The Painful Truth: 6 Tips for Success in the Music Industry

A few Weeks ago we gave you a run down of 6 things to avoid doing if you don't want to be shit. Now here's 6 things to do if you want to be not shit. 

1. Copy What Works - But Remain Authentic

Take a look at what successful bands do for promo, the venues they play etc, and then do something similar, play at the same venues etc. You don't need to exactly copy the idea, just the actions involved.

Get to know other local bands. This allows you to benefit from each other's experience and contacts.

For example: A band has a gig in a new area and they have a very successful marketing effort, resulting in a gig with a sell out attendance.

Get the answers to these questions:

1. What quality of leaflet was used? (design, paper etc.)
2. Where were the leaflets distributed? What streets and times etc?
3. How many leaflets?
4. How long pre-gig were they distributed?
5. Were posters used? What size? Where were they placed?
6. Was the gig plugged on local radio? Internet radio?
7. Was the gig promoted in the local press? What press? What method (interview, article, listing etc)?
8. Where was the gig?
9. What day was the gig on?
10. What else did the band do to promote the gig?
11. Where and when before this did the band play "near" this venue?
12. Do the band have any contacts they could / would pass on? Would they introduce you?

Gathering knowledge of this kind from bands you know, meet etc can be very, very valuable method to improve the odds of your own success. Make sure you ask the right questions and write down the answers. It's definitely worth your while.

However, and this is important, don't be daft about it. The point we are stressing here is to look at the "types" of things that successful bands are doing. Don't just go copying out right what somebody else is doing. All you will do here is piss off potential networking opportunities and more importantly, you'll just look unoriginal. 

2. "Education, Education, Education..."

That's right, we just quoted from Tony Blair's 1997 election campaign. And what? But seriously, war criminals aside, educate yourself on standard music industry processes, procedures and organizations. You can get a lot of help and support, source funding etc plus gain understanding of contracts and how the various music industry businesses interact.

There are actual books on this stuff. However, if that's too much trouble, think YouTube. The holy grail of all fast-food knowledge. 

This level of understanding is invaluable when it comes to negotiating contracts. If you are going to trade something away,you should what it is and any value attached to it.

Gather market intelligence about your local and national scene. Knowing the key venues in not only your local area is not enough. Become familiar with the key venues in the main cities you would like to play in. Get to know where are the new bands breaking on the scene? What venues do A&R men, tastemakers, song pluggers, Music press, local celebrities and bands go to? Where do they all go to see new and exciting bands? Those are the venues you should become familiar with the venue, the staff, and regulars.

 3. Networking, AKA Being Friendly

As Peep Show's Super-Hans puts it: "it ain't who you know.. it's who you blow"... Ha! No but seriously, you don't need to be an arse-kissing sycophant in order to network effectively. Established people in the industry expect to be approach by fresh blood, it's just how it works. Trust us, by being open about your intentions and polite, people will open up to you and even lend a helping hand.  

Networking and growing your local and music industry contacts cannot be underestimated. 

Who are the important people locally? Who are the DJ's and radio program controllers, music journalists, band managers, promoters, agents, music lawyers, indie labels... even music gear manufacturers!

Get to know them! Go to gigs, parties and events where you can mix with these people. The more you go to , the more you get invited to. These are not simply chances to party.

Remember you are there for business reasons, not to get drunk.

Networking provides contacts AND opportunities. Opportunities that you would otherwise miss out on. So make sure you network!

4. Build Your Fan Mailing List

Make and keep in contact with your fans. Tell them your band news directly. This is one of the best ways to build an active fan base and to reduce the impact of illegal downloads on your recording based income.

Build your fan mailing list online, and by getting people to sign up at your gigs. At gigs get an extended band member (manager, roadie etc) to man a "stall" with info about the band, any merchandise, and signing fans up to your mailing list using their email addresses. Ideally provide internet access and directly add the email addresses to your fan mailing list.

