Basic Advice On Starting Your Career In The Music Business - Dan Shafer

okay and then I I know I got to take off you probably do too um you know just final final advice you know to you know somebody trying to get into the business going to try to get in so you know just your chance to give them your three five minute infomercial of you know encouragement you know just Inspire them you know here's your your your moment to okay without music sorry I'm sorry without a guitar playing a lot of it's going to sound the same so forgive me if I'm redundant in any manner I means you're focused you you know you know what you're talking about okay it is what it is so but uh anyway any advice that I would give to any uh new individual young or old uh that wants to uh get involved with the music business or the music industry uh first and foremost I would say why are you doing what you're doing if it is to make money uh then I think I would have you rethink uh this particular industry you can go out and make money doing something else however if you find that this is now that does not to say that if you know you know that you're you're you're great with uh you know uh technology and you're great with those times of things and you want to get in the music industry that's a different story now we're talking about the artist the PE the person that wants to be a performer or a writer uh I mean like I said not not to be a sales pitch but one of the things we're trying to do with Rock and lo University is to um you know present kind of like uh you know prerequisites for college give you all a big synopsis of all the different things involved with music it's not just about one thing you know it's an industry so so I'm I'm trying to qualify that so if if you're in other words coming to get involved with the music industry as a writer performer or that sort of thing the first thing I would always say is to find your influences and learn those influences learn those songs so well that you can sit on a table or a bar stool or any place else and perform each or any one of those songs that you claim to be an influence uh because I think that's so important to have embedded in your life in your spirit all those people that influence your life because that's going to come out when you start writing when you start writing you're going to be thinking melodic structures you're going to be naturally doing things that you don't realize that you're doing but those are the influences of your life coming out it's a to me it's like a spiritual thing I don't even get weird on anybody but you know it really is all those influences just take a natural course and they come out you know they just they just happen so learn as much as possible surround yourself with greatness surround yourself with people that are Way Beyond your your means or your talents and abilities but are a place where you want to go uh you know I wouldn't settle for that and I wouldn't let anybody cater a Pander and say man well that was great and I'm not saying you know be hurtful or or anything of that nature but just be realistic with your work you know there again you have to have a foundation so that's why I reiterate the most important thing is to find out who your influences are because you can always a what you're doing with what they're doing are you writing a song as good as Blackbird are you writing a song as good as you know whatever whatever your influences is because that's your Plum line okay I mean now if you're trying to get a cut look at what's being current you do have to be current you don't want to write these 15minute songs when radio is playing three and a half minute songs I mean so there are the real the realities and the Dynamics of of what needs to be done you have to be a commodity you have to be sellable you know you have to be able to make something you know uh you know uh something that someone else wants to have and can Market you know so um but there again go through the process again find out who your resources are who your influences are try to emulate them as much as possible because they become the foundation the seeds that have been planted that hopefully will grow as you go the second thing is to perform as much as possible whether you're a writer or performer go out and sing go out and write uh go out and perform do these things as much as possible why because now you're placed in in amongst your peers you're you're being looked at by the public now other songwriters you know they're again you can care or not care whether what they say but I think they're a community of their of their own they're very supportive uh and they will give you honest feedback mean I love that or I don't like that or this or that and I think that's good too but more importantly gets back to the performance again if you are constantly performing in front of these people you are getting better at that skill you're able to perform you're able to play you're able to read a crowd you're able to say Bo I better not do this song right now because I don't think they're you know it'll be received well right now you can only do that by doing it so much you know you got bands like Bon joy and people like that or the Rolling Stones you know I mean they'd go out for instance not to you know get off track but you know when they got through doing a record um what they would do is is go into a club unannounced whether in Connecticut whever they are and actually do multiple strings of shows to be able to see what songs of that set list worked well because that became the sequence of events on that record cuz they they can see the best pieces and then from a live performance they were able to see what songs moved I mean if you worked real hard all night long to get somebody to the dance floor you would better keep them there why because if you kept them there they got thirsty that means they went