The music hustle is a cold beast. The main reason I haven’t posted here in some time is due to redefining what I want out of this music journey. I was formerly half of Fried Roots, and while I and fellow Fried Roots partner decided it was time to part ways, there was alot of discovery to be proud of and lessons learned in that 3 year time period.
First lesson: No Regrets! Deciding to run an independent label out of Los Angeles was one of the best decisions I could’ve made. I definitely came out of that experience with a sense of knowing what I wanted to accomplish, especially when times were rough and money was running low.
Second lesson: If You Haven’t Failed, You Aren’t Trying Hard Enough. This is one of my favorite quotes from Albert Einstein that really has hit home more as a life lesson, than just a business experience. Not taking the easy road and not just settling for safe choices created the gut check I needed. Along the way, I discovered a passion for music marketing, helping other independent musicians, and the ultimate one: I love creating music and promoting it.
Third lesson: Define What Roles You Want To Take Part In. Running a record label takes alot of manpower and defined roles to ease the stress on those creating music. As blogging came into the picture, our marketing roles were tested. Marketing takes time and effort and with a smaller operation, it can be demanding. The roles I assumed came as I encountered them.
We went from musicians just wanting to promote music to having to adapt and learning about: web design, web maintenance, content creation, article promotion, social networking, accounting, planning and budgeting, defining music business plans and revising, and the list goes on.
After all was said and done I got to work on my passion: just creating music I love. Small tasks and team development would have made life easier and business better. Small budgets no longer are an excuse, its time to trade talent for talent and make the most of your dreams.
Fourth lesson: Learn and Don’t Repeat Your Mistakes. After all is said and done, there are many lessons learned from ambitious endeavours. From taking on multiple roles, I now understand what to expect from services I will pay for or when I have people work for me. For example, with an intern I can demand some of the same tasks to be completed that I laboured over, or if I had a web designer work on a site I can now make explicit demands to what I want accomplished.
The roles we assumed were expected and we were not naive to what we were getting into, the problem was cost cutting when money wasn’t abundant. Do It Yourself has a greater meaning for me and this blog is here to aid all musicians looking to ease their efforts of marketing online, I laboured just like you.
After viewing online accomplishments, I am proud to say that numbers don’t lie and there is alot to be hopeful over such as
Thanks for listening and please feel free to drop your thoughts on your experiences, obstacles and life lessons you have encountered on your road to music promotion.
I am not looking to create another record label, because I think there is a more creative approach to what I want to accomplish and I believe many multi-tasking musicians out there can relate to that question of trying to figure out what is innovative and suited to what you want out of your music.
After all is said and done: Damn, I LOVE HIP HOP!!!