5. Build Your Presence Both Online AND Offline

It doesn't need to be one or the other, build both!

Make all your efforts pay off in both worlds. You can use your fan mailing list to get fans to a gig, but video the gig and then post it or parts of it online. Build in the benefits of being a member of your fan mailing list. For example, make one song available to the everyone, while reserving the bulk of the video for the members of your fan mailing list.

Remember people nowadays are fucking lazy. They like 60 second cat videos. That is what you have to contend with. Be funny. Entertain people. Stockport's new boys on the block Blossoms have been great at this. Check them out on YouTube. 

Build your band website. Include music, videos, images, news, and any special offers for your fans and visitors. Use social networking, forums, blogs to get breadth and then focus on one at a time to build depth. Consider hiring an online music promotion service to help promote your band.

If you are a bedroom musician obviously the internet offers the more obvious option to get your name and music out there, but you should perhaps think about what you can do in a real world sense, even if that is playing acoustic or unplugged gigs. Videos of these can then be turned into a nice bonus for fan club members, and they can also be used to raise awareness of your music on a more local basis.

6. No Substitute for Hard Work 

This will be a relatively short paragraph. You know yourself, if you're not putting in the hours you're never going to make it. That means rehearsing 5 times a week. Constantly interacting on Social Media. Gigging at least once a week. There needs to be an understanding that record labels and prospective fans don't just pick you up out of the goodness of their hearts. You have to be visible against the thousands of other bands in your area alone.

If you are serious about making it, you need to be prepared to commit. That means keeping the partying down to a minimum. Don't get us wrong, finish your set and go enjoy a good few jars. Don't try and be the next Pete Doherty. You'll just look a cock and nobody will want to have you on their bill. Also, avoid cocaine at all costs. We all know it's flying around everywhere these days. To be blunt, it's well known as being a drug that does nothing but stifle creativity. 

On that note... Go make it happen

Peace x

The Painful Truth: 6 Reasons Why Bands in 2016 Will Fail.

I’m lucky enough to be exposed to an extremely wide variety of independent bands, and it often seems the difference between a band rising fast, sinking like a stone or staying motionless in place comes down to the ideas and beliefs held by the band members themselves. Just like in life, ideas, philosophies and belief systems can cause us a lot of trouble internally and externally, leading us to do and think all kinds of irrational things. Some of the following list will be concrete things that many artists tend not to think about, and some of it will include harmful ideas they hold dear.All of them I see first hand, and often enough to be inspired to share this article.

1) “All or Nothing”

Possibly due to growing up with long-held cultural expectations going all the way back to Bob Dylan and the Beatles, our collective idea of what it is to “be in a band” or “to make it” generally involves visions of superstars gracing the stage in front of 50,000 or so obsessed followers.  It’s fine and good to have an image in your mind of your goal. The problem is, this goal, if held too close and without the proper neutrality, can taint all the building blocks along the way and cause bands to implode early when they were just on the verge of getting somewhere. Artists who start off wanting everything almost always grossly underestimate the work involved, and this leads to disillusionment and despair. There’s no such thing in reality as “all or nothing”. You are where you are so start from there.

2) “I’m a True Artist”

This is a true poison. If you’re an honest, true artist, I congratulate you. In my view, you’re a wonderful thing for this world. However, just BE an honest artist. Don’t THINK you are one. It will get in your way, trust me. It’s the same as the man on the path to enlightenment who thinks “I’m a great yogi”. He won’t achieve his goal. Thinking “I’m a true artist” tends to solidify subconscious beliefs about lack of success, “the Man”, and the army of commercial sods out there that you’re up against. It can make you feel alone in a music industry that sometimes seems to be a more dangerous environment than the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Don’t let yourself get polarized. The Doors are considered by many to be true artists, and yet they also had the business drive to make it. They called in to Los Angeles radio requesting “Break on Through” to get their foot in the door. They didn’t expect anyone to find them because of their unique gifts.