to the bar they started drinking they started tipping the bar keep you know they started the clubs loved you great these guys are making them dance man they're making them drink so uh you know but today it's like you know yeah I got some french fries between my teeth and I just you know I mean scat that scratch that scratch that anyway uh anyway you know it's it's there again I it's not about you it's about the audience and I think the connection with the audience so the more that you play out you get to have this connection with the audience you get to get your skill levels up the physicality of it but mentally you be able to communicate you know my wife always gets mad he said damn you got your eyes closed all the time when you perform I just the reason why I do that is cuz I just I can't look at anybody I just it's hard for me I have to find myself and I have to go to that place and then I perform and I just can't I can't open my now when I'm with the band when I play with k or all those guys that's a different story that's a performance that's a rock and roll guy you know but uh acoustically it's a challenge you know and I think that's why you know I I strongly urge people to go out and do it naked like that there's nothing more naked than one voice and one guitar you know if if you're if you're a rider learn an instrument learn an instrument take guitar lessons and there again go all the way back again learn those records learn those records memorize those records because those records are Foundation then grab a guitar grab a piano grab something that you can work with um then what happens even if you're limited as a player those mellies and those structures that you've loan so well will come out you can take one chord c relax no you turn off your mind relax and Float Downstream it is not time you know all in one key see I mean that's it you know here's John lenon writing all these songs you know very simple but took melodic structures way out you know and uh so you know I know I keep on harping on that but learn as many songs as possible memorize those songs perform those songs uh hone in on your skills perform as much as possible and then from there I think what happens that you find your own little market you find your own little team of people that want to see you and if you start doing that say and you're in Nashville and from Nashville go to oxville and the same thing happens well then now wow I've got two markets that I'm in and the same things are happening so I must be doing something right well then a lot going down in Chattanooga now we're in Chattanooga and wow things are happening there so I've got to do that so I'm now I've got three places that I can make a rotation and I'm playing and I'm all of a sudden I'm building a region right and then from there let's let's go into Alabama now man let's go to Huntsville we're there you're doing the same thing I think too many times people come to one particular City they build that City up and they don't go beyond that because they're waiting for someone like you said early to come to them and say hey I'm going to do this for you now that might happen if they see that there's some sort of you know monetary value in that but for the most part none of that takes place I you know that's not the reality of where we're at and that's and if it is that's why we're in the problems the state that we are in is because that's what we've done there again that's land stripping you know oh we can make some money on that you know but are you really developing anything you know you there again it's okay everybody has their own Viewpoint um McDonald's is good billions and billions and billions of dollars but so is with Chris you know so I I just think that you have to pick and choose your battles and uh uh for me it's uh you know even the things that we're involved with that's you know I would rather perform and sing and you know and if you that's I guess that's the bottom line too even if you never obtain or reach those goals uh you have a foundation by which you can be a a plumber by day but a singer songwriter at night and you're happy with yourself you've got a piece about what you're doing you're playing Chat n you're playing Huntsville you're playing wherever you're playing you're playing Joe's Bar and Grill on Friday night you know and and I think if it was meant to go beyond that then it will but you were saying something earlier about being force-fed don't be force-fed you know just because society says oh we better force feed this person through you know American Idol or you know you can be a star or Nashville you know whatever I mean you know that's great but if you haven't been doing that up to that point what good is it really would you going to start right then maybe and you know you're going to start from that point and all of a sudden hey I'm going to memorize all these songs no at that point it's a little too late because everybody's going to try to shove their songs down your throat and uh you know and all the Publishers Hey listen to my songs listen to my songs and really what do they've done I mean really they're just they're you know you could be listening to 60 songs and every song is the same as the previous song that you heard there's nothing new or unique about any of that so that's why I'm saying you need to stay true to yourself learn as much songs many songs as possible because you're going to learn the difference right away of what is a hit song and what is not instead of someone telling you that's a hit song you're going to know intuitively that that's a hit song so that way you're not going to be you're not going to be force fed you're not going to be sitting there saying and shoved in a box and saying this is what radio has to do heck what radio I don't care about radio so you know we have to go back to that type of mentality I I so that goes back to