This post is part of The Renegade Musician Series.
The reason most musicians think opportunities are limited is because they’re all chasing the same ones.
The reason most musicians think opportunities are limited is because they’re all chasing the same ones. Click To TweetThey’re too lazy to do their own homework, so they look at where everyone else is playing and hope they can get booked in the same venues. When the waiting list is months long, they give up or settle for lesser opportunities (of the dive bar variety).
This doesn’t just apply to gigs. It applies to every area of one’s music career.
Most musicians are small thinkers. They’re too lazy to spend any time laying the groundwork for connecting with influencers, agents, managers, educators, artists, labels, and more.
To add insult to injury, it’s never been easier to find what you’re looking for.
You and I are looking at the same social media. But where I’m seeing opportunity, you’re only seeing hot asses in thongs.
When I was asked to perform at a certain notorious bar in Calgary (notorious because musicians rarely made any money there), I had to stop and think. If I just did everything on their terms, I would walk away with $20 to $50 for a hard night’s work (which I would have to split with my band).
Instead, I stated my terms. We would bring our own opening acts. We would bring our own doorperson (so the bar couldn’t fudge the numbers). We would plan the entire night. And we would convince them that this was all their idea. It worked.
Thanks to the groundwork we laid, the venue was packed out the night of the performance, and everyone in the band (three of us in total), walked away with over $100 each. That was after we paid the opening acts what they were owed. Not a lucrative night, but a worthwhile one.
The venue still managed to mess with us, though, because a birthday party had booked a table that night, and they got a free show. We ended up having to turn away some of our friends and fans at the door because capacity had been reached. We could have been even more profitable if the venue hadn’t found a loophole in our plan.
Either way, do you see what I mean when I say, “manipulating circumstances to your own benefit?”
Opportunities are everywhere. You can book shows in places no one even thinks to (hair salons, yoga studios, libraries, homes, etc. – I have organized shows in some of these locations). You can get a third-party investor involved in a co-write. You can distribute your music exclusively through your paid fan club.
Opportunities are everywhere. Click To TweetWhy do things the same way everyone else is doing them if you have the clarity of mind to see that most don’t know what they’re doing?
Why do things the same way everyone else is doing them if you have the clarity of mind to see that most don’t know what they’re doing? Click To TweetGod blessed you with mental faculties. Use them.
Take advantage of The Most Incredible Back to School Sale while you still can.
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