Don't sign with a major label if you're a touring act. Major labels KILL touring acts. USED to be their marketing and promotion would generate at least a SHORT TERM bump in attendance, but now you can't even count on that.
Don't sign with a major label if you don't make radio-friendly music. They'll just try to compromise your sound and you'll end up frustrated and tied up or you'll have a hit with a sound that doesn't really represent you and you'll be over.
If you're a hip-hop act, DEFINITELY sign with a major label. Road work for hip-hop acts SUCKS! And it's not about long term credibility, but instant stardom. By utilizing the major label system it looks like you've gotten the corporation to bend to YOUR will, you've beaten the system.
Now it's all about who's on the track and how much the video costs. Try to get a guarantee of appearance on a hit act's album BEFORE the release of your project and have the other rapper return the favor on your record, hopefully on the single. As for the video, go for a stratospheric guaranteed budget. And fuck the back end, get as big an advance as you can, the label's never going to pay you royalties, at least not what you deserve. And, if you break the bank, go multiplatinum, you can renegotiate upwards anyway.
Have a Website BEFORE the album is released. Put everything you ever recorded of reasonable quality up on the site, including video. Make it DOWNLOADABLE! You're not SELLING, you're trying to gain access into people's LIVES! Think of it like being a dope dealer. The first one's free. Hell, it's free until you're HOOKED! THEN you pay.
Funny thing, if people love you, they buy the CD, the MP3s are not enough. And then they've got to go to the show, and they buy your merchandise. Don't be greedy up front. Give, give and give. Hell, didn't Metallica let their fans trade tapes? That's the KEY, to be IN BED with your audience!
YOU understand this. Because you're not old farts like U2. The BEST THING that could happen to U2 is if their album is leaked prematurely to the Internet. It creates buzz. It makes people want to hear the finished product. Of course, all bets are off if your project sucks. The Internet tears down the advertising/hype hoopla of modern media. If something SUCKS, EVERYBODY knows about it in about a day. But if something is GOOD, everybody knows that TOO! And the music's not all over the airwaves, and it's not on MTV, it's nowhere but in your iTunes library and on your iPod. The band's COOL!
Only make performance videos. That's what you do, right, PERFORM! As soon as you have someone else playing you in the video, as soon as you have storyline with guys and girls, as soon as you're into CONCEPT, you've lost. You see those are the things that work for MTV, they DON'T work for YOU! They make it easier to program your music, easier to get people tuned in. But if your music is truly great, they'll have to add it and people will watch anyway. Or else you can get added at Fuse and issue a press release saying MTV won't play you. Yes, it's not like the old days where an act has no power. Release a statement on the Net and all the peeps will know in HOURS! And the LAST THING MTV can risk is looking uncool. Hell, that's their stock in trade, we're hip, we're irreverent, we're JUST LIKE YOU! We know that's bullshit, but they can't risk the public uncovering of that bullshit.
If you don't make snappy three minute songs, don't make a video.
Oh, of course, have video of your act on the Web, but make sure it doesn't look TOO PROFESSIONAL! You want the audience to believe a FRIEND shot it. That it's DIY!
Now, if you're a true believer, don't make any commercial videos ever. And, if MTV DOES go on your performance video and burns it to death, don't make MORE than one video per album. We all know MTV kills acts, you want to use the network as a TOOL, for YOU! If you can make it on the road alone, more power to you, your act will last longer. But, generally speaking, exposure breaks acts. So, there's nothing INHERENTLY wrong with MTV or radio, just as long as you don't OVERDO IT!
Don't sing the national anthem ANYWHERE unless it appears you're doing it as a joke.
Don't appear on any TV magazine shows, like "E.T." and "Extra".
Don't appear on "Today" unless you only appeal to people over the age of thirty five, preferably housewives. And I'd STILL be reluctant to do the show unless you're a certified has-been. But know there's no coming back from a "Today Show" appearance. You're a goner, you're done.
"Letterman" and "Leno" don't sell records. Music isn't respected there. Should you really do them? Sure, it's exposure, but it's not where music lives. Don't do the show and make a statement about it. You'll be a HERO! Since most music fans HATE those shows.
You can do "Conan", you'll infect some college students, but don't reroute your tour for it.
If you're female, don't be holier than thou. Paint a picture of someone FLAWED! Hell, you're flawed ANYWAY and it will only be a short while until the tabloids unearth your history. The blueprint here is Gretchen Wilson. Admit you have sex, admit you do drugs. Hell, if you're the jeans and cowboy boots kind of babe, admit you've PUKED! The days of stars on a pedestal are done. But, you must still be able to PLAY!