the independent person be who you are don't care about those things if those things come then great now however just the opposite if those things are exactly what you want do all the things repeat from what I just said from earlier up to that point and start making wise business decisions decide on who are the people that you think you can you know partner with in a business sense and then have them Outsource basically what you're doing you know and then take product to various markets and be a business person about it and then from there you know find those local radio stations that would be willing to play your stuff find those local clubs that you can set up a little tour right set up you know these little radio stations that you can you know uh not only get your records played but the music stores that be willing to you know sell your records locally it's not about the big corporate world anymore you know find people who are good at social networking for you you know find people in your friendships that can help you with building web webs sites driving people to that website you know giving your music away for free why so they can hear it why because when you go to their town you want them to come to see you well now you're charging them 20 bucks right and you get 500 people that's how much I don't know that's $110,000 just in case he didn't know but I mean that's just that's a lot of money you know so I'm just saying that's where the money's at today and I think that's longevity and I think that's what band need to do and there again it's just reverting back to what we've always done although we've kind of skipped a couple Generations of people who've had to do that you know U so not well that's not that's an unfair statement I don't mean that you've got like green day and all these phenomenal I love Green Day you know I still part of a punk moon but I mean you know I love I love bands like that you know like they got the courage you know I was I was going to say balls but I mean you know they they got the testosterone to like jump in their little Vans and take off you know it's like Paramore some of these other bands and they just jump in and go that's what I like to see I mean I I love that you know that's that's what that's what rock and roll and music's all about you know that's Loretta ly right it's no different except that was 50 years ago or 40 whatever how long ago and versus now you know right now people want to go directly to radio directly to television directly to this without any skill set whatsoever you can't do that without any long you know we're expecting any long-term sustainability it's not going to happen it's not going to happen no matter what anybody tells you it's not going to happen um I mean just look at you know I'm not trying to defensive again I mean I'm just just look at what what you know what from American Idol has any sustainability you know that's what I'm talking about you know they they were plunged into 25 million people they were huge for a couple weeks I don't hear of any of them now I mean I personally don't but it shouldn't matter anyway that's the whole point I mean you know get in your little van pick up a bunch of little clubs I I've got a friend right now you know and her and her husband that's what they do I mean yeah it'd be nice to make a million dollars in this and that but they're sustaining themselves they go all over Florida they go all over the country they sell you know uh you know several hundred records I mean you know if they sell a few thousand records that's great paid for their their trip and their eats and all that kind of stuff I mean U they're doing it for the right reasons you know and uh I think that we all have to be willing to do that if you're willing to do that uh then whatever comes is going to be a blessing anyway so I think if we have that mindset you know that uh because like I get goes back all the way saying about Chris Young or myself or other other people that could go back that far you knew when you were seven 8 n 10 what you were supposed to be doing anyway so and you weren't thinking about man I'm going to be a star or man I'm going to be making money or man I'm you were just thinking wow I can see how this makes me you know it moves me you know it's it's a it's a very personal thing and then all of a sudden you notice how that same movement moves others because it's about you from that perspective in a purest of Senses I if it touches you and you are passionate about what you're doing others are going to pick up on that passion and guess what you're going to stir that passion in them they become a fan they buy your records or products whatever is that they're trying to get involved with uh radio doesn't do that for you know sorry no you were good you were good anyway uh but those are all the things that I would suggest to you you know folks that are trying to get involved with the business uh money is not the first thing that you should think of there again think of why I'm doing what I'm doing uh decide on what my desired outcome is and if it's just to be able to do what I feel I was born to do and I mean literally then that if that's the case then you should be able to do that in your backyard or any place that you want to and doesn't have to be in front of a stadium with 50,000 people so that's the outcome of being passionate so um so the rest of it doesn't matter anyway signing off rock thanks Dan awesome brother thank you man appreciate it no no no no actually I think we you know the nice thing is is uh when I've got more

Channel: Music Starts Here - Subscribe Now

Views: 89,143

Keywords: Dan Shafer, Starting Your Career in The Music Business, Music Industry, Music Education, DIY Musician, DIY Artist, DIY Songwriter, Independent Artist

Id: BBilbBXM8GU

Length: 15min 39sec (939 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 21 2014