How to Be Your Own Agent and Other Tough Love Advice for the Motivationally Challenged Musician.

We’ve read the stories. We’ve dreamed the dreams. And we’ve wondered, ‘how do I get to play stadiums filled with breasts that let me drink Jagermeister off of them?’ Sure, we all know it takes hard work and luck to achieve the musical unicorn that is a career of rocking stadiums well into your seventies. But we seem to retain little when it comes to understanding the excruciating hard work it takes just to be able to play in front of an audience.

We again talked to singer/songwriter John Taglieri (J.T.) to get his take on getting out there and gigging. He’s always playing somewhere – from Boston to Key West. He always has a new CD to talk about. And for some reason he is always willing to share what he’s learned with his fellow musicians (see exception below).

When we last talked to J.T. he told us to put our egos aside and do the work that needs to be done. Now he shares some tips on just how he’s been able to make a living as a performing artist.  

Lazy Musicians Have No Gigs. 

Once the music is written and a repertoire developed, it’s time to get gigging. Getting gigs if often easier said than done.  It’s also a topic much discussed here – Because gigging and getting gigs is a musician’s life blood. 

John Taglieri tells fellow musicians, “Get on the phone.” Agents work on commission. Unless you’re making them a few grand a month, your band is just not worth their effort. Agents want their commission. They don’t necessarily have a musician’s career in mind.  There may be many non paying or low paying gigs passed over simply because there is no money in it for the agent. So you’d need a manager to fill in those gaps, and now the musician is paying 2 people for the same job!  At the level of a newly emerging artist, “there’s nothing an agent can do for you that you can’t do for yourself.” 

            J.T.’s steps to getting in front of an Audience.

1. Find similar artists in locations you want to play. Reverb Nation is great for this. Note the places those bands play.

2. Fan and befriend that band. Never waste a chance to build relationships.

3. Research the venues. Go to their websites. Like them on facebook. Note in that gig binder what each venue’s policy is on soliciting bookings.

4. Follow those policies to the letter.

5. Repeat. 

“Stop bitching and do it. Yes. It’s a lot of work. But it’s not brain surgery. Just stop whining about how hard it is and do it.” John always has a way of putting things so others can understand him. But don’t mistake this New Jersey native’s frankness. Like most musicians, J.T. is almost always willing to help others…as long as they help themselves.  “If I see someone with no gigs listed and they’re asking me to help them, I think – They don’t deserve a gig.” 

Go online, pick up a phone, and do that dirty work. Remember #2 above? When you help yourself and others see it, they’ll want to help you even more. Those other bands might help promote you to their fans, or at the very least, guarantee they’ll come out themselves. 

Great Gigs Aren’t Always That Great.

If an emerging artists is playing any large stage, be it stadium or festival, chances are it was a buy on. That brings with it the pressure to gain enough fans and sell enough merchandise to cover that ‘promo fee.’ Such gigs can also mean the artist is under greater professional scrutiny.  These are the gigs that make artists either put up or shut up. Stumble on local stages. Your friends will understand. Fail on a big stage and the artist might never get a chance to set foot on such a stage again. The stress level for emerging artists at those shows is often through the sagging roof of their tour van. 

When it comes to playing shows, say yes. “There is no gig I won’t say yes to.” Free Shows? Yes. Charity events? Yes. Back yard cookouts? Yes. Quinceaneras? Who cares if anyone can pronounce it, Yes. Yes to all of them. J.T. would rather play a sweet sixteen party to 20 sixteen year old girls. “Those are the fans who like to spend money. There’s no choice between playing for large groups of drunk 40 year olds in a bar or playing for a small group of people in a private home who are really excited to hear me.”

People like to share, whether it’s a news story, pictures of their lunch, or their latest musical obsession. Create chances to be their obsession by saying yes. J.T. has learned not to turn down those nontraditional shows because in the midst of sharing their latest likes, they’ll tell all their friends about the funk y bald guy who jammed the face off their living room.

There would be more tips but John had to get to a gig. 