It's all about the personal. The personal is universal. Tell YOUR story, don't speak in platitudes.
Just like Queen put "No Synthesizers" on every album, if you're true musicians, put NO OUTSIDE SONGWRITERS! NO HARMONIZERS! Anything and everything that makes you look more authentic.
Don't employ hair and makeup and a stylist. Appear natural, just like your music. Oh, that doesn't mean you shouldn't use a good PHOTOGRAPHER, but the staged look is for FASHION MAGAZINES, and that sound is HISTORY!
If you're not black, don't try to be.
Feel free to dis your label.
Don't do radio shows.
You have to appear that you have your OWN MIND, and do what YOU want to. After all, YOU'RE AN ARTIST! The LABEL isn't an artist. And the radio station...that's just commerce. You're not about commerce, you're about ART!
Humbly distance yourself from the crap on the landscape. Don't say Jessica and Ashlee Simpson suck, say you were brought up in a different environment. You didn't believe in remaining a virgin until married. You believe in musicianship, in writing your own songs. And THEN say... But everybody has their own taste. And you're aware some people enjoy the Simpsons' music. And you don't want to rob them of this pleasure. But, it's not for you. In one fell swoop, you've aligned yourself with the MASSES! They don't really want to take time out to rail against the crap, they just want to be left alone to live their more meaningful lives.
Never ever appear on VH1. Hell, your VIDEO shouldn't even appear on the channel. You're a MUSICIAN, if you were an orator, you'd be an actor, or a politician. When you pick the notes on your guitar, when you hit the high notes, it's TRANSCENDENT, it's a RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE! When you talk on TV, you just look dumb.
Don't play power punk music unless that's truly your calling. That music has a shelf-life. And, when you're older, everyone's gonna hassle you for all the dumb music/antics you perpetrated/were involved in back in the day.
Constantly put out music. If three months have gone by without a new track from you, you're doing it WRONG! That's what fans want most, new music. Put new tracks up on your Website. I'd KEEP them up there, but if you want to only leave them there for a month, to generate excitement, that's fine too. But DON'T only put them up for a day or two or three...then it looks like you're deigning to come down to the people's level, you're doing them a FAVOR! Whereas if you have a relatively brief availability period of no less than a month, you're rewarding the FAN, who KNOWS about you. People start talking about your PAST music. Which, of course, new fans have to WORK to acquire, either through P2P or sneakernet. That's what you want, which is the OPPOSITE of today's major label game. You want people to PULL from you instead of PUSHING stuff on them.
Say you believe in trading. That P2P is FINE with you. Don't be a hypocrite, hell, just about every musician I know trades P2P. Makes you look COOL! And does it really make any difference since they're going to trade your tracks online ANYWAY??
No publicity stunts. It worked for Van Halen with the brown M&M's, but usually this stuff backfires.
If you're doing a cover, you must REARRANGE the track. A la Joe Cocker. Otherwise it'll look like you're angling for a hit instead of performing an old song because you LOVE IT! And you're better off if the track was an album cut, not a single.
In interviews talk about more than what you do, how the record was cut, talk about what you BELIEVE!
Don't make a publishing deal. That's like saying you don't believe in your own music. If you need the advance, you're doing it the wrong way. Just go on the road and make more money.
Don't be afraid to say no to the label. If it doesn't feel right in your gut, it ISN'T RIGHT!
Don't appear in a movie. Hell, even JACK WHITE looked dumb in "Cold Mountain". You're a MUSICIAN, not an ACTOR!
Don't write a title song for an action movie. I don't care HOW BIG it's going to be. They're meaningless, whereas your music saves lives.
Don't play venues that you can't sell out.
Don't be afraid to change the songs in concert. Not so they're UNRECOGNIZABLE, but demonstrate some IMPROVISATIONAL ABILITY! HOWEVER, do the most famous stuff relatively accurately. You don't want the audience to feel RIPPED OFF!
Don't sign with ANYBODY who's not passionate about you. Forgo big advances to be with someone who BELIEVES IN YOU!!
Don't believe ANYTHING a record label employee tells you.
Know that if somebody's spending money, chances are it's yours. That limo, all those perks, they're probably being charged back to your royalty account.
