes and has the contacts to produce you. That’s right, you need a producing manager. You need to dress like a star, develop the stage and performing dynamics of a headline act. You need to create a presence that feeds the audience a big dose of excitement. Your audience is going to leave feeling happy to have attended, talking about you all the way home, anxious to hear your CD album that they purchased, and willing to follow you on Facebook and everywhere else. And next time they catch your act, they are bringing friends.

You wouldn’t think of recording an album without a producer, so why would you think of being billed as a performer in a live event without having an event producer? Now the bad news: Live performance producers are the most difficult to find. I’m working to solve this problem, but in the meantime I have to tell you, a producing manager is often the key to creating your magic.

Our thanks to Steve Scott, President of COSMO, who dedicates much of his time to advising, consulting and making the “legalities” of music more accessible to our songwriters, composers and friends.  If you like his “Musical Whittling”, email steve@cosmocoalition.org and let him know your own thoughts.