[Watch this spot got a continuing talk with John Taglieri and his tips for making the most out of being on the road.]   

A Musician’s Guide to Retirement: From Their Day Jobs

The secret to a successful music career is free, easily available, and most artists want nothing to do with it. That statement is surmised from many industry professionals sharing that the questions they get asked the most are music business basics. Without getting the basics, the dream of making a living doing playing music will remain a dream.

The best illustration of someone who learned the basics and continuously worked the steps like he was earning chips is singer/songwriter John Taglieri (J.T).  The current tally is 10 CDs selling over 20,000 copies and he hasn’t seen a day job since March 10, 2005. This New Jersey native resides just outside of Boston but spends every other month performing in Key West, FL.  When he’s home he either gigs locally and/or puts on his producer hat for clients he books in his studio. In this series of articles, I try to tap into his firsthand experiences in hopes of finally cracking the hard nut that is the human ego and to get more artists fruitfully working toward their own “retirement” from their day jobs. 

Put the Ego Back in the Box

At some point, every musician wonders why they’re not successful yet.  The answer is simple. “The simple things are the hardest…and I finally figured out what the problem was – me and my ego” said John Taglieri (Wiki).  Ego fuels the entertainment business but it is best served on stage. Off stage, artists need to make good business decisions. They can’t make good business decisions when their egos make all their choices.  “You just set yourself up for failure.”

John Taglieri’s shows make every bar and backyard he plays, a party. It’s a mix of known favorites and original music.  But he was once scoffed at by other bands for being ‘a cover guy.’ “I bought a ticket played The Rock Boat for 8 or 9 years just jamming everywhere i could and meeting people.” Many artists have a chance to get booked on land gigs after performing on the Rock Boat. “But a lot of guys didn’t take them because covers were beneath them. I always say yes.  And the way I can do that is to put my ego away.” Now those bands who passed on the gigs he took are asking him for advice on gigging so much. “There was just a lot of work between then and now that their ego just didn’t want to do.”

J.T is the first person to say that he’s not the world’s greatest musician. But he is very successful and very good at what he does. “I do what I need to do.  If anyone does what they need to do, eventually they can get what they want.” Don’t wait for the easy path to come down from the sky, light up with a giant arrow pointing the way to a new tour bus driven by Clive Davis. That doesn’t even happen in Spinal tap. 

Wanna Retire? Work For It.

Put the work in where the want is. If the majority of thought and effort goes into getting a good annual 360 review for that coveted 2% raise, then it’s not going towards playing music. Ozzy Osbourne used to pack his gear and wait outside clubs in case a band canceled and his band could play. Harrison Ford was a carpenter on a movie set before he was Han Solo. Follow their lead and get involved in the business. 

Although he wanted to be a touring musician, he left a full time day job to work 3 days a week touring with a sound company.  It wasn’t exactly what he wanted but it was in the business and gave him a chance to use all that schooling in audio engineering.  But that left 4 days a week he could use to work on his music while keeping a hand in the business and making connections the other 3 days. The better he got getting music gigs, the less he needed his sound gig. “So I got my boss to fire me. I never looked back.”

It should be noted that J.T is a solo artist and plays with a band for select gigs. Is it easier to set off on a musical adventure for a solo musician than a group act? “Nope. A group means more people are working towards the goal.” Everyone in the band should have a job. A real job. A band related job. Assign jobs to each band member: booking, promotion, finance, etc. No one is above the grunt work. 

“The practices I use are Business 101.” While playing music to crowds is addictive and the party life is really the fun it’s made out to be, those are for the ego. Success in the music business is the science (yes – science!) of selling. Sell your product. “And find a way to outsell everyone else.” Don’t worry about fame or being a big rock ‘n roll star, that’s just ego. Leave the id on stage. 

When ego is finally put aside, you can finally do the work you need to do to get where you want to go. Then artists can finally retire to their own little paradise. 

[Watch this spot for a continuing talk with John Taglieri and his Tips for touring and why Sweet 16 parties rock more than bars with Goldschlager ice slide.]