If your record costs more than $150,000, you'd better be working with Mutt Lange. Actually, you should cut demos, as much of the record as possible, on your own home Pro Tools rig. Hell, YOU know your music, YOU know what it should sound like. Then, if a pro comes in to recut it, he's got a BLUEPRINT! And, if you're going for perfection, you're missing the point. There's never been a perfect record ever. Greatness is about INSPIRATION, not POLISH!
Don't hire an engineer to produce your album unless you're the new Paul McCartney or John Lennon. Engineers will TELL YOU they can help write the tracks, they're wrong. Get someone who comes from a MUSICAL background, even if he's got to hire an engineer to record the tracks. No matter how much you've refined the material, it's great to have an outside voice to help you tweak it. That outside voice IS NOT THE A&R GUY!
When shopping tapes, don't take the notes that come with rejection seriously. Just know the person passed. They don't want to admit they don't like your music so they say something about the drums, or the bass, or something way off point that's probably fine anyway and you go on to refine THESE so-called problems when OTHER PEOPLE will like you just the way you are, or if not, you should concentrate on the MATERIAL! It's ALWAYS about the material. TOO MANY BANDS have everything but the material. Hell, you don't even need a good VOICE if you've got the material.
A hit is something completely left field or something with a verse chorus verse chorus bridge structure. If you don't know this, you'd better not be trying to have hits. (And a hit is anything that's played ubiquitously, even in people's homes, IRRELEVANT of whether MTV or the radio plays it.)
Know that the person who tells you they have the power to ruin your career is the same one who'll come sidling up to you after you've made it asking for free tickets, or to be in business with you. If you've truly got it, NOTHING can stop you from breaking. Assuming you've got the DESIRE and are willing to work HARD!
Knowing the history of music is more important than knowing who's where on the chart.
Although street teams are past their peak and they negatively influence many people, REWARD your fans. LET them build fan sites. Let them hype you. Stay in touch with them. They're not the ones to be suspicious of. They're doing it because they LOVE YOU! And as that dude in "BusinessWeek" said just recently, if you're suing your customers to defend your brand, you need a new business model. Let them put your logo EVERYWHERE! Your music belongs to the PEOPLE! For WITHOUT them, you'd be working a day job. And the more you allow them to participate in your success, the more loyal they'll be.
Don't hang out with other wannabes. It'll only bring you down.
Don't be humble. If you don't believe in yourself, why in the hell should anybody ELSE!
Make friends with other bands on the road. It's not only fun, but they'll link to your site from their Websites, they'll talk about you, they'll contribute to the BUZZ! And, the buzz from them has CREDIBILITY!
If you abuse women on the road, that had better be your act. Otherwise, it's going to come back to haunt you.
Don't ever pay ANYBODY to play. Find an alternative venue. Or miss that tour. NOBODY RESPECTS YOU IF YOU'RE PAYING TO PLAY!
Don't worry about what kind of music is hip. GREAT music is ALWAYS hip.
When you finally make money, don't buy baubles, don't blow your bread, INVEST IT! First and foremost in a house. There's no honor in being a casualty. Whether it be the ones from "Behind The Music" or Britney Spears. People want to think you're not an idiot savant, that you're a member of society, that you learned SOMETHING in this life.
And, once you've made it, don't go to fashion shows, all the other perks of the rich and famous. Don't you understand? It benefits THEM much more than YOU! That they've got the star of the moment with THEM! And believe me, the moment you're not hot, they forget about you.
Don't play it safe. Don't go on tour and then back to college. That's not the American way, that's not the artist way. You've got to chuck IT ALL to make it. THAT'S the story that resonates with the public. AND, that's what it takes to make it.
Unless you play metal music, light on the tattoos.
Don't shy away from going on the record. Ironically, what Linda Ronstadt said about Michael Moore in Vegas and the resulting press was the best thing that's happened to her in years! And now the Dixie Chicks have credibility. It's about the LONG RUN! Have the courage of your convictions. They might not always be popular, but people respect you for not playing it safe.
Don't dance in choreographed steps ANYWHERE unless you were a trained ballet student.
Once you've had some success, go overseas. It's a world business. And, if you're playing arty music, think about trying to break in the U.K. FIRST!
Do all interviews on your way up, but once you've hit, keep your name OUT of the newspapers and magazines.
If you win an award, don't thank God unless you play religious music. YOU wrote the songs, not him. You just look like everybody else.
There are no rules. Don't pay attention to ANY of the common wisdom, nor what's said here. Follow your own muse. Assuming you've got one. If you don't, maybe you should go for that MBA.
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