3) “We have no money”

That may be true, and everyone has their stories as to why they’re in that situation. People have stories about why they’re in ANY given situation; why they’re lazy, why they’re sick, why they’re angry, why they don’t trust people, why they are religious, why they are stressed, why they believe humanity is doomed…and many of our stories are quite rational and justified. We re-enforce them by repeating them over and over to anyone willing to listen.

But it doesn’t help.

The tough thing to accept, and this really is a bitter pill to swallow, is this. No one cares about your story. They may understand. They may empathize. But no one really cares. Once you know that, once you TRULY know that, it’s liberating. You can face who you actually are and where you actually are with courage instead of excuses.

Your band is a BUSINESS. In no other business are people allowed to say “I don’t have money but I want success”. The landlord would kick you out in a second. It’s only independent bands who have such an issue with investing in themselves.

4) “Can we get in Pitchfork?”

I’ve been asked this question by many artists who are just starting out, and of course, there is always that chance. However, there seems to be a looming expectation attached to the question that has some troubling residue. One artist advised me that he would accept interview requests from publications like Pitchfork or Rolling Stone, but I would have to get his permission for “smaller publications”. Do you see the issue here? If you don’t embrace and respect ALL the media, including the tiniest independent music blogs, you’ll most likely be very disappointed with your results. Most bands contact the top 50 music blogs after finding a list somewhere and ignore the rest of the blogosphere. In their minds, they’re simply too good to waste their time on small publications.

5) “We’re very coachable. Mold us!”

Not everyone will agree with me on this point, and it’s fine because my point of view is subjective, and based on the kinds of music I personally value. I often receive submissions from bands who quite obviously try to sound like their idols, whether that be Creed, Jack White, Lil Wayne, or Nickelback (shudder). While this can end up being a successful strategy for some, most media personnel will just see you as a clone. If you really get to know publications like Popmatters, Consequence of Sound, Pitchfork, and Filter Magazine, or checking the latest festival lineups, you’ll see a trend happening that leans heavily towards the innovative.

This goes against what most music promotion guides tell us. They tell you to be coachable and to listen to industry guidance. Write radio friendly songs. But I don’t think that’s true. You need to be genuine, and it’s not genuine to copy someone or try to cater to an industry for financial or vanity reasons.

Don’t compromise your art. Run with it. Do something vital, dangerous, meaningful, and most of all, honest.

6) “Wait in line and you’ll get your share”

With the prevalence of endless music authorities of every kind, independent artists have in some cases adopted a “wait in line” mentality that can be quite harmful. You’ve submitted your music to every blog on Hype Machine and applied for every opportunity on Sonicbids. No one has responded. Now what?

Most music publications receive hundreds of submissions per day. More than likely they won’t even listen to your music. Some blogs appear to be open to independent artists but are effectively shut down to the outside world. The idea of sending your album to all the respective “review queues” and waiting for something to happen, playing by the rules as it may be, just doesn’t work.

There is a commonly held subconscious belief amongst musicians that pictures a level playing field of sorts. The music industry, as we like to think of it, is a giant, endless panel populated by A&R representatives ready to listen to every band, one at a time. But the reality is that very few people have the time or will make the time to listen to your music, let alone spread it in any way. You need to understand this and take control of your own progress.

Reach out personally to any genre expert who could possibly help you. Take the time to personally connect with as many people as possible. Hire freelancers to get on your side and possibly cover your band’s new release. Offer something in return. Donate to blogs you respect and they will appreciate it. If you support them, they are much more likely to support you. Yes, I said it. It’s the truth. Most bands think each website has a whole bunch of writers waiting with all the time in the world to write blogs about them, but people generally want something for their time, whether it’s money to keep doing what they’re doing, cross-promotion, acknowledgement of their work, or just an actual human conversation instead of a robotic press release.

Advertise. Research micro-job websites. Reach out to respected licensing companies. Contact writers individually and let them know which of their pieces you enjoyed rather than going through the main channels. Start a blog of your own and offer cross-promotion. Follow up when appropriate. Target non-music specific publications that have music sections.

There are thousands of things you could be doing while you’re waiting in line, but never just wait.

May's Taster Record: Calling all Mod-Cons. Cleargreen. Watch This Space

Ever get a track stuck in your head? To the extent where your mates are agonising over you repeating that one line? Put it this way: Cleargreen have been driving my mates to bedlam and back over the past week. 

Back in March The SUL was lucky enough to have these four Kearsley-born reprobates grace our stage at Salford's Crescent. When I say "grace", I mean to say "own". They fuckin' owned it. It was Matt Le-Tissier who said "to be the best, you have to maintain a level of arrogance". That night they held the perfect balance of "on-stage arrogance". Off it, you couldn't meet a more humble set of lads.  

As evidence of Cleargreen's self-effacing off stage nature, they were kind enough to give The SUL an exclusive look at their yet-to-be released EP. The self titled record only consists of an appetite wetting three tracks, all of which offer a different shade of kaleidoscopic mod-green flavour. It's a fantastic snap-shot of whats to come. The record itself is due to be released 3rd June, on the night of their biggest gig yet. The Ritz, Manchester. But we'll talk more on that later. 

First things first, eh. 

The lads have made the right choice to begin the record with, what is arguably, their best track. Cozener is that the one on the EP that will be wedged into your cerebral cortex. The tune takes you on a journey. Beginning with a psychedelic blast of, what is somehow, melodic extortion that leads you into the comfort of a soft-bouncing verse, layered with some golden lyrical nuggets (I can't handle the feelin'/ the way you're looking at me when I catch you believin') to boot. And then, euphoria. Cozener climaxes into a crescendo of all that is right with British music throughout the ages. Top tune. 

Next up is Electric Skies. If there ever was a tune that held its place slap bang in the middle of a set,this is it. The type to cushion down upon after bouncing around for an hour. Soulful, with some fantastic guitar licks and solo's. A real treat on the lugs. Finally, you're left with Satellite Brain, which has all the making of a feel-good summer banger; contrasted with typically Northern melancholy subtext. With a splashes of Punk, Brit-pop and the contemporary, this is the exact way to round off an EP that has left us at The Stiff HQ craving more. 

So if you're wanting a taste of the Cleargreen pie, you're going to have to make your sorry little way down to The Ritz, 3rd of June. Where the lads will share the stage with up-and-coming acts like The Clarks, Dantevilles, Sly Antics and The Nix. There's going to be press, television and rumours of an after party with an extremely special guest. So be there or be fuckin' square. At £8 a ticket, it'd be extremely uncourteous not to. 

For those interested, leave a comment here, or get in touch on The Stiff Upper Lip Facebook or Twitter pages, we can box you off. 

So to Cleagreen, we fully salute you in the fight against the Cowell's and the Walsh's of this world. And Tyrone, you owe us a pint of Snakebite and Black. Don't think we've forgotten.

Peace x 

April's Taster Record: Black Tooth

 

"There are some bands that you just can't pigeon-hole". 

At The Stiff HQ we are inundated with mix tapes and EP's on a weekly basis. From groups and individuals who want our blogging team to review them and essentially give them a little more exposure. And why not? To get by in this game you've gotta graft. However, it's not always easy to get through all of the material sent, not through lack of trying. Thankfully, Black Tooth's songs managed to fall in the arbitrary "listen" pile and we are so glad it did. 

We'd come across Black Tooth before, they recently played our opening night in The Crescent Salford at the beginning of March, and they were on top form that night. Bouncing round on stage like it was going out of fashion and keeping, what can only be described as, meticulous control over their sound to ensure the crowd enjoyed it as much as they did. They handed out a few CD's that night and its taken us a month to listen to it, but our verdict is a simple one: more please!!!!

There are some bands that you just can't pigeon hole. The first track on Black Tooth Pharmaceuticals exemplifies this. What's Inside Your Mind? brings together everything that was great from the Brit Pop era, infused with moments of John Lennon-esque psychedelia, particularly in the chorus. Comparing them with Lennon is no throw away comment, so you'll have to listen to it and see if you agree. The remaining 2 tracks include Bermunderand Triangles and Snakes and Ladders continue on the same path of hammer-ons, licks and riffs that will keep you moving in your seat or on your feet. This band are heavy on the lead guitar riffs and we love it. 

If you wanna check out more from this band, I'd begin with social media where you can find more info on their movements and their upcoming album (@blacktoothsong). But if you're like us and you want to sample some of the real thing then get yourself down to Gullivers in the Northern Quarter on the 29tg April and/or Mono in Chorlton on the 30th April. We advise getting down before they go into hiatus for recording. 

Enjoy

Taylor

x 

Something Truly Extraordinary to Happen to Manchester: The Sessions of March

Don't call it a come back! Because it's not, it's just the first blog of the year. Yes dry Jan didn't go to plan and down the swanny went any productivity. Hopefully this makes up for it. Today we're talking all things March, with an inspirational concept that just might pump some life into our local music scene, but not without your help...

Since starting up this blog last year we've received our fair share of direct messaging from aspiring artists, labels and other such entities on our twitter account; the majority of it not sparking much more than a five second browse. However, for whichever fitful reason I nonchalantly came across a message that gripped me. It seemed like somebody had slapped the nail in the sweet spot. A concept full of innovation, desire and love. The Sessions of March (SoM)  they call it. You know it's a great idea when your head is split between pure excitement and jealousy. "Why didn't I think of that?", I thought begrudgingly green eyed. In the shell of a nut, SoM have brought together the best unsigned artists from Manchester and the surrounding areas. Put them in a room to record their own tracks, plus extra collaborations. Then they have released a single from each artist for the public to enjoy and uploaded each artists details on their website for bookings and enquiries. These guys are serious. Not a sniff of profit about, just love for music. From all at the Stiff HQ we'd like to say a massive "fair play". Beneficial for all parties involved and such an outlet for these musicians.

 From an audiences point of view it is an absolute treat on the ear and retina respectively. 2015 sessions had sounds that varied from the world of acoustica, heavy rock to r'n'b. Within each "genre" on show you couldn't find more polarised styles. The eery sounding John Ainsworth, clashes wonderfully with the whimsically effortless Ben Hayward. Add that to the Mancunian blues of Jim Adama, who can howl like the Wolf himself. 
If that doesn't get you foaming at the mouth, you need to get onto Noon's Welsh Belly Boogie. Country funk that would put Creedance to shame. The sensational things about this project is not just the standard of musical talent, or the comprehensive nature of it. No, its the very concept itself. A free platform for bands to promote themselves. Something that The Stiff Upper Lip have been trying to do. They've uncovered some of the eclectic and eccentric that Manchester has in its gym bag. My two personal favourites come from the bouncing madcap string set Buffo's Wake, whose tunes wouldn't be out of place at an Adams Family reunion party, reminiscent of The Squirrel Nut Zippers. Also, Ten Foot Wizard's  tenderly named King Shit of Fuck Mountain. Any Rage Against the Machine fanboys will especially appreciate the latter. 

SoM is something that we at The Stiff Upper Lip are going to remain evangelical about. However, this brilliance unfortunately comes with a financial implication that the lads and ladies of SoM are unable to bare the full brunt of. In order for them to cover costs this year they require £6969 and they are just about half way, with little time left to go. If the acts that you've seen so far are something you're interested in and you want to see more then please donate here. Whether its a quid, or a grand, it doesn't matter. Let's pull together and do it for the music. 

I for one want to hear more of the likes of Jenna and the Gs (which by the way is like listening to an early Lauren Hill in front of a Ska band, with a delightful blend of soul) and will continue to offer support to what is a humble and honest cause. 

We hope you like as much as we do